GAME DAY Youth Sports Magazine Upstate SC - February 2012 : Page 19

RECRUITING T Signing Day all about hopes, dreams hey’ve always said there are two seasons here --football season and recruiting season. That pretty-much held true until South Carolina’s baseball team took up permanent residence in Omaha at the NCAA Division I College World Series. Thanks to the Gamecocks there is a college baseball sea-son that gets more than a yawn from sports fans across the state. Even so, National Signing Day --always the first Wednesday in February each year --has been one of my favorite sports cover-age days. It’s sort of like Opening Day in baseball --when hopes and dreams are given the benefit of the doubt on the scoreboard, even if you’re the Kansas City Royals. That’s the way I look at National Signing Day for football --and now the November signing period for other sports when soft-ball players, soccer players and others sign on the dotted line as well. Those are the days dreams come true. Those are the days lives are changed. Those dreams JOHN may include CLAYTON Clemson or South Carolina or Georgia or some other powerhouse university with storied football programs and top-notch facilities. Such is the case of Boiling Springs offensive lineman Eddie Gordon, a 6-foot-3, 305-pounder headed to N.C. State to con-tinue his football career. “It has been a dream come true,” Gordon said of Signing Day. “It’s always been my dream to play college football and I achieved it, so I’m pretty happy.” But more often than not those dreams come true in places such as Erskine College in Due West or Presbyterian College in Clin-ton or North Greenville University in Tiger-ville or maybe Southern Wesleyan University, a stone’s throw from Clemson in Central. There are the occasional athletes such as D.J. Moore (Broome/Vanderbilt/Chicago Bears) and Prince Miller (Byrnes/Georgia/ Buffalo Bills) who make it to the highest levels of their respective sports (in their case, the NFL) and are paid well to do it. But most who signed letters-of-intent this month and who signed late last year will receive a full or partial ride to college where LES TIMMS III PHOTO SPARTANBURG HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES SIGN NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT. they will receive an education and prepara-tion for a real world that will be upon them before they know it. They will be true student-athletes, jug-gling a full course load with late-night bus trips and afternoon and/or early morning practices. The bright lights of ESPN rarely find their way to places like Due West, but the kids play on. (And in the case of Erskine, they play on with one of the best nicknames in college sports, the Flying Fleet, regardless of division.) On the first Wednesday in February this year, about 20 football players from across the region were to make their verbal com-mitments --if they made them --official by signing their letters-of-intent. The list of local gridders signing included, Dorman offensive lineman Patrick Destefano (Clemson) and teammate, running back Raymond Smith (Wofford). Woodruff offensive lineman Javarious Leamon a Clemson commit, signed with S.C. State after not qualifying academically at Clemson. Wolverines running back Shun Tribble heads to Georgia Southern and Caleb Smith heads to Gardner-Webb. Greer quarterback Reese Hannon chose Furman over a list that included upstart UNC Charlotte and Southern Utah, while Blue Ridge signal-caller Caleb Rowe is headed to Maryland. “I’m very close with my family,” Hannon said of staying relatively close to home. “But even if Furman was two hours away, Furman was right.” Byrnes kicker/punter Kaleb Patterson chose Miami (Ohio) after a visit to the cam-pus. At Spartanburg High, defensive lineman JaQuille Odom had committed to Newberry and QB Adrian Kollock to South Carolina State, while three other Vikings will go the juco route. Chesnee linebacker Nathaniel Moore will also be taking his talents to Newberry to join the re-Christened Wolves (nee Indians). Boiling Springs sent a pair of offensive lineman in Gordon and Hunter Kirby to Di-vision I schools across the state line in North Carolina. Gordon is heading to N.C. State and Kirby to the Southern Conference and Western Carolina after switching on his ver-bal commitment to Appalachian State. Shrine Bowl linebacker Shaquan Burney is headed to N.C. Central and defensive lineman Brendan Miller is off to North Greenville. At Gaffney, quarterback Joey Copeland signed with S.C. State, but All-American wideout Quinshad Davis kept his decision under wraps before announcing that he is headed to North Carolina after visits to Cha-pel Hill, Tennessee and Wake Forest. Chapman, quarterback Josh Henderson signed with Brevard College, and, in one of the better stories of this Signing Day, Pan-thers linebacker/fullback Preston “Moose” Durham was to sign with The Citadel. Durham suffered a broken leg early on this past season in a game against Woodruff and soon after a feature on the Panthers’ leader appeared in Game Day. Duke, Appalachian State and The Citadel were among the favorites before the injury, but the Bulldogs reportedly stuck with Dur-ham through the tough times of his injury.

RECRUITING

John Clayton

Signing Day all about hopes, dreams They’ve always said there are two seasons here -- football season and recruiting season. That pretty-much held true until South Carolina’s baseball team took up permanent residence in Omaha at the NCAA Division I College World Series. Thanks to the Gamecocks there is a college baseball season that gets more than a yawn from sports fans across the state. Even so, National Signing Day -- always the first Wednesday in February each year -- has been one of my favorite sports coverage days. It’s sort of like Opening Day in baseball -- when hopes and dreams are given the benefit of the doubt on the scoreboard, even if you’re the Kansas City Royals. That’s the way I look at National Signing Day for football -- and now the November signing period for other sports when softball players, soccer players and others sign on the dotted line as well. Those are the days dreams come true. Those are the days lives are changed. Those dreams may include Clemson or South Carolina or Georgia or some other powerhouse university with storied football programs and top-notch facilities. Such is the case of Boiling Springs offensive lineman Eddie Gordon, a 6-foot-3, 305-pounder headed to N.C. State to continue his football career. “It has been a dream come true,” Gordon said of Signing Day. “It’s always been my dream to play college football and I achieved it, so I’m pretty happy.” But more often than not those dreams come true in places such as Erskine College in Due West or Presbyterian College in Clinton or North Greenville University in Tigerville or maybe Southern Wesleyan University, a stone’s throw from Clemson in Central. There are the occasional athletes such as D.J. Moore (Broome/Vanderbilt/Chicago Bears) and Prince Miller (Byrnes/Georgia/ Buffalo Bills) who make it to the highest levels of their respective sports (in their case, the NFL) and are paid well to do it. But most who signed letters-of-intent this month and who signed late last year will receive a full or partial ride to college where they will receive an education and preparation for a real world that will be upon them before they know it. They will be true student-athletes, juggling a full course load with late-night bus trips and afternoon and/or early morning practices. The bright lights of ESPN rarely find their way to places like Due West, but the kids play on. (And in the case of Erskine, they play on with one of the best nicknames in college sports, the Flying Fleet, regardless of division.) On the first Wednesday in February this year, about 20 football players from across the region were to make their verbal commitments -- if they made them -- official by signing their letters-of-intent. The list of local gridders signing included, Dorman offensive lineman Patrick Destefano (Clemson) and teammate, running back Raymond Smith (Wofford). Woodruff offensive lineman Javarious Leamon a Clemson commit, signed with S.C. State after not qualifying academically at Clemson. Wolverines running back Shun Tribble heads to Georgia Southern and Caleb Smith heads to Gardner-Webb. Greer quarterback Reese Hannon chose Furman over a list that included upstart UNC Charlotte and Southern Utah, while Blue Ridge signal-caller Caleb Rowe is headed to Maryland. “I’m very close with my family,” Hannon said of staying relatively close to home. “But even if Furman was two hours away, Furman was right.” Byrnes kicker/punter Kaleb Patterson chose Miami (Ohio) after a visit to the campus. At Spartanburg High, defensive lineman JaQuille Odom had committed to Newberry and QB Adrian Kollock to South Carolina State, while three other Vikings will go the juco route. Chesnee linebacker Nathaniel Moore will also be taking his talents to Newberry to join the re-Christened Wolves (nee Indians). Boiling Springs sent a pair of offensive lineman in Gordon and Hunter Kirby to Division I schools across the state line in North Carolina. Gordon is heading to N.C. State and Kirby to the Southern Conference and Western Carolina after switching on his verbal commitment to Appalachian State. Shrine Bowl linebacker Shaquan Burney is headed to N.C. Central and defensive lineman Brendan Miller is off to North Greenville. At Gaffney, quarterback Joey Copeland signed with S.C. State, but All-American wideout Quinshad Davis kept his decision under wraps before announcing that he is headed to North Carolina after visits to Chapel Hill, Tennessee and Wake Forest. Chapman, quarterback Josh Henderson signed with Brevard College, and, in one of the better stories of this Signing Day, Panthers linebacker/fullback Preston “Moose” Durham was to sign with The Citadel. Durham suffered a broken leg early on this past season in a game against Woodruff and soon after a feature on the Panthers’ leader appeared in Game Day. Duke, Appalachian State and The Citadel were among the favorites before the injury, but the Bulldogs reportedly stuck with Durham through the tough times of his injury.

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