Hillsborough: News and notes

By Ed Encina, Times Staff Writer
Published March 5, 2008

On the Web: rankings

Gaither leaps from No. 6 to the top spot in Batting Order, our ranking of the top softball teams in the bay area, while Plant holds steady in our Baseball Starting Lineup. Check out the rankings for both and sound off at highschool.tampabay.com.

Gaither star pledges to Florida

Jo Dragotta, a standout forward for the Gaither girls soccer team, has committed to Florida. And she's only a junior.

"Technically, tactically and athletically, she has all the tools to be a very good Division I prospect," Gaither coach George Fotopoulos said. "She might be the best forward I've seen coming out of this area."

That's saying something.

Fotopoulos previously was the head coach at LSU and the University of Tampa. And he recruited locally for more than a decade.

"It's hard to highlight what she does best because she does everything well," Fotopoulos said. "But she really dominates the air."

The 5-foot-8 Dragotta, a three-year starter, led the Cowboys during the 2007-08 season with 14 goals.

"There's no question she can play at UF," Fotopoulos said. "There's not a lot of players I've seen in this area I feel can play there, but I think Jo can play there."

All-star basketball game

The 23rd annual Wilkes & McHugh United Negro College Fund All-Star Basketball Game Classic, presented by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, is at 6 p.m. Friday at Jefferson High. The event features the county's top boys and girls players. There will be a 3-point shootout (boys and girls), a boys slam dunk contest and a fan shootout. Boys and girls MVPs will receive a book stipend scholarship. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 each.

Compiled by staff writers Eduardo A. Encina and Keith Niebuhr

[Last modified March 5, 2008, 00:12:54]