Gaels duo among 16 signees in football

It's signing day, one of the biggest days of a young athlete's life, and Josh Jordan sits in front of his family, his coaches, his friends.

And one soon-to-be sworn enemy.

The Bishop Gorman cornerback signed his letter of intent with Arizona State on Wednesday, and teammate Keola Antolin, a running back, signed with bitter rival Arizona.

After years of playing with and against each other, starting years ago in youth football, the two friends will take their talents to the next level, along with 14 other local recruits who signed NCAA Division I-A scholarships.

One day soon, maybe next year, maybe four years from now, Antolin the Wildcat will be in the open field, sizing up Jordan the Sun Devil.

"It's going to be absolutely insane," said Jordan, an all-state selection with three interceptions and eight pass breakups in 2007. "Even in practice we'd go at it about U of A and ASU for the whole year, because we (orally) committed around the same time.

"When I go against him, even though I know him, I won't know him -- he's just another color to me, somebody to hit, somebody to wail on."

Antolin, as would be expected, disagrees.

Clad in a gray Arizona sweatshirt and a Wildcats hat, Antolin contended he would be the one with the last laugh in their hypothetical matchup. His season statistics -- 1,432 yards rushing, 15 touchdowns rushing and 12 receptions, 353 yards and five scores through the air -- support his confidence.

With a new offense installed at Arizona, Antolin hopes to make an impact as a freshman. But if it takes longer to match up with Jordan, so be it.

"Definitely Arizona's gonna win the game," Antolin said. "I'll break him down for a touchdown."

"That is definitely a lie," Jordan said. "One, I don't miss tackles. Two, Arizona State never loses to Arizona."

Juron Criner might have something to say about that.

The Canyon Springs wide receiver will join Antolin in Tucson next season, giving the Wildcats two impact recruits. Criner had 58 catches for 1,631 and 25 touchdowns.

Western's Lawrence Guy will head to Tempe with Jordan. With 120 tackles, 151/2 sacks and 25 tackles for loss, he could make an immediate impact in maroon and gold.

Jordan said he was excited about the prospects of playing with Guy -- and with so many other great athletes -- though the prospects of signing day had him overwhelmed.

"It's all kind of a blur right now. I guess I'm floating on cloud nine," Jordan said. "It hasn't really set in yet that I'm a Division I football player, and not just a D-I player, but the Pac-10. Right now, I'm just floatin'."

In other signing day news ...

• Mountain West Conference calls on six -- UNLV scooped up three local signees but will have to face three others in the coming years.

Gorman safety Beau Orth, Western wideout Philip Payne and Shadow Ridge quarterback Chris Jones signed letters of intent with the Rebels. Canyon Springs quarterback Devonte Christopher chose Utah, Spring Valley safety Corbin Brown decided on Air Force, and Las Vegas linebacker Colin Shumate selected San Diego State.

Orth said UNLV's standing as an MWC school benefited local players, providing exposure to big-time programs.

"It really helps having a D-I university here," said Orth, a first-team all-state selection. "If one Mountain West school is going to try to pick up a player, the rest are going to compete for him. It's great exposure for different players around here."

Christopher said he was excited to face his former high school opponents at the next level, but Orth delivered a more pointed message.

"I can't wait to see Devonte at Utah, Colin at San Diego State," Orth said. "I'm really praying for them, that they make it through the game after the Rebels get done with them."

• Vandals swipe Smith -- In a surprise move, Desert Pines defensive end Charles Smith reversed course, signing a letter of intent with Idaho after orally committing to San Diego State. Smith, a second-team all-state pick after recording 10 tackles for loss and six sacks, joins Shadow Ridge wideout Preston Davis with the Vandals.

Davis had 644 yards on 36 receptions, seven for touchdowns.

• UNR grabs Ball -- An injury that limited Desert Pines running back Michael Ball to seven games didn't hurt his recruiting prospects. Ball signed with UNR on Wednesday after finishing his senior season with 507 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.

• Faith Lutheran linebacker/running back Garrett Sherwood signed with Navy.

• Foothill offensive lineman Alex Bair signed with Southern Utah but will postpone his career for a two-year mission.

• Coronado wide receiver T.J. Knowles signed with West Texas A&M, an NCAA Division II program.

• Former Cimarron-Memo-rial cornerback Davion Maul-din signed with San Diego State out of Cerritos (Calif.) Community College.

• Former Foothill defensive lineman Antonio Hartwell signed with Northern Arizona out of Fresno Community College.

• Gorman boys soccer player Steven Avena signed with Lehigh (Penn.) University.

• Gorman girls soccer player Madeline Ocon signed with Louisiana-Monroe.

• Gorman discus and hammer thrower Tyler Johnson signed with Arizona.

Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4587.