By Matt Rothman
(Source Tamarac Talk)
For over a dozen J.P. Taravella students, their work on and off the field paid off, officially signing their letter of intent to play in college.
The Trojans had two players from their baseball team sign in Anthony Giglio and Brandon Metivier. Giglio will be attending Bryant and Stratton College in New York.
He started his high school career at Coral Springs Charter and then transferred to J.P. Taravella for his senior year. This past season, he hit three home runs and drove in 19 RBIs to help J.P. Taravella reach the Regional Semifinals for a third straight season.
Metiever will be attending Garrett College in Maryland. He had a win in four starts this year and also made five appearances out of the bullpen. The senior had an ERA of 2.93 with 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
Jade Brown of the track and field team will head to the University of Arizona. She shined on the track, winning a District Championship in the 100, 200, and 4 x 100-meter relay team.
Shethen finished in the top three in all those events in Regionals, competed in States, and set a personal best with a time of 24:36 in the 200 meters to place sixth. The relay finished in third while Brown came in fifth in the 100 meters, .09 seconds away from her personal best.
Jace Johnson, Jaylen Amoa, and Dorian Miller from the track and field team also signed. Johnson will attend Eastern Michigan after finishing in the top ten in two regional events. Amoa is set to run at Florida A&M University. He won a District Championship in the 4 x 800-meter relay team and competed in States, while Miller will attend Morehouse University in Georgia. He competed in five events in high school, including finishing 14th in the region in the long jump.
Jordan Pratt of the boys basketball team will play at Florida Memorial University next year. He averaged 16.2 points per game, helping JPT win 18 games and reach the District Final.
RJ Martin and Mason Green are signed to swim at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Martin swam in the 200-yard medley relay alongside Mason and Miles Green. Mason finished third in the State in the 100-yard butterfly.
Jayden Franklin of the varsity football team will be attending Missouri Valley College. Despite the Trojans only winning one game last year, Franklin shined on varsity. Soccer star Zachary Zub is signed with Delaware State University. In only five games this year on varsity, he scored two goals, had an assist, and was also the 2022 United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete of the Year.
Former J.P. Taravella pitcher Ryan Meekins also announced his college pick and will play at Tallahassee Community College. He played one year with Elite Squad baseball, where over 100 players were selected in the MLB Draft. The six-foot-six right-hander played two years on the varsity team and helped the Trojans make it to Regionals in both those years. After making just one appearance as a junior, Meekins went 3-0 with a save in 2022. He also had an ERA of 1.73 and struck out 34 hitters in 24.1 innings.
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