Chalk up two more pieces of proof that Alcovy football is on the rise.

Cameron Schadl and Raiquawn Solomon became the fourth and fifth football players to sign scholarship letters of intent to play college football in head coach Chris Edgar’s short tenure.

Schadl and Solomon signed to Allegheny College last Friday afternoon, which served as more proof to Alcovy athletic director Kristopher Williams that Edgar is the right man for the job.

“It’s going in the right direction,” Williams said. “Anytime you already have five guys sign scholarships to the next level, it’s a positive and a plus. Edgar has definitely brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the program and entire staff.”

Schadl and Solomon were important cogs of an Alcovy squad that went 4-6 and narrowly missing the postseason. This came after a combined 1-19 record over the previous two seasons. Schadl and Solomon, both linebackers, helped a Tigers defense that got better as the season went along.

Solomon finished with 60-plus stops and close to 10 tackles for losses. Schadl not only spent valuable time as a linebacker, but was also one of the area’s best tight ends. Both players picked Allegheny over several other similarly sized schools, and they decided to go as a sort of a package deal.

“They both came after us at the same time,” Schadl said. “We decided that if one of us was gonna go there, we both were gonna go.”

Said Solomon: “I felt like at Alleghany I can focus on my work more because it’s kind of small and we can go there and rebuild the program like we did at Alcovy.”

Allegheny is a NCAA Division III school in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The Gators went 1-9 in 2016, and will probably present opportunities for the Alcovy pair to see the field early next season as freshmen.

But both Schadl and Solomon feel good about what they’re leaving behind at Alcovy, largely because of what Edgar has instilled in year one of his tenure.

“Coach Edgar brought the kind of style that we’ve got in our new generation now,” Solomon said. “From the new uniforms to the way we played and just the way he talked to us on and off the field. He made real difference.”

Schadl agreed wholeheartedly.

“This past season showed that we’re on track to keep on improving,” he said. “Being with coach Edgar, it’s been a good help. He’s a good leader and keeps you on the right track and keeps pushing you because he knows we have great potential. I’m pretty sure we’ll have more than four and five signees in the future here.”

Williams believes it too.

“What this does is it lets the other kids know that it’s possible,” Williams said. “These guys look at this and they say, I know I need to get in the weight room, go on the field, do more pushups at night, get to those camps and clinics and a year or two I can be in the same situation and place that these two guys are in.”