Author: John Cotey

Football Preview 2019: Cypress Creek

When Cypress Creek Middle/High School (CCH) head coach Mike Johnson looks out across the field during a typical practice these days, he can’t help but harken back to just three years ago.

Then, he had little more than a handful of kids show up for his first practice. Now, he sees more than 50.

“It’s amazing,” says Johnson, who is 3-17 in two seasons at the helm of the Coyotes. “I think this is a year we can definitely break out of that ‘You’re a first-year program’ image. We are ready to turn that corner and start climbing that mountain to run with all these other teams.”

Here’s how the Coyotes, who open their season tonight at Wesley Chapel at 7:30 p.m., are looking for Year 3:

QUARTERBACK: Jehlani Warren is the old man at quarterback this season — the senior is the only QB among Wesley Chapel’s three high school football teams that already has had any varsity starts entering 2019. Last year, Warren was 81-for-142 passing (57 percent) for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. This year, Johnson expects him to better those numbers.

“He had a decent year,” Johnson says, “and I think he’s really ready to (break out).”

Junior Justin Lavine and sophomore Owen Walls will provide depth under center.

RUNNING BACK: Senior Jovanni Anderson (156 yards, 2 TDs) is the top returning rusher and will start. His ground-and-pound style will be complemented by sophomore scatback Andrew Burgess (photo), and junior Issac Walker is a combination of both styles.

WIDE RECEIVER: Explosive senior Jalen Warren, Jehlani’s twin brother, returns after leading the team with 32 catches, 498 yards and six touchdowns last season. The Coyotes may have graduated four players who combined for nearly 1,000 receiving yards last season, but sophomores Dontrell Clerkley and Merrick Simmons are expected to replace those stats this season. Junior Brycen Hernandez will slide into the slot after playing fullback last season, and junior Colin Ostapchuk will contribute there as well. “It’s a deep group,” Johnson says.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Senior Kyle Cantwell (6-3, 250) can start at either tackle position and will anchor the line. Junior Paul-andre Tre’ also is a versatile tackle. Junior Jake DiMarco is the starting center, and seniors Kyle Florey and Noah Smith “have come a long way,” according to Johnson, and will start at guard, with junior Matt Lodge pressing hard for one of those spots as well.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Cantwell will start at tackle, and Hernandez and senior Brody Gommier will be the starters at defensive end, but Johnson’s hope is that he won’t have to play his offensive line starters too much on the other side of the ball.

LINEBACKERS: Jalen Warren and Addison will be the starters at outside linebacker, and are coming off a season in which the duo finished 1-2 in tackles (77 and 73 respectively) for the Coyotes. Nine of Warren’s tackles were for a loss of yardage. Sophomore David Willins has earned one of the middle linebacker jobs, along with senior Sebastian Bramonte. Defensively, Johnson says his unit is coming together and playing faster and reacting this season instead of overthinking their assignments.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Simmons, Clerkley, Jehlani Warren, Ostapchuk Walker and junior Jonathan Garcia can all play defensive back, and Burgess and Clerkley will split duties at safety.

KICKER: Senior Trace Wolden and junior Colton Corrao will handle the kicking duties.

THE FINAL WORD: The Coyotes graduated many of their playmakers, so guys like the Warren brothers and Burgess will play have to play bigger roles on both sides of the ball. Johnson isn’t ruling out a playoff berth, but a more realistic goal might be a .500 season, even though the Coyotes’ schedule only includes two teams (Wesley Chapel and Mitchell) that won more than four games last season and six opponents that won three or fewer.

cypress creek football

Football Preview 2019: Wesley Chapel Wildcats

Jelani Vassell led the Wesley Chapel High (WCH) football team last season in rushing yards, receiving yards, kick return yards, interception return yards and scoring. He even found time to throw 19 passes.

To say Vassell had a target on his back when lining up against the opposition is a sizable understatement.

So, what is this year’s goal, according to Wildcats’ coach Tony Egan?

“We need to take the target off his back,” he says.

He thinks he has enough players to do just that, which in turn will make the Wildcats a better team and one that should contend for a playoff berth. Here’s how they stack up:

QUARTERBACK: Junior Owen Libby is the new starter, and recent Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) transfer Matt Helms, a sophomore, is right behind him. Egan said he’s never had depth at quarterback, so having two interchangeable signal callers is definitely a bonus. Neither has yet thrown a varsity pass, but Egan says they have both looked good this summer in 7-on-7 play and have a plethora of talented targets this season.

RUNNING BACK: Senior Isaiah Cole was the starter last year (332 yards, two TDs), but he suffered a knee strain in camp and may be out for a while. Senior Quay Jones, a physical, downhill type runner, will step in and start the season in the backfield.

WIDE RECEIVER: Vassell, a senior, might be the best player in Pasco County, if not the most versatile. He averaged 30 yards a catch last season on 20 receptions, with six touchdowns. He also ran for 541 yards and eight scores, and returned two interceptions for 70-yard TDs.

“He’s a tremendous player,” Egan says. “When we need something to go our way, he makes that play for us.”

Vassell will have lots of help this season, as junior Jon’tavius Anderson (more than 120 yards receiving in the spring game) and sophomore Nehemiah Morgan will line up alongside him. Another WRH transfer, junior Tyler Stinson, who is the younger brother of former WCH and current Florida State University player Isaiah Bolden, is expected to make an impact as well.

“We’re pretty loaded at the skill positions,” says Egan.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Wharton junior transfer Tyre’ Brooks (6-0, 300) and junior Tyree Thomas (6-0, 285) give the Wildcats some serious beef at the guard positions, along with junior Logan Jeffrey, while Xzavier Owens starts at center and Kaleb Rivera mans the right tackle spot. The left tackle position is still open, although Egan says there are some solid candidates.

Egan was formerly an offensive line coach at River Ridge, which set county records for rushing when he was there, and others with offensive line experience, like Matt Smith (Sunlake), Tom McHugh (Pasco) and Brian Colding (Pasco), have joined the staff from schools that historically have had strong lines. So, hopes are high that the offensive lines will be coached up in 2019.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Smith is the new defensive coordinator, and the switch to a defense that employs only three lineman will help keep the Wildcats from having to play so many of their offensive players both ways. Sophomore defensive tackles Gavin Paul and Jayshaun Bell are moving up from junior varsity and have shown promise.

LINEBACKERS: Senior Brenden Maddox, who Egan says “is a beast,” led the Wildcats with 95 tackles, 17 for a loss, last season, and returns as a starter on the outside. Sophomore Jordan McCaslin, the son of former Florida Gator Eugene McCaslin, will start at inside linebacker, along with Ramsey, and senior Steven Mira and Stinson will share time at outside linebacker.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: This might be the best group in Pasco County — Vassell and Anderson will start at the corners and Jones is the safety, and a host of others will rotate in.

“Our two corners are hands down the best in the county,” Egan says. “There is no doubt in my mind.”

KICKER: Four-year starter Fletcher Martin handles both the kicking and punting duties.

THE FINAL WORD: Wesley Chapel has an exceptional amount of playmakers on both sides of the ball, and will put up some points this season. The last three seasons, however, they have been in the playoff hunt heading into their last two games, but have gone 0-6 down the stretch while getting outscored 252-61. If the ‘Cats can finish stronger, playoff football could be the reward.

A Sign Of Hope

Megan Vila still cries when she thinks about her brother and former New Tampa firefighter Stevie LaDue, who killed himself last year, a victim of the overwhelming mental anguish his job had brought him.

A drive down Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., however, sometimes helps bring Megan solace. That’s where a recently erected sign on the corner honors the memory of Stevie’s fight, as well as the one she has waged since his tragic passing.

The stretch of BBD from Cypress Preserve Dr. to just past Fire Station 20 in Tampa Palms, where Stevie served as a firefighter and paramedic for his last 15 years, has been officially renamed as the Stevie LaDue Giving Hope Highway.

“I am elated,” said Megan, a Lutz resident. “It’s incredible.”

The idea, which Megan says she spent six months relentlessly criss-crossing the state for in 2018, is that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real thing, and must be taken seriously. LaDue’s father Stephen cited a number of calls, including one where his son saw a decapitated body and another at a rape scene where the victim turned out to be Stevie’s ex-girlfriend, as instances that scarred him mentally.

“It took such a toll on my brother,” Megan says.

While Stevie saw a psychiatrist, his growing anxiety made it so he could no longer go out on calls. He found out when trying to get worker’s compensation that mental trauma was not covered.

He felt that the system had failed him. He began to drink. His despair deepened to the point where he felt he could no longer go on.

“When he died, it became my mission to change this so any firefighter could be able to get help,” Megan says.

She traveled the state to speak to any representative or senator who would listen. Armed with facts like a firefighter is three times more likely to die of suicide than in the line of duty, she enlisted the help of the state’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. She made 16 trips to Tallahassee, lobbying lawmakers to change the laws and extend the benefits to first responders.

And, in 2018, Megan finally realized her goal.

At the Tampa Firefighters Museum in March, then-Governor Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 376, which provided worker’s compensation benefits for first responders in Florida who are dealing with PTSD, as well as requiring mental health training for those agencies.

On the last day of the legislative session in 2018, Megan and her husband, Tampa Fire Rescue Captain Ricardo Vila, watched from the floor of the legislature as the plans to honor Stevie with a stretch of BBD passed unanimously.

Florida State Sen. Lauren Book, who sponsored SB 376, also suggested the sign that now graces the corner of Commerce Park Blvd. and BBD be erected in his honor. Megan said the LaDue family came up with the name — “Giving Hope Highway” — and wanted it to be near the station where Stevie spent 15 years.

More than a year later, it was erected with so little fanfare even Megan didn’t know it had actually gone up until she saw a picture of it.

“The fact that the City of Tampa firefighters posted it on their Facebook page was great,” Megan said, as her voice began to crack. “That’s the whole idea. We don’t want anyone who is suffering to not come forward. Now they can.”

paramedic PTSD Stevie LaDue

Benito & Liberty Middle Schools Will Have Crossing Guards For 2019-20

Parents have long complained that despite traffic lights and clearly marked walkways, children attending Benito Middle School faced very real dangers having to cross busy Cross Creek Blvd. every weekday morning without the aid of a crossing guard.

Well, their complaints definitely have been heard.

The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved in April a plan to spend roughly $1 million to employ Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies as crossing guards at all 43 Hillsborough middle schools, the first county in Florida to do so.

Following the BOCC approval, a study was implemented to determine the countywide needs and so far, 78 crossing guard positions have been earmarked by HCSO for 37 schools, including Benito and Liberty Middle School in Tampa Palms.

According to the list released last month, Benito will have two crossing guards stationed at the two corners of Kinnan St. and Cross Creek Blvd.

Liberty will have one crossing guard stationed at Commerce Park Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd.

Other middle schools stationed in high-traffic areas will have as many as six crossing guards, such as Ben Hill Middle School near Ehrlich Rd., and Adams and Farnell middle schools, which will have five crossing guards.

“Those numbers were determined by a ratio of how many students are traveling to school (via walking or biking) and how much traffic is in the area,” says HCSO spokesperson Amanda Granit.

The push for crossing guards at middle schools was spearheaded by parents across the county who protested the elimination of courtesy busing for students who live within a two-mile radius of their school.

That left students living north of Cross Creek Blvd. who walked or biked to Benito to have to cross the very busy road to get to school in the morning.

Benito

Freedom Sophomore Qualifies For Olympic Trials!

Michelle Morgan started swimming competitively when she was 7.

By the time she was 8, she knew she wanted to go to the Olympics.

Now, at the age of 14, the Freedom sophomore will get her chance.

Morgan, one of the top distance swimmers in Florida and a member of the Pipeline Swimming Club that trains at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, last month became the first swimmer in the Tampa Bay area to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, making the cut in her marquee event, the 400-meter Individual Medley.

At a meet in Orlando, the New Tampa resident swam the 400 IM in 4 minutes, 51.42 seconds, just under the Trials cutoff of 4:51.79.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Morgan, who will be one of the youngest competitors at next year’s Olympic Trials, which will be held in June in Omaha, NE. Only the top two finishers in each event at the trials make the U.S. Olympic team.

Morgan, the top-rated mile swimmer in the country in her age group, said she expected to make the cut at some point this year, but still didn’t believe it when she touched the wall and looked up at her time. Swimmers from a number of other clubs were there to congratulate her as she exited the pool.

“When she hit the time, my wife went crazy and a whole bunch of families around us went crazy,” said Glynn Morgan, Michelle’s father. “It was exciting for her. We knew at some point this was coming, but it’s nice that she won’t have to chase it from meet to meet frantically trying to qualify.”

She is not done yet, however. Morgan missed the trials cut in the 800m freestyle at the same event in Orlando by less than half a second, swimming her race in 8:48.50; the cut is 8:48.08, a time Morgan seems poised to better.

Pipeline coach Rene Piper thinks Morgan also has a chance to make the Olympic Trials cut in the 200 IM, the 400 and 1,500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly, although the coach admits the last event is not Morgan’s favorite.

Morgan could eventually have some local company at the trials — Piper says fellow Pipeline member Carly Joerin, also a sophomore at Freedom, has an outside chance of posting a qualifying time between now and June 2020.

Setting aside the long odds of making any Olympic team, just making it to the trials is an impressive milestone.

There are roughly 400,000 swimmers registered with USA Swimming. At the 2016 trials, there was an average of 120 swimmers per event.

In the 400 IM qualifying races, there were 125 swimmers. Morgan’s time would put her in the top 30 of that group.

A daunting challenge, to be sure, but Morgan is the complete package, Piper says. She’ll have her choice of colleges next year when coaches are allowed to begin recruiting her, and her ceiling appears to be unlimited.

“She’s super smart academically, a super great student, and has a high swimming IQ, too,” Piper says. “Her focus is just incredible, and she is determined.”

Piper also says that Morgan’s work ethic is unmatched, and she never misses a practice. The one time she was late, everyone was so surprised and worried they couldn’t start the practice until she got there. Piper jokes that they have a saying at the club: “If Michelle isn’t at practice, she’s dead.”

Morgan, who finished third at the Florida Class 3A State championships last year as a freshman in the 200 IM and the 500 free, is currently chasing more Olympic trial cuts — particularly in the 800 free — at the 2019 Speedo Junior National Championships in Stanford, CA — her first big national meet.

“I’m just trying to see how good I can do in my other events,” Morgan says. “I’m trying not to jump ahead too far.”

That could be tough, with the Olympic Trials on the schedule. While the 2024 games in Paris, when Morgan will be 19, may be a more realistic goal, the experience next year will be a big boost to the promising young swimmer.

“It’s so tough to make the Olympic team,” Piper said. “But, we have already made the hotel reservations, and I am so excited for her to go and experience this. It will be great.”

olympics