Cody Coleman and Treston Wilson both signed to play football at Ranger Junior College while Jadon Turner signed for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on Wednesday morning.
The three will meet up on the gridiron this fall when NEO travels to Ranger, Texas, for a non-conference football game. Turner said it will be weird to play against fellow Black Diamonds, but acknowledged that there is already some friendly banter going back-and-forth between them.
"Oh yeah, we talk about it all the time. And it's going to keep going until we play each other and we put 70 up on them again," said Turner while recalling the score of last season's NEO/Ranger game.
The signees enjoyed a successful three-year career with the Diamonds. Their teams won 24 games in all, appeared in the Class 4A semifinals in 2003 and won a share of the District 4A-4 title in 2005.
Coleman is a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back who expects to play corner at Ranger. Wilson is a 6-foot-1, 260-pounder who played on both sides of the line at Sallisaw but thinks he'll be a defensive lineman at Ranger.
Turner was a two-way tackle for the Diamonds and is expected to be an offensive guard with the Norsemen. He could wind up blocking against Wilson next season.
"He can try," grinned Wilson.
Coleman and Wilson are two of four Oklahomans signed by Ranger on Wednesday. The other two are running backs James Johnson and Brian Perry, both from Wewoka.
Coleman, who visited the college along with Turner and Matt Hancock, said he liked the small-town atmosphere of Ranger. Wilson said it felt "awesome" to be getting the chance to play college ball.
Turner said his decision to go to NEO was based on a desire to play Division I college football someday.
"It was fun, but it was stressful trying to decide where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do," he said. "I had some offers from some smaller Division II schools, but I thought this was the best opportunity for me to go on and play D-One. If you start at NEO then you're going to go somewhere."
Sallisaw head coach Virgil Terry said the three seniors had a big impact on the football team, especially with their work ethic.
"Jadon has started for three years and Cody and Treston both started for two years, but the main thing they've done is work hard. They are proof that hard work pays off," said Terry.
"They weren't the strongest kids or the fastest kids, but they were always some of the hardest working kids. That's a plus for them now, because hopefully it will pay for an entire education. I think all three will get better and better and eventually go somewhere to continue their education as a football player. Their work ethic will allow them to do that."
