Matteo Mele (Courtesy Photo)

A pair of All-State linemen from Southern Arizona put pen to paper today, solidifying their commitments to play at the next level. Salpointe standout Matteo Mele (6-6, 275) is headed to Washington and Amphitheater standout David E. Watson (6-6295) will be playing for the University of Arizona.

Mele made the move from tight end to lineman in the offseason and it paid off immediately for all parties involved. The Lancers went from 2,682 yards rushing in 2016 to 3,779 yards and a state runner-up finish this year.

“Dreams really do come true! Words can’t explain how happy I am to be a dawg!” Mele wrote on his twitter feed earlier today.

As we first reported, Watson was named “Outstanding Lineman” at an Oregon camp in the summer of 2015 when he was only a sophomore at Amphitheater. Oregon quickly moved to the top of his list.

“It was basically Oregon or Colorado at that point,” Watson said. “I never really felt obligated to play for Arizona.”

His mother, Laura Espinoza-Watson, was a three-time All-American softball player for the Wildcats and Watson’s father, David Watson, was a lineman for Arizona. Still, as the younger Watson explained, there was no push to be a Wildcat.

“I’m happy that I got this offer on my own and I worked hard for this,” he added. “And I’m going to start fighting for a spot right away.”

Watson is a winter graduate, which means he will get a jump on other freshmen linemen because he will be fully available to eat, train, lift and study with the current crop of Wildcats in January.

David E. Watson (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)