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Gaither High School

Spring football preview for area teams

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High school football is back in session — as preseason spring football practices are now underway statewide.

Florida high school spring football practices begin April 26. The first allowable day for full-contact tackling is May 1. (File)

And while the 2021 prep season remains months away, prep gridiron fans can still get a taste of how their teams are shaping up with a series of exhibition games and jamborees in late May.

Florida high schools are allowed a maximum of 20 practice sessions from April 26 through May, according to Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) guidelines. The first allowable day for full-contact tackling is May 1.

Here’s a closer look at how programs across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, in Hillsborough and Pasco counties:

Hillsborough County:

Carrollwood Day Patriots (Class 3A-3 — up from 2A)
Coach: Marshall McDuffie, first year
Skinny: Carrollwood Day enters the 2021 campaign with a new head coach and losses of All-State players on both sides of the ball (tight end Michael Trigg, Southern Cal; defensive tackle Desmond Mamudi, Virginia Tech). But the program remains well-stocked with other talented young players — several of whom are likewise garnering Division I FBS looks or scholarship offers. Meanwhile, the Patriots have prepared a challenging schedule, facing the likes of Clearwater Calvary Christian (7-2 in 2020), Trinity Catholic (7-4), Seffner Christian (8-5) and Cambridge Christian (9-2) high schools, among others.

Freedom Patriots (6A-9)
Coach: Christopher Short, third year
Skinny: Sure, Freedom went winless last season, with several blowout defeats to boot, but the team’s final two games — on the road — were decided by six points or fewer. Perhaps that yields confidence for a team led mostly by then freshman quarterback Taquawn Anthony. At least one other exciting player to watch is rising junior athlete Robby Washington, who generated a team-leading 1,299 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns.

The Gaither Cowboys enter spring camp fresh off an 11-1 record and appearance in the regional finals. (Courtesy of Gaither High School Athletics Department)

Gaither Cowboys (7A-9 — up from 6A)
Coach: Kirk Karsen, third year
Skinny: Gaither will need to mold a new starting signal-caller to replace the uber-productive Kiael Kelly (Ball State University) — and the loss of several other graduating All-State talents. Yet, a pressure-heavy defensive front paced by Mario Eugenio and Tawfiq Thomas should help the transition for a program that’s remarkably gone a combined 23-3 the past two seasons. Eugenio ranked third in the state in sacks (17.0) last season, while Thomas contributed 15 tackles for loss. Also, the Cowboys move up from Class 6A to 7A, with district opponents now Largo, Leto, Mitchell and Sickles high schools.

Steinbrenner Warriors (8A-11)
Coach: Andres Perez-Reinaldo, 11th year|
Skinny: Steinbrenner must replace several playmakers on both sides of the ball. Besides losing its starting quarterback and top tackler, arguably the most notable departure is All-State tailback Deon Silas — now headed to Iowa State University — though rising junior Kirby Voorhees seems poised for an expanded role after registering 461 rushing yards on 61 carries, eight touchdowns in 2020.

Meantime, special teams figures to be a strong suit thanks to the legs of punter Griffin Wiltse (returning from a torn ACL) and kicker Collin Young (made five of six field goals, including a long of 42 yards, plus 28-for-28 on extra points).

Wharton Wildcats (7A-10 — down from 8A)
Coach: Mike Williams Sr., second year
Skinny: Wharton looks to build off its first postseason appearance since 2013, under the tutelage of second-year coach Mike Williams Sr. The 37-year-old offers pedigree as a seven-year NFL veteran who was a first-round pick in 2005 by the Detroit Lions out of Southern Cal, where he achieved All-American honors. (He also prepped at Plant High in the early 2000s). Having two All-State defensive players (Daveon Crouch, Henry Griffith) returning doesn’t hurt, either. The Wildcats transition down from Class 8A to 7A, with district foes being Armwood, Strawberry Crest, Tampa Bay Tech and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.

Pasco County

Academy at the Lakes Wildcats (8-man)
Coach: Shawn Brown, eighth year
Skinny: In replacing nearly half the roster due to graduations, arguably the biggest blow to the Academy at the Lakes program is the graduation of quarterback Jalen Brown. He anchored the team for five seasons (starting as an eighth-grader) and back-to-back 8-man state titles in 2017 and 2018. Moving forward, at least one player to watch is rising sophomore linebacker Latrell Taylor, who garnered Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC) 8-Man second-team All-State honors after posting a team-leading 55 tackles in six contests.

Bishop McLaughlin Hurricanes (3A-2 — up from independent)
Coach: Ken Stills, second year
Skinny: Bishop McLaughlin wants to build off a respectable .500 campaign under coach Ken Stills, who played six NFL seasons from 1985-1990 and brings professional coaching experience from the United Indoor Football and XFL, as well as Bradenton’s IMG Academy. Stills seems to have brought stability to a program that’s now had six different head coaches since 2013. Tasks include replacing All-State quarterback Adrian Miller III (transferred to Zephyrhills Christian Academy), and navigating the upward transition to Class 3A from the Independent ranks.

Cypress Creek Coyotes (5A-9 — up from 4A)
Coach: Mike Johnson, fifth year
Skinny: Cypress Creek comes off a disappointing season exacerbated by a tough schedule against local powerhouses such as Mitchell, Tampa Catholic and Zephyrhills. What should bring confidence is the return of one of the area’s top quarterbacks in rising senior Owen Walls, who completed 54% of his throws for 1,233 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games last season. The Coyotes move up to Class 5A, joining a district that includes Hudson, Brooksville Nature Coast, Weeki Wachee, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

Land O’ Lakes will play as an Independent this upcoming football season. (File)

Land O’ Lakes Gators (Independent — down from 6A)
Coach: Trac Baughn, second year
Skinny: Land O’ Lakes certainly had a rough go in 2020 under new head coach Trac Baughn and a young roster, going just 1-7 and being outscored by a 72-268 margin. On a positive side, Baughn brings nearly three decades of coaching high school and college football, mostly throughout Mississippi. Interestingly, the Gators have opted to play this season as an Independent — instead of Class 7A — to help ease the program’s rebuild. Replacing the production of All-State defensive end Zavian Mckinon (12.5 sacks, 43 tackles) will be tough, in any case.

Pasco Pirates (6A-5)
Coach: Jason Stokes, third year
Skinny: Pasco seems to methodically be gaining momentum under the guidance of coach Jason Stokes, as he tries to steer the program back to its first winning season since 2014. Stokes has led three other prep programs to playoff appearances and also helped the Pirates notch the elusive win over Zephyrhills in the 9-Mile War in 2019 — after four straight blowout defeats to the Bulldogs under then head coach Tom McHugh. It’s critical to find ways to replicate production from several defensive stalwarts, including its top three tacklers, top three sack artists, and top two interceptions and passes defensed leaders. After all, this was a team defense last season that earned two shutouts, and held three other opponents to eight points or fewer.

Sunlake Seahawks (6A-9 — down from 7A)
Coach: Trey Burdick, third year
Skinny: Sunlake comes off another trying season — one that saw its offense get shut out in half its contests and only two victories coming against equally struggling programs — Leto (1-8) and Land O’ Lakes (1-7) high schools, respectively. Kevin Spillane returning as starting quarterback for a third season should help, as should linebacker Mitchell Hammond, the reigning Sunshine Athletic Conference East Defensive Player of the Year. However, the Seahawks will be without its top three wideouts who each garnered at least 20 catches in 2020. The program slides down a peg to Class 6A from 7A, entering a district which features Countryside, Fivay, Freedom and River Ridge high schools.

Wesley Chapel Wildcats (5A-9)
Coach: Tony Egan, sixth year
Skinny: Wesley Chapel has yet to experience a losing campaign under the watch of coach Tony Egan. There’s optimism for similar steadiness despite a sturdy 2021 slate against the likes of Wiregrass Ranch, Zephyrhills, Brooksville Nature Coast, River Ridge and Mitchell high schools. Yet, the Wildcats have plenty of offensive and defensive production returning, including five All-Conference performers — wideout Nehemiah Morgan, linebacker Aydon Roysdon, tailback Jaylan Blake, offensive lineman Briac Riles, and linebacker Josh Poleon.

Armed with one of the area’s top quarterbacks — in rising senior Rocco Becht — Wiregrass Ranch is poised to bounce back from a 4-5 mark cut short and affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School Athletics Department)

Wiregrass Ranch Bulls (7A-10)
Coach: Mark Kantor, seventh year
Skinny: Through Wiregrass Ranch finished just under .500 for the first time since 2015, it was against an objectively daunting schedule facing the likes of Armwood, Mitchell and Tampa Bay Tech (not to mention a season-ending forfeit to Orlando East River due to a COVID-19 outbreak). However, confidence appears amidst the return of rising senior quarterback Rocco Becht, the reigning Sunshine Athletic Conference East Offensive Player of the Year who, an Iowa State university verbal commit. Becht — the son of 11-year NFL veteran and current ESPN college football analyst Anthony Becht — completed 53.4% of his throws for 1,550 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions across eight games last season.

The Zephyrhills Bulldogs are poised to continue the team’s successful run under the guidance of veteran head coach Nick Carroll. The program went 8-3 last year, which included a string of eight straight victories. (File)

Zephyrhills Bulldogs (5A-9)
Coach: Nick Carroll, sixth year
Skinny: Winning consistently and in dominant fashion has been an ongoing theme for Zephyrhills under coach Nick Carroll’s tenure — collecting a pair of district titles (and another runner-up) and posting a combined 42-14 record across five seasons. The 2020 campaign, too, was noteworthy, given the team rapped off eight straight victories after dropping its two games. And six of those eight wins were of the shutout variety — the most lopsided being a 55-0 romp over Anclote in late November. Anticipate similar shutdown defensive performances to continue this year, as the Bulldogs should return five of its six top tacklers, including All-State linebacker Maguire Neal, who boasts multiple Division I FBS scholarship offers.

The Zephyrhills Christian Warriors will open up the 2021 season with a new artificial turf field and weight room. (Courtesy of Zephyrhills Christian Academy Athletics Department)

Zephyrhills Christian Warriors (2A-2)
Coach: Mike Smith, seventh year
Skinny: Zephyrhills Christian enters spring camp seeking a sixth straight winning season. The prognosis seems pointed that way, as the squad returns a pair of All-State defensive backs in Quavious Cook and Fred Adams, plus the incoming transfer of All-State dual-threat quarterback Adrian Miller III, from Bishop McLaughlin. This should help boost a team that was already averaging nearly 29 points per game last season. Further adding to the program’s winning swagger is a brand-new artificial turf football field, and weight room, among other frills.

Schools in Laker/Lutz News coverage area (and their 2020 records)

Hillsborough County:

  • Carrollwood Day School Patriots (5-5)
  • Freedom High School Patriots (0-9)
  • Gaither High School Cowboys (11-1)
  • Steinbrenner High School Warriors (4-3)
  • Wharton High School Wildcats (7-2)

Pasco County

  • Academy at the Lakes Wildcats (4-2)
  • Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Hurricanes (4-4)
  • Cypress Creek High School Coyotes (3-7)
  • Land O’ Lakes High School Gators (1-7)
  • Pasco High School Pirates (5-6)
  • Sunlake High School Seahawks (2-6)
  • Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats (5-4)
  • Wiregrass Ranch High School Bulls (4-5)
  • Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs (8-3)
  • Zephyrhills Christian Academy Warriors (8-3)

Spring game schedule

May 20
Land O’ Lakes at Cypress Creek
Wiregrass Ranch at Berkeley Prep
Steinbrenner, Gaither, Sickles at Tampa Alonso (Jamboree)
Tampa Bay Tech, Freedom, Wharton at King (Jamboree)

May 21
Mitchell at Zephyrhills
Pasco at Sunlake
Miami GDS Academy at Zephyrhills Christian Academy
Hollins at Wesley Chapel

Published April 28, 2021

Locals named to All-State football teams

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Athletes within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were well-represented on the FloridaHSFootball.com’s teams for the 2020 season.

In total, 23 players from 11 schools in Hillsborough and Pasco counties were named first-team, second-team, third-team or honorable mention in their respective classifications.

Wharton junior linebacker Henry Griffith (No. 40) earned a Class 8A All-State honorable mention, after posting a team-leading 82 tackles in nine games, plus three sacks and two forced fumbles. (Courtesy of Wharton High School)

The All-State teams were compiled by FloridaHSFootball.com, along with the considerations of information received from coaches, statistics on MaxPreps, and consultation of all-area/all-county teams as published by various media outlets from around the state. The schedule played by the school was taken into account, too.

Gaither High School (6A) garnered seven selections, the most among local schools.

That shouldn’t come as much surprise, given the Cowboys finished the 2020 campaign with an 11-1 mark and reached the regional finals before falling to Lake Minneola High School, 35-14.

Gaither’s picks were headlined with a first-team choice (junior defensive lineman Mario Eugenio), a second-team choice (senior linebacker Willie Jackson Jr.)  and five honorable mentions (senior quarterback Kiael Kelly, senior defensive lineman Asa Vanburen, junior defensive lineman Tawfiq Thomas, senior utility Jordan Oladokun, and Jackson Jr., again, as a punter).

Eugenio, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound weakside defensive end, ranked third in the state in sacks (17), combined with 42 total tackles, seven hurries, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles (one for touchdown) and two pick-six interceptions across 10 games.

A consensus four-star prospect, Eugenio already has more than 30 scholarship offers, including several power five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12) from the likes of Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Oregon, West Virginia and many others.

Gaither senior quarterback Kiael Kelly was named a Class 6A All-State honorable mention after leading his team to the regional finals and an 11-1 mark. Kelly has signed to play football at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. (Courtesy of Gaither High School)

Jackson Jr., an Ave Maria University signee, also showed why he was deserving of dual All-State designations.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound outside backer in 11 games tallied 67 tackles (including 16 for loss), eight sacks, four passes defensed, two forced fumble recoveries. Also, as the team’s punter, he averaged 39.9 yards per punt on 25 attempts, including a long of 55 yards and four pinned inside the opposing 20-yard line.

Gaither’s offense, meanwhile, was paced by Kelly, a Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) signee.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound dual-threat signal caller completed 63% of his throws for 1,594 yards, 16 touchdowns and four picks, plus 399 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, across 10 games.

His father is Kenny Kelly, a former starting quarterback at the University of Miami, who also played Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals in the early 2000s; the elder Kelly also was a four-sport letterman at Tampa Catholic High School in baseball, basketball, football and track.

Fellow Gaither standouts — Vanburen (nine sacks), Thomas (15 tackles for loss, three sacks), and Oladokun (1,157 all-purpose yards, nine touchdowns, four interceptions) also put up showy statistics.

Steinbrenner senior linebacker Austin Brannen earned a Class 8A All-State honorable mention after posting a team-leading 83 tackles in seven games. He’s headed to Campbell University, in Bules Creek, North Carolina. (Courtesy of Steinbrenner High School)

Other schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area celebrated multiple selections on the All-State list, too.

Steinbrenner High School (8A) had the next most among local schools with three All-State representatives — running back Deon Silas, senior linebacker Austin Brannen and sophomore kicker Collin Young each were named as an honorable mention.

Silas — an Iowa State signee — tallied 1,265 all-purpose yards (771 rushing yards, 357 receiving yards, 185 return) and 14 touchdowns in just five contests.

Brannen — a Campbell (Bules Creek, North Carolina) signee posted a team-leading 83 tackles (including four for loss) in seven games, plus 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. (The 6-foot, 220-pound backer capped his Warriors varsity career with 366 tackles.)

Young was perfect on 28 extra points, and made five of six field goal attempts, including a long of 42 yards.

Meantime, five area programs claimed two All-State selections apiece — Carrollwood Day School (2A), Wharton High School (Class 8A), Wiregrass Ranch High School (7A), Zephyrhills High School (5A) and Zephyrhills Christian Academy (2A).

For Carrollwood Day, senior tight end Michael Trigg and senior defensive tackle Desmond Mamudi took first-team 2A All-State honors.

Carrollwood Day School tight end Michael Trigg collected a Class 2A All-State first-team recognition. The highly touted athlete is headed to the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, where he’ll play football and basketball. (Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)

Trigg led the Patriots with 30 receptions for 586 yards and five touchdowns in seven games, while Mamudi posted a team-leading 13 sacks in eight games, plus 39 tackles (16 for loss) and a forced fumble.

The pair of highly-touted prospects are poised to make an impact at iconic national brands in the Division I FBS ranks, coming from a small private school.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Trigg has signed to play football and basketball at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, while the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Mamudi is headed to Virginia Tech.

For Wharton, junior pass-rushing outside linebacker Daveon Crouch earned second-team 8A All-State, while teammate Henry Griffith, also a junior backer, took 8A All-State honorable mention.

Both spurred the Wildcats to a 7-2 mark — the program’s best since 2015 — and a stifling defense that surrendered just 10.1 points per game, on average.

The 6-foot-3 210-pound Crouch collected 12 sacks in nine contests, along with 62 tackles (eight for loss), six forced fumbles and two interceptions.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Griffith added a team-leading 82 tackles (nine for loss), three sacks and two forced fumbles in nine games.

At Wiregrass Ranch, senior tight end Grady Clower and sophomore athlete Bryson Rodgers collected 7A All-State honorable mentions.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Clower, who’ll join the University of Central Florida as a preferred walk-on, hauled in 10 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns in eight games.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Rodgers led all Bulls receivers with 47 catches for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a 70-yard long, across eight games.

Wiregrass Ranch sophomore wideout Bryson Rodgers received a Class 7A All-State honorable mention. He led all Bulls receivers with 47 catches for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)

For Zephyrhills, junior linebacker Maguire Neal was named second-team 5A All-State, and senior tailback Zyre Roundtree picked up an honorable mention nod.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Neal registered a team-leading 13 sacks in 11 contests, plus 51 tackles (25.5 for loss) and four forced fumbles. He also is a track star, recently breaking long-held school records in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Roundtree totaled 899 rushing yards on 122 carries (7.4 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns in 10 games, including four 100-yard games.

At Zephyrhills Christian, freshman safety Fred Adams took second-team 2A All-State, while junior defensive back Quavious Cook earned an honorable mention.

The 5-foot-10, 175 pound Adams tied for ninth-most interceptions in the state with six in seven games, plus 12 passes defensed and 28 tackles.

Cook, a 5-foot-9, 140-pound cornerback, wasn’t too far behind, collecting four picks, five passes defensed and 34 tackles (including two for loss).

Elsewhere, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School (Independent), Cypress Creek High School (4A), Land O’ Lakes High School (6A) and Pasco High School (6A) each had one representative on an All-State roster.

Bishop McLaughlin junior tailback Adrian Miller III was an Independent All-State honorable mention — racking up 1,000 rushing yards on 90 carries (11.1 yards per carry) for 10 touchdowns, including a long run of 79 yards and four 100-plus yard contests.

Cypress Creek junior quarterback Owen Walls was a 4A All-State honorable mention — completing 54.6% of his throws for 1,233 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, including a long pass of 89 yards.

Land O’ Lakes senior defensive end Zavian McKinon was a 6A All-State honorable mention —  tallying 12.5 sacks and 43 tackles (including 12 for loss).

Pasco senior linebacker Gabriel Barnes was a 6A All-State honorable mention — leading his team in tackles (99), tackles for loss (13.5), hurries (11), sacks (8.5) and forced fumbles (three).

There were no All-State representatives in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area from Classes 3A or 1A.

Last year, 18 players from four local schools earned various All-State honors.

Class 8A
Daveon Crouch, Wharton, junior, defensive line (second team defense)
Deon Silas, Steinbrenner, senior, running back (honorable mention)
Henry Griffith, Wharton, junior, linebacker (honorable mention)
Austin Brannen, Steinbrenner, senior, linebacker (honorable mention)
Collin Young, Steinbrenner, sophomore, kicker (honorable mention)

Class 7A
Grady Clower, Wiregrass Ranch, senior, tight end (honorable mention)
Bryson Rodgers, Wiregrass Ranch, sophomore, athlete (honorable mention)

Class 6A
Mario Eugenio, Gaither, junior, defensive line (first team defense)
Willie Jackson Jr., Gaither, senior, linebacker (second team defense)
Kiael Kelly, Gaither, senior, quarterback (honorable mention)
Asa Vanburen, Gaither, senior, defensive line (honorable mention)
Zavian McKinon, Land O’ Lakes, senior, defensive line (honorable mention)
Tawfiq Thomas, Gaither, junior, defensive line (honorable mention)
Gabriel Barnes, Pasco, senior, linebacker (honorable mention)
Jordan Oladokun, Gaither, senior, utility (honorable mention)
Jackson Jr., Gaither, senior, punter (honorable mention)

Class 5A
Maguire Neal, Zephyrhills, junior, linebacker (second team defense)
Zyre Roundtree, Zephyrhills, senior, running back (honorable mention)

Class 4A
Owen Walls, Cypress Creek, junior, quarterback (honorable mention)

Class 2A
Michael Trigg, Carrollwood Day, senior, tight end (first team offense)
Desmond Mamudi, Carrollwood Day, senior, defensive line (first team defense)
Fred Adams, Zephyrhills Christian, freshman, defensive back (second team defense)
Quavious Cook, Zephyrhills Christian, junior, defensive back (honorable mention)

Independent
Adrian Miller III, Bishop McLaughlin, junior, running back (honorable mention)

Published April 21, 2021

Watch these locals during 2021 MLB season

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The 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is officially here —with more normalcy, to boot.

Following last year’s COVID-19 pandemic-delayed and shortened season that saw the World Series played at its first-ever neutral site in Arlington, Texas, America’s pastime has returned back to its traditional 162-game schedule on time, April 1 — with live fans allowed back in stadiums.

Sure, quirks remain.

For instance, the Toronto Blue Jays are starting off the season playing “home” games in Dunedin —amid Canadian-U.S. border restrictions.

For the most part, though, the peanuts and Cracker Jacks will be a flowing much like they were in simpler times.

As the big league season gets into full swing, there are several ballplayers, and a manager, that have their roots in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area — and are expected to make major contributions to the show.

Here’s a rundown on some of those, with local connections.

Zephyrhills High product Austin Adams is expected to play a major bullpen role for the San Diego Padres this season. (File)

Austin Adams, San Diego Padres, pitcher
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School
Austin Adams is seeking a more pronounced role in 2021 on a contending San Diego Padres squad after garnering limited action last year — where he posted a 4.50 ERA, 12.5 WHIP and seven strikeouts in four innings pitched following offseason knee surgery.

Some experts project the 29-year-old, 6-foot-3, 220-pound righty will have a breakout season, thanks to a high-spin rate fastball and slider, which generate plenty of swings and misses.

But, he’ll begin the season on the 10-day injured list with what’s described as a minor elbow issue, preventing him from making a spring appearance since March 7.

Adams grew up in Zephyrhills, playing little league at Sam Pasco Park. He went on to earn four letters in baseball (and one in basketball) at Zephyrhills High School from 2006 to 2009.

He posted a 2.43 ERA and 80 strikeouts in his Bulldog career.

Adams’ high school pedigree led to a baseball scholarship at the University of South Florida, a program that achieved its first Big East Championship final in 2012, during his junior year.

He then was drafted in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. He also spent time with the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners organizations.

His road to the big leagues was lengthy, having thrown more than 250 innings across five minor league seasons before making his MLB debut in 2017 with the Nationals (from where he was traded to by Los Angeles in late 2016).

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Gant, a Wiregrass Ranch High product

John Gant, St. Louis Cardinals, pitcher
Local tie: Wiregrass Ranch High School
Following several seasons of sustained solid output with the St. Louis Cardinals, John Gant has secured the organization’s fifth starter spot to begin the regular season.

The 28-year-old Gant exhibited enough in spring training, making four appearances (three starts) and posting a 4.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound righty has held a variety of pitching roles entering his sixth big league campaign, including a mid- and late-inning bullpen arm in 2020, turning in a 2.40 ERA, 1.076 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 15 innings.

Gant is known for having one of the more unique windups in all of baseball, whereby he takes a couple left-footed toe taps, then pauses before firing off a pitch.

Part of his repertoire is a changeup nicknamed “The Vulcan,” which involves gripping the ball between the middle and ring fingers. Its nicknamed after the Vulcan salute used by Spock in the Star Trek series.

Gant has other interesting baseball footnotes, too.

He earned 11 wins in relief in 2019, the most of any reliever that year and most by a Cardinals relief pitcher since Al Hrabosky had 13 in 1975. Also, in 2018, he became the only player in Major League history to have hit at least two home runs while never having reached base safely by any other means.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch High varsity baseball team from 2008 to 2011 — striking out over 200 batters and sustaining just three losses in four years.

He also was a member of the Wiregrass Ranch basketball and swimming teams. His father, John Sr., was a science teacher at the school and longtime varsity girls basketball coach.

The pitching standout signed with the New York Mets out of high school and spent five years in the minors before making his big league debut in 2016 with the Atlanta Braves, then was traded to the Cardinals that offseason.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson is an Odessa native and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product.

Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher
Local tie: Odessa native, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School
Nate Pearson enters the 2021 season on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right groin suffered in spring training, but is expected to make substantial contributions to a Toronto Blue Jays poised for a second straight playoff berth — as he was all but penciled in to be the team’s No. 2 starter before multiple injury setbacks.

One of the game’s top-rated prospects, Pearson made his MLB debut last season, finishing the year with a 4.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 10.2 innings.

The 24-year-old, 6-foot-6, 250-pound righty flamethrower is regarded for a fastball that regularly touches triple digits, plus a low-to-mid 90s slider and a developing changeup.

Born and raised in Odessa, Pearson starred at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, helping the program to the Class 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2015. He wrapped up his prep career with a career 1.24 earned run average and 144 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched, with a 12-1 record.

Pearson went on to play college baseball at Miami’s Florida International University, then transferred to the College of Central Florida in Ocala. There, he was named the Rawlings/Perfect Game JUCO Pitcher of the Year, and subsequently selected by the Blue Jays in the first round (28th overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft, signing for a $2.45 million bonus.

Pearson has proceeded to shine at each level of the minors, boasting a combined 2.19 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 119 strikeouts across 123.1 innings from rookie ball through Triple-A.

Staying healthy and available will be key.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado is a Gaither High product.

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians, outfielder
Local tie: Gaither High School
Oscar Mercado was one of the Cleveland Indians’ final spring training cuts and optioned to Triple-A Columbus, but expect to see the speedy centerfielder garner some action sometime this season if others get hurt or otherwise underwhelm over the course of the long-winded 162-game regular season.

Reports indicate the decision by the team’s front office and coaching staff was to help boost 26-year-old’s confidence following a subpar 2020 campaign where he hit a paltry .128 with a .348 OPS in 36 games.

His spring training numbers didn’t fare much better, batting .214 with a .527 OPS in 28 at-bats.

This is all a far cry from his breakout rookie season in 2019 where the 6-foot-2, 197-pound Mercado batted .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 119 games, adding 70 runs scored, 25 doubles, three triples and 15 stolen bases.

Getting more reps on a hitting program out of the pressure and spotlight of the major league club should help Mercado’s cause going forward.

A native of Colombia, Mercado and his family emigrated to the United States, and settled in the Tampa area when he was 7 years old. He became a four-year starter at shortstop at Gaither High School from 2010 to 2013, leading the program to back-to-back district crowns and ranked among the nation’s top prep middle infielders.

Following high school, Mercado was picked by St. Louis Cardinals in the second round (57th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft, signing with the club for a $1.5 million signing bonus. He spent nearly six years working through the Cardinals minor league system until he was traded to the Indians in July 2018.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, a Lutz native and Gaither High alum

Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays, manager
Local tie: Lutz native, Gaither High School
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash last year managed his hometown franchise to heights it never before reached — Game 6 of the World Series.

The seventh-year manager and his team are hoping for a similar historical encore, albeit with an altered roster that blends in plenty new faces, particularly on the pitching side, and already enters the season with a handful of key injuries.

But, the reigning American League Manager of the Year surely has myriad solutions in the way of ever-changing batting orders, openers, platoons, shifts, and mixing and matching the rotation and bullpen. His reputation for fostering a loose, welcoming clubhouse to settle players shouldn’t hurt, either.

The question is if the 43-year-old Cash and company can lead the Rays to a third straight playoff berth amid an AL East division that features a financially beefier New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays rosters, plus the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays are once again an underdog, as many media outlets peg them for a third- or even fourth-place finish in the division and winning fewer than 90 regular season contests.

The respected skipper is a key cog to proving naysayers wrong.

Cash spent his younger days growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood, situated across from Lake Park in Lutz.

He first hit the national scene in 1989 — then a 12-year-old second baseman for a Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
Cash later starred at Gaither High School, penning that into a successful college run at Florida State University and eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher mostly.

Cash is a baseball legacy of sort, as his father and uncle both played professionally, the latter reaching the big leagues in the 1970s.

Others to follow:

• Frank German, Boston Red Sox, pitcher: This Bishop McLaughlin product joined the Boston Red Sox in January, in a trade with the New York Yankees, who had selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of University of North Florida. The 23-year-old German was a non-roster invitee to Red Sox spring training, where he faced 14 batters across three innings before a reassignment. German has posted a 3.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 128 innings across 111.1 innings of the minors, between rookie ball and Single-A.

• Joe Hudson, Pittsburgh Pirates, catcher: This Odessa native who prepped at Tampa Jesuit (and college at Notre Dame) played in nine regular season games last season with the Seattle Mariners then signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. The 29-year-old Hudson enjoyed a strong spring training as a Pirates non-roster invitee, collecting five hits (including a homer) in 13 at-bats across nine games, which may be credited to a revamped swing.

• CJ Van Eyk, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher: The Lutz native and Steinbrenner product has yet to play in a minor league game since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Florida State University. However, the well-rounded 22-year-old righty thrower could be a quick riser in the Toronto Blue Jays system, considering his college experience and limited action in spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Published April 07, 2021

Girls-only troops work on camping, leadership skills

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Girls had a chance to learn outdoor skills, build teamwork and develop leadership at the Back to Brownsea program in Odessa.

The program is for members of the girls-only troops of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), according to a news release.

Ten-year-old Stella DeStefano, of Cub Scout Pack 37 at Learning Gate School, learns how to use a saw at Back to Brownsea, at Camp Brorein, March 12 through March 14, in Odessa. (Courtesy of the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council of Boy Scouts of America)

Seventeen-year-old Isabella Trevino, a Gaither High student, was at the camp — held March 12 through March 14 — because she wanted to give something back, by helping the younger girls who were there, the release says.

The younger girls had just “crossed over” to the Scouts BSA program, for ages 11 to 17, from family oriented Cub Scouts packs, which include elementary school-aged boys and girls.

Trevino served as the senior patrol leader (the highest level of youth leadership) for the weekend event, which drew more than 50 participants, including girls as instructors and students and adult leaders, to Boy Scout Camp Brorein, 16901 Boy Scout Road, the release adds.

“People involved in this grow into real good adults,” Trevino said, in the release. “And, we learn a lot about leadership and skills.”

The event was sponsored by the Fort Brooke District of the Greater Tampa Bay Council of Boy Scouts of America, which serves nine west-central Florida counties. It was organized by Terri Hunter, a member of the district’s Activities and Civic Services Committee.

The hands-on activities, taught by older Scouts BSA members, included fire-building, wood-splitting, knot-tying and other basic scout skills exercises to prepare them for independent camping, using the patrol method.

Paisley Murphy, 13, a Pasco Middle School student, with Troop 34, of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes, helped the younger girls work on tying knots.

She said she enjoyed teaching the skill, according to the release.

Her father, Ryan Murphy, an adult leader with the troop, said, “This was a good opportunity to get more experience in leadership roles.”

Published March 24, 2021

Looking to recruit 55 good men

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Super Bowl LV has put an international focus on Tampa during the past week — with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claiming victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, at Raymond James Stadium.

The impact of the Super Bowl, however, goes far beyond football.

Heather Castle poses with Tyrone Keys. Now director of activities and training for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Castle credits Keys for having a positive influence on her life. She wants her organization to have the same kind of impact on young people helped by her organization. (Courtesy of Heather Castle)

Beyond giving Tampa a chance to show itself off to the world, the event is a magnet for megastars and offers the experience of a lifetime for many spectators.

It’s also a chance to gain a huge audience for special causes.

That’s where Big Brothers Big Sisters Tampa Bay comes in.

The organization — which covers an eight-county area, including Pasco and Hillsborough counties — has been using Super Bowl LV as its platform to recruit 55 men to become Big Brothers to boys, ages 5 to 13.

Heather Castle, director of activities and training for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, said finding more mentors is especially important during this difficult COVID-19 time.

The push for 55 men is in recognition of the 55th Super Bowl, Castle said.

“The reason for the big push on men is because we have many Little Brothers on the waitlist and not enough male role models,” she explained.

She knows the value, firsthand, of having a mentor take an interest in her.

Heather Castle was 17 when she attended her first Bucs game, accompanied by her mom, Kathy. Tyrone Keys gave Heather the tickets to the game.

Tyrone Keys, a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl championship team, became Castle’s mentor when she a 15-year-old attending Gaither High School.

After his football career, Keys founded All Sports Community Service Inc., which aims to help youths pursue college scholarships.

That’s how he met Castle.

Keys worked with her to help her achieve her dream of playing college basketball, which she did at Saint Leo University.

“He took me under his wing. He believed in me. He sat down with me and said, this is what exactly what you need to do,” Castle said.

He also taught her about the value of community involvement, and helping others, whenever possible.

And now, Castle has come full circle in her current role at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.

“Because Mr. Keys equipped me with the tools, I am able to help them.”

Besides helping youths pursue their potential, the organization provides opportunities for new experiences and fun.

Heather Castle meets on the field with Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David and Litzy Maya-Nopal before the beginning of a Bucs game.

Now, Castle is able to take youths to their first Bucs football game, just like Keys did for her.

She said Keys gave her two tickets to a Bucs game when she was 17, and told her to invite a friend. She took her mom, Kathy Castle, because her mom was her best friend.

She still relishes the memory of that day, especially since her mom passed away five years ago.

While the Big Brothers Big Brothers of Tampa Bay’s current campaign focuses on drafting 55 men, the organization needs the help of women mentors, too, Castle said.

The need for help is obvious.

Her organization currently has more than 500 kids on its waiting list, Castle said, noting mentors can make a profound — and life-changing difference.

Anyone interested in learning more about getting involved can visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s website at BBBStampabay.org.

Published February 10, 2021

Locals make impact during 2020 college football season

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The 2020 college football season was anything but ordinary, mostly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Myriad schedules were delayed and abbreviated, countless games were canceled, and many lower-level programs opted to punt on the year entirely, with sights of restarting action in 2021.

Amid all the obstacles, however, more than a handful of athletes with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area suited up and made significant impacts on the NCAA Division I FBS stage.

Here’s a closer look at some of the notable performers with connections to the area.

Donovan Jennings
College: University of South Florida, junior left tackle
Local tie: Gaither High School

Donovan Jennings started in all seven games he played during University of South Florida’s nine-game season — missing two games due to COVID-19 protocols.

USF left tackle Donovan Jennings is a Gaither High product. (Courtesy of University of South Florida athletics)

One of the 6-foot-5, 338-pound lineman’s brightest spots came in the Bulls’ Nov. 27 season finale against the University of Central Florida, paving the way for his team’s offense to post 646 yards of total offense, including 242 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Jennings generally has been lauded by coaches for his pass protection skills and effectiveness in the run game.

Thanks to a rare combination of quick feet, balance and strength, Jennings often is tasked with blocking opponent’s top pass-rushers in one-on-one situations.

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, Jennings will be one of the team’s most experienced members, having appeared in 29 games with 19 starts.

Jennings surprisingly didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year of high school, as size limitations in youth leagues prevented him from playing the sport.

But, he blossomed into an All-State player in four short years at Gaither, graduating in 2018.

While he garnered scholarship offers from several Division I FBS schools, Jennings, ultimately picked USF — a mere 7.5 miles from his prep stomping grounds.

“Playing in my hometown is great, seeing my friends and family come to all the games to support me with all I do,” Jennings said in a 2019 interview with USF’s official athletics website, GoUSFBulls.com. “I love putting on a show for all the fans and all the people I played in front of in high school. For my (former) coaches to be able to come out and see what type of player I’ve grown into is a good thing for me.”

Devontres Odoms-Dukes
College: University of South Florida, fifth-year senior wide receiver
Local tie: New Tampa resident, Wharton High School

New Tampa resident and Wharton High alum Devontres Odoms-Dukes wrapped up his final season at USF. (Courtesy of University of South Florida athletics)

Devontres Odoms-Dukes saved the best for last.

Playing in all nine of USF’s games and making six starts, Devontres Odoms-Dukes registered 24 catches for 297 yards and four touchdowns — all career highs and among team leaders.

The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Dukes, too, went out on a high note in his final college football game on Nov. 27 against UCF (University of Central Florida) — tallying five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Making all those figures more impressive is that Odoms-Dukes had to navigate playing for no less than four quarterbacks during the course of the season.

Meanwhile, his five-year run at USF hasn’t always been easy or stable, given he’s played for three different head coaches during that time — Willie Taggart, Charlie Strong and Jeff Scott, respectively.

Odoms-Dukes now has his eyes set on the 2021 NFL Draft, where he hopes to gain traction with his rare size at the receiver spot.

Prior to his USF tenure, Odoms-Dukes played two seasons at Wharton High, developing into an All-Hillsborough County honorable mention performer under then coach David Mitchell.

As a senior in 2015, he posted 41 catches for 780 yards and 14 touchdowns, guiding the Wildcats to an 8-2 mark that included dominating wins over the likes of Gaither, Freedom and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.

Odoms-Dukes was born in Pensacola and spent much of his childhood in the Fayetteville area in North Carolina before moving to New Tampa and finishing school at Wharton.

His parents are decorated military veterans who served in the U.S. Army and retired with Sergeant First Class status; they were deployed in areas including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another fun tidbit: Odoms-Dukes is related to 13-year NBA veteran Reggie Evans, who played for six franchises from 2002 to 2015.

Shane McGough
College: Florida International University, redshirt senior center
Local tie: Gaither High School

Shane McGough’s final season as a Florida International University Panther wasn’t most ideal — given he played for a squad that went winless in a five-game season, cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIU guard Shane McGough is a Gaither High School alum. (Courtesy of Florida International University athletics)

But the 6-foot-2, 302-pound center was one of the few positives, a team captain who pushed bodies for an offense that averaged 160.4 rushing yards. His production up front in the trenches earned him a spot on the All-Conference USA Honorable Mention team.

All told, McGough played in 40 career games, moving between the guard and center positions. He is noted for being part of an offensive line that allowed just 14 sacks in 2019 and a school-record low eight sacks in 2018, which ranked first in the conference and third overall in the nation.

Aside from his natural strength and line-moving abilities, McGough earns positive marks from coaches and teammates for his work ethic and lead-by-example demeanor.

FIU offensive line coach Jose Rodriguez offered a glowing review of McGough on the school’s official athletics website, FIUSports.com.

“Shane is part of a dying breed, as a guy who just gets it,” Rodriguez said. “He’s played and had successful experience. It’s one thing to just play and get your butt beat…but he’s had successful experience and knows what it takes from a preparation standpoint or in terms of training in the offseason.

“He also has great leadership qualities because when he speaks, people listen. Part of that is because he has so much experience and part of that is his demeanor, in general. Having a guy like that in your room is great, because you can always use him as an example and someone you can lean on when you want something done. Him being unselfish and a team player is great, as well, because it just makes everyone want to listen and do as he does.”

McGough is now readying for the 2021 NFL Draft, appearing in various all-star games such as Tropical Bowl and College Gridiron Showcase.

In chasing his pro football dreams, McGough could get an opportunity to play alongside or against his older brother Alex, a seventh-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft who’s bounced around the league as a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

At Gaither, McGough was a three-year varsity letter winner and a two-way player seeing action at offensive and defensive line. He earned All-Hillsborough and All-Western Conference recognition along the way, too.

Interestingly, McGough was rather lightly recruited coming out of high school in 2015, perhaps because he was an undersized lineman by Division I FBS standards at the time, hovering around 250 pounds.

Scott Patchan
College: Colorado State University, graduate defensive end
Local tie: Freedom High School

Amid a season cut in half because of COVID-19, Scott Patchan sure made the most of his opportunities in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Colorado State defensive lineman Scott Patchan played his first three prep seasons at Freedom High School before transferring to IMG Academy his senior year. (Courtesy of Colorado State University athletics)

In just four games, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound edge rusher tallied 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss overall, adding 22 total tackles and three quarterback hurries — earning first-team All-Mountain West honors in the process.

Moreover, Patchan won on 24% of his pass rushes, securing a pressure on 19% – both figures leading Mountain West players by 3.5 percentage points, according to metrics from the scouting website Pro Football Focus.

Patchan will have further opportunity to add to his resume, as he’s stated he will return to the program in 2021 with the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic.

Colorado State defensive line coach Antoine Smith underscored Patchan’s qualities in a profile piece for the university’s official athletics website, CSURams.com.

“He doesn’t leave anything to chance,” Smith said. “Some guys talk. He doesn’t talk. He just comes and works every day and he’s very passionate about how he works and takes care of his body. He is a true athlete who loves performing. That’s pretty awesome.”

Patchan transferred to Colorado State after spending the prior five seasons at the University of Miami, where he battled two season-ending knee surgeries and even made a position switch to tight end before moving back to his natural defensive end spot.

Locally, Patchan played his first three years of prep ball at Freedom High before transferring to Bradenton’s IMG Academy for his senior season.

His final run at Freedom in 2013 proved most productive, as he totaled 8.5 sacks, 56 tackles and 24 tackles for loss. He went on to become one of the state’s most highly-touted prospects in his recruiting class, being courted by Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, UCLA and others.

Gridiron talent certainly runs deep in Patchan’s family. Patchan’s father Matt III won national titles with the Hurricanes in 1983 and ’87; His older brother, Matt II, was an offensive lineman at the University of Florida and Boston College.

Michael Penix Jr., quarterback
College: Indiana University, redshirt sophomore
Local tie: Dade City native, Pasco High School

Michael Penix Jr., was rapidly becoming a household name in the big-time college football lexicon until a torn ACL in his right knee prematurely ended his redshirt sophomore campaign in late November.

Indiana quarterback Mike Penix Jr., a Dade City native who played at Pasco High School for two seasons. (File)

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound left-handed signal-caller ended the year with six games played, spurring Indiana University to one of its best starts in program history with a 5-1 mark and No. 12 nationally ranking in the process.

Penix’s individual stats were likewise flashy — posting a 56.4% completion rate for 1,645 passing yards, and 14 touchdowns with four interceptions and two rushing touchdowns — solid enough for second-team All-Big Ten honors.

There were several notable moments along the way for the Dade City native, too.

Penix was responsible for a 2-point conversion that lifted the Hoosiers over Penn State in overtime of the season opener. Meanwhile, he passed for a career-high 491 yards and five touchdowns Nov. 21 in Indiana’s narrow 42-35 loss to No. 4 Ohio State. The 491 passing yards were second-most in program history, trailing only Richard Lagow’s 496-yard output in a 2016 win over Wake Forest.

The ability to stay on the field has remained an issue, however.

Injuries have cut short all three of Penix’s seasons at Indiana. He suffered a clavicle injury in November 2019 that required surgery. He also tore his ACL in his right knee in 2018.

Prior to his move north to Bloomington, Penix played his freshman and sophomore prep seasons at Pasco High School in 2014 and 2015, then transferred to Tampa Bay Technical High School for his junior and senior years. He was a baseball, basketball, and track and field standout along the way, too.

Also notable: Penix’s father, Mike Sr., was an All-State tailback/defensive back at Pasco High in the early ’90s.

Raymond Woodie III
College: Florida State University, sophomore defensive back
Local tie: Carrollwood Day School/Wiregrass Ranch High School

Raymond Woodie III enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign for Florida State University, compiling more playing time and production for a team in transition under new head coach Mike Norvell.

Florida State sophomore defensive back Raymond Woodie III — who has now transferred to Cal-Berkeley — played his freshman and sophomore prep seasons at Carrollwood Day School, before moving to three other schools, including Wiregrass Ranch High School. (Courtesy of Florida State University athletics)

Suiting up for each of the team’s nine games and making two starts, the 6-foot, 194-pound defensive back totaled 25 tackles, 2.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Among the notable showings was a game-high seven tackles at Louisville on Oct. 24.

It was all a step in the right direction from his freshman year — where he appeared in 10 games and recorded nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss with 1.0 sacks and one forced fumble.

Despite an enhanced role at FSU, Woodie has opted to take his talents to the West Coast — recently transferring to the University of California-Berkeley.

Woodie joins the Cal program this month with three seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining, which includes the additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to all fall sports athletes due to the effect of COVID-19 on the 2020 campaign.

“We are excited to have Raymond join our program,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said of Woodie in a news release from the Cal athletics department. “He is a talented football player and adds significant experience to our defensive backfield. I expect him to have an opportunity to make an immediate impact on our team.”

Before entering the college ranks, Woodie experienced quite the circuitous high school career, where he attended four different schools in as many years.

Woodie played his high school freshman and sophomore seasons at Carrollwood Day, working at quarterback, wide receiver and safety, earning All-Hillsborough County honors along the way.

Woodie then attended Wiregrass Ranch High and went through spring and summer team football workouts leading into his junior season, but wound up finishing his prep days at Sheldon High (Eugene, Oregon) and Florida State University High (Tallahassee). (These far-reaching moves were a result of following his father’s budding college coaching journey at University of Oregon and Florida State, respectively.)

From Carrollwood Day onward, Woodie emerged as a blue-chip prospect, designated as a four-star recruit in the 2019 class by ESPN and Rivals.com. He was ranked as high as the nation’s No. 9 safety and No. 158 player overall by ESPN.

Published January 27, 2021

Lutz teen reaches rank of Eagle Scout

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Zachary Meiczinger was a first-grader when he became a Tiger, the preliminary level of Boy Scouts. He liked it from the very beginning.

Gaither High junior Zachary Meiczinger has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The Lutz resident is 16. (Courtesy of Zachary Meiczinger)

And now, the Gaither High junior has achieved the ultimate: He’s an Eagle Scout.

“It’s a real honor,’’ said Meiczinger, 16, a member of Troop 12. “It’s something I’ll have the rest of my life.’’

Since the Eagle Scout designation began in 1911, only 4% of Scouts have earned the honor. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was an Eagle Scout. So was former President Gerald R. Ford. Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg is one, too.

Becoming an Eagle Scout requires a lengthy review process, the acquisition of at least 21 merit badges and the completion of a community service project.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to see someone grow from first-grade stature to someone who is showing leadership and has a vision of what they want to do with the rest of their life,’’ said local Boy Scouts leader Paul O’Connor, Meiczinger’s first troop leader and the supervisor of his Eagle Scout project.

Zachary Meiczinger constructed a Ga-Ga Ball Pit — a form of dodgeball, inside an octagon — as part of his Eagle Scout project, at Lutz Elementary School.

Meiczinger’s project was completed at Lutz Elementary School, where he attended and where his father is a fifth-grade teacher. He painted the fences in the school’s front area, between the cafeteria and main office, while installing about 100 plants, and mulching the entire area.

He also installed a Ga-Ga Ball Pit — a version of dodgeball played in a fenced-in octagon — to give the school kids another recreation option.

“That’s a nice payback for a place where Zach has strong ties, and I thought it was a great choice,’’ O’Connor said.

Meiczinger has lived his life making great choices. He runs cross-country for Gaither and also plays recreational soccer, but Scouting has been his driving force. He has formed lifelong relationships, learned valuable practical skills and had great experiences.

Part of Zachary Meiczinger’s Eagle Scout project, at Lutz Elementary School, involved installing about 100 plants and mulching the area in front of the school.

He can’t recall many of his Tiger experiences. But, he does remember an overnight sleepover at the Kennedy Space Center, where they reclined in sleeping bags and stared up at the rockets.

He has enjoyed countless camping trips and a few whitewater rafting expeditions. Next summer, he’s taking a trip to the Florida Keys, where he will impart knowledge to the younger Scouts.

“I’ve been able to stay connected to some great friends,’’ Meiczinger said. “I’ve learned how to do things like CPR. I’ve stayed really dedicated and consistent to it and that gives me a lot of pride. I started something a long time ago and now I’m finishing it.’’

O’Connor — an Eagle Scout himself — said Meiczinger’s accomplishment should be celebrated.

“Zach has given himself a tremendous opportunity,’’ O’Connor said. “He’s a junior who is starting to look at colleges. Having ‘Eagle Scout’ on his college application is phenomenal. After college, when he’s looking for a job, the words ‘Eagle Scout’ on a job application will open so many doors.

“I have seen the benefits of it personally (working as a project manager for General Electric). He will be placed in leadership positions and get great exposure. My wife works at a large law firm and she sees a lot of resumes. She says if ‘Eagle Scout’ is there, that person will generally get pulled in, at least for an initial interview. It’s a powerful thing.’’

Meiczinger said he knows that already.

“I always see where the Eagle Scouts say how it sticks with them for their whole life,’’ Meiczinger said. “It helped them get places, whether it was a college or somewhere in their career. I can put the term ‘Eagle Scout’ by my name. It’s an honor and a privilege.’’

By Joey Johnston

Published January 06, 2021

Lutz native Kevin Cash named AL Manager of the Year

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Tampa Bay Rays manager and Lutz native/Gaither High School alum Kevin Cash notched yet another feather in his proverbial ball cap.

Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash recently was named 2020 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum guided the hometown franchise to a league-best 40-20 regular season mark and 2020 World Series appearance in Arlington, Texas. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays Communications)

The Rays skipper also was a finalist the previous two seasons, becoming just the fifth AL manager to record three consecutive top-three finishes.

The regular season-based managerial award was announced on a national television broadcast Nov. 10.

Cash called the accolade “a huge honor,” at a Zoom media briefing later that evening, adding the recognition is meaningful coming from local and national baseball writers.

“When you’re being voted (on) and appreciated by people that don’t always agree with your opinion, and there can be some back and forth, I think it says a lot,” said Cash, who wrapped up his sixth season as Tampa Bay’s top coach.

Within minutes of the award’s official announcement, Cash volunteered that he’d received some 140 congratulatory text messages from peers throughout the sport’s industry: “It felt like a World Series win, or clinching the ALCS (American League Championship Series), that’s what it felt like. …It means a lot when your peers and your friends throughout the game reach out.”

Cash mostly deflected his role in the team’s success to the organization as a whole, crediting the leadership of Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg, team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, and general manager Erik Neander, among others.

“It’s a really special group,” Cash said. “It’s a special place to work, led by Stu, Matt and Erik, Brian, everybody involved. …It certainly is a tremendous place to work.”

Cash, too, mentioned being “so lucky” to have a roster of ballplayers who are “very much team first” and embrace a “team-oriented approach.”

Hometown heroics
Cash becomes the fourth Tampa area product to win a Major League Baseball (MLB) Manager of the Year award — joining four-time winner Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals in 2002; Oakland Athletics in 1988, 1992; Chicago White Sox in 1983), three-time winner Lou Piniella (Chicago Cubs in 2008; Seattle Mariners in 1995, 2001) and the one-time winner Al Lopez (Chicago White Sox in 1959, when the award was presented by the Associated Press).

La Russa was raised in West Tampa and graduated from Jefferson High School. Piniella likewise was raised in West Tampa, attending Jesuit High School and the University of Tampa. The late Lopez grew up in Ybor City and attended Jesuit High.

Cash, meanwhile, grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.
His baseball notoriety started young.

Some three decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He would later star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher. As a pro, he spent time on the then Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Upon the end of his playing career, Cash in became a scout for the Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay gig in 2015.

Success on a shoestring budget
Amid a logistically emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated monumental feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Consider: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Rays ultimately lost to in six games in the Fall Classic.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Handling the team’s ballooning attrition rate was arguably the greatest challenge this year, Cash said.

“I think the injuries were up there, especially at the onset,” he said. “We all dealt with (COVID-19) protocols and we can’t talk about those enough, but I know that answer has gotten old. The injuries, for sure.”

On the whole, Cash is widely revered for putting players in position to prosper via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, was also represented by Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

Some unique footnotes from the Rays 2020 season under Cash:
• 59 different lineups in 60 games (tied for most in MLB)
• Constructed the only all-lefty lineup in Major League history
• AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins
• MLB-best 14-5 mark in one-run games
• 12 different pitchers recorded a save (tied MLB record set by the 1973 Texas Rangers)
• Used 4.7 pitchers per game, more than the MLB average
• Used an AL-most 1.15 pinch-hitters per game

Cash’s essential managerial philosophy centers around openness and honesty with players regarding in-game and in-house decision-making. Keeping a level-headed approach in victory and defeat is crucial, too.

He observed of his role: “You’ve gotta make good decisions, there’s no doubt, but I think more times than not it’s being consistent and genuine, authentic with the people that you work with every day. It would be wrong of myself or any of our staff to change, depending on wins or losses. I don’t think you’re going to get players to really want to be in that environment, and our goal is to get them to want to be in that environment that we’re proud of, and I think you do that by consistency, and our staff is top-notch in that.”

The 2020 campaign represented a pinnacle of Cash’s run in Tampa Bay — as he now claims the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

The team had a losing record in Cash’s first three seasons, but has enjoyed three straight winning campaigns since, one better than the next.
The team won 90 regular season games (.556 winning percentage) in 2018, then 96 games (.592) in 2019 — marking the franchise’s first playoff berth in six years.

Extrapolating this year’s 40 wins (.667) to a traditional 162-game season, the Rays would’ve been on pace to collect 108 victories. Its 20 postseason games (including reaching Game 6 of the World Series) was the deepest playoff run in franchise history.

“We had some ups and downs over the last years,” Cash sad. “I mean this year, 40 (wins) and 20 (losses), you can’t have too many downs. A lot of things went well. We got to the World Series, a lot of things went well. But, there were tough moments in there, but we owe it to the players to stay as consistent as possible.”

Looking back, Cash is fortunate the 2020 baseball season was even able to get off the ground, considering countless COVID-19 hurdles and fragmented negotiations between team owners and players on salary structures, gameplay, health and safety protocols, and so on.

“I wasn’t overly confident that we were going to get this thing up and running (this season). I don’t know of anybody that was,” he said. “So, there’s been a lot of head scratching, a lot of moments that it was really, really special, and really, really impressive what our team and organization accomplished this year, and hopefully as time continues, we’ll be able to appreciate it that much more.”

Published November 18, 2020

Lutz native manages hometown Rays to World Series

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has come full circle (err, diamond) with his baseball career.

The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum is managing his hometown pro ball club at the sport’s grandest stage, in the 2020 World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has led the franchise to the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas. Cash is a Lutz native and Gaither High School alum. (File)

He’s making other sorts of history, too.

The 42-year-old Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic.

He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series, which then consisted of the top four little league teams each — from both the United States and the world.

The North Tampa-based team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5, though it was a team from Trumball, Connecticut, that took home the title in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Cash is hoping for a better outcome some three decades later against a much more distinguished California-based club in the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The best-of-seven World Series could run through Oct. 28.

Whatever the result, Cash has done yeoman’s work guiding the Rays to its second World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Pretty special feeling,” Cash said about reaching the World Series, during a recent postseason press conference. “I don’t think I’ve had many better, other than getting married and having three kids. This is right there below that. Can’t get much better than that. This is a special group to be a part of. It’s fun to see them win games and fun to be a part of it.”

Among baseball’s brightest
Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated success for a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 19 players serve 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic. The Lutz native was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. (File)

All that, though, didn’t stop Tampa Bay from finishing with an American League (AL)-best 40-20 regular season record and division title — then downing the Toronto Blue Jays, the large-pocket New York Yankees and the Houston Astros en route to the World Series in an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Cash, in his sixth year as Rays skipper, has consistently garnered high marks throughout the baseball industry as a steadying cog in the team’s accomplishments.

Last season he steered the team to 96 regular season wins and its first playoff berth in six years. He also holds the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

Sporting News already crowned him AL Manager of the Year, for a second-straight time. Other outlets are likely to follow.

Cash is revered for putting players in position to succeed via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s World Series roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, also is represented by Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

While some old-school baseball types scoff at some of the team’s myriad unconventional methods, Cash and other Rays coaches embrace it, with understandable assistance from the team’s front office and analytics department.

The organization’s philosophy as a whole facilitates free-thinking and considers all sorts of out-of-the-box ideas in trying to eke out games in any way fathomable against richer teams with pockets three or four times as great. The Rays $28.6 million payroll pales in comparison to the Dodgers’ $105.5 million, for instance.

Cash described the Rays’ approach this way: “We think what we’re doing is maximizing a roster and doing everything we can to make the best decisions and put the players in the right spot to succeed, and ultimately win as many games as possible.”

Such a collaborative working environment allowed Cash to grow and thrive when he became the game’s youngest manager back in December 2014.

“Well, personally for me, it’s helped me immensely, for somebody that had never managed six years ago, to be able to make some mistakes and learn from them. Try some things that people would use the word ‘different’ and it be OK and accepted, it’s been hugely beneficial,” said Cash. “We’ve listened to everybody, we’ve learned from everybody, and everybody’s opinions are valued here, and that’s how we think we can come up with what we think is the best decision on a given year, a given season, a given game, whatever it is, so it’s a pretty great situation to be a part of.”

Lutz roots
Besides leading the Rays to baseball’s promised land, Cash enjoyed a spirited playing career beyond his Little League days and growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

He recalled those early roots back in a 2016 interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“I remember when my parents moved to the neighborhood in Lutz, it was like a one street cul-de-sac, and there were boys everywhere,” Cash said. “We had pickup football games, pickup basketball, baseball games every day. It was just a pretty cool neighborhood to grow up in, because there were so many kids our age that we could go out there and have a complete game with.”

Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Cash was an All-State baseball player at Gaither High School. He graduated in 1997. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Schools)

Cash would later star at Gaither High School and Florida State University before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher, spending time on the then-Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Once his playing career ended, Cash became a bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians, working under manager Terry Francona from 2013-2014, until landing the Tampa Bay gig.

Cash’s knack for getting the best out of his team was a learning process as he ascended through the sport’s ranks.

“I was really fortunate to be around a lot of good coaches, managers, just baseball people, teammates, and watched how people went about it different ways, and not every way works for individuals, and not every player responds to one way.

“I think Terry Francona was probably the biggest influence, in the way that he came to the ballpark, in watching the way he treated players one through 25 on the roster,” Cash explained.

As for the significance of delivering a baseball championship to the region where he was born and raised, it’s a question Cash hasn’t yet given much reflection.

“You know what, I’ve briefly thought about that, but I’m trying to avoid it,” Cash said. “You want to bring it back to the club that you work for. If you add another layer to it, it was similar to getting the job six years ago, but this is now more magnified than being a guy that was born and raised in the Bay Area. I think any city, I would appreciate it, any team in this position would appreciate it, (but) it just might make it a little sweeter if we’re able to do some special things here in Texas.”

Visit MLB.com for a full broadcast schedule and results of the 2020 World Series.

Published October 28, 2020

Hometown kids to watch in college football

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Before becoming college football standouts regularly seen on national television and in massive stadiums across the country, these athletes distinguished themselves on the gridiron locally, in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Big-time college football has returned this fall — later than usual and with a pared-down schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But that won’t stop several locals with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area from enjoying the big stage and making plays on Saturdays in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southeastern Conference (SEC) and American Athletic Conference (AAC), among others.

Here’s a closer look at a handful of hometown players to keep an eye on throughout the 2020 college football season:

Isaiah Bolden, receiver
College: Florida State University, redshirt sophomore
Local tie: Wesley Chapel High School

Wesley Chapel High product Isaiah Bolden is a redshirt sophomore receiver/kick returner at Florida State. (Courtesy of Florida State University sports information department)

After spending his first two years working as a defensive back at FSU, the 6-foot-2, 196-pound Wesley Chapel High product has shifted to the offensive side of the ball — to wide receiver. Throughout preseason, FSU coaches have raved about Bolden’s size, athleticism, big play ability and passion for the game.

But, just how much playing time the redshirt sophomore garners at the position remains up in the air, as he tries cracking a deep, experienced position grouping.

At the very least, expect to see plenty of Bolden as a co-starter on kick return duties. Playing in all 13 games last season, he returned six kickoffs for 156 yards, including a career-long of 41 yards, and one punt return for seven yards.

Bolden was a three-sport star at Wesley Chapel, shining in football, basketball, and track and field. In addition to his pigskin talents, Bolden was the varsity basketball team’s leading rebounder (8.5 rebounds per game in 2017-2018) and collected a bronze medal in the 100-meter dash at 2018 Class 3A state championships.

The former Wildcat was a consensus four-star recruit and courted by some two dozen Division I FBS college football programs, including several other blue bloods.

Donovan Jennings, left tackle
College: University of South Florida, junior
Local tie: Gaither High School

Gaither High product Donovan Jennings is looking to build off a respectable 2019 campaign along the offensive line for USF. (File)

The massive 6-foot-5, 338-pound Gaither High alumnus is cemented as USF’s starting left tackle in a new up-tempo offense, and is looking to build off a strong 2019 showing where he saw action in 10 games and made eight starts.

In fact, Jennings last season was the team’s highest-graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus (66.9), a website that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division I football.

He’s been lauded by coaches for his pass protection skills and effectiveness in the run game, a combination of quick feet, balance and strength. He often was tasked with blocking opponent’s top pass-rushers in one-on-one situations last season.

Expectations remain high again in 2020. He’s been named to the Athlon Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team and Phil Steele Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team.

Jennings, surprisingly, didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year of high school, as size limitations in youth leagues prevented him from playing the sport. However, he blossomed in four short years at Gaither, earning All-State honors and scholarship offers from the University of Central Florida, and Virginia, Marshall, Old Dominion and Toledo universities, among others.

Odessa native Devontay Love-Taylor brings an experienced presence to Florida State’s offensive line. Love-Taylor prepped at Mitchell High School. (Courtesy of Florida State University sports information department)

Devontay Love-Taylor, right tackle
College: Florida State University, redshirt senior
Local tie: Odessa native

The Odessa native is set to make an immediate impact for Florida State — penciled in as the team’s starting right tackle following his transfer from Florida International, where he made 16 starts in 32 career games and last season earned honorable mention All-Conference USA recognition.

The sturdy 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman is being leaned on for his experience, work ethic and maturity. The website Pro Football Focus graded Love-Taylor an above-average rating (74.2) on 721 snaps last season in an FIU uniform.

Love-Taylor prepped at Mitchell High School, where he earned first-team All-Conference honors and pushed the program to the 6A state playoffs. He also played basketball.

Tre’ McKitty, tight end
College: University of Georgia, graduate student
Local tie: Wesley Chapel native

Wesley Chapel native Tre’ McKitty is listed as the starting tight end at Georgia, an SEC program with legit national championships aspirations this year. (Courtesy of University of Georgia sports information)

The Wesley Chapel native looks to be entrenched as the starting tight end on a Georgia team with legitimate aspirations of hoisting a national title and ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound McKitty transferred to Georgia from FSU in January following a coaching change. He played in 35 career games in three seasons at FSU, hauling in a combined 50 receptions for 520 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

In camp with his new squad, Georgia coaches raved about McKitty for bringing a gritty demeanor and showing aptitude in blocking, along with making catches.

Prognosticators are likewise bullish on McKitty’s final season, as he was named to a preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, awarded to the nation’s top tight end.

McKitty grew up playing in the Land O’ Lakes-based South Pasco Predators youth football league. He played his freshman year at Wesley Chapel High then prepped at Bradenton’s IMG Academy, where he was a blue-chip recruit

Steinbrenner High alum Noah Ruggles is in a kicker position battle at North Carolina. He was the team’s primary place-kicker last season. (File)

Noah Ruggles, kicker
College: University of North Carolina, junior
Local tie: Steinbrenner High School

Ruggles emerged as North Carolina’s primary kicker as a sophomore last season, converting 19 of 27 field goal attempts — including a long of 49 yards — and perfect on all 45 of his extra-point attempts.

The former Steinbrenner High standout was nearly automatic for the Tar Heels on kicks inside 40 yards, but struggled on some longer kicks, including going 0-for-3 on attempts of more than 50 yards.

His defining moment in 2019 came when he kicked the game-winning field goal in a 20-17 home win against conference rival Duke in a late October contest. It was just a week removed from UNC head coach Mack Brown benching Ruggles, after he missed two overtime field goal attempts in a road loss to Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound kicker will need to prove himself once again. He’s listed second on the team’s depth chart behind All-American Furman transfer Grayson Atkins, but is still expected to earn ample opportunities.

Closer to home, Ruggles earned All-State honors at Steinbrenner and was named most valuable player of the East-West Hillsborough County Senior All-Star Game in 2016.

Zephyrhills High alum Ja’Quan Sheppard is poised for a bigger role this season for Cincinnati. (Courtesy of University of Cincinnati sports information department)

Ja’Quan Sheppard, safety
College: University of Cincinnati, sophomore
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School

The Zephyrhills High product is pressing for a larger role this season for a Cincinnati program favored to finish atop the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

As a true freshman in 2019 for the 11-3 Bearcats, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound safety played in nine games, mostly as a special teams ace, where he ranked among the team’s top special teams defenders with six stops on kickoff coverage. Sheppard collected two tackles in his Cincy debut at Marshall, and also tied that mark with two tackles at Houston.

In high school, Sheppard was mostly known for his skills as wide receiver at Zephyrhills, where he registered a combined 91 catches for 1,649 yards and 25 touchdowns across four varsity seasons. His impact helped guide the Bulldogs to arguably its best season in program history in 2018 — winning 11 straight games and reaching the Class 5A region semifinal. He was no stranger to accolades, earning All-State and All-Conference honors, and being invited to the Pasco County Senior All-Star Football Game. Sheppard was a consensus three-star recruit with more than 20 offers from Temple, Marshall and Kentucky, among others.

Published September 16, 2020