Four Jesuit High School seniors signed National Letters of Intent to play collegiate athletics at the school of their choice on Wednesday morning (April 13) in the Tiger Palace.
Family, friends, and coaches attended the special event. Jesuit principal Mike Scicchitano '01 and athletic director Terry Rupp '84 first addressed the signees, congratulating them on their achievements at Jesuit, their leadership of their respective teams, and encouraging them to continue to strive for excellence college and in their lives as 'Men for Others.' The four seniors who signed Wednesday were:
· Liam Conroy – Football – Rhodes College
· A.J. Cottrill – Football – Florida State
· Sergio Desiante – Wrestling – Tennessee-Chattanooga
· Aidan Miles – Soccer – U.S. Coast Guard Academy
(Pictured L-R on the homepage: wrestling coach Sal Basile, soccer coach Eric Sims '95, Miles, Desiante, Cottrill, Conroy, and football coach Matt Thompson)
Conroy is a tight end/fullback who played a key role in Jesuit's record-setting offense and State Championship run in 2021. In addition to his prowess as a blocker, Conroy caught two key touchdown passes during the playoffs, including in the State Semifinal win over Miami Northwestern. He also had a critical 4th quarter reception for a 1st down in the State Championship game victory that completed the 15-0, Top 10 nationally ranked season. In addition, Conroy holds the school record in the javelin. Rhodes is a Division III school in Memphis, Tenn. that plays in the Southern Athletic Association.
Cottrill, who signed with Florida State, had one of the great careers in Jesuit football annals. An inside linebacker, Cottrill is the school's all-time leader in tackles in a game (24), season (208), and career (532). He also made two of the biggest plays in Tiger football history last fall. Against national powerhouse Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the regular season, Cottrill forced a fumble, recovered it, and scored the TD that turned the game in Jesuit's favor and vaulted the Tigers into the national rankings. In the 35-29 State Championship game win over Pensacola Pine Forest, Cottrill made the game-clinching interception with 27 seconds to go.
Desiante had a storybook prep wrestling career, capping off his senior year with the individual State title and helping Jesuit wrestling win its first team State Championship in the traditional Individual Bracket Tournament. As a sophomore, Desiante had helped the Tigers win their first Duals State Championship. Desiante improved by one placing each year at the State Tournament, finishing 4th as a freshman, 3rd as a sophomore, 2nd as a junior, and 1st as a senior, going undefeated at 195 pounds and winning his State Championship match 7-0. He joins UT-Chattanooga's Division I program, which wrestles numerous nationally ranked teams annually and has won the Southern Conference championship 29 times.
Miles was a stalwart for Jesuit soccer the past two seasons, helping the Tigers to a combined 38-6-3 record while reaching the State Championship game in 2021 and State Semifinal in 2022. Miles anchored a defense that yielded just 30 goals over the 47 games the past two years, 0.64 goals a game. In addition to his defensive prowess, Miles was a weapon offensively with his long throw-ins, tallying 8 assists. He officially received his appointment to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, in New London, Conn. at a special ceremony during Convocation in March.
This was the fourth of four athletic signing ceremonies at Jesuit this school year. Each ceremony takes place on the first day of the four college signing periods. Every year, between 15 and 30 Jesuit student-athletes sign to participate in college athletics.
Click below to view a photo slideshow and video of the ceremony.
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