Although we have created this contest a week before the end of 2023 pro football season, last year’s ‘Big Game Squares’ contest was so popular we decided to run it back again for our readers. So, here’s how you can win FREE dining in our 2024 ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest. Simply click HERE and fill out the formby Friday, February 9. On Saturday, February 10, I will first assign random squares on the grid below for each entrant. Then, I will randomly assign numbers 0-9 along the top row under the AFC Champion’s name and in the far left column next to the NFC Champ’s name. Then, when the ‘big game’ is played, whoever’s name is in the box that matches up with the last digit of the score for each team wins a FREE gift card to the restaurant of their choice. For example, if the score is NFC 10, AFC 7 at the end of the first quarter and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 0 & AFC 7, you would win a $25 gift card as the first quarter winner. If the score is 13-13 at the end of the first half and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 3, AFC 3, you would win a $50 gift card. We also will offer a $25 gift card to whoever has the correct box at the end of the third quarter and a $100 gift card for the correct score at the end of the game, whether at the end of the 4th quarter or overtime. See all of our official contest rules and fill out the form for your chance to win by clicking HERE. — GN
(Above) Nearly 100 runners took part in the first-ever Freedom Firecracker 5K run & 1-mile fun run at Freedom High in Tampa Palms on a hot and humid July 4. (All photos by Charmaine George)
Our first Freedom Firecracker 5K (and 1-mile fun run) turned out to be a huge success on the morning of the 4th of July. When all was said and done, 98 people had registered for the race — after the numbers were much lower (at only about 30) until the last several days before the event.
Eight-year-old Lochlan Lawley finished the 3.1 miles in 24.48, or almost exactly 8 minutes per mile
Race day was bright, clear, sunny, hot and humid and there was lots of red, white and blue. America-themed pop music played over the loudspeakers. Several members of the Freedom PTSA were there to help with setup, face painting and providing course directions for the runners. A number of student volunteers from Freedom’s Key Club also came out to help with face painting, handing out bead necklaces and providing water to runners at stations along the route.
After the playing of the national anthem, the race began promptly at 8 a.m., with an actual firecracker start! The course took the runners off Freedom’s new track, and then twice around the back of the school, up past the New Tampa Recreation Center along Commerce Park Blvd., and back through the parking lot, finishing up back on the track.
The overall winner at the Freedom Firecracker 5K was Mason LaBlance.
Hot dogs and red, white and blue popsicles were enjoyed after the race ended!
Medals were given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in male and female categories. The fastest runner overall was Mason LaBlance, who finished the 3.1-mile (5K) run in a time of 17:35.2. Mason, a student at King High, finished more than a minute ahead of his nearest competitors!
The other 5K medal winners were:
Male:
2. Joseph Kuhns – 18:44.5 (Freedom student)
3. Noah Brucculeri – 18:51.5
Female:
1. Elsi Rehberg – 22:08.5
2. Madelyn Ammirati – 23:22.3 (Freedom student)
3. Abigail Lawley – 23:27.2
The top-three male finishers were (l.-r.)Joseph Kuhns, Mason LaBlance & Noah Brucculeri. The top-three female finishers were (l.-r.) Elsi Rehberg, Madelyn Ammirati & Abigail Lawley.
The link at the end of this story will take you to a complete listing of the race results. Thanks to Freedom’s track coach Alex Hernandez for providing the link so everyone who participated can check their official results!
The 5K was followed by a 1-mile run/walk around the Freedom track. Mostly parents and some staff members participated in that event.
Freedom assistant principal Jenna Lamour and Coach Hernandez did an outstanding job organizing our school’s first-ever Firecracker 5K event. Thank you to them, the runners and their families, the Freedom PTSA and Freedom Key Club for their participation and support of the Freedom Athletics program.
Ms. Lamour says that the event generated about $2,000 in proceeds, which will be used to purchase athletic equipment, supplement uniforms, support coaches at clinics, recognition banquets, varsity letters/pins, etc.
Karmello Branch drives to the hoop in Wharton’s region championship victory Friday night. (Photo: Mike Bitting)
New coach. Some new players. Same old results.
Wharton is headed back to the Class 6A boys basketball final four for the second straight season after dominating Charlotte 52-35 Friday night.
The Wildcats (24-6) will take on Palm Beach Dwyer (27-1) in their semifinal on Thursday, March 2 at either 6 or 8 p.m. at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
“It’s a great feeling,” said first-year coach and former Wharton star Shawn Vanzant, considered the best player in the program’s history. “I never made it as a player (although he did make it to the NCAA Final Four as a player for Butler University). I took over this year and a lot of guys didn’t know me. It took a while to bond, but once we got that camaraderie going, it’s been an amazing ride. I’m real proud of these boys.”
The Wildcats got three-pointers early from Lucean Milligan and Jayson Montgomery to take a 6-0 lead, and it wasn’t until 40 seconds were remaining in the first quarter that Charlotte scored its first basket.
When Milligan had to leave the game with early foul trouble, Christian Ayala came off the bench to sink two more three-pointers, and finished with eight points in the first half as Wharton opened up a 21-11 halftime lead.
“I might not have started, but I brought that will to get in the game and do whatever I could,” Ayala said. “I guarded, I knocked down a couple of threes, that’s what I do. It created some momentum, and the second half we had to just had to keep the foot on the gas pedal.”
“Christian is a big part of the team,” Vanzant said. “He’s a senior, great leadership, next-guy-up mentality. I know when I put Christian in the game, he’s going to make big plays.”
Charlotte shot only 4-for-18 in the first half, and by the time it started shooting better it was too late. The Wildcats opened the second half with a Chandler Davis bucket (off a Montgomery steal), and Mike Warnock made a trey to bump the lead to 26-11.
The Tarpons (16-14) made a run towards the end of the third quarter, but the Wildcats closed the quarter with an 8-0 run (thanks to three-pointers from Davis and Milligan) to make it 39-24 and out of reach as the defense clamped down.
“The game plan was to play defense and rebound because we were outsized a little bit,” Davis said. “They were bigger, but we held out ground..”
Charlotte’s frontline of Kirby Schmitz (6-foot-7), Chris Cornish (6-5) and John Gamble (6-6) combined to average 40 points this year, but were held to a total of 15 points by Wharton’s big men Karmello Branch and Davis, as well as sterling perimeter defense by the guards.
How easy is it to win a $25, $50 or $100 gift card? Just fill out the form below and if you’re one of the first 100, you’ll get a free square. Before the Feb. 12 Super Bowl, we’ll post the squares so you can see what number to root for. Good luck!
Local dignitaries and members of the Porter family were on hand on Jan. 10 for the unveiling of the new Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility on the USF Tampa Campus.
Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter says that athletics have always been important to his family, so when the chance came to play a significant role in helping the University of South Florida add a state-of-the-art training facility, Porter said it was impossible for him to resist.
On Jan. 10, Porter and his family were on hand to celebrate the opening of the Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility on USF’s Tampa campus. The 88,000-sq.-ft. facility features a 100-yard turf field, an observation deck, scoreboards, locker rooms, a reception lobby and more.
“We think it’s going to be a difference maker,” said Porter, echoing the sentiment of everyone involved.
For decades, the lack of quality on-campus facilities has been a detriment to recruiting, particularly for football, which also has been saddled by the lack of an on-campus stadium.
But, the Porter family’s $5.1-million donation is the first step towards correcting those deficiencies, and a new on-campus football stadium is right around the corner, perhaps as soon as fall 2026.
At the event on Jan. 10, new USF football coach Alex Golesh said that not having this type of training facility is a huge disadvantage, “but I think a facility like this puts you on a level playing field.”
The Porter family has steadfastly supported USF. The James H. and Martha M. Porter Endowment for Alzheimer’s Research was established to benefit the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s pursuit of collaborative Alzheimer’s research with the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. In addition, the Porter family started the James H. & Martha M. Porter Alzheimer’s Research Equipment Operating Fund to support equipment purchases for use in that collaborative research.
Porter said his family, which founded a branch campus of Pasco-Hernando State College in Wiregrass Ranch and donated the land for the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, was happy to help, and applauded the team that helped make it happen, which included Wesley Chapel resident (and former Speaker of the Florida House) Will Weatherford, who currently is the chairman of the USF Board of Trustees.
“It was a natural fit,” Porter said. “Athletics and education have always been important to our family, and this was just a great opportunity. Knowing that the right team was at the helm to actually execute the plan made it a fairly easy decision for us.”
