Hillsborough: News and Notes

By Keith Niebuhr
Published February 27, 2008

Hillsborough strong safety Erik Fennell had his eyes on playing football at Murray State in Kentucky all along. He held out hope that his test scores would get him there. And that wait paid off Tuesday, when Fennell committed to play for the Division I-AA Racers.

Murray State had an offer on the table if Fennell qualified, and after he recently was successful on his college boards - SAT and ACT - he will travel to campus to sign his letter of intent on March 7, Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia Jr. said.

"He had confidence in himself and we did, too," Garcia said. "This is really a great thing. Erik is one of the most improved players we've had here in terms of where he was during his junior year to where he is now."

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Fennell played quarterback last year and blossomed in the Terriers' secondary as a senior, making 37 tackles and one interception. He had previously been offered by the College of the Siskiyous, a community college in Weed, Calif.

Hawk commits to Wingate

Armwood cornerback Justin Williams has committed to Wingate and plans to sign with the Bulldogs next month when he makes an official visit. A Division II program located in North Carolina, Wingate went 7-4 last season and won its final four games.

Williams, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback, started two years for the Hawks, who made the playoffs both seasons. He also considered Webber International and Mount Union.

As a senior, Williams was a Times first-team all-county selection and second-team all-Suncoast pick. He registered two interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Spring stats

The Times will begin publishing baseball and softball statistics this week. Coaches are reminded to send updated stats via e-mail to kniebuhr@sptimes.com softball or eencina@sptimes.com (baseball) by 5 p.m. Wednesdays

Plant receives national props

The Panthers baseball team, which was 4-0 entering its scheduled game at Middleton on Tuesday, has been ranked as one of the top teams in the nation, according to a pair of prep Internet sites.

Plant is ranked 11th nationally in the Fab 50 National Baseball Rankings, which is put out by Rivals.com. The Panthers are the second-highest ranked team in the state, behind top-ranked Sarasota.

The Panthers were ranked third in the nation by Perfect Game Cross Checker, a Web site devoted to baseball. The only teams higher? Las Vegas Bishop Gorman is second and Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage is first.

[Last modified February 26, 2008, 21:41:02]