Wharton's Jairus Jones commits to Michigan State

In the end, Jairus Jones decided to go back home.

The Wharton star orally committed to Michigan State on Saturday, his father James Jones said.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Jones canceled a trip to Oklahoma State, and had seen enough after taking official visits to Iowa and East Lansing, Mich. Jones also considered schools such as Notre Dame and Syracuse.

His father played seven years for the Detroit Lions. Jairus spent the first seven years of his life in Rochester Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb. Family and friends still live in the state, and the idea of being in driving distance of a familiar place with people who care for him made Jairus' decision an easy one.

James stressed that Jairus' mother, Sheila, has been instrumental in the decision making process. Jairus is considering a major in leisure and sports management, James said, with the hope of one day creating activity facilities for children.

For the Spartans, Jairus expects to play safety and possibly some special teams. He had 188 tackles and four interceptions. Offensively, he had 842 yards and 12 touchdowns.

-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com

Class 6A all-state football teams

Class 6A all-state football teams. Area players in bold

1ST TEAM
Offense
QB Eugene Smith, Miramar, 6-4/185, Sr.
RB Al-Terek McBurse, Winter Springs, 6-0/190, Sr.
RB Jeremy Wright, Clermont East Ridge, 5-10/190, Sr.
RB Lamar Miller, Miami Killian, 5-11/202, Sr.
OL Steven Jacques, Hollywood South Broward, 6-4/285, Sr.
OL Torrian Wilson, Miami Northwestern, 6-4/295, Jr.
OL David Harding, Orlando Boone, 6-5/280, Sr.
OL Andrew Schoenfeld, Lake Worth Park Vista, 6-1/180, Sr.
OL Giancarlo Revilla, Miami Killian, 6-3/280, Sr.
WR Stedman Bailey, Miramar, 6-0/205, Sr.
WR Andre Debose, Sanford Seminole, 6-0/180, Sr.
PK Patrick O'Donnell, Palm Beach Central, 6-3/185, Sr.
UT Jeremy Gallon, Apopka, 5-9/168, Sr.
UT Devon Wright, Coral Springs Taravella, 6-1/185, Jr.

Defense
DL Dyron Dye, Sanford Seminole, 6-5/224, Sr.
DL Perry McIntyre, Royal Palm Beach, 6-2/211, Sr.
DL Corey Henry, Miami Carol City, 6-3/230, Sr.
DL Andrew Mattox, Port Orange Spruce Creek, 6-1/230, Sr.
LB Kenneth Dillard, Miami Northwestern, 6-0/190, Sr.
LB Denzel Perryman, Coral Gables, 5-11/196, Soph.
LB Carlton Shelley, Sarasota Riverview, 5-10/205, Sr.
LB Jon Bostic, Palm Beach Central, 6-2/225, Sr.
LB Larvez Mars, Apopka, 5-11/210, Sr.
DB Ray Armstrong, Sanford Seminole, 6-4/218, Sr.
DB Brandon McGee, Plantation, 6-0/190, Sr.
DB Zeke Motta, Vero Beach, 6-3/210, Sr.
DB Michael Carter, Pompano Beach Ely, 5-11/160, Sr.
P  Tyson Pryor, Orlando Olympia, 6-2/220, Sr.
UT Xavier Rhodes, Miami Norland, 6-1/189, Sr.

Class 5A all-state football teams

Class 5A all-state football teams. Area players in bold.

1ST TEAM
Offense
QB Ryan Becker, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-0/195, Sr.
RB Trent Richardson, Pensacola Escambia, 5-11/220, Sr.
RB Casey Turner, Jacksonville Ed White, 5-11/185, Jr.
RB Giovanni Bernard, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 5-10/190, Jr.
OL Brandon Linder, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-5/275, Jr.
OL Jordan Weingart, Gainesville Buchholz, 6-3/300, Sr.
OL Kendall Kelly, Gainesville, 6-6/295, Sr.
OL Brenton Clayton, Lakeland, 6-2/325, Sr.
OL Conor O’Neal, Newsome, 6-3/294, Sr.
WR Mike Lang, Largo, 6-0/187, Sr.
WR Duron Carter, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-3/190, Sr.
PK Sven Hurd, Pensacola Pine Forest, 6-1/250, Sr.
UT Trey Burton, Venice, 6-4/220, Jr.
UT Roy Finch, Niceville, 5-8/170, Jr.

Defense
DL Demonte McAllister, Alonso, 6-4/263, Sr.
DL Kevin Lowery, Gainesville, 6-3/290, Sr.
DL David Gilbert, Oakland Park Northeast, 6-4/220, Sr.
DL Antwone McGuire, Daytona Beach Mainland, 5-10/190, Jr.
LB Conor O'Neill, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-1/195, Sr.
LB Jordan Jones, Lakeland, 6-1/220, Sr.
LB Sean Holte, Largo, 5-11/190, Jr.
LB Marc Deas, Kissimmee Osceola, 6-0/180, Sr.
LB Sam Barrington, Jacksonville Terry Parker, 6-3/225, Sr.
DB Jayron Hosley, Delray Beach Atlantic, 5-10/172, Sr.
DB Cody Riggs, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 5-9/165, Jr.
DB Jairus Jones, Wharton, 6-2/205, Sr.
P  Ben Turk, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-0/190, Sr.
UT Dontae Aycock, Chamberlain, 5-10/210, Sr.
UT Greg Ross, Daytona Beach Mainland, 6-0/170, Sr.

CCC drops to Class A in football

The game of musical chairs among football teams changing classifications seemingly will not end. On Tuesday, Clearwater Central Catholic dropped from Class 2B to A.

It is the second time in less than a week an area  team has successfully appealed to go down one classification. On Jan. 23, Berkeley Prep went from 2B to A.

Both schools are now in Class A, District 5. Northside and Shorecrest, two teams already in the district,  opted to become independent after the decision was made.

Shorecrest coach Phil Hayford said he pulled out of the district because it was a safety issue.

"Berkeley Prep is double the size of our enrollment," Hayford said. "We have 155-pound linemen playing both ways who could go up against guys that weight 100 pounds more. And a school the size of Berkeley could have enough players to two-platoon.

"I thought that was putting our players at risk. The numbers just didn't add up for us."

Class A, District 5 now includes Berkeley Prep, CCC, Fort Meade, Indian Rocks Christian and Lakeland Christian.

-- BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer

Plant's Bob Weiner named Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year

Bob Weiner looked down at his cell phone and took stock of the text messages.

One-by-one they raced through some data network to his phone until he had somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 different messages, each one congratulating him for something.

"They all said congratulations but they didn't say why," Weiner said. "I had no idea what it was."

Weiner soon learned he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year, honoring the state's top coach. He is the 17th recipient of the award, and just the second coach to earn the honor twice joining Lakeland's Bill Castle.

Weiner guided Plant to its second state title in three seasons. The Panthers overcame adversity along the way, including the loss of starting quarterback Aaron Murray, who missed several games with a broken leg before returning to lead Plant to the Class 4A title.

But Weiner stressed there were many, who deserved credit for the award. 

"When you lose your best player some of your hopes go down the drain," Weiner said. "Our kids never felt that way. They responded and lifted us right back up. ...Our coaching staff was reinvigorated by these kids."

Plant finished 14-1 with a 34-14 win against Tallahasse Lincoln in the championship game. Weiner and Murray, who is currently enrolled at Georgia, were previously named Class 4A coach and Player of the Year, respectively. Weiner also won the award in 2006.

"It's a great honor for our team," Weiner said. "It has my name on it, but they don't give out a team award other than the state championship. That's the biggest honor a team can receive."

-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com

Zephyrhills starts football process

Zephyrhills athletic director Craig Milburn has 11 applicants for the school’s head football coaching position, and expects to begin the interviewing process next to find Tom Fisher’s replacement.

The choices include six current or former assistants from Pasco County, and five from out-of-state.

The local choices include: Land O’Lakes defensive assistant Tom Carter, Wesley Chapel assistant Brian Colding, Wiregrass Ranch defensive coordinator Jeremy Schobe and former Pasco assistant and running back Mike Penix.

Two coaches on Fisher’s last staff, defensive coordinator Troy Hostetler and Greg Mathis (also a 1984 Zephyrhills grad), have also applied.

From outside the county, Milburn says most of the applicants have experience as head coaches or as collegiate graduate assistants: Robert Lyons (an Odessa resident who most recently coached at Juan Diego H.S. in Utah in 2005), Mike Harville (Georgia), David Lawrence (a former assistant at Alonso), Joe Ray (Ridgeland) and Mike Einspahr (Blue Rapids, Kansas).

Plant High football team in for Super experience

The state champion Plant High football team will help make sure all of NBC’s camera angles are perfect in preparation for Sunday’s game.

Fresh off the high of winning the FHSAA Class 4A state championship a month ago, the Panthers will participate in a simulation of Super Bowl XLIII gamenight Friday evening at Raymond James Stadium.

NBC Sunday Night Football producer Fred Guadelli, the producer of Super Bowl XLIII, is doing his third Super Bowl, but his first for NBC. He also asked for the help from a local high school team in preparing to produce Super Bowl XL two years ago and Super Bowl XXXVII, won by the Buccaneers in San Diego six years ago.

“We have extra equipment, cameras and people who haven’t all worked together,” Guadelli said. “I want to see what our ultra super slow motion cameras look like. And we want to see how the players look and the cameras look at night.

Guadelli selected Plant with the help of Reid Sigmon, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee and the Buccaneers, who award a weekly award to an area high school football coach during the fall.

“We knew that Plant has just won the state championship,” Guadelli said. “We also knew that Tony Dungy has a son (junior safety Eric Dungy) on the team. We contacted the coach (Robert Weiner) and they were very grateful for the opportunity.”

Players will wear their high school uniforms to simulate actual players (dark jersey No. 13 for Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner or white jersey No. 43 for Steelers safety Troy Palomalu). On Tuesday, former Los Angeles Rams and USC coach John Robinson ran through specific plays with the Plant players.

-- Eduardo A. Encina, Times staff writer

Stout committed to Cardinals

Wharton offensive tackle Hunter Stout orally committed to Louisvile Thursday night, Wildcats offensive coordinator Craig Rainey confirmed.

Stout recevied an offer from the Cardinals earlier this month and made an official trip to Louisville two weeks ago.

Auburn and Colorado entered the picture late, but neither had made Stout a scholarship offer. He made an official visit to Auburn this past weekend, but he left there still without and offer, he decided to commit to Louisville.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Class 4A all-state football teams

Class 4A all-state football teams. Area player in bold

1ST TEAM
Offense
QB Aaron Murray, Plant, 6-1/205, Sr.
RB Lonnie Pryor, Okeechobee, 6-0/200, Sr.
RB Quin Thornton, Barron Collier, 5-10/165, Sr.
OL Jose Jose, Miami Washington, 6-3/330, Jr.
OL Bradley Luc, Olympic Heights, 6-4/318, Sr.
OL Shauntez Bruce, Lincoln, 6-4/290, Sr.
OL Jonatthon Harrison, Groveland South Lake, 6-4/286, Sr.
OL Tony Kibler, Okeechobee, 6-5/285, Jr.
WR Tyler Bass, Ridgeview, 5-10/175, Sr.
WR Patrick Barker, Nease, 6-1/182, Sr.
WR Orson Charles,Plant, 6-3/220, Sr.
PK Chris Veron, Ocala Forest, 6-1/205, Jr.
UT Bradley Wallace, Dwyer, 6-2/195, Sr.
UT Dominique Roberts, Daytona Beach Seabreeze, 6-1/205, Jr.

Defense
DL John Gallagher, Nease, 6-4/250, Sr.
DL Irvin Titre, Dwyer, 6-0/295, Sr.
DL Ryne Giddins, Armwood, 6-4/230, Sr.
DL Tyrone Dixon, Eastside, 6-1/295, Sr.
DL Luther Robinson, Fort Pierce Westwood, 6-2/275, Sr.
LB C.J. Mizell, Leon, 6-3/225, Sr.
LB Petey Smith, Armwood, 6-1/245, Sr.
LB Beau Hume, Plant, 6-1/215, Sr.
LB Tony Harris, Lincoln, 6-0/210, Jr.
DB Jon Dowling Southeast, 6-3/185, Jr.
DB Angelo Hadley, Armwood, 6-1/192, Sr.
DB Jawanza Starling, Lincoln, 6-3/195, Sr.
P Sean Poole, Chiles, 6-1/170, Sr.
UT Matt Elam, Dwyer, 5-10/200, Jr.
UT Doug Webb, Ocala Forest, 5-11/175, Sr.

Freedom announces football coaching finalists

Freedom will conduct interviews after school for five finalists, principal Chris Farkas said in an e-mail.
The five finalists are James Harrell, Floyd Graham, Kent Underwood, Jeff Brady and Bill Schmitz.

Jeff Brady - former NFL player from 1992-2001, played for Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Carolina and Indianapolis. Brady has coached Pop Warner football teams from 2003-07. He coach linebackers at Bishop Verot in 2008. He owens Brady Homes and JTB Properties.

Floyd Graham - current head coach at Jensen Beach since 2007. Served as athletic director and head coach at Isabella (Ala.) High (2006-07). Also served as a Durant assistant (1998-2001).

James Harrell - current defensive coordinator at Plant. Held the same role at Jesuit from 1999-2004, where he also served as defensive backs coach from 1994-98. He also served as defensive coordinator at Tampa Catholic from 1990-93.

Bill Schmitz - last served at offensive coordinator at the University of Pennsylvanis (2007-08). Served as an assistant at Alabama-Birmingham (2005-06) where he coached receivers. He was Jesuit's head coach (2003-04) where he notes on his resume he led the '04 team to a 12-3 record and a region-quarterfinal berth (actually, the team went 9-3 and reached the Class 4A region final where it fell to Jefferson 25-18). He served as head coach at Austin Peay (1997-2002), and for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993-1996). He also has made stops at Eastern Michigan (1991), Vanderbilt (1986-90), Rice (1984-85) and Cincinnati (1981-83).

Kent Underwood - currently serves as a physical education teacher and assistant principal at Tampa Bay Academy. Served as an assistant at Jefferson County (Ala.) from 2007-08. Coached running backs at Hoover (Ala.) where the MTV show Two-A-Days was shot. Served as defensive coordinator at Alonso (2004-05), running backs coach at King (2003-04), defensive coordinator at Plant City (2002-03) and defensive coordinator at Leto (1999-2002). He also served as an assistant at Muskingum College in Ohio (1996-98) and University of the South (1996).

-- IZZY GOULD
izzygould@gmail.com