Cleburne’s Chaston Cuffee gets to wear the gold and black for four more years, at least.
The senior signed with the University of Missouri on Wednesday at Cleburne High School. He received a full scholarship offer from the Tigers and will play in Missouri’s first SEC season in the fall.
“I still get to wear the black and gold,” he said. “I’m just excited right now. There’s a lot of adrenaline running through my body. I think it’s a great opportunity to fulfill my dreams to make it to the pros.”
Cuffee played in the secondary the last two years for Cleburne and was also the backup quarterback. He said he was recognized during a workout in the indoor practice facility by a Missouri coach and the rest is history.
“I guess he saw me and got on the phone with his position coach and said, ‘You’ve got to come check this kid out,’ Cuffee said. “Then they came down and offered me a scholarship. I’ll be playing on defense and probably also on special teams for my freshman year.”
Former Cleburne Head Football Coach Phil Young recounted a story when Cuffee, a freshman at the time, approached Young about playing football wearing a helmet which fit his head so loosely, you could swivel it around 360 degrees.
“Obviously, a lot has changed since then,” Young said. “It’s really fun because you get to see a young man who has come a long way and gets to continue his career playing the game he loves.
“So many people had a hand in doing this along with his parents and the coaches. He’s a great young man who has worked so hard and had to outwork a lot of people in a lot of places. It’s just exciting to see a kid grown and know he’s going to play at the next level.”
Instead of Joshua, Burleson, Centennial or whoever Cleburne lines up against next year on the gridiron after Thursday’s realignment, Cuffee will face the likes of Louisiana State University and defending national champion Alabama.
“It’s going to be crazy,” he said with a smile.
Baseball and Softball
Related Photos
-
Seated, from left, are Eva Johnson, Chaston Cuffee, and former Cleburne football coach Phil Young. Standing, from left, are Rodney Johnson and coaches Eddie Baca and Curtis James. Cuffee signed to play football with the University of Missouri on National Signing Day at Cleburne High School Zack Cunningham/Times-Review
Discussion
Cleburne's Cuffee signs with Missouri
- Baseball and Softball
-
-
Baseball/Softball playoff update
The Lady Elks' Game 1 affair with Birdville was postponed in the second inning with Birdville up, 2-0. The game will be concluded at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Haltom High School and the series will end after the game. The series is no longer a best-of-three format but a one-game playoff.
Cleburne's matchup against Arl. Heights suffered a similar fate. The series is now a one-game playoff which will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cleburne High School.
Godley's matchup against Gunter is also now just a one-game affair. It will be played at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Justin Northwest High School, weather permitting.
In softball news, Grandview lost to Bruceville-Eddy, 5-4, in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
-
Updated baseball/softball playoff pairings
Updated baseball and softball playoff matchups and times
-
Cleburne finishes off Waco High, 8-1
The Cleburne Yellow Jackets are headed back to the area round of the playoffs and possibly a rematch with Arlington Heights after dispatching Waco High, 8-1, on Saturday at Yellow Jacket Field.
The game was postponed on Friday night with Cleburne leading, 1-0, in the second. The Jackets (22-8) wasted little time extending their lead when play resumed on Saturday afternoon.
-
Centennial sweeps Glen Rose
With a 4-3 victory over Glen Rose on Saturday, the Centennial Spartans swept the Tigers out of the playoffs.
-
Lady Elks finish off Azle
The Burleson Lady Elks finished off Azle on Saturday with an 11-1 victory in Game 2 and a 5-1 victory in Game 3.
-
Grandview moves on, Godley falls to Gunter
Grandview beat Sunnyvale, 4-1, to sweep the area-round series on Friday night. The Lady Zebras are 27-2 and back in the regional quarterfinals.
-
Cleburne, Waco High playoff game postponed to noon Saturday
Because of a severe storm which hit the Cleburne area on Friday night, the one-game bidistrict playoff between Cleburne and Waco High was delayed in the second inning with the Yellow Jackets atop, 1-0.
The game is scheduled to resume at noon Saturday at Yellow Jacket Field. -
Centennial takes Game 1, 6-2
The Centennial Spartans played in the first postseason baseball game in school history on Thursday night at Spartan Field at Centennial High School and emerged victorious, 6-2, over Glen Rose in Game 1 of the best-of-three bidistrict series.
-
Baseball/Softball playoff update
Updates from Thursday's playoff baseball and softball action.
-
Joshua hangs on, eliminates Stephenville with 11-10 win
For the second straight game in its Class 4A bi-district playoff series against Stephenville, Joshua dug itself an early hole.
And for the second straight game, freshman pitcher Amanda Evans persevered. - More Baseball and Softball Headlines
-
Baseball/Softball playoff update
