CCHS' Singleton, Skipper ink college football paperwork

Two Central Catholic football standouts are thankful for the opportunity to play college football.
Dominic Skipper and Chris Singleton signed national letters of intent to play football Wednesday at Central Catholic.
National Signing Day is a special occasion for Central Catholic football coach Tommy Minton.
“This is always one of the proudest days as a coach, because you have kids that love the game of football who get to
continue playing, and they get to go to college for free,” Minton said.
Skipper, a linebacker, inked with Texas College in Tyler, Texas. Tyler is 100 miles east of Dallas and 90 miles west of Shreveport.
“It feels great to sign this scholarship to go play at the next level,” Skipper said. “It’s something I have dreamed about since I was a little kid.”
Texas College is an NAIA school that is an affiliate of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
“I like the environment there,” Skipper said. “It’s another good learning atmosphere, and I can continue to practice and get stronger in my faith, and that’s a big thing that drew me there.”
On the football field, Skipper was a second-team All-District 7-1A selection the past two years. As a junior, he made the squad as a linebacker, while as a senior, he was awarded as a defensive lineman.
“They liked his pass rush skills and the fact that he continues to grow, so they may be able to move him to defensive
end,” Minton said. “He can help them right away as a pass rusher. He has those skills now.”
Skipper said, “I have to thank the man above, and Coach Minton, who was there for me for everything. He’s a big part
of this happening for me today. And of course, my family, friends and others at Central Catholic who helped like Mrs.
Val (Valerie LeBlanc). She treated me like another son, and I appreciate her and her family.”
Singleton, a running back, signed with the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
“It feels good to sign a scholarship,” Singleton said. “That’s the only thing I’ve wanted to do since I started playing.
Signing with a college is a big thing, so I’m happy.”
Arkansas-Monticello, coached by former Central Catholic football coach Hud Jackson, is a member of the G r e a t A m e r i c a n Conference and is a NCAA Division II school.
“I liked that it wasn’t too big or too small,” Singleton said. “The people there are really nice, and I’m not worried about the field. Football is football.”
Singleton finished his Central Catholic career with an estimated 3,700 yards rushing, including 1,500 yards as a senior.
He was a two-time second-team Louisiana F o o t b a l l C o a c h e s Association Class 1A All-State pick at running
back and a two-time Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A All-State honorable mention selection.
A d d i t i o n a l l y, he earned All-District 7-1A honors four times — first-team honors twice as a running back, second-
team honors once as a linebacker and honorable mention status once as a running back.
“Recruiting didn’t go like I wanted it too because I didn’t get my ACT score,” Singleton said. “But, I’m not going (to) worry about that. I’m happy where I’m going.”
Singleton has been told he will play on both sides of the ball to get him on the field early.
“I was an outside linebacker my first two years here (Central Catholic), and I got limited reps at running back,” he said.
Minton said he thinks Singleton will factor where ever University of Arkansas at Monticello coaches play him.
“I also want to thank my family, Central Catholic and my friends for helping me get here, but I really owe a lot to m y t e a m m a t e s , ” Singleton said. “They picked me up on and off the field, and I tried to do the same for them,” Singleton said.
Minton added, “I think that’s the legacy of this senior class. They were really close, and they picked each other up on and off the football field. I’m sure we have some lifetime friendships in this group.”