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Canterbury's Taylor Bump commits to Michigan

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Canterbury shortstop Taylor Bump has committed to play softball at Michigan.

Bump, a freshman, has helped the Crusaders win two straight Class 2A state titles. This past season, Bump hit .557 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs. She is the second player from Canterbury's heralded 2017 class to make her college plans official. Last year, catcher Danielle Romanello committed to Florida.

"The atmosphere (at Michigan) is incredible," Bump said. "The support they have is amazing. Also, when I went to the campus for the first time I received that warm and fuzzy feeling that felt like home. The softball program is incredible and the coaching staff is down to earth and so well known."

The Wolverines are coached by Carol Hutchins, who has more than 1,000 career victories and led the program to a national title in 2005.

"The coaches really care about the person you become while you are there," Bump said. "They don't base everything off of talent. I love that. The best part, though, is when Hutch said to me, 'You aren't just a part of Michigan for four years, your'e a part of it for life'."


HomeTeam 100: Players 51-60

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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 51 through 60. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

Alonso ATH Roosevelt Lawrence commits to Marshall

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Alonso ATH Roosevelt Lawrence has commited to Marshall, the school announced on Twitter Tuesday. 

Lawrence, a 6-foot, 155-pound cornerback and kick returner for the Ravens, finished last season with 569 all purpose yards, two touchdowns and 70 tackles. He recorded a team-high four interceptions, recovered four fumbles and blocked a field goal.

Lawrence also had offers from Wisconsin, Western Michigan and South Alabama.

HomeTeam 100: Players 41-50

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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 41 through 50. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

51-60

2016 standout TJ Chase heads to IMG

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Most things in T.J. Chase’s life revolve around football and his future in it. But when it came to making one of his biggest decisions to date, the 2016 Division I recruit had something else on the mind.

Chase announced Thursday via Twitter that he transferred from Plant City to Bradenton’s IMG Academy, a program known for Heisman Trophy winning coach Chris Weinke and flashy facilities. Those things, however, weren’t Chase’s motivating factors.

“I just wanted to come here for a better education,” he said. “It’s really all-around, I just want to be better prepared.”

A rising junior, Chase has picked up 22 offers so far, including ones from Alabama, Florida and Michigan. A shoulder injury kept him out of three Plant City games last season, but Chase still led the Raiders in receiving with 562 yards, adding 43 tackles as a defensive back.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete said he first became interested in transferring in March while playing at a 7-on-7 tournament at IMG. His parents then contacted the school, he said, and things began falling into place.

IMG, which is heading into its second season of football, has claimed four other Tampa Bay players: Tyree St. Louis (Tampa Bay Tech), John Tauber (Palm Harbor University)  Shane Dixon (PHU) and Tony Jones (St. Petersburg Catholic).

Chase, who has already met with the defensive backs and wide receivers coaches at IMG, said he’ll miss his teammates and coaches at Plant City, but looks forward to the opportunities his new school will provide. 

“They’re just always trying to do what they can to make us better,” Chase said “and I appreciate that.”

Bloomingdale hires alum Brian Surcy as football coach

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Brian Surcy, a 1996 Bloomingdale graduate, had tried to become the head football coach at his alma mater once before, applying for the job when Corey Brinson stepped down in 2007.

Surcy, then 29, was passed over. But he never gave up on the dream. 

Early Friday morning — when athletic director Donny Peek called Surcy to offer him the job as Bloomingdale’s coach — Surcy finally felt like his perseverance paid off. 

“For me, it’s a lesson that I’ll be able to teach to our kids. And that’s the most important thing to me,” he said. “You’re going to get disappointed, but you’ve just got to pick up the pieces and move on and continue to believe that good things will happen for you.”

Surcy, 36, replaces John Booth, who took the head coaching job at Bradenton Manatee on July 1. Surcy has spent the past two seasons as running backs coach on Booth’s staff, his second stint as an assistant for the Bulls. 

Peek said there was a group of 20 applicants from all over the country, which was then narrowed down to three finalists. For Peek, it was Surcy’s love of both the game and the school that made him stand out.

“Bloomingdale has never hired an alumni before,” Peek said. “The passion he has for that program, playing on that field, walking those halls, we think he’s got the desire to continue to make it a winner.”

After graduating from Bloomingdale in 1996, Surcy was a running back at USF. In addition to assisting at Bloomingdale, Surcy has coached at Middleton and Tampa Catholic. 

In his first season as a head coach, Surcy will inherit a Bloomingdale team that finished 6-4 in 2013 — the best season in school history. It’s a different Bloomingdale than the one Surcy knew as a player in the ’90s, a time in which the Bulls piled up losing seasons. But he isn’t about to rest on last year’s improvement. 

Within 90 minutes of being named head coach, Surcy had already called a coaches’ meeting for Friday evening. 

“You just have to sit back and thank God first of all, and take it in,” Surcy said of nabbing the job he’s always wanted. “I also know, too, that there’s a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time. We’ve got to hit the ground running.”

Contact Kelly Parsons at kaparsons@tampabay.com. Follow @_kellyparsons.

HomeTeam 100: Players 31-40

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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 41 through 50. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

51-60

41-50

River Ridge P/1B Jason Heinrich part of all-star events

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As a junior this past season, River Ridge pitcher/first baseman Jason Heinrich led the North Suncoast with seven home runs. 

The Times' North Suncoast Player of the Year hopes his mighty bat won't fail him this weekend. 

Heinrich is the lone area player competing in Sunday's junior home run derby at Target Field in Minnesota, all part of the MLB All-Star Game festivities. The contest will air live on MLB.com at 9 a.m., before the All-Star Futures Game. 

Eight players are in the junior derby field, with the top two moving on to Monday's main-event home run derby with the pros. 

Heinrich, a UCF commit, also hit .534 last season, and was pretty stellar on the mound with a 9-1 record and 70 strikeouts. 


HomeTeam 100: Players 21-30

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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 21 through 30. 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

51-60

41-50

31-40

Baseball: Jefferson's Maldonado commits to Florida

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Jefferson outfielder Nelson Maldonado commited to Florida last week, coach Juan Fontela reported. 

Maldonado, a 5-foot-9 rising senior, has led the Dragons at the plate each of the last two season. As a junior last season, the Times' all-Hillsborough County first team selection hit .432 and had four home runs, eight doubles and 26 RBI as he helped take the Dragons to a district championship. 

Maldonado is the only current Dragon to have commited to a Division I program, Fontela said.

"He's the kind of guy that other players feed off of," Fontela said. "He's a hard worker, and he gets the other kids motivated to play."

HomeTeam 100: Players 11-20

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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 11 through 20 

Previous installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

51-60

41-50

31-40

21-30

PHU's Dillan Gibbons transfers to Northside Christian

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Palm Harbor University offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons has transferred to Northside Christian, according to his father, Shannon.

The move comes six weeks after Gibbons transferred from St. Petersburg Catholic to PHU.

"That family just felt that putting Dillan back in the private school setting was the best fit for him," Shannon Gibbons said. "Plus, we were blown away at how strong the academics were at Northside."

Gibbons, a 6-foot-5, 278-pounder, started as a freshman for the Barons last season. He became a hot commodity among recruiters this offseason with offers from Cincinnati, Louisville, Ohio State and South Carolina.

HomeTeam 100: People's choice for No. 1

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We'll be revealing our HomeTeam 100 top 10 on Wednesday. While area players seem to think Sickles running back Ray Ray McCloud III is a lock for the top spot, who has your vote? 

HomeTeam 100: Players 1-10

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We watched games, attended offseason events, covered 7-on-7 tournaments, attended spring practices and watched highlight videos.

Picking the best high school football players in Tampa Bay to rank was easy.

Picking only 100 was hard.

Putting them in order was harder.

Picking a No. 1 was hardest.

There was freakish athleticism to choose from in Deon Cain and George Campbell.

There were grown men to choose from in Byron Cowart and Shavar Manuel.

There were quarterbacks who scare the pants off defensive coordinators like Dwayne Lawson and Ryan Davis to choose from.

The final list changed daily. Last week’s No. 1 switched spots with this week’ No. 1.

We argued, a little.

Then we picked Sickles running back Ray Ray McCloud III.

While there were many factors, it really came down this: He will touch the ball, and you will hold your breath.

You, the fan, the defensive player waiting to make the tackle, the coaches who had to game plan all week to stop him.

Everyone.

When you breathe again, it’s only to oooh and ahhh.

That’s what the best players do to you.

Previous HomeTeam 100 installments:

91-100

81-90

71-80

61-70

51-60

41-50

31-40

21-30

11-20

Wiregrass Ranch football coach Mike Lawrence resigns

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Mike Lawrence has resigned after one season as head football coach at Wiregrass Ranch to take a job at a small college in Kansas, according to Bulls athletic director Dave Wilson.

Lawrence told Wilson he was resigning on Monday, and Wednesday around 6 p.m. he met with parents and players to make it official.

"(Leaving is) about having the opportunity to better my career and have a chance to grow in my career as a coach and also, maybe give other players that are down here that I see get looked over and everything else an opportunity to play at the next level," Lawrence said.

Lawrence is the second bay area coach to resign this month. John Booth left Bloomingdale for Bradenton Manatee on July 2 and was replaced swiftly by Brian Surcy.

The Bulls offensive coordinator for a season before ascending to the head job in December 2012, Lawrence beat out 27 other applicants. Lawrence helped guided the Bulls to a 4-6 record in his only season and helped snap the program's 22-game losing streak.

"(Wiregrass Ranch) will be a force to be reckoned with this year. I mean, just because I'm gone, doesn't mean I'm gone," Lawrence said.. "I'll still be there, still come down, support the team and do all I can to make sure that they continue to be successful.

"I'm proud of what they've done, I'm proud they've achieved, I'm proud of their continued growth and being able to be better young men and players. I'm just proud of everything that they've done. So, I'm excited to see them take the next step in their careers and season to be even better. They will be a good team, regardless of if I'm there or not."

Lawrence leaves Wiregrass Ranch for a job as the special teams coordinator and receivers coach at Bethany College, an NAIA school in Lindsborg, Kan. Lawrence is a Miami native but played for Kansas State and graduated in 1997.

Wilson said the job would be posted for five business days as required, and that interviews would likely begin next week. He said he was pleased with the staff Lawrence had put together, and "we have some really good people here that still want to be with the program."

Wilson said that doesn't necessarily mean the new coach will come from within. "If Mr. Dungy wants to call me and say he's interested...," Wilson said, chuckling.

Fall practice for all area football teams start on Aug. 4.

Times correspondent Jeff Odom contributed to this report. 


Two more Brandon basketball players headed to college

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Two more Brandon boys basketball players will play college ball.

C Kiefer Grimes-Jefferson has committed to Wilson College, a Division III program in Pennsylvania, coach Jamie Turner said Thursday night.

G Khevin Wilson will play at Florida College.  The 6-foot-1 Wilson was the Eagles’ leading scorer this year.

Standout forward Roderick Davis has already signed with Wright State.

Baseball: Plant's Vaka commits to UNF

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Former Plant right-hander and outfielder Matt Vaka has commited to pitch at the University of North Florida, coach Dennis Braun said Thursday. 

Vaka, who only pitched two Panther games last season and finished with a 1.00 ERA, often played designated hitter as a senior at Plant, recording a .330 batting average, 18 RBI, nine doubles, four triples and two home runs. In May, Vaka, a Times' second-team all-Hillsborough County selection, pitched in the Hillsborough vs. Pinellas Senior All-Star game at Tropicana Field.

Vaka will join former Wiregrass Ranch right-hander Zach Drury, who signed with the Ospreys last November. 

East Lake's Justin Strnad commits to Wake Forest

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East Lake defensive back Justin Strnad announced via Twitter that he has committed to Wake Forest.

"I liked Wake Forest because of the high level academics, the coaching staff, the campus, the people and the ACC," Strnad said.

Last season, Strnad had 81 tackles and a fumble recovery. His recruiting picked up in the spring with 18 offers. He said he decided on the Demon Deacons over UCF and Illinois. Last month, Strnad visited Wake Forest, which wants him to play a hybrid linebacker that can excel in pass coverage.

Strnad is the third East Lake player from the Class of 2015 who has committed to a Division I program, joining Daniel LaCamera (Texas A&M) and Carson Lydon (Virginia Tech).

"I wanted to get this decision done so I could enjoy my senior season with my teammates and not be distracted as we try to get a state championship," Strnad said.

Pinellas Park's Rashaan Watson commits to South Alabama

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Pinellas Park's Rashaan Watson decided to end his recruiting process by committing to South Alabama on Friday.

"I just like where South Alabama as a football program is going," Watson said. "They're up and coming and it feels like home."

South Alabama started its football program in 2009 before moving up to Division I-A and into the Sun Belt Conference.

Watson said he chose the Jaguars over Georgia Southern and Georgia State. This past season, Watson recorded 72 tackles and four interceptions to help the Patriots advance to the Class 7A region semifinals.

"It was very important to me (to commit early) because now I can give my full attention to this upcoming football season and school," Watson said.

Lakewood grad Donterio Fowler commits to Akron

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Lakewood graduate Donterio Fowler committed to Akron this week after attending prep school to become eligible.

Fowler said he went to Atlanta Sports Academy  in order to geta composite ACT score of 18 (he scored 20).  He finishes with the prep school Friday and said he plans to enroll at Akron in January.

"I'll train the next few months and go to all my brother's football games," said Fowler, whose older brother, Dante, is a defensive lineman for the Florida Gators.

This past season, Fowler did a little of everything for the Spartans. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards and had more than 600 yards in kick returns. He said Akron plans to use him as a running back and receiver.

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