Lakota West graduates Grant Hunter and Josh Chichester will both have the opportunity to prove to the Cincinnati Bengals that they are worth a roster spot.
Lakota West grad Josh Chichester catches a touchdown pass for Louisville during a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats Oct. 24, 2009. Photo taken by Ernest Coleman.
Hunter, who played linebacker at Butler, was among one of the 14 college free agents that the Bengals signed Wednesday. While Chichester, was one of the three players with local ties who were invited to try out at next weekend’s, May 11-13, rookie minicamp.
Last season, at Butler, Hunter led his team in sacks with 10 and in tackles for loss with 15.5. During the NFL Draft process, Hunter worked out for the Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts.
According to a story posted on the Butler University official athletic website, Hunter almost didn’t answer the Bengals’ phone call when he noticed it was a 513 area code and thought that it was a telemarketer or an automated sales call.
“It turned out it was the linebackers’ coach from the Bengals, and I think I was speechless for about five minutes,” Hunter told butlersports.com. “I just remember saying thank you over and over again. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.”
Meanwhile, Chichester, who worked out for the Bengals and the New England Patriots before the NFL Draft, caught 97 passes for 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four-year career as a wide receiver and tight end at the University of Louisville.
If you happen to sitting next to a 6-foot-6, 235-pound football player at the movies this weekend, don’t be alarmed if he answers his phone.
Sometime in between when the NFL Draft begins Thursday and ends Saturday, former University of Louisville tight end and Lakota West graduate Josh Chichester is hoping for that phone to ring.
“I am planning to watch at least some of it, but I am definitely going to have my phone handy. I might go to the movies or something,” Chichester said. “That time can definitely be stressful if you sit there and watch the whole draft, thinking that any moment your name could be called. I don’t want that stress on me right now.”
For months leading up to the draft, there has been a lot of speculation on what many teams will do with their first-round selections. After those initial 32 picks, Chichester is hoping to be among the additional 221 former college football players who will be selected to play in the NFL.
Lakota West grad Josh Chichester catches a touchdown pass for Louisville during a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats Oct. 24, 2009. Photo taken by Ernest Coleman.
“I don’t know where I am predicted to go. That is hard part about it,” Chichester said.
“I am hearing different things, but I am not worried. I have done everything that I could do and that was to perform in front of scouts. Hopefully, I left a great impression on them to, at least, want to draft me. At the end of the day, it is out of my hands.”
Like many other NFL prospects, Chichester participated in his school’s pro day. While there, in front of representatives from 20 NFL teams, the former wide receiver and Louisville basketball player showed off a vertical jump that cleared 37 inches and posted a time of 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
In comparison, his vertical jump was better than any other turned in by a tight end at February’s NFL Combine. Meanwhile, his 40-time would have placed him third among his position group.
Chichester followed up the pro day performance by participating in a regional combine in Detroit at the end March. He also worked out separately for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.
“I did everything I could to put myself in the best situation for a team to either draft me or sign me as a free agent,” Chichester said. “However it comes, I am going to consider myself blessed and take advantage of my opportunities.
“I am thankful that I have been included in this process and that it is finally here. Whatever God’s plan is for me, I am prepared to take it as it is.”
To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday. (Stories are listed in order of date)
Rick Santorum wins local Tea Party straw poll: With many of the same participants in last Monday’s poll as the first Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll Feb. 6, Santorum finished with 42 percent of the vote. Overall, there wasn’t much change at the top spot since Santorum netted 41 percent of the vote in February. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, gained significant ground jumping up to 31 percent of the vote last Monday from only 19 percent of the vote in February.
Lakota presents late budget proposal: Lakota officials presented its fifth and final budget reduction proposal last Monday. The proposal, which focused administration, district-wide personnel and supplementals, could eliminate 50 jobs and save the district $3.5 million. The cuts include an assistant superintendent position, two school building administrator positions, deans of students at both high schools, as well as the elimination of 11 licensed school nurses and 13 clinic aides.
West Chester and Liberty Township residents talk Super Tuesday: It turned out to be a late night, as Ohioans chose Mitt Romney over Rick Santorum by one percentage point. Earlier in the day, while the polls were open, many voters in West Chester and Liberty Township shared the reasons why they voted in the Republican presidential primary.
Republicans select Swain for county clerk: For the second time in just over a year, Mary Swain defeated former deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick in a vote to represent the Republican Party as the Butler County Clerk of Courts. Swain received almost 61 percent of the vote, while Wyrick finished with 39 percent on Super Tuesday. In January 2011, after Cindy Carpenter left the clerks position, Swain also narrowly defeated Wyrick in a vote administered by the Butler County Republican Party.
Butler County commission race too close to call: West Chester resident and political newcomer T.C. Rogers has a 24-vote lead over long-time politician Courtney Combs in Super Tuesday’s Republican primary for Butler County commissioner. Official results aren’t expected until March 20 when all provisional and mailed absentee ballots will be counted. There is no question that incumbent Chuck Furman, who has held his seat since 1996, won’t be back next year.
Anti-tax group offers cash to needy Lakota athletes: The Enquirer reported last Tuesday, that a group of anti-school tax activists who campaign against school tax hikes now plan to raise money for needy students. The group has privately funded $10,000 to help students pay for sports fees, which were raised in the spring of 2011. This announcement has caused a stir among residents of the Lakota school district.
Lakota West grad excels at U-of-L Pro Day: University of Louisville tight end Josh Chichester made great strides of accomplishing his “ultimate goal” of playing professional football during the school’s pro day last Wednesday. According to his former high school coach, Lakota West’s Larry Cox, Chichester measured out at 6-foot-6 235 pounds, had a vertical jump that cleared 37 inches and turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.58 seconds in front of representatives of 20 NFL teams.
Former West Chester cop sent to jail for tipping off dealer: A former West Chester police officer, who pleaded guilty to two felony charges in a case where he was accused of alerting a drug dealer to an undercover bust, was sentenced to six months in jail last Thursday. In two prior court appearances, Busemeyer, who claimed to be addicted to steroids and painkillers, requested to complete a court-ordered drug treatment program in exchange of a felony conviction and jail time. Both times, those requests were denied.
Shamrock Shuffle draws thousands of participants: This past Saturday’s Shamrock Shuffle was expected to draw more than 4,000 people and raise more than $10,000 for approximately 50 local charities or causes. Tony O’Connor, 18, of West Chester won the 5K portion of the Shuffle with a time of 16:36. Brady Holmer won the 10K portion with a time of 34:26. O’Connor (Lakota East) and Holmer (Lakota West) are both seniors in the Lakota school district and plan on running at Northern Kentucky University.
According to his former high school coach, Lakota West’s Larry Cox, Chichester measured out at 6-foot-6 235 pounds, had a vertical jump that cleared 37 inches and turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.58 seconds in front of representatives of 20 NFL teams.
In comparison, his 40-yard time would have tied him for the third place among tight ends during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February. Furthermore, his 37-inch vertical was better than any jump turned in by tight end at the Combine.
Lakota West grad Josh Chichester catches a touchdown pass for Louisville during a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats Oct. 24, 2009. Photo taken by Ernest Coleman.
Out of high school, Chichester’s athletic ability on both the football field and on the basketball court attracted the attention of many Division I programs. He was actually close to playing football at Ohio State, until the Buckeyes took away their offer. Other schools, Chichester seriously considered for both sports, included Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, to name a few.
“Josh was a tremendous athlete, he had Division I basketball offers as well as football offers,” Cox said. “But he has always, really loved football and that has always been a passion for him.”
Chichester passion for football led him to sign with U-of-L and head coach Bobby Petrino, who left for the Atlanta Falcons job before Chichester participated in a single practice. Chichester described the coaching change as “a tough time” for him and the other recruits. However, he has enjoyed playing for head coach Steve Kragthorpe (hired in 2007 and fired in November of 2009) and for current head coach Charlie Strong.
Meanwhile, his basketball career at U-of-L lasted one year when he averaged 1.8 points in six games for U-of-L head coach Rick Pitino in 2007-2008.
“My ultimate goal is to play professional football,” Chichester said. “As I grew older and wiser, I realized…I couldn’t worry about being a dual-sport athlete, so I decided to drop basketball.”
Chichester was also a dual-position player for the Cardinals in 2010, splitting time between tight end and wide receiver. Out of high school, he was recruited only as a wide receiver.
“Playing tight end never came up until last year (2010) when I was bigger, faster, stronger, which I had to be in order to play the position,” Chichester said. “The transition was not as difficult as I thought it would be. The difficult part was learning the proper blocking techniques and schemes.
“I hope it helps me (reach the NFL), but I was determined to play wide receiver or any other position to help our team.”
In his four-year career, Chichester had 97 receptions for 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also graduated from Louisville with a degree in justice administration in 2010. This past season, Chichester was working on his master’s degree.
According to Cox, due to his performance Wednesday, Chichester has been invited to a regional combine in Detroit in late March. The NFL Draft is scheduled to take place April 26-28.
Lakota West battled injuries and couldn’t finish off its comeback attempt against Princeton, falling by the score of 56-50 Friday.
The Firebirds had trailed Princeton 49-48 with 55 seconds to play. The Vikings, however, converted 5-of-6 free throws in the last minute to hold on to the win.
Senior De’Arius Young (6-foot-7, 280 pounds) led Princeton with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lakota West senior Jackson Blue set a Lakota school district single game record with 8 blocks. According to WestFirebirds.com, the previous record was 7 set by Josh Chichester during the 2003-04 season.
The Firebirds also received strong performances by junior Monty Boykins (13 points, 11 rebounds), junior Ali Barnes (13 points) and sophomore Tyler Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds).
Due to injury, Lakota West took the court without senior forward Kayaune Ross. Furthermore, Barnes was injured during the game.
Next up for the Firebirds is a matchup against Dixie Heights (10-5 overall) in the Bluegrass-Buckeye Classic at the Bank of Kentucky Center (Northern Kentucky University) at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Princeton, on the other hand, is not scheduled to play another game until next Friday when it will host Hamilton (3-8 overall, 1-5 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m.
Princeton 56, Lakota West 50
Lakota West
16
8
11
15
50
Princeton
17
11
12
16
56
Lakota West (7-4, 4-2 in the GMC) – Blue 1 2 5, Barnes 5 2 13, Stalker 1 0 2, Williams 3 4 11, Boykins 5 2 13, Thomas 0 2 2, Moo Young 1 0 2, Bengal 1 0 2.
There has been a lot of uncertainty in Josh Chichester’s athletic career at the University of Louisville. Uncertainty on who was going to coach the Cardinals, who was going to throw him the football, what position would he play and which sport should he focus on.
Out of high school, Chichester’s athletic ability on both the football field and on the basketball court attracted the attention of many Division I programs. He was actually close to playing football at Ohio State, until the Buckeyes took away their offer. Other schools, Chichester seriously considered for both sports, included Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, to name a few.
“Josh was a tremendous athlete, he had Division I basketball offers as well as football offers,” Lakota West football head coach Larry Cox said. “But he has always, really loved football and that has always been a passion for him.”
Chichester passion for football led him to sign with U-of-L and head coach Bobby Petrino, who left for the Atlanta Falcons job before Chichester participated in a single practice. Chichester described the coaching change as “a tough time” for him and the other recruits. However, he has enjoyed playing for head coach Steve Kragthorpe (hired in 2007 and fired in November of 2009) and for current head coach Charlie Strong.
Meanwhile, his basketball career at U-of-L lasted one year when he averaged 1.8 points in six games for U-of-L head coach Rick Pitino in 2007-2008.
“My ultimate goal is to play professional football,” Chichester said. “As I grew older and wiser, I realized … I couldn’t worry about being a dual-sport athlete, so I decided to drop basketball.”
Chichester was also a dual-position player for the Cardinals last season, splitting time between tight end and wide receiver. Out of high school, he was recruited only as a wide receiver. Currently, in this year’s media guide, the 6-foot-8, 258-pound Chichester is listed as the No. 1 tight end on the depth chart.
“Playing tight end never came up until last year when I was bigger, faster, stronger, which I had to be in order to play the position,” Chichester said. “The transition was not as difficult as I thought it would be. The difficult part was learning the proper blocking techniques and schemes.
“I hope it helps me (reach the NFL), but I was determined to play wide receiver or any other position to help our team.”
In his career, Chichester has 69 receptions for 860 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season, Chichester was tied for the team lead with five touchdown receptions. He also graduated from Louisville with a degree in justice administration. Currently, he is working on his master’s degree.
WHO WILL THROW IT TO CHICHESTER IN 2011: As well as having numerous head coaches, Chichester has seen four different quarterbacks start for the Cardinals during his three seasons on the team. This season, he could see two more if high-touted recruits freshman Teddy Bridgewater or sophomore Dominique Brown (Winton Woods) can wrestle away the starting job from former walk-on junior Will Stein.
