Six Wylie football players and one Wylie soccer player will continue their athletic careers at the college level after committing to various programs on National Signing Day Feb. 1.
Brooke Dulin will play soccer for Midwestern State, and Dion Novil will play football for North Texas. Kade Parmelly will play football for ACU, and four football players will play at HSU – Cameron Hanna, Braydon Ward, Austin Borcik and Brooks Pepper.
“What a big day it is today,” Athletic Director Hugh Sandifer said to kick off the signing ceremony. “For these seven athletes of Wylie High School, they’re very excited and we are very proud of them. Not only are they great athletes, but they worked very hard to put themselves in this position.”
Here’s a look at each of the seven soon-to-be college athletes.
Dion Novil
University of North Texas
Dion will play defensive end for the Division 1 University of North Texas. He excelled at defensive end for Wylie.
“That’s definitely my favorite position,” he said. “Anytime I can rush the quarterback, I find it fun.
Dion said he chose UNT because the coaching staff showed a lot of faith in him.
“The coaching staff, they really think I can do some good things there,” he said. “They really believe in me. They saw something that most coaches didn’t.”
Dion also considered going to ACU, but he chose UNT because it is a FBSS school.
He hasn’t decided what he will major in yet.
“I am going to take my time in that process and see what interests me the most,” he said.
Kade Parmelly
ACU
Kade will be an anchor on the offensive line at Abilene Christian University, just like he was for the Wylie Bulldogs during the team’s run to the state championship game.
He plans to major in kinesiology.
He said playing at the Division 1 college level is a dream come true.
“It’s been a dream of mine for the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. The Lord has blessed me to be able to do this.”
Kade battled a medical issue during his junior season at Wylie, which threatened to derail his dream. Thankfully those issues are behind him, and he was able to play a key role in Wylie’s 2016 football season.
“I didn’t know if this day would come,” he said. “But I’m here. I’m thankful that I am.”
He said he liked the environment at ACU, and he feels like the new coaching staff is building excitement for the future.
“I really liked the coaching staff,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players signing. I’m excited to take my talents to ACU.”
Brooke Dulin
Midwestern
Brooke will play holding center midfielder for Division II Midwestern, a position very similar what she plays for Wylie. Brooke has played a key role on a Lady Bulldogs team that has been very successful over the last few years and is hoping for another long playoff run this season.
She wants to study to be a dental hygienist at college, which is part of the reason she chose Midwestern.
“I really liked the coach, and I really liked the team, and they had the degree I wanted,” she said.
She also considered playing at ACU, but they did not have the degree.
She said playing soccer on the next level is a dream come true for her.
“I’ve wanted to play college soccer forever,” she said. “It means a lot. It shows that everything I’ve been doing and working for has finally come true.”
Brooke started playing soccer when she was 4 and doesn’t really remember a time when soccer wasn’t a huge part of her life.
“I’ve always played soccer, and I’ve always loved it,” she said.
Cameron Hanna
HSU
Cameron will play safety for the HSU Cowboys – the same position he played for the Wylie Bulldogs. He was undecided on a major but was leaning toward pre-med.
Cameron is one of a large group of current Wylie seniors who played in both a football and a baseball state championship in the past year.
He said he picked HSU for several reasons, but one is that coaches are going to allow him to play football and tryout for the baseball team in the spring.
“The coaches gave me a chance to try to play both,” he said. “But I liked their program in general. The coaching staff does a good job. HSU was the best fit for me.”
Cameron said he also liked the idea of continuing to play with Brooks, Austin and Braydon at HSU.
“It’s good to get a chance to play with those guys,” he said. “I look forward to being with them for another four years.”
He said he loves the safety position.
“It’s kind of like the quarterback of the defense,” he said. “You are making the calls back there. I’m really excited to get over to HSU and make an impact.”
Brooks Pepper
HSU
Brooks will be a running back for the Cowboys. He is undecided on a major but was leaning toward business administration.
He said he really liked the atmosphere at HSU.
“It’s going to be your home for the next four years, and the coaching staff does an amazing job of making you feel at home,” he said. “And their football team is really good.”
Not only are four Wylie Bulldogs signing with HSU this year, but four signed last spring and already have a year under their belt at HSU this past fall. Those former Bulldogs helped recruit this year’s group to come play with them.
Brooks said having those guys on the same team makes playing college ball even more special.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “Those guys are a good group of guys that went last year. They had nothing but good things to say. They got us on board. It will be fun to play with old high school friends.”
Brooks is also a member of the state championship baseball team, but he said a shoulder injury convinced him to drop baseball and focus in on football.
“It was a very hard choice,” he said. “But football is what HSU wanted me to do.”
Braydon Ward
HSU
Braydon will play strong safety for HSU, which will be a position change for the Bulldog. He excelled at linebacker for the Wylie defense.
But he said he is excited about the new challenge.
“It’s a little bit different,” he said. “But I’m excited for it. No matter what position they put me in, I’m going to work hard.”
Braydon, who will major in kinesiology, said he chose HSU because of the atmosphere and because he knows he will have a chance to contribute.
“I love their coaching staff,” he said. “All the coaches were just welcoming. It’s like a family over there. The coaches are going to give you a chance.”
He said it is special to be able to play with other guys from his high school team.
“It’s an amazing feeling getting to play with the same guys you played with the last two years,” he said. “We built a strong bond together.”
Austin Borcik
HSU
Austin will play defensive end for HSU, the same position he played at Wylie. He plans to major in kinesiology.
He said he liked the familiarity and proximity of HSU.
“It’s close to home,” he said. “It’s something I’ve known. I thought about a few other schools, but for the most part it was HSU. It was an easy decision.”
He said he loves the fact that his former teammates will be with him.
“It’s great,” he said. “It’s great that I will get to meet knew guys, but I developed a bond with these guys over the last few years and being able to continue that makes it a whole lot easier of a transition.”
He said playing college ball is a dream come true.
“It means so much,” he said. “It’s something that I have looked forward to since I was a little kid. It’s going to be awesome just getting the opportunity to play football.”