Ex-TI star Ekpe thrilled about Lamar's rebirth

You can feel the excitement in Jonathan Ekpe's voice.

The opportunity to play football where the fan base is exceptionally rabid and to help a fledgling program get off the ground was too good to pass up for the former Thousand Islands High School star.

Ekpe, the Times 2006 Section 3 Co-Most Valuable Player (with Sandy Creek's Brad Shippee) will be playing football for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, this fall. Lamar, a member of the Southland Conference, is resurrecting its football program after a 21-year hiatus.

It's a chance to be part of something very special in the football crazy state of Texas for the youngster from Cape Vincent.

"The city is going crazy, and we haven't even played a game, yet,'' said Ekpe, who redshirted at Lamar this past year after playing football for two seasons at Dean College in Franklin, Mass. "I go to the gas station (in Beaumont) with a Lamar T-shirt and people are asking me how to get tickets and if we're going to have a winning season. As players, we can't wait to finally get on The field and be playing football for real.''

Ekpe drew interest from such schools as Coastal Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Delaware after starring in junior college for two seasons. But after one recruiting trip to Lamar, he was sold on the move down south.

"The Beaumont area is called the Golden Triangle, about 45 miles south of Houston, where high school football is so big,'' Ekpe said. "A couple of my teammates took me to a game on a Friday night and there were about 20,000 fans. I knew I had to be part of it.''

Lamar is putting big bucks back into its football program after initially cutting it in 1989 because of skyrocketing costs and dilapidated facilities. The team's stadium, Provst Umphey Stadium, has undergone a complete renovation and will seat some 32,000-35,000 for football.

"They've made a real commitment to football again,'' said Ekpe, who worked out with teammates four or five days a week this past year and participated in a few scrimmages in preparation for the real thing this fall. "The players feel that commitment as well, and there's a sense that we can be part of something very special over the next few years.''

Ekpe was a first-team Class C All-New York State running back at Thousand Islands. In his senior season, he scored a school-record 22 touchdowns, gained 1,798 yards rushing and set a school record with a 384-yard rushing game and five touchdowns against Cato-Meridian.

On defense, Ekpe also starred at linebacker for the Vikings with 72 solo tackles, 63 assists and three interceptions.

College recruiters told him his future lay on defense. "We ran a spread offense at Dean so running backs weren't used that much,'' he said. "That made my choice to stick with defense a lot easier.''

In two seasons at Dean, Ekpe helped the team go 22-2 and win two conference championships.

In 2008, when Dean went 10-1 and appeared in the Graphic Edge Bowl, Ekpe appeared finished with 59 tackles (36 solo), five sacks, four pass-break-ups and three interceptions. He also forced two fumbles and recovered a pair and was named NFC Defensive Player of The Week following the regular-season finale.

Ekpe also served as a team captain and was named a second-team All-NFC performer. He also carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards and three touchdowns and had two receptions for 84 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown reception.

"I had few offers from Villanova and Rhode Island (out of high school), but I figured the junior college route was probably for The best for me,'' Ekpe said. "I learned a lot about playing defense and that really helped me show why I could do to four-year college scouts.''

At Lamar, Ekpe is penciled in to be a starting outside linebacker and figures to see plenty of playing time.

"We've got a good group of older guys with some experience, but no seniors,'' he said.

Also on the Lamar roster are several big-time transfers, including two from Texas A&M, one from Iowa, and players from Texas, Missouri and Nebraska. As well as several former junior college standouts.

The coach is Ray Woodard, a former University of Texas standout who also played for the NFL's Denver Broncos.

"Coach Woodard is probably more knowledgeable than any coach I've ever been around,'' Ekpe said. "He's played and coached at almost every level, so he's probably seen just about everything that could happen on a football field.''

Ekpe, who worked out at Thousand Islands a couple days a week earlier this summer, headed back to Texas in June to begin preparations for camp, which begins the first week in August. The first game is Sept. 4 at McNeese State. The initial home game is against Webber International on Sept. 11.

Lamar will also play Georgia State in Atlanta's Georgia Dome this year, and has a game scheduled at the University of Hawaii next season. In 2012, Lamar plays both Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

At 5-foot-11, and a solid 215 pounds, Ekpe said he's ready to test his skills at the Division I (Football Championship Subdivision) level.

"I've put in all the work and the effort to get to this level,'' Ekpe said. "At first I was a little skeptical about going all the way to Texas. But now it's like a second home to me.''