T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY SIGNING TO continue his football career at Bowling Green State University on Wednesday was St. Clairsville senior Ja’von Lyons (front row, center). He’s flanked by his parents Fred and Gina Zebbs. Standing in back is his brother, Jaiden.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ever since the first time he officially put on a set of pads in the seventh grade, Ja’von Lyons had the dream of playing college football.

Lyons, a senior at St. Clairsville, will have the opportunity to fulfill the dream.

“Before seventh grade, I was just playing to have fun and get some excercise, but I realized my potential that if I wanted to, I could have the capability to go on and play college ball,” Lyons said.

That potential has led him to Bowling Green State University.

During a ceremony inside the administration building Wednesday morning, Lyons officially signed his paperwork to join the Falcons as a preferred walkon.

“It’s definitely been a journey,” the soft-spoken and personable Lyons said. “There were ups and downs, but I am glad it’s over with and now I can just get down to playing some football.”

Lyons had several FBS offers, including a power 5 opportunity. He had one from Bowling Green, too.

However, since he elected to wait until the February signing period rather than during the early period in December, the Falcons had reached their limit of offensive linemen in this class.

Quite simply, Lyons had already fallen in love with everything about Bowling Green and decided to pass on other scholarship opportunities to join the Falcons.

“It felt like home,” Lyons said. “I really connected with the coaches and I really believe this is the best opportunity for me. Bowling Green still wanted me on the team and I could earn a scholarship.”

The decision to wait until the current signing period is one that Lyons has no regrets about because, for him, it was all about being 100 percent sure on his decision.

“I wanted to make sure that whatever school I picked was right for me, so I took that extra time to finalize and make sure the decision I wanted to make was the right decision,” Lyons said.

Lyons was a four-year regular for the Red Devils and head coach Brett McLean. This past season, he earned first-team All-Ohio after grading out at 90 percent blocking for the season.

Along with All-Ohio, Lyons was named first-team All-Eastern District, All-Times Leader, All-OVAC, All-Valley and All-Buckeye 8. He has also been chosen for the prestigious Ohio North-South All-Star Game, which will be held in April at famed Paul Brown Stadium in Massillon.

Lyons projects as an interior lineman for the Falcons, so he has been working on snapping to make sure he’s as versatile as possible when he arrives in Northwest Ohio.

“I never played center, but I am working on learning the skills,” Lyons said. “You can never have enough skills and I think snapping the ball should be one that all offensive linemen should learn.”

The Falcons have been down the last couple of years, including a 3-9 finish in 2019. However, Lyons believes head coach Scott Loeffler has the team on an upward trend.

“They’re on the rise,” Lyons said. “I got a great vibe from Coach Loeffler when I talked with him, and I believe they’re definitely changing the culture up there. Better years are coming.”

Lyons will not report to Bowling Green until late July. The Falcons open the season on Sept. 5 in Columbus against Ohio State.

Along with football, Lyons is a multi-year letterman in track and field. He also played basketball for three years.

While sports are what Lyons plays, he by no means has a one-track mind. He’s also a member of the St. C. Singers, which just won a competition last weekend.

Lyons’ versatility was something that his mother, Gina, instilled in him early in life.

“Ever since I was a little kid, my mom has always sure that I had interests in different things,” Lyons said. “She always wanted me to do what I enjoyed and what I loved. It led me down different avenues. I’ve never been a one-track mind. I’ve always wanted to try and do different things.”

Lyons also serves as the vice president of the student council, is a four-year member in the Staying Clean Club. He also enjoys writing.

Ja’von, who is the son of Gina and Fred Zebbs, plans to major in political science with hopes of eventually entering the political arena or becoming a political analyst.