On February 5, two Bloomingdale student-athletes’ dreams came true as they signed their National Letters of Intent to play in college. Bulls football player AJ Moss signed to play for the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“It’s a blessing because not every high school player gets to carry on their sport that they do in high school and be able to play it at the collegiate level,” said Moss. “When you wait for so long and you dream about something, and when that time came and I was sitting in that chair, it was unthinkable to see all the support I had around me—all my family, friends, teammates, teachers and coaches. It was an amazing feeling.”
The safety/cornerback has played football since he was 8 years old. He transferred from Riverview where he played on JV for one season to Bloomingdale where he became a starter during the Bulls’ 2018 playoff run. He also ran track for the Bulls before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
Moss said that he faced a lot of adversity this season, being suspended for the first four games before he had any scholarship offers. That gave him a lot of self-motivation. He came back and had a great season with four interceptions, while also returning punts and kicks for the Bulls, and earned his scholarship.
“I feel like overall it was a great season,” he said. “I was able to come and do what I was supposed to do and take care of business to get to where I wanted to go, and ultimately, my main goal was to receive a D1 scholarship and continue my career, which I did.”
Moss wants to major in a form of business management and earn his degree while playing football at a high level in hopes of making it to the NFL one day. Moss thanks his former coach, Max Warner; current coach, Jake Coulson; and his principal, Sue Burkett, for helping him during his time at Bloomingdale.
Lady Bulls soccer player Karter Ronne signed to play for North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina.
“It means the world to me, this is something that I’ve worked for since I was 4 years old,” said Ronne. “It’s been a huge dream of mine and I just feel so accomplished and honored to have this opportunity to go and do it.”
The forward had a tremendous season for the Lady Bulls. She was a team captain and leading scorer with five goals, despite playing a new position and having a different role. The team went undefeated with a 4-0 record in district play, all while playing for a new head coach.
At Bloomingdale, Ronne was also a member of NHS, Senior Steering and the Safe Promise Club. She was on the swim and dive team as a freshman and the flag football team as a sophomore. Soccer has always been her number one sport at Bloomingdale.
“I’m definitely going to miss my teammates,” said Ronne. “It’s been really hard because we weren’t able to have our soccer banquet, so we didn’t get to have an official goodbye as a team with the girls. I will miss all my sisters that I had at Bloomingdale. They had a huge impact on my life.”
Ronne felt instantly connected with the team and the Christian aspect of North Greenville University when she took her first visit with her mother, Sarah. She is going to major in elementary education, and she looks forward to bonding with her fellow soccer roommate and the new opportunities that college soccer has to offer.
