By Thomas Smith
The Mount Airy News

DOBSON — As family and coaches looked on Monday, Surry Central seniors Brett Boyles and Jared Cave signed letters of intent to play college football.

Boyles inked with Lenoir-Rhyne, while Cave signed with Catawba.

After having tough luck in the “wins” column over the past couple of years, these two Golden Eagles have proven the quality of their program by performing well enough to be considered for the next level.

Boyles has been Surry Central’s quarterback for more than two seasons. Cave was a starting offensive lineman and the Golden Eagles’ only representative on the 2008 Mountain Valley all-conference team.

Both Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba are members of the Division II South Atlantic Conference, and serve as each others most heated rival.

“Both these young men, the reason why they are in the position they are is because they both have continued to work hard,” said Surry Central coach Monty Southern, who has worked with the duo since their move from middle to high school.

“Even since football season has been over, both have gotten stronger and their work ethic, day in and day out, has continued to be strong. When I talked to their coaches, I told them that both Jared and Brett work hard but they both are smart enough to realize they are no where near their full potential yet and that they would continue to work hard for those coaches.”

Both Boyles and Cave said they had been in contact with their respective schools for the past two months and are looking forward to the transition from 2A football to D-II.

“It will be fun and different size-wise and with the speed of the game I am sure,” Boyles said. “It will be interesting. First I will have to learn things as far as their system and what they do and then really just getting used to college life. Hopefully within a year, maybe sooner, I can help them do better things.”

Cave said he always wanted to continue his playing career on into college, but never thought it would happen until it finally did.

“I wanted to keep going but I wasn’t really expecting to,” Cave said. “I don’t know, I just hope I can keep up with it and they aren’t too much bigger than I am.”

Cave’s mother. Sheila. said she couldn’t be happier with her son’s achievements.

“I am really proud of him,” she said. “I was always proud of him because I am his mom, but when he made the all-conference team, that’s when I really realized he was good at it.”

Boyles’ father, Byron, said he is happy with Brett’s decision and dedication and with the program at Surry Central for fostering his son’s talent.

“My wife, Dana, and I are very proud of Brett and the fact that he has chosen to move on and play a sport beyond high school,” he said. “We are very pleased and happy with the opportunities that Surry Central gave him that made this possible. The coaching staff here has just treated him great.”

Strictly speaking football, coach Southern said Boyles and Cave had great senior seasons for the Eagles, with Boyles equaling or breaking many of Surry Central’s single season major passing records and Cave gaining the respect of opposing teams.

For Boyles, Southern said he was happy to have had such a versatile QB over a three-year period. Southern said he first saw Brett while his brother, Ty, was playing baseball for the Golden Eagles.

“I can remember his brother Ty saying, as we watched him play in middle school, ‘My brother is eat up with football,’” Southern said. “I thought ‘Well you know he’s going to end up being a baseball player,’ which he is and a very good baseball player, but he just improved every year for us.

“As a sophomore he started some for us and by the end of the year he had really won the job outright. His junior year he had a great year and I thought he capped it off with an outstanding senior season. When I started going back through our records he either broke or tied pretty much every major passing category we have.”

Southern said Cave showed his worth by being a stalwart on the Eagles offensive line and a vocal team leader.

“Jared had a great season, too. He was our only representative on the all-conference team and I thought that was very indicative of what the other coaches thought of him,” Southern said. “Any type of team like that is one of those deals where a coach can’t vote for his own kid. You might think of the world of him but if the other coaches don’t think they are very good it doesn’t matter. For him to get that type of respect showed a lot for the type season he had.”

Boyles and Cave both joked about being able to look across the field at each other and have their teams fight for bragging rights.

Catawba and Lenior-Rhyne are traditional rivals, with each ending its respective season with their annual meeting, this season set to take place Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in Salisbury.

This season Catawba will enjoy UNC transfer quarterback Cam Sexton and look to improve on a 6-4 overall record and a No. 12 end of season ranking. Lenior-Rhyne will look to improve on a disappointing 3-8 season.

Catawba also will add a trio of Starmount standouts to its roster this fall — Rashaun Gaither, Jerome Gadberry and Keith Bryant. Gaither, the MVAC offensive player of the year, had originally decided to go to a prep school but recently changed his mind and inked with Catawba.