First Flight High School’s Braxton Hughes made it official Tuesday, signing his commitment letter to play for the University of Richmond Spiders. 

Before a crowd of friends, family, teachers, coaches and his puppy Delilah Pearl, the senior signed the papers, and then donned the Richmond team’s cap. 

“Thank you everyone who has supported me over the years and made it possible for me to live out my dreams,” Braxton said. 

Coach Jim Prince called the Nighthawks’ quarterback one of the hardest working kids he knows, and among the most well-rounded. The teen not only plays football, basketball and baseball, but also maintains a 4.0 grade point average. He’s been named First Flight’s best baseball player, and was awarded as the school’s outstanding athletic his sophomore and junior years. 

“There’s a right way and a wrong way and this kid does all the right things,” Prince said. 

Braxton’s dad Paul gives all the credit to his wife. Braxton’s mom Brande, for her part, says it’s all about homework. 

“I’ve always been on him about homework,” she said. In fact, requiring all three of the family’s children to do their homework, and do it as soon as they get home from school, seems to have instilled a strong work ethic in the teens, she said. 

At Tuesday’s impromptu signing ceremony in the hallway at First Flight, friends cheered and those who’ve helped Braxton along the way wiped tears. But 9-week-old Chesapeake Bay retriever puppy Delilah stole the show, struggling against her leash in the crowd to get at her boy. She got free just in time to sit on mom’s lap at the table as Braxton slid on his Spiders cap.