Bishops’ Wilson to Bethany

By MATT IANZITO
After a big season at Bishop Donahue last year, Clint Wilson will take his skills to the collegiate level, as he has signed to continue his athletic and academic careers at Bethany College.

In just five games last year for coach John Durdines and the Bishops, the speedy Wilson had 19 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns from his receiver position..

In August, Wilson will report to camp to try to make an impact on a Bethany team that’s looking to improve on a 4-6 record from the 2006 season.

‘‘I feel pretty good,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘Bethany just felt like the right choice.

‘‘I wanted to go somewhere where I thought I could play right (away) and the coaches said I should be thrown in the mix.’’

With Wilson’s athletic ability, he promises to become a threat for Bethany coach Tim Weaver’s team in the fall. His high school coach sure thinks so.

‘‘Clint is an unbelievable athlete,’’ Durdines said. ‘‘He is the best receiver I have seen this year in all three classes in the state.’’

Wilson was also solid on the defensive side of the ball at the safety position.

‘‘He had enough speed to cover both sides of the field,’’ Durdines said. ‘‘If I lined him up at cornerback, teams would throw away from him.’’

But Wilson’s ability doesn’t end with football.

Along with several awards he received last year, including first-team All OVAC, first-team All-W.Va. Class A, first-team All-Mason Dixon, first-team All-River Valley Conference and first-team All-Valley, Wilson broke the West Virginia Class A high jump record on his way to a state championship.

Wilson will also have one more game to polish his skills before reporting to camp, as he was selected for the OVAC All- Star game, set for July 29 at Wheeling Island Stadium.

‘‘I’m real excited for the game,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘It’s going to be tough because Ohio has a good team, but I think we’ll be all right.’’

Wilson also excels in the classroom, graduating from Bishop Donahue with a 3.51 GPA.