River View’s Croft signs to play football at Wooster

River View High School senior Cowen Croft (center) signed his letter of intent to play football at The College of Wooster. The signing was held April 8 in the library at River View. He is pictured with his mom and dad Whit and Leslie Croft. Josie Sellers | Beacon

WARSAW – When Cowen Croft was a sophomore in high school, he decided that playing college football was something he really wanted to do. On April 8 he took a big step toward making that goal a reality when he signed his letter of intent to play football at The College of Wooster.

“The campus is really nice,” said Croft, who is a senior at River View High School. “I went there as a sophomore when my brother looked at it and knew I really wanted to go there.”

Cowen’s brother Caden also plays football at Wooster. Their parents Leslie and Whit Croft are looking forward to watching them play on the same field.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Leslie said. “It will be really nice to go to one game and see both boys. They didn’t get the chance to play together much in high school. Maybe they will have the opportunity to setup a brother to brother pass.”

Football is a huge part of the Croft family’s life.

“He (Cowen) has been playing since he was in third grade,” Leslie said. “Football is just something that we’ve always done. We are glad he gets to continue on for another four years.”

Cowen thanked his parents, family, friends, teammates, teachers and coaches for helping him get the opportunity to go to the next level.

“My sophomore year was a deciding factor for me about playing or not,” Cowen said. “I kept pushing because I knew if I had made it this far, I could go farther.”

One of his favorite memories from high school ball comes from that year.

“I remember stepping on the field for my first varsity game and going in at safety,” Cowen said. “I ended up getting a tackle against a very good quarterback.”

He also fondly remembers scoring against Coshocton as a senior.

“It was our last game of the season and my last touchdown catch,” Cowen said. “It felt good to be able to put points on the board in that game.”

During his high school career, he also earned 2017 Region 11 second team honors and 2018 Region 11 first team honors.

River View Head Football Coach Mike Hemming is excited to see Cowen move on.

“It’s a great day anytime one of your players gets to go to the next level,” Hemming said. “The number one thing though is that he is going to get a good education. Cowen is the second guy I’ve had sign to play in college and that’s good for the program too. It shows we are getting out there.”

Wooster is a Division III school and plays in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

“They are getting an athlete who is very athletic and has good footwork,” Hemming said. “He is one of our best defensive backs and can play both sides of the ball.”

Cowen’s words of wisdom to his younger teammates who might want to play college ball is to not doubt themselves.

“If you have any doubts, don’t listen to them,” he said. “If you love the game, keep on playing. Not everything will come easy though. You have to work for it.”

Cowen plans to major in business at Wooster.

Category: High School, Sports