Howell North Hosts Third College Signing Day [Photo Gallery+Story]

Connor+Gallagher+signs+for+William+Jewell+College+with+his+brother+Evan+watching+over+his+shoulder.+

Credit to Josie Santel

Connor Gallagher signs for William Jewell College with his brother Evan watching over his shoulder.

By Dominic Hoscher and Josie Santel
Published: February 9, 2018

In a room full of smiles and laughs of proud parents, friends, and coaches, 13 student-athletes were able to make their dreams of signing for a college to play their favorite sport a reality. Years of hard work and dedication to their sport finally paid off when activities director Mike Janes called their names to walk across the Howell North auditorium’s stage to the signing desk and make their decision official. Each student got the chance to take a picture at the desk with family members, coaches, and others who played an important role in getting them to that point.

This was the third year in a row in which Howell North has had a group signing day, whereas in years past students had done their signings individually. Having it as a combined signing day has allowed for not just more recognition for the student-athletes who are signing but has also had its’ benefits for the school as a whole.

“It’s a great community and PR thing for our school that we’re putting out athletes at all levels and kids want to continue doing something that they’ve enjoyed here,” Janes said. “For the kids, they get the recognition that they deserve and this is important to them and it’s a big accomplishment that should be celebrated.”

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“For the kids, they get the recognition that they deserve and this is important to them and it’s a big accomplishment that should be celebrated.”

— Mike Janes

The students who participated on signing day will be going to a large variety of schools for multiple different sports. Baseball and softball have the largest number of students signing (three each), with Noah Pingel (Missouri Southern State University), Matt Dunham (Jefferson College), and Sam Grace (Southern Illinois University) signing for baseball and Elizabeth Davis (Westminster College), Sahuara Pauley (Jefferson College) and Skylar Ruiz (Missouri Baptist University) for softball.

Football had two athletes sign on Wednesday, being Connor Gallagher (William Jewell College) and Jaren Arnold (Quincy University) while Heidi Hauptman signed for Arkansas State University to run cross country and track in college. Also having two athletes sign was girls lacrosse, with 2018 being the first year in Knights history that saw two seniors sign to play the sport in college. The two who made history for FHN were Liz Wagner (North Central College) and Briana Schmidt (Indiana Institute of Technology).

“It means a lot (to be one of the first FHN lacrosse player to sign for a college), and it sets the precedent for the next group of girls to come and sign, which makes it really exciting,” Schmidt said.

And last but not least was soccer, that saw two athletes participate in college signing day. Nicolle Grellner signed to play for Lewis and Clark Community College while Madelyn Wood signed to Millikin University. Both of these athletes, as well as everyone who signed on Wednesday, have spent years working to get to this point and Wood understands that College Signing Day is truly a special day for everyone involved.

“It is very special because it recognizes us as athletes and how hard we have worked for all of these years,” Wood said. “I was dedicated and worked hard for my dreams because they can come true for anyone if you work hard enough.”