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Countryside athletes hit paydirt on signing day
By BOB PUTNAM
Published February 8, 2007
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[Times photo: Danny Ghitis]
John Brantley has a laugh with Trinity High School football teammates as they do a mock signing with prospective universities.
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CLEARWATER - L.D. Crow was hovering around a fax machine Wednesday morning waiting for his future to be transmitted. On college football's first official signing day for letters of intent, Crow, a quarterback from Countryside High, committed to Stanford University. He faxed a copy of his signed contract and mailed the original to the California school. Several friends and family members gathered around Countryside's media center a few hours later to watch Crow and teammate A.J. Matthews, a linebacker who committed to Iowa State, sign copies of their contracts. It was hardly riveting, but it was motivational. "I've been through a lot of these," Countryside coach John Davis said. "And every time it's special. I don't think a lot of people realize how significant this is. We're talking about close to $100,000 in scholarship money for both of these kids. "There are a lot of players around the country who would love to trade places with L.D. and A.J. right about now." The day clearly belonged to Crow and Matthews, with press conferences and interviews before they headed back to their classrooms. "It's big for me and my family," Crow said of making his college choice official. "I'm looking forward to getting on the field." Crow, a first-team all-county selection, threw for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior and led the Cougars to an 8-3 record and a playoff berth. Matthews, meanwhile, had 107 tackles, six sacks and 16 tackles for loss. "It's a relief to get this over with," Matthews said. "I don't have to wait around anymore. I can just go out and play." The football players were not the only ones from Countryside who signed on Wednesday. The boys soccer team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, had three players who committed: Jeff Attinella (South Florida), Josh Martinez (Florida International University) and Mike Favero (North Carolina-Greensboro). "This is a reflection of their coaching at the youth level," Countryside soccer coach Dave Sica said. "But we're not finished yet. We could have two, three, maybe four more. "It could be quite a haul." Fast Facts: National Signing Day Wednesday was the first day of an eight-week period during which high school football and soccer recruits are eligible under NCAA rules to turn their oral commitments to attend various colleges into binding pledges.
[Last modified February 7, 2007, 23:00:41]
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