Outsey, Normandia Acknowledged For College Scholarships (With Photo Gallery)

Jameer Outsey, left, and Ralph Normandia were acknowledged March 25 at the Franklin High School’s annual Fall/Winter National Signing Day celebration.

Two Franklin High School athletes were finally recognized for the college scholarships they earned at the March 25 Fall/Winter National Signing Day celebration.

The two – football defensive end/linebacker Jameer Outsey and wrestler Ralph Normandia – actually signed their letters of intent in February. But winter snow storms and schedule conflicts delayed the school’s annual celebration, said Kim Kenny, the high school’s athletic director.

Outsey will continue his football career at University of Iowa, while Normandia will wrestle for Rutgers University.

The school’s student athletes, Kenny said, “make our jobs so much more exciting, so much more fun, entertaining and challenging at times.”

“I had the honor of watching these two young men grow up and really mature,” she said.

Kenny said the two were going to start a new chapter in their lives in college, but added, “Even though it’s a new chapter, the book is still open. We expect to see you back here.”

“We are so proud of you and we will be following you in your careers,” she said.

Rebekah Solomon, the school’s academic athletic facilitator, reminded Outsey and Normandia that they had to maintain their academics in college to maintain their scholarships.

She said the two will serve as inspiration to younger students.

“I’m going to tell your story to other student athletes, to inspire them to do what you’ve done,” she said. “This is my favorite day of the year because we get to see the results” of years of hard work.

Louis Solomon, FHS football coach, reminded the pair that what they did was special.

“Just understand that most high school students don’t get the opportunity to be a scholarship athlete at the college level,” he said. “I’m proud of you guys and I wish you the best of luck.”

Wrestling coach Rick Kreiger said Normandia overcame many obstacles on the way to his second-place finish earlier this month in the NJSIAA state wrestling championships.

One of the obstacles happened in the final match against the eventual winner, Montgomery’s Anthony Cassar. Normandia and Cassar’s heads collided, resulting in Normandia losing one of his front teeth.

“He went on to triple overtime,” Kreiger said.

The students’ parents were also on hand.

Wendie Barnes, Outsey’s mother, said she was “very proud of my son. He came a long way. He worked very hard to accomplish what he did.”

Outsey credited his coaches with his success.

Playing football for a school such as Iowa, Outsey said, is the culmination of his dream.

“That was always the goal,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to play big-time football.”

Maribel Normandia, said she thought her son would play football in high school.

“We thought he’d go that way,” she said, “but then he started wrestling.”

Normandia’s father, Ralph Jr., said, “it’s great to see your child do great things.”

Through the last four years, his father said, “he showed me more as a human being than as an athlete.”

Ralph III said the whole experience has been “really surreal.”

“You put all those long hours in in the wrestling room,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to get here, it’s a great feeling.”

3-25-14 National Signing Day for Outsey, Normandia

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