Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010

Olathe Northwest signing celebrations feature variety

Calling it his favorite day of the year, Olathe Northwest High School Athletic Director Chad Ralston emceed a national signing day ceremony Wednesday in the school’s gymnasium, where 19 Ravens student-athletes were celebrated.

Some of Northwest’s best and brightest stars, like Wisconsin-bound state swim champion Maddy Dalcamo, had actually signed during November’s early signing period, while others, like Benedictine-bound football player Austin Adam, didn’t settle on a school until the last minute.

But all of the Ravens were thrilled were announce the path they’ve decided to chart after graduation in three months.

“It’s nice to know where I’m going, so second semester now I am relieved and don’t really have to worry about where I’m going,” said Dalcamo, expressing a sentiment widely shared by the 19 honorees.

More than half of the celebrants were football players.

In addition to Adam, Austin Wolfe signed with Nebraska-Omaha, Sheldon Bouwens signed with Nebraska Wesleyan, Pat Doran signed with Washington in St. Louis, Cullen Phillips signed with MidAmerica Nazarene and three others inked offers from in-state junior colleges.

Devon Boyce and Lorenza Strother are headed to perennial power Butler Community College in El Dorado, while Brandon Bouvilom signed with Kansas Jayhawk Conference rival Coffeyville.

Meanwhile, Chandler Smith and Zach Carpenter were announced as preferred walk-ons to the Kansas State and Washburn football programs.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I started playing football in second grade,” Smith said. “This has been a goal. I haven’t accomplished anything yet, so it’s more of a checkpoint, but I’m definitely excited.”

Smith will walk-on as a long snapper and linebacker with the Wildcats, but it was academics that drew him to Manhattan more than the lure of the gridiron.

“I knew I wanted my major to be construction science, and Kansas State has one of the best programs in the country,” Smith said. “I just sent out a bunch of stuff to all the construction science schools that I knew had good football programs and I lucked out in finding an in-state school with one of the best programs in the country.”

Four members of ONW’s first team state champion, the Ravens softball squad, also celebrated signings.

Shortstop Amy Pierce, who signed in November, is going to Drake, while Kayla Morse chose Baker and Carrie Wilson picked Ottawa.

Second baseman Kendra Wright is headed north, way north, to the University of North Dakota.

She and the Ravens, who went 25-0 last year en route to the Kansas 6A title, can now focus on a repeat bid.

Ryan Taylor signed to pitch for the Missouri Southern baseball team, while Dani Stanley signed with the NCAA Division II powerhouse Central Missouri women’s soccer program.

Rebecca DeGroot announced last week that she would play basketball at Grinnell, but she’ll be joined by Tyler Brotz, who signed with the men’s team and its famously frenetic shoot-first-defend-later style.

“It’s sounds pretty exciting,” Brotz said. “Basketball has been a little stressful lately, like it’s more of a job, but I feel like playing that style will help put a lot of excitement back into it and make it more fun.”

Dalcamo, meanwhile, never needed to doubt whether college swimming was in her future if she chose it, but finding an ideal fit was a relief nonetheless.

“On my recruiting trips, basically it just clicked for me and I loved it there,” Dalcamo said. “I couldn’t have expected anything more. It just really felt right. I like the atmosphere up there the girls on the team were super nice, the coaches I loved, the campus was beautiful, just everything seemed like a perfect fit for me.”

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