Wesley Spencer made Central High School and Lunenburg County proud in light of the concluding chapter that he wrote to his college football career this fall at Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC).

The former Charger standout helped the Tigers improve substantially over their 2016 season, and in so doing he was named to the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) First Team as an offensive lineman.

“It was a great feeling, like a capstone to my playing career,” the H-SC senior said. “This is the first time I’ve ever made a first team all-conference or anything like that… It was a special feeling, and my coaches always told me I could get it if I work for it, and I guess my hard work finally paid off this past season. So, it’s a great accomplishment that I’m always going to remember.”

Chargers Head Coach Will Thomas expressed excitment regarding the All-ODAC recognition that Spencer has earned.

“He’s probably one of the best kids that I’ve ever had as far as a man, a young man, to coach,” Thomas said. “You’re talking about somebody who worked his butt off. He got better every year here, and then I talked to his Hampden-Sydney coach last week, and he said, ‘You know, it’s amazing how, from his freshman to senior year, how much better he got.’”

Tigers Head Coach Marty Favret said he and his staff were thrilled for Spencer when it was announced that he had made the first team.

“Probably more of a project when he came to us as a freshman, he obviously had the size but he really needed to develop, and (we’re) just proud of how he worked his way into becoming a starter …,” Favret said. “(He) had a great senior year (and is a) terrific pass blocker. I think he only gave up one sack on the entire year, and he’s just one of those good guys that everybody roots for.”

Spencer recalled growing up on the gridiron with his Central teammates in Lunenburg County.

“We held each other accountable, and we pushed each other,” he said.

Some of the key ingredients to his success at H-SC were things he learned in Lunenburg.

“One of the biggest things I translated from high school to college was hard work,” he said. “… My coaches always told me to push myself, go the extra mile, do the extra rep, don’t quit and finish.”

Playing at right tackle for the Tigers, he said, “The biggest stat I’ll say that I take (the) most pride in is we improved our rushing game from our junior to senior year, and also I think we decreased the number of sacks and number of hits our quarterback took.”

Favret said, “We threw over 400 passes this year, so to only give up one sack is really impressive, and he’ll be missed. Your tackles are a big part of your protection, and he did a wonderful job.”