Ed choice scholarship a winning combo for the Newton family and Clearwater Central Catholic

CLEARWATER, Florida –The Newton brothers’ reign at Clearwater Central Catholic High School ended on a Thursday night in December when Jershaun, the youngest, played his final football game.

It was quite a run for the family who lives down the road in St. Petersburg. It was quite a run for the high school’s football program, as well.

Five Newtons played for the Marauders every year but one since the 2015 season. Each brother earned a college scholarship to play football. One plays in the NFL, and another likely will join him there next season.

“I didn’t expect this,” said their mom, Jovita Rich. “I just wanted them to have a better education, honestly. That’s why I sent them to private school.”

The brothers attended private schools with the help of education choice scholarships managed by Step Up For Students and funded by corporate donations to the nonprofit.

“I love the Step Up scholarship,” Jovita said. “It's been a godsend to my family to be able to put my kids through private school.”

It began with the twins, Jervon Jr. and Jerquan, who enrolled at Clearwater Central Catholic (CCC) as freshmen in 2013-14 and joined the football team as sophomores. Both played collegiately at the University of West Florida in Pensacola before finishing at Mars Hill University in North Carolina. Jervon, a running back, and Jerquan, a linebacker, majored in education and are both elementary school teachers.

Jerjuan followed, graduating CCC in 2019, and recently completed his senior season at the University of Toledo. He’ll graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering technology. A wide receiver who holds the school record for career touchdowns (32), Jerjuan was named to the All-Mid-American Conference first team for the second consecutive season. He was invited to the Hula Bowl, an all-star game for top NFL prospects.

Jer’Zhan (Johnny) was next. He graduated from CCC in 2020 and starred at the University of Illinois. He was a two-time All-American and the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a defensive tackle, and graduated with a degree in general studies. He was selected in the second round of 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders and helped the team reach the NFC Championship Game.

And then there is Jershaun, or “Shauny,” the youngest who led CCC to three consecutive state title games. A knee injury he suffered in the state semifinal this year prevented him from playing in his third state championship game.

A quarterback, Shauny set Pinellas County career records for total yards (9,962) and total touchdowns (105) during his four years. He will follow Johnny to Illinois and plans to major in sports management.

“They are workaholics,” said their dad, Jervon Sr. “These kids, they work day in and day out. I knew they had the athletic ability, but they had the heart and desire to be better than everybody.”

***

The Newtons’ path to an education choice scholarship and football stardom began just over a decade ago inside a St. Petersburg laundromat when Jovita, to kill time during the wash and dry cycles, started a conversation with another mom doing laundry.

The topic of their children’s education came up, and Jovita mentioned her displeasure with the district school Shauny attended. The other mom said her kids attended private school.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I've looked into it, but it's just so expensive, I can't afford it.’ And then she said, ‘You should try Step Up For Students,’” Jovita recalled.

Jovita wasn’t familiar with Step Up or the scholarships it manages, but she was when she left the laundromat that night.

“She said, ‘It helped me out. I put all my kids through school through Step Up,’” Jovita said. “So, I checked it out, applied for it, and they were all approved.”

The twins headed to CCC while the others enrolled in private K-8 schools near their St. Petersburg home.

Eventually, all their paths led to CCC.

“I’m so glad that she washed those clothes in that laundromat, I promise you that much,” CCC football coach Chris Harvey said.

***

The 2020 season was the only one in the last 10 years that did not include a Newton on the roster. The Marauders were 5-5 that year. They are 98-19 with at least one Newton.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Harvey said.

 In 2016, CCC reached the regional semifinals with Jervon Jr., Jerquan, Jerjuan, and Johnny on the team. The twins were seniors, Jerjuan was a sophomore and Johnny was a freshman.

“Johnny has a big personality,” Harvey said. “He’s the funny one. The twins were always laughing. Jerjuan was the serious one. He had to control the other three.”

Absorbing everything was Shauny, who was a presence around the CCC football team since he was 8. Not only was he starring for the Pop Warner football team coached by his dad, but he also attended CCC practices and trained with his brothers at the high school and at a local facility used by many of the area’s college and professional players.

“They pushed each other,” Jervon Sr. said. “They’re their biggest fans but also their biggest critiques. And as Shauny got older you started seeing flashes of all of them in him.”

Not only the on-field ability but the off-field dedication that led to his success – worth ethic, desire to succeed, discipline.

“He’s the perfect combination of all four of them,” Harvey said. “He can play just about any position that you want him to play and play at a high level. When they say that the baby of the family is the best one, they're not lying. His future is about as bright as it could possibly be.”

***

When asked what it’s like to have a brother play in the NFL, Shauny shrugged and said, “It’s normal.”

That’s because it was the end game for all the workouts, all the time in the weightroom and all the work in the classroom.

“It helped a lot, seeing how they did things,” Shauny said. “I've been doing the same thing as they did, working out, keeping my body together, getting good grades.”

The theme running through it all, Shauny said, was “accountability.”

His one takeaway from all the time spent around his brothers and the CCC football program:

“Don't react when you don't have to react,” Shauny said. “Don't entertain foolishness.”

Jovita said the main reason for the brothers attending CCC was the education.

“The twins went on a tour, and we loved the school, we loved what it had to offer,” she said. “The rest is history.”

Jovita said her sons often talked about their college courses, and while demanding, they weren’t overwhelmed.

“The education at CCC is phenomenal. They've done an excellent job in college,” Jovita said. “They didn't call home saying, ‘I'm having trouble. This is hard.’ They went to college, and it was like, ‘Oh, we've been over this in high school. This is easy work right here.’ So, it’s the schedule that (CCC) puts the kids through and the classes that they take that just prepared them exceptionally for when they went to college.

“Their goal was to go to college, play football and try to make it to the NFL, and if not, they all have their college degrees to fall back on, which I'm very proud of that as well. They all graduated with a bachelor's degree.”

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].