Baker Is Going To Columbia

WHEELING -- Wheeling Central's Ayden Baker began his senior year focused on the present and now he is set for the future.

After playing just one year of high school football and earning first team all-state at defensive end, Baker signed his National Letter of Intent on Monday to continue his athletic and academic careers at Columbia University.

"I made my visit last weekend and it was an amazing campus," Baker said. "It was beautiful. It's not the biggest university and the atmosphere kind of reminded me of Wheeling Central. It's a small-school atmosphere. The student-faculty ratio is small so I'll still have that classroom feel. I'm really looking forward to it."

After stepping away from football in middle school, his mother Janie, was taken by surprise when he came to her about the idea of stepping back on the gridiron.

"He played in elementary school and middle school but then he devoted his time to basketball," Janie Baker said.

"This summer he came to me and said, 'I think I'm going to play football.' I was almost nervous about him maybe getting a concussion and I asked, 'Why?' and he said, 'It's my senior year and it's my final chance.'

"It's just taken off like crazy and he started excelling at it and started getting attention from colleges, but it's definitely a blessing. I can't express how proud, happy and excited I am for Ayden."

Although he made it look easy, Baker put in the work to make his dreams of playing Division I football come true.

"It came naturally but it wasn't easy," he said. "I put in a lot of work off the field and in the gym. It feels like football was just the right sport for me. I liked the physicality of it and it all kind of clicked as soon as I got on the field."

He says he was also blessed with great coaches to help make this opportunity possible.

"Coach (Mike) Young was a great leader for me," Baker said. "He taught me and showed me through the process. Coach 'K' (Shannon Kuchinski) helped me with recruiting and helped me get my name out there to other coaches. I can't thank him enough for everything he's done for me. My defensive ends coach (Phil) Pest taught me a lot. Coach Chance Siebieda was a great coach for me and a great guy and I enjoyed being one of his players."

Along with the help of his coaches, his mother was his greatest supporter, fan and role model.

"My mom has been there for me through everything," Baker said. "She is my No. 1 influence and she has always been a great role model for me by showing me how to live life and how to be a good person."

Baker also received attention from Brown University and West Virginia University after turning in 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 64 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.

"Anytime you get to go to an Ivy League school, it's an amazing accomplishment," Young said. "After playing football for one year and to have the success that Ayden has, while having fun - we know he is going to represent his family and Wheeling Central well and we are awfully proud of that.

"He is very humble and low-key but when he puts his helmet on and gets on that field, he is very aggressive and intense. He is a quality young man."