By ROBERT L. LEE

RESERVE – It started out as a tough decision, but Riverside Academy High School senior Avery Jolly made his choice and is now confident of his future. Although he had always desired to attend LSU, Jolly agreed to accept a full scholarship from Mississippi College, a school much smaller and more personalized. He received the scholarship based on his academic achievements, a 3.8 GPA and his athletic ability.

His mother Theresa Jolly said he was “on pins and needles” before making his decision and is now back to his usual self. She admitted she was also relieved by his choice, because her and her husband secretly wanted him to attend Mississippi College rather than any other of his options.

“Now I can talk to him again,” said Jolly. “My husband and I were leaning to that school, but we didn’t want to say anything to persuade him. We wanted to make it solely his decision.”

Jolly’s decision offers him a strong chance to start in a defensive back position for the division three school. On the other side of the fence, Jolly thought about running track at LSU, but said when he compared track to football, he decided he enjoyed the latter more. He then discovered Mississippi College will soon be building a track team and is now excited about joining both teams.

“I weighed which options were best and Mississippi College is one of the best in the nation. I’m satisfied,” said Jolly. “Mississippi College was the first one I visited and was my favorite. They came to me as an individual, which I liked the most about them. The coaches there told me the good and bad about the school, they didn’t sugar-coat anything.”

After his first visit he said he felt like he was on a team, a team with players and coaches who want to win. The facilities at the campus seemed well-maintained and Jolly was impressed by the traditional school setting and strong fan base.

“You can tell they all want to be winners, but academics come first, same as Riverside,” he continued. “Both schools are family oriented and will adjust the sports for academics.”

His mother also liked the style of students currently attending the school, who seem like they want to be there to learn. Also, the coaches and teachers can focus more on their students with the smaller classes, rather than the auditorium size classes at some larger schools.

“We feel he will get individual treatment there,” said Jolly. “He will not be a number, he will be somebody.”

With their two older daughters already away at college and their son now moving a little more than two hours away, Jolly’s mother said she will miss him “terribly,” but will make sure to attend almost every one of his games. Jolly plans to begin with a major in business, work his way to becoming a lawyer.