Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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March 5, 2010

Princeton’s Grose, Karnes sign to play football at West Virginia Wesleyan

ED ROBINSON Princeton Times

PRINCETON — Tanner Grose and Colt Karnes signed on March 2 to play football at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon next fall.

Both players were stalwarts on the Princeton Senior High School football team last fall and were instrumental in leading the Tigers to the state playoffs. They were co-captains of the team.

Karnes and Grose have been best friends since grammar school and dreamed of playing college football together.

Tiger head football coach Ted Spadaro praised the young men for their hard work and dedication to the Princeton football program.

“Tanner was one of the hardest hitters on the team. He had an uncanny ability to be at the right place at the right time,” Spadaro said.

With regard to Karnes, the coach remarked, “Colt was a three-year starter on the team. On both offensive and defensive lines, he played wherever he was needed the most. He was the ultimate team player.”

Last season, Grose garnered Mountain State Athletic Conference (MSAC) honors. He played wide receiver on offense and linebacker on defense.

Aside from winning MSAC honors, Karnes was a first-team All-State lineman.

In college, Grose projects to be a linebacker and a member of special teams, while Karnes will probably concentrate on being a member of  the offensive line.

Karnes and Grose are both honor roll students. Karnes plans to study business administration with the goal of owning his own enterprise.

Grose’s choice of focusing on the medical profession was influenced by a high school experience. In his junior year, he sustained a serious shoulder injury in the first game and was lost for the rest of the season. A five-inch plate with 12 screws was inserted into his shoulder. Spending time in the operating room influenced his interest in the medical profession, and he chose orthopedic surgery as his senior project. As a result, Grose was able to observe surgeries in the operating room.

Grose and Karnes both come from athletic families with Princeton High School ties. Grose’s father, Greg, and Karnes’ dad, Barry, both played football at Princeton. In addition, Grose’s two older brothers played football  for Princeton. Karnes’ younger sister, Courtney, is a member of the Princeton softball team.

When Grose and Karnes arrive on the West Virginia Wesleyan campus, they will be greeted by the familiar, friendly face of former teammate T.J. Benners. The three young men were teammates during Benners’ senior year at Princeton and the sophomore year for Karnes and Grose.

Benners, an outstanding kick returner for Wesleyan, attended the signing ceremony of his friends.

Spadaro’s face lit up when he looked at his three talented former players.

“With T. J., Tanner, and Colt at Wesleyan, maybe we can establish in the future a pipeline between Princeton and Wesleyan football,” Spadaro said.

Karnes’ athletic career at Princeton is not concluded. Very soon, he will don a Tiger baseball uniform. He is a hard-hitting third baseman, who may also see some action on the mound. His dad is an assistant coach for the baseball team.

The departure from Princeton this fall of these two outstanding young men will be Princeton’s loss and Wesleyan’s gain.

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