COVINGTON, Ga. — In the days leading up to his signing on Feb. 2, Monatarious Reed was extremely anxious about what the day might hold. 

All of that is behind him, now that signing his scholarship has become official. 

“I was very nervous a lot but, now that I’ve signed, I’m excited,” Reed said. “I’m ready to get started.” 

Reed continued saying that he never imagined he would be in a position to sign and have the opportunity to play football at the next level. 

But, with that, Reed recognized that his opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without Newton High School. 

“I never thought I would go through this,” Reed said. When I came to Newton, everything just changed for me. My grades and work on the field improved a lot. Everyone here actually cares and that’s been a good thing.” 

Not only does Reed believe Newton prepared him to be a collegiate athlete, but also he feels he has the tools necessary to succeed at the next level. 

“Coach Skelton has been a huge help to me,” Reed said. “I feel like I can go through anything with his workouts. He got me through a lot, too.” 

Reed was voted onto Region 4-AAAAAAA’s second team this past season where he recorded 25 tackles and three tackles for loss. 

Moving forward, Reed plans to take everything he’s learned as a Ram to the Western Illinois football program. 

Reed says he’s ready to experience football as a Western Illinois Leatherneck.

“[Western Illinois] showed the most love to me,” Reed said. “It felt genuine on my visit. They kept in touch every day. And they showed me that they really wanted me there.”