Photo: 2024 Sardis High graduate Gage Garner recently signed a national letter of intent to play football at Delta State University. Pictured, from left: mom Ashlee, Gage, sister Blaklee, sister Jocelyn, dad Nick.(Submitted photo)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
2024 Sardis High graduate Gage Garner signed a national letter of intent this past May to play football for Division II Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss.
A three-year starter at tackle and center, Garner was selected to the 2023 All-Etowah County Schools first team, All-Class 5A Region 8 first team and the All-Messenger first team.
Garner was impressed with Delta State head football coach Todd Cooley when he took his official visit. Garner had 12 different scholarships offers, including Division I Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky, before committing to DSU.
“Coach Cooley was the first coach to shake my hand and actually looked me in the eye,” said Garner. “He treated me with manner and gave me and my family respect, which counts for a lot. I also visited all the around the campus and saw the football field, and everything was really nice. I really liked the environment.”
Although he mostly played offensive and defensive tackle in high school, Garner will work at right guard with the Statesmen, who last season went 10-2 while winning the Gulf South Conference championship and making it to the second round of the DII NCAA playoffs.
Garner is majoring in speech and language pathology.
“After I graduate, I’d like to go to local schools and help kids just like me,” he said. “I’d like to work with the younger kids, because I’ve been through it and I know both sides of what kids go through in [speech] class.”
Garner is proud of the legacy he and his fellow seniors left on the Sardis football program.
“Coach Brooks came in and told all of us seniors that we had to follow his pace, because if we didn’t, the younger players wouldn’t, either. So brought into his program and the younger guys did, too. So it really was the whole team that helped us put together a winning season.”
Also a standout thrower for the school’s track and field team, Garner placed ninth in the state in the shot put this past season. His PR of 46 feet and 11 inches at the Etowah County Schools Meet put him at the top of the list in that event for the 2024 All-Messenger track and field team.
“Gage brought leadership, hard work, toughness and always did what was best for the team” said Sardis head football coach B.J. Brooks. “He’s a very versatile player who can play multiple positions on the O-line and D-line. Him playing tackle for us was huge because we had other guys withy guard bodies, and we needed Gage at tackle for his length.
Having (Sardis offensive line coach) Peyton Nance helping last year was huge for Gage’s development, because [Nance] knows what it takes to be a college lineman. Gage is a very hard worker, and he going to have to continue to do that in order to be successful at the next level.”