jonas pope iv\herald sports editor

jonas pope iv | daily herald Former Northampton-East standout James Long recently committed to play football at the University of Virginia-Wise. Pictured are, from left, Greg Watford (NCHS-East football coach/athletic director), Michelle Long (mother), James Long and Don Long (father). Advertisement

CREEKSVILLE - It took a long time to decide to go to a school that is a long way from home, but for one local athlete long makes sense. Former Northampton-East standout James Long finally signed his name on the dotted line and will attend the University of Virginia-Wise in Northern, Va. Tucked away in the mountains, UVA-Wise is a NAIA school that finished 2007 ranked 14th in the nation.

It's a school that many North Carolinians haven't heard of, but is a perfect fit for the reigning Daily Herald All-Area MVP.

“He wanted a small school atmosphere,” NCHS-East football coach Greg Watford said. “They have a great academic tradition and a great athletic tradition as well.”

A 3.0 student, Watford said Long defiantly deserves the chance to play on the next level.

“He works hard. He is a talented young man who was the MVP of four sports (football, basketball, track and tennis) here. He is a quality kid and those are the kind of kids you want to see rewarded.”

To Long this day has been a long time coming, but it's just the next step towards him reaching his goal.

“I always dreamed of going pro, and that's going to be my next goal after college, but college is the next step.”

A Tar-Roanoke All-Conference selection, Long had a breakout senior season in which he lead the Rams in touchdowns and interceptions. Long played all over the field for the Rams and said motivation by his teammates and family led him to have the final year like he did.

Long played quarterback, wide receiver, linebacker and punter for the Rams in 2007 and has informed the coaches at UVA-Wise that he is willing to play where ever they need him in order to get some playing time in ‘08.

“I just want to play and be on the field,” Long expressed. “I'm ready to get up there and looking forward to taking somebody's spot.”

During his first and only season of coaching Long, Watford said he saw a lot in the talented athlete.

“James has a mental toughness about him that a lot of kids his age doesn't have. Looking at the loses UVA-Wise had on the offensive side of the ball ... if he learns the system he can go in and play earlier.”

The Cavaliers return the top rated quarterback in all of NAIA in 2008.

“It's a good chance for James to go in and be successful.”

And even though it took Long until July to find a place to take his game, Watford said it was all about the player finding the right fit.

“It was a matter of getting him where he wanted to go,” Watford added, “he was looking for a special situation and we had to find that. If you look at Wise, facility wise, they are unreal. It turned out to be a great fit for him.”