By By Matthew Nascone
An All-Star is defined as a person chosen for a team of star players. The AISA baseball and softball teams will include five athletes from Escambia Academy.
Lori Bonds, Bruce Smith, Stacey Gibbs, John Brantley and Jaime Drew will not get to play in an actual All-Star game, but they will represent their school well as All-Stars on paper and in the minds of those who selected them.
Those coaches who chose Smith and Brantley to be two of the 56 athletes in Class 1A-3A saw Brantley's high average and intensity on the field and Smith's desire to do well in everything he does.
"I don't think there are two better guys to be selected as All-Stars," EA head baseball coach Mitch Hughes said. "They are great athletes and great kids who will do whatever it takes and whatever you ask them to do."
Brantley said this was a dream come true.
"I have been playing baseball all my life and it is good to see it pay off in my senior season," Brantley said.
Smith was just happy to be included.
"I am excited to be selected and I am glad to represent EA," he said.
Bonds, Gibbs and Drew are three of the 38 softball players selected in Class 1A-3A and they said they are excited to represent their school on the team. But the three girls have been playing together so long that they all felt the same way about being picked.
"We have been playing together for a while," the trio said. "This is a great way to end our softball careers at EA."
Bonds signed a scholarship May 9 to play basketball next year for the Huntingdon College Hawks. Gibbs signed a scholarship to continue a career in cheerleading at Faulkner State Community College and Drew plans to attend the University of Alabama.