Sports Update > National Signing Day
Panther Pride: Plano East has 18 athletes sign
BY Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
As high schools around the country celebrated National Signing Day on Wednesday, the Plano East athletic department saw 18 of its best athletes join the fray.
Not only did East have athletes sign in seven different sports, they also sent several to Division I programs.
"It's a credit to our coaches and to these young men and women here at Plano East," said Johnny Ringo, East athletic director and head football coach. "It's a great opportunity for all our kids who have worked so hard to showcase their talents over the years. And to get this chance to have it all culminate on Signing Day is huge for the families and for the kids."
East had five football players sign, including tight end Cody Verhulst (Air Force), wide receiver Collin Shaw (Cornell), quarterback Mario Smalls (Texas Southern), linebacker Jackson Garrey (University of Chicago) and defensive back D'Montae Sheffield (Texas A&M-Commerce).
While he's happy to be playing college football, Verhulst is most thankful for the financial blessing his signing provides.
"This is awesome," he said. "It's definitely a dream checked off the bucket list. It's a huge weight off my back to say, 'Mom and dad, you don't have to pay for college.' And I get to play DI football; you can't beat that."
Verhulst is also looking forward to the structured routine a service academy provides.
"In most colleges you're kind of free to roam around and do what you want, but here it's very structured," he said. "It'll be nice to get into a routine and get a great education."
Verhulst's teammate Shaw was grateful to make his commitment official.
"It's a relief," he said. "Knowing where I was signing early, I had to wait to put the pen to paper, and now that I did it feels great. It's official. I'm very blessed, very fortunate and very grateful."
Outside of football, the wideout is in line to receive a high level of education in the prestigious Ivy League.
"I've been working very hard in the classroom," Shaw said. "I chose Cornell because I know they can give me a good education and help give me a good degree when I get into the workforce."
After quarterbacking the Panthers in 2012, Smalls can't wait to get started at Texas Southern, the same school his brother (former East quarterback Riko Smalls) played for the last three years.
"It's a dream come true to play college ball," the younger Smalls said. "Texas Southern is going to be a great fit. It's going to be a blast the next four years."
East also had athletes from cross country (Morgan Johnson-Samford), swimming (Nic Bergstein-Army, Frances Ivers-Western State Colorado, Sarah Stone-Xavier), volleyball (Kayla Burling-Nicholls State), baseball (Nicholas Ramos-Eastern Oklahoma Junior College) and boys soccer (Connor Cunningham-Southwestern, Tavis King-Bethel, Adam Schultz-LeTourneau) sign.
Behind football, the next largest group signing Wednesday morning was girls soccer (Abigail Bailey-Texas Women's, Abigail Canny-Louisiana Monroe, Marissa Hughes-Centenary, Alyssa Parkhill-Midwestern State).
"It feels wonderful," Canny said. "I'm really excited to go play soccer and be among my new teammates. It's just a wonderful feeling to finally commit."
Canny noted that she was grateful for the intense, thorough level of preparation she received while playing for East.
"This school prepared me very well," she said. "[Former Lady Panthers head coach Dawn Crow] and all the other coaches for the last three years have done a great job and I wanted to thank them. They've taught me so much about what's to come."
Canny's teammate Bailey, a forward, enjoyed the signing but had yet to fully comprehend the moment.
"I don't know if it's really hit me yet," she said. "My mind is blown right now. It hasn't hit me that I'm about to go to college."
While she's thrilled about her future, Bailey said she'll never forget her past and the moments she experienced at East.
"Last year I thought I would be balling right now, but I'm not, so I know it hasn't hit me yet that I'm about to leave this school," she said. "I'll always remember all of the people I met and the responsibility I learned here."
Not only did East have athletes sign in seven different sports, they also sent several to Division I programs.
"It's a credit to our coaches and to these young men and women here at Plano East," said Johnny Ringo, East athletic director and head football coach. "It's a great opportunity for all our kids who have worked so hard to showcase their talents over the years. And to get this chance to have it all culminate on Signing Day is huge for the families and for the kids."
East had five football players sign, including tight end Cody Verhulst (Air Force), wide receiver Collin Shaw (Cornell), quarterback Mario Smalls (Texas Southern), linebacker Jackson Garrey (University of Chicago) and defensive back D'Montae Sheffield (Texas A&M-Commerce).
While he's happy to be playing college football, Verhulst is most thankful for the financial blessing his signing provides.
"This is awesome," he said. "It's definitely a dream checked off the bucket list. It's a huge weight off my back to say, 'Mom and dad, you don't have to pay for college.' And I get to play DI football; you can't beat that."
Verhulst is also looking forward to the structured routine a service academy provides.
"In most colleges you're kind of free to roam around and do what you want, but here it's very structured," he said. "It'll be nice to get into a routine and get a great education."
Verhulst's teammate Shaw was grateful to make his commitment official.
"It's a relief," he said. "Knowing where I was signing early, I had to wait to put the pen to paper, and now that I did it feels great. It's official. I'm very blessed, very fortunate and very grateful."
Outside of football, the wideout is in line to receive a high level of education in the prestigious Ivy League.
"I've been working very hard in the classroom," Shaw said. "I chose Cornell because I know they can give me a good education and help give me a good degree when I get into the workforce."
After quarterbacking the Panthers in 2012, Smalls can't wait to get started at Texas Southern, the same school his brother (former East quarterback Riko Smalls) played for the last three years.
"It's a dream come true to play college ball," the younger Smalls said. "Texas Southern is going to be a great fit. It's going to be a blast the next four years."
East also had athletes from cross country (Morgan Johnson-Samford), swimming (Nic Bergstein-Army, Frances Ivers-Western State Colorado, Sarah Stone-Xavier), volleyball (Kayla Burling-Nicholls State), baseball (Nicholas Ramos-Eastern Oklahoma Junior College) and boys soccer (Connor Cunningham-Southwestern, Tavis King-Bethel, Adam Schultz-LeTourneau) sign.
Behind football, the next largest group signing Wednesday morning was girls soccer (Abigail Bailey-Texas Women's, Abigail Canny-Louisiana Monroe, Marissa Hughes-Centenary, Alyssa Parkhill-Midwestern State).
"It feels wonderful," Canny said. "I'm really excited to go play soccer and be among my new teammates. It's just a wonderful feeling to finally commit."
Canny noted that she was grateful for the intense, thorough level of preparation she received while playing for East.
"This school prepared me very well," she said. "[Former Lady Panthers head coach Dawn Crow] and all the other coaches for the last three years have done a great job and I wanted to thank them. They've taught me so much about what's to come."
Canny's teammate Bailey, a forward, enjoyed the signing but had yet to fully comprehend the moment.
"I don't know if it's really hit me yet," she said. "My mind is blown right now. It hasn't hit me that I'm about to go to college."
While she's thrilled about her future, Bailey said she'll never forget her past and the moments she experienced at East.
"Last year I thought I would be balling right now, but I'm not, so I know it hasn't hit me yet that I'm about to leave this school," she said. "I'll always remember all of the people I met and the responsibility I learned here."
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