Ghanaian Jonathan Mensah inks arena football deal

Rockville Red Raiders wide receiver Jonathan Mensah will be taking his football career to the next level in 2016 as he signed a contract with the New Mexico Stars, an arena football team that competes in ‘X-League Indoor Football.’

Mensah met with Stars’ owner Tracy Duran and head coach Adrian Perez on August 20.

“I met with the coach and owner and we went to Starbucks,” said Mensah. “I signed that Thursday night.”

Mensah, a former standout kicker and wide receiver at Richard Montgomery High School was the recipient of the first touchdown pass ever thrown in the new Roy Lester stadium.

“Jonathan was one of the most upbeat players on our team,” said former coach Ed O’Daniel. “He brought it 24/7.”

Mensah said that the contract would be on a season-to-season basis and will depend on how he performs on the field. He looked into the Stars because of a friend of his who played at the University of New Mexico.

“He had me to contact the coach. I told him what I do back in Maryland, playing semi-pro for two years and that I wanted to play at the next level,” said Mensah.

The New Mexico Stars are a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho. Since the team’s creation in 2012, the Stars have posted an all-time regular season record of 15-23 and an 0-2 postseason record from 2012 to 2014.

“I hope to bring speed and carry my skill level,” Mensah said.

“Whatever they need me to do.”

He will continue to play wide receiver for the Stars, but said that he might have to also play both ways due to the Stars’ 25-man roster.

The Stars were supposed to play the 2015 season as a member of the ‘Champions Indoor Football League,’ but Duran said that various mitigating circumstances prompted them to forgo the season, according to a February 22 article from the Albuquerque Journal News.

Mensah will head off to New Mexico to play for the Stars in February and said that he has been looking up more information on the team and the ‘X-League’ online.

“I’m trying to learn,” Mensah said.

“I’ve never played in the arena system before.”

One thing that Mensah will quickly learn is the larger scope of playing for a professional arena football team.

The Stars will be playing at the Santa Ana Star center.

According to the arena’s official website, the center contains up to 7,500 seats.

“It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be a new atmosphere,” Mensah said.“It’s going to be a learning process. And it’s great to have supportive family and friends. Everything has been so positive.”

Mensah has played for the Red Raiders for the past two seasons.

He has also been studying early childhood education at Montgomery College and said helping children will be an important part of his life, even if it’s after his football career.

“No matter if it’s after I play, I want to help out the community and help out kids,” said Mensah. “It’s something I love to do.”