Forest Hill 2-sport star Draper signs with Navy
WEST PALM BEACH — Many high school athletes play multiple sports, but most do not excel in more than one.
Forest Hill’s Donovan Draper is an exception. The Falcons senior stood out in basketball and football, and on Tuesday, he signed with the Naval Academy to play football.
“It feels good,” Draper said. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I’m really excited for the future and just thanking everybody that was with me through freshman year all the way to here.”
Although Draper signed to play college football, he didn’t play the sport throughout high school. He sat out his sophomore year and only played basketball. He returned to the football team his junior year and became an offensive threat for the Falcons. He was a second-team All-County pick as a junior and senior. Last season, he caught 15 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns in a pandemic-shortened season.
“We knew as a freshman [that Draper was special],” former Forest Hill football coach Jude Blessington said. “He was really good for us as a freshman, and then he took his sophomore year off from football. We understood; we never wanted him to stop playing basketball ... But we always felt he had the ability to be a two-sport star. With a little bit of convincing from guys like [Jalen] Jeter, he came back out the fall of his junior year, and as I was saying before, he allowed us to change what we did as an offense.
“We were run, run, run, run, run, but he put that threat out there for us that he was going to go up and get balls and teams had to defend us differently.”
In basketball, Draper was one of the best players in Palm Beach County. He helped lead Forest Hill to the state semifinals in 2020 and earned first-team All-County honors. He was a Fab Five pick entering his senior season, and he continued his strong performance on the court.
He helped the Falcons win their third straight district title and averaged 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He also averaged 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals. He was a first-team All-County pick for the second season in a row.
“It was so exciting that his talent was recognized in basketball as well as football,” said Tony Watson, Draper’s father and Forest Hill’s basketball coach.
Draper said it was difficult to choose one sport over the other, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing both sports for Navy in the future.
“It was a really hard choice,” Draper said. “It took a long time to make it, so I’m making the right decision. I know for sure I’m making the right decision with Nacy, and I’m really happy for my future.
“I’ve been talking to the basketball coach a little bit, and he said after the first year of football, if the coaches will let me, I could try out and play both sports. It would be a hard process, but I’d probably be able to do it sophomore or junior year.”