BERLIN- Providing further evidence of the talent and character of the student-athletes at Stephen Decatur, three prominent athletes on Thursday signed national letters of intent to take their sports and academic careers to the next level at Division I schools next year.
Senior varsity baseball standouts Grant Donohue and Justin Meekins on Thursday signed on the play next year at the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland respectively. Donohue and Meekins started as Berlin Little League standouts and made an immediate impact at Decatur as freshmen and are now on the cusp of completing four-year varsity careers.
Meekins, also the starting quarterback at Decatur, and Donohue are important parts of a highly successful Seahawk program that has won a Bayside Conference title and reached the state regional finals a handful of times. However, their baseball careers have gone far beyond the accomplishments at the Berlin school. With their parents, both have traveled all over the region and beyond with travel teams, camps and college visits and both generated a lot of interest from Division I college programs and professional scouts before deciding on Maryland and Virginia.
“Out of every 100 high school baseball players, only four will get to play in college at any level and we have two at this table today going to Division I schools,” said varsity baseball coach Rich Ferro. “We’ve had three signings in my 13 years at Decatur and we have two in one year going to schools like this. That represents a lot of sacrifice for these students and their parents.”
Meanwhile, Mumford is heading to Towson University next year, continuing a recent pipeline of Decatur boys’ and girls’ varsity lacrosse players heading to the Baltimore school. Coach Scott Lathroum, who coached Mumford since he was six years old in youth leagues, said Mumford made the Decatur varsity team as a freshman and has been a stalwart in the lineup ever since.
“Hustle, size and speed are his game,” he said. “He’s not going to be the leading scorer, but he’s going to be on the field all day long, and as a coach, you can’t ask for any more than that. He loves to compete, during the season and the off-season, and his devotion sets him apart.”
Lathroum, who sent two daughters to Towson to play lacrosse, had high praise for the school and more importantly his player, who expects to make an immediate impact next year.
“It’s a great feeling and a great school,” he said. “It takes a lot of dedication. Around here in the summer, when most kids are surfing or working summer jobs, Jackson was heading up to Annapolis two times a week and all over the country. It’s not easy, but that’s the kind of young man he is. This is my 11th year at Decatur and only two others sat at this table and went where you’re going.”