Hillsborough’s Green lands first offer

Posted May 7, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 7, 2012 at 07:58 PM

Fresh off his state championship in the triple jump at Friday’s Class 3A track and field meet, Hillsborough’s Jeremiah Green landed his first college football scholarship Monday when South Alabama made a pitch for the Terriers’ starting defensive back, coach Earl Garcia said.

Garcia also announced that his star defensive end, Jordan Sherit, received yet another Division I offer, this one from Cal-Berkeley. Sherit already has one from the Golden Bears’ local rival, Stanford, along with nearly two dozen other D-I schools like Florida.

Some other significant D-I offers that came in for county players over the weekend: Plant coach Robert Weiner announced offensive lineman Richy Klepal added the University of Southern California to his growing list and safety Paris Bostick picked up West Virginia.

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Cambridge’s Mullins signs with Eckerd

Posted May 4, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated May 4, 2012 at 04:27 PM

According to Cambridge Christian coach Sam Marsonek, left-handed pitcher Matt Mullins has signed a baseball letter-of-intent with Eckerd College.

Mullins is 6-3 in 11 appearances this season with a 2.83 ERA for the 22-5 Patriots, who play at Winter Haven All Saints’ on Tuesday in the Class 2A-Region 2 semifinals. 

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Auburn offers Jesuit’s Jackson, Johnson

Posted May 3, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 3, 2012 at 09:27 PM

Jesuit rising junior tight end/linebacker Vincent Jackson (6-2, 213 lbs) and rising senior wide receiver Travis Johnson (6-4, 200) have both landed a scholarship offer from Southeastern Conference power Auburn, Tigers coach James Harrell announced Thursday.

Jackson also has offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Miami, Mississippi State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rutgers, USF, Toledo, UCF and West Virginia.

Johnson also has offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Florida, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Purdue, USF, Southern Cal, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

 

 

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Freedom’s Godwin offered by Iowa State

Posted May 1, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 1, 2012 at 09:59 PM

Freedom High rising senior running back/defensive back Nate Godwin received his first scholarship offer, Patriots coach Todd Donohoe announced.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Godwin landed the offer from Iowa State.

On offense last season, Godwin rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries. Defensively, he accounted for 43 tackles—30 solos—one interception and one fumble recovery.

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Freedom athletes to sign Thursday

Posted May 1, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 1, 2012 at 03:07 PM

Freedom High athletic director Eli Thomas has announced the school is hosting a college signing ceremony Thursday morning at the school.

For starters, two football players are signing National Letters of Intent with Becker College in Massachusetts, quarterback/tight end Jonathan Economou and wide receiver/defensive back Devon Turner.

Becker is a Division III school in football and is a member of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.

From the Patriots’ boys soccer team, standout midfielder Michael Sacco is headed to Division II Eckerd College.

In baseball, infielder/pitcher Kyle Schindler and his brother, Eric Schindler, a catcher and utility player, are both headed to St. Petersburg College.

And on the Division I front, Patriots cheerleader Nicole Seybold will be signing with the University of Oregon.

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Armwood’s Lifghtsey signs with Mercer

Posted Apr 27, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Apr 27, 2012 at 05:42 PM

Armwood senior offensive lineman Jack Lightsey has signed with Mercer (Ga.) University, Hawks coach Sean Callahan confirmed Friday.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Lightsey, who started in all 15 of Armwood’s games last fall en route to the Class 6A state title, marks something of a milestone for the Hawks because his signing means all five of their squad’s offensive line will be playing college football.

Lightsey, Armwood’s right guard, joins left guard Cody Waldrop (South Carolina), right tackle Kevin McCoy (Vanderbilt), center Cameron Dees (Marshall), and left tackle Brandon Teeling (Samford).

Last fall, Mercer’s board of trustees unanimously approved the return to intercollegiate football for the 2013 season, ending a 70-year hiatus for the sport at the Mercer. The first intercollegiate football game played in the state was between Mercer and the University of Georgia in 1892.

Photo: Armwood’s five offensive linemen who are headed to play college football include (front row, left to right) Jack Lightsey, Cody Waldrop (back row, left to right), Kevin McCoy, Cameron Dees and Brandon Teeling. Photo by SCOTT PURKS/The Tampa Tribune.

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Newsome’s Weeks accepts preferred walk-on at FSU

Posted Apr 27, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Apr 27, 2012 at 04:43 PM

Newsome senior offensive lineman Keith Weeks, a three-year varsity member of the Wolves’ football team and first team selection for last season’s all-Western Conference football roster, has accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Florida State University, his father, Bernie Weeks, announced Friday.

Besides earning all-Western Conference honors, the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Weeks was also chosen for the 2012 Blue-Gray National High School All-Star game, the East-West All-Star Game, was a third-team selection for all-state in 6A, was a captain on his squad and was a winner of both the National Football Foundation Tampa Chapter Scholar Athlete and Hillsbrough County Scholar Athlete awards.

Essentially, preferred walk-ons have a spot on the roster and are usually the 20 extra players that fall within the NCAA-mandated 105-players roster limit, which can include a maximum of 85 scholarship players for Football Bowl Subdivision or Division I teams.

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Newsome’s Easley commits to Atlanta Sports Academy

Posted Apr 27, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Apr 27, 2012 at 03:22 PM

Newsome senior defensive back/running back Royce Easley has made a commitment to Atlanta Sports Academy in Dawsonville, Ga., his mother, Donna Easley announced Friday.

The Atlanta Sports Academy is a post-graduate academic-athletic program for students who desire to earn a four-year scholarship at an accredited university. It offers programs in three men’s sports, football, basketball and baseball. Among the school’s recent enrollees is Deion Sanders Jr., a cornerback/wide receiver from Flower Mound, Texas.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Easley had offers from Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, Florida Tech and several others from Division II and III schools, as well as six preferred walk-on opportunities, including Florida State and Oregon.

But in the end, Easley and his family decided on the Atlanta Sports Academy because they felt it increases and improves his exposure to D-I colleges, where he hopes to eventually land, as well as improves upon his nutrition, speed, agility, conditioning and strength training.

At Newsome last season, Easley finished with 22 tackles on defense and carried the ball 16 times for 155 yards.

Photo: Newsome’s Royce Easley in action as a running back against Jefferson. Photo by Bill Ward/The Tampa Tribune.

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Carrollwood Day athletes sign letters

Posted Apr 27, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Apr 27, 2012 at 04:29 PM

Four Carrollwood Day School seniors signed letters-of-intent Thursday at the school’s theater.

They are: Bailey Drury, track and field, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas; Danielle Daley, volleyball, Agnes Scott in Decatur, Ga.; Dillon Floyd, football, Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio, and Chance Furman, football, Dakota State in Madison, S.D.

In photo, clockwise, from left, Bailey Drury, Chance Furman, Danielle Daley, Dillon Floyd.

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Nine Sickles players sign letters of intent

Posted Apr 26, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Apr 26, 2012 at 07:10 PM

Sickles’ football team had its biggest signing class in school history Thursday, with a total of nine Gryphons signing letters of intent to attend school and play the game at the next level.

Taking part in Thursday’s signing ceremony were offensive lineman Sean Smith, who is headed to Florida Tech, kicker Andres Vasquez, who will play for Western Michigan, defensive tackle Jorge Soba, who will attend Moorhead State, strong safety Jordan Robinson and offensive lineman Rico Majera, who signed with Jacksonville University, defensive back Adrian Lopez, who signed with Heidelberg University in Ohio, offensive lineman Michael Santana, who is going to Wittenberg University in Ohio, and linebacker Carlos Gamba and Antwan McClous, who will play for the club football squad Gattaca in Trenton, N.J.

Gattaca players players attend nearby Mercer County Community College and must carry certain grade and course loads to remain eligible to compete.

Robinson is a 5-foot-11, 186 pound strong safety/linebacker and Najera is a 6-4, 240 offensive tackle. At JU, they will play in the Pioneer Football League, which has schools as far away as California and New York. Robinson was one of the team’s top tacklers last season with 64. He also recorded two sacks and two interceptions.

Vasquez (6-1, 170) was one of Hillsborough County’s top place kickers and punters last season. He’s made a commitment to Western Michigan. Soba (6-1, 275), who had three sacks and 34 tackles last fall.

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