Grayson County High School’s Hunter Tomes has signed to play college football at Lindsey Wilson College (LWC).
Tomes was the Cougars’ leading receiver last season with 35 catches for 509 yards and 5 touchdowns.
At LWC, he plans to major in nursing.
“They just gave me a good opportunity,” Tomes told K105 during a ceremony at the high school on Wednesday. “Their campus was nice. They have a good football program and a nursing program.”
He was joined by his immediate family, friends, and current/former coaches.
“They supported me the whole way there,” he said about those that attended. “They’ve done so much for me.”
Tomes is the son of Joey and Scerena. His mom has helped run the concession stand during basketball season and has kept the book for all road games.
It was extremely rare, if ever, that either parent would miss a game with his mom always putting in time behind the scenes.
“I could never stop saying enough good things about her,” Hunter said. “She’s always been there for me. Everything I need.”
His parents were gleaming with joy throughout the entire ceremony.
“I am very proud,” Scerena said. “That boy has always worked hard and I knew if he would keep it up that he would get what he wanted.”
A parent sending a child off to college is always a nervous time, but she mentioned that she feels comfortable for some of the same reasons he is.
“The nursing program is really good,” she said. “The football team is strict and structured which Hunter loves that element.”
Hunter, a two-sport athlete, will be hard to replace on both the gridiron and the hardcourt.
“He’s a great kid with a phenomenal work ethic,” Grayson County head football coach Bryan Jones said. “He’s very fortunate with his athletic ability that God blessed with him. He’s done a great job at maximizing that.”
At Lindsay Wilson, the coaching staff is expecting him to play tight end instead of wide receiver like he has played the majority of high school.
With the NFL morphing into having extremely athletic tight ends like Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Kyle Pitts, Jones feels that Tomes is a perfect fit for the position.
“He’s what offenses want now in a tight end that can flex out a little bit and line up against a linebacker and it’s just a nightmare of a matchup,” Jones said. “He’s got the ability to be a really good blocker, has great hands, jumping ability, and speed. He’s the modern-day tight end.”
His catch radius is something that always stood out to Jones. He mentioned that it seemed like he made multiple highlight-reel plays including a catch on his helmet against Thomas Nelson in 2020.
Grayson County’s Hunter Tomes pulls off his best Randy Moss impression with an impressive catch on his shoulder. #SCTop10 #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/0VFQyspHzl
— Cougar Sports on K105 (@K105sports) September 12, 2020
“He’s had some of the best catches I have probably seen in my career over the last two years,” Jones said.
Tomes is also a star on the basketball court. This season, he is averaging over 8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds. He picked up his 500th career rebound in a game against Whitesville Trinity earlier in the year.
A starter for four years on the hardwood, his spot will be one that will be hard to fill for Cougar head coach Travis Johnston.
“Just rebounding wise, you lose a 500 career rebounder and someone that doesn’t just get rebounds, he goes and gets them,” Johnston said about Tomes.
While not playing basketball, that still doesn’t take away from how Johnston thinks the future Blue Raider will fair.
“I’m extremely proud. He could have played basketball, football, or whatever he really wanted to at some school here in Kentucky,” Johnston added. “I think he made the right choice. He is such a hard worker that he is definitely going to improve there and get a chance to play and show himself at the collegiate level”
The relationships Tomes built with his coaches are something that he, and his parents, will always be grateful for.
“They’ve always just driven him,” Scerena said. “They’ve seen he is willing to do more and they encourage that. They would stay late and work with him.”
Lindsey Wilson is an NAIA program located in Columbia, Kentucky. The Blue Raiders are coached by Phil Kleckler who will be in his first year as the head coach this coming season.
The team is 35-2 over the last three years highlighted by winning the national championship in the spring 2021 season with national semifinal finishes in 2019 and the fall of 2021.
That winning culture is something that drew Tomes to the school. In his words, he put it simply.
“They’re the best and try to be the best,” he said.
Tomes and the Blue Raiders will open the 2022 season in early September.
By Sam Gormley, Play-By-Play Announcer/Local Sports
Reach Sam at sam@k105.com
Second Row – Travis Johnston, Mark Gary, Ed Smart
