(Vancouver, BC) It was a special day for two BC High School Football stars at the BC Sports Hall of Fame, as two New Westminster Hyacks signed their National Letters of Intent with NCAA Division One schools.

Offensive Lineman, Harper Sherman has accepted a full scholarship to the University of Arizona. His teammate, receiver/defensive back, Matthew Seymour, signed on with Ohio University.

In 2014, Sherman was the number one ranked offensive lineman in Canada by Canadian Football Chat (CFC) and Top Prospects and was also a two-time provincial all-star. He becomes the 4th NWSS player to earn an NCAA Division One scholarship.

“I felt strongly that the University of Arizona was the right fit for me,” said Sherman. “They have a winning program, a great coaching staff, reputable academics and a supportive college town. I appreciate the effort Coach Michalczik & Rodriguez made in recruiting me and I feel at home with the Wildcat family. I also want to thank the Hyack Football program for helping me achieve my goal of playing Division one football.”

The Wildcats are thrilled to have the 6’5” 290 pound Sherman and feel he has all the tools to excel. “We are very excited to get Harper into our program,” said Arizona offensive line coach, Jim Michalczik. “He was the number one offensive lineman on our board when we offered him. He is very athletic for a big-bodied kid and plays the game very physical. His best days are in front of him.”

Hyacks head coach Farhan Lalji agrees and says they saw Sherman’s potential early on. “Harper has the size, athleticism and work-ethic to be a very successful Division one player,” said Lalji. “We saw following his 9th grade season that he had the potential to play at the highest level and began the process of getting him there. Whatever he was asked to do, he did much more. His character, maturity and determination are extremely rare for someone his age. We are very proud of Harper and have no doubts that he will succeed at Arizona”.

Matt Seymour becomes the 5th NWSS player to earn an NCAA Division One scholarship in the past 10 years. He played both sides of the ball for the Hyacks as well as returning kicks. He was a dangerous player whenever he was around the ball. Seymour received numerous scholarship offers from the top universities in Canada and drew significant interest from a number of NCAA schools.

“Ohio offered everything I wanted in the classroom as well as on the field,” said Seymour. “While touring the campus on my visit it felt like a place I could live for the next 5 years. After meeting with Coach Solich and Coach Dixon, and hearing what they had to say about the program and how they saw me in the future, I knew that Ohio was where I wanted to spend my collegiate career. Also without the help and support from the Hyacks program I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.”

Ohio secondary coach James Ward likes the way Seymour plays the game. “We are so excited to have Matt in our program. He not only is a great football player but he is an outstanding young man,” said Ward. “He plays hard and fast and will be a playmaker for us for many years. He has good size and great speed. We love his ability to attack the football in the air and his ability to run after the catch.  We want to welcome him and his family to our Bobcat family.”

Lalji praised Seymour’s game breaking abilities. “Whenever we needed a big play this season Matt delivered.” said Lalji. “He combines game-breaking ability with work-ethic, character and humility. He is the best receiver/defensive back prospect our program has ever produced, and is still just scratching the surface of how good he can be.”

New Westminster Secondary is the only high school in Canada to have two members of the class of 2015 receive NCAA Division One football scholarships. Over the past eleven years 32 High School Football players from BC have now received NCAA Division one scholarships.

Harper Sherman Stats / Awards / Accomplishments

• 2014 Number one ranked offensive lineman in Canada by Canada Football Chat & Top Prospects
• #2 ranked prospect in Canada by Top Prospects, #3 by CFC
• 2014 1st Team All-Canadian CFC & Top Prospects
• 2013 2nd Team All-Canadian by CFC & Top Prospects
• 2014 & 2013 AAA Provincial All Star
• 2014 & 2013 AAA Western Conference All-star
• 2014 NWSS Football Most Outstanding Lineman Award, 3-year starter & 2014 team captain
• Three-star prospect by Scout.com, ESPN & 247 Sports
• Offers received: Arizona, Cal-Berkeley, Oregon State, Washington State, Nevada, Wyoming, San Diego State, Texas-El Paso

2014 Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1503665/highlights/220148394

Matthew Seymour Stats / Awards / Accomplishments

• 2014 AAA Provincial All-star & AAA Western Conference All-star
• Number 1 ranked DB & 15th overall prospect in Canada by CanadaFootballChat
• 1st Team All-Canadian (CFC and Top Prospects)
• 2014 NWSS Hyack Football MVP
• 2012 NWSS Jr Varsity MVP
• Two stars on Scout.com, Northwest Top 50 prospects
• 2014 Offensive Stats: 45 rec, 769 yds, 9 TDs (all school records), 17.1 ypc, 15 rushes, 279 yds, 2 TDs
• 2014 Defensive stats: 30 tackles, 5 interceptions (2 ret TDs), 2 kick return 2 TDs
• Best 40 yd time: 4.42 (hand), 4.49 (electronic)
• Intended major at Ohio: Business Law

2014 Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1503680/highlights/171084382

Congratulations to both players as they continue their educations and embark on the next stage of their football journeys!

Information provided by BC High School Football