Florida tackle Zach Debell commits to Georgia

A trip to Athens was enough for Tarpon Springs (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) tackle Zach Debell.
 
A 6-foot-7, 265-pound standout, DeBell verbally committed to Georgia after a weekend recruiting trip last week.
 
DeBell had 25 scholarship offers, including one from the University of Florida.
 
In other recruiting news, Land O'Lakes (Land O'Lakes, Fla.) cornerback Jamerson Davis has signed with Heidelberg College in Ohio. Davis had 35 tackles last season as a senior as Land O’ Lakes advanced to the Class 3A playoffs.
 
... And St. Petersburg tennis standout Sunshine Beba has signed with College of Coastal Georgia.  Beba helped the Green Devils advance to the Class 2A region finals last season as a no. 3 singles player.

Jefferson falls short on NFL 7-on-7

Despite playing in the familiar surroundings of their home stadium, Jefferson (Tampa) came up just short during the NFL National 7-on-7 tournament.
 
Jefferson, which hosted the three-day event, fell 55-45 to Glades Day (Belle Glade) in the championship finale.
 
The loss came despite standout play quarterback Quentin Williams, who threw six touchdowns in the title game.
 
Jefferson and Glades Day, which has won the event two years in a row, were the lone school teams in the 22-team event. The other 20 squads were comprised of prep all-star teams from NFL cities.
 
Jefferson, as well as the other teams, won a regional competition to advance to the national NFL 7-on-7 finals.

Best of the Bay area
 
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) baseball player Lance McCullers has been selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game.
 
McCullers, a shortstop and pitcher, is the first high school junior to be invited to the game, scheduled for Aug. 14 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
 
In addition to batting .457 last season as Jesuit advanced to the Class 4A state finals,  McCullers also was dominant on the mound.
 
In just 18 innings of work, he was 2-0 with 34 strikeouts and an 0.39 ERA.
 
Meanwhile, Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg, Fla.) pitcher Marc Brakeman was named a small school All-American by Max Preps.com.
 
A sophomore last season, Brakeman posted 115 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA.
 
Also, Plant (Tampa) quarterback Phillip Ely competed at the Elite 11 Quaterback Camp in Southern California.
 
The event features 12 senior quarterbacks from across the nation in a series of drills and competitions.
 
Ely, who is unbeaten in 19 starts at Plant and the owner of two state championship rings, received plenty of praise at the event.
 
According to ESPN Rise Director of Recruiting Greg Biggins, Ely “had an excellent day showing a live arm and is among the most mechanically strong quarterbacks in the group.’’
 
Coaching moves
 
Sickles (Tampa) has had to replace football coach Pat O’ Brien just weeks before fall practice is scheduled to begin.
 
O’Brien accepted an assistant coaching position with Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota. O’ Brien will become the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the Division III school.
 
In two stops at Sickles, O’ Brien was 40-72. His second tenure with the Gryphons, from 2006 to 2009, was more successful, going 18-24 despite a 0-10 campaign in 2006.
 
O’ Brien led Sickles to their only two playoff appearances in school history in 2007 and 2009.
 
Offensive coordinator Brian Turner, son of retired legendary Tampa Chamberlain coach Billy Turner, will take over as head coach for Sickles.
 
Sickles plays its pre-season game Aug. 27 and opens the regular season Sept. 3 against neighborhood rival Gaither.