GREENE COUNTY
Three Greene County High School (GCHS) football players – Dayshawn Copeland, Jamarion Evans, and Chris Lowe – participated in an athletic scholarship signing ceremony on Feb. 7, officially committing to play next season at Shorter University, Georgia Military College, and Berry College, respectively.
More than 150 fellow students filled the school’s theater, where Greene County head football coach Terence Banks introduced each student-athlete and described their athletic and academic achievements.
Lowe, a wide receiver and cornerback, made 19 catches for the Tigers this past season, averaging 11.2 yards per reception for 213 receiving yards and one touchdown. He said he had been in contact with Berry recruiters in Rome, Ga., since his junior year and they helped him through the recruitment process every step of the way.
Lowe thanked his coach, GCHS athletic trainer Kelsy Ney, and his parents, Aarondia and Beaufort Lowe, for their support and said he plans to major in nuclear engineering or field science.
Evans arrived at GCHS in his sophomore year and in his senior year, he made 27 solo tackles in 10 games played. He said he plans to study diesel mechanics at GMC in Milledgeville and thanked his mother, Tina Wheeler, and grandmother Wilmatine Brinkley for their unconditional support.
This past season, Copeland made 34 solo tackles, averaging approximately 3.4 per game, and had three solo sacks to his credit. The 6-3, 240-pound specialist described himself as a “versatile defensive end” and said intends to take pre-physical therapy classes when he gets to Shorter University, also in Rome.
Copeland was previously committed to attending South Carolina State but said after a visit to Shorter he just felt it was a better fit for him. He thanked his parents, Crystal and James Rowland, as well as his coaches at GCHS for their help in the recruitment process.
“I love signing days. I love graduation days; because it’s a chance for the kids to continue to make the best of their life. That’s the most important thing,” Banks said after the official signing ceremony, as he cut slices of cake for any student in the audience who wanted one.
“Every coach, every team wants to win a state championship, obviously, but multiple kids can go to college and go to college for free and graduate from high school to become productive human beings. They will be productive citizens for a lot longer than they were athletes. So, seeing them accomplish dreams is the number-one thing for me.”
Banks added that he also thinks it can be beneficial for other students to see their peers succeed and move forward through hard work, practice, and dedication, whether that’s in the athletic, academic, or other realms of student life.
“I think it’s inspirational for them to think, ‘I can see myself up there,’” he said. “I believe a lot in visualization and confirmation that I too can be on that stage. I think other students can look at this and think, ‘He did it. He’s my classmate. We train together, we go to school together. It’s possible for me, too.’ I just think with any dream you first have to believe that it really can happen.”