Central Valley Quarterback Ameer Dudley Commits to Harvard University

Central Valley Quarterback Ameer Dudley (3) stands on the football field during the 2020 WPIAL 3A Football Championship as he listens to what his coaches have to say.

Every high school football player's dream is to play college football at the NCAA Division I level.

Central Valley quarterback Ameer Dudley is one of those high schoolers that are having those dreams come to reality.

Earlier tonight, the dual-threat quarterback from Rochester, Pennsylvania, announced on Twitter that he is going to take his talents to Harvard University, which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard plays football in the Ivy League and Ameer couldn't be happier that his decision is finally over.

"I'm exhilarated, I'm just happy that the process is over," Dudley said. "I have not been able to visit Harvard yet because of COVID-19 but I'm excited to see what Harvard has to hold.

With Ameer not visiting the school, people might say that it's a gamble that he committed before visiting, but he knows in his heart what was best for himself. Ameer had offers from 11 other Division I colleges such as local places in Robert Morris and Duquesne and other schools such as Army, Air Force, William & Mary, and Central Michigan. But, at the end of the day, Harvard had won him over.

"I really built a close relationship with Coach [Keegan] Kennedy. Also, Harvard is one of the best schools in the country. They are known as one of the best education programs, and I really want to have a good education.

Ameer is the fourth WPIAL football player from the Class of 2021 that has committed to an Ivy League school as Max Matolcsy (Plum-University of Pennsylvania), David Pantelis (Upper St. Clair-Yale), and Luke Banbury (Upper St. Clair- Cornell) are the other three players that committed to an Ivy League school.

Ameer has improved from his first year starting for the Warriors in his sophomore year of high school in 2018 to now as a senior in 2020, who is trying to win a PIAA championship.

So far in Ameer's senior season, he has completed 62 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,022 yards and 15 touchdowns. Also, he has also led the Warriors to a 10-0 record while winning a WPIAL 3A Football Championship against Elizabeth Forward this past Friday. This Friday, Central Valley will play Bedford in the PIAA 3A Semifinals.

You have to think about the fact that Ameer has come a long way from being a random high school quarterback to one of the best in the state of Pennsylvania. Before Ameer's Central Valley team won the WPIAL 3A Football Championship and lost in the PIAA 3A Football Championship in 2019, people might have wondered if Ameer was really going to be the guy that would lead Central Valley to some hardware.

In Ameer's sophomore season in 2018, he threw for 1,018 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 11 games. However, he did rush for six touchdowns in that season as well. That year in 2018, the Warriors started off 0-4, but they found a way to get better as they won five out of the last six games of the regular season and clinched a playoff berth. However, they lost to Derry in the WPIAL 3A quarterfinals. One of the most impressive wins for Ameer in his sophomore year was when him and his Warriors defeated Aliquippa, who would eventually be 2018 WPIAL 3A & PIAA 3A Football Champions, at home in the final game of the regular season by a score of 14-8.

After the 2018 season, Ameer obviously worked hard to become better as a quarterback and as a result, his record since his sophomore season is 23-2 with two WPIAL championships and a PIAA title appearance.

For any of you wondering, in Ameer's career, he has completed 245 passes out of 449 attempts which means he has completed 54.5% of his passes. Also, in his career, he has also thrown for 43 touchdowns, passed for 4,053 yards, rushed for 1,212 yards, rushed for 18 touchdowns, and has a career record of 28-8.

You could say that Harvard is getting quite the quarterback that knows what it is like to succeed and deal with adversity.

With Dudley officially now being a college football commit, the fact that he is one is pretty cool to him.

"It's unreal. It's hard to believe because it's like something you always dream of. When you dream of something, and it comes into reality, it's a great feeling," said Dudley. " I have not had time to sit here, thinking that I am a Division I quarterback, but it's really cool once I start thinking about it.

Before the start of the 2020 season, the Ivy League announced that not sports would be played until January 1, 2021, at the earliest because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not yet determined if the Ivy League will play football in Spring 2021. If it was possible for Ameer, if the Ivy League had a 2021 Spring football season, Ameer could graduate early and go to Harvard early. However, he also plays basketball for Central Valley so he might also want to play his senior year of basketball with his brothers for one last time.

For Ameer, his high school football career is not over as he and the rest of the Central Valley football players from the Class of 2021 are looking to end their high school football careers with a fairy tale ending. However, one chapter in Ameer's life is closed as he is committed to a university in where he will look to make more memories that he can remember forever.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13