Hard-working Sellers joining football, track programs at Limestone College

Just about any time Polk County’s weight room has been open in recent years, Luke Sellers was likely to be found inside.

That dedication and work ethic helped Sellers become a dominant force in the front lines for the Wolverines as he earned selection as the co-Western Highlands Conference Lineman of the Year and a spot on the All-Western North Carolina squad.

And all of that work earned Sellers a chance to continue his career after graduation, an opportunity he made official Thursday in the school auditorium by signing a letter-of-intent to play football at Limestone College.

Sellers’ commitment also includes joining the track and field program at Limestone as a thrower, a rare opportunity to be a two-sport athlete at the college level.

“It means everything,” Sellers said of his signing. “When I started playing in eighth grade, I had a childhood dream of always wanting to play a sport when I finished high school and went to college.

“Now that it’s happened, it feels like all the work, missing vacation time for summer workouts, it feels like all of that paid off.”

Polk County head coach Bruce Ollis said that Sellers’ work ethic, along with his combination of strength and flexibility, should serve him well at Limestone, an NCAA Division II school in Gaffney, S.C., that competes in the South Atlantic Conference.

“Luke only started playing football in eighth grade, and he’s gotten better every season since he started playing,” Ollis said.

“He loved the weight room, and doing well there has given him a lot of confidence. I see him being an offensive guard, maybe a center, at the college level. He’ll be in a spread offense, which will be new to him, but he’ll be able to handle that.”

Sellers had interest from several college programs, but found what he wanted at Limestone.

“I talked to my offensive line coach, Coach (Zack) Searcy, and he said I should want to be with the best team I could get and the best academic program I could get and where I felt like I was wanted,” Sellers said.

“When I went down there for a visit, it felt like family. They have the athletic training program that I want, so it’s a good academic situation, and I liked how it felt like a close-knit unit.”