When he first game to the team, Ollis said Littlejohn was a 5 flat or 4.9 guy on speed but he worked to get down to 4.3 and 4.4 range.

“He’s a hard worker and I think he will fit in very well at Catawba,” Ollis said.

Meanwhile, fellow Wolverine Jacob Painter signed to play ball at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke this fall.

Painter led the team with 11 sacs one the year. He also grabbed 84 tackles making him second on the team, with 12 tackles resulting in a loss for the opposing team, and three pass deflections.

Painter said he chose Pembroke because of the team’s record and football facilities. He said the family-oriented team also was a big deciding factor in his decision.

Painter played most of the entire season with one arm after breaking a bone in his hand near the thumb joint. Ollis said it was one of those weird injuries that just wouldn’t heal, but Painter didn’t stop.

“If Jacob can stay healthy he can be an impact player at Pembroke on the defensive line,” Ollis said. “If he’s able to put that behind him and play injury free he’ll play a lot of college ball.”

Ollis said Painter has great feet for a big man and is powerful at the same time.

“I like to say he’s got a little nasty in him – he’s a hardnose player in other words,” Ollis said. “You know the college game is a little more physical, so I think he’ll fit right in.”

Ollis said he’s excited to hopefully get the chance to watch many Polk County alums going face to face as many football players from the school will be playing in the same college conference next year.

Gwen Ring contributed to this story.