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- Football Friday Night Live
- For now, 2 Gulf football players ineligible
- New look for Land O’ Lakes football
- Gulf to interview 3 for football job
- Kamran Joyer out several weeks with foot injury
- Football Friday Night Live
- River Ridge, Z-hills Kickoff Classic moved
- Wesley Chapel in the market for another volleyball coach
- Pasco football’s ‘Coach’s Corner’ returns Wednesday
- Gulf football under investigation, Jay Fulmer not at practice
- Gulf's Fulmer resignation upheld
- Zephyrhills new swim coach is old swim coach
- This week’s Pasco County football notebook
- Former Zephyrhills receiver Mychael Floyd arrested
- Former Wesley Chapel football coach John Castelamare back on the field tonight
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Hudson athletic director Andy Schmitz announced the school has added coaches to fill its six remaining openings in the athletic department.
Football coach Justin Fenton will take over the boys weightlifting program; former University of Michigan swimmer Ken Wiebeck, who was a Big 10 swim champion, will coach the boys swim team; David Barnes will coach the girls basketball and boys golf teams; C.J. Smith was hired to coach girls golf; and David Broughton, a football assistant, will coach the girls weightlifting team.
“I’m very excited to get it done before school starts,” Schmitz said Monday. “It’s kind of nice to not have any of these hanging over our heads. The great thing about it is four out of the five are faculty members, which was a real big priority for us. We wanted to get head coaches who were going to be fulltime on campus.
“I think it’s good for the discipline of the kids, I think it’s good for the academic progress of the kids in that they have somebody there who can keep them accountable all day.”
No, he hasn’t caught a pass from Brett Favre.
But former Land O’ Lakes High receiver Logan Payne has made his way to the Minnesota Vikings and is making a serious play for a roster spot.
In 2007, Payne was an undrafted free agent signee with the Seattle Seahawks. He spent that season on the practice squad, but in 2008, he played in two games as a member of the 53-man roster. He became the first former Land O’ Lakes player to make it to an NFL roster.
Unfortunately, a right, MCL tear ended his 2008 campaign. Last season he split time with the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.
Ironically, Payne is back in the area where he played his college ball – the University of Minnesota. During his time as a Golden Gopher, Payne a 2003 Land O’ Lakes graduate, caught 96 passes for 1,333 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a senior, he led the squad in catches (59), yards (804) and touchdowns (9).
Here’s the story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Jamie Byrd, Pasco High School’s big hitting defensive back/linebacker, will head to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton for a visit this weekend.
The Owls, coached by Howard Schnellenberger, represent one of six programs interested in the rising senior. In addition to FAU, Western Michigan, Iowa State, Purdue, Georgia Southern and Youngstown State University in Ohio have made offers to Byrd.
Byrd led Pasco in tackles for a second consecutive season in 2009. During that campaign the hard hitter collected 101 stops, six sacks, forced three fumbles, and recovered four. He also rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two scores, in addition to his two touchdowns on defense.
When Mark Hall moved to Tampa in January from Pinellas County, he decided he needed to find a teaching position closer to home.
He had been teaching and coaching at Seminole High but was hired as a math teacher at Sunlake during the summer.
“After I was hired, they asked if I was interested in being involved with coaching,” the 28-year-old Hall said. “I had coached junior-varsity boys basketball at Seminole so I said yes.”
With three basketball coaching positions open, Hall was surprised when he was offered the head boys basketball position for the Seahawks.
Hall is a Muskingum College (New Concord, Ohio) graduate and has 8 years of JV coaching experience at Seminole. He grew up in Pasco County and attended Hudson High for one year before moving to Ohio.
Hall replaces Robert Marinak, who resigned in June. Marinak started the Sunlake program three years ago, compiling a 23-56 record.
Jami Finan, who has served as the girls soccer coach at Wesley Chapel for the past eight seasons, is now the new softball coach at Sunlake.
Finan replaces Johnny Dawkins, who led the Seahawks for each of the program’s three seasons. Dawkins led the program to an uncommonly quick rise. Sunlake opened its inaugural season with a 6-16 record in 2007, but surged in the following two seasons, going 16-11 in 2008 and 15-10 this past year.
The remaining head coaching spots at Zephyrhills have been filled, Zephyrhills principal Steve Van Gorden announced.
Robyn Crist, a Zephyrhills graduate, is the school’s new girls weightlifting coach. Girls weightlifting.
“Coach Crist comes with many years of athletic expression going back to her playing days at Ole Miss with their golf program,” Van Gorden said. “In the short time I have known Robyn she has shined with her passion for athletics and her love for kids. She is a strong child advocate and a very positive role model for students.
“This coaching assignment will also be matched with her teaching in the school’s Drop Out prevention Program. I personally place a lot of confidence in Coach Crist.”
Also added to the roster of coaches is Christine Webb, who takes over the boys soccer post from Dee Dee Castro, who coached the team for one season.
“Coach Webb comes with many years of successful coaching experience. She has worked with Coach Castro for many years and understands the direction the program is going,” Van Gorden said. “She will continue to build upon Dee Dee’s foundation, emphasizing discipline, hard work, and positive attitudes on and off the court. I am excited to see how Coach Webb’s strong emphasis on team work and discipline will continue to mold the program in the future.”
Parents of athletes looking to play football at Land O’ Lakes High School are invited to attend a parents meeting Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. inside the school’s cafeteria.
Paperwork will be handed out at the meeting and an authorized notary will be present to notarize items needed to be signed and returned to the coaching staff.
For more information contact Land O’ lakes High School at (813) 794-9400.
Wednesday morning, many in the Pasco High School student body set out to do a good deed – raise money to help the family of Dan Brown, a former Pasco High football player, who lost his life following an all-terrain vehicle accident.
The group gathered in the Checkers parking lot in Dade City at 11 a.m. to wash cars and didn’t leave until well after 5 p.m. During that time, $4,919 was raised to assist Brown’s family with funeral costs.
On July 24 in Hernando County, Brown was the passenger on an ATV that collided with the rear of a sports utility vehicle. Brown, 19, died at the scene, while 18-year-old Steven Villarreal, who was driving, died at Pasco Regional Medical Center.
Chase Sellers, Sage Stephens and Nick Williams banded together to honor Brown’s family and came up with the idea of the car wash.
Stephens, in a text message was quick to no take credit for the trio’s grassroots effort to help the family of a teammate and friend.
“It wasn’t us, it was the community,” he wrote. “We thank them on Friday nights.”
Brown, known by the nickname “Turbo,” was set to leave for Defiance College in Ohio this Saturday to begin his college football career at Defiance College.
Former Pasco High baseball player Dominic Brown will get his shot at the Big Leagues tonight after being called up from his Triple-A squad.
Brown, a centerfielder recently named by Baseball America as a top prospect, was called up after Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino was placed on the 15-day DL due to an abdominal strain.
Check out the article from the Phillies website.
Two Land O’ Lakes baseball players will take their wares to Webber International University after signing scholarships to play for the Warriors.
Austin AuBuchon and Alex Estes will head to the school’s Babson Park campus this fall.
AuBuchon, a third baseman and pitcher, led the Gators with his .340 batting average, 22 runs scored and 20 RBIs. He also collected four homers. From the mound, AuBuchon went 1-1 with a save. He also collected 23 strikeouts with a 3.67 ERA.
Estes, who plays shortstop and second baseman, hit .322 with 17 runs scored, 14 RBIs, seven doubles and two home runs.
The Pasco High School football team will hold a carwash Wednesday at 11 a.m. to raise money in honor of fallen teammate Dan Brown. The funds will be used to help Brown’s family pay for his funeral.
Brown, 19, along with classmate Steven Villarreal, 18, died following an ATV accident Saturday in Hernando County.
The carwash will be held at Checkers, 12600 U.S. 301, Dade City.
You can read more here.
After leading the Hudson volleyball team to the state final four in her first season, Shayna Munson stepped down from her coaching position, transferring to Anclote High School, according to Hudson athletic director Andy Schmitz.
Last week, Hudson hired Kortney Newton, daughter of Cobras baseball coach Keith Newton, to take over the Hudson program. Kortney Newton was an assistant volleyball coach at Gulf High last season.
“The fact that her dad is here, she knows the school, she knows the tradition,” Schmitz said. “the girls expect to win. (Newton) is excited to step into a program that’s a winner.”
Zephyrhills principal Steve Van Gorden announced Tuesday the hiring of Jeff Beson as the new Bulldogs wrestling coach.
In an email, Van Gorden said: “Coach Beson brings a lot of energy and a solid knowledge of the sport to the position. He also has a great rapport with the students. Coach Beson working in tandem with ZHS grad and Assistant Wrestling Coach David Summers provides a solid foundation for the program to continue to improve and be reckoned with in the county and beyond.”
Beson replaces Troy Hochstetler, who coached the team for three seasons before stepping down at the end of the 2009-10 season. During his time as the head coach, Hochstetler guided Nick Hynes to three of his four appearances as well as watched Robbie Kunkle get to Lakeland. Prior to his time as the team’s head coach, Hochstetler was the assistant coach for close to a decade.
Beson served as the Bulldogs assistant wrestling coach last season.
The Pasco High and Wiregrass Ranch football teams will represent Pasco County this weekend when they compete in the Florida Premier 7s 7-on-7 competition.
The event, which will take place this Friday and end on Sunday, will also include Orlando Dr. Phillips, Miramar, Manatee and DeLand, among others.
“Wide World of Sports gave us a call probably around March or April and sent out some information,” Wiregrass coach Jeremy Shobe said. “They only invited what they called the top 100 teams in the state.”
The games will be played on a 40-yard field and each team is guaranteed five games; more if they advance.
Pasco coach Tom McHugh shares the sentiments of many coaches that believe getting out of the weight room and competing against someone else helps foster a willingness to improve.
“It’s been since the end of May they’ve been in the weight room and it does get kind of boring,” McHugh said. “You get to go out and play against guys you don’t know and guys you’ve read about on the internet.
“That also peaks these guys’ spirits. They’ll say, ‘Well, if that guys is supposed to be one of the top cornerbacks and I’m one of the better wide receivers, I want to see what the top cornerback can do.’ It’s that kind of thing. They like to compare themselves.”
The USSSA’s annual Best of the South boys basketball tournament will come to an end Thursday with the 16-under and 17-under championships. The 16U championship will be played at 2:15 p.m., followed by the 17U championship. The games will be held at Plant High.
Over a dozen summer travel teams from Florida have competed in the tournament this week.
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