Success breeds success.
On Tuesday, six Williston football players signed their letters of intent to play at the next level.
They reaped the benefits of a second straight unbeaten regular season.
“I’m glad for the kids,” said Williston football coach Robby Pruitt, who led the Red Devils to an 11-1 record and a regional final appearance this past season in Class 1R. “Anytime they do the things that they’ve got to do to prepare themselves for this and pay the price to get here, that’s huge. As coaches, that’s why we do what we do. You like to see these kids go off and make a life for themselves, and I’m just proud of them for putting themselves in position to be where they’re at today.”
Headlining the list is Javon Brown, who signed with the University of Toledo, a Division-I school in Toledo, Ohio.
“He’s got a really, really high top end,” Pruitt said. “I think his best is yet to come.”
Brown, who will play wide receiver for the Rockets, led the Red Devils with 14 catches for 221 yards—an average of 15.8 yards per catch—and two touchdowns.
As a junior he had 16 receptions for 287 yards (17.9 average) and five touchdowns.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Brown said. “I’d like to give thanks to God because without Him I would not be in a position that I am. It’s just a blessing to be able to play football at the next level.”
Quarterback Shamon “Shooby” Coleman, who transferred from GHS to Williston for his final two seasons of high school ball, will be playing under center next year at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a Division-II school.
“When I took a visit up to Pembroke it felt like home, growing up in a small town, and their coaching staff was very welcoming from the time I stepped on campus to the time I left,” Coleman said. “Being able to play quarterback at the next level is a dream come true for me. I’ve always dreamed of it since I was 4 years old, sitting on the couch with my dad talking about it, and to make it actually happen, that makes me feel really good.”
This past season, Coleman completed 53-of-100 passes for 840 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. He also rushed 17 times for 171 yards (10.1 average) with a pair of scores on the ground.
“He’s very consistent, a leader,” Pruitt said. “He’s a kid that you want in your program. He’s one of the ones who has worked his whole life for this. He’s gone to 7-on-7s and done all the things he needed to do to be here.”
Elijah Jackson and Jace McDonald will be teammates next year at Minot State University, a Division II school in Minot, North Dakota.
Jackson, who will play on the defensive line, finished with 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks his senior year.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Jackson said. “Without God I wouldn’t have been able to have this opportunity. They gave me an opportunity that nobody else gave me. I’m going to take it and showcase.”
He was part of a defense that allowed seven points or less five times this season.
“Boy, I would be surprised if you don’t see him (Elijah) get in the portal and go,” Pruitt said. “He’s got a top end too. He’s 6-foot-2, almost three, 270, and has a ton of potential. Those kind of guys like him are what they look for.”
McDonald, who transferred from Wildwood after his sophomore season, will play running back for the Beavers, but he will also play defensive back too.
“This has been my dream since I was like five so being able to accomplish that is pretty amazing to me,” he said. “When I went on my official visit down there the community was amazing, the school was amazing, the coaches, and it just felt like a good place to call home.”
He was second on the team with 663 yards rushing on 64 carries (10.4 average) and a team-leading 16 touchdowns. He also had 14 receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
McDonald was recognized as the Pavlik Orthodontics Athlete of the Week in October after rushing for 222 yards on only nine carries in a win against previously unbeaten Hudson.
“Jace is a very good athlete, another hard worker,” Pruitt said. “He’s a kid that I won’t be surprised at all when you see him get in the portal and get to the next level.”Lifelong friends Carter Benton and Wyatt Woodford will also get a chance to continue playing together as they both signed with St. Thomas University, an NAIA school in Miami.
Benton will play offensive line for the Bobcats, who finished 9-4 this past season with a loss to Keiser University in the second round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
“It’s an honor,” Benton said. “It’s been one of my dreams to play college football. It felt like home and when I went down there it kind of clicked.”
He and Woodford helped anchor the O-line for an offense that rushed for an average of 308.9 yards per game.
“Determination and overachiever,” Pruitt said of Benton, who had 33 pancake blocks. “He’s a hard worker, just a guy that’s going to stay in the weight room and do everything you coach him to do hard.”
Woodford, who led Williston with 34 pancake blocks, will play center, guard, and on the interior of the offensive line.
“I can almost say the same thing (about Wyatt),” Pruitt said. “Overachiever and hard worker. He knows the game, very smart, and really pushes himself hard.”
The 2023 Bosshardt Realty All Area Football team member is a home-grown Williston product.
“I’ve been playing since I was about five years old through all of the youth league teams so it’s really just a brotherhood I’ve had throughout my whole life, playing with all of these boys, I love it,” he said.