Weather concerns delayed football college signings of two Choctaw County seniors one day when school closed early, but Israel Whitmore and Kendall Coleman Jr. competed the necessary paperwork last Thursday at the school library. They helped the Chargers win Region 4-3A in the fall.
Whitmore will attend Arkansas State and Coleman is headed south to Jones College, a junior college in Ellisville. Both felt comfortable while visiting the schools they will attend.
“It's a family atmosphere and it's a great fit for me. Academic wise, it's going to make me push myself,” Whitmore said of Arkansas State. He added, “I see a true Christian-based college.”
“I felt like it was home and I felt like the coaches really care for me,” Coleman said of his decision to attend Jones. “It's more than just football there. It's about academics.”
Whitmore isn't sure what he will study, perhaps sports management or “some kind of engineering.”
Coleman said kinesiology, defined as the study of the mechanics of body movement, is a possibility, but his long range goal is to be a football coach.
After Jones, he mentioned TCU as a possible destination “or any power 5 school that offers me.”
“I am really proud of them and I have full confidence that they will do great things,” said Choctaw County head coach Jeff Roberts. “They are going to two great programs with great staffs. It is a great opportunity for them to further their education,
Whitmore was a star at linebacker for the Chargers the past three years. He had 138 tackles as a sophomore and 93 as a junior. For his senior year, Whitmore was credited with 110 tackles, including four sacks. He recovered three fumbles, one returned 27 yards for a touchdown in a 28-18 regular season victory over 3A runner-up Noxubee County, and had an interception that he returned 76 yards for a TD against Ripley.
Coleman played for French Camp as a sophomore. He carried 91 times for 871 yards and 14 TDs, caught 18 passes for 316 yards and one TD and saw time at defensive back with three interceptions and 31 tackles.
After transferring to Choctaw County, Coleman had to sit out his junior year under MHSAA regulations. As a senior, he was used in many ways by the coaching staff. He carried 71 time for 531 yards and three TDs, caught 27 passes for 288 yards and four scores, made 26 tackles and intercepted two passes.
Whitmore and Coleman both play on the Chargers' basketball team. Whitmore is a track star in the spring who won a gold medal in the discus at the 3A state meet his sophomore year.
