Roberts brothers set to sign with Urbana University
Ridgeland seniors Terrance and Torrance Roberts have stood side-by-side on the football field for a number of years and that trend will continue next year in west central Ohio.
Both recently committed to play football for the Blue Knights of Urbana University, a NCAA Division II member and a member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Urbana was 7-4 in 2019, 7-3 in conference play.
Terrance ran 149 times for 1,041 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Region 6-AAAA champion Panthers this past season, while adding 73 tackles — 42 solo — on defense with three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
The multi-talented athlete will also play baseball for the Blue Knights. He is coming off a junior campaign that saw him hit .407 with eight doubles and two triples, 27 RBIs, 21 runs scored and 27 stolen bases.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about since football season,” he explained. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could play the two sports that I love, so now I can get the whole package at once. I’m happy about it and I feel confident about it.”
Torrance, who is a also a standout on the Ridgeland track team, had 44 carries for 339 yards and one score this past fall, caught 11 passes for 300 yards and three more TDs and picked up 60 tackles — 29 solo, two for a loss — with an interception and a fumble recovery on the defensive side of the ball.
“Overall, Urbana is just a nice community and the coaches up there have shown me and my brother what we love since day one,” Torrance added. “They’ve stayed in touch and when I went there (to visit), I just loved it. It’s great to get away from home a little bit too.”
Urbana is located some 50 miles west of Columbus.
“The thing that I like most about Urbana is the coach,” Terrance said. “He was texting and calling every single day, sometimes three or four times a day. He was always checking up on me and I’m seven hours away from Urbana, so that really showed me something. That was important.”