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5 Tampa Catholic Players Earn All-State Honors

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2008

Updated: 01/15/2008 11:44 pm

NEWS AND NOTES

2 Tampa Catholic Players Named First-Team All-State

Five players from Tampa Catholic's state runner-up football team earned all-state honors Tuesday, including senior DL Marco Mendoza and senior LB P.J. Briody, who each were named to the Florida Sports Writers Association's Class 2A first team.

Mendoza, a Tribune All-Hillsborough County first-team selection, led Hillsborough County with 23 sacks this season and finished with 86 tackles. Briody, a Tribune all-county second-team pick, led the county with 182 tackles and had two interceptions.

Clearwater Central Catholic senior PK Jeff Ijias was a first-team all-state selection in Class 2B.

Crusaders sophomore QB Christian Green, a Tribune all-county first-team pick who accounted for more than 2,000 total yards of offense and 23 touchdowns, and senior LB Will Greaves (143 tackles, one interception, four fumble recoveries) were 2A second-team selections. Senior WR Eric Gerken, who caught 46 passes for 629 yards and nine TDs, was an honorable-mention selection. Gerken was second-team all-county, while Greaves was named honorable mention.

Lennard junior WR Blake Kennedy, a Tribune all-county first-team pick after tallying 52 receptions, 821 yards, seven touchdowns and five 100-yard receiving games, was a 2A honorable-mention selection.

EX-TIGERS STAR COMMITS: Former Middleton star WR O.J. Murdock has committed to Marshall University, Tigers assistant Carlos Blake confirmed to the Tribune.

Murdock, a standout in football and track and the Tribune's Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2005, is a former all-state receiver who signed a football scholarship with South Carolina out of high school. Murdock spent two years with the Gamecocks but saw action in only four games, and his time at the school in Columbia, S.C., was marred by an October 2006 arrest in Tampa for shoplifting.

He left the program and school shortly after that.

Murdock eventually landed at Poplarville (Miss.) Community College, where he spent this past season playing football.

Murdock, the older brother of 2007 Middleton grad and current University of Pittsburgh CB Sherod Murdock, chose the Thundering Herd over offers from Florida State, Louisville and Tennessee, according to Rivals.com.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.

JOYNER SETS VISIT: Armwood senior DL Sergio Joyner will take an official visit this weekend to Middle Tennessee, he and Coach Sean Callahan said.

Joyner, who also has had some interest from Temple and Troy, said this weekend's visit was the only one he has scheduled, but he didn't rule out other potential trips.

Joyner, who tallied 41 tackles and 10 sacks in 10 games last season, likely will run into a few familiar faces during his trip. Armwood had two players - RB Marquise Branton and WR Deondre Kyles - sign with Middle Tennessee last February.

VOLLEYBALL: Justeen Patton has been hired as the new coach at Durant, the school's athletic office confirmed.

Patton, who will be the new personal fitness teacher at Durant, replaces Dawn Hough, who guided the program to the Class 6A state championship last season. Hough said she would resign after the season because she was moving to Fort Lauderdale. She was named The Tampa Tribune Hillsborough County 2007 Volleyball Coach of the Year.

The team ended the season with a record of 21-7 and will return starters Chelsea Morris, Kelsey Horton and Lindi Oest.

In other news, Plant senior and Duke commitment Kellie Catanach has been named one of 12 finalists for the PrepVolleyball.com Schelde National Player of the Year award. After leading Plant to its second consecutive Class 5A state title, Catanach was named the 2007 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and 2007 Miss Volleyball by Florida Dairy Farmers.

Adam Adkins, Nick Williams

NEWS AND NOTES

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