Led by five from the football team, eight total Magnolia Bulldogs student-athletes made their future college homes official on Wednesday.
It was a packed house in the school library and a major memory made for all the hard work put in to reach the point of signing for college.
“It was awesome,” Magnolia track and field athlete Sophia Phillip said. “Obviously, I’ve never done one of these before. There’s so many people. It’s really exciting and awesome to see all these people here to watch you.”
Phillip, coached by Marquis Bean, will be running at Sam Houston State in Huntsville come fall.
Phillip was joined up front during the ceremony by football standouts Coline Leahey, Josh Garner, Anthony Wells, Aiden Barsh and Jaxon Szanyi.
Also participating in the ceremony were softball player Addison Brown, volleyball player Hailey Admire and cheerleader Gracie Robinson.
Leahey made things official with Rice University after verbally committing last week to the Owls.
“They brought me on a visit and there was no offer at the time.” Leahey said. “Once I got to the visit and got to know the coaches a little more, they offered. Everything there just felt right. The people are great. They have a family built community and a new coaching staff. It feels family oriented and they have a great plan. I feel confident in the team in the coming years.”
This fall, Leahey, as the feature running back, scored 22 total touchdowns (18 rushing) and amassed 1,253 rushing yards. In his two-year varsity career, he totaled 1,914 rushing yards (286 carries) and 29 touchdowns. He totaled just over 2,200 all-purpose yards for head coach Craig Martin.
Leahey previously committed to Air Force before his senior year started and felt his final year at Magnolia proved even more fruitful on the recruiting trail. Leahey had a huge impact and earned first team All-District 15-6A honors.
“My junior year, I split time with Hunter Andrews,” Leahey said. “Getting a chance to fully start and fully showcase what I was able to do really helped me along.”
Playing for the Owls and new head coach Scott Abell will see Leahey possibly get touches at running back and some time at slot receiver.
Garner was a force on the defensive line for the Bulldogs and earned District 15-6A Defensive MVP after totaling 18 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles.
Garner missed most of his junior year and that weighed heavily in the recruiting process.
He found a home in Harding University.
“It’s really exciting,” Garner, a three-year letterman for Magnolia, said. “I finally got over the worries of the broken foot (junior year) and that stuff is finally over. I finally have my place where I’m going.”
Garner’s friend and former Bulldog linebacker (Class of 2024) Kyle Henry helped him get his foot in the door at the NCAA Division II program in Searcy, Arkansas.
“He gave the coach my film and that’s how I ended up there,” Garner said. “Just players helping players.”
The Bison won the NCAA Division II championship in 2023.
“They’ve had some success,” Garner said. “The indoor football facility is amazing. Everything’s nice about it. But the community around is what I fell in love with. It’s a huge Christian-based school and everybody seems like they’re at home there.”
Wells, a right guard and right tackle this fall for Magnolia, signed with Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders’ campus is coincidently in Magnolia, Arkansas.
A district honorable mention as a senior, Wells was a two-year letterman at Magnolia and was a team captain.
Both Barsh, a backup quarterback, and Szanyi, a defensive lineman, signed with Ottawa University. The Braves are an NAIA program in Ottawa, Kansas.
Barsh is a converted defensive back who broke his collarbone at the beginning of the 2023 season.
Szanyi was lauded as being a great team player and hard worker for Magnolia.
As for Phillip, a two-time state qualifier in cross country and a distance runner on the track and field team this spring, becoming a Sam Houston Bearkat just felt right.
“The coach contacted me and then my dad went to Sam,” Phillip said. “I was just like ‘Oh my gosh, I bet it’s an amazing school’. I went on a visit, we talked online and it just sounded amazing.”
Brown, coached by Angela Gonzales-Cooper, is four-year varsity letterwinner for the Bulldogs and a second baseman for the team. Brown signed with Austin College.
Admire, coached by Brooke Neel, is a two-year letterwinner who totaled 404 kills, 107 digs and 15 blocks on varsity. Admire signed with the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Robinson is a two-year letterwinner for Magnolia cheer. She signed with Sam Houston State.
Magnolia football players (from left) Aiden Barsh, Anthony Wells, Colin Leahey, Josh Garner and Jaxon Szanyi pose for a photo during signing day Feb. 5, 2025. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
