The girls basketball team at Seffner Christian isn't allowed to utter the words "state championship," coach Greg Fawbush said. The Class 3A state runners-up know nothing is guaranteed; that everyone will be coming for them next season.

But the Crusaders likely have an even better shot at making it back to the big game after adding four new players to their roster. 

Riverview's Asia Royster, Armwood's Alyssa Nieves, Lakewood's Deja Swinton and Coral Springs Charter's Chelsie Hall have all transferred to Seffner Christian, Fawbush confirmed Thursday.

Royster scored 14.8 points per game at Riverview last season, and Nieves, who averaged nearly 11 points per game, led Armwood to a region final last season.

"She's one of the best 2016 point guards in the  nation," Fawbush said of Hall.

The transfers will join returning starters Peyton Walker, the Tampa Bay Times' 2014 Hillsborough County Player of the Year,and Ally Parimore.

"I felt like we could make it back with what we had (before)," Fawbush said about their state championship chances. "That sets you up."

TAMPA — Three weeks ago, Alonso beat Armwood at UCF’s 7-on-7 tournament on a Hail Mary pass.

Saturday, the teams met again in the final of the Battle of the Bay tournament.

Once more, the Ravens prevailed, knocking off the defending champion Hawks 28-15.

“Sure, it’s 7-on-7 but this is still competition,” Alonso coach Brian Emanuel said. “We wanted to face (Armwood) again. They’re a tremendous program and we aspire to become what they are.”

Ravens quarterback Chris Oladokun, the Battle of the Bay MVP, was efficient, throwing just one interception in seven games. In the championship game, Oladokun threw three touchdown passes.

This is the second straight week Oladokun has guided a 7-on-7 team to a final. He quarterbacked Unsigned Preps in the IMG 7v7 tournament, throwing just four interceptions in 12 games last weekend.

“I played pretty well last week, too,” Oladokun said. “But this is the best we’ve probably played as an Alonso team at a 7-on-7 tournament. It was big to not only play Armwood again in the final, but to beat them. We wanted to prove that the last time wasn’t a fluke.”

The first time the Ravens beat Armwood, Oladokun completed his Hail Mary pass to Terryl Scott. Saturday, Scott played well despite hyperextending his knee in the second game, which forced him to miss the final.

“Terryl kept playing but the pain was a little too much by the time the final came around,” Emanuel said. “He probably was one of our MVPs up to that point.”

But the two biggest plays for the Ravens in the tournament came on defense. In the semifinals against Zephyrhills, Roosevelt Lawrence recorded an interception in the end zone to seal a win. And Chase Owens picked off Armwood’s Noah Johnson in the final, which was the turning point.

Coming up short: Though his Hawks didn’t defend their title, Armwood coach Sean Callahan used the opportunity to develop his team.

“We’re not worried about winning this sort of thing,” Callahan said. “Did we get better as a team? We sure did and that’s the important thing for us.

“This game here was dominated by a quarterback,” Callahan said of Oladokun. “They clearly had the best quarterback here and the kid did a good job and that really made the difference for them.”

Callahan has laid out an impressive workload for his players over the summer. This was their fourth 7-on-7 this summer.

Also of note for Armwood was their B team. The squad, made up primarily of junior varsity players and underclassmen, put together an impressive effort Saturday.

After a 2-2 record in pool play, the Hawks defeated Gaither and Chamberlain before being eliminated by the Hawks’ A team in the semifinals.

“This year we had a lot of kids and a lot of young ones too,” Callahan said. “The right thing for me to do was to continue to evaluate everyone, so that’s why we fielded two teams.”

Johnson was named the tournament’s top offensive player after leading the team to an average of more than 20 points a game.

Trading places: Former Berkeley Prep quarterback Cade Weldon, who appeared destined to play wide receiver in the fall while backing up Brad Mayes at QB, made his 7-on-7 debut with his new team. In his first team competition since transferring to Jefferson, the quarterback led the Dragons to the quarterfinals.

For Weldon, this summer has been all about getting comfortable at a new position and in a different environment. Weldon made the decision to transfer looking to get three full years of play at Jefferson.

“Just having three years starting at another school with the athletes I have here really played into the decision,” Weldon said.
The decision to transfer was only made at the beginning of the summer and Weldon’s time since has been about getting to know his new team and playbook.

“We’ve had about three weeks of lifting and coming out to get ready for 7-on-7,” Weldon said.

Weldon will take over the reigns of a program on the rise. After a 6-4 season in 2012, the Dragons went 10-2 last year.

Making a statement: Despite reeling in only six receptions for 55 yards last year, DJ Daniel will look to be a much bigger weapon for Chamberlain.

The rising senior will play on both sides of the ball, at receiver and free safety, as the Chiefs look to improve on a 4-6 record.

“Last year we had three pretty close games that we didn’t finish in the end,” Daniel said. “That’s our biggest thing we’re working on this summer, finishing games.”

Surprise showing: Zephyrhills, 0-4 in pool play, reached the semifinals with wins over Wharton and Largo. The Bulldogs were without quarterback Ty Tanner, who was on vacation. Tyler Kirby, normally a receiver, filled in at quarterback and played well in the preliminaries and quarterfinals. Jaylen Pickett, who came up with several big stops, was named the tournament defensive MVP.

Notable no shows: Largo was without quarterback Donavan Hale, who is playing in basketball showcases and tournaments this summer. Isaiah Thomas, who filled in when Hale was hurt last season, quarterbacked the Packers to the quarterfinals. Wharton receiver Auden Tate was on an unofficial recruiting trip along with Armwood’s Byron Cowart, East Lake’s George Campbell, Lakewood’s Ryan Davis and Sickles’ Ray Ray McCloud.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
(Selected by Times staffers John C. Cotey, Bob Putnam and Jacob Lynn with input from coaches)
QB: Chris Oladokun, Alonso
QB: Noah Johnson, Armwood
WR: Deon Cain, Tampa Bay Tech
WR: Kelvin Clemons, Alonso
WR: Vonte Williams, Wharton
WR: D.J. Daniels, Chamberlain
DB: Roosevelt Lawrence, Alonso
DB: Jaylen Pickett, Zephyrhills
DB: Taj Taylor, Largo
DB: Aaron Covington, Armwood
Honorable mention: Jonathan Crawford, Largo; Tavon Jones, Northeast; Chris Ryan, Countryside; Jackie Tucker, Zephyrhills.

Times staff writers John C. Cotey and Jacob Lynn contributed to this report.

Freedom forward Taylor Emery, one of Tampa Bay's most prolific scorers the past two seasons, announced on Twitter her intentions to play collegiately at Tulane.

Emery made an official visit to Tulane the weekend of June 23 and orally committed Sunday. She chose the Green Wave over schools like Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and Seton Hall.

Emery, a 5-foot-10 slasher who also likes to stay busy defensively and has worked diligently on developing her outside shot, averaged 25.9 points a game last season to lead Hillsborough County, including a 41-point effort against Tampa Bay Tech.

Going  into her fourth season as a starter, Emery has a career average of 21.2 ppg, and is likely to join the exclusive 2,000-point club this upcoming season.

Seminole catcher Doug Borgh has committed to play at Hillsborough Community College.

Borgh hit .224 as a senior with 17 RBIs. He was best defensively. He threw out 94 percent of potential base stealers and was named the PCAC north's first team catcher.

Borgh also had offers from Bluefield State and Charleston University in West Virginia. He is the second straight Seminole catcher to sign locally. Last year's starter, Michael Mann, plays at St. Petersburg College.

Northeast guard Lisa Waithe has committed to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Waithe played in all 31 games as a senior for the Vikings and averaged 3.9 points per game. She was a Times' all-county honorable mention and also played in the Pinellas vs. Hillsborough senior all-star game.

William Penn is an NAIA school that plays in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. The Statesmen were 12-18 last season.

Tampa Catholic has hired its boys basketball coach, Don Dziagwa, as the school's new athletic director. He officially begins in his new position Tuesday.

Dziagwa has been at the school for 25 years, the past 23 as the boys basketball coach. In that time, the Crusaders have won 388 games, made 17 trips to the region playoffs, tallied eight district championships, made four visits to the state final four, and won a Class 3A state championship in 1995.

Dziagwa was interested in the athletic director job a little over a decade ago, but the school's principal at the time did not want a coach as the AD, and the head Crusader was not ready to stop coaching. But principal Thomas Reidy had no such reservations this time around.

"This was probably a lesson in perservance,'' said Dziagwa, a Marshall University grad. " When it came open this time, I was very interested in it. As interested as I was 11 years ago."

Dziagwa's 36 years of experience coaching made him an ideal candidate, as well as his long tenure as a Crusader. He said his primary goals will be to serve the coaches at the school, "to see what we can do to make their programs better and see what they need." He also hopes to focus on exposure for the school's athletic programs, something he has done by scheduling out-of-state trips at prestigious tournaments for his basketball teams in the past.

Dziagwa replaces Freddie Langiotti, who was fired two weeks ago after 14 years at Tampa Catholic.

Langiotti returned a message left last week by the Times with a text message, saying the firing was "unexpected" and that it was not related to the ongoing Florida High School Athletic Association investigation of Tampa Catholic over alleged recruiting violations involving football players from Pasco County.

Plant City linebacker Sawyer Dawson has orally committed to Purdue, according to his Twitter account.

Dawson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) picked the Boilermakers over 12 other schools that offered him, including Illinois, Marshall, Syracuse and Toledo.

A sure tackler and playmaker for the Raiders last season, Dawson had 87 tackles, including 12 for losses. He two sacks, 12 passes defended, three interceptions and two touchdowns. He was an honorable mention all-county selection by the Times.

Dawson is rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals. 

Clearwater Central Catholic quarterback Jeff Smith announced his commitment to Boston College via Twitter on Tuesday.

Smith, a senior, choose the Eagles after attending a camp at the school last week.

"When I camped there it felt like home with the students, players and coaches," Smith said. "They also wanted me as a quarterback."

Smith, rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports, has offers from nine schools. On Sunday, he narrowed the list to a top four that included Indiana, Iowa State and Wisconsin. Indiana was the only other school among his top four besides Boston College that offered him at quarterback.

"People don't think I can play (quarterback) so I'm out to prove that I can spin it with the best of them," Smith said. "I just needed someone to give me a chance and Boston College did."

Last season, Smith took over as the full-time starting quarterback at the midway point and led the Marauders to the Class 3A state championship game. In the spring, he threw for 193 yards and ran for 114 in a win against Immokalee.

Our third annual countdown of the top 100 football players in Tampa Bay. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration. First up: players 91 through 100. 

Bloomingdale football coach John Booth says he did not just apply for the Bradenton Manatee head job on a whim.

He did it because he thought he was the man for the job. Because his familiarity with the Bradenton area made him ideal. Because as a 2000 graduate, he understood the Hurricane tradition better than most.

His alma mater apparently agreed with him.

On Tuesday afternoon, Booth was officially hired as the new Bradenton Manatee football coach, replacing legendary coach Joe Kinnan. Kinnan stepped aside recently due to health problems.

Booth applied last week, was called Saturday to schedule an interview for Monday, which he presumably nailed, and Tuesday he was hired.

"It was very fast," Booth said. "The interview went well, I thought. I feel very lucky and blessed to be part of it, to be going back home.

"I am fully confident in my abilities and the job that I can do. I didn't just throw my hat in it and hope for the best. I applied because I know I can do the job."

Booth played and coached collegiately at MidAmerica Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Olathe, Kansas, before taking his first head coaching job at Bloomingdale in 2009. He went 0-10 his first season, but the Bulls showed improvement every year.

Last season the Bulls went 6-4, the best regular season in school history, and were considered a playoff contender heading into the fall.

"We had a goal this year of making the playoffs. We certainly felt like we could do that," Booth said. " I feel like we have left something good here at Bloomingdale."

Brad Mayes loves Berkeley Prep. He loves his talented football team, he loves the academic reputation of the school and he loves the quaintness of the campus.

He figured why not do another four years someplace like it

Wednesday morning, Mayes orally committed to Lehigh University.

"I made the decision because I was ready,'' Mayes said. "I really wanted to focus on the team this year, they need my full concentration and commitment. I'd say I wanted to get this out of the way so I can put all my effort and concentration into the season."

Mayes completed a career-best 52 percent of his passes last season and threw for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns, and for his career has thrown for 2,280 yards and 18 scores. He has rushed for 10 touchdowns as well, while guiding the Bucs to a 12-8 record.

The Mountain Hawks were 8-3 last season, and are 39-9 and 17-3 in the Patriot League since 2009. Jesuit products Brad Smith and Drew Paulson are joined on the current roster by former Countryside kicker Ryan Pandy.

"It compares to Berkeley,'' said Mayes, who is heading into his third season as the Bucs' starting quarterback. "It has a great football team,  has really good academics and it's not that big of a school. I'd love to go to another Berkelely for four more years."

"It's a great campus,'' Mayes said. "I can see myself having a good time there."

Our third annual countdown of the top 100 football players in Tampa Bay. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration. Today: players 81 through 90. 

Previous installment:

91-100

Playing without two of its best players, including last year's leading scorer, didn't stop Jesuit from capturing the SEBA summer league championship as the Tigers cruised past Tampa Catholic 51-39 in Wednesday's final at Tampa Prep.

The Tigers, who wrapped up the summer season 9-1, beat Wharton in the semifinals 47-46 in sudden death, and then 30 minutes later jumped ahead of the rival Crusaders 21-5 and cruised. 

Daniel Darst led the Tigers with 13, while Ryan Fleming added 11 and Lee Green scored 10.

Tampa Catholic's Tom Dziagwa led all scorers with 20.

Tampa Catholic beat Jefferson 69-66 in a semifinal.

The summer league is played with modified rules: four 10-minute quarters, with a running clock until the final two minutes; if you are fouled while shooting, you get one free throw but it counts for two points; first team to score in overtime wins.

TOP 12 PERFORMERS (from the final four):

1. Daniel Darst, Jesuit: The 6-foot-5 senior is no secret -- he averaged 14 points a game last season. But he was the best player in the two games Wednesday, and I'm not sure it was even close. If we were picking MVPs, he would be it.

He was exceptional rebounding the ball against Wharton in the semifinals and scored 16 points, showing some range as well with a pair of three-pointers. When the Tigers got the ball in sudden death overtime, it worked the ball around until it could post Darst up, and once fed he powered his way to the hoop and drew a foul, making the game-winning free throw. Against Tampa Catholic, it was more of the same.

2. Lee Green, Jesuit: Did Green miss a shot Wednesday? No, seriously, I'm asking because I didn't see him miss one. The 6-foot-5 Green was terrific (like, MVP terrific if he had gotten a few more touches) on the low post, using deceptive athleticism to beat defenders to the glass. He showed a nice touch around the hoop, and wasn't afraid to use the backboard. He also blocked his share of shots. Probably the one guy that really jumped out, in my opinion.  

3. Maurice Moore, Jefferson: If Moore had a few more inches on him, colleges would be on him. He's 6-foot-2 but plays much bigger, and uses his 200 pounds to have his way inside. He dominated at times inside against Tampa Catholic, even showing off a sweet little spin move at one point for an easy bucket. And while power moves to his hoop are his game, he also stepped out and hit a three, finishing with 17 points in the 69-66 loss.

4. Ryan Fleming, Jesuit: Great pair of games Wednesday night. He killed Wharton down the stretch of their semifinal, draining a pair of three-pointers within a minute of each other as the Tigers wiped out a 41-34 deficit. He then added 11 points in the final, a tidy reverse lay-up causing Crusader heads to hang low.

5. Tom Dziagwa, Tampa Catholic: Played out of control at times, but when Dziagwa isn't forcing things he is an exceptional scorer, both outside from beyond the arc and inside on his drives to the hoop. He outscored Jefferson 8-2 in the final 46 seconds in the semifinal, finishing with, unofficially, 27 points. Including his finals performance, he finished with a finals-high 47 points.

6. Kevin Knox, Tampa Catholic: Knox, a tall rangy 6-foot-6 shooter who had a nice summer, didn't play well in the final but was very good in the semifinals, scoring 20 and showing improved range on his three-pointers, sinking three of them. Also the school's starting quarterback, Knox has a good chance to have college scouts from both his sports drooling over him come 2016. 

8. Vernon Jackson, Jefferson: Scored 17 points in the semifinal loss, including 10 in the second half, and you have to consider the Dragons backcourt (Jackson and Jenkins) one of the best in Tampa Bay heading into next season.

9. Phillip Malcolm, Wharton: Did a lot of nice things for the Wildcats, including showing a nice touch from the outside. He hit a trio of three-pointers in the semifinal loss to Jesuit, and all came at big moments. 

Our third annual countdown of the top 100 football players in Tampa Bay. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration. Today: players 71 through 80. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

Miguel Menendez is the head baseball coach at Jesuit, the school announced Thursday. He replaces Richie Warren, who led the team to a state title this past season.

Menendez, 37, is a former University of Tampa star under coach Terry Rupp, the current athletic director at Jesuit, and was the head coach at Key West eight seasons before stepping down after the 2013 season. He did not coach last season.

"When I stepped down from Key West, I just wanted to explore some other options,'' Menendez told the Times. "I was looking to get back to the Tampa Bay area. There were some other things we were looking at ...but this was the one we wanted to pursue.

"I would say it has to be one of the top jobs in all of the country. Knowing the tradition, and the facilities and the quality of education, it's an unbelievable opportuntiy for me. I'm blessed to have this chance."

A Key West High graduate, Menendez won a state championship as a player, starting for the team that beat Osceola in 2006.

He played at the University of Tampa from 1996-99 as a catcher and first baseman. He was a two-team all-Sunshine State Conference first team selection, and the Southeast Regional MVP in 1998 in helping the Spartans to the Division II College World Series title.

"I went to UT so I've always followed Jesuit closely,'' he said. "Terry Rupp was my coach in college, so I'm sure that didn't hurt."

This will be the second time Menendez has inherited a storied program coming off a state championship. In 2006, he took over for Ralph Henriquez at 11-time state champion Key West following the Conchs last state title. Menendez led Key West to the playoffs three times.

Menendez has relatives in Brandon and was born in Tampa -- his mother went to Leto -- but moved to Key West when he was just one month old. He and his wife Lori have three children: Miguel, Jackson and Elizabeth.

Our third annual countdown of the top 100 football players in Tampa Bay. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration. Today: players 61 through 70. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

Dixie Hollins' infielder Joseph Simmons has signed with Pasco-Hernando State College in New Port Richey.

Simmons was one of the Rebels' top players. He hit .362 with eight RBIs, but most impressively he stole a county-high 36 bases. Simmons was also a member of the Pinellas senior all-star team.

PHSC is coming off its best season. The Conquistadors won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II regional championship and qualified for the NJCAA II World Series, where they went 2-2. So far, Simmons joins East Lake's Riley Choate as a local player signing with PHSC.

Anclote football coach Matt Wicks added another title when he was hired as the school's athletic director Tuesday.

Wicks replaces Heidi Michaels, who resigned as AD but still is teaching at the school.

"I knew this was the next step," Wicks said. "We shall see (if it will be hard juggling both jobs). I should be fine. I just have to get a routine going."

Wicks is the third football coach in the North Suncoast to take on the role as athletic director at his school, joining Pasco's Tom McHugh and Weeki Wachee's Mark Lee.

In 2009, Wicks was hired as the Sharks' coach and eventually built a winning program with playoff appearances the past two seasons, including the school's first district title last season.

On July 3, Jesuit announced Miguel Menendez as its new baseball coach. He replaces Jesuit alumus and eight-year coach Richie Warren. Here are 10 facts about the new leader of one of the Tampa Bay area's most storied high school baseball programs:

1. Talk about a homecoming. Menendez was born at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital, located just more than a mile from Jesuit's campus. When he was a month old, Menendez moved to Key West and lived there until he left for college."It’s exciting," he said of his return. "If I was ever going to leave Key West, Tampa was the one place I would consider."

2. Menendez is no stranger to baseball championships. As a senior for Key West High School in 1995, he helped the Conchs — who now own a state-high 11 baseball titles — win their eighth state championship. In 1998, Menendez's junior year at the University of Tampa, he helped lead the Spartans to a Division II national championship. “I feel like I was blessed and had a very successful baseball career,” he said.

3. A catcher and first baseman, Menendez was recruited to play baseball at the University of Tampa by former Spartans coach Lelo Prado, but in the summer before Menendez's freshman year, Prado left to take the job at Louisville and was replaced by future Jesuit athletic director Terry Rupp. 

4. During his eight years as head coach at Key West, Menendez was matched up with Jesuit twice. Jesuit beat the Conchs 8-1 in Key West on March 18, 2011. The next season, the Conchs traveled to Tampa to take on Jesuit again, but the game was rained out. "We had a nice dance-off on the tarps out there," Menendez recalled.

5. Though Menendez has spent most of his life in Key West, the lifelong Floridian has lots of family in the Tampa Bay area. Menendez said most of his mother's family resides here, and he has an aunt and uncle from his father's side who live in Brandon. He also has a second cousin who is a student at Sickles. 

6. Menendez said he heard about the Jesuit opening in June and quickly began a nearly month-long hiring process. He interviewed for the job three times, driving a total of 30 hours from Key West to Tampa and back...twice. “The third time they saved me a trip. They let me interview via Skype," he said. "It saved some miles on the car.” 

7. One of the selling points about Menendez, Rupp said, was his teaching experience. In addition to coaching baseball, Menendez will join the more than half of Jesuit coaches who also spend time in the classroom. Menendez has taught social studies for 14 years and will teach economics, American government and American history at Jesuit.

8. While Menendez is in the process of settling in his new home, his family will arrive a little later. His wife, Lori, and their kids — Miguel, 11, Elizabeth, 10, and Jackson, 6 — will officially move to town after the next school year so his daughter can finish elementary school in Key West. “They do a big graduation thing,” Menendez said. “We didn’t want to take that away from her.”

9. Having been coached by Rupp for four years at UT, Menendez — who considers himself a "hard-nosed guy" — said much of his coaching style comes from the current Jesuit athletic director. "To me it’s about hard work. We want to out work you. It’s not so much how much talent — everybody’s got some talent — but it doesn’t take any talent to give me effort," Menendez said. "Practices are my game days."

10. Menendez has not yet reached out to Warren — who is now the head baseball coach at Berkeley Prep — since taking over his old job, but he says he plans to. That being said, the new coach isn't worried about the challenges that could come with a coaching change. “Kids are resilient. As long as you’re upfront and honest with them and you’re real, they’re going to see that I’m not fake and I’m going to be there for them," he said. "They’ll be fine, and they’ll come on over.”

Lakewood athlete Tyrell Hubbard-Smith said he transferred to Gibbs this week.

Smith, a senior who has been a receiver and defensive back throughout his high school career, said he will play quarterback with the Gladiators.

This is the fourth time Hubbard-Smith has transferred to a school in as many years. He was at Lakewood as a freshman and junior and played at Northeast as a sophomore. Last year, he helped the Spartans reach the Class 5A state semifinals for the first time.

Smith-Hubbard has offers from five schools, including USF. All of them want him as an athlete.