Six Trabuco Hills Student-Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

Six student-athletes from Trabuco Hills High participated in the NCAA's National Letter of Intent Signing Day on Wednesday, the first day that high school athletes in football, boys water polo, soccer, track and field, cross-country and field hockey could sign scholarship offers from NCAA Division I and II universities.

Scott Thompson, the long snapper on the Mustangs' football team, headed the class, signing with North Carolina State. Looking forward to competing for the starting job this fall, he selected the Wolfpack over Stanford, UCLA and Texas A&M.

“They’ve always treated me like a person,” Thompson said of the university's coaches and recruiters, who had been after him since June. “Everyone else treated me like a number.”

Trabuco Hills coach Scott Orloff had plenty of praise for Thompson. “He is the best long snapper I’ve ever coached,” Orloff said. “When he snapped the ball to me, it hurt my hands."

Thompson's teammate, Andrew Walsh, a receiver and free safety, signed with  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a Division I-AA school that will make the jump to the Big Sky Conference in 2012. He led the Mustangs with 32 receptions for 436 yards and was also among the team leaders in tackles with 48 in 2010.

“The coaches, the location... I wanted to be a part of the [Cal Poly SLO] Mustang family,” Walsh said. “It was a lot of hard work and dedication. I had a great experience playing here at Trabuco Hills.”

Ed Walsh, Andrew’s father, was also enthusiastic about his son's big day.

“This is great, are you kidding me?” Ed Walsh said. “Every parent’s dream is to have your kid play for a program like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He’s worked real hard on his academics.”

Signing day at Trabuco Hills wasn't without its drama. Jessica Mandarich, a standout defender on the girls soccer team, signed with Wake Forest despite earlier giving a verbal commitment to Clemson. She changed her mind after visiting the Wake Forest campus in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Thursday.

“I just didn’t think Clemson was the right fit for me,” Mandarich said. “I thought Wake Forest was the better team for me. I love the team and their coaches. There’s lots of opportunities and they’re stellar.”

Three additional Mustang girls soccer players signed Wednesday: Natalie Werner (TCU), Cassidy Glass (University of Colorado-Pueblo) and Sam Fillion (Concordia). Werner led the team in goals in 2009-10.

Photos to follow. Stay tuned!