68 Cherokee County Student Athletes Sign to Compete in College, Pushing Year's Total to 150

Sixty-eight Cherokee County School District student athletes signed National Letters of Intent this week, with ceremonies held at Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, and Woodstock high schools. The spring signing day brings the district's cumulative total for the school year to 150 college-bound athletes, a number that will grow when Sequoyah High School holds its own ceremony in May.

The signings span football, baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, wrestling, cross-country, track and field, swimming, tennis, golf, cheer, dance, and flag football, with destinations ranging from Division I programs to community colleges across more than a dozen states. That breadth, in both sports and schools, reflects the range of athletic development happening across CCSD's six high schools, and it means Cherokee County families are watching their kids earn scholarship opportunities at institutions from Georgia's flagship universities to small liberal arts colleges to specialized technical schools.

A National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a prospective student athlete and an NCAA member institution, formalizing a scholarship offer. Signing one is, for most student athletes, the culmination of years of early mornings, off-season training, and balancing the classroom with competition.

**Etowah**

Etowah High School had the largest contingent of the week's signings. Headlining the Eagles' group was a trio of baseball commitments to Power Four programs: Deion Cole signed with Georgia Institute of Technology and Trevor Condon committed to the University of Tennessee. Ewomazino Edet will compete in track and field at the University of Illinois.

**Cherokee**

Cherokee High School honored 20 athletes, including several football players whose signings were originally announced in February and celebrated again at this week's ceremony: King Belin to Huntingdon College, Brandon Hamilton to Ferris State University, Jack Ruban to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Kayson Simmons to Morgan State University, and Jalion Trowers to Shorter University. Among the other Cherokee signings, Bailey Vinette will play lacrosse at Georgia State University and Amiah Tucker will play volleyball at Eastern Florida State College.

**Woodstock**

Woodstock High School sent 11 athletes to the signing table. Cadence Carlock will play lacrosse at Piedmont University, Carter Clay will play football at Reinhardt University, Duncan Crist will play tennis at Centre College, and Katelyn Ensley will play soccer at the University of South Carolina Aiken. Tyler Herring signed with Indian Hills Community College for wrestling, Emily Jacobs with Wallace State Community College for basketball, and Brendan Maude with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for cross-country and track and field. Isaiah Pendleton will run track at Berry College, Morghan Slater will play basketball at Alabama State University, Evan Stacey will play lacrosse at the University of Montana, and Peyton Walters, competing in the fast-growing sport of flag football, will head to the University of North Alabama.

**Creekview**

Creekview High School celebrated seven athletes, including three wrestlers: Aaron Campbell and Jackson Locke both signed with the University of the Cumberlands, and Costen Wright signed with Reinhardt University. Reagan Dillard will cheer at the University of South Carolina, and Asher Wood will compete in track at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

**River Ridge**

River Ridge High School's 10 signings included Julia Richard, who will play volleyball at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, and Sam Vincent, who will play football at Centre College in Kentucky.

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This was the fourth National Signing Day event held by CCSD this school year. The district staggers ceremonies across the fall and spring to accommodate the different signing windows for various sports, a logistical approach that ensures no athlete's moment gets lost in a crowd. With Sequoyah's May ceremony still ahead, the district's final total for the 2024-25 school year is expected to climb past 150.