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It is getting late in the recruiting game for current seniors seeking a Division I college football offer with the traditional Signing Day falling on Feb. 7. Especially during the transfer portal age.
But as Anthem Boulder Creek senior heavyweight Dax Monestime dominates his wrestling matches, pinning 16 during his 30-0 season, including one in 14 seconds, he is driven to land a Division I football scholarship.
He said he’s got a preferred walk-on opportunity at Northern Arizona, but the rest of his offers are coming from Division II and III and NAIA, which are great for a lot of high school seniors.
Heavyweight wrestler, Dax Monestime poses for a portrait in the Boulder Creek High School wrestling room in Anthem on Jan. 22, 2024.
But Monestime, who is 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, knows he can play D-I football. It’s something he’s dreamed about since he was in the first grade and was already playing tackle football.
“I just got the NAU PWO, so I’m really thinking about that,” Monestime said. “I would go D-II.”
It’s a difficult era to be a high school senior. Unless you’re a five- or four-star recruit and locked in during the short-window December signing period, there are few opportunities left at the D-I level.
Peoria Liberty linebacker Keaton Stam and wide receiver Braylon Gardner both made The Arizona Republic’s first-team All-Arizona but, with nothing at the D-I level coming their way, they both took a recruiting trip over the weekend to Black Hills State, a Division II school in South Dakota.
Monestime, who is keeping his weight at 270 pounds while wrestling, played at closer to 290 during the football season. As a nose tackle on the defensive line in a 3-4 and getting double teamed, he had 36 tackles, eight for losses during a 6-5 season in 6A.
He’s always been the biggest kid on football teams growing up, since the first…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unbeaten-boulder-creek-wrestler-dax-222855233.html
Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2024-01-23 22:28:55
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