Earlier in the week, Bayside wide receiver Devante Batey verbally committed to North Carolina Wesleyan. It didn’t take long for Batey to have a change of heart. Just as Bayside has seen a steady flow of grads headed to play football at the University of Virginia, there’s been a steady flow of Marlins to Virginia State as well. The pull of becoming a Trojan brough Batey to switch his pledge.
Lakeland kicker Austin Brown and new HU Assistant Coach Glenwood Ferebee already have a connection. Ferebee was the head coach at Lakeland before moving on to coach college ball a little more than a month ago. That gives Ferebee a little bit of an advantage when it comes to recognizing talent. He’s well aware of Brown’s skill as a specialist. Earlier this week, Austin took an afternoon visit to see his old coach, and get a glimpse of the football program at HU.
The Booker T. Washington Bookers had an upside down kind of season. They finished 3-7 in 2012. Head Coach Che Jacobs was released from his duties. The team was young and one of their key senior leaders, Rodney Johnson, went down with a knee injury in game four. The Bookers didn’t recover their season, but Johnson recovered his recruitment.
The VHSL’s reclassification process brings changes for practically every school in the region, whether it’s changing opponents or changing divisions. Bruton has long been one of the smaller schools in the Bay Rivers District. In the conference format, Bruton drops down to Division 2, but keeps all of their old Bay Rivers opponents on their schedule.
Division II Alderson-Broaddus in Phillipi, West Virginia is sneaking another talented athlete out of The 757. The Battlers are building their program on area athletes, and it’s working in a big way for them. The Battlers played a road season of JV games last year to launch their football program. In 2013, they’re a full fledged Division II program with a brand new stadium and a Nike contract.
($$) There’s plenty of buzz surrounding our region’s current rising senior class. Some may not realize that there’s lots of talent beyond that. The sophomores and freshmen of The 757 are already being heard from, and they’re getting the attention of college coaches who are in the know.
Another player from Bayside High School has worked out his college commitment. Former Track star Devante Batey managed to get himself noticed after one season of high school football and get recruited for college. Granted having sub-4.5 speed and a height of 6-3 had to help.
Princess Anne linebacker Aaron Glover was the out-of-towner that made a big splash. Glover followed up last year’s MVP performance at the Maryland 5-Star with another award winning performance this year. He was the only 757 area athlete at the event, but that didn’t slow him down.
If you think that the halls at Indian River High School are quiet since Andrew Brown left, you’d be wrong. Brown wasn’t the only top college prospect for the Braves, and college coaches are still streaming into the high school to see the football talent. Tyler Fain is attracting a lot of attention. As he finishes off his junior year, he’s looking forward to a senior season that is certain to lock in his reputation as a top level college bound talent.
I.C. Norcom strongman Aaron “Simba” Parker made a strong showing at Junior Rank camp last May. He was impressive with his combination of strength, endurance, smarts, and character. At Norcom, Parker was a go to back when the Greyhounds needed to gain tough yardage.