These eight Abingdon-Avon High School seniors will play sports in college. Find out who...

ABINGDON — Abingdon-Avon High School's Dunlap Gymnasium was a busy place last Wednesday afternoon.

Eight A-Town seniors and members of their families invaded the hardwood. They did so for a college signing ceremony.

Ashley Jones was the lone female amongst the Tornadoes who will move on, and she'll play basketball for Monmouth College.

A pair of Parker's — Darst and Stoneking — will take baseball diamonds for Carl Sandburg College.

The remaining five will play college football. A-Town's Drake DeJaynes and Easten Schisler will at Wartburg College, located in Waverly, Iowa.

Michael Webb and Chris Woods, who are also brothers, will take the gridiron for Eureka College, and Trae McVey will play sprint football for Quincy University.

"I like seeing everyone here and seeing where everyone is going," Jones said. "I like the opportunity for everyone."

Ashley Jones, Monmouth College

Jones, a guard, averaged 16.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per outing in 2021-22 for the Tornadoes in Brent Dugan’s fourth season in charge.

The 18-year-old nabbed all-state special mention honors in Class 1A from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, and she was named an honorable mention all-stater by the Illinois Associated Press.

And Jones is focused on improving in a few areas before she joins the Fighting Scots.

"Definitely, my defense," Jones said. "Using my left hand for layups. Seeing the court better."

What's Jones like about Monmouth College?

"I went and it just felt like home automatically," she said. "The coaching staff was really welcoming, and I really like them.

"It's also close to home."

Parker Darst, Carl Sandburg College

Darst wanted to continue his baseball career at Sandburg because of the school's size, and he likes the fact the Chargers have had a lot of success as of late. Sandburg has won seven Arrowhead Conference titles in the school's history, and the Chargers claimed back-to-back league crowns in 2018 and 2019.

"I know that their baseball team is pretty decent, and the coaches are pretty cool," Darst said of Sandburg. "It's a small community college and I didn't really care to go to a big college."

Darst pitches, catches and plays in the infield for Dugan, who is also A-Town's baseball coach. He'll likely toe the pitching rubber and squat behind home plate for the Chargers, and Darst is happy he'll get to keep playing with Stoneking

"It's going to be pretty fun playing with someone I know," Darst said. "We've played for a long time together and we get to keep it going."

"He's always been my catcher since we started in Little League together," Stoneking said of Darst.

Parker Stoneking, Carl Sandburg College

Not only does Stoneking pitch for the Tornadoes, No. 10 also plays first base and roams the outfield, if needed.

And like Darst, Stoneking is fond of Sandburg's proximity.

"It's close to home," Stoneking said. "I've always wanted to play there. It just came down to them."

Stoneking plans to just pitch while with the Chargers, and he's focused on doing so a bit harder.

"Just want to get my velo up pitching," he said. "I'll probably only pitch in college."

Michael Webb & Chris Woods, Eureka College

Webb and Woods had an impact on the defensive side of the football for Abingdon-Avon in 2021. The Tornadoes went 10-2 overall and ended their season with a 51-12 loss to the Mustangs of Ridgeview/Lexington in Class 1A quarterfinal action.

Webb played linebacker on defense and was an offensive lineman. He had 56 total tackles (29 solo) and three carries for 11 yards in 2021.

Woods, a defensive back, had 70 total tackles (39 solo) and also had three carries for 11 yards for A-Town last fall.

What made Eureka College the right fit for the pair?

"When I went on my first game day visit the team just showed a lot of love," Webb said. "The coaches had great communication with me and my brother."

"I really like the coaches. They really seemed to care about me," Woods said. "They texted us about every three days. They were asking how we were doing and if we had any questions. It just seemed like a family when I went on both visits. It just feels like a family overall."

And Webb knows his plans once he joins the Red Devils.

"Just keeping my head right — focusing," Webb said. "Time management really. That's what college is all about is time management."

Trae McVey, Quincy University

McVey is small in stature — 5-foot-4, 170 pounds — but he's got a big heart.

McVey didn't suit up for the Tornadoes worried about statistics. The offensive/defensive lineman sported No. 55 because he loves the game of football.

The sprint version offered at Quincy will give McVey a chance to keep playing.

"Sprint Football is a full-contact, intercollegiate, varsity sport and has the same rules as regular college football, except that all players must weigh 178.0 pounds or less," according to the website sprintfootball.com.

"I think Quincy will be a good fit for me," McVey said of suiting up for the Hawks. "Quincy reached out to me, and I wanted to be closer to home. I really like it there.

"A lot of guys don't have the opportunity to go play because they're so little and this is an opportunity to go play at the next level," added McVey, who plans to major in political science. "Sprint football started out on the East Coast and it's picking up here in the Midwest."

Drake DeJaynes, Wartburg College

DeJaynes did everything he could to help the Tornadoes secure wins on the football field in 2021, and the numbers he racked up prove that.

DeJaynes had 118 carries for 658 yards and seven touchdowns for A-Town, and he also had 14 receptions for 175 yards and a TD. On defense, DeJaynes led the Tornadoes with 80 total tackles (36 solo).

When the season was over, DeJaynes had left knee surgery (ACL and meniscus).

"I'm feeling really good. I'm getting back to running, cutting and all that stuff," DeJaynes said. "I should be cleared sometime in early June. I'm ready to get back at it.

"Right now, I'd say I'm around 80 or 85%."

In other words, DeJaynes will be healthy when he joins the Knights.

Easten Schisler, Wartburg College

Before the season, Schisler moved from wide receiver to quarterback, and he served as A-Town's main signal caller in 2021.

Schisler replaced Lukas Tinkham, a 2021 Abingdon-Avon grad who is now a quarterback for Eureka College.

In 11 games, Schisler completed 99 of 163 passes for 1,455 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had 101 rushes for 769 yards and 11 TDs last fall.

"I had a great senior season, and it was a great group of guys," Schisler said. "We made it to the Elite 8 and had a great run."

Stoneking — typically a wideout — actually served as the Tornadoes' starting QB in place of Schisler, who was out with an injury, in Week 7 in Lincoln Conference Trail action against Princeville at Don Viar Memorial Field. The lefty completed 9 of 20 passes for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Stoneking also had a two-yard TD run for Abingdon-Avon in the 18-7 win.

What made Wartburg stand out above the rest of the schools who pursued DeJaynes' and Schisler's talents?

"It's the nicest campus I've ever seen, actually," Schisler said. "All the coaches are nice. They really showed they wanted me to play there."

"The facilities are really nice. I just felt like I belonged there when I went on a visit," DeJaynes said of Wartburg. "Everything is really nice, and I think going there is going to put me in the best position to succeed."

Having Schisler as a teammate again helps, too.

"I can't wait to be his teammate again. I think it's going to help us on and off the field," DeJaynes said. "It's going to be real nice to have someone I already know there to work with."

Matthew Wheaton can be reached at (309) 315-6073 or at mwheaton@register-mail.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthewlwheaton

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: IHSA: 8 from Abingdon-Avon moving on to continue careers