ALBEMARLE –– Five players from Albemarle High School’s football team officially signed on to play college football during a signing event on Monday.
Quarterback Antonio Burns, running back Julius Smith, wide receiver Josh Smith, defensive end Johnny Owens and left tackle Unique Carvalho each agreed with terms to continue playing football at the next level.
Burns, who put up five touchdowns and 892 passing yards as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback last season, will attend Virginia University of Lynchburg. The Dragons are a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Joining Burns at Virginia University of Lynchburg are twin brothers Julius and Josh Smith, who served as Albemarle’s primary rushing and receiving threats last season, respectively.
During the Bulldogs’ 2019 campaign, Julius Smith recorded 23 touchdowns and 1,539 rushing yards. As a wideout, his brother, Josh, scored a pair of touchdowns to go with 492 receiving yards.
Owens’ collegiate career will take place in Laurinburg at St. Andrews College. The Knights play in the Mid-South Football Conference as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In 2019, the St. Andrews was the runner-up in its conference’s Appalachian Division with an overall record of 5-5 and conference record of 5-1.
Out of the five Bulldogs signed this week, Carvalho will be making the longest trip across the country — to Los Angeles. The left tackle agreed to play at East Los Angeles College, where the Huskies participate in the California Community College Athletic Association. Last season, the Huskies had an overall record of 4-6 and a conference record of 2-3.
The five Albemarle football players weren’t the only athletes from the school to make a collegiate decision. Adrian Little will join the Division II wrestling team at Mount Olive College. In his junior season, Little was a 1A state semifinalist as a member of Albemarle’s wrestling team.