From left, Greene Central’s Jekael Gay, Donte Johnson and Alyssa Keatts committed to colleges Tuesday. Gay and Johnson are heading to Fayetteville Tech for basketball while Keatts will play soccer at Pfeiffer University. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

SNOW HILL | A trio of great Greene Central athletes will look to make their marks on the college level.

Jekael Gay, Donte Johnson and Alyssa Keatts announced their commitments Tuesday after etching their names in the school’s lore. Gay and Johnson are heading to Fayetteville Tech for basketball while Keatts is the first girls’ soccer player to receive an athletic scholarship, as she heads to Pfeiffer.  

Keatts went on a tear over the past two seasons, scoring 67 goals, including 40 during the team’s first playoff appearance in 2018. Keatts, who plans to study exercise science with hopes to branch off toward chiropractic care, said she selected the university in Misenheimer because of travel ball and a friend who is currently enrolled and scored 12 goals last season.

“The club team had a ‘College Day’ where coaches came out to watch us play,” Keatts said. “During the event, one of the coaches came up to me and said the school wanted me and my friend, (Havelock’s) Mackenzie (Pruitt) as a package deal. It means a lot to me, and I’m really proud and thankful — the coaches and parents got me to this level.”

Despite her prolific striking skills, Keatts will be a goalkeeper at Pfeiffer.

“I’ve always played goalie in club ball, but the team needed me in the field,” Keatts said. “In middle school, we were conference champs both years and won every game, but there was a big transition in high school. Middle school was co-ed, but in high school there were a lot of girls who weren’t used to playing soccer, so it was a learning experience. Since my freshman year, there’s been a huge improvement and I’m excited for what they do next.”

Matt Gnau coached Keatts this season at Greene Central and filled the same position during Keatts’ time at Greene Middle. Gnau said Keatts has continued to hone her craft over the years.

“She’s an incredible player and had the leadership skills in both middle and high school,” Gnau said. “As a senior, she really led the way for us and is probably better in goal, but saw the need in the field. She played a great role for us and we’re thankful to have her.”

For basketball, Gay and Johnson helped the Rams to a 23-8 record, which included a share of their third consecutive Eastern Carolina Conference regular-season championship and trip to the Eastern Regionals. Both players plan to study business administration at Fayetteville Tech and said continuing to be teammates played a factor in the decision.

“We had been talking for a while about staying together and it happened to work out here at Fayetteville Tech,” Johnson said. “When I visited the school, it felt like home and I wanted to play there.”

Johnson played for Greene Central his entire high school career, helping the Rams go 91-27 over the timespan.

“I’ve learned from Greene Central to always work hard, stay dedicated and learn how to take constructive criticism, which I’ll take to Fayetteville Tech,” Johnson said.

Gay transferred from Ayden-Grifton last year and fit seamlessly into a talented Greene Central roster. During the recruitment process, Gay said he weighed his options before deciding Fayetteville Tech was the right school to continue his career.

“I stayed in contact with the coaches the entire time, and at the end it felt like this was the perfect fit,” Gay said. “I’m thankful for my teammates and family, who helped me become a better person. I’m glad I was able to help contribute to this team’s success last year and it’s great to get to keep playing with Donte.”

Rams coach Blue Edwards said the duo were certainly key cogs during his first year at the helm.

“They gave us good senior leadership, along with having all the athleticism,” Edwards said. “They could both hit the 3-pointer, played good defense and rebounded well. I’m excited to see their growth next season and the summer’s going to be a big transition period for both of them. They’re going to have to change positions and develop aspects in their game. Jekael will be a little more accustomed because he played more of a perimeter role with us, and Donte will go from being a back-to-the basket guy from working on facing the basket and attacking.

“Both guys have the talent to excel at the next level and I can’t wait to see what they do.”