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FERRIDAY — Trojan senior Sharone Finister Jr teared up before announcing the next chapter of his football career in Ferriday’s gym Friday afternoon. For the next four years of his college career, he will be playing for Central State University as a cornerback.

Central State is an HBCU located in Wilberforce, Ohio, and it is approximately 860 miles from Ferriday. Finister said the coaches made him feel like he was the best, and the campus felt like home.

“It is an amazing feeling. A lot of people don’t get this opportunity of playing college football. It will be a great experience for me,” Finister said. “I’m going to have to get used to the distance. I think it is the best thing for me.”

In college, he is undecided on what he will study. He thanked God for giving him the opportunity and his family for supporting him, especially his dad Sharone Finister Sr. who pushed him to be better.

His teammates and coaches also played a role in making him a better player. Assistant Coach Jerrell Hayes, who started coaching at Ferriday 10 years ago, said he has seen Finister Jr. grow tremendously.

“When he first came, he was about five-foot-nothing. Over his next few years, he put in the work and kept growing,” Hayes said. “Now he is at the level he is now. He is a hard worker and very disciplined. He has seen it for himself. If you put the work in, it will pay off.”

Finister Jr’s last piece of advice to kids in Ferriday is simple.

“They need to come in and listen,” Finister Jr. said. “Take everything in and put in the work.”