As Central's last line of defense, Uriah Yates had plenty of practice handling wave after wave of attackers on the soccer field.

After signing with Ashford University earlier this week, the Central graduate and former sweeper plans to keep frustrating opposing forwards for years to come. This fall, he will attempt to crack the lineup for the NAIA school in Clinton, Iowa, that posted an 11-8 record a year ago.

"There's always a lot of pressure on that person, and I thought he handled it very well," Central coach Mark Peterson said. "It's exciting to see him move on."

During his senior season, Yates earned honorable mention distinction on District 16 and Suburban Big 7 Conference teams thanks to his outstanding play on the Indians' back line. Following the season, he also hauled in an honorable mention nod on the Class 3 All-State team.

Even with his attack-stopping abilities, Yates faces an uphill battle into the starting rotation at Ashford - which returns all but one starter from last year's team.

But second-year assistant coach Cale Clark, who graduated from Central in 2004 and was a four-time all-conference selection for the Saints, believes the incoming freshman can make an impact from the moment he arrives.

"It's going to be a long shot for him to start," Clark said. "But him coming in, he's going to make everybody else better because he works hard."

Clark starred for the Indians as a striker during his St. Joseph prep career but shifted to center mid-fielder at Ashford. He said he thinks Yates has the versatility to make the move to the midfield or retain his position as a stopper.

Either way, Clark was thrilled to see another Central alumnus join a budding Ashford program in its seventh year of existence.

"To have another one up here finally is pretty cool," Clark said. "It's pretty neat to show people that there's some really good soccer players at Central that can contribute at the next level."