Cropper, Jones, Chachere headline football signings

Brock Jones (Stanford) and Jalen Cropper (Fresno State) of Buchanan sign their National Letters of Intent on Dec. 19. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A trio of Clovis Unified star football players signed on to play at the next level, two from Buchanan and one from Clovis West.

Buchanan’s Brock Jones signed with Stanford University and Jalen Cropper with Fresno State, while Clovis West’s Dante Chachere pledged to play at Portland State.

Jones, who will also play baseball at Stanford, played safety, lined up as a slot receiver and returned kicks.

“Baseball and football kind of stuck with me,” said Jones, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. “I love the speed of football and hitting people without getting in trouble. And, with the baseball side of things, I like the mental side of the game. Both have provided me equal opportunities.”

Stanford has been a dream school for Jones, a place he is very familiar with.

“It felt like home to me,” Jones said. “When I was growing up I would go to their games and I’ve been on campus a lot. It’s close to home and I like that I can get a bunch of people to go to the games. And obviously it’s a prestigious education – it’s just the whole deal for me.”

Cropper, who transferred to Buchanan after spending his first three years at Sanger, is a four-star recruit who, like Jones, played defense at corner, returned punts and kickoffs and lined up at receiver, where he is expected to play at Fresno State.

For Cropper, it came down to Nebraska and Fresno State, but the Bulldogs won out.   

“They have about eight receivers leaving so I can get in and play,” Cropper said after the joint signing ceremony with Jones at Buchanan. “The atmosphere just shows me that Bulldog Nation is around and is going to be there for a long time.”

Cropper attended Fresno State’s 31-20 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Chachere, a strong-armed and mobile quarterback listed at 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection. He is fully recovered from a broken left wrist suffered during football season and is currently on the 12-1 Clovis West basketball team.

“During my official visit, I got a feel of how the coaches and some of the players were,” Chachere said. “They are all honest and real with you which I liked, and the campus was amazing.”

Portland State plays in the big Sky Conference and participates in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Paul Meadors is a man of many talents. He is a elementary school teacher, Junior High athletic director, and basketball coach in Traver, CA, in addition to serving as the Sports Editor for the Clovis Roundup. He is also the author of the humorous book “Letters to eBay,” and he has recorded a piano album of his own compositions titled “Surviving the Storm.” He lives in Fresno with wife Lori and daughters Georgie, Alex and Ruthie.