Elite high school athletes make their college choices official
A white hat with the red block letter “N” sat on a table in the middle of the Barstow High School gym on Wednesday, with senior Jeriah Horne and his family seated behind it.
While Horne had left little suspense for his National Signing Day intentions — announcing last month he would attend Nebraska on a basketball scholarship — the emotion stuck with him. After inking his national letter of intent, Horne hugged his family and shook the hands of some of his coaches. He then reminisced about the roots of his journey toward Division I basketball — on a plastic basketball goal in the basement.
“I hope this can send a message to the younger kids,” he said. “I signed with Nebraska today, but today was more about showing why it can be a good thing to dream big. I was three years old when I dreamed of playing college basketball.
“Here we are, man.”
Horne is the top-ranked senior recruit in Kansas City area, listed at No. 129 in the nation on Rivals.com. A 6-foot-7 forward, Horne averaged 20.1 points and 10 rebounds for Barstow when it won the Missouri Class 3 state championship last March.
Sam McDowell, smcdowell@kcstsar.com
Thunder teammates pick Stanford
Audriana Fitzmorris and Jenna Gray have accomplished a lot during their four years playing volleyball at St. James Academy. They earned All-America honors, won three state titles and led the Thunder to a No. 1 national ranking.
They’ll continue to be teammates, as well, after both signed letters of intent on Wednesday to suit up for sixth-ranked Stanford University.
“It was our own separate decisions, but it was very similar what we were looking for,” Gray said. “I’m really excited that, for four years, we are going on this ride together.”
Fitzmorris and Gray capped their senior seasons with a two-set victory against St. Thomas Aquinas in the Kansas Class 5A state championship. The Thunder went 46-2 this season and won the program’s seventh state title in eight seasons.
“I can’t believe I am a senior already and it is my time to sign, but now it is here and I was excited to share it with all of these amazing teammates,” Fitzmorris said.
They signed in a ceremony, along with teammates McKenzie Kraft (Benedictine) and Taylor Nill (Pittsburg State).
Kathleen Gier, kgier@kcstar.com
Four Missouri wrestlers sign Division I
A week after the Park Hill wrestling program took the mat for its first practice of the season — signaling the official start of its quest for a fourth straight Missouri Class 4 state championship — a pair of Trojans settled their college futures. Sean Hosford and Canten Marriott will remain teammates at Missouri next fall.
Platte County also had a pair of wrestlers sign with Division I programs. Johnny Blankenship signed with Nebraska, and Matthew Schmitt with West Virginia.
All four wrestlers have won state championships. Hosford and Schmitt own two.
Sam McDowell, smcdowell@kcstsar.com
Oak Park volleyball player signs with Texas
Oak Park senior Orie Agbaji opted for dance recitals over athletic competition for most of her childhood, but when she was in the seventh grade, a friend introduced her to volleyball. A year later, she already had Division I coaches scouting most of her matches.
“Everything just kind of took off from there,” she said. “I started getting all these offers, and I guess that’s when I realized I might have a future (with volleyball).”
The future will be at Texas, where Agbaji signed Wednesday to continue her career. Agbaji, the No. 4 recruit in the nation on PrepVolleyball.com, had 364 kills and 80 blocks this fall for Oak Park.
Sam McDowell, smcdowell@kcstsar.com
Gatorade baseball standout commits
Two summers ago, after a tournament in Georgia, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Riley Pint started popping up on national recruiting sites such as Prep Baseball Report.
Before long, Pint had risen to the top of the rankings for the graduating class of 2016, and the college offers started pouring in.
He toured several schools and eventually decided on Louisiana State. He made his decision official in a signing ceremony on Wednesday.
“At first, it was pretty awesome seeing my name up there, but I try not to pay attention to it,” Pint said. “I have to focus on what got me to that point and continue to get better every day.”
Pint, who is the reigning Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year, pitches and is an infielder for the Saints. He posted a 2.20 ERA in 35 innings last season and added a .349 batting average on offense.
Kathleen Gier, kgier@kcstar.com
Other notables
Blue Springs had athletes from four different sports sign with Division I programs. Justin Hall (track) signed with Texas Tech; Morgan Hensley (soccer) is headed to Kansas State; Brittani Reid and Madison Sykes signed with the Kansas softball program; and Alicia Starr (volleyball) will attend South Carolina.
Six players from the Lee’s Summit West baseball program inked national letters of intent Wednesday. Jacob Katzfey headlined that group, signing with Wichita State.
Andy Spencer of Shawnee Mission East, the Kansas Class 6A boys golf defending state champion and Kenneth Smith Award winner, signed with Kansas.
Blue Valley North’s Bentley Hulshof, the second-ranked swimming recruit in Kansas, signed with Arizona State.
This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 8:35 PM with the headline "Elite high school athletes make their college choices official."