Fall sports college commits ready to push themselves at next level

CUYLER DUNN

April 5, 2024

Clockwise from top left, seniors Joellen Vogt, Sydney Owens, Adrion Seals, Wyatt Summers, Braylen Hoobler and Thomas Cromer will all play their sport at the college level next year.

This is the first of three stories examining EHS athletes moving on to college sports.

A handful of Cardinals athletes who play fall sports are looking forward to the opportunity to play at the college level next season.

This year’s class features the first girls golfer in team history to play in college, and a state champion runner heading to Lawrence to join the University of Kansas.

Joining them is a trio of football players who will head to Baker University, and one who will attend Highland Community College.

Read more about each athlete’s journey and future below.

Adrion Seals, Football, Baker

As Adrion Seals looks ahead to playing college football, he’s making sure to not change who he is.

The senior wide receiver said he is excited to get to move to the next level and join the football culture at Baker. Seals received an all-state selection this year and was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl.

Seals said the recruiting process was crazy, but the family culture at Baker made the school feel like the next fit.

“I had, what, I think six or five offers coming out,” Seals said. “And it kind of just came down to, you know, what felt like home.”

Knowing a couple of players and coaches on the team already helped Seals make his decision and will help him get settled in with the new team quickly. He thanked his high school for developing him to the point where he can play at the next level.

“I’m excited to take that next step and the college experience,” he said. “You know, it’s gonna be changed for sure. But I think I’m ready.”

His first goals are to come in with an open mind and be ready to learn a new system and playbook. After that, he has his eyes set on snagging all-conference honors.

“I’m just gonna go in there with an empty mind and learn the playbook and continue doing me,” he said. “Hopefully the end results will come.”

Braylen Hoobler, Football, Baker

Braylen Hoobler said as soon as he visited Baker University, he knew it was the right fit for him.

Coaches made personal connections with the senior running back and quickly showed him how he could fit into their system next year.

“I felt like I was welcomed with open arms,” Hoobler said.

He said the coaches made sure that he knew what his future at Baker would look like, from classes to film study to football.

“I really liked the one-on-one time with all the coaches,” Hoobler said. “And it just felt like, you know, I was important to them.”

Hoobler has been playing tackle football since second grade, an early start he credited to his dad, who coached him when he was younger. He said playing from a young age has helped him have a leg up on some peers.

“He has been the biggest impact on me because he has pushed me, I mean, since I was young,” Hoobler said of his dad. “So I mean, it’s been a really cool experience to have my dad coaching for me when I was younger, and he taught me a lot.”

Hoobler said regardless of what comes his way, he’s prepared to be one of the hardest workers on the team every day.

“I’m continuing to work,” he said. “But, you know, whatever happens, happens. I’ll be ready…I just want to be able to play out there, you know, because I’m gonna go 110% every play.”

Thomas Cromer, Football, Baker University

Thomas Cromer wasn’t originally planning to join his Eudora teammates at Baker University, but after visiting the school and meeting the coaches, he knew it was the best place for him.

“I fell in love with the program, the football, its culture,” Cromer said. “And I made the decision to go there. It felt like the right fit for me.”

The senior offensive lineman said the coaches’ professionalism stood out to him. The program the coaches run and their ability to recruit talented players made him want to get involved.

Joining his Cardinals teammates was another cherry on top.

“It’s a big head start for us because, you know, a lot of football is definitely like culture and, like, chemistry,” he said. “So, to have some familiar faces on the same team, it’s definitely very helpful and gives us a little head start in that whole process.”

Tackle football has played a big role in Cromer’s family, and he got involved at a young age. Soon, he realized he had the ability to play at a high level.

“My freshman year I kind of realized, like, my potential,” Cromer said. “So, I just started working toward being the best I could be, you know? Not missing a day. My big thing was, first one there, last one to leave.”

As he looks ahead to the next stage, Cromer is going to carry the same advice that brought him this far.

“Put your head down and just get through it, even when it’s hard,” he said. “You only fail when you quit.”

Wyatt Summers, Football, Highland Community College

On his visit to Highland Community College, Wyatt Summers said every single coach took the time to meet him and his dad. That kind of care and community is why he’ll take his defensive back skills there next year.

“I felt at home there,” he said. “After those two years, I will have a chance to keep getting recruited, keep getting bigger, keep getting better at football.”

He’s looking forward to getting to play with and against the most talented players in the country at the college level.

“I’m gonna be going up against the best of the best and that’s only gonna make me a better athlete the whole time I’m there,” he said.

Summers credited his parents for helping drive him to play football at the next level. He said they spent thousands of dollars to give him chances to play the game he loved growing up.

“My parents both pushed me,” he said. “And they’re like, ‘You’re getting a really good opportunity here and you’re gonna regret it if you don’t take this.’ And they really made it clear that this is what I should do.”

He’s taking one word with him to the next level: resiliency.

“My sophomore year, my junior year, I felt like man, I deserve this,” he said. “I kept working.”

Joellen Vogt, Girls Golf, Barton Community College

Senior Joellen Vogt closed out her high school golf career the same way she started it: by making history.

Vogt became the first girls golfer in team history to commit to play in college as she signed her letter of intent to Barton Community College.

Vogt said it is a surreal feeling to be the first girls golfer to continue her golf career at the next level.