Baylor School signees share special legacy as state champs

Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Baylor baseball and football star Caleb Hampton, right, who will move on to play both sports for Stanford University after his senior year wraps up this spring, gets a hug during the Red Raiders' national signing day celebration Wednesday evening.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Baylor baseball and football star Caleb Hampton, right, who will move on to play both sports for Stanford University after his senior year wraps up this spring, gets a hug during the Red Raiders' national signing day celebration Wednesday evening.

The seven athletes who gathered Wednesday evening at Baylor School to celebrate their official college commitments had something notable in common beyond the fact that they were all Red Raiders headed to NCAA Division I programs.

And with the group made up of six football players — one who will also continue playing baseball in college — and one wrestler, it wasn't their sport of choice at the next level.

For wrestler Omaury Alvarez (North Carolina), football players Tony Boggs (Duke), Marceo Collins Jr. (Austin Peay), Evan Haynie (Princeton), Dalton Restelli (Chattanooga) and Asher Skyles (Murray State), plus baseball/football standout Caleb Hampton (Stanford), when their high school days are over, they'll leave behind a legacy as state champions.

Years of hard work paid off as Baylor's football team defeated Montgomery Bell Academy, 38-34, in the TSSAA Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl at Finley Stadium on Dec. 1. And the Red Raiders' first state championship since 1973 could not have happened without Wednesday's six signees.

Haynie blocked a PAT and recovered a crucial fumble that Boggs popped out of MBA star Marcel Reed's hands late in the third quarter of the title game. Restelli had five catches for 71 yards in the season finale, in which Skyles helped pave the way up front for Hampton to rush for 170 of Baylor's 517 total yards, and Collins had a tackle for loss.

  photo  Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Evan Haynie holds the trophy as he and his Baylor teammates celebrate their win against Montgomery Bell Academy in the TSSAA Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl state title game last Dec. 1 at Finley Stadium.
 
 

Baylor's dynamic signing class stepped up to the microphone Wednesday to thank their coaches, family members and teammates for helping fuel their dreams.

Red Raiders football coach Erik Kimrey had words of wisdom for the athletes.

"Always remember, you are who you are because somebody loves you," Kimrey said. "You did not make it this far without the love and support from your parents, coaches, teachers and teammates. Be grateful to God, and as you move forward, do so with a spirit of gratitude in your hearts.

"Carry yourself with integrity, dignity and pride. Be leaders and warriors and the players you know you are. You will always be connected to us and representing Baylor."

Hampton has been a key member for a Red Raiders baseball program that has been ranked among the nation's best, and just two years ago the team had five Division I signees. Hampton rushed for 3,525 yards and 45 touchdowns over his final two high school football seasons and is expected to be a big bat in the middle of Baylor's lineup this spring.

"Today is a culmination of all these guys' hard work," Baylor baseball co-head coach Greg Elie said. "I am proud of what they all have done. To watch their journeys pan out and see the plan God had in store for them is special. It is so fun and rewarding for our school. We are all behind these guys 100%.

"It's funny because the day after Caleb won a state championship in football, he had a bat in his hand the next day and was getting ready for baseball season. These guys love what they do and have been a tight-knit group."

Before he wrestles for North Carolina, the more immediate task for Alvarez, an individual state runner-up at 182 pounds as a junior, is to help Baylor's wrestling program win the state state duals and state traditional tournament team titles for the fifth year in a row. The Red Raiders are ranked No. 1 overall in the state and have a 15-1 record this season headed into the DII-AAA championship duals this weekend in Franklin.

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.

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