ROANOKE, Va. – Plenty of area stars are headed to the next level. February marked the second chance for athletes to sign for the 2018 class. Our 1st and 10 Player of the Year, Elijah Davis at Heritage High School, chooses Old Dominion as the state runner-up Pioneers sign seven to the next level. The senior running back rolled up 3,603 yards and a mind boggling 59 touchdowns.
"Everybody treated me like family so when I left there I just felt like I was welcome. The coaches wanted me to be part of the program so I just felt like it was the best move for me," Davis said.
Jamie Harless's Lord Botetourt Cavaliers continue to churn out top talent and wins in Daleville.
Wednesday he wishes two more stars well as they move to Division I football. Fullback Dylan Crawford will head to William and Mary. Standout defensive lineman Noah Overstreet is headed to the Naval Academy after a year of prep school.
"It's always good to see the kids reap the rewards of their hard work. When a kid is been blessed with some genetic ability and he's got the intelligence that these two kids have and when hard work crosses those two elements great things happen," Harless said.
The Bruins of Blacksburg sign six today including star running back Cole Beck to Virginia Tech.
Offensive lineman Davis Roberson heads to Concord University, while Camden Wise will continue his kicking career at James Madison. Linebacker Chase Orndorff heads to the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Austin Bissell will play soccer for nearby Radford, and Ashlen Burch will play soccer at Milligan College in Tennessee.
"It speaks so highly of Blacksburg high school, our coaches, our athletic programs and the entire community. We are so proud of these kids. They are an elite group of kids that are going on to the next level and we're so proud to represent them as a community and high school," Bruins Athletic Director Peter Lyell said.
Other signings include George Wythe star Deacon Beamer to Emory and Henry, Appomattox star Javon Scruggs to Liberty, Jefferson Forest standout Jonathan Tobin to VMI, and Joel Burgess of Hidden Valley to UVA Wise. Salem High School sends Maddie Bowman to Radford to play lacrosse and Jake Lawson to Cornell in swimming.