Josh Flora is one of those “good hands” people every football team needs.
The skills of the Dos Pueblos wide receiver caught they eye of DP alum Jay Staggs, an assistant coach at Adams State University, a NCAA Division 2 school in Colorado. Soon he was on the Grizzlies’ recruiting list.
Flora took an official visit to the school in Alamosa, Colo., in the fall, and on Wednesday he signed a National Letter of Intent to become a Grizzly and play college football.
“It’s a dream I’ve had since I was 5 years old and started playing football,” said Flora after a signing ceremony at DP. “I always thought about this day, signing this piece of paper in front of a crowd of people and my family.”
Adams State is a school of 2,500 and a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Flora missed five games this past season with a stress fracture in his pelvis. He got back on the field for the last two games and caught three touchdown passes against San Marcos.
“He’s one of those guys you always look back on and go, ‘What could have been‘ with him on the field,” DP coach Nate Mendoza said. “I’m beaming with joy for him, knowing how much he loves football and this has always been the ultimate goal for him to play at the next level. “I’m so happy he’s going to get this opportunity because he deserves it.”
When Flora was on the field for DP, he was the quarterback’s best friend. He pass-catching ability was top notch.
“He has unbelievable hands,” Mendoza raved. “That’s the first thing one of the recruiters mentioned, that his hands were unbelievable.
“He has amazing hands and is always dependable.”
Mendoza said the injury setbacks Flora had to deal the last two seasons at DP will only make him stronger at the next level.
“It’s just going to pay off in the long run for him,” he said. “His perseverance, hard work and integrity is the top I’ve ever seen in his program.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.