Two North County senior student athletes have signed letters of intent to compete at the next level.
On Saturday, Righetti High track star Rayann Booker made Cal State Fullerton her college choice. Earlier in the week, St. Joseph’s Tyler Williams signed a football offer with the University of Texas-El Paso.
Booker had a signing ceremony in the Righetti gymnasium.
She said the family factor persuaded her to go to Cal State Fullerton.
“I really like the L.A. area, and I have relatives there,” Booker said.
Her father, Ryan, mother, Teri, and twin sister, Reann, were at the signing ceremony. Reann also will attend Cal State Fullerton.
“She doesn’t have a track scholarship yet,” said Righetti sprint coach Mike Pope, who has worked with the Booker twins since their youth club track days. “(Reann’s) been injured. We’re working on getting her a track scholarship. She’ll get one.”
The Bookers are part of the two-time reigning girls 4×100 relay team league champions. Rayann ran the second leg and Reann anchored.
Rayann won the 100 and 200 at the 2018 Santa Barbara County Championships. She and Reann ran on the champion 4×100 relay squad.
Reann Booker was the 2019 county champion in 100 and 200.
Rayann Booker qualified for the 2019 CIF Central Section finals in the 100 and 200, and the 4×100 relay squad also qualified.
The COVID-19 pandemic scrubbed nearly all of the Central Coast 2020 track season.
She plans to run the same events at Fullerton. Academically, Booker plans to major in civil engineering.
Williams, a standout high school cornerback for St. Joseph, also received offers from Army, Bucknell, Cal Poly and Fordham.
He said UTEP head coach Dana Dimel and secondary/safeties coach Josh Brown sold him on the Miners program.
“They treated me as a person. I thought the coaches at the other schools (which made offers) just talked to me as a football player,” Williams said. “I haven’t been able to take a physical or virtual tour of the UTEP campus, but I definitely plan to take a physical tour. I’ve done research on the city (of El Paso), and I feel it’s definitely a place where I can thrive.”
Williams played at Cabrillo as a sophomore. As a junior, he helped St. Joseph repeat as Mountain League champion in 2019.
He said the UTEP coaches told him that he’ll definitely see the field next season, either on special teams or in the rotation.
Booker has been training with Santa Barbara High quarterback Deacon Hill, who signed with Wisconsin.
Williams plans to major in accounting.
“I’m a big numbers guy,” he said. “I love numbers.”