The Nation Ford Falcons had ten athletes sign on April 17 to play college sports.
The ten athletes represented football, golf, lacrosse, and track. Track had the most with three signees in Chandler Hunter (USC Upstate), Aubrey Barney (SC State), and Gabriela Brailsford (College of Charleston).
Nation Ford track head coach Mica McCoy said these three make 29 Falcons to sign for track in the last six years.
“I enjoy it more and more when kids are able to sign to run in college,” he said. “The smile on their faces when they sign a scholarship means a lot.”
Boys’ lacrosse had two signees in Josh Ameo and Carson Sanford. Ameo will be heading to St. Joesph University in Philadelphia. Ameo has been a one-man scoring machine for Nation Ford and has played in three consecutive state finals winning one in 2023. During the process, he has set a state record with 267 career goals and counting.
“Every once in a while, you get a kid, you know is destined for greatness,” said Nation Ford head boys’ lacrosse coach Cory Turner. “He has been fantastic to coach.”
Also signing to play lacrosse was Sanford, who will be going to play at Columbia College in the center of the state. Sanford is a two-sport athlete also known for his quarterbacking abilities, this past football season.
“He has been fantastic,” Turner said. “Everything he has done shows why he is here to play at the next level.”
Nation Ford also had two golfers signing to play in college in Sara McCaskill and Harrison LaPointe. LaPointe will be going to Coker University in Hartsville.
“He is one of those kids I coached as an eighth grader,” said Nation Ford head golf coach Amelio Rodriguez. “He always had drive and the mentality. Harrison has always been a mentally solid golfer. He has been a constant for us.”
McCaskill will be playing golf at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. McCaskill is a three-sport athlete playing basketball and soccer as well.
“There was never a doubt she was playing golf at the college level,” Rodriguez said.
There were two football players also signing in Rylee Cook and Savyion Drayton. Cook will be going to Newberry College and Drayton will be going to Gardner-Webb University. Assistant football coach Sean Potts-Harris said both players overcame a lot their senior season to be able to play at the next level.
“They are truly great kids that worked hard and never wavered,” Potts-Harris said. “They showed up to every workout. Both are team players.”
Also signing for a different type of football was A’Jay Randoph playing flag football at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, which started the program this year.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
