National Signing Day for PCHS Athletes

Grace Crestani – PCHS Bulletin 

For most high school athletes, the opportunity to play a sport at the collegiate level is a dream. For twenty of these student athletes at Parrish Community High School, this dream came true.  

On Wednesday, February 7, sixteen student athletes in sports, including baseball, softball, football, weightlifting, swimming, track and field, and even equestrian had the privilege to sign their collegiate contracts, ensuring their future at their designated college. Additionally, back in November 2023, the girls' soccer program had a separate signing day to recognize their four female athletes.  

Annually, only one to two percent of student athletes receive sports-related scholarships. Even fewer have the chance to go pro. Yet this statistic does not deter most student athletes from pursuing this goal. Senior athlete Jade Kruse is a member of the varsity softball team. This February, she signed with the New College of Florida to further pursue her softball career. Kruse was the first athlete to ever sign to play softball at New College, and she says it was a “surreal experience.” Kruse has been playing softball since she was eight years old and “couldn’t imagine a life without it.”  

Having the opportunity to further your athletic career takes years of persistent work and determination. These twenty PCHS athletes have proven that they are the cream of the crop and have created a legacy at PCHS for future student athletes.

Baseball

  • Will Rawls – State College of Florida
  • Calin Heath – State College of Florida
  • Troy Guthrie – Florida Gulf Coast University
  • Matthew Thompsen – Rock Valley Community College
  • Jacob Traeger – Averett University
  • Logan Maguire – New College of Florida

Softball

  • Alex Call – University of Virginia
  • Julia Girk – Appalachian State University
  • Rylee Little – Palm Beach Atlantic University
  • Ella Romano – The College of Coastal Georgia
  • Jade Kruse – New College of Florida

Football

Lane Tomlinson – Ouachita Baptist University

Weightlifting

Sara Griffin – Lindenwood University

Swimming

Maddison Ciasto – Columbia College

Track & Field

Alijah Giustino – Lynn University

Equestrian

Hallie Prater – Delaware State University

Girls Soccer

  • Brianne Bonzheim – Morehead State 
  • Kendall Hecht – Florida Gulf Coast University 
  • Hayden Lepley – Mercer 
  • Sydney Weslowski – Georgia Southwestern