JOHNSTON – One of the telling phrases in all of sports is that you cannot coach size.

It likely goes a long way towards explaining Travis Gagnon’s path from SCISA 8-man football to the collegiate ranks at Newberry College.

Gagnon, who stands in at six-feet-five-inches tall and weighs 225 pounds, signed on to play football last week with the Indians, who inked also inked his Patriot teammate, lineman Jorgedebro Pacifico, recently.

His noted ferocity between the lines didn’t hurt his recruitment either.

But regardless of how, and why, he made his way to college football, the Wardlaw standout is very happy to be there.

“I had been waiting on this for a while,” Gagnon said. “I went up there and visited the campus with Jorgedebro and just loved the atmosphere up there, and how good the football program is. I sent them some tape and Coach (?) Turco called me and said they were going to offer me $6,000 (or a quarter scholarship).”

Gagnon said he expects to end up on the defensive side of the ball at the next level.

“I don’t know where they are going to put me, but I think it’ll probably be at defensive end,” he said. “I guess (Turco) was impressed with my size and what he saw on the tape. I’m just excited to be playing four more years of football with someone (Pacifico) I’ve played with since middle school.”

The word most often used where Gagnon’s play is concerned is “beast.”

It’s a word he has heard from people more than once.

“I just kind of get in the zone when I’m out there on the field,” Gagnon explained. “Yeah, beast, I’ve heard that a lot.”

Once the Patriot mates complete their redshirt seasons at Newberry this fall, they will likely find themselves lined up against each other quite a bit.

Gagnon looks forward to those heated, yet friendly, encounters.

“We’ll probably line up on the other side of each other in practice,” he said. “It’ll be just like old times again.”

That coming thrill can only be trumped by his fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

“I’m just really happy,” Gagnon said. “Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always wanted to play college football.”