Cathedral High School’s Connor Mire knows exactly where he’s headed after he walks across the stage Friday night to accept his high school diploma.

Earlier this week, Mire signed papers to attend Chaffey College on a football scholarship, securing his spot in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. for the next two years.

“The thought of going somewhere different is cool,” Mire said. “California sounds awesome. When I took a visit, I loved it there and felt like I could fit in.”

“He knows the game really well,” Cathedral football coach Chuck Darbonne added. “He has the ability. I fully expect him to be a successful player at Chaffey.”

There was a point this past season when the standout quarterback wasn’t so sure he wanted to resume playing football, however.

During the Green Wave’s game against Simpson Academy last September, Mire injured his right shoulder, costing him the remainder of his senior campaign.

“Right when I got down, I knew I was done for the season,” he said. “It was rough. I thought I would never touch a football again.”

Through multiple weeks of rebuilding his strength, Mire returned to athletics just in time for his final basketball season. But still, he was adamant about dropping his hopes of playing college football.

“I wasn’t supposed to come back that soon, but I wasn’t missing basketball,” Mire said. “I stayed on my academics, got a 29 on my ACT and thought I would just go to school that way. All my confidence went out the window when I got hurt.”

Mire said throughout the Green Wave’s basketball schedule, he began to receive messages from multiple people encouraging him to not give up on football.

Included in the messages, Mire said, was a lengthy text from former Cathedral and current Brookhaven Academy head football coach Ron Rushing.

“He told me he had sent out my tapes to some different schools,” Mire said. “I said ‘Come on coach, you didn’t have to do that.’ But, he kept pushing.”

Mire said about three weeks before spring break, he received another message from Chaffey. He said after pushing it to the side a few times, he finally understood what the chance meant.

“I couldn’t motivate myself at first, but the opportunity to open up is what switched my mind,” Mire said. “All the people influencing me, I finally noticed that this is the one time I can be selfish in my life. It just boosted my confidence and it makes me feel like my decisions are just as important as everyone else’s.”