Sunlake’s success garners offers

Posted Jan 24, 2012 by Andy Villamarzo

Updated Jan 24, 2012 at 11:47 PM

Coming off their best season in school history, some of Sunlake’s players are reaping the benefits and receiving college interest.

The offers are starting to roll in as Nick Morrison has been offered by Morehead State (Morehead, Ky.), Jamal Jones received an offer from Wayne State (Wayne, Neb.) and Rashaud Daniels and Jerome Samuels received offers from Central Methodist University (Fayette, Mo.), according to Seahawks coach Bill Browning.

Sunlake finished with a 10-2 record and the second round of the Class 6A state playoff tournament. Morrison had 146 tackles on defense and also notched five sacks. Jones was a two-way starter and had 557 yards receiving and 12 touchdown catches and also made 28 tackles at cornerback. Daniels was another two-way standout and had 929 yards of total offense and made 62 tackles at defensive back. Samuels played mainly at fullback and rushed for 536 yards on 93 carries.

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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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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Anclote’s Pettiford gets D-II offer; Sunlake duo to make visit

Posted Jan 23, 2012 by Andy Villamarzo

Updated Jan 23, 2012 at 12:53 PM

Anclote running back Alonzo Pettiford has received an offer from D-II Fort Hays State (Hays, Kan.), according to Anclote coach Matt Wicks.

Pettiford, who played multiple offensive positions for the 4-6 Sharks and was their most explosive playmaker, had rushed for 602 yards on 68 carries for seven touchdowns and also caught 14 passes for 268 yards and two scores. Pettiford also returned 14 kickoffs for a total of 464 yards, with an average of 33.1 per return and a long of 94.

The senior has been receiving interest from several smaller schools and is scheduled to visit Fort Hays State this weekend.

In other recruiting news, Sunlake running backs Rashaud Daniels and Jerome Samuels will be visiting Central Methodist University (Fayette, Mo.) this weekend on an official visit, according to Daniels. Daniels played an athlete role for the 10-2 Seahawks this season, rushing for 478 yards, had 451 yards receiving and made 62 total tackles on defense. Samuels was a bruising runner for Sunlake and rushed for 536 yards on 93 carries for six touchdowns and also made 39 tackles on defense.

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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Soccer schedule at Steinbrenner this week worked out

Posted Jan 23, 2012 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Jan 23, 2012 at 11:21 AM

Steinbrenner athletic director Eddie Henderson announced Monday some changes to this week’s boys and girls soccer schedule.

The girls region quarterfinal where Steinbrenner hosts Bartow, will remain at the school at 7 p.m., forcing some changes to the boys schedule.

The boys district tournament was originally scheduled to start on Tuesday, but opening round matches have been moved to Wednesday, semifinals to Thursday and the district final to Saturday.

Here’s a look at the updated boys 4A-8 district schedule at Steinbrenner High School.

Quarterfinals - Wednesday
Chamberlain (5) vs. Wiregrass Ranch (4), 6 p.m.
Steinbrenner (6) vs. Sickles (3), 8 p.m.
Semifinals - Thursday
Steinbrenner-Sickles winner vs. Gaither (2), 6 p.m.
Chamberlain-Wiregrass Ranch winner vs. Freedom (1), 8 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

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Tampa Prep and Steinbrenner working to resolve soccer scheduling conflict

Posted Jan 21, 2012 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Jan 21, 2012 at 03:43 PM

The upcoming week is going to be busy with boys districts and girls region play overlapping on Tuesday. With Tuesday starting the hectic double booking when it comes to hosting schools, there are bound to be scheduling snafus. Two such conflicts have arisen in the Tampa area and coaches and administrations have started to do their work to resolve the situations.

Tampa Prep is the No. 1 seed in the boys 1A-7 district tournament and the Terrapins are scheduled to host the winner of Monday’s Academy at the Lakes-Citrus Park Christian match Tuesday. The match was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start, but has now been moved to 5 p.m. to accommodate the Terrapins girls team’s region quarterfinal match against Shorecrest Prep, which according to Tampa Prep girls soccer coach Cindy Schofield has been moved to a 7:30 p.m. start.

The Terrapins won the 1A-7 district title Friday defeating Bishop McLaughlin 7-2 in girls soccer.

A scheduling conflict for the boys district and girls region quarterfinal at Steinbrenner remains unresolved according to girls coach Robert Woodard. Woodard said Steinbrenner athletic director Eddie Henderson was planning to have a decision made Monday with Bartow about possibly moving the girls region match (originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday) to Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

The boys 4A-8 district tournament has #4 Wiregrass Ranch and #5 Chamberlain playing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by #3 Sickles and #6 Steinbrenner playing at 8 p.m. conflicting with the girls schedule. Wednesday has boys district semifinals scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., which would have the girls possibly playing at 4 p.m.

Thursday has a break in the boys schedule, but would leave the winner with little preparation time for the girls region semifinal match scheduled for Friday.

Check back with TBO.com for more changes as they become available. For more information on the girls region schedule click here

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TC, Wesley Chapel product Joyer to make his Gator track debut

Posted Jan 21, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 21, 2012 at 03:11 PM

Former Tampa Catholic and Wesley Chapel two-sport star Hunter Joyer will start his “other sport” Sunday when he competes in his first collegiate track and field meet for the University of Florida, indoors at the Gator Invite in Gainesville’s O’Connell Center.

Joyer is coming off a solid debut as a true freshman on the UF football team. He played in all 13 of the Gators’ games last fall, finishing with 82 yards on 18 carries and scoring two touchdowns. He was used primarily as a blocking and short-yardage back but impressed the Gators coaching staff—and his teammates—with his strength and work ethic.

“He (runs) real low to the earth, so you kinda have to get real low,” Florida sophomore linebacker Jelani Jenkins told the Gainesville Sun. “He’s strong. I remember first seeing him in the weight room benching 315 (pounds) like it was easy. A lot of guys can’t do that at all.”

Sunday will mark Joyer’s first serious competition in the shot since winning last spring’s Class 2A state shot put title with a toss of 61 feet, 1 inch. It was his second consecutive state crown, following his 2010 crown won while at Tampa Catholic.

Joyer is one of four Gators who play another sport outside of track and field, joining football teammates Jeff Demps and Frankie Hammond, and soccer goalkeeper Taylor Burke.

Demps, who recently announced he is forgoing his UF football career in an attempt to make this year’s U.S. Olympic team, and Hammond are slated to start their seasons later this indoor season. Burke competes in the women’s high jump.

While the bulk of UF’s running athletes will sit this meet out, former Riverview standout Ashley Favors, a Gators freshman, is slated to make her debut for the school on the 55 hurdles.     

Other local athletes will be on hand for Sunday’s meet. Watch for Florida International’s Marissa McElveen, a former state champion from Blake who recently soared to a long jump mark of 20 feet, 0.5 inches. That’s one of the nation’s best jumps of this young indoor season. Also competing for FIU is former Tampa Bay Tech star La’Shae White, who will be in the women’s 400-meter dash.

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Boys soccer: Time changed in 3A-7 at Land O’ Lakes

Posted Jan 21, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Jan 21, 2012 at 11:37 AM

Because Land O’ Lakes girls soccer team will host Mitchell in the Class 3A-Region 2 quarterfinals Tuesday, the starting time for the boys district tournament has changed.

Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills boys will face each other at 5 p.m., followed by the Mitchell-Land O’ Lakes girls game.

The girls region semifinal is scheduled for Friday, the same day as the boys district final so if Land O’ Lakes wins, another time change could occur.

Here’s the new schedule:

Tuesday: Wesley Chapel (4) vs. Zephyrhills (5), 5 p.m. Wednesday: Pasco (2) vs. Sunlake (3), 6 p.m.; Land O’ Lakes (1) vs. Wesley Chapel-Zephyrhills winner, 7:45 p.m. Friday: Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

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Former Gulf star faces drug charges

Posted Jan 19, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated Jan 19, 2012 at 07:28 PM

Former Gulf High and current University of Florida sophomore defensive tackle Leon Orr was served with a notice to appear on two drug charges after campus police searched his Gainesville dorm room Jan. 10.

The report, obtained by the campus newspaper The Alligator, says Orr’s dorm room in building eight of Keys Complex was searched by campus police and a “baggy of a green leafy substance, a glass pipe and rolling papers” were on Orr’s desk and bedside table.

Orr is being charged with possession of marijuana under 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He will appear in court Feb. 8.

After the “green leafy substance” was confirmed as marijuana, Orr was read his rights and admitted the items found were his, the report said. The report doesn’t say what let to the search.

Since Will Muschamp replaced Urban Meyer as head coach, eight different Gators football players have been arrested.

At Gulf, Orr was a Pasco Tribune first-team selection in 2009. As a redshirt freshman for the Gators, he had 10 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.

Correspondent Andy Villamarzo contributed to this report.

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Pasco’s Birchfield signs softball scholarship

Posted Jan 18, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Jan 19, 2012 at 06:32 AM

Pasco senior first baseman Sarah Birchfield signed a softball letter-of-intent with College of Central Florida in Ocala on Wednesday.

Birchfield hit .310 last season with 20 RBI and seven doubles for a Pirates team that went 25-7 and advanced to the Class 4A region final.

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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Football: Land O’ Lakes LB Williams offered by NC-Central

Posted Jan 17, 2012 by Bart O'Connell

Updated Jan 17, 2012 at 02:09 PM

Another scholarship offer has come in for a key member of the Land O’ Lakes defense. The latest is for Gators LB Shadow Williams.

The senior received his offer from Division I FCS North Carolina-Central, LOL coach Brian Wachtel said.

Williams has been one of the most feared and productive linebackers in Pasco County the past two seasons. Despite playing much of the 2011 season with a cast stemming from broken bone in his right hand, Williams had 62 tackles and three sacks. He had 133 tackles and 11 sacks in his healthy junior season.

Located in Durham, N.C., NC-Central is a historically black university that competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with the likes of Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M. Last year’s team went 2-9.

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