Local football players sign with D2 schools
National Signing Day was on Wednesday, and eight local high school football players made their college decision official.
They’ll be scattered across the PSAC.
California, Slippery Rock, IUP, Clarion, Seton Hill and Edinboro each had at least one local signee.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Deakyn DeHoet and California’s Noah Layhue signed with California.
DeHoet was a do-it-all athlete for the Rockets this year with 816 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns and 32 receptions for 748 yards and 11 touchdowns. Layhue led the PIAA in sacks with 19.
Canon-McMillan’s Ethan Campoli is headed to Slippery Rock and his Big Macs teammate Ben Gottschalk signed with Clarion.
Gottschalk was an all-conference offensive lineman for the Big Macs and Campoli led them in receiving with 40 catches for 590 yards and eight touchdowns.
Fort Cherry’s Christian Yanosko and South Fayette’s Mason Green signed with Seton Hill.
Yanosko had 366 yards rushing and five touchdowns for the Rangers and made 25 tackles on defense. Green anchored South Fayette’s offensive line.
Belle Vernon’s Preston Rathway signed with IUP, and his Leopards teammate Deaubre Lightfoot is going to Edinboro.
Rathway was an all-conference kicker and punter and broke the record for longest field goal in Belle Vernon history by making a 49-yard attempt this season. Lightfoot was a running back and defensive back for the Leopards. Edinboro lists him as a defensive back.
California picked up two transfers that went to Belle Vernon. Braden Laux transferred from Eastern Michigan and Aiden Johnson from Millersville. Laux played quarterback on Belle Vernon’s WPIAL and PIAA championship teams but was a tight end at Eastern Michigan.
Carmichaels grad Tyler Richmond transferred from Waynesburg to Slippery Rock. Richmond was Waynesburg’s leading receiver this past season with 39 catches.
All of the local NCAA Division I football players signed their Letters of Intent during the early signing period on Dec. 3.
Binion to Seton Hill
Rylee Binion, one of the key members of the South Fayette girls soccer team that won the Class 3A state championship, is continuing her career at Seton Hill.
Binion, a defender, signed with the Griffinsy.
Other Lions to sign Letters of Intent for their respective sports were Brady Newman (California, golf), Drew Welhorsky (Robert Morris, lacrosse) Abby Poe (Indianapolis, triathlon), Delaney Schumacher (Pitt, track), Lanna Thomas (Bloomsburg, volleyball) and Adeline DeWitt (Kentucky, STUNT).
Bo Stover announced he’d be attending Penn College to play baseball and Brynn Mey is headed to Washington & Jefferson, where she’ll play lacrosse.