When Omarr Finn came to Gateway in eighth grade, playing organized football wasn't on his radar.

Two years later, as a 10th-grader, Finn was watching the Gateway and McKees- port game on television, and a light came on.

"I thought that I could do that, and it looked fun," he said.

The 6-foot-3, 280-pound offensive and defensive lineman joined the Gator football team as a junior and started a productive journey.

He moved into the lineup as a senior this fall and quickly made life difficult for opposing teams.

Finn helped the Gateway rushing attack total 173 yards a game and a rack up 41 touchdowns.

He also was a protector for senior quarterback Rob Kalkstein, who threw for 2,256 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Finn's productivity garnered the attention of college scouts, and he has turned his efforts into a scholarship at Division I-AA Prairie View A&M in Houston.

He celebrated his accomplishment last week with six other Gateway seniors in front of family and friends on national letter of intent signing day at Gateway High School.

"Omarr has grown and developed quickly in those two years," Gateway head coach Terry Smith said. "His upside is just tremendous. He will have a great career at Prairie View A&M. There's a chance that he could play in the pros."

Finn said he loves the coaching staff and the atmosphere of the campus and isn't worried about the distance between the school and home.

He will be heading to Prairie View with fellow Gator senior Shawn Brisker, a wide receiver and defensive back who made 49 tackles and two interceptions on defense in 2009.

Brisker also caught two touchdowns on offense at wide receiver.

"It's a good feeling to be there with Omarr," Brisker said. "He's one of my good friends. I'm honored to be able to be there with him and be at a great college."

Prairie View A&M had a season to remember in 2009, as the Panthers went 9-1 overall and undefeated in the Southwest Athletic Conference (7-0). They won their first SWAC title since 1964.

Brendon Felder (North Carolina), Orne Bey (Miami, Ohio) and Dayonne Nunley (Miami, Ohio) made their verbal commitments final with their Division I selections.

The Gator trio joined several athletes from school such as Penn Hills, Woodland Hills, Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford to put their verbal commitments into stone.

Also finalizing their decisions were Delbert Tyler at Division I-AA Hampton (Va.) and Mitch DeVall at Division II Seton Hill.

Tyler, who finished third on the team in tackles this season with 73, despite missing five of Gateway's 13 games because of injury, said he was humbled by the signing-day event, just one year after watching Gator players such as Ohio State's Dorian Bell and Corey Brown in the same place.

"We want the younger guys here so they can stare at the dream," Smith said. "Hopefully, they see all the hard work and determination it takes, and it's in front of them."

DeVall, a three-year letter winner and starter, will stay close to home and hopes to help build a Griffin team that went 1-10 in 2009.

"I definitely wanted to be close by so my family and friends could come and see me play," DeVall said. "I wanted to get on a team and help change the status of what they are. Hopefully, it will be a great first year for me."

He also is recovering from surgery to repair a torn tendon in the ring finger of his left hand he injured during a practice the week of the Penn-Trafford game in September.

"They wanted me to get it repaired right away, but I told them it's my senior year, and I have a chance for a scholarship," DeVall said. "I waited until after the season to have the surgery, and it paid off."