2017 Football Commits Sign on National Signing Day

Jordan Barton, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Eleanor Roosevelt High School is a powerhouse for upcoming athletes. On February 1, four ERHS seniors, Johnathan Lopez, Miles Temoney, Karl Mofor, and Lawtez Rogers participated in National Signing Day to announce plans for their athletic careers for the next four years. The atmosphere was bright as the students stood proudly, sporting their team wear in front of their coaches, peers and loved ones.

Johnathan Lopez stood up first, announcing that he will attend Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. Miles Temoney followed, stating that he would be attending Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Karl Mofor said he would be continuing his athletic career at Albany University, located in Albany, New York. Last, but certainly not least, Lawtez Rogers announced that he is committed to the University of Maryland, in College Park, Maryland.

Each of the players decided to go to their schools for different reasons. Lopez fell in love with Fairmont’s “family-oriented” campus. Rogers said that aside from the fact that Maryland is a “great school,” he also “trusts the coaches” and feels he could “play early” there. Temoney said that he picked Oberlin because of the school’s “academic record” and because of the fact that he would be able to “play football early” there. Mofor said that when he visited Albany University in the summer he liked everything about it, “from education to football.” He added that “the coaches really cared” about him and he feels “it’s a good place to go to better [his] life.”

The young men had some advice for athletes that hope to have the same bright future. Rogers shared his experience of not trusting coaches and advised younger athletes to do otherwise because “they have your best interest at heart” and “pushed him to get where [he] is now.” Mofor advised that people “stick to the courts” and “get advice from people ahead of you.” Temoney said students should keep their “grades up” because playing football and getting good grades go hand in hand in college. Lopez said hopeful commits should “trust the process” because he thought he wasn’t going places, but credits his faith in the process and God for the opportunity.

Their plans do not stop after football. Mofor said that if he is given the opportunity, he plans on “playing in the NFL.” Rogers said he also hopes to play in the NFL and plans on “working his hardest until [he gets] there.” Lopez plans to major in “occupational safety,” but said his main dream is “to go to the NFL” to one day “give back to the homeless people.” Temoney, on the other hand, said he “doesn’t plan” on playing after college, but said he “would like to go to graduate school or start working right after college.”