2018-2019 Athletic Scholarships Include An Array Of Sports

MADISON- The 2018-2019 signing period for high school athletics scholarships was a remunerative school year with more than 50 student-athletes advancing to the next level of athletics and education.

Bob Jones led the four local prep schools with 21 signings while James Clemens had 19, Madison Academy 13 and Sparkman with a reported four players signing college papers.

Of the major college signings three schools from the Southeastern Conference standout among those who raided the Madison area for athletic talent. Alabama and Florida dipped into the talent pool at Bob Jones while Vanderbilt chose to pick up two football teammates from James Clemens.

The Crimson Tide grabbed track talent Matthew Weaver, the 300-meter hurdles state champion, while the Gators’ bite bit Jaydon Hill, who was regarded as the top football prospect in North Alabama. The Commodores of Nashville’s Vanderbilt University chose quarterback Jamil Muhammad and lineman Davieon Davis from the Jets program at James Clemens.

Hill, whose twin sister played basketball and track for Bob Jones, gained attention from most major colleges in his recruiting even though he missed most of his senior season due to a knee injury. He was the fastest player on the Patriots’ squad and was rated among the top 12 cornerbacks in the country.

The James Clemens athletic program had a first for the Madison City Schools when Jim Roberts signed to bowl in college. The right-handed bowler since age five inked with Martin Methodist College. He wears an insulin pump as a Type I diabetic, but hasn’t let his physical condition stop him from making a roar down the bowling lanes.

“It feels special and I’m excited to not only be the first in Madison to sign for bowling, but know there are others in Madison who can do so,” said Roberts.

One of the most decorated athletes at James Clemens to sign a scholarship was Ashlee Osaji who decided on Southern Mississippi to continue showcasing her skills in track. She was the high-point scorer at the AHSAA State Track Meet and was named Female Athlete of the Year.

“I wouldn’t have been able to get this far in my endeavors without God and my strong faith,” said Jasmine Gracie who signed to play basketball with the UAB Blazers coming out of Madison Academy. The 6-foot-2 Lady Mustang suffered a torn ACL during summer workouts prior to her junior season and soon returned to help the Lady Mustangs to back-to-back State Championships in 2017 and 2018.

In her senior season, the team fell just short of winning another title, but Gracie took her 3.4 grade point average to UAB where she expects to excel both on the court and in the classroom.

The only reported athletes from Sparkman to sign scholarships came from the Senators’ football program. Dell Pettus, a 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback, signed with Troy and said of his signing, “I put in the work since I was a child and signing to play in college is another step God has put me on in my path in life and I don’t he’s finished with me.”

Here’s a rundown from the four schools of the student-athletes who will take their athletic skills to the next level:

Sparkman: (unreported) Dell Pettus (football), Troy, Zeb Sanders (football), Centre College, Kereon Coney (football), University of the Cumberlands, Neal White (football), Butler C.C.

Madison Academy- $563-thousand: Evan Brooks (track), UAB, Jalen Nelson (track), UAH, Erin Eisenhart (volleyball), Austin Peay, Tex Bailey (football), Eastern Kentucky, Daniel Brent (football), UT-Chattanooga, Andy Schad (football), Merchant Marine Academy, Jasmin Gracie (basketball), UAB, Mary Katherine Sanders (basketball), Faulkner, Luke Reavis (basketball), Florida College, Tucker McClung (basketball), Huntingdon, Evan Liddie (baseball), Montevallo, Rachel Baker (softball), Mercer, Chelsea McGuff (softball), Georgia Southwestern.

James Clemens- $1.2-million: Garrett Hicks (basketball), Alabama A&M, Sylvia Cortes (track), UAH, Taiga Koyomama (tennis), Fairleigh Dickson University, Lila Young (softball), UAH, Holly Sharp (softball), Huntingdon, Kiara Fisher (track), USA, Trinity Verkest (lacrosse), Birmingham Southern, Davieon Davis (football), Vanderbilt, Jamil Muhammad (football), Vanderbilt, Zach Hopkins (football), Mercer College, Elizabeth Holcomb (track/cross country), USA, Jalyen Ware (football), Kentucky Christian,  Jackson Reece (baseball), Montevallo, Ben Bolden (baseball), Faulkner, Ashlee Osaji (track), Southern Miss, Rachel Seeley (track), UNLV, Cameron Stevens (football), Faulkner, Drew Blackwell (football), Birmingham Southern, Jim Roberts (bowling), Martin Methodist.

Bob Jones- $1.3-million: Kiara Hill (volleyball), Tennessee State, Nichole Harting (track), USA, Jordan Whalen (wrestling), Lander University, Jaydon Hill (football), Florida, Heather Phillips (softball), UAH, Emma Jarrett (volleyball), UAH, Austin East (baseball), UAH, Erin Chambliss (softball), Wallace State, LeighAnna Tralongo (volleyball), Gadsden State, Gabe Pittman (wrestling), Huntingdon College, Artaias Allen (football), West Alabama, John Michael Riley (baseball), Enterprise State, Grace Husky (golf), Calhoun, Michael Strickland (baseball), Lawson State, Andrew Wright (baseball), UAH, Chris Cobb (football), Cincinnati Christian, Sabrina Morgavi (swimming), Birmingham Southern, Malaika Albright (soccer), UAH, Shafi Muhammad (track), Jackson State, Hanif Muhammad (track) Jackson State, Matthew Weaver (track), Alabama.