Four Marble Falls football players sign their letters of intent
Marble Falls High School senior football players Zuri Buchanan (seated, left), Keith Jerome and Chace Fry sign to play for Cisco College while Jason Lenior signs to play for the University of Montana Western on Feb. 24 at the Mustangs' fieldhouse. Congratulating the players are their high school position coaches Bill Poe (standing, left), Doug Wilson, Brandon Murdock, Ricky Sparks and Tony Salazar. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — An extended group of family and friends gathered Feb. 24 to congratulate four Marble Falls High School seniors for signing their letters of intent to play college football.
The players are defensive end Jason Lenior (University of Montana Western), linebacker and receiver Zuri Buchanan (Cisco College), running back Keith Jerome (Cisco College) and offensive lineman Chace Fry (Cisco College).
“We want to celebrate these four young men and the opportunity to go to the next level and help their families pay for their education,” Marble Falls head coach Todd Dodge said.
Dodge recalled leaving for a speaking engagement for a weekend two years ago and returning to discover he had a new transfer from Duncanville. Buchanan, who hadn’t played a lot of football before he came to Marble Falls, ended up playing an average of 117 snaps in the final six games of 2013.
“You’re talking about one of the ultimate warriors I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” Dodge said.
Buchanan said playing for the Mustangs taught him three very important things: faith, family and football. As a result, he is a better family member and teammate, he said.
“It got my priorities straight,” he said.
He’ll major in business management.
Jerome, who had been hobbled by a knee injury throughout most of the 2013 season, rushed for 1,131 yards, but Dodge said simply thinking of the athlete as a runner is wrong.
“He’s a three-tool player,” he said. “He can run it, catch it and protect. It’s amazing to me what he’s able to do.”
The running back, who said he learned how to conduct himself as a young man by playing for the Mustangs, compares playing for Cisco to playing for Marble Falls. Both are underdogs, and he likes the role of the underdog, he said.
“I’m starting all over again,” he said. “I started running a week ago. I should be done with rehab by June.”
He plans to major in kinesiology.
Fry, who credits his coaches for helping him to not give up, was challenged before the start of his senior year to lose some weight. At 340 pounds, coaches asked him to drop 15 pounds, emphasizing it would open more doors for him to play on the next level.
So, during a team gathering, Dodge told the players about Fry dropping his weight to 325 when the player’s hand shot up.
“I’m at 315,” he corrected his coach.
“He was probably the unheralded leader,” Dodge said. “He’s very athletic for a big man.”
He’ll be a business major.
Lenior has been a member of the Mustangs for two years and turned himself into an athlete capable of playing college football, Dodge said.
“He has an unbelievable work ethic,” he said. “If I’m a guy on the next level, I’m getting someone who has so much upside. He’s just now learning the game.”
The defensive end said he looks forward to attending college in a state he’s never lived in. He said being a Mustang has helped him develop traits he believes will help him succeed.
“I’ve learned that working hard is better than talent,” he said. “It might not get you as far, but it gets you noticed. You work hard, and, when you work hard, you get noticed.”
He plans to major in environmental science.
jfierro@thepicayune.com