Early National Signing Day: Area seniors stand out

PALM BEACH COUNTY – We had several high school football seniors from the Class of 2023 who decided to sign their letters of intent on Wednesday (Dec. 21).

Starting with Palm Beach Central, three key standouts put the pen to paper. The school has their Early National Signing Day ceremony at around 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium.

Here are the Palm Beach Central players who officially signed their NLI’s today:

•Quarterback Ahmad Haston – UMass

•Wide receiver Luby Maurice – FIU

•Wide receiver Javorian Wimberly – Central Michigan

Palm Beach Central head coach Kevin Thompson spoke on this grand moment.

“I speak for all coaches in Palm Beach County,” Thompson said. “Your job is not just to win games. It’s to get these kids into school. And it’s super exciting that we got this many of our players signed so early to some big time schools.”

After Palm Beach Central, we had three schools host their respective Early National Signing Day events around 10 a.m.

Let us start with Pahokee.

Perhaps the most emotional moment from today was by Blue Devils senior running Jashon Benjamin, who signed with Rutgers.

“This is a great day for the program,” Pahokee head coach Emmanuel Hendrix said in a ceremony that was held inside the school’s auditorium. “The things that Jashon has done…so much for the program academically, athletically. Just keeping things moving in a positive direction with that great smile. I can’t thank his parents enough, being that he came from a great background. A lot of that spilled over to our success.”

Here are the two Pahokee players who signed today:

•Running back Jashon Benjamin – Rutgers

•Linebacker Jacorris Foreman – Tennessee State

•Wide receiver Tony Martin – Western Michigan

Meanwhile, the Santaluces grand moment also happened in the school’s auditorium. Here is the player who signed early:

•Quarterback Will Prichard – Arkansas State

“I’m super thankful that I came to Santaluces this past year,” Prichard said. “I don’t think I could have made it as far as I’ve gone without them.”

At Dwyer High School, we had two players who signed:

•Athlete Kyle McNeal – FIU

•Defensive end Kerrington Lee – Wake Forest

“Very exciting,” McNeal said. “It’s been a long journey from ninth through 12th. I didn’t really know what I was gonna do. So knowing that I’m committed, I don’t got to worry about anything. Just keep working – and the academic part – and I’ll be good.”

Perhaps the most important signing moment in Palm Beach County came from Lee, who made his decision to go with Wake Forest way back in the spring.

“It feels great,” Lee said. “It’s been a long process. It feels like it’s finally paying off. I’m ready to get after it and compete again. Starting from the bottom, getting to the top again. The whole aspect of sports is competing and getting better. So I’m ready for that, for sure.”

Both McNeal and Lee had their grand moment’s in the school principal’s conference room.

And to close out the day to remember, we stopped at Benjamin, where two players made it official shortly after 5 p.m.:

•Wide receiver Micah Mays Jr. – Wake Forest

•Athlete Darrell Sweeting – Temple

“Wake Forest has been there since Day 1,” said Mays Jr., who has been solid with his final decision since the summer months. “They showed a lot of love. The receiver development, the program as a whole. I just feel like Wake Forest is home for me. It fits me well.”

As for Sweeting, he made it official by signing with Temple.

“At first I was committed to South Florida,” Sweeting said. “Then I narrowed my options down to the schools I took an official visit to. I love Temple…That’s why I decided to sign with them.”

SIDE NOTES: There were more players around Palm Beach County, the Treasure Coast, and Broward County who signed earlier today. Here is the list.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

•Cardinal Newman defensive end Maverick Gracio – Pittsburgh

•King’s Academy tight end Jackson Worley – Troy

•Cardinal Newman defensive lineman Steven Curtis – Illinois State

•Olympic Heights tight end Parker Poloskey – Army

•St. Andrew’s running back Bill Young – Army

•St. Andrew’s quarterback Jacob Cashion – Stetson

TREASURE COAST

•Vero Beach wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs – Florida State

•John Carroll defensive end Wilky Denaud – Auburn

•John Carroll athlete Aidan Singleton – Lehigh