Community Sports Your Neighborhood Sports Source Florida colleges full of Pasco, north Hillsborough talent Local athletes continue excellence at next level By Kyle LoJacono klojacono@cnewspubs.com Each year, the best prep athletes sign let- ters of intent to show off their skills in college and Florida's largest schools are ben- efiting from the talent of Pasco and north Hillsborough County high schools. The Laker and Lutz News checked with the sports information departments from the four most populated public colleges in Florida. Currently, 18 students from Land O' Lakes, Lutz, Odessa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City are on athletic teams at Florida State University (FSU), the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of Florida (UF) or University of South Florida (USF). Gaither High leads the way with five ath- letes on teams from the four biggest Florida institutions, followed by Land O' Lakes with four and Zephyrhills and Freedom with two apiece. Basketball player Kayli Keough, a forward and guard, knows what it is like to be on not one, but two teams of major Florida uni- versities. She graduated from Land O' Lakes High and started her college career playing at FSU. "I was really excited," Keough said of signing with FSU."It was a great opportuni- ty. It opens doors to things a lot of people don't get a chance to do and you get to meet a lot of new people." Keough, a junior, moved to UCF this sea- son and has to sit out the year because of NCAA transfer rules, but still has two years of eligibility left with the Knights. She has yet to take the floor with her new team in a game, but Keough has already seen the big differences between high school and col- lege athletics. "The speed is the biggest thing," Keough said. "There isn't time to think in college. You just have to go and react. High school has a much more relaxed nature.A lot of the girls in high school just play basketball for fun, but in college you have a group of girls who were all the best players in high school and are very into the game. Everyone is con- stantly working to get better." Keough helped the Gators go 25-4 and reach the second round of the playoffs in her senior year, the 2007-08 season. She averaged 18.9 points, 8.9 re- bounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.3 steals and 1.9 assists per game her last campaign in high school. "I loved it," Keough said of playing at Land O' Lakes."I have a lot of close friends from playing there. ... You want to go out and represent your town well in college. I'm still really close with a lot of my teammates from Land O' Lakes and you want to show that we know how to play ball." Moving to the gridiron of the football field,Tyler Guy also has experience at two schools, but on the high school level. He played foot- ball at Zephyrhills High for three years before transfer- ring to Freedom High for his senior year. Guy, a high school quar- terback, helped lead the Patriots to a program record seven wins in 2009 and reach its second playoff ap- pearance ever. He had 1,640 passing yards and 11 touch- downs and added another Player Austin Adams Lindsay Arnold Matt Campbell Nick Cattoi Trey Dahl Jo Dragotta Fernando Gonzalez Tyler Guy Elissa Hausmann Kayli Keough Peter Miller Brad Morrison Scott Peek Tommy Riehle Morgan Scherschel Felix Soto Alex Spock DerekWehunt Professionals Player Dominic Brown Kevin Cash Geoff Parker Ryan Pickett David Reutimann DrewWeatherford 317 rushing yards and five more scores his senior cam- paign. "I loved playing high school football," Guy said."Moving to Freedom was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I loved playing there." Guy, who is the older brother of current Pasco High quarterback Jacob Guy, took a redshirt year this season after walking on at USE He has switched to tight end and worked on the Bulls practice squad a lot this season. The Patriots ran a version of the spread offense during Guy's senior season. The Bulls also use a spread system, which was one of the reasons Guy picked USE Making the pros While many area kids have managed to sign on with Florida's biggest schools, a few have made it even a step farther.The most Sport baseball cross country baseball football baseball soccer soccer football volleyball basketball baseball swimming football golf track cross country soccer cross country Sport baseball baseball baseball football racecar driver football High school Zephyrhills Zephyrhills Freedom Gaither Land O' Lakes Gaither Gaither Freedom Gaither Land O' Lakes Cambridge Sunlake Freedom Saddlebrook Prep Gaither Land O' Lakes Land O' Lakes Sickles High School Pasco Gaither Zephyrhills Zephyrhills Zephyrhills Land O' Lakes tenured professional athlete is Kevin Cash, who graduated from Gaither High. The catcher went on to FSU and then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999 as a rook- ie free agent. Cash, who is currently a member of the Texas Rangers, has played eight MLB sea- sons as a member of six organizations. He has a .183 career batting average, 38 RBI and eight home runs in 246 MLB games. Also from Gaither, Carlton Mitchell was a wide receiver with the Cowboys and then played at the University of South Florida (USF) from 2007-2009 after redshirting in 2006. He had 105 catches for 1,648 yards in three seasons as a Bull, including nine touch- downs. He also set the USF record for receiving yards in a season with 706 in 2009. Mitchell was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round in 2010 and made the club's final roster this season. He Area athletes at major state schools Steinbrenner wide receiver Tobi Antigha has the football program's first scholarship offer. Warriors football's first offer Steinbrenner High senior wide receiver Tobi Antigha was offered the first scholarship for the Warriors football program Dec. 19 - a full-ride from Presbyterian College in South Carolina. "It's really exciting," said Steinbrenner coach Floyd Graham. "The school has had other kids get scholarships for athletics, but this is our first. I think I was more excited than he was when he told me." Antigha helped lead Steinbrenner to a 5-5 record in the school's second year in 2010. Presbyterian went 2-9 last season.The college is interested in the 6-foot-2Antigha because of his height and sure hands. Weatherford will not attend USF Land O' Lakes High senior Stephen Weatherford is no longer committed to play at the University of South Florida (USF).The senior made the decision Dec. 22. Weatherford picked USF last July, but also had offers from other Division I schools, including Boston College. Weatherford's 30 passing touchdowns last season was tied for third most of any quarter- back in Florida despite missing the Gators last two games for undisclosed reasons. He added a team-high 476 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 62 carries. For his accomplish- ments, he was named the All-Laker/All-Lutz News Offensive Player of theYear. Harrell picksWake Forest Jesuit High senior linebacker Anthony Harrell, of Lutz, verbally committed toWake Forest University. Jesuit head coach James Harrell,Anthony's father, said his son picked Wake Forest because the defense there is similar to what he has been in his whole life.Anthony led theTigers with 98 tackles last season.James added the Demon Deacons have a strong academic repu- tation, which factored into the decision. Anthony had more than 20 offers from Division I schools, including the University of Connecticut,Vanderbilt University and Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State University. Tampa Bay Inferno tryouts Wesley Chapel resident Harold Givens is organizing open tryouts for the Tampa Bay Inferno, a travel basketball club. Boys and girls interested in the competitive program from around Tampa Bay in sixth through I Ith grade should go to the Central CityYMCA, I 10 East Oak Ave. in Tampa for the tryout.The girls workout is from 2-3:30 p.m., and the boys is from 3:30-5 p.m. Games will start in March and go through July with practices in Land 0' Lakes."We're looking for young players pas- sionate about basketball," Givens said. For more information, call (813) 997-9933. Middle school tennis team Dean Colosimo is having open registration until Jan. 13 for his Jr.Team Tennis league for middle school students from Academy at the Lakes, John Long, Pine View, Rushe, Seven Springs and Weightman. Practice begins Jan. 10 with team matches beginning Jan. 14.There will also be free practices Jan. 3, 5 and 7 from 10- 1:30 a.m. Practices and matches are at Lake Padgett Estates East courts. For more in- formation or to register, call (81 3) 892-1723 or e-mail deancolosimo@gmail.com. THE LAKER / LUTZ NEWS * A LOOK AHEAD Gators student-athlete winners Land O' Lakes High released its December student-athletes of the months.Winners include: -EmilyAustin,girls weightlifting -Charquise' Darby,girls basketball -Kali Hill,cheerleading -Victor Obi, boys basketball -Kody Parker, boys soccer -Kayla Robinson,girls soccer -Hillary Rodriguez, wrestling Longhorns travel baseball tryout The 9U Longhorns travel baseball team is having open tryouts for the upcoming spring season.Team players come mostly from Lutz and Land O' Lakes."We are looking for com- petitive and skilled players that want to learn the game of baseball while having fun," said Longhorns coach Jason Stearns.To schedule a tryout, e-mail jastearns74@gmail.com. ImpactTraining tennis camp Quail Ridge Country Club off SR 52 is of- fering a tennis camp for high school and competitive players Jan. 4-6 from 3:30-6:30 p.m.The cost is $80 and includes professional training, match play, footwork and other drills and video review.There will also be a camp of players ages 5-12 the same days from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.for $55. For more information or to sign up, call (727) 919-201 I or e-mail wellmanb@tampabay.rr.com. 813-909-2800 / CnewsPubs.com has no catches and only one rush attempt for college Year nine yards through the SF So. Browns first 14 games, SF Fr. but is still in the NFL. F So. A new professional is CF Jr. former Pasco High stu- SF So. dent Dominic Brown, an F So. outfielder. He was called SF Sr. up by the Philadelphia SF Fr Phillies halfway through F Jr. last season and batted CF Jr. .210 in 62 at bats with SU Fr 13 RBI, eight runs SU So. scored and a pair of F Fr. steals and homers. SF Jr. Staying on the base- F Fr ball field, Zephyrhills SF So. graduate Geoff Parker SF Jr. played at Florida State F So. University the last three seasons, helping the Seminoles reach two ro team/league College World Series hiladelphia Phillies (CWS) tournaments. He exas Rangers went 4-1 with three olorado Rockies saves while posting a reen Bay Packers 4.69 earned run average ASCAR in 32 appearances, 10 of ampa Bay Storm* them starts, his junior season in Tallahassee. :t Parker signed with the Colorado Rockies last August after being drafted. He will likely spend the 2011 sea- son rehabbing from Tommy John surgery he had last September after tearing an elbow ligament pitching in the CWS. Also representing east Pasco in the pros is 10-year NFL veteran defensive lineman Ryan Pickett. He graduated from Zephyrhills and was a first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2001, playing in the Super Bowl as a rookie. He has spent the last five years with the Green Bay Packers. During his NFL playing career, he has compiled 447 tackles and 9.5 sacks. NASCAR racer David Reutimann also graduated from Zephyrhills and is amazed at the number of east Pasco County people in professional athletics. "I didn't know about all those guys. I guess that shows the whole country where the best athletes are from," Reutimann with a laugh."We can really churn out those stud players out in east Pasco." *Played last year with the Storm, but is currently without a cont. 07 if 0- 16 1 January 5, 2011 |