The suspense appears to be over.
Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville, Fla.) athlete
Ja'Juan Story has verbally committed to the University of Florida.
One of the most recruited football players in the Tampa Bay area, Story picked the Gators after a visit to Gainesville. Story had almost 30 college scholarship offers, including offers from Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami.
Story, a senior-to-be, primarily played wide receiver last season, collecting 423 yards on 13 receptions and three touchdowns. Story (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) also played quarterback and defense for the Sharks in 2009.
Story ran for two touchdowns as a quarterback and collected a sack while playing defense.
Nature Coast Mark Nash has moved Story to quarterback permanently to get his top playmaker more touches this fall.
Bay area baseball and softball players land on MaxPreps All-American teams Four Tampa Bay area players were named to the Max Preps All-American softball team.
East Bay (Gibsonton, Fla.) pitcher
Kayla Cox,
Palm Harbor University (Palm Harbor, Fla.) infielder
Madison O'Brien,
Plant (Tampa, Fla.) outfielder
Erika Arcuri and
Sickles (Tampa, Fla.) outfielder
Ashli Goff were selected.
One area baseball player,
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) pitcher
Daniel Gibson was selected to the All-American baseball squad’s second team.
Cox was chosen after a senior season in which she led the Indians to the Class 5A state championship. Cox, who is headed to North Carolina State, went 18-1 with a 0.19 ERA and 242 strikeouts this past season. She also was named the Class 5A Player of the Year in Florida.
O’ Brien led the Bay area with a .658 batting average. She hit 12 doubles and seven home runs en route to being named the Class 6A Player of the Year. O’Brien will play at Florida State.
Arcuri hit .500 and scored 30 runs and earned Florida Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year honors. She will play collegiately at Florida International.
Goff, the state’s Offensive Player of the Year, batted .642 with 61 hits and 23 RBI.
Gibson, meanwhile, helped lead Jesuit to a Class 4A state runners-up finish.
A 26th-round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers this summer and a University of Florida signee, Gibson was 14-0 as a senior with 120 strikeouts in 85 innings. He also was the Class 4A Player of the Year in Florida.
Summer recruiting news Land O'Lakes quarterback
Stephen Weatherford has verbally committed to the University of South Florida. A senior this fall, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Weatherford threw for 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2009. He was also being recruited by Cincinnati and East Carolina.
Countryside (Clearwater) wide receiver Jalen Goodloe has signed with Alabama State. Goodloe caught 20 passes for 365 yards and one touchdown last season.
Clearwater Central Catholic swimmer Madison Hansen has signed with Florida Atlantic University. Hansen was part of the CCC 200-yard medley team that advanced to the state meet.
Also, two members of the Clearwater boys’ basketball squad that advanced to the Class 5A region finals have signed scholarships.
Guard Matt O’ Donnell has signed with the University of West Florida. And forward/guard Kevin Ciezczak will play at Division III Trinity International in Illinois.
