Tri-Valley’s loss is Ohio Dominican University’s gain, as three of the Scotties standout football players signed letters of intent on May 11th to join the Panther’s team this fall.
Scottie senior Blake Sands has been at the forefront of Tri-Valley football for the past few seasons and has had some pretty big accomplishments over that time including a school record for most touchdowns in a single game against New Lexington in the 2019 football season. In his senior year, Sands had a remarkable 1,070 overall yards to help push his team into the playoffs as well as landing All-MVL First Team honors and was chosen to be part of the coveted North-South game (that was canceled due to COVID). Likewise, Blake was a standout athlete in indoor track where he helped his 4 x 200m relay team make 13th place in state competition. We will certainly miss seeing the exciting plays Sands put forth on the field for the Scotties, but we know that Ohio Dominican will appreciate the hard work and determination that he brings!
Towering offensive and defensive lineman Caden King in his senior year was named First Team All-MVL and has made his presence known on the field for the Scotties the last couple of seasons with consistent blocking and tackling on both sides of the ball. Caden has been making big plays every chance he got but none quite as big as his final time on the field at Jack Anderson Stadium playing against the Zanesville Blue Devils. King popped up from his position as defensive tackle and grabbed a ball fired from the Zanesville quarterback intended for a receiver, and then proceeded to carry two would-be tacklers into the endzone from the 10-yard line to get a touchdown that will be remembered for a very long time. King was also a key player on the Scotties basketball team helping their team make it into the playoffs this season. Caden was also selected to be part of the canceled North-South game this year. Good luck Caden, we know you will do great things at Ohio Dominican!
One of the fastest pair of feet on the field for the Dawgs has definitely been Jordan Pantaleo, season after season you could bet if Jordan got the ball it was likely to be a first down or better. In just his senior year Pantaleo had 534 rushing yards averaging 9.1 yards per carry and led the team in scoring with 72 points earning ALL-MVL First Team as well. In his newest sport indoor track that he began this year thanks to encouragement by fellow teammate Blake Sands, Jordan quickly got the hang of the long jump and finished 6th in state competition earning All-Ohio honors. No doubt he will be a welcome addition to the Panthers and we look forward to hearing how bright his future becomes!
Good luck to all three of these great athletes, and keep your eyes to Columbus as the Panthers kick it into gear next season!
