By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
MOUNT ULLA ó For Matt Turchin, football was a “spur of the moment” thing.
It turned into a college future.
Along with linebacker Kameron Finchum, Turchin, West Rowan’s kicker, has signed with Division III Emory & Henry.
The Wasps are well-known in their division. There have been 37 All-Americans since 1982 and they are always a threat in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Turchin and Finchum will bring a winning tradition with them. Both were important parts of a Falcon team that beat West Craven 35-7 in the 3A championship game.
The Wasps’ fourth-year coach Don Montgomery knows all about winning. He was the defensive coordinator for powerhouse Mount Union during a stretch of seven national titles in 12 years.
“I’m really excited,” Turchin said. “Their kicking coach works with the NFL and they have an outstanding business program.”
Finchum was beset with injuries early last season and admitted, “I didn’t know where I was going.”
The linebacker then had one of his best games in the 3A title contest and suddenly, the interest came from several schools, including Emory & Henry, the oldest college in southwest Virginia. It is located in Emory, Va., about 10 miles from Abingdon.
“I had never heard of it,” Finchum said. “But me and Turchin started talking.”
And now, they’ll be college roommates.
While Finchum has always played football, Turchin was arguably the best story on the West Rowan team in 2008. He was a soccer player but when he was urged to hit the gridiron, Falcon coach Scott Young had just one instruction.
“I said, ‘Matt, we’ve got one requirement,’ ” Young recalled. “Touchdowns need to equal seven.”
“That was my goal ó for him,” Turchin said.
Turchin remembers kicking off against Davie County and being blindsided. It was his introduction to football.
“It was a wakeup call,” Turchin said with a grin.
By the end of the 15-1 season, Young was totally impressed with his kicker.
“He was real steady,” Young said. “Honestly, if he had done football all along, he could’ve gone big.”
Turchin said he picked the Wasps over UNC Pembroke, Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba.
Finchum transferred to West Rowan from Kentucky for his last two seasons of football and flourished at linebacker, the position he expects to play at Emory & Henry.
“You look at the championship game,” Young said. “He had an interception and a number of tackles. He had a great game.”
Emory & Henry has installed artificial turf in Fred Selfe Stadium. There is a new scoreboard. A fieldhouse is coming.
“The football field is really amazing,” Finchum said.
Turchin and Finchum are both happy with everything off the field, too.
“It’s an old-timey campus with copper gutters,” Finchum said. “They have small classrooms, which was something else I was looking for.
“This is a big dream for me,” he said.
Turchin’s longest field goal last year was 35 yards but he said he has 52-yard range.
“I’m really blessed to not kick but for one year and have the chance to play college football,” Turchin said.
And he is looking forward to learning from his roomie.
“Having Kam there, at least I’ll know somebody,” Turchin said. “I still don’t know everything about football so he can help me out.”
–
NOTE: The two Falcons will get to play close to home twice this fall. The Wasps come to Greensboro on Sept. 12 and they visit Guilford on Nov. 14.