By: Grayson Acevedo, Emily Bracher, Jack Molder, and Gus Wilson

Key West High School’s football team has four seniors headed towards the next level. Jeremiah Osborne, Michael Cates, Nathan Outon, and Henry Audette all have offers to play college ball. With signing day on April 7th, these boys have a great deal of opportunities awaiting them in the future.

Jeremiah “Jay” Osborne officially committed to Webber International University for football. The running back has been playing since he was six years old and all the way through high school. He plans on majoring in criminal justice so he can pursue a future as either a bounty hunter or in the security service agency. 

“What helped me decide was that when I visited, it was a small school with nothing crazy around and not many distractions and also the support from the coaching staff,” he explains while talking about the decision process. 

“Mekhi Sargent inspires me to keep pushing to the next level because we both went through the same program and played the same position,” he explains, “ so the same way he made it out, anyone else going through that program can as long as you put in the work.” 

For his next four years, his main goal is to be able to maintain a good grade average while playing football while also, “continuing to be a leader on and off the field.”

Defensive back Michael Cates has committed and will be signing to Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Cates played both wide receiver and defensive back “since eighth grade and started taking defensive back seriously after [he] got to high school”. “I had to hide it from my mom and sneak out on a team when I was young until she eventually found out,” Cates explained.

“I want to play at the next level because I know I have great potential and I can’t let it go to waste,” Cates explained. Similar to Osborne, Michael Cates also looks up to Mekhi Sargent, a current NFL player who grew up in Key West.

At FAU, his main goal is “to get my degree and male sure I get what I want out of school.” Michael Cates will either major in business, sports management, or exercise science.

  Nathan Outon, better known as Hamhawk by many in Key West, will be signing with the Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers to further his football career. 

               When speaking with Nathan, he told us that his football career started when he was six years old when he lived in Oklahoma. Once high school came around, he established himself as a vital part of the Conchs football team, playing O-Line and D-Line in his career. Nathan will be majoring in marine transportation so that he can “Finish college and then travel the world.” Nathan told me that the main reason he committed to Massachusetts Maritime was for what the school could do for him in helping his “future plans and goals.” I finally asked Nathan , what the main goal he wanted to achieve at Massachusetts Maritime was. Nathan told me it was to be “A leader and motivator for his teammates while being able to travel the world as well.”

               We wish Outon the best of luck and utmost success in the next level of his football career and other future endeavors he wishes to pursue. Congratulations Hamhawk!

Our next commit is Henry Audette, who has committed to Western Virginia University. The quarterback has been playing football for his entire life and mentioned how, “When I was born my birth certificate was copied onto a football.” He is choosing between business or communications on what he is going to study, so he can become a coach, sports journalist, or work in business or marketing for ESPN or NFL Network. 

On committing to college Henry says “I was torn between a few schools but I liked the offense best at Southern Virginia University…” Henry’s father is in the coast guard and is getting stationed there as well so that was a big factor in why he chose to commit there. 

Henry believes that what inspires him to keep going and playing at the next level is that he still has more to prove. He says “I haven’t been able to show my true skills on the football field and see just how good I really am or how good I can become.” The passion for him hasn’t gone away and he is not ready to give up his time on the football field. 

His main goal for the next 4 years is to get a good college education to help prepare himself for his life in the future and play the game he loves while he’s able to do it.

Because of their hard work and dedication to this sport, these four have each earned their position on their future teams. Their efforts to go to the next level are an inspiration to the underclassmen who look up to them and have hopes of doing the same. Congratulations and good luck Michael, Jay, Nathan, and Henry!