Dunwoody High Football Players Sign Scholarships

Though unable to extend their season to the playoffs last fall, five Dunwoody High football players will be extended their playing careers beyond high school.

Joining Aaron Easterling, who signed a scholarship with Gardner-Webb University in February, DeWayne Brown, Tracey White, Breon Isaac and Brandon Nick are celebrating having inked scholarships also. Brown, a running back, is set to play at Lane College, and White, a fullback, at Fort Valley State. Isaac, a defensive back, is off to Virginia Union, and Nick, a fullback, to Atlanta Sports Academy.

All will be at a public celebration on May 16 in the school's cafeteria at 2:30 p.m.

Easterling, a linebacker, made 70 tackles this season, including eight for losses. His three sacks and three interceptions helped the Wildcats recover from an 0-3 start with four wins to end the season. The Wildcats shut out three of those final four opponents – Marist (20-0), Chamblee (31-0) and Douglass (41-0) – and beat Carver 38-9.

Still, the result was only a fifth-place finish in Region 6-AAAA, behind playoff qualifiers Tucker, Marist, Southwest DeKalb and Mays. Missing the playoffs was a disappointment for Dunwoody, a state championship team in 1993 and state quarterfinalist in 2008 and second-round team in '09.

"At 0-3, a lot of teams could have mailed it in and it could have turned into a very difficult season," said Wildcats coach Jim Showfety. "Our kids hung in there and kept plugging along. They deserve a lot of credit."

Brown, a running back and defensive back, rushed for 362 yards and five touchdowns, as well as made 42 tackles and recovered a fumble. White, a fullback and defensive back, ran for 370 yards and five touchdowns, as well as made 31 tackles and an interception.

"I thought I would have a breakout year, but didn't," said White. "I had to wait and be patient (for a scholarship offer)."

Isaac, a defensive back who had eight interceptions as a junior, not only recovered a fumble and had two interceptions as a senior, but also made 42 tackles. He plans to study communications at Virginia Union.

"It'll be a great experience," he said. "Just to compete at the next level is really exciting."

Nick, a fullback and linebacker, made 20 tackles, as well as averaged five yards per rush on offense. He expects play will be faster beyond high school.

"It'll be a lot more intense," he said. "Everybody's trying to prove a point. You can't sleep at practice and keep up."

Showfety said Dunwoody's best half of football last season was the first against Carver.

"We were clicking on all cylinders," he said. "We were moving the ball extremely well. Our linemen were coming off the ball hard, and our backs were making plays."

The coach credited his scholarship players among everyone.

"Our defense was continuously solid (in the season's second half)," he said. "We also started getting a little more leadership."