Joined by his friends, family, coaches and a five-foot tall Eagle, Surry Central senior Avery Wilmoth signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to play football at Ferrum College.
“It means a lot to me,” Wilmoth said. “I’ve always enjoyed football so much. It’s crazy to think I get four more years of it.”
First impressions are important, and that’s part of the reason Avery chose Ferrum as the next stop on his academic and athletic journeys. The school turned out to be a perfect fit for him.
“I was immediately attracted to the school more than the other schools that were interested,” he said. “The coaching staff there is amazing, and they stay in great contact with me. They have helped me in setting up everything to get prepared for Ferrum. They also check in on me and my family weekly.
“I also love the layout of the college as it’s smaller and around some beautiful land.”
Much like Ferrum, Wilmoth said he was in love with football “from day one.”
“This has been a dream ever since I could remember. I have always been so intrigued with football, and it brings me so much happiness,” he said. “Most of the guys I played with my senior year were out there with me in first grade…we haven’t left each other’s side since then.”
“I’m excited for him,” said Central football coach Monty Southern. “We’re gonna miss him, and not just his performance on the field. He’s a great kid to have in your program. The level of self-motivation he has is fairly uncommon for people his age, and I know he’s gonna be successful at Ferrum and in whatever he does later in life.”
Wilmoth’s varsity football experience didn’t start off like he’d planned. His junior season was pushed back from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not only was the team limited in the amount/type of preseason workouts they could participate in, but the regular season was limited to just seven games.
The already-shortened season was cut down even more when Wilmoth suffered an injury in the team’s third game.
“The timing was just awful because he was going to get valuable reps in that Atkins game and the Carver game right after,” Southern said. “He came back and played in our last game of the season, but that was more because it was the end of the season and he only played a limited amount. Truthfully, he probably had 2.5 games where he was 100%.”
Wilmoth had a quick turnaround for his senior season in the fall, so he and Southern didn’t waste any time. Avery was expected to be the Golden Eagles’ starting quarterback for week one, and he was dedicated to doing everything on his part to make sure that happened.
“We tried to throw a lot that summer, and he struggled some in the beginning but really came around,” Southern said. “More than anything, I attribute his success to his drive and self-motivation. He wants to be successful and will figure out a way to get there. He’s a hard worker and is very intelligent.
“Avery really is part of a dying breed. He pushes himself, he’s hard on himself and, if he feels like he hasn’t done as well as he thought he should, he gets on himself. Some people do that and will get in a funk, but he doesn’t.”
“Our group worked very hard over the summer and was ready for the season,” Wilmoth said. “My senior year was very memorable. We had a great time with each other, and I wouldn’t trade that season for anything else. The community surrounding us is amazing. We had so much support behind us every Friday night, and being in a small town it’s hard not to know anyone.”
Surry Central won six games during the fall 2021 season, tied for second in the Foothills 2A Conference standings and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Southern said he loved having Avery at quarterback because of his flexibility. He could throw when the Eagles needed to move through the air, and he could barrel through defenders when the team needed to move the chains on the ground.
“He’s a powerful kid,” Southern said. “He wasn’t receiving many blows; most of the time he was giving them. We could run him a lot. Then if we needed two or three hard yards, he got it. Lots of teams have a running back or two that can do that, but not everybody can say that about their QB.”
As big as Avery’s impact was on the field, Southern said his influence as a team leader really helped set the Eagles up for success.
“He gets along with everybody,” Southern said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s talking with a senior starter like Karson Crouse, or a young kid that doesn’t play a lot, he treats them all the same. He’s very mature. A really positive kid on and off the field.
“He’s a great big brother too, making sure his brother is doing what he needs to do and not cutting corners. He’s just a good kid overall; the type of kid you pull for.”
Knowing he didn’t get this far on his own, Avery extended his thanks to some of the people that helped him along the way.
“I want to thank my mother for supporting me all these years,” he said. “She always made sure I had everything I needed, and made sure I was at practice every day when I was younger.
“I would also like to thank that group of 17 seniors. Those guys shaped me into what I am today. From knocking the wind out of each other in practice to pushing each other to our limits, I wouldn’t want to play beside anyone else.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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