By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
OXFORD TWP. — As the school year gets closer to ending for Oxford High School seniors, 10 student-athletes are ready for the next chapter as they signed their National Letters of Intent in front of family, friends and classmates, April 18.
The signers included Charlie Campbell continuing football at Heidelberg University; Jacob Chouinard, bowling, Clearly University; Ella Flores, golf, Cornerstone University; Kyleigh Johnson, lacrosse, Albion College; Ian Jones, football, Hope College; Karsyn Malinich, softball, Adrian College; Diego Medel, soccer, Pfeiffer College; Brody Moore, football, Adrian College; Kiley Penzien, bowling, Cornerstone University; and Hannah Petrusev, hockey, Maryville University.
“Congratulations to all the athletes here and all the parents and coaches,” said Adam Bican, head coach for Oxford Boys Varsity Soccer. “It is pretty exciting. It is an accumulation to a lot of work and a sacrifice.
“No matter where you go,” he added, “the one thing you all have in common with the players down here and the players up there (in the stands) you are an Oxford Wildcat. You will always be an Oxford Wildcat and that should mean something. Thank you and I wish you good luck. We will always be here for you.”
Bican was one of six Oxford coaches who spoke about what kind of people the student-athletes were on and off of the field.
Zach Line, head coach for Oxford Varsity Football, shared Moore, Campbell and Jones have one key skill they all share.
“They are phenomenal human beings,” he said. “They are the type of people you want to coach. They want to work. They want to be good at football. As coaches we would nothing more than for you to go on higher and higher. You have become great people and great people change the world. “Brody was on the field as 42,” said Line. “Brody is our first 42 recipient which is a major deal in Oxford. Brody you deserve this award. This award honors a great person, teammate, football captain. Football captain. I am not sure. Bumps, bruises, bloody noses. Brody was always willing to fight for his team and his town. Ian is on the field like his hair is always on fire. It didn’t matter if it was practice or a game, Ian was full speed. One attribute about Ian I have to mention is the fact he always has a smile on his face. He loves playing the game, being around his teammate, tough practices, team outing. Ian played defensive end fullback for us. You would never know he was little in size. You can’t measure a heart of a player. Charlie, also small in size, played right tackle for us. I was so impressed with Charlie’s grit and determination, bigger guy and smaller guy, it didn’t matter. I can appreciate guys like Charlie.”
The Oxford Bowling program has two heading off to college representing the Wildcats and JR Lafnear shared they are two outstanding representatives from the program.
“It’s easy to talk about them because they are extremely hard workers and very dedicated,” Lafnear said. “Jacob, it’s been a fun time. Hard work and dedication to your family and to your team doesn’t go unnoticed. Kiley, she is the perfect teammate. If someone had a high game of their career, Kiley would make them a cake. Kiley also has a drive that’s unmatched by many. I wish you both the best of luck. Good luck to you both.”
Trevor Marshall, former head coach for Oxford Girls Varsity Lacrosse shared playing the position of goalie takes courage and confidence – which Johnson has as she heads to Albion College.
“I have had the pleasure of getting to know Kylie over the last three years,” said Karlee Hale, new head coach for girls varsity lacrosse. “I am really honored to share with you how proud I am for all her hard work, dedication and perseverance to get to this point. She puts her heart into every practice. Some of the words her teammates used to describe her are passionate, hard working, strong and dedicated. We are all so proud of you.”
Allie Lanctot took over as head coach for Oxford Varsity Softball three years ago and said having that honor has allowed her to watch Malinich grow.
“I got to see her grow from a very talented, yet swirly sophomore into an absolute powerhouse captain senior, who her teammates look up to and admire,” Lanctot said. “I am just a small part of her softball story. The person who gets the most credit is Karsyn. She has wanted this for a long time. She is constantly putting in the work and putting in the effort. She’s a catcher. It’s the toughest gig on the field. Her job is to make someone else look good. She is selfless. I look forward to seeing what she can do in the future.”
Bican also watched Medel grow, from a little eighth grader who was in the corner of the media center to a player who received honors and accolades season after season.
“Every time he was called for Oxford he reported,” Bican said. “This year we were in a division with four teams who were ranked No. 1 over the year, six ranked No. 2 and eight in the top ten. Diego led us to a OAA Red championship which hasn’t been done before. He excelled on the field and in the classroom four times being named OAA Scholar Athlete. As a senior receiving the four year award for Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Individual Academic All-State. One of the best things, it’s nice to see the person who comes out and works with the youth in the community, aspiring the youth and the connection he makes as a result of good parenting. We are just so proud and everything he has done for the program and the sacrifices you guys have made. It’s well appreciated.”
The ten student-athletes shared thank yous with family, friends, teammates and coaches for their support and everything done for them to help them achieve their success.
This was the third signing ceremony Oxford Athletics has held this school year, bringing the total to 24 student-athlete scholarships.