This is the time of year most people expect to hear about college football teams beginning their training for the fall season, not signing on more former high school standouts.

But King’s Fork High School recently saw a few more of its recent graduates sign to play at the next level, including lineman George Reid and linebacker/slotback Duke Santora.

“We’re just excited to get these guys off to school to play,” Bulldogs coach Joe Jones said.

Reid signed a partial athletic scholarship last week to play for the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, which has an NCAA Division II football program.

“I didn’t really know I was going to college until this year, because (2014) is my first year playing football ever,” he said.

College football players typically have a history in the sport that stretches back to their elementary school days.

“I never played Pop Warner or anything in middle school,” he said. “I got into some trouble, and God blessed me, and He gave me a choice to play football.”

Standing at 6-feet-4-inches and 276 pounds as a high school senior, he was a strong presence for the Bulldogs on the line.

“One year of playing high school football, always had great size, has turned into a pretty good player, and he’s really excited about the opportunity at Wise,” Jones said.

“I never thought I was going to go to college unless I went to the military or something like that,” Reid said. “So, it really means a lot to me that I get a chance to leave my hometown and go somewhere and try to make something of my life.”

He has been taking summer classes at U.Va.-Wise, which he needed to successfully complete before signing.

“My (grade point average) wasn’t as high as they wanted it to be, but my SAT scores were high, so they wanted to see how I would act in the college atmosphere,” Reid said.

He wrapped up both classes successfully on July 30 and signed shortly thereafter.

Because of his grades, Reid said he did not have many college options, but he visited Norfolk State University and talked with Chowan University, which wanted him to redshirt there, but he wanted the chance to play as a true freshman.

He will have that chance at U.Va.-Wise, where he said coaches plan to play him at defensive end.

While the school does not have his desired major of anthropology, Reid plans to get his undergraduate degree in history with a focus on western civilization, and then take anthropology in graduate school, potentially at Radford University.

Duke Santora has signed to play for Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.

“This is to pretty much go for a year, get my grades right and transfer out to somewhere where I’d like to go,” Santora said.

Jones held a ceremony on July 30 at King’s Fork for his players who recently signed. He said he was proud of Santora when he spoke to the current team of Bulldogs that were in attendance.

The coach said Santora told them, “Honestly, this wasn’t the road I wanted to go, but this is the route I have to take to get back on track to what I want to do.”

Santora is pleased, nevertheless, to have signed with a school to play at the next level.

“I was itching to play football again, get back at it, and it’s nice that I can do that,” he said.

Jones said, “He’ll have a chance to be re-recruited.”

And the choice of Hudson Valley had special significance for Santora, a native of Albany, N.Y.

“This is back home where I’m from, so I like that,” he said. “It’s a familiar area. I moved (to Suffolk) when I was 8, 9 years old. I don’t remember much, but I still have family up there, so it’s nice to have family around.”

He got his start in football in New York but said it did not click for him until he moved to Suffolk. Starting in the Nansemond Suffolk Pop Warner football program, he was coached by Joe Jones for 11 years.

Santora expects to take general courses at Hudson Valley and most likely pursue a science major when he transfers to a larger school.

He said Hudson Valley plans to move him to a position that will be new for him — safety.