FREMONT – A trio of Little Giants formally extended their football careers Friday.
Seniors Chrystjan Mancini, Tanka Eckford and Kamyron Jones each signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their careers at the next level.
Chrystjan Mancini
Mancini signed to Trine University, in Angola, Ind., while Eckford and Jones both signed to Muskingum University, in New Concord, about 90 miles east of Columbus. Both are NCAA Division III programs.
The Ross football program has sent five players from its 2018 class on to the next level, with Devyn Jagozinki and Sean Thurston having signed previously to Adrian College, and at least a couple more Little Giants, Roger Burling and Shawn Newsome, may soon be joining Mancini at Trine.
“It’s exciting any time you can go on to pursue your dreams of wanting to play at the next level,” Ross head football coach Chad Long said. “They’re going to have a huge learning curve in the programs they go to.”
Mancini possessed a versatile athleticism for the Little Giants, giving them speed out of the backfield, where he carried the ball a team-high 70 times for 275 yards with three touchdowns, and a hard-hitting presence in the secondary where he caught two interceptions.
“It’s a pretty great feeling,” Mancini said of signing to Trine. “Not everybody gets to do it.”
“I like the coaches a lot, it’s a great atmosphere,” said Mancini, who plans to study psychology in hopes of becoming a sports psychologist. “Plus they have guys from Fremont that play there now and will still be seniors next year.”
Mancini becomes the latest player in a growing pipeline between Ross and Trine, where Little Giant alums Jeffrey Barnett and Tray Richardson will be seniors next year.
Tanka Eckford
“Coach (Chris) Hedden is the offensive coordinator. He’s one of my good friends,” Long said. “…I said, ‘(Mancini) may be undersized, but he’ll come up and hit you.’
“It’s a good feeder. They see they got two good players there now and are like ‘Let’s bring on some more.’”
While Mancini should have several familiar faces to help him at Trine, Eckford and Jones, best friends on and off the field, will be blazing a new trail together at Muskingum.
Eckford patrolled the Little Giants’ defensive backfield where the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder caught a pair of interceptions and six pass break-ups and averaged 23 yards per kick return. He said the coaching staff sees him playing defensive back and special teams at Muskingum too.
“The scouting coach he texted me all the time, making sure I sent my ACT, make sure I sent my FAFSA,” said Eckford who plans to study Sports Management and Broadcasting. “Then we went on the tour, it was the same stuff as coach Long does in the secondary. It was super easy and they run the same thing we run most of the time.”
Kamryon Jones
Jones, a 6-foot, 175-pounder was one of quarterback Hayden Lehmann’s larger crop of receivers, caught three passes his senior season. He drew interest from Capital University and Adrian College but said Muskingum felt like the right place to be.
“They make it open arms, were really friendly to me and just made it seem like I was home,” said Jones, who plans to study Psychology.
“There is a good chance for me to play right away. They lost a lot of wide receivers from last year so I got a good chance.”
Said Long: “I think Tanka will be excellent at Muskingum. He has the height, the athleticism and intangibles. I assume Kam will be a receiver. Tanka will go and pay cornerback, I think it’s a good fit. It’s their level. They can play there and be contributors.”
While the trio signed their letters in front of a gathering of friends and family, one important person was missing.
Eckford’s mother, Michelle, passed away suddenly on Oct. 4. Eckford knows his mother is looking down on him proudly.
“She told me all my life she wanted me to graduate,” Eckford said.
“She wants me to graduate. I’m ready for that day and staying focused.”