Welcome to The Daily Feed, your one-stop shop for everything high school sports in the Tampa Bay area. Whether you’re looking for the latest scores, highlights, interviews, or memes, we’ve got you covered. Every day, we’ll bring you a mix of social media posts, short stories, fun facts and links on what’s happening in the local scene. You’ll get to know the players, the coaches, the fans and the rivals. So, sit back, relax and enjoy The Daily Feed.
Baseball
Jesuit’s Wilson, East Lake’s Mohammed named to USA Baseball’s 15U National Team
Two area players made the final roster for USA Baseball’s 15U National Team.
Jesuit’s Wilson Anderson and East Lake’s Samir Mohammed were each selected after strong performances during a training camp, held Aug. 1-5 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
“The talent displayed this past week in Cary was impressive, and it made the decision of determining a twenty-man roster extremely difficult for our staff,” said 2023 15U National Team manager Rob Shabansky said in a statement. “We are excited for the players we have selected, though, to wear the U-S-A letters across their chest, and we are confident that they will represent our country well on the international stage.”
This year’s 15U National Team will head to the Dominican Republic next month for international competition.
Arjun Nimmala starts off strong in the minors
Former Strawberry Crest standout Arjun Nimmala, who was selected in the first round (20th overall) by the Blue Jays last month, is off to a solid start with the organization’s Florida Complex League team.
In Nimmala’s first two games, he went a combined 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
Cross country
Top local boys times
Here are the top 10 area returners among boys runners. The list was put together by flrunners based on their personal records in 5K races.
| 15:45.90 | Nicholas Zamora, IRC |
| 15:48.70 | Liam Jordan, Berkeley Prep |
| 15:49.00 | Eli Zuppa, Northeast |
| 15:51.70 | George Dirks, Plant |
| 15:52.90 | Aidan Griffin, IRC |
| 15:53.80 | William Poe, Zephyrhills |
| 15:59.98 | Joshua Uhrig, Newsome |
| 16:03.80 | Blake Young, IRC |
| 16:05.28 | Christian Hindman, Sunlake |
| 16:05.80 | Cooper Chesser, Sickles |
| 16:06.70 | Christian Escribano, Cambridge Christian |
Football
Gaither’s Major commits to USF
Tyreek Major, an anchor on Gaither’s offensive line, announced his commitment to USF last week.
The three-star recruit initially pledged his allegiance to Florida Atlantic before backing out in July.
He becomes the second local commitment for the Bulls in the 2024 class, joining Cambridge Christian’s Nico Grammatica.
Wharton’s Pickett Jr. names top five colleges
Booker Pickett Jr., one of the nation’s premier edge rushers, whittled down his extensive list of offers to top five that includes Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and South Carolina.
The four-star prospect is ranked as the nation’s 11-best edge rusher and the state’s 28th-best overall player in the 2024 class by 247Sports.
Northside Christian’s Watson decides on Howard
Zuri Watson, a versatile playmaker on both sides of the ball, committed to Howard.
The Northside Christian senior picked the Bison over several other offers, including one from Boston College.
Last season, Watson rushed for 832 yards and six touchdowns on offense and recorded 23 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
Fan votes for top team continue in each county
The fan votes, which started last month, continue with the championship rounds in Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties and the semifinals in Hillsborough County.
Volleyball
Several local seniors make Prep Dig’s top 100 state list
The Tampa Bay area was well-represented on Prep Dig’s top 100 state rankings for the 2024 class
In all, 18 local players made the cut. Check out the list below.
| Player, school | PD’s state rank |
| Bailey Higgins, Berkeley Prep | No. 1 |
| Taylor Parks, Calvary Christian | No. 4 |
| Olivia Hart, Tampa Prep | No. 10 |
| Maria Happ, Shorecrest | No. 14 |
| Bella Lee, Plant | No. 24 |
| Taylor Bedinghaus, CCC | No. 49 |
| Ella Julian, Land O’ Lakes | No. 64 |
| Michaela Clayton, Academy of the Holy Names | No. 69 |
| Carissa Mixon, Land O’ Lakes | No. 72 |
| Emery Fertic, Berkeley Prep | No. 74 |
| Kendyl Okin, Sunlake | No. 79 |
| DYanna Spicer, Bishop McLaughlin | No. 80 |
| Kylee Roberts, Plant | No. 82 |
| Kristina Rhoden, East Lake | No. 83 |
| Mallory Baruch, Steinbrenner | No. 98 |
| Anna Adcock, Steinbrenner | No. 99 |
Fan votes for top team continue in each county
The fan votes, which started last month, continue with the championship round in Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties and the semifinal round in Hillsborough County.
