Last week 13 Parkland athletes officially signed letters of intent to Division I and II colleges. Family and friends celebrated the occasion, coaches spoke of the athletes’ past, present and future.

But there was one somber moment during the hour-long-plus ceremony. When Parkland baseball head coach Kurt Weber was introducing Michael Jenkins, a LaSalle baseball recruit and Trojan starting pitcher, he told the crown that Jenkins was there without his father, who lost a long and courageous battle with cancer less than two weeks before the signing.

Although Pat Jenkins was unable to physically attend Michael’s signing, he was still just as much a part of the event as if he had been in the gymnasium that day.

“He is definitely my role model, the guy I looked up to for everything,” said Michael Jenkins. “He was there every step of the way. He was sick for three years, but he was able to go to all these college visits with me, help me pick out a school that was right for me. He knew that I’ll be happy. You take your blessings how you get them.”

Jenkins pitched 68 innings last year and struck out 76 while walking just six batters. He’s looking forward to his final season at Parkland before moving on to LaSalle.

He had offers from Lehigh, Lafayette, Ryder and Scranton, but chose the Explorers for the academics as well the baseball program.

“I had a few schools on the list but I ended up only applying to LaSalle,” said Jenkins, who carries a 4.1 grade point average. “It was my top choice. Coach [Mike] Lake has a great program and the business school is highly-ranked.”

Jenkins was one of two Parkland baseball players at the signing ceremony, as teammate and good friend Austin Mueller will head to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he hopes to make an immediate impact.

Mueller chose the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school over some Division I colleges for the chance to earn a starting spot in his first year of college.

“The reason I chose IUP was playing time,” said Mueller, who had offers from Central Florida and Winthrop, among others. “That was the biggest thing for me.

“I know if I go to IUP I can be a four-year starter. The other schools I could be sitting on the bench for two years, maybe even three.”

Parkland’s girls volleyball team was the most represented Trojan team last Wednesday with three players moving on to the next level.

Sam Graver will join Jenkins at LaSalle. Morgan Sherwin is headed to Quinnipiac and Megan Shaw will play at West Chester.

The three players have gone 91-3 in their high school volleyball careers, including three appearances in state championship matches, which yielded a pair of state titles. They’ve been league and district champs for three straight seasons.

Shaw was the team’s minister of defense, according to head coach Mike Krause. She led the team in aces and digs and had a 93 percent passing efficiency rating while serving 20 percent of the team’s points.

Sherwin, who has a 26-inch vertical leap, played a hybrid setter/attacker position last year. She led the state with 1,040 assists while also posting 189 kills with a hitting percentage of 55.

Graver, who posted a school record 617 kills last season, had offers from several Division I schools, including Maryland and Villanova. The Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania chose LaSalle for the opportunity to play on the front row.

“I knew I wanted to play the position I played in high school because I worked very hard to get that,” she said. “I was outside hitter. I’m not the tallest outside hitter out there for Division I.”

Parkland’s two-time district champion girls soccer team also had a pair of athletes signing.

Rachel Laird will play at West Chester University and Olivia Schantz will play at Bloomsburg.

Laird scored 34 goals in her career despite missing time in both her junior and senior seasons with injuries.

Schantz was a two-year varsity player who started her senior season and earned First Team All-EPC. She stopped 57 of the 63 shots she faced this season.

One player each from the Parkland girls and boys lacrosse programs signed letters of intent at the event. Makenna Warminsky will play for East Stroudsburg next year, while Gavin Saylor is headed the University of Hartford.

Saylor considered Division I opportunities at Massachusetts and Division III Salisbury before selecting Hartford

“All around academics and athletics combined together just really set it apart,” he said. “I love the guys on the team. The coaches just welcomed me.”

Parkland offensive lineman Patrick Ferry will join Laird at West Chester, while field hockey player Kora Murphy committed to Bloomsburg last week.

Cross country runner Sydney DelVecchio chose Ryder College over Monmouth and Towson.

“They were just one of the schools immediately they were interested in me,” she said. “They were there from the start. I did have kind of a rough cross country season this year and they never lost any faith in me. They always were there supporting me.”

And the all-time leading scorer in Parkland basketball history, Sam Iorio solidified the commitment to American University that he made in fall.

“I had about 14 other offers,” he said. “It came down to American and Villanova. Villanova was a great opportunity. I have a great relationship with the coaching staff. My grandpa played there.

“I also had a great relationship with the American coaching staff. I really clicked with them. When I went for my visit I clicked with the players. They have a lot of sophomores and freshmen. I feel like I can go there and add to the youth and be a good basketball team down there. It felt right.”

When asked about what they’ll remember most about their Parkland playing careers, most of the athletes expressed the same sentiments of camaraderie and bonding that they experienced through their four years at Parkland.

“Probably just the friendships, all the kids I’ve become brothers with,” said Saylor. “It’s more than just a game. It becomes like a family.”