Seventeen Smiths Station athletes participate in signing ceremony

For Smiths Station senior basketball player Anthony Rogers, Wednesday’s signing ceremony was hard to believe.

Rogers said if he’d been asked a year ago if he would be signing a college scholarship, he would have shook off the idea. Instead, he was doing just that on the Panthers basketball court where some of his best moments took place.

Rogers secured his transition to Lawson State at one end of a 17-person line of Smiths Station athletes making similar college plans official.

The big moment left Rogers in a state of awe as the athletes’ families huddled around their loved ones and the student-athletes put on caps emblazoned with their new school logos.

“All these kids, we’ve put in so much work,” Rogers. “It’s crazy. It ain’t even hit me.”

No one could blame Rogers for being disillusioned in what was a momentous day for Smiths Station athletics. Seventeen athletes signed their National Letters of Intent during the ceremony, representing five of the school’s athletic programs.

The large signing was the second for Smiths Station this year, which means over 25 Panthers student-athletes will be playing their sports at the collegiate level.

“I’m very proud of these kids,” Smiths Station athletic director Sherry Paysinger said. “We’ve got a lot of great kids who go to this school, a lot of kids who work hard. Their parents go above and beyond. It’s great to be here. I love what I do.”

Soccer player Ariel Jones was among the 17 set to move on to the next level. Jones, whose father, Dennis, is the girls soccer coach, said there were a lot of emotions during the day. Jones is headed to Auburn University at Montgomery, a program close enough to home to allow Dennis and the rest of her family to watch her play.

The chance to celebrate the future with her classmates was one Jones hasn’t overlooked.

“It feels great to walk through the halls, see them and just congratulate them on their scholarships,” Jones said. “Our school is so great, and we’re doing big things.”

Track athlete Sloan Hayes remembered sitting in the stands last year, watching the Smiths Station seniors celebrate their signings. This time around, it was Hayes in the spotlight, finalizing his plans to be a preferred walk-on at Troy University.

“It’s one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve ever had in my life,” Hayes said. “I’m living in the dream.”

Baseball player Jared Head has had several memorable moments in his senior year, from hitting a walk-off home run to throwing a one-hit shutout against rival Central. Wednesday only made Head’s list grow, as he signed with Chattahoochee Valley Community College.

Head, who received a full academic scholarship in lieu of an athletic one, said he looks forward to developing his game while also getting to live the college life. That will include a push to accomplish a great deal for the Pirates program.

“They work hard and all of the guys are going there for the same goal, and that’s to win a JUCO national championship,” Head said. “I’m glad to be a part of a team that’s very good and intense.”

As the gym began to clear out, Rogers discussed his soon-to-be squad. Rogers is joining a strong Lawson State team, one that he believes holds a great deal of potential. He said he plans to give it his all while also holding his teammates accountable in order to help the team achieve its goals.

“We’re going to do what we’re supposed to do and put in the work,” Rogers said. “That’s the plan.”

While Rogers was speaking about his future teammates, the same can be said about the Smiths Station classmates who had sat alongside him minutes earlier.

Signees

Giovanni Avila, track, Lane College; Takiya Briggs, track, Columbus State; Trey Brown, track, Columbus State; Rachel Givens, track, Sterling College; Bradley Harris, soccer, LeTourneau University; Sloan Hayes, track, Troy University; Jared Head, baseball, Chattahoochee Valley; Ariel Jones, soccer, Auburn Montgomery; Joe Lewis, football, Point University; Matt Manns, track, Newberry College; William Quesnell, football, Missouri Baptist; Sean Ray, football, Huntingdon; Matt Robinson, football, Missouri Baptist; Anthony Rogers, basketball, Lawson State; Skylar Scott, soccer, Huntingdon College; Harmony Stephens, track, Columbus State; Mary White, soccer, Faulkner University

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Seventeen Smiths Station athletes participate in signing ceremony."