For Warrenton senior wide receiver Brandon Molinari, the decision of where to attend college was a practical one.

“The amount of money I got was really the deciding factor for me, because I got a decent amount of it,” he said after signing with the Central Methodist University (Fayette, Mo.) football program earlier this month on national signing day. “It’s pretty expensive without that money, so it really helped out a lot.”

The Central Methodist coaching staff hopes Molinari will help them out a lot, too.

Molinari caught 21 passes last season for 344 yards and seven touchdowns.

He averaged 16.4 yards per catch, and finished with 20 yards or more in eight games this season.

He chose Central Methodist over Southwest Baptist and Central Missouri.

“Those schools just didn’t have the same feel for me,” he said.

Central Methodist is an NAIA program in the Heart of America Conference, which mostly competes with programs throughout Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

The Owls finished 2-9 last season, and Molinari hopes to bring a spark offensively next fall.

After playing receiver and defensive back in Warrenton, he decided to stay on offense in college.

“They wanted me to play either side, but I think I have more of a chance to start at wide receiver, so I think that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I like having the ball in my hands.”