May 1, 2007

ROBERTSDALE, Ala.—Six Robertsdale High seniors will be sweating their way into shape this summer as they prepare to join the football and volleyball teams, as well as the cheerleading squad, this fall at The University of West Alabama.

 
“For a university to sign one, or even two student-athletes from a high school is quite an honor,” said RHS Principal Theresa Bryant, “but for six to sign athletic scholarships, to indicate they’ll accept academic money and walk-on, or to earn a stipend as a freshman member of the cheerleading squad is almost unheard of.”
 

Bryant said Chris Eubanks and Dennis Taylor had signed football scholarships back on the NCAA’s signing day.

“Whitney Jones just signed a volleyball scholarship and Casey Byrnes, who was awarded a Leadership Scholarship to UWA, indicated she would `walk-on’ in order to play on the volleyball team,” she said.

Kollyn Blackwell and Tristan Smith, two of RHS’s senior cheerleaders tried out and made the Tiger cheerleading squad.

“Each of these students will be in a position to bring a lot of recognition to the athletic program here at RHS,” Bryant said. “When fans pick up a roster and look at where the various athletes and cheerleaders are from, they’ll see Robertsdale High School listed several times.”

Coach Scott Phelps, Robertsdale’s head football coach and athletic director, is a former UWA athlete and alumnus, although during his playing days the school was known as Livingston University.

“We’re very proud of all these students,” Phelps said. “We know they’ll give it their all as they practice and later play at UWA. We appreciate the UWA coaches’ willingness to watch film on our kids, look them over at camps and to take a personal interest in recruiting them.”

RHS head volleyball coach Metta Roberts said UWA was getting two of her top players in Jones and Byrnes.

“Both of these girls are impact players,” she said. “I know they’ll have a positive influence at Livingston both as players and as students.”

This past season the RHS Lady Golden Bears were stopped short of a state championship by Pelham High during the Elite Eight Tournament in Birmingham. Robertsdale finished the season at 43-10.

Kollyn Blackwell and Tristan Smith tried out for the cheerleading squad during the recent Tiger Day activities, said RHS cheerleader coach Alicia Benton.

“The girls have already gone up to the campus to begin learning their routines with the rest of the squad,” Benton said. “I’m excited that they’re exploring collegiate cheering, and I hope we will have a number of other girls to follow them.”

Blackwell is following in her father Alan’s footsteps, as her dad was a member of the 1975-76 cheerleading squad.

The RHS athletes and cheerleaders will be joined by several other RHS classmates who will be attending school at Livingston in order to further their college education, Bryant said.              

“Danny Buckalew, Richard Hester and William Crawford have worked with our counselors and staff for years,” she said. “We feel we have a great relationship with the UWA admissions department, the administration and the athletic department.”

Having a pipeline from Robertsdale to Livingston is important, she said, because many of our students would be first generation college students.

“By knowing the recruiters and coaches on a first name basis we feel we can pick up the phone and tell them about one of our students,” Bryant said. “We know our kids will receive brochures about the courses, financial aid and above all an invitation to visit the university and take a tour.”

Bryant said RHS had a great relationship with all of the colleges and universities that came to Robertsdale to recruit, but felt the high school had a special relationship with UWA.

“Who you know means a lot in life,” she said. “We’re just glad we know so many people at UWA.”