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SAC All-Conference football teams announced

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The Zephyrhills Bulldogs were named Southern Athletic Conference (SAC) champions after finishing the 2016 season 8-3.
(File Photo)

The SAC All-Conference football teams were recently announced. Players were split up into East and West teams, reflecting Pasco County’s 13 public high schools.
SAC East All-Conference Teams
​Team Champion: Zephyrhills High Bulldogs (8-3)
Coach of the Year: Mark Kantor, Wiregrass Ranch High
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Justin Hall, Sunlake High
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Ryan Scamardo, Wiregrass Ranch High

First-Team
Offense:
​QB – Justin Hall, Sunlake High, senior
RB – Dexter Leverett, Wesley Chapel High, junior
RB – Dada McGee, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
WR – Tre’pavis Mobley, Zephyrhills High, sophomore
WR – Ryan Clark, Sunlake High, senior
OL – Aaron Beardsley, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
OL – Seth Petty, Wesley Chapel High sophomore
OL – Kameron Allen, Zephyrhills High, junior
OL – James Perez, Sunlake High, senior
​OL – Camron Craig, Pasco High, junior
TE – Brayden Lyman, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
Utility- Isaiah Bolden, Wesley Chapel High, junior

Defense:
DL – Jason Winston, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
DL – Christian Austin, Wesley Chapel High, senior
DL – Erick Marcel, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
DL – Brett Lemay, Zephyrhills High, senior
LB – Ryan Scamardo, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
LB – Adam Jarvis, Sunlake High, junior
LB – Myron Bloom, Land O’ Lakes High, sophomore
LB – Cameron Smith, Pasco High, junior
DB – Jordan Miner, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
DB – Shamuar McDowell, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
DB – Justin Kren, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
P – Dylan Hothenthaner, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
K – Chris Faddoul, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior

Second-Team
Offense:
QB – Charles Harrison III, Zephyrhills High, junior
RB – Elijah Thomas,  Zephyrhills High, junior
RB – Justin Metzger, Sunlake High, senior
WR – Tyler Peretti,  Sunlake High, senior
WR – Ja’quan Sheppard, Zephyrhills High, sophomore
OL – Matt Welsh, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
OL – Carson Reaves, Sunlake High, senior
OL – Jared Granuth, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
OL – Cameron Tucker, Zephyrhills High, junior
OL – Trevon Davis, Sunlake High, sophomore
TE – Devaun Roberts, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
Utility – Cris Galdos, Sunlake High, senior

Defense:
DL – Donovan Willingham, Wesley Chapel High, senior
DL – Sterlin Williams,  Zephyrhills, junior
DL – Cody Mercer, Pasco High, junior
DL – Connor Davey,  Sunlake High, senior
LB – Austen Wittish, Wesley Chapel High, junior
LB – Jarrett Black, Zephyrhills High, senior
LB – Izzy Aquino,  Sunlake High, senior
LB – Brayden Lyman, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
DB – Ryan Clark, Sunlake High, senior
DB – Kameron Howard,  Zephyrhills High, senior
DB – Malik Melvin, Wesley Chapel High, junior
P – Chris Faddoul, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
K – Kareem Mehrab,  Zephyrhills High, senior

Former Land O’ Lakes player makes All-SoCon team

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Former Land O’ Lakes High football star Shaheed Salmon is making a name for himself at Samford University, in Alabama.
(IFile Photo)

Shaheed Salmon, a former Land O’ Lakes High School football standout and current Samford (Alabama) University junior linebacker, received First-Team All-Southern Conference honors, as voted on by league coaches. Meanwhile, conference media members gave him Second-Team All-Southern Conference honors. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound defensive stalwart tallied 93 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception in 2016 for Samford, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school. In 2013, Salmon led the Land O’ Lakes Gators in tackles (117), tackles for loss (21.5) and sacks (8.5). He also competed in basketball and track at Land O’ Lakes.

Freedom High hoops coach notches 200th win

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Freedom High girls varsity basketball coach Laurie Pacholke notched her 200th career win following a 51-43 win over Oak Hill High, on Dec. 19. Pacholke, who was hired in 2009, has had three 20-plus-win seasons, and just one losing season during that period. This year’s team, which features six seniors, stands at 7-3, through Dec. 19.

Former Pasco High player selected for East-West Shrine Game

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Former Pasco High standout Joey Ivie
(Courtesy of Florida Gators Athletics)

Joey Ivie, a former Pasco High football standout and current Florida Gators senior defensive tackle, has accepted an invite to participate in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21, in St. Petersburg. The postseason college all-star game typically attracts dozens of scouts from the NFL and other professional teams.

Despite missing two games with a thumb injury, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive stalwart tallied 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Several football analysts believe Ivie is a borderline draft-able prospect. He graduated from Pasco High in 2013.

Local volleyball seniors receive national honors

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Jamee Townsend

Saint Leo volleyball seniors Jamee Townsend and Hope Lemon have received an   American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention.

Townsend led the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) in digs per set with 5.39; the libero was also a three-time SSC Defensive Player of the Week.

Hope Lemon
(Courtesy of Saint Leo Athletics)

Lemon, meanwhile, was Saint Leo’s leading point scorer this season, averaging 3.9 points per set; she tallied 373 kills and scored a team-high 46 aces.

The two senior captains helped guide the Lions to a 20-12 (12-4 SSC) record in 2016.

Locals named to FACA All-Star football team

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Land O’ Lakes High safety/receiver Justin Kren and Wiregrass Ranch linebacker Ryan Scamardo were selected to the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-Star team. In eight games on defense, Kren recorded 31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception; he caught 16 passes for 165 yards and 1 touchdown on offense. Scamardo, meanwhile, notched 110 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks, through 10 games. Kren holds a college offer from Valparaiso (Indiana) University, while Scamardo has an offer from Webber International University, located in Babson Park, Florida.

Wiregrass Ranch softball standout commits to HCC

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Alexis Ridolph, a senior infielder at Wiregrass Ranch High School, has committed to play softball at Hillsborough Community College (HCC). In 17 games last season, Ridolph hit .317 with 10 runs and 6 RBIs. Her older sister, Kaitlyn Ridolph, played softball at HCC the last two seasons.

FHSAA football classifications finalized

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The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has announced the new Cypress Creek High School in Wesley Chapel will be assigned to Class 4A-Region 3 for both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 football seasons; the school is set to open in August. Zephyrhills Christian Academy, meanwhile, has been reassigned to Class 2A-Region 2. The final FHSAA football classifications for Classes 1A-8A and Independents can be found on FHSAA.org.

Doing his part

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Pro tennis player John Isner plays during a charity event to raise money in an effort to find a cure for Friedereich’s Ataxia, a degenerative neuro-muscular disorder.
(Courtesy of Sports Writers of America)

ATP world tennis pro John Isner, in association with Avila Golf and Country Club, hosted a charity exhibition to raise money for Friedreich’s Ataxia, a degenerative neuromuscular disorder that affects about one in 50,000 people in the United States. Before dozens of spectators, the Tampa resident played a singles match with 18-year-old pro Frances Tiafoe. The event, called FARA (Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance) – Ace for the Cure, was held on Dec. 6. It included a silent auction, raffle, and an opportunity for spectators to face down John Isner’s 140 mile-per hour serve. Isner and other tennis professionals also met with fans and took pictures after the exhibition.

Steinbrenner kicker named MVP of county all-star game

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Steinbrenner’s Noah Ruggles earned West team offensive MVP honors at the Hillsborough County Senior All-Star Game on Dec. 3.
(Courtesy of Steinbrenner High School)

Noah Ruggles, a senior kicker at Steinbrenner High, earned West team offensive MVP honors for his performance in the East-West Hillsborough County Senior All-Star Game. Ruggles notched field goals of 24 yards and 44 yards, scoring all of the East team’s points in a 9-6 loss on Dec. 3

Ruggles, who boasts scholarship offers from Vanderbilt University and Army, is widely regarded as one of the top high school kickers for the 2017 class. The consensus three-star recruit is ranked as the nation’s eighth-best kicker, according to recruiting service 247sports.com. Meanwhile, ESPN.com ranks Ruggles as the nation’s 13th-best kicker for 2017.