Elkmont Football: PAST PLAYERS

Elkmont All State Players:
http://www.ahsfhs.org/teams2/allstate.asp?Team=Elkmont

Brief summaries of Elkmont players that went on to play college football:

BILLY HUGHES - Elkmont Class of 1952
FullBack - signed with University of Alabama

MICHAEL DAVIS
Running Back - signed with Murray State

MICHAEL BOLEY - Elkmont Class of 1999
*played at Southern Mississippi New York Giants Linebacker

Michael Boley: EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 17: Michael Boley #59 of the New York ...

NFL-bound Boley has heart in Elkmont
High school retires linebacker's jersey

By Mark Edwards
DAILY Sports Editor

ELKMONT — Michael Boley still belongs to Elkmont. Spending five years away at the University of Southern Mississippi compiling an All-America football career as a linebacker doesn't appear to have changed that.

As Boley waits to begin a possible NFL career with the April pro draft, his hometown honored him Monday morning by retiring his Elkmont High football No. 24 at a ceremony at the school's gymnasium. High school, middle school and elementary school students, teachers and staff members and people from the community filled the bleachers.

"Some schools never have the opportunity to do something like this," said Elkmont High assistant principal Tommy Hunter, who was the school's football coach when Boley played for the Red Devils' varsity 1996-99. "But we have the chance to do it, and Michael is deserving."

Boley seemed eager to continue being part of Elkmont. Although he lives in Tempe, Ariz., to receive intense training for the NFL, he flew home for one day to attend Monday's event.

Much of his family attended, too, including brother K.J. Boley, father Kenneth Boley Sr., stepmother Marilyn Boley, step-grandparents Clagon and Millie Woods, step-aunt Doris Woods and about half-a-dozen cousins who are Elkmont students. His girlfriend, Kenya Clark, and his 1-year-old son McKale Boley attended as well.

"This is real exciting," Michael Boley said. "I never thought this would happen. It was great to see everybody — teachers, faculty members, friends."

At the ceremony, Hunter reminded the crowd of how Boley played virtually every position at Elkmont when he was a Class 3A all-state player in 1999. "He never left the field. I was filling out something for the NFL, and it had questions on it like, 'Can he kick?' Yes," Hunter said. " 'Can he punt?' Yes. 'Could he long snap?' He could, but we couldn't figure out a way for him to snap it and then kick it."

Hunter listed Boley's honors, including consensus All-America honors, 2004 Conference USA defensive player of the year and three-time all-CUSA first team. He also mentioned that Boley earned his college degree from Southern Mississippi.

When Boley took his turn to speak, he addressed the crowd for fewer than three minutes, but he spent all of it talking about education."Athletics can only take you so far," Boley said. "If you don't have your degree, you don't have too much you can fall back on."

One of Boley's teachers at Elkmont, Lanetta Reyer, attended the event even though she now teaches at West Limestone. She taught math to Boley during his eighth-, ninth-, 11th- and 12th-grade years. Her lessons didn't end there, though.

"He would still come back and see me to get tutoring for math in college," Reyer said. She jokingly reminded Boley that when he was in her math classes, he often said that when he went to the NFL, he would loan her money. "I bet he doesn't even remember that," Reyer said with a laugh. He did, however.

Another of Boley's teachers, Mona Hill, said she attended some of his games at Southern Mississippi and recalled how much pride she felt when she entered Hattiesburg, Miss., and saw his face on a billboard there. "We just said, 'There's Michael! There's Michael!' " said Hill, who taught Boley four years in world and American history classes. "He looked larger than life."

Boley still belongs to Elkmont, although Hunter said he wishes more people knew that. When he played at Southern Mississippi, the Golden Eagles listed Athens as his hometown in media guides and programs."He lived on Parrish Lane, which has an Athens zip code," Hunter said. "I wish they'd put he's from Elkmont."

STEVEN LAYE
*Elkmont Class of 2006
*Played at Huntington College, 2006 - 2009
Steven was team captain and starting wide receiver for the Huntingdon Hawks his senior year.
*Earned all-area and all-county honors as a senior, after posting 1,324 all purpose yards.

DAVID SOLOMON