Bid a fond farewell to some of Manatee County’s top seniors

As new faces emerge on the high school sports landscape, old ones have to bid farewell. This year was no exception with a large crop of standout seniors now moving on to play in college.

So let’s say farewell to some of the graduating seniors who left the greatest mark at their schools and the county as a whole, even if it wasn’t necessarily with a state championship.

Tarique Milton

The Manatee wide receiver became the Hurricanes’ first 1,000-yard receiver in more than five years. The previous two to reach that milestone: Ace Sanders and Quenton Bundrage, both of whom made it to the NFL. Milton, who was the Herald’s All-Area Offensive Player of the Year, is committed to Iowa State, following in Bundrage’s footsteps.

Milton was also a factor in track and field as a member of the Hurricanes’ 400-meter relay team, which fell short of a third straight Class 4A title at the state championships.

Darrien Grant

Grant built his reputation on being a key cog in Southeast’s standout defense the past two years, but the defensive end was also a wrestling star. In the 195-pound weight class, Grant went all the way to the Class 2A finals before falling to one of the best wrestlers in the nation. He will not be going far next year either — Grant is signed with the University of South Florida, at which he plans to be a pass-rusher for the football team.

Colton Zimring

Zimring has been one of the county’s best baseball players each of the past two springs. Although his Lakewood Ranch career ended after only one game in the Class 8A-Region 2 playoffs, that career was strong enough to send him on to one of the nation’s top college teams.

Zimring has signed with Florida, where he’ll become the second player from the area in as many years to suit up for the Gators. He also has a chance to be selected in the 2017 MLB draft later this month.

Gi Krstec

Krstec spearheaded the offense for the county’s best girls soccer team with 19 goals and 13 assists during her final season with Lakewood Ranch. Her season included a six-goal game, which tied a Mustangs single-game record. She was named the Herald’s All-Area Player of the Year. Now, she is off to the University of Maryland.

MaryAnn Rompf

Rompf went through the typical high school tennis career, spending some time playing with Saint Stephen’s and other time focusing on United States Tennis Association events. Whenever she was with the Falcons, they were among the best teams in Class 1A, and this past spring was no exception. Saint Stephen’s reached the 1A semifinals behind its Wisconsin-bound No. 1 player.

Marshall Craig

Craig followed in his family tradition with the Manatee wrestling program and put together a consistently excellent run with the Hurricanes, culminating with a silver medal in the 120-pound weight class in Class 3A. Craig was the Herald’s All-Area Wrestler of the Year as a junior and committed to Purdue as a preferred walk-on.

LaDazhia Williams

Williams is something of an oddity in the county — an elite basketball prospect. The area has sent players on to Under Armour All-American Games for football, had baseball players drafted straight out of high school and has sent track and field athletes to the Southeastern Conference. For Williams to land with the national champions, though, is unprecedented.

But after guiding Lakewood Ranch to the Class 8A final as a junior and producing a strong senior season, the frontcourt star, who was the Herald’s All-Area Player of the Year, is off to South Carolina.

Kinsey Goelz

The Goelzs are a staple in the county’s softball circles, and the shortstop is the first from the family poised to make an impression beyond the area. Goelz is set to play at Mississippi State as the centerpiece of the Bulldogs’ recruiting class after serving as Lakewood Ranch’s captain this spring. As long as a Goelz has been involved in the county’s softball scene, the area has produced contenders at the high school and club levels.

Myah Moy

Moy has been a staple of the Herald’s All-Area softball teams since her freshman season at Braden River. As a junior, she helped lead the Pirates to the Class 7A semifinals. Although her senior season ended without any of her teams reaching the state semifinals, Moy was still in Bradenton for one of the area’s most impressive stretches of softball. She’ll continue her career at Rutgers next year.

Miriam Schmoll

Schmoll almost single-handedly turned Bayshore into a state softball power during her high school tenure. She twice led the Bruins to the Class 5A semifinals and once to the championship game. She was named the Herald’s All-Area Player of the Year award three times. She first committed to South Florida when she was in eighth grade, and she has remained firm with her commitment. She’ll be headed to Tampa this fall.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Bid a fond farewell to some of Manatee County’s top seniors."