Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Bishop McLaughlin has a pair of new faces in its athletic department.

Tom LoSauro was recently picked as the Hurricanes athletic director and baseball coach, according to Bishop McLaughlin principal Sarah Regan. The move came a week after Derrick Alexander was named the football coach at the Pasco County private school.

LoSauro was most recently the baseball coach at Fort Myers Bishop Verot Catholic, where he guided the program to the 2011 Class 3A state championship and was named the 3A Coach of the Year be the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Two of LoSauro’s players were taken within the first 70 picks during the MLB draft this year.

LoSauro coached at Bishop Verot for 13 years and also served as an assistant athletic director last year. He replaces Nick Rodriguez, who stepped down in May after six years with the Hurricanes to become the assistant head of school at Independent Day School in Tampa.

Bishop McLaughlin baseball went 21-8 in 2011, reaching the 2A regional semifinals.

As for football, Alexander has been a Hurricanes assistant the last few years. He is no stranger to the gridiron, as he played defensive end for three years in college at Florida State University (FSU) and for five years in the NFL.

During his redshirt sophomore season at FSU, Alexander posted a team-high 100 tackles, including 11 against the University of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to help the Seminoles secure the 1993 national championship. He was also named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and an All-American selection as a junior.

Alexander entered the NFL draft after his junior season at FSU. He was taken with the 11th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings, where he played four seasons. Alexander played one year with the Cleveland Browns before retiring.

Alexander started 67 games during his five-year NFL career, recording 228 tackles, 20 sacks and five forced fumbles. He replaces Matt Nardo, who stepped down in July to take a coaching job at Marietta College in Ohio. The Hurricanes went 7-3 as an independent program in 2010.

—All high school stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

By Kyle LoJacono

James Johnson was recently named the new athletic director for Pasco-Hernando Community College, and his first order of business was to name himself as the Conquistadors new men’s basketball coach.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for me,” Johnson said. “My life has been about athletics and I’m very excited for the chance to be the athletic director and basketball coach here. I will work hard to help keep PHCC known for athletics.”

Johnson has more than 23 years of experience in athletics. He was most recently the men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Philander Smith College in his hometown of Little Rock, Ark. the last four years after serving as a basketball assistant for two seasons. He helped take the Panthers from a program competing in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association to the NAIA.

Johnson guided the Philander basketball team to the Independent Institutions Conference championship game last season, finishing as the runner-up. Two of his players earned all-conference honors.

He has experience as an NCAA Division I, semi-professional and high school coach as well. Johnson led the men’s basketball program at his alma mater Western Washington University from 1989-98. He was also a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona from 1994-96 under coach Lute Olsen.

Additionally, Johnson spent four years on the coaching staff of the semi-pro Yakima Sunkings in Yakima, Washington from 1989-93.

Johnson’s first head coaching job came in 1998 at Tucson High in Arizona. He then became the athletic director/physical education (PE) director and boys basketball coach at Tucson Urban League Charter School.

Johnson posted a pair of winning seasons in his first two seasons at Tuscon and added three new sports, boys and girls basketball and boys soccer. He also developed the school’s first PE program.

Johnson returned to the college ranks in 2002 as a men’s basketball assistant and PE instructor at Pima Community College.

The Conquistadors’ leader replaces Bobby Bowman as both men’s basketball coach and athletic director. Bowman is retiring after 20 years at PHCC, the only coach of the basketball program’s history. The team went 15-15 last season.

“I read about the opening and it felt like the perfect place for me,” Johnson said. “Mr. Bowman has done a great job with these programs, and I’m hoping to continue what he’s started and take PHCC to the next level. We have great coaches in place, great student athletes and great facilities to work with. I’m hoping we can bring a little more notoriety here.”

Philander has only four official sports, women’s volleyball, women’s track and field and women’s and men’s basketball. PHCC has five programs — baseball, men’s basketball, women’s cross country, softball and women’s volleyball. Johnson said his biggest goal is keeping those Conquistadors programs winning while bringing increased attention.

“We had every program participate in postseason play last year and every program was at lease .500,” Johnson said. “With that kind of year I’d expect everyone to know about PHCC, but there isn’t that notoriety for the coaches and the student-athletes. I want to change that.”

Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Washington in 1989 and completed his master’s degree in education in 1996 from Arizona. He has four children, Timothy, Thomas, Tiffany and Trent.

Johnson has already assembled his coaching staff, which includes assistants Larry Behm and Michael Jones.

Behm is a native of central New York and was a high school coach in Syracuse before coming to PHCC. His teams won 327 games and advanced to the state final four in 2009. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University.

Jones has coached at the middle and high school levels the last five years. He played for two years at PHCC under Bowman, earning all-conference honors in 2001. Jones is also a certified specialist in sports conditioning through International Sports Sciences Association.

“Fans can rest assured we’re already working to improve here in the summer,” Johnson said. “We’re committed to having a quality program out there the community can get excited about and come support. I’m hoping we have a full house every night.”

All PHCC home basketball games are played at the fitness center at the west campus, 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey.

By Kyle LoJacono

Abbey Duncan, a 12-year-old swimmer from Land O’ Lakes, returned from the Florida State Long Course Junior Olympics with two championships and new state record.

“I’d been working hard to get my times down,” Abbey said. “There are some girls I’ve raced against a couple times and they’ve beaten me. … When I saw that I’d won and set a state record I was so excited. It was the best.”

The new record was set in the 50-meter butterfly for girls ages 11-12, where she trimmed more than half a second off the old record of 29.84 seconds down to 29.32. The new mark is the second fastest time in the nation this year in the age group, according to Junior Olympics records.

“I think that’s my best event,” Abbey said of the 50 butterfly. “I like them all, but that’s probably my best.”

Abbey was also the state champion in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:07.93.

“She’s been putting in a lot of time in the pool to get better,” said her father and coach Ken Duncan. “She’d come in second place in a state event before, but these are her first two state titles.”

Abbey’s other finishes at the event were second in the 50 freestyle in 28.22, second in the 50 backstroke in 32.11 and third in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.69. The meet was in Orlando July 15-17.

Abbey started swimming around age 8. She estimates she spends about two hours each day in and out of the pool training with support from many people.

“I couldn’t have done it without all the people who help me every day,” Abbey said.

Abbey currently swims for Tampa Area Performance Swimming (TAPS), which trains at Heritage Harbor in Lutz. For more information on TAPS, visit TAPSaquatics.org.

By Kyle LoJacono

Land O’ Lakes resident Carly Clark was named to her second all-star game of the school year for her work on the field at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Mass.

Clark, 18, was named an all star during the soccer season, and followed that up with a softball nomination at the end of the school year. She was a four-year starter for both sports.

“Really, it was the perfect way for me to end my time playing at Miss Hall’s,” Clark said. “It was the first time I’d made it for any sport, and then I got picked for softball and soccer. I really wanted to make it for softball because it’s by favorite sport.”

She is one of four students from the all-girls boarding school to make an all-star roster this spring, according to school spokesman David Smith.

Clark was named to the New England Prep School Softball Association (NEPSSA) all-star roster with teammate Sarah Ward. Coaches in the NEPSSA vote on who they believe deserve to play in the game.

Clark played third base for the first time this year after spending the previous three seasons as a catcher. She posted a .500 batting average with a team-leading 21 runs scored and 12 steals.

“I was a little nervous at first because I’d only played catcher,” Clark said. “My coach (Matthew Ward) worked with me because we lost a lot of good infielders from the year before. It was kind of exciting to play another position. I saw the game completely differently than at catcher.”

Clark was also recently given the Sylvia “Rusty” Shethar Everdell ’38 Prize during the Miss Hall’s 113th commencement ceremony. The honor is awarded annually to the student who demonstrates “an extraordinary desire to develop her natural athletic talents through competition, an ability to achieve goals through perseverance and, most importantly, the willingness to assume risks when faced with a challenge,” according to Smith.

Clark said she wants to walk on to play softball while attending Austin College in Texas. She plans on studying either physiology or sports medicine.

Miss Hall’s has 180 students from 15 states and 14 countries. For more information on the school, call (413) 443-6401 or visit www.misshalls.org.

By Kyle LoJacono

It isn’t a state championship, but the Pasco football team brought the USF Sling and Shoot crown home to Dade City by defeating Gaither 27-12 on July 24.

The Pirates have played in the event every year since coach Tom McHugh took over the program four seasons ago, but this is the first time the east Pasco County squad has claimed the title.

“I was really surprised,” said senior Trey Dudley-Giles. “We come from a small county, and to come out and win something big like that was a surprise. This really gives us a lot of hope that we can win against anyone.”

Pasco and Land O’ Lakes were the only county teams in the event, but the Pirates didn’t let the size disparity intimidate them.

“You play the cards you’re dealt,” McHugh said. “We have about 1,000 kids at Pasco and we had to play schools with 3,000. Plant had two teams because they have so many players and can only have 40 on a team. We brought our 17 players, and I’ll take those 17 over anyone. It’s like that movie 300. I’ll take my 17.”

The championship comes less than two months after the Pirates struggled to move the ball in the squad’s spring game; a 14-7 win against Zephyrhills.

“There were a lot of guys who didn’t get to play in the spring game because they were sick or injured,” McHugh said.

Dudley-Giles missed most of the spring season with mononucleosis, junior David Emmanuel had a pulled hamstring and junior Demerius Wilson had an ankle injury.

“We had a lot of question marks after the spring game,” McHugh said. “In the spring game we had 10 passes and eight drops and two catches. It wasn’t like Jacob (Guy) was throwing the ball of the mark. We needed to come together as a quarterback and receiving core so that during the season Jacob has confidence in his guys. That was really what we were looking to do this summer and we have at least eight playmakers we can go to at any time.”

McHugh said the drops were most likely due to inexperience.

“Jacob’s a Division I quarterback and throws the ball hard,” McHugh said. “It’s not the same as catching a slow pass. Some of those passes he made, I probably would have gotten out of the way of. It took some time for the young guys to get used to that speed.”

Guy and his playmakers connected for three touchdowns in the Sling and Shoot finals, including scoring passes of 12, 17 and 20 yards.

“We have a lot of confidence now,” Guy said. “We have some new guys at receiver, so they needed some time to get used to varsity speed. There’s a big jump between junior varsity and varsity football. They reacted well after the spring game. There were some really good teams in the Sling and Shoot. There’s a lot of trust between everyone right now.”

Guy was especially impressed with how Emmanuel took to playing wide receiver.

“I don’t think David’s ever played out wide before and he really stepped up and played well,” Guy said. “That’s a 1,000-yard running back who played wide receiver because we thought we could do some things with him there.”

Guy also gave credit to the coaching staff and defense.

“Our offensive coordinator had some really good plays for us to run at the right times,” Guy said. “Our defense was great too. It looked like they got better every game we played. That’s where I think we showed the most improvement.”

The Pirates outlasted 50 other teams, pushing through the brutal summer heat.

“We played with a lot of intensity and heart,” Dudley-Giles said. “We never got to the point where we were yelling at each other or anything. We had a great family atmosphere and it helped us get through.”

McHugh was very pleased with the squad’s accomplishment, but had cautious optimism about what it means for the fall season.

“It’s not the same as real football,” McHugh said. “We run plays in 7-on-7 we won’t in the fall. We have good athletes and we can play 7-on-7 with anyone. It’s kind of like apples and oranges. If we had to go bang heads with offensive and defensive lines with Armwood we’d have a little more trouble, but skills-wise we can hang with anyone.”

Pasco will play its kickoff classic football game at home against Hernando on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The Pirates will host Ormond Beach Calvary Christian on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. for their season opener.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Gaither football team tasted victory only three times during the 2010 season, seven less than the squad won during the two-day USF Sling and Shoot tournament.

The Cowboys reached the championship game of the annual 7-on-7 summer event, knocking off Class 4A state runner-up Armwood in the semifinals. Pasco defeated Gaither 27-12 in the title game on July 24, but the northern Hillsborough County team turned some heads during the two-day event.

“It really helps with the kids’ confidence to go out and do well,” said first-year Gaither coach Jason Stokes. “These kids have really put in the work to get better and I’m very proud of the way they performed.”

Sophomore quarterback Alex McGough ran Gaither’s offense less than a month after transferring from Wesley Chapel. The Cowboys finished the 51-team event with only two losses.

“He is very calm no matter what is happening around him,” Stokes said. “He’s still new to the offense and is making mistakes that a young kid makes, but I was really impressed with what he was able to do.”

Junior Shug Oyegunle, who has been the Cowboys starting quarterback since his freshman year, played slot receiver during the tournament. Stokes said two of the squad’s runner backs were out of town during the event, so they needed to move Oyegunle out from under center.

Stokes said the team will have packages where both are on the field during the season. He added that Oyegunle has been a “true teammate” about working with McGough.

“He’s been totally receptive to any position change and I commend him for that,” Stokes said. “A lot of kids would probably have made a big deal about the switch, but he’s done exactly what we’ve asked. He’s been Alex’s biggest supporter in the huddle and has been working with him to help him learn the offense. I can’t say enough about what the two of them are doing together and with the whole offense.”

Oyegunle, who was named the team’s offensive MVP for his work during the spring season, was a receiver at the start of his freshman year before becoming a quarterback.

Stokes said senior wide receiver Carlo Perello has also impressed him during the 7-on-7 summer season and at the Sling and Shoot. Perello was given the coaches award for his efforts during the spring season.

McGough hit Oyegunle to put the Cowboys up 6-0 to start the semifinals contest against Armwood, a lead they would never give up.

Gaither won the contest 33-20; a surprise considering the Hawks defeated the Cowboys 49-7 in their regular season game last October.

“That was really big for us,” said senior defensive back Tyler McCollum, who was named team MVP during the spring. “We haven’t beaten Armwood since I’ve been here and it lets as all know we’re during the right things to get ready. We’re all excited about the fall.”

Pasco flipped the script on Gaither, taking an early lead in the championship game. McGough had scoring passes of 40 and 45 yards, including one to Oyegunle, but the Pirates defense forced two interceptions.

“I was really surprised,” said Pasco senior wide receiver and defensive back Trey Dudley-Giles. “We come from a small county, and to come out and win something big like that was a surprise. This really gives us a lot of hope that we can win against anyone.”

Besides Gaither and Pasco, other area teams that played in the event included Land O’ Lakes, Freedom and Carrollwood Day. The Pirates and Gators were the only two Pasco County squads in the tournament.

The Cowboys had to settle for second place, but the squad seems to have momentum coming out of the Sling and Shoot. Gaither won the 16-team Gulfcoast FCA 7-on-7 Challenge at Braden River High in Bradenton on July 26, defeating Palmetto 34-21 in the finals.

Senior linebacker Josh Scarberry pulled in an interception that ensured the tournament championship for Gaither. McGough and the Gaither offense scored touchdowns on every possession in the final three contests.

“It showed us the Sling and Shoot wasn’t a fluke,” McCollum said. “We know it’s not the same as real football, but it gives us even more confidence.”

Gaither will play its kickoff classic football game at home against Sickles on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The Cowboys will host Alonso on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. for their regular season opener.