MORGANTOWN — When Morgantown head football coach Sean Biser took the position, the class of 2024 was the incoming freshman class of excited young players,
Fast-forward to now and those freshmen, now seniors, have left their marks as individuals, and as the class of 2024 on the Mohigan football program, and after Wednesday, will move on to continue their careers.
Quarterback Maddox Bowers, lineman Braylon Brown, tight end Nick Deprospero, wideout Drew Phares, and cornerback Bobby Powell all put pen to paper to secure the future of their academic and athletic careers for the next four years.
“As a group and as individuals, this class has done a lot to move our program forward to where it needs to be,” Biser said. “One of the big things we talk about in our program is that nothing is owed, everything is earned. All of these young men have done just that, gone out and earned the chance to play at the next level. We couldn’t be more proud and excited to see what they accomplish as they continue on.”
Bowers and DeProspero will each make the short trip south to play for head coach Mike Kellar at Glenville State University.
The Pioneers are coming off a 6-4 season in which they won four of their final five games in 2023.
“I am just blessed to be able to play football at the next level,” Bowers said. “It’s a great situation for my education as well because I want to be a math teacher and there isn’t a better school I could ask for that fit me. I gave myself a three-hour bubble surrounding the Morgantown area to choose where I wanted to go. Being close to home is important to me.”
DeProspero announced his commitment to the Pioneers less than a week ago and said he had a lot of factors going into his decision.
“One of the biggest ones for me was location, I would love for my family can come see me play,” he said. “Maddox is joining me which is great because we already have the chemistry together. It felt good to make my final decision and get the weight off of my shoulders. Morgantown was a great experience to help hone my skills overall as a tight end.”
Brown will join Shepard University this fall and says he is excited to join such an impressive program.
“The coaching staff and atmosphere there are second to none for me,” Brown said. “They have such a tight bond and when I visited I felt that from the beginning. I’m grateful for my time here at MHS, I wasn’t even a lineman when I came here and they’ve helped develop me into what I am today.”
Brown, who missed half of the 2023 season with an injury, said he learned a lot from the experience he can carry with him.
“I learned to push through adversity off the field,” he said. “Missing time on the field is something I’ve never really dealt with before and it was tough not being able to go out and play. But I learned from that and it also helped me be a better teammate having to still be a leader for my guys while I wasn’t playing.”
Powell, a first-team all-state defensive back, will join the Virginia Military Institute as both a cadet and Keydet in the fall.
“A lot of sacrifices went into my decision,” he said. “ I wasn’t going to do military school originally, but once I did my research into VMI and saw how successful some of the graduates were that come from there it seemed like a great fit. I will start at corner but I know they may try me out at a few different spots.”
Finally, Phares accepted a preferred walk-on offer from West Virginia University and will redshirt as soon as he joins the team in the fall.
“I’m getting to play for my hometown team and have a great opportunity to make a name for myself,” he said. “It’s going to be tough adjusting to the level of football but I think if I stay true to myself and work as hard as I can they will see something in me that will make them want me to be a part of their team going forward.”
Boczek signs to play football with Division-I Duquesne
Morgantown native Drew Boczek, who spent time at Clay Battelle, Trinity Christian, and Morgantown High, signed with Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Wednesday.
After his senior year at Morgantown, Boczek attended St. Thomas More Prep School in Connecticut before deciding to dedicate his future to the Dukes.
“Duquesne just felt like home to me from the beginning,” he said. “My time with St. Thomas prepared me for Division-I football and I can’t wait to get started. Being close to home was important to me and it’s just a short way from Morgantown. I’ll never forget the time I had in West Virginia no matter where I go.”
