Central football players commit to Goode Elite Prep
Published 5:37 pm Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Central High School seniors Benjamin White Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Woods signed commitments Monday to play football at Goode Elite Prep in Gulf Shores.
Central High School seniors Benjamin White, Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Woods thank their coaches and family for supporting them as they signed commitments to play football at Good Elite Prep in Gulf Shores.
The Central High School football team turned out to support Benjamin White Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Woods as they signed commitments to play at Goode Elite Prep in Gulf Shores this fall.
Families supported Benjamin White Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Woods Monday as the Central High School seniors committed to play football at Good Elite Prep in Gulf Shores. Pictured are (front row, left to right) White, Jordan, and Woods; (back row, left to right) Angela Dudley, Benjamin White, Sr., Renea Moorer, Vernessia Thicklin, Niyauna Woods, and Kiyauna Thicklin.
Central High School head coach Corvin Johnson announced the commitments of Benjamin White, Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Woods to play football at Goode Elite Prep in Gulf Shores. Pictured are (left to right) Athletic Director Brian Coleman, White, Jordan, Woods, and head coach Corvin Johnson.
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Central High School students, parents, teachers and community leaders gathered on Monday, to celebrate three young men who signed commitments to play football at Goode Elite Prep in Gulf Shores.
Central head coach Corvin Johnson announced the commitments of Benjamin White, Jr., Jaden Jordan, and Jon’Darius Wood to the crowd gathered in the school’s library and applauded the student’s decisions to continue sharpening their athletic skills at the school which focuses on assisting student athletes in developing spiritually, socially, emotional, physically, and intellectually.
“Our kids needed to continue to develop their skills and really get acclimated to the college level course work and football,” Johnson said. “With our kids being from rural areas and so tight knit, I felt like they needed to take that path, getting an icebreaker to the collegiate playing level.”
“Our kids have been together since kindergarten. They’ve grown up together. I felt this would be a more comfortable transition for them, to take this route with some familiar faces,” Johnson added.
Each player who signed commitments Monday thanked supporters for supporting their success and helping them take this next academic and athletic step.
“First I would like to thank God,” said senior, Jon’Darius Woods. “I would like to thank all my family and friends for pushing me throughout these four years. I would like to thank all my coaches for helping me on and off the field to become a better man.”
According to Johnson, Woods is one of the team’s smaller players but displays the heart of a lion.
“He plays the game especially fast,” Woods said. “I’ve never seen him back down from a challenge. He was a big playmaker for us. We would get him the ball and he would score in one play. He has that kind of speed and athletic ability.”
Jaden Jordan thanked God also and credited his mom, Renea Moorer, for supporting him all through his football career.
Johnson described Jordan as a key player, a young man whose size and power dominated the field.
“He’s a huge kid, very powerful,” Johnson said. “He was one of the leading factors for us being dominant and being able to impose our will on other teams in the run game by controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Benjamin White added his appreciation for the school’s principal, Archie Curtis, for supporting his efforts and thanked his parents and coaches for making the transition possible.
Johnson, in his first-year coaching at Central, said Ben has been a leader from the beginning.
“Ben has been a leader ever since I’ve known him,” Johnson said. “From day one, he established himself as the leader of our group. He’s mature and hardworking, a young man with a bright future.”
Nathaniel McCall, who also plans to attend Goode Elite, was not present for the ceremony. Johnson described McCall as the biggest playmaker on the field in 2022, making “unbelievable plays” in various positions including quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back.
Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Jason Burroughs challenged the young men to keep up their hard work as they graduate high school and transition to college.
“Keep putting in the hard work,” Burroughs said. “Not just this year, but ya’ll have to finish strong and then put that same work in at Goode. When you get to Goode, there will be a lot of distraction and temptation. Somebody’s got to be the big person and keep everybody out of trouble.”
