West Orange County athletes sign their letters of intent

Signing day is a special time for any athlete. After all that hard work and fielding many college offers in the process, they are finally putting ink to paper and declaring where they will be spending the next four years and showcasing their athletic talents. 

ALWAYS A WARRIOR

West Orange High School had 11 athletes sign their letters of intent during a ceremony held Dec. 8 at West Orange High School. From baseball all the way to beach volleyball, many of the athletes signed with notable schools. 

The Warriors baseball team had four athletes commit to colleges. Cam Anstey signed with the Air Force Academy, which he said gives him a chance not only to continue playing baseball but also serve his country. Titan Kamaka committed to play for Florida State — although he is also being considered for the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. Pitcher William Ross signed with the Florida Gators; he also is being looked at as a serious prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft. 

The final member of the baseball commits was Max McClusky. He’ll be attending Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach and will be studying homeland security. 

West Orange volleyball had two athletes sign during the ceremony: Samantha Novak committed to St. Thomas University in Miami for volleyball, and Cambrie Riffe signed with Florida Atlanta University for beach volleyball. Both were key pieces for the Warriors’ 2021 fall season and now will be looking to add to their college teams. Riffe said she will be studying biological science while at FAU. 

Soccer players Corrine “CC” Brookes and Zeta Chevalier committed to play soccer for Newberry College and Alabama State respectively. 

Cross-country runner Ava Baldauf signed with the University of West Florida, after a senior season during which she led West Orange to a third-place finish at the district meet with a sixth-place finish and a personal best. She was the highest-placing Warrior runner at the regional meet, where she finished 16th. 

Softball player Ailey Schyck signed with Murray State University. After spending her freshman season at Dr. Phillips, she came to West Orange for her last three years of high school. She was named to the All-Metro Conference team in her junior season as a first baseman for West Orange. 

Finally, rower Ashley Sizelove affirmed her commitment to attend the University of Alabama and compete on the rowing team. 

The football team hosted its ceremony Dec. 15.  Brendan Flakes, Eddie Kelly, Jayden Gibson and three other players all signing their NLIs. Flakes will be attending Northwestern University, while Kelly signed with the University of South Florida, along with his teammate Tony Newsome. After decommitting from Florida, Gibson signed with the University of Oklahoma. Javan Robinson signed with Washington State; and Matthew McDoom signed with Coastal Carolina Univeristy. 

WOOP WOOP WOLVERINES

Windermere High School had 17 athletes sign their letters Dec. 8. Lacrosse players Kade Fixler and Logan Sanchez signed with Lynn University; Brooks Andrews, Palm Beach Atlantic University; and Ryan Longhoff to Lenoir-Rhyne University. 

Taylor Gotro, a member of Windermere’s girls lacrosse team, also signed with Palm Beach Atlantic. 

Golfers Cooper Tate and Caden Burr also signed their letters of intent with Tate committing to UCF and Burr signing with Boston College. 

Volleyball players Ana Bleeker and Keondreya “Kiki” Granberry signed with SEC schools, Georgia and Tennessee, respectively. Amanda Chambers will be playing beach volleyball for Georgia State. 

Rowers Katelyn Semien and Elizabeth Hall signed with the University of Texas and Alabama, respectively. 

Sille Hansen committed to play soccer at Lander University, while fellow soccer player Maddie Grubb signed with Catawba College in North Carolina. 

Baseball players Blake Cyr and Simon Sobellia also signed their letters of intent. Cyr will be attending the University of Miami, and Sobellia signed with Florida Gulf Coast University. 

And lastly, basketball player Chris Nurse signed his papers to play basketball for Warner University. 

HEART OF A LION

Foundation Academy also hosted a ceremony for football players Bryan Thomas Jr. and Donovan Branch. Thomas signed with the University of South Carolina, while Branch signed with the University of Connecticut.