PAIR OF ST. MARY'S FOOTBALL PLAYERS MAKE COLLEGE SELECTIONS

by Aaron Gray

From Wolverines to Saints to Wildcats.

St. Mary's High School seniors Marlon Johnson and Dontra Peters started playing football together in a local recreation league with the Millersville Wolverines. It took a year or two but the pair joined back up at St. Mary's, where they capped off their preps career this past fall with an MIAA B Conference title. Next fall, each player will take its game to the college ranks. Different schools; same mascot.

Peters (University of New Hampshire) and Johnson (Villanova) each unofficially signed their National Letter of Intent on Tuesday afternoon -- the students are off school for Ash Wednesday, which is the national signing day for fall sport athletes.

It's the first time in the history of the Saints' football program, two players from the same class received Division I athletic scholarships.

"This is one of the highlights of my coaching career," said St. Mary's coach Mike Clay, whose team finished 8-3 after topping rival Archbishop Spalding in the conference championship, 26-20. "Both Dontra and Marlon were team captains and great leaders. When times got tough, they both stepped up."

Peters, who was recruited as an athlete, ran for 1,376 yards and scored 19 rushing touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Millersville resident also had 17 catches for 331 yards and two touchdowns. Peters, who also started at defensive back, added a kickoff return for a touchdown to his resume.

Peters received interest from Boston College and Kentucky during the season. Bucknell, Holy Cross and Lehigh were also in the running.

"I liked the atmosphere at New Hampshire," Peters said. "It's a college town and everyone is behind the team. The players are really close and that's the kind of team I want to be part of."

Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder, visited several colleges last summer with Clay and their response motivated him to get bigger.

"They all said he was a great player but he was too thin," Clay said. "His dedication in the weight room really made a difference and he put on 30 pounds before the season."

Johnson, who played defensive end and outside linebacker, finished with a team-high 13 sacks. He also racked up 95 tackles (21 for a loss).

He had only one answer for why he chose Villanova.

"Education was a huge factor in my decision," said Johnson, who turned down a full scholarship offer from Division I-A Arkansas State. "I had to weigh my options and getting a good education was a big priority. I know that I can get injured at any time but I can always fall back on my studies."

New Hampshire and Villanova compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and the two teams meet Nov. 8 at Villanova.

"I already told everyone that if they're both playing, we're renting a bus and heading up for the game," Clay said. "They've played together their whole lives, now they'll be going against one another for the first time."

Peters said the pair has always been competitive but that's also what made them better players.

"We're already talking about playing each other," Peters said. "He's going to be trying to tackle me but I don't think that's going to happen."

Said Johnson: "I already told him that I was going to get him. No more like practice -- now I can go at him 100 percent."

High school seniors may sign national letters of intent accepting athletic scholarships from NCAA institutions during the early signing period, which begins on Wednesday and lasts through April 1 for football, boys and girls soccer and field hockey.

DigitalSports lists all of the athletes who are committing to schools for sports whose early signing period has been designated for February through April, regardless of whether or not the institution is Division I, II or III, or whether or not it offers athletic scholarships.

Many Division I and Division II schools participate in the signing of national letters of  intent.

However, America's service academies, such as Navy and West Point, and Ivy League Schools, such as Princeton, and Harvard, do not offer scholarships or participate in the practice.

Some Patriot League schools also do not participate in the early signing program.

The early signing periods in track and field and for cross country have been eliminated, and water polo also no longer has an early signing period, according to www.national-letter.org.