Hertford Co. Bears Beyond the High School Gridiron: Antonio Vaughan

One of the best players to ever wear the Hertford County Bears blue-and-gold at the high school level also established himself as one of the best to play for the Division I Old Dominion Monarchs.

For those that remember watching Antonio Vaughan play in his high school days, he was a speedy quarterback that could also throw spot-on passes down the field.

Vaughan almost led the Bears to a near perfect season his senior year with a 13-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 conference record, good enough for a Northeastern Coastal Conference championship. An injury sidelined him for the last several games, but he still led the team with 1,333 rushing yards on 99 carries with 15 touchdowns. Through the air, he completed 43 of 69 passes for 857 yards and 14 scores.

After his senior season in 2009, Vaughan was named All-Northeastern Coastal Conference and chosen All-Roanoke-Chowan and regional Player of the Year.

When he was recruited by ODU, the coaches saw him as a potential wide receiver and redshirted him in 2010 as he immediately began the process to transition from quarterback to wide receiver.

Antonio Vaughan in a game against
Florida International in Nov. 2014
(Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press)

There was no doubt that Vaughan would put in the necessary work and be successful in a new role. In a 2014 interview with the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Vaughan said, “My first time being a receiver, my routes were a little sloppy and I had to work on catching the ball, so I had to work on that every offseason and in the summer, and it all just came along.”

Vaughan started all twelve games for the Monarchs in his sophomore, junior, and senior season, seeing time as a wide receiver and punt returner; he established himself as one of the most versatile players in ODU football history.

And to say the transition from quarterback to wide receiver “just came along” would be an understatement looking back at the career numbers he put up:

3,267 receiving yards (ODU record)

230 pass receptions (ODU record)

33 receiving touchdowns (ODU record)

37 total touchdowns (ODU record)

4,469 all purpose yards (you guessed it, another ODU record)

Vaughan received plenty of accolades during his time as a Monarch between 2010 and 2014. In 2012, he was selected Second-Team All-CAA, and in 2014, named First-Team All-Conference USA. After making his collegiate debut against Campbell University in 2011, Vaughan was named CAA Rookie of the Week by putting up 191 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns, while also catching six passes.

Antonio Vaughan Career Highlights

Published by Antonio Vaughan

“It was great representing HC at ODU because my whole mindset was to go in and make a name for myself,” said Vaughan, “which would put where I come from on the map as well. I wanted to pave the way for younger athletes coming up behind me, such as Oshane [Ximines] and others who have had the chance to play at ODU.”

Following his senior season at ODU in 2014, Vaughan received plenty of interest from various professional football teams. He signed a free-agent contract with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not make the team. In mid-December, he signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.

“Being part of a professional football team was a great experience,” said Vaughan. “It gave me the opportunity to go out and compete with the best and meet a lot of great people, which could help me with life after football.”

Even though I watched Antonio play as a Hertford County Bear when I was younger, I can still remember seeing him take off down the field, gliding past defenders, like everyone else was in slow motion. It’s amazing to know that Monarch fans get to live with similar memories from a much bigger venue. He’ll forever be one of my favorite players to watch on a football field, and I’m proud to say he represented our high school, our town, and our county in the most impressive way possible.

Hertford County Bears Reunion in Boone

In eighth grade, I was by far one of the tallest guys in the school standing at about 5 foot, 9 inches. I towered over everyone including this kid named Oshane Ximines. At the time, to say I was taller than Oshane wasn't really a feat at all, but looking back now, I'm contemplating sticking that on the ole resume.

Over the weekend, I had to opportunity to see my friend, Oshane, when the Old Dominion Monarchs came to Boone to take on my Appalachian State Mountaineers. We got to catch up on Friday night in the lobby of the hotel he was staying at and talked about high school, how college life was treating us, and the roles we had in the game Saturday. Oshane would be on the field starting at defensive end for the Monarchs and I was going to be in the press box inputting stats for the Appalachian State Sports Information department.

Every time I was told to input a tackle for #98, I did it with a little grin, like, "Yeah, that's my bro!" He finished the game with 7 tackles, two of them unassisted, including one tackle for a loss.

Three years ago, that same guy was wearing #7 for the Hertford County Bears and was making tackles on a high school field against Bertie or Northeastern, now he lines up in a Division I football stadium against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. What a difference a few years can make!

Oshane is now 6' 3"
(F.Y.I. I haven't grown an inch since 8th grade)

Sports is a beautiful thing that can spark a love and drive for sports at a small high school in Ahoskie, North Carolina. It'll send one guy to Norfolk, Virginia, to continue playing football and send another to Boone, North Carolina, to be behind-the-scenes in a sports information role, and somehow, the two can meet again. I'm forever proud to be a Hertford County Bear and I will always be one of Oshane's greatest supporters. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for him down the road!

High Country Football is Back!

Two years ago, I boarded a bus from Buies Creek to Boone, North Carolina. I was a wide-eyed freshman, excited to cheer on his Fighting Camels against the Mountaineers of Appalachian State.

When the bus rolled up the mountain and I caught my first glance of App State, I was amazed by how many people were there! It was overwhelming to see how one game could bring a whole community together, even against a very unmatched opponent.

App State was making the transition from FCS to FBS, meaning they could now play in bowl games. Campbell had just brought back football and was in its seventh season in the FCS. That didn't matter to me, I had my eyes set on a Campbell victory.

The first words I heard when I took my first steps onto the campus of App State assured me that we were not in Buies Creek anymore. A fellow who, let's just say, had had a few, hollered, "We're gonna beat the salvation out of you Bible thumpers!"

And they did...66-0. The Mountaineers totaled 538 yards of total offense on the day, while Campbell only posted 95, and I'll just leave it at that.

If someone had told me that I would be going to school at App State in two years, I would have probably laughed in their face, but I'm now in my third week in the High Country and I could not feel anymore at home.

Christian and I helped move in Heather on January 2016

Last night, I witnessed my first App State football game as a Mountaineer. I watched with a purpose: to cheer on MY team, MY school, MY home. It was one of the most exciting football games I've ever watched because I could say, "That's my school and millions of people are watching."

If anyone caught the game or the final score, they would know that we fell short of an upset of the No. 9-ranked and SEC member, Tennessee. We took the Vols to overtime in their stadium on their opening night. Later this season, they will look back and remember the night they barely beat those Mountaineers from just 160 miles away.

With any upset, the underdog has to capitalize on their opponent's mistakes and be sure to clean up after their own. Tennessee committed two turnovers and senior linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin was ejected for a targeting penalty in the first half. This aided an early App State lead heading into halftime with the score 13-3.

If you didn't watch the game, at first glance, that 13 looks nice. You're probably doing some football math in your head like this: touchdown (6), PAT (1), one field goal (3), and another field goal (3). And you would be wrong.

App State did score that first touchdown in the first quarter and freshman placekicker Michael Rubino split the uprights for the PAT. Another touchdown was scored in the second quarter, but Rubino missed this PAT wide right, which would come back to bite us.

Kidd Brewer Stadium
Courtesy of appstatesports.com

Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 13, Rubino missed a 42-yard field goal attempt. The game went into overtime and the Volunteers scored on their first possession off a fumble recovery in the end zone. In App's overtime possession, they went four-and-out, and Tennessee avoided the upset.

The biggest takeaway for me as a fan and student is looking at Michael Rubino's mistakes. Most students watching the game last night believe they could have made that PAT and field goal, but I would love for them to line up to kick in front of 100,074 angry, screaming fans. I am not upset with anyone's performance from Thursday night, including Rubino's, because being able to go to Knoxville and actually compete with an SEC opponent is an accomplishment in itself.

I am proud to be a Mountaineer and I look forward to cheering on MY school for our first home game next weekend against my good friend and former classmate, Oshane Ximines, and the Old Dominon Monarchs.