Photo By Chuck Cannon | Efosa Evboumwan (center) stands with from left: his broher, Etiosa; mother, Maj....... read more read more
FORT POLK, La. — Efosa Evboumwan, a senior who starred on the gridiron at Leesville High School, recently signed a scholarship to continue his football career at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
Evboumwan is the son of Maj. Ray Evboumwan, a hospital administrator at Fort Polk’s Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, and Maj. Jocelyn Evboumwan, a nurse educator at BJACH.
The 18-year-old Efosa, who stands 6-1 and weighs 215 pounds, is projected by the Cardinal coaching staff to play outside linebacker. With a 300-pound bench press to his credit and a 4.3 40-yard dash time, it’s easy to see why Evboumwan was sought after colleges.
“When I got here from (Fort Meade) Maryland, I had worked hard and the Leesville coach convinced me to come out and play,” he said.
““I signed up and when they timed me in the 40-yard dash, I ran a 4.3. They said, ‘I think we have a kid here that can play.’”
That wasn’t always the case. In fact, Efosa and other Family members said he had to be nudged a little into playing sports.
“They had to push me into athletics,” he said. “I was more of a reserved person and stayed in my room and didn’t get out much. I didn’t get much physical activity.”
Older brother Etiosa went a step further.
“He was nerdy; literally a dork,” he said. “But he was cool. He was adventurous mentally. He would go into his room and come out a couple of hours later with a sword made out of paper towels. He was a little chubby, but once he got involved in sports, started slimming down and getting athletic, we got closer. He’s been a fantastic little brother.”
Efosa said he was — and still is — focused on academics.
“I was always a curious kid,” he said. “I enjoyed science experiments.
“One time I got a little carried away with an experiment using rubbing alcohol and fire and nearly burned the house down.”
And that, Jocelyn said, led to the encouragement to play sports.
“He was always a different child,” she said. “His personality always stood out. He was into books and science. But I decided it was time for him to get outside a little.”
Efosa said he enjoyed track — both field and running events — and soccer the most at first. But then he discovered football and found his athletic calling. He said he looks forward to playing college football and chose Lamar because it’s close to Family.
“Lamar has a new coaching staff, and it’s close enough (Beaumont) that my Family can come see me play,” he said. “They play in the Southland Conference so even away games are too far away. Plus, their academics are strong.”
Ray said he’s proud of Efosa’s accomplishments.
“I was glad he didn’t put all his eggs in one basket, that he liked both sports and academics,” he said.
““With us, it’s always academics first. It’s something you can fall back on. He’s very hard working. What he sets his mind on, he accomplishes.”
Jocelyn said she, too, is proud of her son.
“He has a lot of ability not only in sports, but in other areas,” she said. “I am always amazed at what he can do. He has a lot of talent that keeps coming out.”
And she said that although it will be tough when he moves to Beaumont, he’s only a couple of hours away.
“He can always come home and we can go see him,” she said. “It’s going to be hard, but he’s not too far away and that will be my comfort.”
Efosa said he, too, will miss his Family.
“My family has always supported me, and has always seen more in me than I ever did, whether it be sports or academics,” he said. “They’ve always felt that because of the way I was dedicated, I could do anything I wanted.”
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2020 15:10 |
| Story ID: | 363648 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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