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Defensive Stars Happy With College Picks

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By DAREK SHARP

dsharp@tampatrib.com

Published: February 11, 2009

PLANT CITY - For the last three years, Denzel Drone and Duran Lowe helped terrorize Hillsborough County football teams as leaders of the Plant City High defense. Their talents were always recognized by local coaches, but they obviously were noticed beyond the Tampa Bay area as well.

Last week, Drone and Lowe committed to play football at Division I programs, with Drone headed to Michigan State University and Lowe signing with Wake Forest.

"This is probably the best day of my life," said Drone, who will play defensive end for the Spartans.

National Signing Day was Feb. 4, the first time fall sports athletes could officially sign their scholarship papers. Surrounded by family and friends, Drone and Lowe were honored in a ceremony at the Plant City High media center.

Also on signing day at Durant, offensive lineman Cole Gilliam accepted a "preferred walk-on" status with the national champion University of Florida. Gilliam will go to UF, the idea being that when a scholarship opens up, he will receive it.

For both Drone and Lowe, their decisions were pretty easy.

"Wake Forest was just a really nice place, and they treated me like family," Lowe said. "And I think if I put in the hard work, I could start as a freshman."

That was Lowe's path at Plant City, as he was the only member of his junior varsity team called up onto the varsity as a ninth-grader.

Likewise, Drone said he "wasn't even interested in anybody else," although Western Kentucky showed plenty of desire to lure him.

Both players are honors graduates, taking the extra steps necessary as seniors to get their grade-point averages up to the required level. Both Drone and Lowe took numerous Advanced Placement courses in their first semester, during the height of football season.

They consistently draw praise from teachers as extremely well-behaved students.

For Lowe, there was more of a personal motivation to elevate his grades. His sister Ebony, who has sickle cell anemia, finished up at Plant City High two years ago. She was near the 4.0 grade point average needed to be considered an honors student but fell ill and was unable to finish.

"I told her I'd do it for her," said Lowe, who took three AP classes and received all A's.

His father, David, was a football player who graduated from Plant City in 1988. He said, "I always saw the potential in him to be a Division I player. In the last two years, he learned to channel that energy and skill, and once he started to apply himself the right way, it was amazing."

Duran Lowe said Wake Forest was impressed with his willingness to help out the Raider offense by playing some running back. The Wake coaches even joked with him about doing the same there, but Lowe is set to play safety in college.

Wake Forest, the Atlantic Coast Conference champion two years ago, competes against Florida State and Miami in that league.

"I knew about both these guys when I came into this job," said Jason Strunk, who took over as Raider head coach last summer. "They were coached very well before me, and I give Kevin Kelley all the credit in the world. I just wish I had them for more than one year."

Kelley, who was the Raider head coach before Strunk and is now a Durant assistant, was at last week's ceremony.

The only concern Drone has about playing up north would be the weather.

"It was 8 degrees in Detroit airport when I visited," he said. "But as long as you put the right amount of clothing on, it's not bad. So I just have to remember to put clothes on and I should be fine."

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