College football recruiting is never over, today OPS made a visit to Mason
High School and witnessed two more top Ohio football players make their college
choices known.
Defensive back Matt Watkins, showed great strides over the past few seasons.
All the hard work and dedication paid off today when he signed with Valparaiso
University to play football and get a college degree. At 5'11, 182 lbs. Watkins
was a leader for the Comets on and off the field. Coach Gary Popovich
talked about this leadership during today's event. "We as coaches
will miss Matt a lot. I would say that he has given our teams some
great pep talks during his career." At this time it looks like Matt has
interest in studying business in college, and with Chicago not that far away,
the university provides a possibility of going into this field after
graduation.
MATT WATKINS
Another big weapon for Mason was kicker Brandon Yingling. While kickers
always have a different path for recruiting, Brandon in my opinion is one of the
biggest steals. With a great leg, and area to grow as he matures, Brandon shows
all the tools needed to have a chance to compete in college from day 1. Coach
Popovich spoke about what he expects to see from Brandon during his days at
Dayton. "I see Brandon growing and improving even more, he was a real
weapon for us on special teams and will be missed. I won't be surprised if
someday he's able to take his talents to another level." In looking at
several options, Brandon chose the University of Dayton to play football and get
a degree. Several D1 programs were talking with Brandon about walking on, but
Brandon felt the football tradition and ability of his family watching him play
made Dayton the right choice. Remember this name, if he keeps progressing he
will have a chance to compete for a NFL job one day.
BRANDON YINGLING
I would like to wish both of these fine young men the best in college.
I also want to thank Mr. & Mrs. Yingling for their help in getting us
information on Brandon and the Mason program.
A PROUD COACH WITH TWO FINE PLAYERS