Roy and Mandel Signs National Letters of Intent

WINCHESTER — In Frostburg State University, Luke Roy is going to a place that doesn’t make him feel like he’s really going away from Frederick County.

In a ceremony at James Wood High School on Wednesday, the James Wood senior football player signed his national letter of intent to attend the school in Frostburg, Md. Previously an NCAA Division III athletic program, Frostburg State will begin play in NCAA Division II in 2019-20. It has been accepted as a future member of the Mountain East Conference.

“I felt really at home at Frostburg,” said Roy in an interview prior to James Wood’s girls’ basketball game on Tuesday. “The campus has a small-town vibe. Coming from here, it’s the same thing, so I really appreciate that.”

Colonel teammate Treyven Mandel — who will attend NCAA Division III Shenandoah University — also signed an NLI in Wednesday’s ceremony. Both players will focus on the defensive side of the ball, with Roy playing either on the line or at linebacker and Mandel playing safety.

Roy — who will play on defense for the Bobcats — said the details of his scholarship package are still being worked out, but he’ll have the opportunity to earn more money each year he stays with the program. The Bobcats are coming off a 10-1 season in which they went 8-0 in their final season in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

Roy said he developed a relationship with Frostburg State after participating in a camp over the summer. Roy — who attended two of Frostburg State’s games during the season — said he was definitely made to feel welcome with the Bobcats.

“Every time I showed up, people were like, ‘Hey, Luke, what’s going on?’” said Roy, who verbally committed the Bobcats in late November. “I really like that. It wasn’t, ‘Oh, here’s this kid who’s just a number on a sheet.’ You’re family up there. I like the coaches. I was introduced to the players, got to sit in on a meeting, watched film with them, which was really cool, because not a lot of schools do that.”

Roy is coming off a season in which he was an All-Northwestern District second-team selection on the defensive line. A starting offensive lineman and a four-year varsity member, Roy recorded 45 tackles (18 for loss), 3.5 sacks, two blocked kicks, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and two pass breakups this season.

Roy wasn’t able to finish his wrestling season this year after earning all-state honors last year because of a shoulder injury that has been bothering him since he was a sophomore. He wanted to give himself the best possible chance of being healthy for football season.

Roy said he’s looking forward to helping the Bobcats make the transition to NCAA Division II.

“They’re excited, and I’m excited, too,” said Roy, who will major in nursing.

In 2018, Mandel recorded 54 tackles, four interceptions (returning them for a total of 68 yards), 12 pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. He was a second-team all-district selection. Mandel, who will major in kinesiology, will join an SU team that went 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.