Wortham trio signs letters of intent to play at various schools

Wortham trio signs letters of intent to play at various schools Jason Chlapek Wed, 04/24/2024 - 15:58 Image

• Ameeya Rhodes (center) is surrounded by her parents Collin (left) and Ashley Brooks as she signs with Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minnesota to play volleyball on Monday at Wortham High School. Photo by Jason Chlapek/Fairfield Recorder
• Wortham trio signs letters of intent to play at various schools
• LEFT: Dakota Butler (second from right) signs with Dallas College-Mountain View for volleyball on Monday at Wortham High School. Dakota is joined by (from left) best friend Taniya Harris, mother Heather Butler and Mountain View head coach Jana Bonds. RIGHT: Cash Perez (center) is surrounded by his parents Melissa (left) and Billy Perez as he signs with Southwestern Assemblies of God University to play baseball on Monday at Wortham High School. Photos by Jason Chlapek/Fairfield Recorder

Body

WORTHAM - A trio of Wortham athletes put their pens to paper and committed to further their statuses as student-athletes at higher learning institutions Monday morning.

Dakota Butler (Dallas College- Mountain View) and Ameeya Rhodes (Rainy River Community College) signed to play volleyball, and Cash Perez (Southwestern Assemblies of God) will play baseball. Butler and Perez won’t be too far from home, but Rhodes will be on the Canadian Border in International Falls, Minnesota - just across the Rainy River from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada.

“At most schools in Texas, the freshmen don’t get playing time. In Minnesota, I’ll be getting playing time, so why not?” Rhodes rhetorically said.

Rhodes had a successful career at Wortham. She was Libero of the Year in District 16-2A her senior year, and first team all-district her sophomore and junior years.

Rhodes also participated in basketball and track and field. She plans on being an ultrasound technician after school.

Rainy River is a two-year school, so there’s a possibility that she could return to the warmer confines of Texas. However, she’s not afraid of the cold, and she might even start finishing her sentences with a de facto adjective after a few semesters of being so close to the neighbors to the north.

“Another reason why I chose Rainy River was the cold,” Rhodes said. “I like the cold, and we’ll have to wait and see if I start finishing every sentence with, ‘eh?’” Rhodes’ teammate Butler will make her journey all the way to South Oak Cliff in Dallas. There were two things that she liked about Mountain View.

“The coach and players were really nice,” Butler said. “I also didn’t want to go out of state and stay close to home so mom could watch me play.”

Butler excelled in volleyball. She was the MVP of 16-2A as a senior, and a two-time first team all-district nominee.

Butler also participated in track and field, basketball and softball. She plans on being an ICU nurse after college.

Like Butler, Perez wanted to stay close to home so his family could come watch him play. He’s going to be in Waxahachie for the next four years.

“The school is great and the baseball team is good,” Perez said. “I went and visited with the coaches and all around it’s a great atmosphere. The coaches treated me really well.”

Perez chose SAGU over Melvin University in Louisiana and North Lake College in Michigan. He plans to major in criminal justice and go into SWAT after graduation.

Perez was Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and a junior for the Bulldogs. He also played football and basketball at Wortham.

Perez is going to play first base or third base at SAGU. He also has goals on the field, and is almost certain that he won’t follow the footsteps of Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders by playing football as well.

“I hope to hit more home runs and break my coach’s records,” Perez said. “I don’t see the football coach trying to get me to play, but there’s always a chance it might happen.”