HomeTeam Hot Shots
Each week, our HomeTeam staffers will nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover. These nominations span Saturday, April 27 through Friday, May 3. Winners get a free T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on what made our nominees stand out then look for our writers’ picks for overall winners in Tuesday’s Tampa Bay Times.
Female nominees
Skyler Boynton, Academy at the Lakes softball: The sophomore catcher had the first walkoff hit of her high school career, knocking an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh of the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory in the Class 2A region semifinal.
Nicole Carroll, Tampa Catholic track: The sophomore, along with Jesuit’s Nick Catchur, helped Hillsborough County sweep the pole vault events in the Class 2A state meet. Carroll, who just took up the pole vault last year, cleared 11 feet to win.
Chaise Cook-Martin, Boca Ciega track: The senior won the triple jump at the Class 3A state meet, leaping 38 feet, 4 inches in adverse weather conditions to beat her closest competitor by nearly 6 inches. It was her first state title in the event, ending years of frustration.
Hallie Grimes, Land O’Lakes track: The junior finished third at the Class 3A state meet in the 400 meters (57.59 seconds), despite taking seventh in prelims.
Jorian Ordway, Hillsborough track: Senior took an IB exam at noon at Paxon High (about 30 minutes away), then scurried to the Class 3A meet in Jacksonville in time to medal in three events (second in 400, seventh in 200, eighth in 4x400).
Kama Woodall, Canterbury softball: The eighth-grader was 4-for-4 with two RBIs, and was also the winning pitcher, in Canterbury’s 7-3 win over Boca Raton Grandview Prep Friday. She gave up five hits, had three strikeouts and zero walks to enable Canterbury to go to its second Class 2A state tournament in three years.
Male nominees
Deandre Boykins, Lakewood track: The senior, who was hurt most of the year, was an unlikely hero at the Class 2A state meet, running an anchor leg on the second-place 4x100 relay team and finishing fifth in the 200 meters. The four points he scored in the 200 helped Lakewood win the team title by a point.
Trayvon Bromell, Gibbs track: The senior capped off a memorable season by winning the 100 meters in 10.45 seconds at the Class 3A state meet. He followed that by running a leg on the winning 4x100 relay (42.26) and finishing second in the 200 (21.41).
Bobby Harris, Springstead track: In awful conditions in Jacksonville, the Eagles junior came through with a solid 6-2 high jump that was good enough to win the school’s first state gold medal in 23 years.
Brandon Lawson, Hernando baseball: The USF commit pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout in the Class 5A region quarterfinals against Wesley Chapel. He also finished 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and two walks.
Kevin Long, Plant City baseball: The senior nearly pitched the Raiders to a victory in their Class 7A region quarterfinal at Lakeland George Jenkins on Thursday. Long allowed four hits, struck out nine and walked none in a little more than six innings. But he was denied a complete game when officials stopped the game, tied at 2-all in the bottom of the seventh inning, because of rain and field conditions.
Jonathan Moore, Jefferson track: The senior won the 800 meters in 1:55.21 at the Class 3A meet, a year after placing third in the event.