Ida Baker High School senior Courtney Creamer has lived in Southwest Florida since she was 4 years old, long before her school was on the map.

As a student and volleyball athlete, like many of her classmates, Creamer realized quickly the challenge presented when entering the new school in 2004.

“It was interesting,” she said. “Coming in freshman year, we were only JV teams. It was kind of rough. Then we stepped into varsity and had to do a lot of building.”

With Creamer often leading the way, the Bulldogs grew into a legitimate volleyball program in three years. They’re coming off their first winning season and the future is full of promise.

Several other athletes have done their part in making the Bulldogs a factor in their respective sports.

On Friday, 15 of those athletes were recognized during an Athletic Signing Day ceremony in Baker’s auditorium.

Included were eight members of the Bulldog football team, who saw the team lose its first 20 games at the varsity level before climbing to 6-4 as seniors.

“It’s not just the guys signing. We had a class of 29 seniors,” football coach Brian Conn said. “They all stayed together through two very hard years and it paid off for them.”

One of those seniors, three-year quarterback Alex Lakes, has decided to attend Embry Riddle on a baseball scholarship.

Rey Robinson and David Llenza will play football together at Los Angeles Valley Community College. Robinson also may compete in track.

Charles May, who had a breakout season at defensive end, chose Dubuque University.

Another top track star the past couple of years, Mallory Jackson will attend Embry Riddle. He was a member of the Bulldogs’ first-ever state championship team in the 4×800 relay in 2007, and advanced to state, individually, in the 800 his senior year.

Ashley Carvalho, the defensive leader for the girls’ soccer team, helped lead the Bulldogs to their first regional appearance, where they lost a hard-fought 1-0 match to Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional quarterfinals this year.

“It was really exciting and a really close game,” said Carvalho, who will attend Barry University and major in criminal justice. “It was a great experience with the girls and just all the games.”

Jackie Fernandez, who captured the District 2A-15 and Lee County Athletic Conference golf championships this year, had an abrupt end to her high school career.

Fernandez took several dual-enrollment courses at colleges and was notified by the guidance counselor midway through this year that she only needed one credit to graduate.

“When I found out, I was like ‘no way,'” Fernandez said. “I figured why not. I truly think I’m ready.”

While Fernandez continues her golf career at Barry University, she’ll work toward a master’s degree as a physician’s assistant.

A complete list of the Baker signings:



Charles May (football): Dubuque University

Jasmine Skinner (football): Mississippi Delta Community College

Brock Harding (football): Augsburg College

Brian Franklin (football): West Virginia Wesleyan

Rey Robinson (football, track): Los Angeles Valley Community College

David Llenza (football): Los Angeles Valley Community College

David Weiss (football/wrestling): Northrop-Grumman

Casey Swink (golf): Florida Institute of Technology

Mallory Jackson (track): Embry Riddle

Alex Lakes (baseball): Embry Riddle

Dale LeDain (soccer): Webber University

Dean York (soccer): Webber University

Courtney Creamer (volleyball): Mississippi College

Ashley Carvalho (soccer): Barry University

Jackie Fernandez (golf): Barry University