Jonathan Sexton and Shamare Dendy Make Their College Choices
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
Shamare Dendy and Jonathan Sexton were stars for the Wolverines on the football field: now both will take their talents to the collegiate level.
Dendy and Sexton both signed their national letters of intent on NCAA National Signing Day, Wed. Feb. 3rd at Woodruff High School. Sexton, who is a defensive end, linebacker, and tight end, signed with Lenoir-Rhyne University. Dendy, the Wolverines’ starting running back, made his pledge to Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas, one of the top junior college programs in the country.
Both players are happy to be given the chance to play at the next level.
“It feels good to get another chance to do what you love,” said Dendy. “I had to put myself out there to get recruited by (Hutchinson). They’re the top junior college around, and I feel like I have a good chance to be successful out there.”
Sexton added, “It’s a big accomplishment, not just for me but for my family.”
Woodruff Head Football Coach Bradley Adams said that he is proud of his players for their hard work and leadership, which he credits as the reason they have a chance to play college football.
“We are proud of Shamare,” he said. “Shamare has invested a lot of time, effort, and energy to put himself in a position to reach his dreams of playing football at the next level. He is a player that brought a lot of excitement and passion into our football program over the last two seasons.”
Adams added, “Jonathan has worked extremely hard over the last three years to put himself in the position to play college football. Jonathan was a player who helped our defense improve each season, and he bought into the philosophy and the techniques he was taught by his coaches. He earned the role of a captain because he proved he could be a leader in adverse situations. He kept his composure in big moments, and he always kept the team first with his decision making.”
Dendy rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons for Woodruff after transferring from Laurens High School. He accomplished the feat in just eight games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
An imposing presence at 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds, Sexton caught two touchdown passes as a senior and recorded multiple quarterback sacks and tackles from his defensive end and linebacker positions.
Both players say their new college teams are getting players not afraid to work hard and are committed to winning.
“(Hutchinson) is getting a Division One caliber player,” Dendy added. “I’m going to go out there and produce. They have sent out 57 Division One players in two years so imagine what they can do for me.”
Sexton continued, “(Lenoir-Rhyne) recruited me as a defensive end but told me that by the end of my career I could move to defensive tackle and even help them out on offense.”
Author: Tracy Sanders
