A couple of months after he was hired as the men’s soccer coach at Blue Mountain College, Caryl Vogel was able to hit the recruiting trail. One of the first players that caught his eye was Warren Central midfielder Parker Green.

“I got hired in June, and the first tournament I went to in August in Clinton, Parker was playing in it. He was holding midfield for the Brilla team,” Vogel said. “He just stood out to me as a player I was interested in. Everybody spoke highly of him as a student and an athlete.”

From that first impression began a recruitment that ended six months later in Warren Central’s football fieldhouse. On Wednesday morning, Green signed his scholarship papers to play at Blue Mountain.

A four-year starter in the midfield for Warren Central, Green said getting the chance to play college soccer was a dream come true. He picked Blue Mountain over Belhaven, Millsaps and East Central Community College.

“It’s awesome. It’s been my dream to play college soccer since sixth or seventh grade. The hard work pays off,” Green said.

Green had 13 goals and five assists — he scored eight goals this season — in 53 career games at Warren Central. Vogel said Green’s intangibles, such as his work ethic and the confident way he controls and distributes the ball, made him a college prospect.

“For me it’s not really one thing, it’s more of a repetitive thing,” Vogel said. “You can tell when you watch a player play. Do they look comfortable on the ball, or do they look panicked? He always looks comfortable with the ball and made the right decisions. That’s a big thing for a player in the middle.”

While excited for the chance to continue his soccer career, Green also said signing with Blue Mountain was a means to an end — a way to pursue a college degree by playing a sport he loves.

“I think that I can reach my longer term goals. I want to get my sports management degree and eventually play semi-pro soccer,” Green said.