As the high school athletic season came to a close last month, there were a multitude of Savannah area athletes who set their college careers in motion at signing ceremonies on their respective campuses.
Jenkins closed out an impressive athletic year by sending eight more athletes to compete at the next level.
Here’s a look at where the latest round of Savannah area athletes will start out their college athletic careers.
Jenkins
Blessed Diogo, South Carolina State Track and Field
Diogo closed out her prep career with a stellar showing at the Class 3A State meet. She won the triple jump with a mark of 37-10.5 and finished second in the long jump with a PR of 18-9. She also won a silver medal in the 300 hurdles (46.82). She was named the All-Greater Savannah Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Ivey Hall, South Carolina State Track and Field
Hall was also an All-Greater Savannah Girls Track and Field first-team selection. She won two medals at the state meet with a second place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 24.98, while finishing seventh at state in the 400 (57.83).
Gabrielle Barnum, Emmanuel College Track and Field
Barnum was one of the top Savannah area athletes competing in the shot put. She finished eighth to win a medal in the Class 3A State meet and had a personal best throw of 38-feet, 1 inch this year. She singed with Emmanuel College.
Zhire Sanders, Thomas University football
Sanders earned All-Region 3-3A first-team honors for a Warrior squad that won a region title and reached the state quarterfinals. He had 47 tackles with 13 for losses and five sacks. He signed with Thomas University, an NAIA program in Thomasville.
Shaun Lee, Thomas University football
Lee was another All-Region 3-3A first-team pick on the defensive line for the Warriors. He had 42 tackles with 14 for losses and seven sacks on the year. He will join Sanders to play at Thomas University.
Bryson Foster, St. Mary football
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman signed to play with the University of St. Mary, an NAIA program in Kansas.
Louis Fuchu, Clayton State University football
Fuchu, who was also a standout on the Warrior soccer team, signed as a kicker and punter with Clayton State University.
Ke’Mari Hall, Savannah State University football
Hall, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end and linebacker, will stay close to home to play at Savannah State.
Windsor Forest
Jhordan Brooks, Vorhees University track
Brooks had a stellar senior campaign for the Knights and was a first-team All-Greater Savannah Boys Track and Field selection. He was second in the Class 3A state meet in the 100 meters with a time of 10.46 and second in the 200 with a time of 21.47. His 100 time ranked second among Savannah area runners this season and his 200 time was third in the area. Brooks also ran a leg on the Knight 4×100 relay team that finished third at the state meet. He signed with Vorhees University, an NAIA program in Denmark, South Carolina.
Calvary Day
Chol Kiir Chol Deng, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College basketball
The 6-foot-8 standout was named the Region 3-3A Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year, and was also an All-Greater Savannah first-team pick.
The native of South Sudan averaged 9.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Savannah Arts
Sebastian Nanez, University of Wisconsin — Stevens Point soccer
Nanez was a senior leader on a Panther squad that made school history by winning the program’s first state title. He had eight goals and 10 assists and was a first-team All-Greater Savannah selection. He has signed to play at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a Division III program.
Benedictine
Parker Lewis, Pfeiffer University soccer
Lewis, who was also a standout place kicker on the Cadet football team, helped lead the Cadets to the Class 4A state soccer quarterfinals. He had a team-high 22 goals and 12 assists to earn All-Greater Savannah first-team honors. He signed to play at Pfeiffer University, a Division II program in North Carolina.
St. Andrew’s
Ja’Cari Glover, Palm Beach State basketball
Glover helped lead the Lions to the GIAA Class 3A State finals and earned All-State honors once again. He averaged 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game and was an All-Greater Savannah first-team selection.
He set a school record with 32 double-doubles in his career. Glover didn’t start playing competitively until his freshman year at New Hampstead, and transferred to St. Andrew’s as a junior, helping lead the Lions to a state title that year.
Morris Lane, SCAD Golf
Lane was also a standout goal keeper for the Lion team that reached the GIAA Class 3A state title game. He was an All-Greater first-team pick in golf.
He finished in a tie for fourth at the GIAA Class 3A State tournament with a 2-under par 70 at the Brickyard Golf Club in Macon. He had another 2-under par 70 to finish in a tie for second in the Lions region tournament.
Memorial Day
Jalynn Brown, Georgia Southern East Campus basketball
Brown was a key player on the Matadors run to the first GIAA Girls basketball title in school history. She was a lockdown defender for the Matador squad that won the Class 1A title.
She averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
Woodville-Tompkins
Sarah Armstrong, Kansas-Wesleyan flag football
Armstrong was a first-team All-Greater Savannah selection with a strong senior season at quarterback and as a defensive back with the Wolverines. The Division I Area 2 Player of the Year completed 64% of her passes for 1,037 yards with 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions and ran for 640 yards and nine scores. On defense, she pulled 58 flags and intercepted five passes for a Wolverine squad that reached the second round of the Division I playoffs.
Amstrong was also a standout in cross country, track and field, soccer and basketball for the Wolverines and was named the Most Versatile Female Athlete at the Coastal Empire Sports Awards Show.
Elyse Hall, Savannah State track and field
Hall earned All-Greater Savannah first-team honors with the Girls Track and Field team after an impressive senior season. Hall finished second in the Class A Division I state meet in the triple jump with a leap of 37-3.25 and was sixth at state in the long jump with a mark of 16-8.5.
Johnson football
Jamauri Johnson, Savannah State football
Johnson will stay right in the same neighborhood as he will play at Savannah State. A standout receiver who earned second-team All-Region 3-3A honors, Johnson had 26 catches for 490 yards and four scores in his senior year.
Zarian Reynolds, Benedict College football
Reynolds was a standout defensive lineman for the Atom Smashers. He had 20 tackles, with four for losses, and a sack on the season. He signed with Benedict College, the Division II program based in Columbia, South Carolina.
Liberty County
Elijah Brown, Florida Gateway College basketball
Brown, who also starred as a running back on the Panther football team, was named the Region 3-3A Basketball Player of the Year.
He averaged 21 points, four rebounds and four assists per game and was an All-Greater Savannah first-team pick in basketball and football in his senior season.
Victor Cintron Rosario, Oklahoma Christian University swimming
The senior from Jenkins High won the 200-yard freestyle in the GHSA Class A-3A State Meet with a time of 1:40.84 and took home a silver medal in the 100-yard fly with a time of 49.20. He had the best state times in the Greater Savannah area in both events. He was named the All-Greater Savannah Boys Swimmer of the Year.
Bethesda
Keshawn Wright, Manchester University-Indiana
A two-time All-Region first-team selection, Wright helped lead the Blazers to the SCISA Class 2A state crown with a dominating win over Pee Dee Academy. He had 24 tackles with four for losses and a sack on the season. He is headed to play at Manchester University, a Division III program in Indiana.
Jamarri Young, Thomas University football
Young averaged 4.9 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns for the Blazers this season. He is headed to play at Thomas University, an NAIA program in Thomasville.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah high school sports signings, where local stars will play
