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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

Plant Prospects Drawing Late Attention

Things are heating up for Plant OL Rhonne Sanderson. Flying relatively low under the radar with colleges during his senior season, interest in Sanderson is picking up.

He left for a visit at Ball State on Friday afternoon and upon his return, he'll have Georgia Tech coaches waiting for a visit on Sunday. Florida State comes to town next week and Michigan State and USF has also expressed interest in his services.

"More so than any of our kids, Rhonne's been percolating lately," Plant coach Robert Weiner said.

Georgia Tech also plans to meet with receiver Derek Winter. Winter led Hillsborough County in receiving for the second-consecutive season and holds the county record for most receptions in a season. But colleges, for the most part, have been lukewarm.

Lately, though, much like Sanderson, interest in Winter is picking up.

"I just think they're so tied into numbers, not the right numbers, not production numbers, but speed numbers," Weiner said of the slowed response to Winter. "Derek's not slow. It's not like he's a 5.0. He's a 4.6 and had amazing performance numbers. People are picking up on it now."

When Florida State visits Plant next week, they'll be "bumping into" junior quarterback Aaron Murray. Contact with underclassmen is prohibited at this point, but coaches are allowed to pretty much say hello. Georgia coaches will also be visiting soon.

Before Murray's senior season begins, he'll have racked up nearly two dozen offers from colleges. Weiner said his quarterback will announce his college choice sometime over the summer at a news conference so as not to distract form his final high school season.

ADDAE NOT ENROLLING EARLY: Jahleel Addae insists he still is heading to West Virginia. But the former Riverview standout, who graduated from high school in December and was believed to be enrolling early to the school in Morgantown, said Friday night he won't be joining the Mountaineers early after all.

Addae told the Tribune he wasn't medically cleared to join the program now, so his projected enrollment has been pushed back to the summer. Addae told the Tribune last month he had suffered a sprained MCL late in the season, an injury that kept him from playing in the Hillsborough County All-Star Game at Raymond James Stadium and one that kept him out of the FACA All-Star Game in Lakeland.

HEADMASTER'S CHALLENGE: The 5th Annual Headmaster's Challenge between Berkeley Prep and Tampa Prep is today at Tampa Prep. The Headmasters' Challenge, which originated between the two private schools in 2004, is an athletic duel in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and wrestling. Two points are awarded for varsity wins while one point is awarded to sub-varsity wins. Tampa Prep won the overall event 11-10 last year to even the series at 2.

The varsity competition is: Wrestling, 8:30 a.m.; girls soccer, noon; girls basketball, 12:30 p.m.; boys soccer, 1:45 p.m., and boys basketball, 2 p.m.

The Headmasters' Challenge Cup will be presented after the conclusion of the boys basketball game.

HESTER APPLIES FOR TOP FHSAA POSITION: Former Brandon and Jesuit athletic director Sonny Hester has been identified as one of eight applicants to become the FHSAA's new executive director, according to a press release from the state athletic organization.

Hester currently serves as the FHSAA's senior associate executive director, a position he has held since 2007. He also spent a year with the state organization as the senior director of athletic operations and officials.

Prior to joining the state's athletic organization, Hester served as athletic director at Jesuit (1996-2003) and at Brandon (2003-2005).

The finalists will be determined at the Board of Directors' Jan. 27-28 meeting and interviewed at its April 6-7 meeting. The next executive director will be announced April 8 and begin employment July 1 as executive director designate. The FHSAA's current executive director, John Stewart, is set to retire in November.

WRESTLING MILESTONE: River Ridge wrestler Tyler Fleming recorded his 100th career victory Wednesday night with a 2:43 pin of Chad Ruebens of Zephyrhills. That was one of seven victories by fall for the Royal Knights in their 71-9 dual win. Fleming, a 119-pound senior and a 2007 Wendy's High School Heisman nominee, is ranked seventh in the state by Scoutfloridapreps.com at 119.

GOALIE OUT: Wharton freshman goal keeper Rachel Beninati will miss the remainder of the Wildcats' girls soccer season. Wharton's coach Denis Vukorep confirmed Friday, Beninati will be unable to play in the team's final game tonight at Gaither after injuring her right leg in a collision in the box with Plant's Ellen Moore in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Panthers.

Vukorep said that doctors who have seen Beninati since her injury have differing opinions but her leg is in a cast with a possible broken bone. Beninati has 63 saves on the season and has allowed only seven goals. Kat Rivera will assume the starting keeper role for the Wildcats. Rivera, a sophomore, was last year's starting goal keeper and has seen significant time in goal this season and has 32 saves.

VOLLEYBALL: Plant sophomore outside hitter Maddie Martin and Berkeley Prep sophomore middle hitter Lindsay Young have been named finalists for the PrepVolleyball.com National Sophomore of the Year Award. Martin, a Class 5A First-Team All-State and Tampa Tribune All-Hillsborough County First-Team selection, led Plant in kills en route to the teams' second consecutive 5A state title and a national ranking. Young, a Class 3A First-Team All-State and Tribune All-County First-Team selection, led Berkeley Prep to the 3A state final four.

Katherine Smith, Nick Williams, Eddie Daniels, Jarrett Guthrie, Adam Adkins

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