The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Sunlake High School

In Print: Is living in Pasco but working in Hillsborough all that bad?

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It’s something it seems people hear all the time. There are a lot of places to live in Pasco County, but not really a lot of places to work.

That’s why so many people head south on Interstate 75, U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Parkway every morning, and local leaders are working hard to try and reverse that trend and lower commute times.

But not everyone thinks the daily commute is all that bad. Ken Littlefield, a former state representative who is now in a primary race for a spot on the Pasco County Commission, told an audience during a recent candidate forum that he’s not losing any sleep over the fact that Pasco residents typically work outside the county.

“A lot of people see 60,000 to 80,000 people leaving Pasco to go to work in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties as a negative. But I’m not sure about that,” Littlefield said. “It’s like they are working in the mine. They are bringing the gold back to Pasco, and they are spending that money here. When that money is spent here, there is economic growth that is taking place.”

How did county government and business leaders respond to Littlefield’s position? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker, now available in your driveway, at various places around the area, or in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

If that morning traffic jam is too much for you, then maybe that morning commute can be done by air.

Tom Warren piloted a hot air balloon from American Balloons over New Tampa on a recent Thursday morning. In the distance, another balloon company is giving passengers a ride. Neither balloon traveled far that day because there was very little wind. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Tom Warren piloted a hot air balloon from American Balloons over New Tampa on a recent Thursday morning. In the distance, another balloon company is giving passengers a ride. Neither balloon traveled far that day because there was very little wind. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The Land O’ Lakes company American Balloons offers near-daily trips into the skies above Pasco and Hillsborough counties, providing a breathtaking view that, well, can only be seen by riding in a hot air balloon.

Reporter B.C. Manion was soaring on a recent trip, where she learned a lot about what motivates others to take to the skies.

“It was so calm,” said Kathy Rizzo of Wesley Chapel. “I’m afraid of heights, and I wasn’t afraid at all. It wasn’t at all frightening. It was a very smooth landing.”

Get the full story on a voyage through the skies in the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, leading off our brand new B Section. That’s right, your community paper is not only bigger in physical size this week, but it now has two sections.

Go get that paper right now, or if you can’t wait to run to the driveway, read our free online e-edition right here.

Finally, it’s been three months since the golf course at Plantation Palms in Land O’ Lakes shut down. Golfers are missing out on acres and acres of links, but homeowners that live in Plantation Palms are feeling the pinch as the once popular spot now begins to rot.

No one involved with the property — the owners, the bank who financed it, not even the homeowners association — is talking. But neighbors are, and they’re not happy.

“If you’re a golfer, it affects your way of life,” resident Patty Stach told reporter Michael Hinman. “But even if you’re not a golfer, it affects the value of your home. Who would want to buy into a community where the golf course looks like this?”

What does the future hold for the Plantation Palms Golf Club? Find out in the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, or read it right now in our online e-edition by clicking here.

Oh, and are you ready for some football? We continue our preview of all the local gridiron teams this week from reporter Michael Murillo with the Sunlake Seahawks and the Zephyrhills Bulldogs.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

And see The Laker XL with our brand-new video!

Pasco and Hillsborough students improve test scores

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Students across Florida, as well as in Pasco and Hillsborough counties posted gains on statewide end-of-course, or EOC, exams.

Scores improved in all of the assessment areas in Florida, with the biggest gain being a 10 percent improvement in U.S. History.

Pasco has one of 13 school districts in the state that posted gains in all four EOC assessments, with its biggest improvement being an 8-point increase on the U.S. History assessment, Florida Education commissioner Pam Stewart reported.

The passing rate for Pasco students taking the test for the first time improved on all four assessments, improving by 2 percent in Algebra I; 2 percent in biology; 3 percent in geometry and 8 percent in U.S. History.

Hillsborough’s scores improved in two of the four assessment areas, with a 14 percent percentage gain in U.S. History and a 4 percent gain in Algebra I.

Pasco students outperformed the state in the percentage of students achieving a passing score or higher in 2014, except for Algebra I.

Some notable scores from Pasco schools include a 5-percent bump in the passing rate on the Algebra I assessment at Land O’ Lakes High School, a 7-percent gain by Wiregrass Ranch High School students on the Biology I assessment, and an 8-percent improvement on the same assessment at Zephyrhills High School.

Both Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass also posted big improvements in the passing rate on the geometry assessment. Wesley Chapel’s passing rate improved by 22 percent. Wiregrass Ranch boosted its passing rate by 13 percent. Students at both Zephyrhills and Sunlake high schools improved their passing rate by 6 percent, with Sunlake achieving a 73 percent passing rate and Zephyrhills boosting its passing rate to 60 percent.

Wesley Chapel principal Carin Nettles was delighted with her school’s results.

“I am thrilled about our scores,” she said. “We are very proud of the work our math department has done.”

The principal credits collaboration among faculty members during professional learning community meetings. Teachers are sharing “the best common lessons and assessments for our students,” she said.  Teachers also have provided tutoring to help their students succeed.

Superintendent Kurt Browning said in a release that because the scores “reflect what we are teaching in the classroom, end-of-course exams present a much more accurate picture of our students’ learning during this time of transition than do high-stakes tests” like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Published June 25, 2014

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Sunlake’s Skye Nichols signs on to acrobatics and tumbling in Connecticut

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Athlete signings are common for high school players. If someone excels at their sport, they often get a chance to continue competing at the next level.

Football, basketball, soccer and baseball are just a few sports where graduating seniors continue playing as college freshmen.

Skye Nichols takes part in a ceremonial signing with Sunlake principal Steve Williams, left, cheerleading coach Pennye Garcia and Nichols’ mother, Sheri. Nichols will enter Quinnipiac University with championship cheerleading experience, and she’ll use it to compete on the school’s acrobatics and tumbling team. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Skye Nichols takes part in a ceremonial signing with Sunlake principal Steve Williams, left, cheerleading coach Pennye Garcia and Nichols’ mother, Sheri. Nichols will enter Quinnipiac University with championship cheerleading experience, and she’ll use it to compete on the school’s acrobatics and tumbling team.
(Courtesy of Sunlake High School)

Cheerleaders, however, are now becoming part of that group.

Skye Nichols, a captain for Sunlake High School’s state championship cheerleading team, will attend Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, and compete for the school.

But technically, it won’t be cheerleading. The Bobcats have an acrobatics and tumbling team, and Nichols was recruited to be a member of the squad.

“I feel very blessed. That’s the only way I can describe it,” she said. “I only dreamt about it, and I still can’t believe it’s reality.”

The Bobcats do have a spirit squad, but Nichols isn’t planning on participating. That group performs more of the traditional cheerleading functions, but the acrobatics and tumbling team is part of a sport, which suits her better.

They’ll have a schedule where they square off against other teams in group and individual categories, and do extensive traveling to compete in different locations around the country.

While Nichols is excited to be part of the competition, she realizes it will mean a lot more work. Rigorous practices and weight training are just part of the schedule, and she’ll have to balance that with pursuing her studies in sports management.

But her cheerleading coach at Sunlake, Pennye Garcia, believes Nichols’ time as a cheerleader has her well-equipped to succeed.

“It’s her drive,” Garcia said. “When she really wants something, she will keep working at it.”

Nichols was a team captain, and was called upon to not only study technique and offer corrections, but also motivate her teammates when they were losing focus, Garcia said. Her ability to remain motivated while also motivating others helped separate her from less-driven athletes.

Nichols believes the leadership role helped her as well.

“I definitely think it gave me experience how to work with people, and how the best way in working with people is leading by example,” she said. “Also, being friends with them makes a big difference. If you’re just strict all the time, I feel like you kind of lose respect, but you’ve got to care about them to earn respect.”

But there’s also a physical aspect to cheerleading, and Garcia said it revolves around strength. As a base — someone who stays at the bottom of the formation and helps support others — Nichols needs good leg strength. Those physical skills helped her get recruited by Quinnipiac.

And while Nichols feels the school is a perfect fit for her, it wasn’t part of her original plan. Her first choice of school didn’t work out, and her path wasn’t shaping up the way she wanted.

But when she visited the Quinnipiac’s campus, she realized that the new opportunity was actually better than her planned one.

“Right when I went to the school I was like, this couldn’t have been any better for me,” she said. “It just felt so right.”

School also is important to Nichols, whose GPA is 4.05. She considers herself to be competitive and something of a perfectionist, and while that’s translated to success in the classroom and on the mat, she believes that self-confidence and hard work will help her face the coming challenges of a new city, new school and a new level of competition.

“I think anything you do that’s really new is a little nerve-racking, but I just believe in myself that I can handle it,” Nichols said. “I pushed myself really hard these four years, and I think that definitely conditioned me for the next four years.”

Published May 28, 2014

In Print: Graduation is here for Class of 2014

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When you pick up your issue of The Laker or Lutz News this week, you’re going to find something we look forward to sharing with you each and every year.

GraduateMomHugHC1405_X_300_C_YOur graduation section honors the thousands of seniors who will walk across the stage and accept their diploma, all as part of the Class of 2014. And we don’t leave any school out in putting together our special pull-out section which we hope you will keep and enjoy for many years to come.

If you want to share the graduation section with family and friends through the Internet, we put together a handy guide that will take you directly to the e-edition related to your graduate. Just click which school you’re looking for below, and we’ll get you where you need to go.

The list for Land O’ Lakes High School is the correct list for the Class of 2014. The list appearing in our May 28 print edition was incorrect. We have updated our e-edition to the proper group of students, after an inadvertent error by the high school when submitting its graduation list.

The Laker will republish the list in its June 4 edition, but will also print a special four-page graduation section that will be available to graduates and their families at the May 30 commencement.

Academy at the Lakes
Bishop McLaughlin High School
Freedom High School
Land O’ Lakes Christian School
Land O’ Lakes High School
Pasco High School
Steinbrenner High School
Sunlake High School
Wesley Chapel High School
Wiregrass Ranch High School
Zephyrhills Christian Academy
Zephyrhills High School

Graduation isn’t the only thing we’re talking about this week. Get all the rest of the news for your community right here online. You can find the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa edition of the paper by clicking here. For Land O’ Lakes and Pasco Lutz, click here. For Hillsborough Lutz and Odessa, click here. And for our East Pasco edition, which includes Zephyrhills and Dade City, click here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Sunlake trio has football in their future

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Last football season, the Sunlake Seahawks had a suffocating defense. They recorded four shutouts, and held their opponent to less than seven points three additional times, en route to a 9-2 record and a playoff berth.

Joe Jean-Baptiste, left, Ricardo Williams and Nick Larry take part in a ceremonial signing at Sunlake High School on May 16. All three will continue their football careers after graduation. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Joe Jean-Baptiste, left, Ricardo Williams and Nick Larry take part in a ceremonial signing at Sunlake High School on May 16. All three will continue their football careers after graduation.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Last week, three of their standout players got together to do a little paperwork.

Seniors Nick Larry, Joe Jean-Baptiste and Ricardo Williams participated in a ceremonial signing session to cement their college plans. Each of them will attend a different school, all on scholarship and with an opportunity to continue their athletic career in the collegiate ranks.

Even though head coach Bill Browning has been a football coach for 36 years — including his tenure at Sunlake, which began when the school opened in 2007 — seeing athletes commit to colleges and continue their careers never gets old.

“It’s something they work for and something they dream about, so it’s always exciting to see someone go on and get an opportunity that they’ve been working for,” he said.

All his athletes have worked hard, Browning explained. They have a rigorous practice and preparation regimen, and he feels that their program — being in Florida, which is known as a strong area for high school football — will serve the players well at the next level.

And the players who participated in the signing last week can’t wait to get there.

“It’s honestly a dream come true,” said Jean-Baptiste, who played safety for Sunlake.

He’ll attend Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, and play for the Storm on a partial scholarship.

While he acknowledges the Seahawks had a strong defense, Jean-Baptiste also realizes that playing at the next level will include new challenges. Just as the speed of the game changed for Jean-Baptiste when he made the jump from junior varsity to varsity, he expects a similar increase in game speed in college.

To prepare, he plans to spend time watching game film and scouting opponents when he’s not studying criminal justice.

Larry will play football for Gattaca, a post-graduate team whose players attend Hillsborough Community College with an eye toward playing for bigger schools in their future. For him, attending college on a full scholarship validates the effort he put in to improve and excel during his high school career.

“It feels amazing. It just shows that everything I did, I did right. And all the work I put in, it shows that it pays off,” Larry said.

While the defensive tackle wants to take this time to improve and prepare for a football opportunity in the future, Larry doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. He’ll study sports management and make sure his grades are strong while he also focuses on football.

Williams also was part of the team’s excellent defense as a cornerback, but he also played wide receiver. But when he attends Peru State College in Nebraska on a partial scholarship, he’ll play for the Bobcats on the offensive side of the ball at running back.

And Williams believes that playing on defense in high school will help him when he suits up in college.

“As the cornerback, you have to have quick hips and you have to stay focused at all times,” Williams said. “And I feel like that if you translate that to a running back, those are really good features to have.”

He believes that his time playing defense will help him anticipate their moves and positioning, since he’s spent a lot of time thinking like a defensive player. When he’s not on the field, he’ll study nursing.

All three players are eager to get their college careers going, but their coach has some advice for the soon-to-be college freshmen: Savor the moment and focus on what’s important.

“Just work hard and enjoy the experience,” Browning said. “And the bottom line is, get the education.”

Published May 21, 2014

Elevated toll road no more: FDOT rejects project

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It was on life support as early as last week, but now the Florida Department of Transportation says an unsolicited proposal from a private group of companies wanting to build an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor is now officially dead.

“The department was unable to reach an agreement with International Infrastructure Partners LLC on a framework of financing and various design concepts for the corridor that would be acceptable to all parties and address the concerns of the local community,” FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad, said in a release. “In absence of this framework, advancing this project would not make any sense.”

Pasco Fiasco, a group of home and business owners along that 33-mile corridor who opposed the project, celebrated the decision, and said they are postponing a planned rally at Sunlake High School next week that was intended to build even more opposition to the project. Organizers told The Laker/Lutz News last week that they could still hold the rally either way, because a similar public project could be pushed forward as part of the county’s long-range transportation plan.

While FDOT and Pasco County officials have said future growth will require some sort of expansion of the corridor that connects Zephyrhills at U.S. 301 and New Port Richey at U.S. 19, the plan to build the elevated toll road came unsolicited last year by a construction group known for similar projects around the world.

The project itself had been chipped away over the last few months, as public sentiment against it grew — including from Pasco commissioners Henry Wilson and Jack Mariano. However, it went into a tailspin last week when Prasad admitted that discussions on how the project would be built started to fall apart when the developers, who at this point said they would raise the estimated $2.2 billion construction cost privately, started asking for public money to help fund it.

FDOT continues to work on other projects in the area as part of its five-year plan, Prasad said, including the widening of State Road 54 from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41, as well as from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road. It also will continue work toward starting the new State Road 56 leg from Meadow Point Boulevard to U.S. 301.

Elevated toll road down, almost out

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The private elevated toll road proposed for the State Road 54/56 corridor isn’t so private anymore. And that might be enough to cancel the project altogether.

Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad said he has some serious concerns about the controversial 33-mile project, especially after the developers behind the project — International Infrastructure Partners — signaled they would need some taxpayer investment in the project.

“He came to the conclusion that the project does not look very promising,” FDOT spokesman Dick Kane told The Laker/Lutz News. “The reason, he said, was that when they looked into the financials of the unsolicited proposal, it was not what we were initially led to believe.”

Prasad, who was traveling Wednesday, did not have the exact amount IIP expected the state to contribute. However, even a single dollar would be more than what officials were told would be required, as the estimated $2.2 billion project was going to be funded completely by private equity.

Prasad, hearing that there would have to be some public dollars, then suggested in a meeting with the developer last week that it might be time to “hit the reset button,” Kane said.

That does not mean the project is dead, but it certainly is on life support. Prasad plans to meet with the developers again in the next couple of weeks to see if they can hammer out some of the questions that have been raised around the project.

A request for comment from the developers of the proposed project is pending return.

Pasco County administrator Michele Baker, however, said it’s not completely over.

“Pasco County will continue to engage the public and move forward with its analyses and studies in order to determine how to manage future congestion on the State Road 54/56 corridor,” Baker said, in a statement.

The county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization will continue to consider options as it gets ready to adopt its long-range transportation plan in December, Baker said.

Members of a local opposition group Pasco Fiasco say they believe the project has been scrapped, based on what they’ve been told by Pasco County commissioner Jack Mariano, who also opposes the project. However, the group is still planning a rally May 19 at 7 p.m. at Sunlake High School promoting their position.

AAA offers safe trips home for impaired prom teens

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It’s a shocking yet humbling statistic, but 41 percent of teenagers say they plan to drink or take drugs sometime during the prom or graduation season.

A recent AAA survey of high school students between the ages of 16 and 19 in four states, including Florida, also revealed a more startling fact: Some 84 percent of teens say that if they are under the influence, they would rather get behind the wheel than call their parents for help.  The main reason? Because they fear getting in trouble with their parents for drinking underage.

More than 80 percent also fear being in a crash that injures or kills themselves or someone else, while another 69 percent are afraid of going to jail.

“More than 30 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States results from alcohol-impaired driving crashes,” said Michele Harris, director of AAA Traffic Safety Culture of The Auto Club Group, in a release. “We need real solutions to end these needless tragedies.”

The survey was conducted in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin as part of AAA’s promotion of its AAA Promise program. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

That program encourages parents to speak with their teen before prom and graduation season, and to find a way to get home safely. If there is a chance of a teen drinking and driving, or getting into the car with someone else driving, parents are able to pick up their teen, and AAA will tow the family car home free of charge.

“We want the student to promise their parents they will make adult decisions on prom night, the parent to promise their teen they will pick them up should they not have a safe way home, and AAA promises to give a free tow home of the family vehicle, whether or not they are a AAA member,” Harris said.

High school students can sign up for AAA Promise by texting the word “promise” to 46787, or by visiting AAA.com/PROMise.

Pasco High School hosts its prom April 26. Land O’ Lakes, Steinbrenner, Wharton and Wesley Chapel high schools will have their proms May 10. Sunlake, Freedom and Wiregrass Rand high schools will follow with their proms May 17.

Zephyrhills High School hosted its prom in early April.

Saffore set to represent Sunlake at collegiate level

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Sunlake High School has never had a premier volleyball team. Before this season, they had never won more than six games in a single campaign, and compiled a 15-91 record across six seasons.

Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college. (Courtesy of Malika Saffore)
Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college.
(Courtesy of Malika Saffore)

While they played hard, they’ve never seen much success, and have never had a player continue their volleyball career in college.

But a lot can change in a year.

The Seahawks finished the 2013 season with a 16-10 record, tallying more wins in one season than in their entire history combined. They made the playoffs for the first time in school history. And now, also for the first time, a volleyball player will continue their career at the college level.

Senior Malika Saffore will attend school and play volleyball for Florida Southern College, an NCAA Division II school located in Lakeland. She signed a letter of intent last week and said she’s excited about the opportunity to continue her athletic career.

“I’m so excited to play next season,” she said. “I was definitely honored that I was the first person to get a scholarship who was on the volleyball team.”

While most people have seen volleyball in some form, Saffore said her sport isn’t always understood as a complex one. Keeping the team motivated and working well together is just as important as hitting the ball hard.

“Volleyball is such a momentum-built sport. It depends on whether one team has more energy than the other, and I don’t think people realize that,” Saffore said.

A lot of the skill goes beyond physical ability, and includes thinking several moves ahead and utilizing what she calls “volleyball intellect.”

Saffore has no problem using her intellect both on and off the court. She’ll actually attend Florida Southern on scholarships — both athletic and academic. When coupled with a 3.8 GPA, her dedication to volleyball means most of her time is spent working on school or sports.

Saffore spends about 15 hours a week practicing on the court, plus another five hours in the gym staying in shape. After allotting time for studying and homework, free time is scarce, but she’s been able to find balance between the two priorities in her life.

In college, Saffore plans to study nursing, so her time will continue to be limited. But she said that the skills she’s learned on the court often translate to success in the classroom.

“I think it gives me a sense of self-control,” she said. “If I feel overwhelmed about the amount of homework I have or a test that’s coming up, I collect myself and think, OK, I have to prepare myself in these different aspects and I follow that plan just like I do with volleyball.”

Florida Southern was a good fit with Saffore for several reasons, she said. She said she was immediately impressed with the campus and her new teammates, but she also was attracted to the idea of staying local. She’s very close to her family and enjoys the Florida sunshine, so the opportunity to keep playing volleyball (including beach volleyball, which she enjoys) and stay close to home for a school she liked was too good to pass up.

And while she’s proven her abilities and has earned a scholarship thanks to her volleyball talent, Saffore knows that this is the beginning of competition, not the end. The Moccasins — Mocs for short — are a good volleyball team, posting a 22-14 record last year, including a 10-6 record in the competitive Sunshine State Conference.

She’ll have to continue proving herself to succeed at a school that’s used to playing at a high level against top talent, and she’s ready for that challenge.

“When you get to college, you have to actually compete for the position that you want to play,” Saffore said. “I know I have to work 10 times harder than I do now, and compete not only on the court against the team we’re going to play, but compete for a spot on the team to be on the court.”

Published April 23, 2014

This week’s Sunlake softball game benefits Wounded Warrior

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The Sunlake softball team doesn’t have a winning record. After their home finale against the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, the team won’t be thinking about a state championship.

The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game. (Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)
The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game.
(Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)

The game also won’t affect the Class 5A-District 8 standings, where the Seahawks are near the bottom.

Still, the game on April 10 might be the most important one of the season.

Sunlake’s game will not only feature two softball teams looking for a win, it will serve as a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and services to injured military service members. Attendees can support the organization by making a direct donation at the game, or by purchasing arts, crafts or T-shirts that will be on sale from a variety of booths.

A portion of those proceeds will go to the organization.

Coach Nelson Garcia, who organized the event with his wife Denise, isn’t surprised that a team starting four freshman would endure some growing pains in the win-loss column. But he believes that supporting charitable organizations as a team — the Seahawks also had a Pink Out event earlier in the year to support breast cancer awareness — helps them grow in important ways that go beyond the playing field.

“They’re learning not only goals of softball, but in life and giving back to the community also,” Garcia said. “They’re very excited to do it. They can’t wait.”

Garcia spent 14 years with the fire department, so he understands the importance of serving the community. But while the team is eager to show support for the military and will wear special green camouflage shirts during the game (Zephyrhills also is participating, and will don orange camouflage shirts), the issue is particularly important for their coach and his family.

Garcia’s son, Sgt. Anthony Michael Garcia, was wounded in 2011 during his first tour in Afghanistan. He was approximately 15 feet away from an improvised explosive device, more commonly known as an IED, when it exploded.

Garcia’s son recovered and is now serving in his second tour of the region. But he realizes that many members of the military have worse outcomes and often need support, and the organization helps with everything from prosthetics to post-traumatic stress disorders.

“It seems like people forget that they go over there and they’re serving right now and they’re getting wounded,” Garcia said. “How many don’t come back, or don’t come back all intact? The great thing about the Wounded Warrior Project is they help all the military personnel in all the branches to get their lives back together when they come back.”

The event is open to the public and begins at 6 p.m., with the game starting at 7. There also will be giveaways, a hospitality tent for active and retired military, and a U.S. Army recruiting booth.

Sunlake High School is located at 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

For information about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit WoundedWarriorProject.org.

Published April 9, 2014