Five More Owls Sign

Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Football program is proud to announce that five more Owls have signed scholarship offers with four-year universities. Sophomore's Braxton Brown, Kenyatta Johnson, and Vincent Gardella along with freshmen Christian Licciardi and Josh Lowden have all signed in the last two weeks. The five bring Citrus' 2014 signee totals to nine so far.

Brown was a two-year starter at cornerback for the Owls and will further his playing career and education Florida A&M University. Brown followed up a freshman campaign in which he was named an All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree, with a sophomore season in which he was named a 1st All-Central Conference and 1st team All-State selection. Brown had 41 tackles, two sacks, 4.5 tackles, for a loss, a forced fumble, four picks, and a team leading 13 pass break-ups.

"Florida A&M has a good coaching staff, that is trying to rebuild their program. It's going to give me a chance to play and get better," Brown said. "Citrus has played a major role in all of this. It's helped me with my discipline, and helped me focus on what my goal was, to play football at the university level. My mom always told me I was out here on a business trip, and Citrus helped me take care of my business."

Johnson was also a two-year starter for the Owls, leading Citrus sacks as both a freshman and sophomore. Johnson was also an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection as a freshman and was a 1st team All-Central Conference and All-State selection as a sophomore. In 2013, Johnson had 45 total tackles, 10 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and three pass break-ups. Johnson will suit up for Harding University in the Fall of 2014.

"Harding provided me a good opportunity to continue my playing and academic careers. The coaching staff has been great, and it's a good chance for me to keep playing," Johnson said.  Citrus taught me how to play defense. I came in as an offensive player and they converted me to a defensive guy. They've taught me how to play the game. It's give me a chance to improve on my grades, and taught me how to work hard in the classroom."

Gardella was a significant contributor for the Owls' defensive line these past two years. In 2013, Gardella had 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Gardella will move on to Missouri Southern State University.

"Missouri Southern is a great program, and is one of the top Division II's in the country. I got a good vibe from the coaching staff, and there are some Citrus guys over there already," Gardella said. "Citrus has given me the time and chance to develop as a student and an athlete. It's given me exposure that I wouldn't have otherwise had. The coaching staff here at Citrus helped make me a more technically sound player."

Licciardi and Lowden wraps up the recent slew of signings as he'll be moving on to Adams State University. Licciardi split his time with the Owls between the offensive and defensive lines. On defense Licciardi recorded seven tackles with half a sack. Lowden also started out on defense for Citrus, but moved to the offensive line towards the end of the year, starting the final three games for the Owls. Lowden will be transferring to Seton Hill University.

"I chose Seton Hill University because it is a remarkable liberal arts university that does an outstanding job supporting their athletes, and the coaching staff is focused on building an outstanding program," Lowden said. "I am very grateful for the experience I had at Citrus College. Coach Ponciano instilled values which allowed me to grow not only as a player but as a man."

"At Citrus, our number one goal is to put our student-athletes in a position to succeed on the field and in the classroom, so they can move on to the four-year level," said Citrus College Head Football Coach Ron Ponciano. "All five of these individuals have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded to them here, and will no doubt continue to do so at their next stop."