Southfield High Athletes Sign College Letters of Intent

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Aasif Allen

Signing Day: Sports reporters swarm senior football player Malik McDowell on National Signing Day. McDowell announced he wants to play for Michigan State University.

Shannon Stoudemire

Fourteen Southfield High football players signed letters of intent on February 5 to play college football.

This was the most players to get signed by one school in the entire state, and the most players to get signed in Southfield High history, according to Varsity Football Coach Tim Conley.

Senior defensive player Malik McDowell, who received offers  from around the country,  announced he was signing with Michigan State University. But his committment is still unofficial, McDowell said, because only one of his two parents signed his letter of intent, and he hasn’t sent the letter in yet.

Malik’s father, Greg McDowell, signed, but his mother, Joya Crowe, was not present to sign. Malik said his mother wants him to attend an out-of-state school.

“I’m very okay with his decision,” said father Greg McDowell. “He wanted to go to this school (MSU), and he stood up and said that. As a father, I accept that decision. We (his father and mother) both wanted Malik to go out of state, but at the end of the day, he’s the one playing and getting the education, so if that’s what he wanted, I have to respect that.”

Senior Lawrence Marshall signed his papers to go to the University of Michigan. It wasn’t a big surprise because he verbally committed the prior year, and all around the school he was wearing his University of Michigan gear.

Marshall’s mother said, “This has been such a great day for the family. It was my dream for him to play for U of M.”

Despite all the talent on the football team, evidenced by the 14 athletes who will play college ball, the team was knocked out of the first round of playoffs this year by Birmingham Seaholm.

How can that be? Football player Carterris Carter, who signed with Wayne State‘s Football team on signing day, explained, “A lot of stuff just went wrong toward the end of the game”  against Seaholm.

Besides the 14 football players, three wrestlers also signed letters of intent on signing day: Keith Lee, Da’Vion Williams and Davion Bourne all committed to wrestle for Indiana Tech

Girls Basketball player Courtney Williams was also honored at the event though she actually signed her letter to play for Loyola University a month earlier.