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« January 2008 | Main | March 2008 »
Marcus Morrison, a senior forward for Brandon, has just been named to the Class 5A boys basketball all-tournament team. The 6-foot-6 standout had eight points and 12 rebounds in the Eagles' 56-50 state semifinal loss to Lakewood on Wednesday night.
Morrison is a University of Tampa commit.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Armwood senior guard Adam Sollazzo, one of the county's top basketball players, has committed to East Tennessee State, the Times has learned.
"I went up there to visit and I got along with the coaches really well," Sollazzo said.
A 6-foot-6 point guard, Sollazzo averaged 22 points and seven assists a game as a senior. He also considered USF, Longwood and Missouri-Kansas City.
"They told me I can come up there and compete (for a starting job) my first year," Sollazzo said.
Sollazzo recently was named the Hillsborough County Player of the Year by the Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association. He likely will earn all-state consideration.
"They have a big tradition of winning (at East Tennessee State) ," Sollazzo said. "They win their conference every year and when you do that you play in the NCAA Tournament. And it's always been a dream of mine to play in the big dance."
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
East Lake starting pitcher Kim Mazzapica was expected to make her season debut this week after a groin injury sidelined the senior, but Eagles coach Mike Estes said that Mazzapica's return is still up in the air. She didn't play in East Lake's 5-0 loss to Countryside, instead throwing pitches from her knees on an auxilary field during the game.
"We're still playing that by ear," Estes said following the loss. "It could be another two or three weeks before we get her back."
Estes hoped to have Mazzapica back for the Eagles second meeting with district rival Palm Harbor University March 13, but he's not too optimistic.
"She just can't drive her leg when she pitches," he said. "That groin's still acting up."
East Lake is 5-5 so far this season without Mazzapica.
-- BRYAN BURNS
Before tonight's game between Jesuit and Plant, the Panthers retired former Plant standout and current University of Tampa coach Joe Urso's number in a ceremony at home plate.
A sign on the right field fence unvieled Urso's No. 35. His number is the fifth Plant has retired, joining former players John Ramos, John Hudek, Wade Boggs and former coach Jeff Vardo.
Urso played second base for the Panthers in the last '80s and was a member of the program's only state title team in 1988. More recently, he has coach UT to back-to-back Division II national titles in '06 and '07.
"This is a tremendous honor," Urso told the crowd. "I was looking out at the fence a couple weeks ago and thought to myself ... how special that would be."
-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Tipoff of Lakewood's Class 5A state final game against Fort Lauderdale Dillard is moments away. We'll keep you updated throughout the game.
Ben Patrick is the Class 5A 3-point shooting champ.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard defeated three other contestants Friday afternoon at The Lakeland Center to earn the title. He made 10 of 15 shots, including six straight at the end.
"I started thinking about my form on every shot," Patrick said. "When you're shooting, you don't even watch the balls go in. I was in a rhythm (toward the end) and I knew they were going in."
Bloomingdale guard Sean Hayes took second after making seven shots. He also got hot toward the end.
As the 5A champion, Patrick will compete again Saturday in the state's King-of-the-Hill shootout. Patrick and Hayes reached state by advancing through district and regional competition.
"I just want to win that one (Saturday)," Patrick said.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Bloomingdale guard Sean Hayes will be taking part in the Class 5A 3-point shootout in just a few minutes here at The Lakeland Center. The 6-foot junior will go up against three other competitors, each of whom reached state by advancing through district and regional competition.
The 5A 3-point champion will compete again Saturday in the state's King-of-the-Hill shootout.
At the district shootout, Hayes made 11 of 15 shots. He connected on 10 shots at regionals.
Hayes averaged 12 points a game for the Bulls. He made 42 percent of his 3-pointers.
"I was nervous at regionals, but now I'm ready," Hayes said.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Like thousands of others in the mesmerized legion at the recent Van Halen concert in Tampa, I came away astounded -- albeit for an entirely different reason.
It wasn't David Lee Roth's middle-age-defying leg kicks, Eddie Van Halen's nimble mastery of the fretboard, nor the on-stage chumminess the pair displayed after years of animosity.
What floored me was what I encountered beforehand -- at a restaurant across the street from the St. Petersburg Times Forum.
There, shuffling patrons to booths and issuing directives to hostesses, was ex-Gator and Tampa Jesuit High lineman Pat Browning -- with a shaved head and closely-cropped waistline.
Roughly a decade after a series of knee surgeries and off-field trouble ended his career, Browning, whom I covered in college and high school, has lost approximately 175 pounds from his 6-foot-4 frame.
Today, he weighs a svelte 205.
"The hard part about losing weight, the part that so many people struggle with, is weight loss must be a complete life change," Browning said in an e-mail several days later. "I know I will never be overweight again and and that's a great feeling. It is a simple concept, burn more calories a day than you put into your body!"
Browning, whose enigmatic playing career ended when his scholarship wasn't renewed after the 1998 season, was a shade over 300 pounds in his prime, but had ballooned to nearly 380 by '99.
He said he an on-campus encounter with ex-Gators lineman Kenyatta Walker changed his life. When Walker began mocking his weight in front of several others, Browning said he went home, looked in the mirror and barely recognized the image staring back at him.
"I never got to thank Kenyatta," Browning said, "but he truly changed my life!"
Fresh off his fifth knee surgery at the time, Browning joined a local fitness center and began swimming an hour a day. Within nine months, he had dropped 100 pounds.
Eventually, he got his knee back in shape with the help of a trainer and started running three to five miles a day. By the time he graduated (in 2002), moved back to Tampa and began dating his wife, Sarah, he was down to 245.
At this point, Browning said he was subsisting on little more than two cans of tuna a day. Sarah put him on a low-carb, high-fiber, high-protein diet (lots of fruits and vegetables), and he immediately dropped another 20 pounds.
"It's hard to see pictures of myself back in those football playing days," said Browning, one of only four Gator true freshmen to play on UF's 1995 SEC title team. "So many things in my life have changed for the better since losing all the weight."
In a few months, Browning will give up his restaurant manager's job, and move to North Dakota with Sarah, who will be a professor at North Dakota State. Browning said he plans to teach social studies and coach prep football.
"I plan on bringing my knowledge of healthy eating to young people," he said. "I feel like our youth in America, much like myself in my younger years, have a severe lack of information about lifelong healthy eating habits."
JOEY KNIGHT, Times staff writer
Largo combo-guard Ben Patrick has just arrived at The Lakeland Center and is relaxing near courtside as he prepares to compete in the state's Class 5A 3-point shootout. The 6-foot-2 sophomore will go up against three other competitors, each of whom reached state by advancing through district and regional competition.
The 5A 3-point champion will compete again Saturday in the state's King-of-the-Hill shootout.
At the district level, Patrick made 10 of 15 shots -- after missing his first five. At regionals, he also made 10.
Patrick averaged 16 points a game this season for the Packers. He shot 46 percent from 3-point range.
"I'm excited," Patrick said. "I think it's going to be fun."
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Virginia's Sarah Kirkwood, the former Plant High star, has been chosen as the ACC scholar-athlete of the year for volleyball. To be eligible, candidates had to have maintained a 3.0 GPA for their career as well as a 3.0 during the last two semesters. Kirkwood, a senior majoring in cognitive science and pre-med, was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
-- Brian Landman, Times staff writer
vs. 
Tonight's game between Jesuit and Plant at Wade Boggs Field at 7 is the gem of the early-season baseball schedule in Hillsborough County. Not only will these two new rivals -- Jesuit moved up to Class 5A after dominating lower levels -- fight for district superiority, but they're two of the top teams in the area.
So we're throwing it out there. The season's only a few weeks old, but how important is tonight's game? Who will come out on top? And who do you think is the best baseball team in the 'Borough?
Due to Lakewood's appearance in the state boys basketball final tonight against Dillard at 7:00 p.m., the Spartans home softball game with Tarpon Springs has been postponed, according to Tarpon coach Steve Plummer.
No announcement has been made as to when the non-district matchup will be rescheduled.
The Lakewood boys will take to The Lakeland Center court tonight looking for the school's third state title.
-- BRYAN BURNS
Quarterback Aaron Murray isn’t the only Plant junior that’s a target of major college programs. Tight end Orson Charles, who recently transferred to the school from Riverview, has received scholarship offers from Auburn and Iowa, UCFSports.com reported Thursday.
Clemson, Florida, Miami, Tennessee and UCF are among those also showing interest.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Charles is both a solid receiver and an excellent blocker. Given the fact Plant, led by the record-setting Murray, throws the ball 30-40 times a game, Charles should see a substantial amount of passes go his way in 2008.
Auburn recently signed Plant receiver Derek Winter. The Tigers have targeted numerous county players in the Class of 2009, including several at Armwood. Through the years, Iowa has actively recruited the area.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Ali Van Gurp, the Jesuit soccer team's leading scorer this season, has committed to USF. Van Gurp, a 5-foot-10, 150-pound forward, made an official visit to the school last week.
He also considered American University, Loyola-Chicago and Stetson.
"I visited there and I was really impressed," Van Gurp said. "They have great facilities and they have the best team out of all the schools I was looking at."
In helping lead the Tigers to the Class 5A final four, Van Gurp scored 23 goals and had 12 assists. For much of the season, his squad was nationally ranked.
A three-year starter, Van Gurp, who carries a 3.5 GPA, was born in the Virgin Islands. He moved to Tampa as a sophomore.
"I'm extremely excited," he said. "From the time I came up here, I wanted to play at a really good soccer program, and I think USF is exactly what I was looking for."
The bonus?
"They said I'd get a lot of (early) playing time and even possibly start," Van Gurp said.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
DADE CITY - Pasco earned a come-from-behind 4-1 victory against tenacious Nature Coast on Thursday night. The big story - yes, you've heard it all before - is Pirates junior Colena Lazar. The talented southpaw collected a season-high 15 strikeouts and hit the game-winning double in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 2-1 lead. Lazar's private pitching Kaci Clark, who went undefeated as a pitcher in UCLA's 1995 national title run, also attended the game.
The big test for Pasco, which reached the Class 4A state title game last season, will come next week with four games in five nights including matchups with Springsstead on Wednesday and at Zephyrhills on Friday.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
Will former Plant standout Robert Marve be the Miami Hurricanes' starting quarterback this fall?
If he performs well this spring, he just might.
The 'Canes began spring practice Tuesday and Marve, who led Plant to the 2006 Class 4A state title by throwing for 48 touchdowns (then a state record), is one of three signal callers competing for the starting spot. The redshirt freshman is battling with heralded true freshman Jacory Harris of Miami Northwestern and another freshman, Cannon Smith.
Marve's main competition is likely to come from Harris, an athletic 6-foot-4, 175-pounder who guided his high school team to the mythical national title last fall. Marve (6-1, 203) has a little extra time in offensive coordinator Patrick Nix's system, and that can't hurt. But Harris is a favorite son to many locals, and thus there likely will be a push by many in the community to get him on the field. It should be fun watching things play out in Coral Gables.
To track Marve's progress, you can get daily UM practice reports HERE.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Former Hillsborough boys basketball coach Don Williams, who died at age 84 Thursday, wasn't just a winner, he was a man respected by most. So says Chamberlain football coach Billy Turner, who first met Williams 48 years ago.
"He was probably one of the most respected coaches ever in this county," Turner said.
Williams, who coached at Hillsborough from 1955-62, led the Terriers to the 1959 Class 2A state title. Turner was an intern at the school in 1960.
"I knew him real well," Turner said. "And I knew a couple guys who played for him on the state championship team. His players loved him. And I know a lot of his players."
Williams, who later became the USF program's first coach, also guided Hillsborough to the championship game in 1956. That year, the Terriers fell to Miami High in the final.
Hillsborough's 1959 championship team defeated Miami High and its legendary coach, Vince Schaefer, 69-55 in the final, which was played at the University of Florida's gym (known to most as Alligator Alley). The Terriers have not won a state title since.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Lennard athletic director David New said Thursday the school has finished its preliminary interviews and selected a group of finalists from its candidate pool to replace Jim Wilt, who resigned as football coach in January. The school hopes to have a new coach in place by mid-March.
“We’ve got some very, very viable candidates,” New said. “I’ve been very surprised at the level of experience that’s out there.”
The Longhorns went 1-9 last season.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Longtime Lakewood boys basketball coach Dan Wright said he plans to coach two more seasons before retiring.
Wright, in his 32nd season as the Spartans coach, said the 2010 season will be his final year in the drop program, a lucrative retirement package that requires teachers to leave their teaching positions after eight years.
Wright has 628 wins, 12 district titles and has taken eight teams to the state final. On Friday night, Wright can become the first coach in Pinellas County history to lead a program to three state titles.
-- BOB PUTNAM
River Ridge’s Al Sorrentino, girls basketball coach for nine seasons, was let go two weeks ago. River Ridge finished 2-23 this past season. Sorrentino said he would like to coach girls basketball again. He currently is the Royal Knights’ assistant baseball coach.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
College football coaches visit Armwood often to learn more about Hawk stars Ryne Giddins, Angelo Hadley, Mywan Jackson and Petey Smith. Many leave having also gathered information about some of Armwood’s other players.
Call it a trickle-down effect.
“When you have a number of good players, if you have other solid players they’re going to notice them,” Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. “Those players get noticed because of all the visitors that were brought in. And that’s happening (at Armwood).”
Justin Cabbagestalk and Casey Callahan, both juniors, are among the beneficiaries.
Cabbagestalk, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound offensive tackle, has interest from USF, UCF and Wake Forest, Callahan said. Casey Callahan, the coach’s son and a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker, is being recruited by Iowa State, UCF and Wake Forest. Neither player has a Division I-A scholarship offer yet, but the elder Callahan said he thinks the odds of that happening are strong.
“They’ve got a chance,” Sean Callahan said. “If they continue to improve like they’ve been and they stay healthy, the chances are very high.”
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Former Central star and current West Virginia guard Alex Ruoff has been named a third-team Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine, which was chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He was the only Big East player selected.
The former Bear has a 3.79 GPA and started every game this season averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. He has made 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers good for third in the Big East.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
vs. 
It's over folks.
Lakewood is moving on. Brandon is going home. We'll have comprehensive game coverage in tomorrow's paper. Thanks for tuning in.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
The winner of tonight's Class 5A state semifinal between Brandon and Lakewood will face a tall task -- literally.
Dillard, ranked 47th nationally in the Rivals.com Fab 50 poll, defeated Gainesville, 61-38, in the other semifinal anchored by a front line that boasts heights of 6'7", 6'8" and 6'9" across.
Xiangdre "Bo" Reliford, a 6-foot-7 senior wing, led the Panthers (28-2) with 21 points, including a dunk in the second period during Dillard's 14-7 run in the period. Relaford also had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Relaford's game wasn't limited to the post. He has a smooth shooting touch, making a few 12-foot baseline jumpers on the wing.
Guards Javier Frazier and Robert Berger added eight points apeice.
Gainesville played with Dilliard for a period. The score was 11-9 after one, but the Panthers talent was too much as Dillard outscored the Panthers 29-13 in the second and third period, stifling the Hurricanes into 12-for-48 shooting from the floor.
--EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Word has just come from Plant football coach Robert Weiner that Panthers quarterback Aaron Murray has four new scholarship offers -- and one of them is from Penn State.
The others came from Kentucky, Maryland and Michigan State.
Murray (6-foot, 200 pounds), as you might recall, threw for a state-record 51 TD passes last fall as a junior. In the process, he broke the previous record of 48, which was held by former Plant QB Robert Marve, who is now at Miami and might be the Hurricanes' starting signal caller this fall.
Murray has close to 50 offers. Florida and Florida State are among those that already have pulled the trigger.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Things are starting to pick up for Newsome placekicker Vinny Zaccario.
The senior standout landed a scholarship offer from Division I-AA Idaho State this week, and continues to talk with I-A programs such as Florida Atlantic, Memphis and Tennessee, his mother told the Times.
"He's pretty excited," Tracy Zaccario said. "But he's being patient and is going to see what else develops."
As a senior, Zaccario was six of nine on field-goal attempts with a long of 47. He had touchbacks on 26 or his 29 kickoffs.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
The Hillsborough County Public Schools Golf Tournament will be held Monday, April 7 at Hunter's Green Country Club in New Tampa with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
The entry fee of $75 includes the tournament, range balls, cart, lunch and prizes. The deadline to apply is March 17. Checks should be made out to Hunter's Green.
The dress code for the club is collared shirts only, no jeans or jean shorts and only spikeless or soft spike shoes on the course.
Prizes for longest fairway drive and closest to the pin will be awarded.
For more information, contact the county athletic department at (813) 740-3971, Ext. 255
-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Here ya go:
1. Plant (4-0)
The Panthers are popping up in national rankings, so it only makes sense to lead them off. They have outscored Hillsborough, Jefferson and Gaither by a 26-4 margin the past three games, though Wednesday night's game against Middleton could render our little poll here moot.
2. Clearwater Central Catholic (6-1)
The Marauders' pitching is turning out just as strong as we expected, with shutout wins in their past two games, and neither one by their ace, Ryan Weber.
3. Jesuit (4-0)
Greg Dupell already has three homers for the Tigers, including two to bail his team out in a 9-8 win over Leto.
Keep on keeping on...
The West Coast Invitational, one of the state's oldest track meets, will not be held this year, Lakewood athletic director Javan Turner said.
Turner said the meet was canceled because the school is hosting the Special Olympics this weekend.
"We just ran into conflicting schedules," Turner said.
This is the second time the long-standing track meet has been put on hold. In 1999, the West Coast Invitational was stopped after 70 years because travel restrictions from out-of-county teams turned the meet into an almost all-Pinellas County competition.
The West Coast Invitational was revived the next year after restrictions were lifted and renovations at Lakewood's track were complete.
-- BOB PUTNAM
Academy of the Holy Names girls basketball coach Casey Higgins has decided to step down for personal reasons.
Higgins made the decision to spend more time with her family. A former point guard at Kansas, she has two young children. She informed her team of her decision Wednesday after school. She will remain on the school faculty as a physical eduation teacher.
"Casey had a fantastic run at AHN," Holy Names athletic director Pete Young said in a written statement. "Her teams consistently exceeded expectations. She will be dearly missed."
Higgins, 29, was highly successful at Holy Names, compiling a 110-30 mark in five seasons at the school. She led the Jaguars to a 27-4 record and the Class 3A final four in 2006-07 and also took Holy Names to the state tournament in 2004-05. Holy Names was 18-10 last season and lost in the Class 2A region quarterfinal.
The school will begin a search for a new coach immediately. Candidates should call (813) 839-5371, Ext. 320 or email Young at pyoung@holynamespa.org
-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Does Dunedin junior running back Adaris Bellamy, who is being recruited by many of the country's elite programs, already have a leader? According to Gatorbait.net, the answer is "Yes."
And it's the Florida Gators.
The website reports that Bellamy, who shined at the recent Tampa Rivals.com Five-Star Academy, has interest from schools such as Florida, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
"I've always liked Florida," Bellamy told Gatorbait.net. "I grew up liking Florida."
The 5-foot-9, 220-pound Bellamy was a second-team Times All-Suncoast selection last fall, when he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
The interest in Gaither running back Jarvis Giles continues to grow by the day. The speedy 5-foot-11, 178-pound rising senior received a scholarship offer from Florida State today.
Giles, who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Cowboys, received a scholarship offer from South Carolina Tuesday and N.C. State last week. He also has offers from Florida, Tennessee, UCF and Florida International.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Leave it to the Lazar twins to stir up trouble. Colena and Colesa Lazar have been jawing back and forth with Pirates baseball players Jake Schrader and Henry Johnson for about a year. The debate? Is the softball team better than the baseball team? Now they'll find out.
Pasco's varisty
softball and baseball teams will play against each other in a softball
game March 22 to raise money for their respective teams. The boys will bat on the opposite side of the plate, and Pasco
coach Ricky Giles already has some of his reserve pitchers practicing
underhand fast pitches to prepare for the event. Giles said the game
will be preceded by a flea market and a barbecue.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
vs.
A few tidbits about the teams, who face each other 8:30 tonight at The Lakeland Center in the Class 5A state semifinals:
-Brandon has won 12 straight games.
-Lakewood coach Dan Wright has more than 600 career wins.
-Brandon is making its first final four appearance in eight years. The Eagles reached the final that year before losing to nationally ranked Gainesville, 70-62.
-Lakewood has been to seven final fours – all since 1985. The Spartans won state championships in 2002 and 2005.
-The Eagles are 18-16 all time in the playoffs.
-Lakewood is 38-14 all time in the playoffs.
-Lakewood has 27 playoff wins this decade.
-Brandon has 11 playoff wins this decade.
-Brandon is 13-1 away from home this season.
-Four Brandon players average double figures in scoring. Shooting guard Blake Allen leads the way with an 18.3 average.
-Allen has 380 career 3-pointers and 1,995 career points.
-Brandon has been to the final four six times. Only twice (1984) and (2000) has it advanced to the final. It lost both times.
-Two Lakewood players average double figures in scoring, led by Michael Morrison (14.3 points).
-Morrison shoots nearly 58 percent from the field.
-Lakewood has had a 20-win season every year since 1997.
-Brandon coach Mark Hermann has 10 20-win seasons at Brandon, where he started in 1995.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Every major college football program on the east coast has offered a scholarship to Armwood standouts Ryne Giddins and Petey Smith. And now it looks like one could be coming from a prominent west coast school.
Southern Cal.
The Trojans called Armwood coach Sean Callahan first thing Wednesday morning and asked him to send video of Giddins, a defensive end, and Smith, a linebacker, Callahan said.
"They like them," Callahan said. "They just want more film."
As a junior, Giddins (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) had a school-record 21 sacks and was the Times Suncoast Defensive Player of the Year. Smith (6-0, 235) will be a four-year starter. Both players are likely to garner preseason All-American consideration.
California and Oregon also have started to show interest. That speaks volumes about the players' respective talents because schools from the west coast don't venture east for just anyone.
By the time it's all said and done, Callahan expects the standouts to have 100-plus scholarship offers between them.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
After just one year in the position, King’s Earl Garcia III has resigned from his position as head football coach at the school.
Garcia said the decision to leave was his own.
“It was my own professional and personal decision,” he said. “I didn’t receive any pressure from the school. I just thought it was time for me to move on and try to pursue other options."
Garcia’s only season leading King was a difficult one. The Lions were 2-8 last season, and Garcia was suspended by the school for five weeks for excessive conduct with a referee during a game in mid-September.
“In my two years here, we’ve been able to send three kids to Division II schools or higher,” Garcia said. “So when you talk about victories off the field, that’s something I’m really proud of.”
Garcia served as defensive coordinator under coach Joe Severino before becoming head coach last year.
King athletic director Frank Oliver said Garcia submitted his resignation after school Tuesday.
"It was quite a surprise to us," Oliver said. "He told us it was for personal reasons."
Garcia’s departure leaves King having to hurry to find a new football coach in time for spring practice in the beginning of May. Oliver said he would like to have a new coach in place within three to four weeks. The Lions' spring jamboree is May 23.
Whoever is hired as the new coach will also be a member of the faculty, Oliver said.
Garcia, 26, is the son of longtime Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia Jr.
-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Okay, some summer hoops news related to AAU. This note came from Hudson coach Jason Vetter.
Ridgewood forward Lukas Poderis and Hudson guard Jarrod Branco have both been selected to play for Florida Elite's 17-and-under boys basketball team. Florida Elite is considered one of the better AAU programs in the state and competes nationally in tournaments in Las Vegas, Kentucky, Washington D.C. and other areas.
Branco led the Cobras to their first state tournament berth in school history averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.8 steals - all team highs.
Poderis, who also played last year for Florida Elite, led the Rams to the region semifinal of the state tournament averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 9.7 rebounds.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
Pinellas Park's important 5A-9 district softball matchup with Tarpon Springs will be made up March 3 at 7:00 p.m., according to Patriots coach Shane DeMartino.
The game was cancelled along with most of the Pinellas County preps action due to a line of thunderstorms that tore through the area.
Both the Patriots (6-3, 3-0) and the Spongers (5-1, 5-0) are undefeated in district play, making their game critical toward determining the district tournament's top seed.
-- BRYAN BURNS
Tonight's early season Class 6A-District 7 game beween Alonso and Gaither was postponed because of heavy rain.
The teams will attempt to make up the game Wednesday at 7, Gaither coach Frank Permuy said.
.
However, with such a strong storm system coming through the county, its expected to rain all night, so it might take a few days to get all the games in. For example, at Gaither the infield went from dry to a swamp in a matter of minutes, even in spite of the fact that the infield hadn't been watered for a few days.
"You just hope for some sun tomorrow," Permuy said.
Cancellations will be done tonight on a site by site basis, county AD Lanness Robinson said.
Events in Hernando and Pasco counties that did not begin immediately after school have been canceled or postponed.
The Pasco County School Board sent out a release notifying its member schools Tuesday's events had been canceled due to inclement weather and power outages that swept through parts of Florida on Tuesday. If you missed that story here is a link: Power outage.
In Hernando County, principals and athletic directors communicated and mutually agreed to cancel events due to weather, Nature Coast athletic director Travis Lamle said."Anything that didn't start right after school was canceled," Lamle said. "There's nothing going on in Citrus, Pasco or Hernando."
Lamle said the Mitchell Invitational track and field meet has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Stay tuned for more updates.
-- In Hillsborough County, schools will determine whether or not to to cancel or postpone games county athletic director Lanness Robinson said.
-- IZZY GOULD and EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Times staff writers
Justin Williams of Armwood has committed to Wingate and plans to sign with the Bulldogs next month when he makes an official visit to the school. A Division II program located in North Carolina, Wingate went 7-4 last season and won its final four games.
Williams, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback, started two years for the Hawks, who made the playoffs both seasons.
He also considered Webber International and Mount Union.
As a senior, Williams was a Times first-team all-county selection and second-team all-suncoast pick. He registered two interceptions and eight pass breakups.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
It's safe to say Alonso junior defensive lineman Demonte McAllister is a wanted man. During the past month, he has picked up scholarship offers from, among others, Florida State (the first to do so), Florida, USF, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and South Carolina.
And now, a new team has stepped foward and offered: Miami.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder recently told the Times he was "leaning toward FSU." Despite that, Alonso coach Mike Heldt said McAllister is in no hurry to commit.
McAllister currently is preparing for his college boards. He is scheduled to take the ACT in April and will take the SAT sometime after that.
One funny story: An Iowa State coach recently called to see which schools had offered McAllister. When told of who was pursuing McAllister, the program backed off. "He said they don't need any practice recruiting," Heldt said.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Hillsborough strong safety Erik Fennell had his eyes on playing football at Murray State all along. On signing day earlier this month, he postponed signing a letter of intent with a California community college, holding out hope that his test scores would get him there.
That wait paid off on Tuesday, when Fennell committed to play for the Division I-AA Racers.
Murray State had an offer on the table if Fennell qualified, and after the recently was successful on his SAT and ACT tests, he will travel to campus to sign his letter of intent on March 7, Hillsborough football coach Earl Garcia Jr. said.
"He had confidence in himself and we did too," Garcia said. "This is really a great thing. Erik is one of the most improved players we've had here in terms of where he was during his junior year to where he is now."
Fennell played quarterback during his junior year, but blossomed in the secondary for the Terriers.
He had been offered by the College of the Siskiyous, a community college in Weed, Calif.
-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA
vs.
Okay folks, it's prediction time.
At 8:30 Wednesday night in Lakeland, Brandon faces Lakewood in the Class 5A state boys basketball semifinals. And we want to know what you think is going to happen.
Will Brandon, making its first final four appearance in eight years, advance?
Or will Lakewood, which was humbled in last year's state final by Lake Howell, get one step closer to winning state and erasing that awful memory?
The instructions are simple: Give us a winner, a score, and if you'd like, break it down for us. Just keep it clean, okay?
For what it's worth, I like Brandon by three.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Two Tampa Bay Tech juniors are receiving a good bit of college attention. One of them, Antonio Wallace, has a familiar name. The other, Marquise Mulkey, does not.
Wallace, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound cornerback and all-county pick, has yet to receive a scholarship offer (not a strange thing at this point in the process), but has interest from Clemson and USF, Titans coach Corries Culpepper said. Adding to Wallace's attraction as a recruit are his sensational return skills.
Mulkey, a 6-foot, 175-pound safety, has seen his stock rise in recent weeks. At present, Princeton, Yale and all four service academies are recruiting him. That should tell you something about his grades in the class.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Okay, hoops season still reigns in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Good luck to Brandon and Lakewood in the final four.
On the North Suncoast, attention has turned to the smell of fresh cut grass, smoking barbecues and weather forecasts. The spring sports season is in full bloom and for those who haven't been paying attention tonight is a good time to check out softball - if it doesn't rain.
Before you leave check out this link to the current weather radar.
Now to the games:
* Land O'Lakes (4-0) at River Ridge (5-0), 7 p.m.: This is a makeup of a previously scheduled game that was rained out. This one features the hots bats of River Ridge versus the strong defense of Land O'Lakes. The Royal Knights have outscored opponents 74-8 and have gotten plenty of good pitching from junior Samantha Stahl (4-0 with 20 strikeouts in five games) and freshman Lakyn Shull (1-0 with 11 strikeouts in three games). The Gators defeated Central. Gators senior Lauren Smith has played as of late and Amanda Brazil is hitting well. Look for Michelle Bradley to make her first start of the season on the mound.
*Springstead (6-1) at Pasco (6-0), 7 p.m.: Two of the best pitchers in the bay area will square off tonight when Springstead's Becky Powell goes head-to-head with Pasco's Colena Lazar. The pair are friends having previously played travel ball together. Lazar is 5-0 with 46 strikeouts and four shutouts.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
Gaither running back Jarvis Giles already has a scholarship offer from Florida. Now, the Gators' former coach, Steve Spurrier, has delivered one, too, according to Gaither coach Mark Kantor. Spurrier's current team, South Carolina, is the latest major program to offer Giles, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound rising senior with explosive speed.
He also has offers from Tennessee, N.C. State, UCF and Florida International.
Giles is one of the state's fastest players. As a sophomore, he was fourth at the state track and field meet in the 100-meter dash (10.86 seconds). He won't run this spring so he can concentrate on his academics.
Giles has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Initial concerns that major programs might back away because of his size appear to have been unfounded. Even though he isn't incredibly big, Giles has proven to be a tough inside runner.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
When Lakewood reached the state title game last year, it had to face nationally ranked Lake Howell. And we all remember how that went. The last time Brandon reached the championship (2000), the Eagles faced nationally ranked Gainesville. That didn't turn out too well either.
So whom will the winner of Wednesday night's Brandon-Lakewood Class 5A state semifinal game play for the championship? Well, it could be Fort Lauderdale Dillard. Pardon me, make that nationally ranked Dillard.
In what is considered to be somewhat of a down year overall for hoops in the Sunshine State, Dillard is one of the few squads that has garnered national attention. The Panthers (27-2) currently are ranked No. 47 in the Rivals.com Fab 50. They play Gainesville (22-8) Wednesday (FYI -- a person I know who is very close to the GHS program says his team has no chance) in the other state semifinal.
What makes Dillard so tough?
Well, its starting frontcourt goes 6-foot-7, 6-8, 6-10 (You can read more about that group HERE).
For those of you interested in doing some advance scouting, Dillard plays GHS at 7.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
The Plant Panthers are good. This much we know. But might they be good enough to challenge for a national title? Perfect Game Cross Checker, a website devoted to baseball, thinks so. In its preseason national rankings, it ranks Plant No. 3 behind only Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman. Here's the top 10. You can find the complete rankings HERE.
1. Plantation American Heritage
2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas
3. PLANT
4. Woodrow Wilson, Long Beach (Calif.)
5. Cypress Fairbanks, Cypress (Texas)
6. St. John's College, Washington D.C.
7. Moody, Corpus Christi (Texas)
8. Don Bosco Prep, Teaneck (N.J.)
9. Winter Springs, Winter Springs (Fla.)
10. Walton, Marietta (Ga.)
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Perfect Game Cross Checker, a website devoted to baseball, has several area athletes ranked among its top players in Florida for the Class 2008. They are:
RANKING PLAYER POS SCHOOL
9 (state)/44 (nation) Corey Thomas SS/P, Middleton
17/86 Ryan Weber RHP, Clearwater Central Catholic
29/156 Jacob Rogers INF, Dunedin
38/213 Alex Panteliodis LHP, Alonso
39/218 Clay Kollenbaum RHP, Dunedin
43/263 Sam Mende SS/3B, Clearwater Central Catholic
48/305 Preston Tucker OF/P, Plant
57/385 Jamie Mallard 1B, Middleton
58/397 Michael Lashbrook OF/P, Plant
75/520 Kristofer Castellanos Util., Bloomingdale
97/707 Aaron Gerbasi RHP, Plant City
99/716 Matt Brazis RHP, Jesuit
--KEITH NIEBUHR
Brought to you by the good people at Rivals.com ...
1. Sarasota
2. Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.)
3. Owasso (Owasso, Okla.)
4. Cypress Fairbanks (Houston, Texas)
5. Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
6. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
7. Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
8. Walton (Walton, Ga.)
9. Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas)
10. Catalina Foothills (Tucson, Ariz.)
11. Plant
12. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.)
13. Paul IV Catholic (Fairfax, Va.)
14. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
15. St. John's College Prep (Washington, D.C.)
16. Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.)
17. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
18. Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii)
19. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
20. Serra (San Mateo, Calif.)
To see the complete list, go HERE.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Evan Ravenel (Boston College signee) and Marcus Morrison (Univ. of Tampa commit) aren't the only Brandon basketball players garnering college interest. Combo-guard Blake Allen has a scholarship offer from USC Upstate, a Division I program that plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference with schools such as Jacksonville and Stetson.
The college is located in Spartanburg, S.C.
Allen, a 6-foot guard, has 1,995 career points.
American University, Boston University, the Citadel, St. Bonaventure and Wofford also are actively recruiting him. Allen hopes to make a decision sometime in the next two months.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
Wesley Chapel lineman Kamran Joyer received a scholarship offer from South Carolina last week via snail mail. The letter was autographed by none other than Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier.
Joyer's first offer came from Tennessee a few weeks back when Phillip Fulmer called to make an official offer.
In other Joyer news, he will visit the Vols next weekend. He also has visits to Notre Dame and Florida planned for June. He had hoped to make an oral commitment in May, but will wait until his visits to South Bend and Gainesville.
Joyer's top three in order are Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee. He also competed in a Nike combine in Orlando last weekend. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.3 on a rain soaked surface.
-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com
Leadoff: Countryside (7-0)
Last week's ranking: 2nd
Last week's results: def. Sickles, 8-0; def. St. Petersburg, 12-0; def. Pinellas Park, 5-1
Cougars needed 12 innings -- and a mesmerizing pitching effort from freshman Alyssa Bache -- to defeat Pinellas Park.
2nd: Chamberlain (4-0)
Last week's ranking: 3rd
Last week's results: def. Hillsborough, 8-2; def. Leto, 18-0; def. Blake, 13-0
We don't see Chiefs getting a whiff of a challenge until a March 7 game against Plant
Three-hole: Pasco (6-0)
Last week's ranking: 4th
Last week's results: def. Hudson, 15-0; def. Lakeland McKeel, 5-4 (8 inns.); def. Hernando, 6-0
Pirates freshman Courtney Brandt tossed a no-hi
