tidwell
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Good for Wilson :rock:
LIVINGSTON -- Opportunities like this don't come around very often. Livingston Academy's Wilson Cates decided Tuesday to continue his football career at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.
"It was a really tough decision," Cates said. "It was hard to think about. I just had to think about my future more than anything else. There's not many people around here that get a chance to go to Princeton. Because I've been given that opportunity, I might as well take advantage of it."
Cates has taken advantage of an outstanding prep career to earn a scholarship to the Ivy League university. Cates became LA's all-time leading rusher this season, surpassing 3,000 yards and leading the Wildcats to their first state title in school history. He also threw for more than 4,000 yards in his career and shined as a defensive back.
Those numbers earned him three nods as the Herald-Citizen's Upper Cumberland Playmaker of the Year and spots on the all-state team in his freshman and senior seasons. This season, he was also named the Region 4-2A Most Valuable Player and the BlueCross Bowl Most Valuable Offensive Player.
Those numbers brought plenty of suitors from Division I-A, I-AA and Division III schools. Tennessee Tech, Sewanee and Middle Tennessee State University were among the schools vying for Cates services.
"Tech had a lot to offer and so did Sewanee," Cates said. "Vanderbilt was wanting me to walk on, so that was another option. MTSU has just been calling me recently, wanting me to come there."
After dealing with intense pressure from recruiters for months, Cates was put on the spot by Princeton wide receivers coach Scott Sallach. Cates decided he couldn't pass up the unique opportunity of continuing his education at an Ivy League school.
"I got a call earlier this week from coach Sallach," Cates explained. "He basically told me that I just got accepted and they wanted me to come. They wanted me to answer them on the spot as to what I wanted to do. I've been thinking about it a lot and I don't think you can beat the education and the type of football it is too."
Ivy League football is quite competitive, and the Tigers were right there in the mix last season. Princeton posted a 7-3 overall record and finished third in the league.
"It's very competitive," Cates said of the Ivy League. "They have a very tough schedule. They have five guys in the NFL right now, so they do have a chance to go to the NFL. However hard you're going to work, the NFL scouts are going to find you."
That willingness to work hard will make Cates successful despite the fact that he will be 788.5 miles away from home, according to LA offensive coordinator Danny McCoin, who enjoyed a successful college football career at the University of Louisville before returning to Livingston Academy as a football and basketball coach.
"His attitude, his desire and his dedication are second to none," he said. "That will get him through whatever tough times he might have at Princeton. He wants to go, he wants to play, and he will just because he wants to."
Cates will play wide receiver or defensive back for the Tigers, who graduated six defensive backs and three wide receivers from their 2005 team. The transition to wide receiver is one Cates looks forward to.
"I played wide receiver a lot in practice," he said. "I love running routes. I've always wanted to play wide receiver. Of course, it's going to be tough to learn the basics. But I'll catch on pretty fast."
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LIVINGSTON -- Opportunities like this don't come around very often. Livingston Academy's Wilson Cates decided Tuesday to continue his football career at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.
"It was a really tough decision," Cates said. "It was hard to think about. I just had to think about my future more than anything else. There's not many people around here that get a chance to go to Princeton. Because I've been given that opportunity, I might as well take advantage of it."
Cates has taken advantage of an outstanding prep career to earn a scholarship to the Ivy League university. Cates became LA's all-time leading rusher this season, surpassing 3,000 yards and leading the Wildcats to their first state title in school history. He also threw for more than 4,000 yards in his career and shined as a defensive back.
Those numbers earned him three nods as the Herald-Citizen's Upper Cumberland Playmaker of the Year and spots on the all-state team in his freshman and senior seasons. This season, he was also named the Region 4-2A Most Valuable Player and the BlueCross Bowl Most Valuable Offensive Player.
Those numbers brought plenty of suitors from Division I-A, I-AA and Division III schools. Tennessee Tech, Sewanee and Middle Tennessee State University were among the schools vying for Cates services.
"Tech had a lot to offer and so did Sewanee," Cates said. "Vanderbilt was wanting me to walk on, so that was another option. MTSU has just been calling me recently, wanting me to come there."
After dealing with intense pressure from recruiters for months, Cates was put on the spot by Princeton wide receivers coach Scott Sallach. Cates decided he couldn't pass up the unique opportunity of continuing his education at an Ivy League school.
"I got a call earlier this week from coach Sallach," Cates explained. "He basically told me that I just got accepted and they wanted me to come. They wanted me to answer them on the spot as to what I wanted to do. I've been thinking about it a lot and I don't think you can beat the education and the type of football it is too."
Ivy League football is quite competitive, and the Tigers were right there in the mix last season. Princeton posted a 7-3 overall record and finished third in the league.
"It's very competitive," Cates said of the Ivy League. "They have a very tough schedule. They have five guys in the NFL right now, so they do have a chance to go to the NFL. However hard you're going to work, the NFL scouts are going to find you."
That willingness to work hard will make Cates successful despite the fact that he will be 788.5 miles away from home, according to LA offensive coordinator Danny McCoin, who enjoyed a successful college football career at the University of Louisville before returning to Livingston Academy as a football and basketball coach.
"His attitude, his desire and his dedication are second to none," he said. "That will get him through whatever tough times he might have at Princeton. He wants to go, he wants to play, and he will just because he wants to."
Cates will play wide receiver or defensive back for the Tigers, who graduated six defensive backs and three wide receivers from their 2005 team. The transition to wide receiver is one Cates looks forward to.
"I played wide receiver a lot in practice," he said. "I love running routes. I've always wanted to play wide receiver. Of course, it's going to be tough to learn the basics. But I'll catch on pretty fast."
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