WINNSBORO – Five Fairfield County senior athletes, four from Fairfield CEntral and one from Richard Winn, officially signed their collegiate commitments during National Signing Day on Wednesday: Blake Gambrell, Kristian Golden, Sharmelle Holmes, Jalen Swilley and Drew Spires (RWA).
Blake Gambrell will play baseball at Columbia International University. Gambrell plays shortstop, catcher and pitcher for the Griffins. According to Maxpreps, Gambrell finished his junior season with a .483 batting average. In 58 at bats, Gambrell had 28 hits, 11 doubles, a triple and 21 RBIs. He also tallied 18 stolen bases in 21 games played.
Kristian Golden signed his commitment to play football at Fayetteville State University next year. A wide receiver for the Griffins, Golden tallied 724 yards in his senior season. In 10 games played, he had 39 receptions and nine touchdowns. He averaged 79.9 yards per game. Golden also plays basketball for Fairfield Central.
Sharmelle Holmes will join the University of Kentucky’s track and field program next year. Holmes has dominated her events in SCHSL 2A track and field. She has five state titles under her belt with one season left to compete. She will compete this season to defend her titles in the 100m dash (she has two of those), 200m dash, long jump and 100m hurdles.
Jalen Swilley will continue his football career at Anderson University. Swilley anchored the tight end spot on the Griffin offensive line and occasionally saw time as a defensive end for the Griffins. According to Maxpreps, in 11 games as defensive end in his junior and senior seasons, Swilley had 16 solo tackles, 10 assists, and a sack, a hurry, and a tackle for loss. Swilley also plays basketball for Fairfield Central.
Richard Winn senior Drew Spires officially inked his commitment to play football at The Citadel.
In four years lettering for Richard Winn’s varsity football team, Spires racked up 3,345 yards and 57 receiving touchdowns on 188 receptions. He rushed 97 times for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns.
On defense, Spires tallied 137 career tackles, 11 interceptions and three touchdowns. He had seven punt returns on special teams for 247 yards and a touchdown in his senior season.
Spires also has played four years of varsity basketball at Richard Winn. He was recognized recently for scoring his 1000th career point.
