Multiple Permian athletes sealed the deal on where they’ll be taking the next step of their athletic careers during a signing ceremony Wednesday at the Permian High School auditorium.
Athletes representing football, baseball, softball and cross country confirmed their intent to represent varying junior colleges and universities.
Most signees decided to attend higher level institutions around the state of Texas, with a few making moves out of state.
Cayden Charnik will be staying locally, signing to join the UTPB football program after his high school graduation this spring.
The outside linebacker said he has been interested in UTPB since the Falcons played their first season of football.
“I had a few coaches talk to me, but I had my eyes set on UTPB,” Charnik said.
Once he steps foot on the Falcons’ practice field, Charnik will be making the switch from outside linebacker to safety in hopes of fitting UTPB’s defensive system.
The Panther football team had eight total signees, with five of them planning on teaming up at different universities.
Brian Mahaffey, Daveon Walucho and Peyton Sharp will attend Sul Ross State University in Alpine together, while Drake Womack and Jaxon Dorethy plan on attending Hardin Simmons in Abilene.
Mahaffey said he was happy when he found out that he would be joined by Walucho and Sharp in Alpine.
“It’s exciting because you get to carry on your career with one of your teammates,” Mahaffey said.
Kayden Baze made his final decision and is set to attend the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
He said it felt good to know that he is accomplishing a dream he has been chasing since he was young.
Cooper Sheehan rounded out the football signees, deciding on New Mexico State at the NCAA Division I level.
Sheehan said playing for the Aggies felt like the right fit because of how the offensive system suits his playing abilities.
The Permian baseball team had four players put pen to paper, with a majority of them looking to make their mark at the junior college level.
Peyton Gregory will join a competitive roster at Clarendon College, Cooper Golden is continuing his career at Amarillo College and Gus McKay will go on to play at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Sebastian Bravo is going to the NAIA level to compete at Wayland Baptist in Plainview.
Golden said he was drawn to Amarillo College because of its coaching staff and he saw strong potential in improving his MLB Draft stock by taking the junior college route.
“You can get drafted a lot easier out of JUCO and then you can transfer to Division I,” Golden said. “I think that’ll help a lot.”
Gregory will play in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, which includes strong competition like Odessa College and Midland College.
The catcher believes going through a tough slate of games will give him the necessary experience he needs to continue his playing career.
“I think it’s going to put me through those tough times I need to be better as a player,” Gregory said.
The Lady Panthers’ softball program also had four members make decisions on their futures.
Alexis Belen will play at Temple College in Central Texas, Emma Chavez will go to Concordia University in Austin and Madilyn Martinez will go to Sul Ross State.
Madison Garcia is planning on heading out of state to play softball at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz.
Martinez said she was drawn to Sul Ross State because of the environment softball coach Troy Canaba has established around the program.
She added that she never thought she could make it to the collegiate level when she first started playing high school softball.
“I just played at my best, hoped someone would acknowledge me and see what I was able to do,” Martinez said.
Garcia said she feels prepared for her next step in Phoenix because of the lessons she has learned from Permian softball coach Angela Arebalos.
Adriel Hinojos rounded out the signings from Permian, joining the cross country program at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.
He said he was looking forward to the day he could make his collegiate decision since he started his high school running career.
Hinojos felt it was a tough choice deciding to move far away from his family, but he knows it’s the right step for him.
“I decided that I wanted to get out of the Odessa and go enjoy life in Kansas,” Hinojos said.
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