Three Martha’s Vineyard High School student athletes inked their futures in a signing ceremony at Sancy Pachico Gym in Oak Bluffs Friday.
Joined by family and teammates, MVRHS football captains Brian Torres, Braden Sayles, and Zach Smith each signed letters of intent to play college football.
Torres, a defensive lineman, signed with Division III Anna Maria College in Paxton; Sayles, a free safety and wide receiver, signed with Division I Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.; and Smith, a quarterback, signed with Division III Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.
“I mostly want a school I can play football at, but it’s also a great academic school. When Hamilton first contacted me, they immediately shot up to the first on my list,” Smith said. “I just feel really honored they’d reach out to me.”
Sayles agreed and said he wanted a good academic school, but also a place he knew he could play. “We had seen one of their games in the past few years as a whole team, and their facility and their team really intrigued me, so I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.
Torres said Anna Maria was one of the first schools to reach out to him. “I was looking for a small school, and it’s just the right size for me. Academically I think it’s great,” Torres said.
Longtime football Coach Don Herman, who was at the ceremony, said this was the first time in his coaching tenure that three of his players signed to play college football in the same year. “They’re going on to continue their education and continue their football experience and athletic life,” Herman said. “It’s an amazing accomplishment, and I’m very proud of all three of them.”
