North Hall inks two on signing day

HALL COUNTY -- North Hall seniors Bobby Epps and Laura Lane each signed letters of intent on National Signing Day, Wednesday.

Epps -- a key player in North Hall's historic run to the Class AAA football semifinals at the Georgia Dome this season -- accepted a scholarship to play at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.

Meanwhile, Lane, a standout for the Lady Trojans soccer team will take her game up the road to Dahlonega, where she will play next season for North Georgia College and State University.

Lane, a midfielder who is often the driving force of the North Hall attack, still has her final season with the Lady Trojans in front of her.

"She's a bundle of hustle,” North Hall coach Paul Brown said.

"The recruiting process was fun," Lane said. "I enjoyed visiting the different schools and talking to coaches. North Georgia appealed to me because I like the school and the soccer program and I just really wanted to play.”

Like Lane, Epps is ecstatic about his impending move into the college ranks.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to play at this school," Epps said. "It’s a good school with a good football program on the rise. This is a chance for me to be a part of something special.”

Epps, a fullback at North Hall, said he will play a similar position for VMI's triple-option offense.

"It's called the B-back," Epps said. "It's really the fullback in the triple option."

While Epps enjoyed his visit to Lexington, Va., he noted that he was glad the process is finished.

“The recruiting process was nerve-racking, but the coaches at VMI made me feel like I was wanted,' Epps said. "While visiting, the guys there made me feel like I belonged. I felt like I fit there. I liked all of the guys and coaches I met.”

North Hall coach Bob Christmas believes Epps will be successful on the next level.

“I am extremely proud of Bobby. He has earned this," Christmas said. "You don’t play to get a scholarship but sometimes you end up getting the icing on the cake.”