JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A historical year for the Raines High School football team will continue on national signing day, as the Vikings will have the most players to ever sign letters of intent on Wednesday.
Head coach Deran Wiley says as many as 16 of his football players will eventually sign letters of intent to play in college, however he expects 12 or 13 to do so at the signing day ceremony on campus at 8 a.m..
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"It's a big deal," Wiley says. "To see us grow, let the community know that we are here doing our jobs is very important and encouraging to the student body as well."
The Vikings, who made it to the state championship game for the first time since 1997, will have students attending colleges such as the University of Georgia, Miami, Bethune Cookman, and Virginia Tech. Wiley says that he couldn't be prouder.
"I must say, I am very proud. You feel like a dad in a sense, you watched them grow because you have had them (coaching) since the ninth-grade. You just see them grow up to be young men and the schools they are choosing are great schools, so it's a good deal."
As much as Coach Wiley is reluctant to take even a small portion of the credit for sending a record number of his players to college, he is just as quick to recognize the team behind the team. "It's a process, it really takes a team," Wiley says. "You are never by yourself in this work, you have other coaches, the front office, the guidance department, they play a huge part in this making sure the grades line up. So, it's a true team effort."