Two former Tampa Bay prep football players were taken in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Ex-St. Petersburg Lakewood and former Florida Gator player Louis Murphy was selected in the fourth round by the Oakland Raiders. A 6-foot-2, 203-pounder, Murphy starred as an option quarterback and wide receiver at Lakewood.
A three-year starter, Murphy played quarterback for two seasons before switching to wideout as a senior at Lakewood.
Also, former Tampa Middleton player Stoney Woodson was drafted by the New York Giants.
Woodson, a defensive back at South Carolina, was a seventh-round pick, the 238th overall selection.
Woodson was a versatile prep player, playing cornerback, wide receiver, quarterback and kick returner at Middleton before heading to South Carolina.
Basketball: Fitzpatrick headed to South Florida
Tampa King standout forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick has signed a basketball scholarship with his hometown team, the University of South Florida.
Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot-8, 215-pounder, originally signed with Georgia Southern, but asked for a release after coach Jeff Price resigned in March.
He led King to its first state final four appearance while averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks per game. Fitzpatrick wrapped up his senior year as an all-state selection and a member of the Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association and Florida Athletic Coaches Association all-star teams.
He ended his career as King’s second-all time leading scorer, topping the 2,000-point plateau.
Fitzpatrick was being recruited by Mississippi, Tulane, Florida State and Miami.
Track and Field: Region round-up
Long-distance specialists Connor Revord and Jordan Schilit helped lead Tampa Jesuit to the Class 2A, Region 3 championship.
Revord won the 1,600 meter run and placed second in the 800. Schilit won the 3,200-meter event and was second in the 1,600. He also was part of the Tigers’ 4x800-meter relay team.
Meanwhile, Tampa Robinson’s Darrin Gibson topped Revord by three seconds in the 800 to advance to the state tournament.
More region finals are taking place this week.
The state track and field meets begin May 1.
