After finishing a historic career on the field, Rockville High's Crusoe Gongbay had one more football-related decision to make before leaving Rockville.  On Wednesday morning, he officially made that decision, as he signed his letter of intent to attend the University of New Mexico.

“It's an amazing feeling,” Gongbay said after signing his letter in the school's media center. “I wasn't sure if I was ever going to get here for this.”

Gongbay became the sixth player from Maryland to declare to New Mexico in the 2011 class, including the second from Montgomery County. Gongbay cited how comfortable he felt taking his visit at New Mexico and with coach Mike Locksley.

“It feels like family there,” Gongbay said. “Coach Locksley is from the DC area, and he's a big reason why I'm going there.”

Locksley, a former University of Maryland assistant, has found a niche in Maryland and DC-area recruiting, both at New Mexico and in his prior job at the University of Illinois.

“The New Mexico coaching staff was here repeatedly,” Rockville coach Kevin Bernot said. “They really showed Crusoe a lot of respect while recruiting him. ... They were here every other week. They really showed him how much they wanted him.”

Gongbay's path isn't quite complete, as he still has to raise his SAT scores enough to qualify to play. However, with two SAT tests coming up, he and Bernot expect him to qualify. If he does, Gongbay expects to be an instant-contributor to a Lobos squad that has been near the bottom of the NCAA for the past couple of seasons.

“He [Locksley] thinks that if I come in and do what I'm supposed to do, I'll have a chance to start, or at least get playing time,” Gongbay said.

Standing behind Gongbay while he made his announcement was Bernot, Rockville principal Debra Munk and athletic director Paul Fahrner. Most importantly though was the presence of Gongbay's mother.

After thanking people who supported him, Gongbay turned his attention to his mom.

“It's my dream to be able to tell my mom that she doesn't have to work anymore after four years of college,” he said.