Larry Karnes had trouble staying on the field for the St. James High School football team due to injuries.

When he was playing, however, Central Methodist University liked what it saw.

Karnes, a senior receiver/defensive back for St. James, has signed to attend and play football at Central Methodist, a NAIA school located in Fayetteville, Mo.

“I really like the school,” Karnes said of Central Methodist. “They have a very good science department, and I want to become a science teacher.”

Karnes was expected to be a big key for the St. James Tigers on both offense as a wide receiver and on defense in the secondary.

However, early in the campaign Karnes suffered a chipped bone in his shoulder. He was out for four weeks with the injury. However, when he played he was impressive, enough to be selected All-Four Rivers Conference Honorable Mention as defensive back despite the limited snaps.

St. James head coach Greg Harlan says he expects Karnes to play in the secondary for Central Methodist.

Karnes had surgery on the shoulder after the season and says he is now, “100 percent; or close to it.”

“I’ve had injuries the past couple of seasons,” Karnes said. “I’m just glad to have the opportunity to play at Central Methodist and show what I can do when I’m 100 percent.”

“When he played for us he had some injuries in his high school career,” Harlan said of Karnes. “When he was healthy he played pretty well for us. I think if he can avoid injuries he can contribute (in college).”

When Karnes gets to Fayetteville for preseason practice, he’ll see a familiar face. One of his future Central Methodist teammates will be former St. James teammate Nick Olivas, who was a freshman wide receiver in college during the 2007 season.

“Nick told me about halfway through the season that he thought I could play at Central Methodist,” Karnes said. “I brought them a highlight tape and they were really excited to have me.”