If there were a referee Wednesday at Friendship Collegiate, he would have thrown a flag for excessive celebration. More than an hour after the ceremony began with highly recruited defensive tackle Eddie Goldman’s nationally televised announcement that he was signing with Florida State, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans were still waiting to speak.
Recommended Stories
When they finally reached the podium, the referee could have thrown another flag on them for piling on.
With a gym full of students in the stands; friends, family and teachers in folding chairs on the floor; and a row of cameras trained on the podium, the 19 football players sat at the dais in sweaters and ties, waiting their turn to speak.
While the adults were long-winded and repetitive, the players were the highlight of the ceremony. Cornerback Alonzo Davis announced that he was “taking his talents to Glenville State.” Another Glenville signee, wide receiver Lamar Jefferson, thanked his mother for “forcing him to play football.” Defensive back Raymond Thomas (Virginia State) and fullback Lynn Coffee (Shepherd) said — touchingly and with pride — that they were the first in their family to “go to college for free.”
Other Friendship scholarship recipients included four-star recruit Albert Reid (Maryland); the Bowie State-bound trio of Reuben Harris, Jordan Davis and Keith Davis; defensive back Douglas Moore (VMI); wide receiver Antonio Huff (Elizabeth City State); lineman Quincy Dickens (Morgan State); and linebackers Selton Hodge (Richmond), Ahja Lancaster (Shepherd) and Antoine Smith (St. Augustine’s).
– Kevin Dunleavy
