COURTLAND—Joshua Turner, a 2010 Southampton High School graduate and three-sport athlete, will continue his football career at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount.

He is the son of Jo Anne and David Turner.

“It feels good to know that you are going to be part of a new winning tradition,” said Joshua Turner. “The way with the whole recruiting staff has been is a blast. I feel that I can really relate to the coaches. I am just ready to get back on the field and play.”

NC Wesleyan is a private National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III college and member of the USA South Athletic Conference. In the 2009 season, the Trojans had an 8-3 overall record and were 7-0 in conference play.

Turner lettered in varsity football, basketball and baseball during his senior year at Southampon. He received the Coaches’ Award for football for the 2009-2010 season.

Also during his high school career, Turner obtained the rank of Eagle Scout.

“We feel that the school is a perfect fit,” Jo Anne Turner said. “The campus has a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. Even though he will be seen as a student athlete, they look at them as students first, and that was one of our priorities, and the college has a real good way of keeping checks on the students.”

“And the most important thing to us is in regard to the campus,” David Turner added. “With Josh growing up in a small town and also going to a small high school, this transition will not be so overwhelming; it will feel comfortable for him to be able to just slide right into studies and athletics.”

David and Jo Anne Turner both wanted Josh to follow his dreams and get his college education.

“I think that by going to NCWC, I am going to be in this program where they are going to try and help me out wherever they can,” Joshua Turner said. “They are going to monitor my grades; they have all the tools and people there that will help me to be a successful young man when I graduate.”

“I am ready to be a Battling Bishop,” he added.