Although nine different Mount Carmel seniors signed national letters of intent at nine different schools, there was a common denominator in their choices.

Each school reminded these student-athletes of Mount Carmel  not only in how the football team is run, but the family atmosphere of the school. As senior DeAndre Greer explained, he was looking for a place that has, “a very tight-knit community.”

Colin Knusta agreed with Greer, and went as far to say, ” Grand Valley State University is very similar to Mount Carmel.” This was one of Knusta’s main reasons for attending GVSU in the  fall.

Parents, brothers, sisters, and friends poured into the Kiszka Suite on Wednesday morning February 4, to see nine MC seniors continue on the next level in college football. While these schools varied from division 1 to division 2, all the seniors were greatly influenced by Mount Carmel and the coaches.

Andrejas Duerig went along with the theme of the day as he also raved about Syracuse’s family atmosphere. Deurig, who transferred to Mount Carmel during the winter of last school year, paid homage to his coaches and the school, who “helped tremendously in the process of joining the Mount Carmel community.”

Marquise Peggs, who will attend Yale University, looks to represent the Caravan well as he has big shoes to fill.   Peggs admitted Fr. Tony Mazurkewicz, who was a captain of the Yale football team and graduated from Yale in 1996, influenced his decision. When Peggs was asked about being nervous, he smiled and said he had no fear of filling in for Mount Carmel’s president.

Also clear at National Signing Day was the immense impact the coaches had on the lives of the signees. Jaquan Buntyn, who will be attending Garden City College in Kansas, talked about the influence Coach Bobby Sanders had on his life. “Coach Bo taught me to be humble and always play hard.”

Offensive Lineman Devon Hickman spoke about the impression the coaches left on him and how he will remember their influence as he goes on to the next level at Quincy University. “The coaches always taught us to work hard, especially while no one is looking.”

Another offensive lineman Jack White, who will attend Butler University, looks to take the lessons he learned in his three years as a varsity player to Butler. “Coaches always taught me to treat teammates like your brothers, and Butler does just that.”

The praise for MC coaches went on as Troy Weissenhofer, who will be attending Flordia Tech to study Construction Management, will head down south with the attitude that “Hard work pays off.” Weissenhofer is a huge fan of Flordia, and admitted the sunny and warm weather factored into his decision. Weissenhofer has family living in the state which, “played a big role in convincing me to continue my career down in Florida. ”

Senior Kevin Thurman also signed a letter of intent to Ball Sate University, but did not attend the school event.