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Omari Smith Helps Set Stage for Youngsters from Midland; Committed to Saint Francis Football
Omari Smith is a senior at Beaver Area High and is one of Saint Francis University football’s incoming offensive lineman. The All-Conference offensive tackle joins a program that made the FCS playoffs in 2022 and is excited to live his dream as a Division I player.
“The coaches were very kind, and welcomed me like one of their own,” Smith said. “The culture, and the warm welcoming feeling the school gave me made a huge impact on my decision. The campus is very beautiful and I truly found a place I can call home. I can’t wait to be a Red Flash for the next four years.”
This football journey was one that began at the age of six. While he was reluctant to play, his father encouraged him until the point that he fell in love with the game himself. For that, and for many other reasons, he is thankful for his dad.
“He’s a single parent so he had to be a mother and a father. I owe everything I have to him, he’s my best friend. He taught me everything I know to become the player and man I am today. Everything I’m doing now is all for him,”
Smith wraps up his high school career with having earned the title of team captain twice, being named All-Conference once, All-Conference Honorable Mention once, and his conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year. Looking back at high days at Beaver, his favorite memories include winning two straight games in overtime, with wins over Chartiers Valley and Montour, and picking off a screen pass in a game this season against Beaver Falls. His extra curricular involvement includes being a part of the upcoming school musical, The Newsies, that will debut in the coming weeks.
While his time at Beaver High is nearing the end, his early life began in Midland. While many people think of Lincoln Park Performing Arts and their excellence basketball tradition, many outstanding athletes have come out of this community. For Smith, he’s proud to be one of them and hopes to inspire the next generation.
“just want to make my town proud and all the kids living in it. I want to be an inspiration and an icon to young boys and girls to know that they can reach for the stars and let them know that even a Midland kid can be great,” he said.
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