BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
While Ahman Covington announced he was heading just down the road to join the Florida Gators football team as a preferred walk-on, four other Bradford High School football players signed their letters of intent to play for out-of-state schools, ranging from Division I FCS to Division III.
Bryson Bowen, Gavin Cook, Jayden Luna and Jametrius “Jip” Pringle, along with Covington, took part in a March 7 signing ceremony in the BHS auditorium. That now makes it a total of seven seniors who will pursue football at the collegiate level, with Manny Covey already at the University of Cincinnati as an early enrollee.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” BHS Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said of a team having that many players get opportunities at the next level. “You’re supposed to win a bunch of games when that happens. We were fortunate to do that.”
The Tornadoes are coming off a season in which they went 12-2 and advanced to the Class 2S state semifinals.
“A lot of the credit goes to them,” Rodgers said of his players, adding, “Players make plays. I haven’t made one tackle in 25 years.”
Bowen, Cook and Pringle know about making tackles and playing defense, as all started on that side of the ball and now look to contribute there on their respective college teams. Bowen, a linebacker, was second on the team with 94 tackles (12 for loss) and had seven sacks, two caused fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. Cook, a defensive back, made 42 tackles, while Pringle, a defensive back also, made 26 tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Luna, a starter on the offensive line, helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 235 yards per game.
“I was very fortunate to coach them,” Rodgers said.
Pringle to play for Division I Dukes
Pringle, who’s 6-2, 160, will head to Pittsburgh to join Duquesne University, which competes at the Division I Football Championship Series level.
The reality of the situation and the atmosphere at the signing ceremony were enough to give Pringle some jitters — the kind that come with knowing that your dream has come true.
“This is a lifetime opportunity,” Pringle said. “I’m still shaking just from signing the paper. It’s a great experience, celebrating everything with your family, all my brothers are here to support me — it’s a great feeling.”
Pringle said the Atlantic 10 Conference school was an easy pick for him because Dukes coaches were always in touch with him.
“They kept a close connection with me,” Pringle said. “That made them really stand out from everybody else.”
Though he expects to play at corner at Duquesne, Pringle was a factor in all aspects of the game at Bradford, especially on special teams. He returned kickoffs for touchdowns in three of the Tornadoes’ four playoff games: 88 yards in a 48-0 Region 2 quarterfinal win over Crescent City, 98 yards in a 28-17 Region 2 championship win over Baker County and 95 yards in a 31-21 state semifinal loss to Cocoa.
“He knows what to do with the ball when he gets it. He only needs a little crease,” Rodgers said, adding, “Once he was going in a straight line, it was over.”
Rodgers said if there’s one area where Pringle needs to improve as a defensive back, it’s go and make plays on balls rather than backpedaling.
“With that speed, he can get to a ton of balls that most people can’t get to,” Rodgers said.
Pringle plans on working on his speed and other parts of his game as he prepares to transition to college saying, “I need to get bigger, stronger and faster. I’ve just got to work for it.”
That’s why when he steps onto the field for the first time as a Duquesne player, he’ll view it as just the beginning. Pringle’s not settling for just getting to college.
“The journey’s not complete,” he said.
Bowen, Cook off to Division II schools
Bowen is set to head to Crestview Hills, Kentucky, to become a Thomas Moore University Saint, while Cook will join the Lake Erie College Storm in Painesville, Ohio.
“It’s unbelievable,” Bowen said. “It’s a dream come true. All the hard work and effort I put in for this opportunity — it’s just a dream come true. I’m thankful for it.”
Cook said, “I’m just happy I accomplished another goal in life. This was a dream since I started playing football. I’m just glad that I marked that off the list.”
Rodgers said Bowen and Cook, who are approximately 5-9 and 6-0, respectively, are undersized by college football standards, but as he put it, “The majority of people who play in high school, their story is being undersized. If we were all 6-6, 350, we’d all make it.”
So what will help them make it? Rodgers said for Bowen, it’s his non-stop motor. The coach described the linebacker as a “fireball,” who went full speed in practices as well as in games.
“His tenacity and how hard he gets after it — that’s what’ll set him apart,” Rodgers said. “He’ll get a chance to play.”
Rodgers said coaches love those guys who go full speed because even if they make mistakes, they’re often still in position to impact a play.
Bowen, though, was usually right where he needed to be.
“He really studied,” Rodgers said. “He really took the time to know what we were trying to do game plan-wise. He then set it in motion with just how hard he played.”
Rodgers said what Cook possesses are intelligence and versatility, referring to the fact Cook also played receiver as well as line up as a returner on special teams.
“Very rarely can you be able to put a kid at a position on offense, a position on defense and then in the return game on special teams and him be the smartest player on the field every single time,” Rodgers said. “He’d know what we were looking for and what we wanted to do in certain situations every time. That was him. You don’t get to coach guys like that very often, who understand the game and understand what you’re trying to do all the time.
“He’s a student of the game. He watches it a lot. That gives him a chance.”
Cook said in choosing Lake Erie, it came down to comfort. He’s traveling a long way from his family in Bradford County, but he said he feels as if he’s gaining another one.
“They head coach and the other coaches on the staff — they just felt like family to me. They made it feel like home,” Cook said, adding, “(The players) made it seem as if they were happy there, that it was a good team and a great fit for everybody. It was just an all-around great experience while I was there.”
Bowen had similar feelings when it came to choosing Thomas Moore. In fact, he refers to the university as “home.”
He admitted he’s a little nervous about leaving Bradford County and going to another state, but it’s an experience his family says will benefit him.
“It’ll be something new for me to go and explore,” Bowen said. “My dad and my mom think I should go somewhere far just to explore life, so I’m going, and I’m sticking to it.
“I feel like God has got me wherever I go.”
Bowen said being a success at the college level will take the same effort it took for him to be a success in high school.
“I just need to remain humble,” Bowen said. “I just need to keep working and keep grinding. I know if I keep doing that, then I’m going to be special.”
For Cook, it’s working hard, but also putting God first.
“Just keep my head down, stay focused and keep God first,” he said. “With Him on my side, there isn’t anything I can’t do.”
It may be a new level, but Cook said when he steps onto the field for the first time at Lake Erie, it simply comes down to playing football.
“It’s going to be great, but I feel like nothing should change,” he said. “Just do the same thing and show out.”
It may come down to just being football, but Bowen is eager to give it a go at a higher level.
“I hope that it feels great,” he said. “It’ll be a new journey for me.”
Luna gets chance at Division III Carthage
Luna has battled injuries, so his road to becoming a college signee wasn’t an easy one, but if he’s proven anything, it’s that he knows how to persevere.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy play through more injuries than he played through this year,” Rodgers said. “There were a lot of times where he probably shouldn’t have been playing, but he kept coming up and saying, ‘Coach, I want to play. Whatever I’ve got to do to play.’”
Now, the offensive lineman gets a chance to play at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“It’s a great feeling,” Luna said. “I’m glad that I’ve got the chance to do it. I’m so ready to go. I’m ready to go to work and just be at a different level and see what it’s about.”
Luna said in talking with current Carthage players, he got the sense that it was a good program to be a part of. He also likes the business program the school offers.
“I think it’s the best choice for me,” he said.
Luna said his mother keeps telling him how he’s going to be “super far” and up in the “freezing cold,” but he’s obviously not one to back down from any challenges.
“It’s going to be tough, for sure, but I’m going to get it done,” he said.
Rodgers said Luna isn’t the biggest lineman, but for Bradford, he was one who was relentless.
“He was nasty and would not give in,” Rodgers said. “The defensive lineman knew he was there. At the end of the night, they were tired of dealing with number 58.”
Rodgers said Luna will have to get in the weight room and get bigger to play at the next level. Luna added he also needs to work on improving his quickness in his hands and his feet.
Any improvements will complement his already present tenacity.
“If everybody was as tough as Jayden Luna, you’d be hard to beat,” Rodgers said.
In looking toward taking to the field for the first time as a Carthage Firebird, Luna said, “I think I’m going to love it. I can’t wait. I keep talking to my parents about the same thing: I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I can’t wait. The atmosphere’s going to be so crazy. I just can’t wait.
“It’s going to be so much fun.”
