MUENSTER — A pair of Cooke County football players are going green with their college choices.
Mean Green that is.
Muenster’s Andy Flusche and Era’s Avery Fortenberry both signed papers to play football at the University of North Texas on Wednesday.
“It’s exciting,” Flusche said. “This is something you work for. To be able to sign and move on to the next level is great.”
Flusche, an all-state linebacker and tight end, signed as a preferred walk on at UNT and will make the move to defensive end. He has the perks of any college athlete only he’ll have to pay his way through school with a strong chance of earning a scholarship down the road.
UNT has had much success with walk ons on the past - six former walk ons started for the Mean Green last season. UNT’s all-time leading receiver Casey Fitzgerald was once a walk on as well.
Another person who knows a thing or two about walk ons is Fortenberry.
The Hornet senior’s older brother Aaron Fortenberry was once a walk on at UNT before working his way up to a two-year starting center.
The younger Fortenberry was an All-Cooke County selection for Era this past year. He’ll focus on offensive tackle in Denton while grey shirting his first year on campus.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of the team,” Avery Fortenberry said. “I really like the coaching staff and the direction the program is headed.”
As a grey shirt, Fortenberry will sit out the first semester on campus before joining the team in Jan. 2014.
UNT is set to join Conference USA this summer. The Mean Green also opened a new football stadium two seasons ago.
Both Flusche and Fortenberry have long been on the Mean Green’s radar - that combined with the close proximity to home made the decision easy for both.
“UNT has been recruiting me for a while,” Flusche said. “It’s the right school for me. I really like the campus, the coaches and the players I’ve met. I like where things are going.”
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