Live coverage: Boys Class 3A state boys soccer—Land O’ Lakes vs. Plantation American Heritage

Posted Feb 17, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Feb 18, 2012 at 11:14 AM

Please join us here Saturday for bagels, cream cheese and soccer for our live coverage of the Class 3A boys state soccer championship match between Land O’ Lakes and Plantation American Heritage. The Pasco Tribune’s boys soccer beat writer, Mike Camunas, and Pasco Tribune sports writer Rick Harmon, will bring you live highlights and insights from the match. The Gators are seeking their first state championship in their second attempt under coach Mark Pearson. In 1999, Land O’akes lost 3-0 to Fort Myers. American Heritage has been to the state playoffs every year since 1999, winning state titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008. The match is slated for a 11:05 a.m. kickoff at USF’s new Corbett Stadium so please join us!

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State wrestling finals to be streamed live

Posted Feb 15, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Feb 15, 2012 at 04:08 PM

GAINESVILLE – The FHSAA Network will stream the FHSAA wrestling championship finals matches from Saturday’s evening session at the Lakeland Center live at www.FHSAAsports.com and archive the matches for on demand viewing.

The FHSAA Network is a partnership between the FHSAA and PlayOn! Sports that features live streaming and on-demand coverage of high school sports in Florida online.  The FHSAAsports.com video portal provides fans access, at no charge, to a wide variety of events, all of which will be archived and available for on demand viewing.

The FHSAA Network will stream the wrestling finals beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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Land O’ Lakes forced to forfeit 44 athletic contests

Posted Feb 15, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Feb 15, 2012 at 06:42 PM

The Florida High School Athletic Association announced penalties and sanctions Wednesday to a story first reported by The Pasco Tribune involving illegal recruiting of two Land O’ Lakes student-athletes, who are siblings.

The FHSAA, in a letter to Principal Ric Mellin from executive director Roger Dearing, determined the student-athletes involved violated Bylaw 9.1.2.2 for “Falsification of Information” to enroll at Land O’ Lakes High.

In all, six bylaws and policies were involved.

Because Land O’ Lakes self-reported on Feb. 10, the fines levied were reduced from $80,000 to $3,200.

“At this point I will only confirm that we have self-reported an incident within our athletics program, but we are not willing to discuss the situation and will wait until the FHSAA provides us with a response,” Mellin said in an email Wednesday.

Later, by telephone, Mellin said he had seen a copy of the report and would not comment, pending a possible appeal.

One of student-athlete participated in 23 football games and five boys weightlifting meets last year. The other played junior varsity volleyball.

It is believed the student-athletes never moved and, with the help of a coach and Land O’ Lakes booster, obtained a false address within the Land O’ Lakes school boundaries.

The coach has been dismissed, although Mellin said is was not anyone from current football coach Brian Wachtel’s current staff. Wachtel took over for Matt Kitchie in 2010.

Read the complete story here

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Fivay WR Bullock receives offer

Posted Feb 13, 2012 by Andy Villamarzo

Updated Feb 13, 2012 at 09:23 PM

Fivay wide receiver James Bullock received an offer from Graceland University (Lamoni, Iowa), according to Falcons coach Chris Taylor.

Taylor added that Bullock is also receiving interest from several other schools, including Universite of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Ky.), St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa)
and Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Ill.). This past season, Bullock caught 57 passes for 707 yards and scored seven touchdowns. The senior also made
14 tackles on defense as a defensive back and returned 13 punts for a total of 215 return yards, including one punt for 80 yards.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter at @andyvillamarzo.

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Ignite Elite combine draws crowd, talent

Posted Feb 13, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 13, 2012 at 10:06 AM

It was a tad chilly but more than 250 of the area’s top football players turned up for Saturday evening’s 2012 Bright House Sports Networks Ignite Elite Showcase presented by Big County Preps at the Larry Sanders Sports in Progress Village, Tampa.

According to BCP founder and event organizer Preston Jackson, here are the
MVPs from this year’s combine:

Quarterback: Pete Dinovo, East Lake, sophomore
Running back - Robert Davis, Carrollwood Day School, junior
Defensive lineman - Jodan Sherit, Hillsborough, junior
Offensive lineman - Logan McNeil, Lakewood, junior
Defensive back - Maurice Hall, Gibbs, sophomore
Linebacker - Isaac Tanner, Freedom, junior
Tight end - Troy Olmo, Clearwater Central Catholic, sophomore
Wide receiver - Artavious Scott, East Lake, sophomore

The U.S. Army 2014 MVPs, who earned automatic entry into the U.S. Army All-American Bowl combine, were Lakewood’s Isaiah Wynn, an offensive lineman, and Ocala West Port’s Anthony Davis, a defensive back.

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FHSAA to live stream state cheer

Posted Feb 2, 2012 by TBO.com

Updated Feb 2, 2012 at 12:22 PM

The FHSAA Network will live video stream the FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading Finals beginning at 1 p.m. today (Thursday) on www.fhsaasports.com.

A general overview of the schedule of events along with information on the FHSAA Network is available at the following link: http://www.fhsaa.org/news/2012/0202 and the school-by-school times for tumbling, warm-up and performing can be found under “Schedule of Events” on the FHSAA’s Competitive Cheerleading page which can be found at: http://www.fhsaa.org/sports/competitive-cheerleading.

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Florida Gulf Coast pulls scholarship offer to Land O’ Lakes’ Garcia

Posted Jan 27, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Jan 27, 2012 at 11:19 PM

LAND O’ LAKES— It hasn’t been a very good week for Land O’ Lakes senior forward Andy Garcia.

First, it didn’t help that Sunlake stunned his Gators 3-2 to take the Class 3A-District 7 championship on Friday night, snapping Land O’ Lakes’ seven-consecutive-title streak. To add to that, earlier in the week, Florida Gulf Coast University informed Garcia that it did not have a scholarship available for him after he verbally committed to the Eagles even before the season started.

Coach Mark Pearson told the Tampa Tribune that FCGU told Garcia he could still enroll and play for the team, though could not give him scholarship monies until his second year.

“It’s a real bad deal,” Pearson said. “However, within a day of that word getting out, he already had other offers on the table.”

Garcia, who is second on the Gators with 22 goals and 50 points, now has offers from Saint Leo, University of Tampa and North Florida, which watched Friday night’s district championship game.

“Andy will be fine, I’m sure, but it’s not something you want to hear just a week before signing day (Feb. 1),” Pearson added.

Garcia and the Gators, as district runners up, now travel to 3A-8 district champ Fivay, which picked up its first district title in program’s second season, for Tuesday’s 3A-2 region quarterfinals.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Zephyrhills’ Roberts meets with Kent State, others

Posted Jan 25, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Jan 25, 2012 at 04:14 PM

Zephyrhills coach Reggie Roberts said Wednesday that senior athlete Jamal Roberts met with Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell on Tuesday, while other coaches are expected to visit him just a week before signing day on Feb. 1.

“Jamal is really taking his time and looking for a college that has both good academics and athletics that would fit for him,” Reggie Roberts told the Tribune last week. “He’s going to make a decision soon, but wants to see all his options.

Reggie Roberts said Division I-AA Presbyterian College, based in Clinton, S.C., will visit with Jamal on Thursday, while Jamal has already visited with Middle Tennessee State and garnered interest from Florida Atlantic. Lehigh University, a FCS private college in Bethlehem, Pa., has also expressed interest.

Jamal, a Pasco Tribune selection as first-team athlete, helped lead the turnaround Bulldogs to a 6-4 record with 1,580 total offensive yards, most of that as scrambling quarterback that had 20 touchdowns, including one for 91 yards.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Gulf’s Kruse quiet on Division I choice

Posted Jan 25, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Jan 25, 2012 at 04:16 PM

Gulf lineman and four-year starter Jeff Kruse announced, via his Facebook page, that he has committed to a Division I college, but opted to keep everyone in suspense until signing day, which is a week from today on Feb. 1.

“Officially committed! #D-1” read Kruse’s status at at 7 a.m. this morning.

When asked which school Kruse committed to, Kruse responded by saying, “I’m keeping it a secret until signing day! Hahaha !”

Kruse, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound prospect that competed in the pay-your-way Blue-Grey National All-Star Classic at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 14, was part of a dismal 2-8 Gulf team this past season. However, Kruse’s size, strength and sub-five-second 40-yard dash time, got him a scholarship offer from Eastern Michigan on Dec. 11.

Plus, thanks to his more-than-4.0 GPA and enrollment in Gulf’s International Baccalaureate program, Ivy League schools such as Princeton, which he visited in December and is most likely attending, and Harvard have shown interest. Those schools do not offer athletic scholarships, however, academic ones, meaning Kruse would have to try out for those teams.

“I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!!” his mother, Christine Kruse, commented on her son’s Facebook status.

Kruse, who named a Pasco Tribune‘s All County first team offensive lineman, would most likely need to bulk up to 300 pounds plus to play guard at the next level, but has said teams are interested to try him at defensive tackle, as well.

Correspondent Andy Villamarzo contributed to this report. Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Mitchell QB Whittaker commits to Stetson as CB

Posted Jan 24, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Jan 24, 2012 at 11:57 PM

Mitchell senior quarterback Spencer Whittaker committed to Stetson University in Deltona today, but did so as a cornerback, Mustangs coach Scott Schmitz said Tuesday.

Not a bad pick up for Whittaker, who didn’t play a down on defense this past season, instead leading the Mustangs and their offense to a 5-5 record.

“That’s the nature of the beast because I’m not a big on having my quarterback play both ways, especially if we’re not that deep at that position,” said Schmitz, who returned to the program he started in 1999. “But Spencer is a very good cornerback and that’s what Stetson wants him for.”

Whittaker, who went 32-for-65 passing for 450 yards and four touchdowns and added four more rushing, had eight interceptions combined in his sophomore and junior seasons, which is what Stetson based its decision on, Schmitz said. Whittaker plans to attend Stetson’s law school after going through the pre-law program for the Hatters.

And Schmitz calls the commitment “a good package” for Stetson.

“He was a two-year starter at cornerback, so he knows what to do, they’ve seen his film, and put that with his great grades and GPA — he’s going to quite well there,” Schmitz said. “He’s very interested in becoming a lawyer, and I fully expect him to do so.”

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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