Reporting by Hunter Haskett and Jack Voight

Photos by Logan Hanf, Hayley Miller, Madison Murry, Buzzy Staten and Ben Tran

Trent Powell

Methodist University

Soccer

Trent Powell has committed to play soccer at Methodist University in Fayetteville. While seniors have been making decisions about their futures all year, Powell had his mind made up for a long time, according to his mother, Amy Powell.

“It’s sort of surreal. He said in seventh grade that he wanted to play soccer, and so we’ve had that goal ever since then,” she said. “I think we’ve counted up 17 different colleges.”

But when they got to Methodist, they knew that it was the right place for him.

“They were the only place that wanted me straight away; they didn’t play any games,” Trent said.
For someone that has been working toward this goal since seventh grade, the reward was sweet.

Ashley Forbes

University of West Florida

Soccer

Ashley Forbes will be attending the University of West Florida in Pensacola to continue her soccer career at the collegiate level.

“It was always the goal,” Forbes said. “I wanted to see what the highest level I could play at was.”
Although her decision wasn’t easy, a couple of factors made it an easier choice than expected. “They have a really amazing soccer program and the campus is only 10 minutes away from the Gulf Coast,” Forbes said.

So while it may be 14 hours away, Forbes will have a similar coastal environment to continue competing in the sport that she loves.

Cecilia Cortez

Johns Hopkins University

Swimming

“I thought it would be interesting to see if I improve or how much I improve in college,” Cecilia Cortez said when asked why she wanted to take her swimming career to the next level. Cortez has committed to swim at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“It was just always one of my goals that I had,” Cortez said. “I’m really excited. It’s a big weight lifted off my shoulders, just to know where I’m going, and it’s really great to know that all of the hard work has paid off.”

Although there were several schools that were interested in Cortez, Hopkins was the best fit academically as well, as she wants to major in cellular and molecular biology.

Sam Fitzgerald

Berry College

Lacrosse

“It’s a perfect balance of every sport,” Sam Fitzgerald said on lacrosse, the sport he will soon be playing at the collegiate level.

Fitzgerald will be attending Berry College in Floyd County, Georgia, in his next step in athletics.
“Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to continue playing sports; I never wanted to stop,” Fitzgerald said. “I set myself a goal when I was younger to play college sports.”

Fitzgerald said his main motivation to get to this point was his parents and his love of the “violence of the game,” so hopefully he can continue this playing style into college and have a successful, injury-free college career.

Ansley Feltz

Alderson Broaddus University

Soccer

Ansley Feltz is attending Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, West Virginia, to play soccer. Although she knew she wanted to play soccer, she didn’t think of Broaddus right away.

“I never really thought of it as an option and then when I decided I wanted to play soccer in college, I reached out to them, and they got back to me right away,” Feltz said.
Feltz also received high praise from her coach after her commitment in the spring.

“(What stands out about her is) her leadership, her responsibility on the field, her sportsmanship,” coach Juan Ramirez said. “It’s just so many things, how great of a person she is. To be able to play at the next level is phenomenal and it’s something that nobody can take away from you.”

Heidi Sabatini

College of Charleston

High Jump

A personal record. A school record. But most importantly, a state title on the line. This is what faced Heidi Sabatini when she jumped over a 5-foot, 4-inch pole that she had never successfully cleared to win the indoor state title.

“It was insanely awesome,” Sabatini said. “I cried a lot.”
With a state title in her pocket and outdoor season on the way, you would think it would only be up for Sabatini from there, but that wasn’t the case. On April 4 at a home track meet, Sabatini injured herself jumping.

“It was heartbreaking,” Sabatini said “(At first) they thought it was a meniscus tear, so if you have that you can still compete.”

Then an MRI revealed that she had a partially torn ACL, completely taking away any chance of a possible return this season. And with recovery times of up to nine months, her chance to try and compete at the next level takes a slight hit as well.

Sabatini is attending the College of Charleston in South Carolina and plans to walk on to the track and field team there. It may have become even more difficult with the recent injury news, but Sabatini won’t let that get in her way.

“I never thought about it until I won states and I was like, ‘Whoa, I don’t want to give this up,’ ” she said.