Auburn High has record number of college signees

By Tom Peavy

Published: May 31, 2008

It’s not unusual for area high school athletes to take their talents to the college level.

But this past school year, Auburn High took things to a whole new level.

For the year, the Tigers had a school-record 26 athletes sign college scholarships.

“A lot of it has to do with how things come and go in cycles,” AHS Athletic Director Chuck Furlow said. “Some years you have a lot of good athletes in one class — and that’s what we had this year.”

A large portion of those signees came from the baseball team, where Auburn had nine players sign. That included a pair who signed with Auburn University — Creede Simpson and Preston Long.

Richard Ross would have been the Tigers’ 10th baseball signee, but he chose to turn down a junior college offer to become South Alabama’s first-ever football signee.

The running back’s decision to play football in college also helped boost the football team’s number of signees to nearly 10, as well.

And Ross’ signing with South Alabama, whose start-up program is moving toward college football’s top division, gives AHS three Bowl-Championship Subdivsion (formerly Division I-A) football players from the Class of 2008.

He joins cousin, and fellow running back, Brandon Ross, who signed with Memphis, and Dee Finley, who signed with Florida.

Auburn also had other athletes sign on to major college programs.

Jenna Strother will take her soccer talents to Ole Miss and Scott Strohmeyer will play golf at Alabama. Brittany Duerk signed with Div. I Lipscomb to play basketball.

However, the majority of Auburn’s athletes will move on to play at smaller colleges, something Furlow says is a testament to the coaching staff working under him.

“The big, bluechip athletes will be found one way or another,” Furlow said. “But our coaches push so hard for the other athletes with the small colleges.

“We offer so many different sports here that it really gives athletes a lot of opportunities.”

Auburn hasn’t been the only school sending its athletes to the next level, though.

Opelika has been just as successful, helped mainly by a nationally-ranked baseball team that will have at least 10 of its 13 seniors playing at the next level.

That includes Auburn signee Zach Blatt and Western Kentucky signee Jake Crain.

| 737-2568