Check This Out

A trio of Saint Leo men’s basketball seniors end their career with their names etched in the program’s all-time record books.

Here is a closer look at each:

Kyran McClure
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Concord, North Carolina, became the Saint Leo all-time program leader in three-pointers made (92) in a single season and free throws made in a single season (207) — which was tops in the NCAA Division II ranks for the 2019-20 season.

McClure’s marks surpassed those previously held by Saint Leo products Marcus Dewberry (88 three-pointers in 2015-16) and Tyrone Graves (165 free throws made in 1991-92).

McClure concluded his Lions three-year career inside the top-15 all-time in program history in free throws made (second, 451), three’s made (fourth, 193), assists (ninth, 276), and points (11th, 1,374). He eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau on Dec. 14, with a 24-point effort against University of Tampa.

 

Isaiah Hill
The 6-foot-6, 175-pound guard from Richmond Hill, Georgia, tied McClure with 276 career assists and became the 25th Lions player to score 1,000 career points, sitting 19th all-time with 1,092. Hill also put his name in the Lions record book in career steals, finishing seventh with 138.

 

 

Yalen Reed
In two seasons in the Green and Gold, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward from Nashville, Tennessee, etched his name in the Lions record book with 71 career blocks — good for ninth-most in program history. Reed posted 39 blocks his junior season and 32 this past season.

Ex-Bishop McLaughlin football coach Keith Tandy has reunited with his former NFL team, joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a special teams assistant.

Tandy, 31, served as Bishop McLaughlin’s defensive coordinator last season under head coach Joe Vaughn. The team went 1-7.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Tandy played seven seasons in the NFL, for the Buccaneers (2012-17) and Atlanta Falcons (2018). He appeared in 84 games with 15 starts with the Bucs, making 179 tackles, eight interceptions and 14 pass breakups.

Zephyrhills High product and Southeastern University (SEU) men’s basketball senior point guard Jeremy Oppenheimer has been named NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division II men’s basketball All-American honorable mention.

The Zephyrhills native averaged 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game this season, all single-season career-highs. He becomes the fourth player in SEU program history to earn placement on an NAIA All-American team.

Additionally this season, Oppenheimer was named to The Sun Conference (TSC) All-Tournament team, first-team All-Sun Conference, TSC Champion of Character, and placed on the Academic All-Sun Conference team.
The 2019-20 SEU men’s basketball team finished as TSC regular season and tournament champions with a 23-8 overall record.
Prior to his SEU career, Oppenheimer was best known for leading Zephyrhills to the 2016 5A state semifinals his senior year, and leading the team in scoring his junior and senior seasons.

Several area wrestlers put together top-notch performances at the 2020 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Wrestling State Championships earlier this month at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, including first-place titles from Carrollwood Day’s Jonathan Conrad (160-pound) and Zephyrhills Christian’s Malik Jones (285-pound).

Here is a closer look at top results from local teams and placed individual wrestlers:

Class 3A
Steinbrenner — 23rd place (19 points)

152-pound
Truman Noble, Steinbrenner, senior (sixth place)
Note: Noble (51-5) fell to Fleming Island’s Tanner Hill (58-11) in the fifth place finals match by a 5-3 decision.

Class 2A
Sunlake — 34th place (9 points)
Freedom — Tie-39th place (7 points)
Gaither — Tie-51st place (3 points)
Pasco — Tie-51st place (3 points)

138-pound
Ryan Bennett, Freedom, junior (sixth place)
Note: Bennett (47-11) fell to Jesuit’s Alfonso Vargas (47-17) in the fifth place finals match by a 7-2 decision.

Class 1A
Carrollwood Day — Tie-15th place (31 points)
Zephyrhills Christian — 17th place (28 points)

160-pound
Jonathan Conrad, Carrollwood Day, sophomore (first place)
Note: Conrad (47-4) defeated Hernando’s Josh Pritz (34-7) by a 7-0 decision.

285-pound
Malik Jones, Zephyrhills Christian, senior (first place)
Note: Jones (34-0) defeated Key West’s Patrick Barnett (32-7) by pinfall in 6 minutes.

Bob Rick and Joe Marchese (not pictured)  won the South Pasco Bassmasters (SPBM) March tournament on Crooked Lake, hauling in five bass for a total weight of 15.38 pounds. The haul included an 8.93-pound bass that also won the tournament’s Big Bass Award. The duo caught their fish in two feet to three feet of water, using assorted plastic worms, frog, tubes and spinner baits. For more information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.

Braden Jones, 11, recorded a perfect game for the Land O’ Lakes Little League  (LOLLL) White Sox, retiring all 18 batters faced in a 5-0 win over the LOLLL Nationals. Jones fired 62 pitches, striking out nine batters, while allowing no hits, walks or runs across six innings.

The Martinez Middle School Lady Mustangs dance team captured the Sweepstakes States Championship Trophy after placing first in Hip-Hop, third in Poms and third in Jazz categories, at the MA Dance State Championships in Sanford earlier this month. They are scheduled to perform next at the Disney Springs Showcase on April 25 in Orlando.

The Carrollwood Day School varsity girls basketball program secured its first-ever state title, defeating Master’s Academy in overtime 48-42 in the Class 3A state final in Lakeland last month. The Patriots (27-2) were led by former Academy at the Lakes girls basketball coach Karim Nohra, and featured Wesley Chapel sisters Maliyah and Milahnie Perry. Maliyah, a senior, has signed to play at Division II Rollins College, while Milahnie is a sophomore.