TC’s Mendoza to sign with St. Francis

Posted Jul 13, 2010 by Bill Ward

Updated Jul 13, 2010 at 04:11 PM

Brandon Mendoza, a three-year-starter for Tampa Catholic’s football team at linebacker and the Crusaders’ leading tackler last season en route to their appearnace in the Class 2B state championship game, will sign a scholarship to the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.

Mendoza is scheduled to sign the scholarship Monday at TC. At St. Francis, he will join his older, Marco, who will be a junior defensive end for the Saints this season.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Brandon Mendoza will also play baseball for St. Francis. For TC, he was a standout at second base.

For the football team last season, Mendoza was one of the squad’s captains and posted a team-high 101 tackles, including 81 solos. As a junior, he was third on the team in tackes with 64 and had 79 as a sophomore. He is one of a handful of TC players who started in two state title games for the Crusaders (2007 and 2009) under head coach Bob Henriquez. In last fall’s championship game, Mendoza also saw duty on offense and caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from D.J. Williams for the Crusader’s lone score in a 21-7 loss to Jacksonville Bolles.

“Brandon was one of those guys who started out as an under-sized player to a total team leader, someone you just couldn’t do without,” Henriquez said. “He was so versatile—he was even on our good-hands team on kickoff returns because of his baseball skills—and one of the best all-around athletes we had.”

At St. Francis, Brandon is expected to see action his freshman year as a long snapper. St. Francis is an NAIA program and posted a 3-8 record last season.