There have been a number of college signings in Savannah in the last two weeks. Here’s a look at where some Coastal Empire athletes are headed to play at the next level.
On Thursday, a pair of St. Andrew’s athletes put pen to paper in a ceremony in the Lions’ gymnasium.
Richaard Williams was a versatile star on the St. Andrew’s football team — earning All-State honors in the GIAA as a receiver, running back and defensive back. The senior is going to take his talents to the next level locally as he signed to play at Savannah State.
Williams caught 28 passes for 614 yards and six scores and ran for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns to earn All-State GIAA honors, and was also a factor defensively with 32 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
“Playing at St. Andrew’s prepared me for the next level because Coach (former Lion coach Kevin) Prisant saw my potential and gave me the chance for me to play a big role with our offense and that opened up this opportunity to play in college,” Williams said. “And the academics are strong here at our school and that prepared me as a student athlete.”
Jaylen Sheppard moved into the role of the starting point guard as a senior on the Lions basketball team and played a big role in their run to the state semifinals. He earned All-Region first-team honors and set the school record for assists in a season. Now he’s headed to Michigan to play for Grace Christian University.
Coach Mel Abrams said he thought Sheppard did an excellent job following in the footsteps of his brother Reggie Sheppard, a former basketball and football standout for the Lions.
“Jaylen has matured quite a bit and been able to create his own legacy at St. Andrew’s,” Abrams said. “His route to achieve his goals was different. He was a reserve with the basketball team for three years and made the most of his chance when he became starter this year, and I think he’ll continue to improve playing in college.”
Jenkins
Jeremiah James has been a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball in his time at Jenkins, but his future will be on the gridiron after the senior signed to play at Hinds Community College in Mississippi.
James was a jack of all trades for the Warriors, with a reputation as the most athletic player on the team. He played at quarterback and as a receiver and defensive back for a Warrior squad that made a run to the Class 5A quarterfinals as a No. 4 seed this year. He’ll be playing safety at Hinds CC.
“Jeremiah did everything for us, he’s just a different kind of athlete,” Jenkins Coach Tony Welch said. “Once we moved him to the defensive side of the ball primarily, that’s when we made our run. He was an All-Region player and our team MVP, and I think he has the talent to become a Power Five guy.”
Calvary Day
CJ Gaines, a standout guard for the Cavalier basketball team, is set to join the program at Missouri State as a preferred walk-on. Gaines was a first-team All-Region 3-3A selection as a senior when he led the Cavs in scoring with 15.0 points per game.
“Coaching CJ this season was an easy job,” said Sceptor Brownlee, who started coaching the Cavalier program this year. “You never had to worry about effort. CJ is calm and introverted in everything he does, except when he’s playing basketball — he has that intensity. I think playing at Missouri State will be an eye opener, but CJ has the mettle to rise to the challenge and earn some playing time.”
Benedictine
Antonio Hansen-Mann, a standout defensive back with the Cadets, signed to play at Stetson University on May 7.
Hansen Mann, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound free safety, had two interceptions, four passes defended and 31 tackles as a senior.
“Stetson gave me my first offer and showed the most interest and faith in me, and that was a big part of my decision,” Hansen-Mann said. “I think playing for Coach (Danny) Britt at BC prepared me for college because we take practice very seriously with an intense atmosphere, and that made me a better player.
Benedictine senior golfer Tripp Melvin signed to compete at Hiram College, a Division III program in Ohio. Melvin plays out of Bacon Park and Crosswinds and has also been active in performing arts at BC.
Johnson
Josh Quarterman, the standout basketball player who helped lead the Atom Smashers to the Class 3A state title game as a senior, announced he will be attending Middle Georgia Prep in the fall.
Quarterman averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, , 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game and was named the Region 3-3A Player of the Year while earning All-Greater Savannah first-team honors for the second year in a row.
“I felt like I neeeded to take a different route to help me reach my long term goal of going Division I or playing at the high Division II level,” Quarterman said of signing with the college-prep program. “This is going to give me a chance to work on myself and my game.”
St. Vincent’s
Rose Williams became the first flag football player from St. Vincent’s to sign to play at the college level on Tuesday when she inked her deal with Life University in a ceremony on campus.
Williams played everywhere for the Saints from receiver to defensive back to quarterback. She earned All-Region 3-3A first-team honors on offense and on defense in her senior year and was an All-Greater Savannah first-team selection.
Savannah Country Day
Athon Herrin, a standout senior defensive back for the Hornets, signed to play at Sewanee: The University of the South, a Division III program in Tennessee in ceremony at the SCD campus on Thursday.
Herrin had 26 tackles, inlcuding four for losses and four passes defended for the Hornets, who went 7-4 on the season and lost in the first round of the playoff 46-45 to Upson-Lee.
Herrin was also a standout soccer player for the Hornets, who reached the Class 3A state quarterfinals the last two years.
Islands
Sydni Polite, Georgia Military College, soccer
Polite was a standout in the net for an Islands squad that won the Region 3-4A title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. She was named the Region’s Goal Keeper of the Year and had 111 saves and eight shutouts on the season.
Amy Silvoy, Georgia Military College, soccer
Silvoy was the Region 3-4A Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and earned first-team All-Region honors for the region champion Sharks this season.
Palmer Walker, LaGrange College, lacrosse
Walker was a standout goal keeper for the Sharks who saw his senior season cut short with an injury. He also played basketball and ran cross country in his time at Islands.
Dilynn Weaver, Montreat College, softball
Weaver was a standout with the Islands softball team — earning All-Region honors twice and also winning a Coach’s Award for her leadership with the team. She signed to play with Montreat College, an NAIA program in North Carolina.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
