York’s Pendergrass persevered through knee injuries to take control of recruiting process

Armand Pendergrass and his mother Tonya heard York football coach Bobby Carroll tell the attendees of a parent meeting last year that they needed to actively engage in their son’s college recruiting if they wanted them to play football at the next level.

The Pendergrasses took Carroll’s words to heart.

“(Carroll) wanted to make sure the parents were active,” said Tonya, “so I asked (Armand) to make a list of the colleges he would be interested in and then we sent out letters and emails.”

Pendergrass heard back from quite a few. The York senior signed with one of them – Greensboro (N.C.) College – on Wednesday.

“I liked the environment. I liked the people up there and the staff,” said Pendergrass. “I feel like I could fit in up there.”

Greensboro first made contact with the Cougars linebacker about a month and a half ago. That Pendergrass was even in the position to play college football speaks to his will. He tore his right ACL as a freshman, and after a seven-month rehab, tore his meniscus as a sophomore. This past season, he partially tore more cartilage in his knee, but instead of season-ending surgery, he strapped on a knee brace and continued to help the Cougars to the 4A Division II state title game.

“I just really wanted to play,” said Pendergrass, who produced 34 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, three pass break-ups and a sack this season. “It was a real good experience. We had a lot of fun.”

Pendergrass, an honor roll student, plans on studying psychology. He received a full ride from Greensboro, impressive considering the school doesn’t offer football scholarships. Pendergrass’ deal included academic money thanks to his excellent grades and that will help him stride closer to his goal of becoming a psychologist. He’s already been performing amateur psychoanalysis on his mother for years.

“I guess like any typical teenager he tries to use it,” said Tonya, laughing. “You feel like you’re going crazy as a parent. But anything Armand puts his mind to he goes above and beyond.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "York’s Pendergrass persevered through knee injuries to take control of recruiting process."