Coy Johns signs with Malone
Signing: Pictured from left are Tammy Johns, Coy Johns, Jon Johns and Anniedale Johns. Coy recently signed to play football at Malone University. Photo contributed by Lenzo Studio
NEWCOMERSTOWN – Coy Johns, a senior lineman at Newcomerstown High School, signed a letter of intent to play with the Malone University Pioneers this upcoming fall. He is the son of Jon and Tammy Johns of Newcomerstown.
Malone will be entering its second year of Division II NCAA and second year of competing in the GLIAC. Malone has been recognized by the prestigious Templeton Foundation as a leader in character development and for the past eight years Malone has been ranked among the top colleges and universities in the Midwest by US News and World Report. The Pioneers play at Fawcett Stadium home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Malone University football staff hit the recruiting trail hard in 2012 after experiencing new challenges presented during their first season of GLIAC competition last fall. The program is excited to announce 23 new additions for the 2013 season. The class is well balanced with 12 players on the offensive side of the ball and 11 players on the defensive side of the ball. Head coach Eric Hehman and his hardworking staff showed an ability to recruit the best players in the state of Ohio while also branching out to states all over the country. Eleven of the 23 recruits were bred in Ohio’s backyard but the class consists of players from nine different states. The Pioneers focused their efforts on the offensive and defensive lines in an attempt to toughen up their interior on both sides of the ball. This new added toughness should serve them well in the physical GLIAC. Hehman was all smiles after wrapping up the hectic festivities of signing day.
“This is the best class that we have signed since our staff arrived a few years ago.” Hehman said. “After experiencing the GLIAC in our first year, we recognized the areas we needed to grow to compete at the highest level. We spent a lot of time evaluating offensive and defensive lineman that fit our school and our system. The staff’s hard work has paid off with this Class of 2013. We have met every positional need that we had assessed and are confident that the incoming players, along with our redshirts from last year, will allow us to compete at a high level in the GLIAC.”
Hehman is thrilled to welcome Coy into his football family.
“This year we put an emphasis on lineman and we are excited that he chose Malone,” Hehman said. “It will be great to watch Coy develop and I know he will help us achieve our program goals as well. In addition, he is a Northeast Ohio guy, which is very important to us as we recruit each class. We see him as a great fit for the style of offense that is founded on physicality and athleticism. Coy’s future as a Pioneer is bright.”
Coy plans on majoring in intervention education with a minor in coaching.
Category: High School
