All too often in life, things happen that make reaching your goal seem difficult if not impossible.

For former Opp Bobcat Raheem Bonam, that dream is playing at football, no matter the obstacles that life might throw his way. The standout high school athlete will take his Texas-sized passion for the game to the Lone Star State where he will play the Cisco College Wranglers.

Bonam graduated from Opp in 2016 and then received a scholarship to play football at Northeast Mississippi Community College, but came home a few months later.

“I found out just before the season started that I would be redshirted and not one of the eight out-of-state-players that were on this year’s active roster,” Bonam said. “From the first time I stepped on campus, I just didn’t feel like it was the place for me, but I stayed through summer workouts and then found out that I wouldn’t be part of the active roster.”

Due to junior college rules, out-of-state redshirt players don’t receive scholarship monies and must pay for the semester by some other means.

“It just wasn’t something I could do on short notice,” Bonam said. “At no point during the recruiting process, was this brought up, and I didn’t know it was even a thing until they told me that I wouldn’t be on scholarship this semester.”

Not one to just sit back and watch his dream fade away, Bonam remained humble and worked out on his own to stay in shape.

Recently, new Cisco College head coach Skylar Watson contacted Bonam about coming to play for the Wranglers.

“When I was in high school, I talked to them a little bit so I knew a little bit about them,” Bonam said. “The coach that I talked to in high school called me a few weeks ago to tell me that he is now the head coach there, and he wanted me to come play for him.”

Bonam said that he is very grateful for the opportunity to continue his football career.

“I just feel so blessed,” Bonam said. “Most people would have given up, but there is no way that I’m giving up. I just remained humble through the process, and Cisco just came out of no where. I still have a story to tell and I’m not going to quit until that story is told.”

Bonam will be a Jan., enrollee at Cisco and he will look to play on both sides of the ball for the Wranglers.

“The coach told me that I can play running back or somewhere on the defense,” Bonam said. “ He was telling me that he wants to use me the way that Michigan used Jabrill Peppers.”

Peppers was a standout linebacker/defensive back hybrid that Michigan also lined up in the backfield on occasion for the Wolverrine offense.