The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

New building, opportunities coming to Saint Leo

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By B.C. Manion

Rendering of the new building

An $11 million building going up at Saint Leo University signals the first new classroom building on the campus in decades.
It’s like going from the 1960s to the 21st century in one fell swoop.
School leaders are excited by how they’ll be able to use the latest in technology to better prepare their students to play a meaningful role in their future work places, whether they’re working for an employer or running a business of their own.
“On a very basic level, it will give us the physical resources we need,” said Michael Nastanski, dean of the Donald R. Tapia School of Business at Saint Leo University.
Burgeoning growth during the past decade has forced the business school to use every bit of classroom and office space available on the Saint Leo campus, Nastanski said.
“We’re the largest Catholic business school in the United States,” he said. Besides its Saint Leo campus, the university has 17 regional education centers and the Center for Online Learning.
The new business building will allow the university to bring all of its business students and faculty members on the Saint Leo campus under one roof.
Beyond pulling people together, the building itself is designed to foster collaboration and creativity, Nastanski said.
It has many gathering places, where faculty members can discuss ideas and where faculty members and students can continue discussions that began in the classroom.
The building’s technology will enable students to work together on projects and then share their results with the class, Nastanski said.
The technology used in today’s workplace is one of the huge drivers of change, said Lorrie McGovern, who joined the university in October as head of graduate programs in the school of business.
The building’s technology enables students to hear and see lectures being delivered by experts at one of the university’s satellite locations.
The building also is designed to accommodate gatherings with corporate leaders and economic development groups, such as the Pasco Economic Development Council.
Such exchanges can be very beneficial to students, as well as to companies seeking future employees to join their team, McGovern said.
It also is enabling the university to add a computer science program, Nastanski said.
The new structure adds 50,000 square feet to the university’s main campus. It includes nine classrooms, a large lecture hall which doubles as a boardroom, computer labs and a broadcast technology suite.
Nastanski said he can’t wait for the building to open. He believes it will help the university prepare graduates to be innovative thinkers who are capable of helping their future employees or their own businesses to use technology to reduce costs, increase revenue and improve customer service.
The university’s school of business bears the name of Donald R. Tapia, an alumnus who donated $4 million for the building, the largest single gift in the university’s history.
Tapia received a bachelor’s degree in business administration through the Center for Online Learning at the university and returned for an online MBA.
Before McGovern joined Saint Leo, she said she was looking at the university’s website and read about Tapia’s donation. Tapia grew up in a rough neighborhood in Detroit and now owns a multi-million dollar wholesale business outside of Phoenix. McGovern said she was impressed that an adult, online graduate had made such a large contribution. Those kinds of donations are rare, she said.
“I thought, ‘Wow, something exciting is going on,’ ” McGovern said.
The plans for the building are impressive, she said. “That’s what you see,” she said.
But it was the camaraderie and culture that could lead to such a gift that drew McGovern to Saint Leo.

Habitat for Humanity hits milestone

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Local chapter building seven homes

By Kyle LoJacono

The 81 homes dedicated by Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco helped the national organization reach a milestone in 2010, and the local group has more planned for 2011.

Ann Murdoch reacts as John Fremlin, Habitat for Humanity’s construction supervisor, hands her the keys to her home last July. The new Zephyrhills home was one of two dedicated by the group in east Pasco County in 2010. (File photo)

Habitat for Humanity dedicated its 400,000th house last December. The East & Central Pasco chapter is currently building seven houses for needy families in Land O’ Lakes, Zephyrhills, Dade City and Lacoochee. The latest started Jan. 8 at 11 a.m. when Gail Emmanuel saw the groundbreaking of her future home in Zephyrhills.
“I can’t believe it,” Emmanuel said at the dedication. “To think people are helping us get a house. It’s overwhelming.”
Along with the 400,000 homes dedicated worldwide during the last 35 years, Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 2 million receive better housing.
“We are happy to have helped Habitat for Humanity reach this important milestone in bettering communities across the country,” said Stephanie Black, director of family services with the East & Central Pasco chapter. “With continued support of our sponsors and volunteers, we’ll address affordable housing needs in east and central Pasco County.”
The East & Central Pasco chapter was formed last year when the separate units in central and east Pasco merged to pool resources and build more houses. Two homes were dedicated in 2010, one in Zephyrhills and the other in Dade City.
Last year, Habitat for Humanity dedicated nearly 80,000 homes by repairing, rehabilitating or building new ones. The organization has set a goal to get that number to 100,000 families helped globally each year by 2013.
“We are pleased that even in this difficult economy, Habitat for Humanity has been able to help a record number of families around the world have a better place to live,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “Our affiliates are the backbone of Habitat’s efforts. Their hard work and dedication have made this milestone possible. We are grateful for the work of Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco.”
Generally, Habitat homes in east and central Pasco cost $97,000, which includes the land. They are usually 1,150 square feet and include three bedrooms and one bathroom.  Black said they are affordable to low-income families because there is no profit included in the sale of the house and no interest charged on the mortgage, which are financed for 30 years.
The East & Central Pasco chapter has fundraising events throughout the area and receives money from churches, business, organizations and individuals along with support from local government. It also raises money through sales at its ReStores.
Anyone interested in donating time or money to the effort can do so by calling the East & Central Pasco chapter at (352) 567-1444 or visiting www.habitatpasco.org.

Rotary Eastide 8 serves generosity

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By Gary S. Hatrick

The Rotary Eastside 8 bagged 775 Christmas meals to be distributed to those in need Saturday attaining a 72 percent increase over 2009’s holiday joint community service project, which yielded 450 bags.

Rotary Club of Zephyrhills President Mike Waters (left) and past president Mike Mira sit amid bags of Christmas meals ready to be given to families in need. Eight Rotary clubs on Pasco’s east side furnished 775 meals for the 2010 holidays.

Eastside 8 is the name given to the East Pasco County Rotary Clubs comprised of the Rotary Club of Zephyrhills; Rotary Club of Zephyrhills, Daybreak;? Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel; Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, Sunrise; Rotary Club of Dade City;? Rotary Club of Dade City, Sunrise;? Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes;? and Rotary Club of San Antonio.
A matching grant of $3,700 from Rotary Club International helped to bring about the increase in dinners for the east side clubs.
The project was begun last year and conceived and spearheaded by past president of the noon Rotary Club in Zephyrhills, Mike Mira. This year, he and current president Mike Waters continued to provide leadership for the project.
The meals consisted of a canned ham, mashed potatoes, muffin mix, corn, green beans, gravy and a cake.
“Pretty much a complete holiday dinner,” Mira said.
“Our club did 200 of those bags,” Mira said. “We’re taking care of West Elementary, Chester Taylor Elementary and Stewart Middle School as well as making a contribution to the Samaritan Project.”
The Samaritan Project is a cooperative effort between churches, businesses and the city of Zephyrhills to meet needs of families and individuals in the community.
“Daybreak Rotary is doing 100 bags,” Mira continued. “Their club is taking care of Woodland Elementary and the High School.”
“We re going to the schools because we feel [having needs is] never the children’s fault. We want these families to have a nice Christmas dinner,” Mira explained.
Stewart Middle School contributed 600 extra cans of canned goods from a drive held at the school which were added to the bags.
Contributions also came from Zephyrhills community business partners Wade Thomas, who gave $1,000 to the noon club, and Tom Vanater, who provided $300 to the noon club to fund the bags being given to the Samaritan Project.
Mira said that the need was even greater this year.
“We’re supposed to be coming out of the recession and it seems like people are in worse shape this year,” he said.
The Eastside 8 clubs had a summer vacation food project last summer to help children when there is no longer a school lunch after they get out of school. They plan to do that project again in June.
Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Trail will extend, but not connect

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By Kyle LoJacono

The Hillsborough County Commission recently voted to add 4.2 miles to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail in Lutz and Odessa, but a 2.6-mile hole remains in the plan.
The trail will be added from near the intersection of Gunn Highway and Peterson Road in Odessa north to where the Suncoast Trail ends near W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road in Lutz. However, the Tampa trail will not connect with its southern portion because of a 2.6-mile gap.
Project manager Bill Hand said there are four people who own the property near Peterson who are unwilling to sell their land to the county. Hand said the overall goal is to connect the trails, which would create 59 miles of continuous pathways from Tampa to Citrus County.
Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department spokesman John Brill said the commission told his department they are still committed to creating the continuous route. The commission is unwilling to use eminent domain to force the landowners to sell their property at this time and is looking at alternatives for the trail.
The project is moving forward faster than expected after the commission voted to use available county and Southwest Florida Water Management District money. A start date is not yet set, but the project is planned to begin in the spring 2012 and is scheduled for completion by that October.
The cost of the project is $8 million with no significant operating cost added after completion. The job includes creating two trailhead parking areas, one near the intersection of Van Dyke Road and Gunn and the other on Lutz-Lake Fern Road halfway between the street’s intersections with the Suncoast Parkway and Gunn.
The original plan for the Tampa trail addition was to use Florida Department of Transportation Department money, but doing so would delay the completion until at least 2015.
Lutz resident Mike Rainer, 36, is a distance runner who uses the Suncoast Trail every morning in Pasco County. He runs about 10 miles each morning and is happy with the thought of having more pathways.
“That’s great news,” Rainer said. “We live in a state were we can go outside and enjoy the nice weather. It’ll be great to have more trails to go out and enjoy.”

County grant supports development of NanoAir

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By B.C. Manion

Pasco County has approved a $254,000 grant for Dais Analytic Corp. to help the company develop “NanoAir,” a new generation of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly heating, cooling and refrigeration products.
The grant will enable the Odessa company to add employees. It also will allow the company to contract engineering services to reduce the time it takes to allow commercial sales of a process it has developed that can be used to clean water. That process is made possible by the company’s nanotechnology plastics.
John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, said DAIS has some intellectual property that has tremendous potential.
The county commission’s action validates the company’s efforts and recognizes its continued economic development efforts and potential.
The county also recognized the company’s achievement in receiving the coveted, highly competitive Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) grant Dais received earlier this year from the Department of Energy, according to a PEDC news release.
The Pasco Economic Development Council has been working with Dais Analytic Corporation since April 2009 to identify the company’s business needs and to help the company grow.
The PEDC has provided help with training, job placement, consulting services, local government support, and financial and investor opportunities.  PEDC expects to continue to work with Dais to enhance technology and supplier partnerships.

A look ahead in the law

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We better stop,
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down.
-Buffalo Springfield, For What It’s Worth

By Randall Grantham

I was visited by the “Ghost of The Justice System Yet to Come” this Christmas season. Actually I was haunted by all three of the legendary ghosts, but only the future ghost had anything interesting to show me.
The past ghost saw the end of the dunk test for witches and the advent of fingerprint and blood-spatter evidence. The Ghost of the Justice System Present had DNA exonerations in the face of supposed rock-solid eyewitness ID and/or confession and HD video of the action. But the ghost of what’s yet to come in the justice system and law enforcement business brought some pretty incredible (and scary!) stuff.
In the future, the Star Trek/SciFi gimmicks are for real. Our cell phones, after first trying to emulate Kirk’s communicator, are now way cooler than what he had — at least the ones on the original series. And soon, we will be able to detect, identify and follow the smallest DNA residue, like the ion trails tracked by Spock.
We now have ankle bracelets that allow the state to monitor their wearer’s location. Similar devices monitor a person’s body chemistry to detect and alert authorities if the wearer is having an adult beverage.
In the future we will have one device that will show both location and substances being ingested by the subject. I hope we can also hook them up to a social network to alert those interested in the location of the party.
Currently some police departments have cameras mounted on their cars that are hooked to computers that do nothing but scan license plates and check them for “hits;” that is, to see if they’re stolen.
They are being tied in to state DMV and other records to check for much more though. They will be able to instantly read your tag, even in the dark, and compare it an RFID signal from your car, or maybe even your passport or Universal Identification Card (that’s coming too).
In addition to stolen cars getting hits, expired DLs, unpaid tickets, even overdue library books might get you pulled over. The existing memory capacity already allows some agencies to search their database to see if your tag was spotted in the last 30 days and pinpoint where you were.
Police now have dogs that are trained and dispatched to selected locations to sniff for bombs, drugs or even bodies. Soon, every cop on the street will have his or her own personal tricorder that will be able to detect the slightest trace of drugs, weapons or maybe even Cuban cigar tobacco on people and in cars they pass on their beat.
I’ve written before about the government being able to turn on a suspect’s cell phone and use it to listen in on what was thought to be a private conversation. They will be able to do that and activate the video app, too.
And tracking a person’s movements is so easy it’s ridiculous. With GPS, they don’t need to look at toll transponders and cellphone calls for bits of data. The GPS trackers don’t even need to be planted (or implanted) on us or our cars. We strap them on our hips and can be located or tracked for days and even weeks into the future or the past.
Your smart phone is busy gathering all that info every second of every day and it’s available to marketers and authorities alike. For a price. Or with a warrant.
A lot for a criminal to be afraid of, right? Also enough to give pause to all those who thought George Orwell’s “Big Brother” was too far out to ever be real. Between Big Business and Big Government, we already have everything needed in place to make that a reality.
And, just as predicted, the threat didn’t come from beyond our borders. We did it to ourselves! In the name of convenience, in the name of national security, in the name of fun (we can’t get enough of the latest widgets and gizmos) we sold ourselves out.
And we were cheap.

Randall C. Grantham is a lifelong resident of Lutz who practices law from his offices on Dale Mabry Highway. He can be reached at . Copyright 2011 RCG. To comment on this or anything else, email the editor at and for past columns go to lakerlutznews.com.

When dieting, it’s OK to cheat … sometimes

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By Samantha Taylor

Okay, I have to admit: I just had a cheat meal.
It was, by no means, a healthy meal.  This health professional who teaches you how to order healthy just ate something that was really fattening, cholesterol-laden and so far from what I would normally recommend.
Remember, this was my cheat meal, and having one once in a while lets you have a sense of freedom from an otherwise rigid and legalistic diet routine. It is recommended to let go occasionally and have something that is not healthiest so that you do not end up dreading your program and leaving it.
I went to Olive Garden with my 14-year-old niece. We chose the Limoncello Chicken Scaloppini and I must say, it is now my favorite cheat meal. It was delicious, although rather rich for my taste. It is a chicken dish with cream sauce — normally a no-no with cheese-stuffed ravioli (oh my) and mushrooms.  Now, if I had eaten the whole thing in one sitting, I would have consumed 1,280 calories (2,100 calories for the full meal, with one breadstick and a salad – yikes)!
But, here are the things that we did to cut the calorie explosion into half for each of us:

1)    We had a salad to start off the meal and get us fuller faster to stop us from eating too much of the main entrée.  Remember, dressings can be very fattening so request to have the dressing on the side instead of being drizzled onto the salad. I messed this one up. I saw on their website they even have the low-fat version of dressing.
2)    We ordered the Chicken Scaloppini to split between us.
3)    We added healthier stuff like asparagus and mushrooms to thicken up the meal.
4)    We only had one breadstick each. Even the 14-year old saw to it that I stuck to the standard, a great teaching from her mother. I honestly can no longer enjoy white bread these days since I got used to whole wheat.  Now, white bread just tastes too “pasty.”
5)    We actually took some of it home; it was so rich, we couldn’t even finish half the order.

So that is my so-called cheat meal.  The funny thing is that all these healthy eating habits I teach you have been so ingrained in me that I don’t even really cheat when I cheat!  The old me would have eaten the whole meal plus dessert to the tune of 3,100 calories.  Phew, thank God I am not like that anymore.

Samantha Taylor is a weight loss expert, personal trainer and owner of Pure Health Studios in Lutz. To read past restaurant reviews, visit her blog at www.thisisfit.com.

Helping the lawn survive the chill

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By BJ Jarvis

Who would have thought Pasco County would again see weather as weird as last year?  It seems to have already started with unusually cold temperatures accompanied by drying winds. What can gardeners do to help the lawn survive?
At this time of year, talk is usually about preparing turfgrass for dormancy, but not in 2011.  Freezing temperatures have already turned lawns brown, but don’t panic. Even in sunny Florida, turfgrass needs a rest and dormancy is a normal, healthy part of the plant cycle.
Hopefully the lawn has not been fertilized since early fall. An actively growing turf has little resistance to cold or freezing temperatures. For the same reason, the next fertilization should not occur until at least mid-March. When daylight is longer and temperatures are warmer in the spring, green growth will start again. Do not try to push early green-up by fertilizing early. New growth can be easily damaged by another freeze.
Weed and feed products for pre-emergent weed controls are not especially effective in central Florida. If my lawn is any indication, the weeds seem to take advantage of the fertilizer part, and the turf sees no benefit. So save yourself time and money by only treating with a pre-emergent to control warm season weeds. Timing is critical when using pre-emergents. Apply these around Valentine’s Day when day temperatures reach 65-70 degrees for four or five consecutive days.
When turfgrass is not actively growing, it requires less water. From November through February, your lawn will only need to be irrigated every 10-14 days. Turn the irrigation controller off and skip a week. If it rains at least 3/4 of an inch during that time, you won’t need to turn on the system to irrigate. Purchase a rain gauge if you don’t already have one.
While mowing will be intermittent in winter, good care should be taken to keep turf as healthy as possible. A sharp blade is essential, and regular cleaning of the mower deck will help avoid spread of disease and weed seeds throughout the landscape. Optimal mowing heights vary by species, but in general, St. Augustine, bahia and zoysia grasses should be cut at 3.5-4 inches long. Dwarf varieties may be cut at 2.5-3 inches. Mowing high promotes deep root growth, and it has the added benefit of creating inhospitable conditions for weed seed germination.
How can you tell if your lawn has truly succumbed to cold weather? Plant a small plug of grass in a container of good potting mix. Place it in a warm, sunny location and keep it slightly moist but not wet or about three weeks. If new growth appears, your lawn should recover when the warm weather comes again. If not, you will probably need to replace at least the brown areas in your lawn when the weather warms up.
For more information about lawn care, visit the University of Florida’s website at www.yourFloridalawn.ifas.ufl.edu or visit the Pasco Extension website at Pasco.ifas.ufl.edu for more gardening information.
BJ Jarvis is Horticulture Agent and Extension Director for Pasco Cooperative Extension, a free service of Pasco County and the University of Florida. She can be reached at .

Karim Nohra joins 400 club

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By Kyle LoJacono

After the 51-30 win against Zephyrhills High Jan. 4, first-year Academy at the Lakes coach Karim Nohra congratulated his team as he has following his previous 399 victories.

The 20-year coach thinks there is nothing special about winning his 400th game in high school.

Coach Karim Norha speaks with his team during the victory against Zephyrhills.

“I never even thought about (400),” Nohra said. “All that’s saying is I’ve coached a long time. As far as I’m concerned it’s just a long time of coaching.”

Nohra, who is a professor at the college of engineering at the University of South Florida, started as a boys junior varsity coach from 1987 to 1990 and then became the girls coach at Tampa Catholic High. He moved to Cambridge Christian High for two years and eventually to Wesley Chapel High the previous two seasons before coming to the academy.

“We’ve had success, but that’s not just because of me,” Nohra said. “It’s the people around me. I have two assistants and I haven’t gone anywhere without them.”

Those assistants are Gene Miranda, who has been with Nohra since he went to Tampa Catholic, while Mackenzie Vidonic played for him at Cambridge and joined his staff after graduating in 2006.

“He tries to act like it’s no big deal, but it is,” Vidonic said. “He’s a great coach and this shows it.”

Nohra guided Wesley Chapel to consecutive regional finals the last two seasons, but was not retained with the team. He did not have to wait too long before another group of Wildcats was knocking at his door.

“I’ve known him for 25 years,” said academy athletic director Tom Haslem. “I’ve followed him the whole way. He’s won a ton of games everywhere he went. When I heard he was having to reapply for his job at Wesley Chapel, which to me means you’re not going to have your job, we jumped on him.”

For a coach who won 48 games in two years at Wesley Chapel, the change with coming to the academy was stark. The Wildcats went 0-15 in the 2009-10 season and needed a lot of work to get to the 9-1 mark they are at.

“They always fielded a team, but they’d get trounced,” Nohra said. “They’d be everyone’s senior night because you know it would be a W. I came in and said the mentally has to change. I’m screaming, yelling at them and they’re like, holy cow this guy is crazy, but I’ve changed their perception of what basketball is all about. They don’t know how to win and you have to know how to win and prepare to win and no one did that before.”

Nohra also put them on a weight lifting and running program to get them faster and stronger to run his system.

“We press and run, that’s my style,” Nohra said. “If you’re not in shape you can’t press and run. I tell them all the time ‘I want the ball.’ Go get me the ball and they can’t score and we have more opportunities to score. That’s the bottom line. Are we good at it yet? No, but if I take it away from you half the time it gives us a better chance to score.”

His players said Nohra says that at least 20 times each practice, “Go get me the ball.” He demands perfection in every drill, asking players where they should be at any point and why.

“He’s just a great coach,” said forward Andrea Mauger, who played for Nohra at Wesley Chapel last season. “He worked me hard and is going to make me a better player. I want to play college ball and he’s a great coach to help be do that. He’s very intense, but he’s awesome. He definitely knows what he’s talking about, but if you don’t do your job you’re going to hear it.”

In practice, Nohra also does not miss an opportunity to remind them where they were one year ago.

“Lazy gets us 0-15,” Nohra yelled during a recent practice.

Sophomore forward Christina Stark was a part of that Wildcats team last year that went winless.

“It’s been a whole different program this year,” Stark said. “He takes practice as serious as games.”

Junior center/forward Alexis Holler also suffered through that 0-15 season.

“It’s a lot faster paced all the time,” Holler said. “We get a lot more done in practice and it’s working. … My goal is to win the first district championship for girls basketball this season. I think we have a chance.”

Only one team has a district title at the academy, the girls golf team this school year. The basketball program reached the district finals in 2007.

In the milestone win Nohra’s press defense forced 25 steals, with Mauger leading the way with nine and also adding a team-high 20 points. Guard Marjorie Rivera added eight steals, 17 points and five rebounds and five assists.

Many of Nohra’s former players, including the entire Wesley Chapel team, watched the 20-year veteran record No. 400. Nohra acknowledged the achievement, but would give them all up for a championship run.

“If anybody wants to trade, I’ll trade my 400 for seven in February,” Nohra said. “That’s really what I’d like to do. … Seven wins in February means we just won the state title.”

The academy had a game against Lakeside Christian Jan. 10, but results were not available by press time. The squad next plays at the Academy of the Holy Names Jan. 18 at 6 p.m.

Leaving one Wildcats team for another

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Link between coaches Castelamare and Nohra

By Kyle LoJacono

It seems John Castelamare and Karim Nohra really like Wildcats.

Both coached at Wesley Chapel High for the 2009-10 school year, Castelamare for football and Nohra for girls basketball. The similarities do not stop there as the two both took over the same position at Academy at the Lakes this season.

Nohra, a professor at the University of South Florida, led the Wesley Chapel girls basketball program the last two years, guiding the squad to back-to-back regional finals appearances. However, Carin Nettles became the school’s principal for the 2009-10 school year and put a new emphasis on coaches being teachers at Wesley Chapel. He was not retained.

John Castelamare speaks to his Academy at the Lakes team at the end of practice last season.

Castelamare, a physical education teacher, started the Wesley Chapel football program when the school opened in 1999. He was forced to retire before last year, which was his fifth in the deferred retirement option program. The academy was waiting with open arms to welcome the two veteran coaches.

“What we’re trying to do is get the best coaches we can find,” said academy athletic director Tom Haslem. “We have coach John Castelamare for football, coach Nohra for basketball. We’re a small school and those guys have a lot to offer to our programs. As an AD it’s a no brainer for me.”

Nohra and Castelamare both express thanks to Haslem for giving them an opportunity to coach at the academy.

Castelamare coached for 38 years in Pasco County public schools, working with Ridgewood High’s program before Wesley Chapel. During that time he compiled a 108-126 record, 63-50 at Wesley Chapel including two 10-0 regular seasons and three district championships.

Coming to the academy Castelamare had to get used to coaching six-man football.

“The rules are very different and it took some time to get them all down, but in the end it’s still football” Castelamare said. “A lot of the players didn’t really know anything about football and we had to teach them drills I’d used at Wesley Chapel for years.”

The academy went 6-5 and reached the playoffs in Castelamare’s first season, but he has more than just winning on his to-do list.

“The goal is to get the program to 11-man football,” Castelamare said. “We’d need at least 25 good football players to do that. Just 25 bodies isn’t enough. We need football players. I think the excitement in football is up here at the academy and I hope our numbers will be up next season.”

There were about 15 players on the academy football roster last year. The program moved up to 11-man football for one season in 2007 and went 1-9.

Karim Nohra

Nohra did not have to worry about new rules when he came to the academy, but he did have to work on many of the basics with his new squad as Castelamare did.

“The first thing I saw is they needed directions as far as skill work,” Nohra said. “I immediately made them start doing some weight lifting and running, and that scared quite a few of the girls away. They’ve never been asked to do a lot other than let’s roll out the balls, put on the uniform and go play. Now I’m demanding more of their time and effort. It’s a really big culture change.”

One player who wasn’t scared off is sophomore Andrea Mauger, who played for Nohra at Wesley Chapel last year and transferred to the academy. She said she enjoys playing with Nohra’s high-tempo style.

“He runs the same system no matter where he’s at and I like what he runs,” Mauger said. “It stops a lot of people and the pressure is just so high that it confuses people. You have a job and if you do it right everything is fine, but if one person doesn’t it just falls apart. Coach breaks down everyone’s job and gets you to understand what to do and why you have to do it that way.”

Last year the academy girls basketball program went 0-15, but have turned that around fast for 9-1 start including Nohra’s 400th win as a high school coach.

“We have coaches who are really good at turning programs around and both teams are flat out working harder than they did last year” Haslem said. “They have everyone at the school talking about athletics here and I’m hoping for many more years with them leading the programs.”