Bowling Green High School seniors Clark Payne and Garrett Strickler will be greeted by a couple familiar faces when they arrive at Centre College in the fall for their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level.

Payne and Strickler signed with the NCAA Division III school during a ceremony at BGHS on Wednesday, becoming the latest Purples to join the Colonels’ program.

Payne, a two-year starting quarterback for the Purples, has an especially close tie to Centre – his cousin Devin Hayes is a former Bowling Green standout who has started at QB the past two seasons for the Colonels. Former BGHS lineman Jacob Mills also plays for Centre.

“Having a cousin there right now playing quarterback definitely helps,” Payne said of Hayes. “He knows I’m going to push him. Me and him talk back and forth. We’re so close. I wouldn’t be half the quarterback I am without him.”

Payne finished this past season with a slew of single-season records for the Purples, becoming the school’s single-season passing leader and single-season touchdowns leader after completing 215-of-315 passes for 3,840 yards and 44 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

In his two seasons starting, Payne led the Purples to a 29-1 record and two Class 5A state championships. Bowling Green coach Kevin Wallace said Payne ranks in the top two in nearly every single season and career passing record at BGHS

“Centre is a great place to go to get my education and their football team is really good right now,” Payne said. “It’s getting better every year, so it’s just good to go there and continue the winning experience.”

Strickler, also a strong high school swimmer, plans to stick with just football at Centre.

“I’m just thinking of football,” Strickler said. “I’m going to be challenged pretty well just doing that, and academics there is going to be challenging as well.”

As the Purples’ starting tight end, Strickler totaled 15 catches for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At Centre, he’ll have largely the same role for the Colonels.

“I’m definitely staying in the same position, and they’re wanting to run a similar type of offense there to what we run here so I think that’s one of the reasons I was recruited so heavily there – because I already have the ability to run what they want to start implementing there.”