Touching the Abbeville helmet are Allen Arclies (who signed with Stephen F. Austin in Texas), and Chris Shelvin and Montel Cormier, who are both going to Louisiana College.
North Vermilion’s Tyler Galley, Jaylon Miller and Triston Romero (L-R) sign their national letters of intent to play college football.
Erath High's Elijah Mitchell was all smiles after signing to play for the Cajuns. In the photo with him are his parents, Milton and Penny Mitchell.
Seven Vermilion Parish football players sign scholarships
A record number of Vermilion Parish football players signed a letter of intent to play college football.
There were seven seniors who signed on the first official signing day.
One will be attending college 20 miles from Abbeville, while another will be close to 800 miles away from home.
Erath High’s Elijah Mitchell made it official by signing on the dotted line. He is the first Erath player to sign a football scholarship to UL out of high school since Mike Book in the late 1980s.
Mitchell signed with the UL Ragin Cajuns in front of his family, friends and teammates.
“It felt pretty good to make it official,” said Mitchell. “I worked hard the last four years and now I get to go play college football.”
He committed to UL last year and did not visit anywhere else. Other universities wanted him to visit their campus, but he decline.
The attraction to UL is because how close it is to Vermilion Parish.
“My family and my Erath family can see me play,” he said.
There were two Vermilion Parish high schools who had three athletes sign scholarships.
North Vermilion and Abbeville held signing ceremonies because each school had three football signees.
AHS principal Ivy Landry orchestrated the signings and then held a ceremony in the school library for the athletes who signed. Their AHS teammates attended.
Signing from AHS were Allen Arclies, who signed with Stephen F. Austin University in Texas; Chris Shelvin and Montel Cormier both signed scholarships to attend Louisiana College in Alexandria.
For Arclies, he knew on his first visit to Stephen F. Austin (SFA), which is four hours away from Abbeville, that is where he wanted to play.
The school recruited him as a tight end. SFA has four tight ends on its roster and two will be seniors in 2017.
While the campus was first class looking, Arclies said he selected SFA because of their offense.
“They run the spread offense and like to throw the football,” Arclies said.
Last year SFA threw for an average of 292 yards a game. There were five receivers with more than 19 catches in 2016.
Two going to LC
Two good friends who played along side each other since they were eight will continue to play next to each other.
Montel Cormier and Chris Shelvin Jr. have played pee-wee football together and both signed a scholarship together.
They inked a scholarship with Louisiana College Wildcats. Both visited the school together and liked what they saw and heard.
He will play linebacker.
“It feels great knowing I will continue playing football after high school,” said Shelvin. “It is even better knowing I will be going with family.”
Cormier and Shelvin both made the visit to Louisiana College and enjoyed what they saw.
Cormier, also a linebacker, said, “It is a dream come true for all of the hard work both me and Chris put in over the years. It is a blessing for a university like Louisiana College to say they want both of us.”
Both young men said the coaching staff at LC made them feel at home on their visit. Also, the college is only 90 minutes away, which is not too far from Abbeville.
Abbeville head football coach Kevin Kern said, “It is a great day to be an Abbeville Wildcat.”
Three NV players sign
North Vermilion’s Tyler Galley, Jaylon Miller and Triston Romero each signed letters of intent Wednesday at the school, surrounded by family, friends and teammates
Jaylon Miller has gone through the recruiting process for a few months now. That process ended Wednesday morning when he signed with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Miller had considered other offers, including Jackson State. He will play on the defensive line
“I am so excited about this decision,” Miller said. “I like everything about the school. I felt like the coaching staff treated me like family.”
Triston Romero will be heading to Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. He will play defensive back.
“I’m very excited,” Romero said prior to signing his letter. “It was a fun process. I looked at some other places, but Elmhurst offers a lot. The program fits what I am looking for.”
However, It is more than 15 hours from home.
“I am a little nervous about that,” Romero admitted. “I will get used to it.”
Tyler Galley’s college destination will not bring him as far from home as Romero, but Sterling College in Kansas is about 12 hours away. Galley, a receiver, signed with the school Wednesday morning.
“I am pretty excited,” Galley said. “It is something that I have worked on for a while.”
Galley considered two other schools in Kansas, Tabor College and Bethel College, but ultimately found Sterling to be the best match for him based on the position he plays.
“They run a spread offense,” Galley said. “I think that is a good fit for me.”
