Wharton cornerback Fred Jolly has been one of the top players this season on the Wildcatsā fearsome defense. (Photo: Alyssa Cason).
Prior to Wharton Highās game against Plant on Oct. 23, first-year head coach Mike Williams was about the only person around the Wildcatsā football program who could remember the last time Wharton beat the Panthers.
But thatās only because he played in that game, for Plant, which suffered a 15-14 loss on that night ā way back in 2000.
Well, it doesnāt take such a long memory to remember such things anymore, because Wharton beat Williamsā alma mater 10-0 ā even more impressive considering that Plant had scored 40 or more points in the last five games between the teams.
The win improved Whartonās record to 6-0 on the season, its best start since going 7-0 in 2006. It can match that start tonight with a win over Durant at Wharton.
āWe expected to have a good season, but maybe not to this extent,ā says Williams, a former college All-American wide receiver at Southern Cal and first-round NFL draft pick of Detroit. āI knew we had some good players, and some good size, but we also had a bunch of young players competing for the first time.ā
Another thing Williams knew ā his defense was going to be nasty. And it has been.
The Wildcats have only allowed 23 points in six games. Only one team ā Alonso ā has scored a touchdown against Wharton, getting two while losing 44-17 to the Wildcats. Wharton has shut out Freedom 50-0, King 14-0, and Plant.
While the offense is still rounding into shape, the āCats have been truly dominant on the other side of the ball.
Junior linebacker Henry Griffith leads the team with 56 tackles, including nine for a loss of yards, and Booker Pickett Jr. has 50 tackles. Only a freshman, Pickett Jr. is already 6ā-4ā, 200 pounds ā āHeās a monster,ā Williams says ā and shares the same on-field ferocity as his father, a former University of Miami linebacker.
Junior linebacker Daveon Crouch, arguably the teamās best overall player and a Division I prospect, has a team-high nine sacks and regularly delivers a wallop, forcing six fumbles.
And, if you can bypass the linebackers, the Wildcatsā defensive backfield will be waiting for you.
āWe have elite cover guys,ā Williams says. āIn my book, we have the best secondary in the county that nobody is talking about.ā
Junior cornerback Jairon Dorsey leads the team with four interceptions, and has returned two of them for touchdowns. Junior Fred Jolly has eight passes defended and returned a punt blocked by Pickett Jr. for a TD with five minutes left to beat Palm Harbor University 7-3.
Williams says Junior Jason Cornwell, who returned his only interception this season 70 yards for a score, and senior Markell Dominique are primetime players as well.
Wharton, which had its Oct. 30 game against Steinbrenner canceled due to Covid-19 issues related to the Warriors, will wrap up the regular season tonight, then will host Riverview in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs on Nov. 13.
Williams hopes his offense, directed by quarterback Emery Floyd, and the 1-2 punch of running backs Keith Morris and Johnny Cason, is clicking by then. Along with the defense, he thinks something special might be brewing off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
āEven though the program may have been up and down, Coach Mitchell really had a group that wasnāt afraid to work hard, wasnāt afraid to be in the weight room,ā Williams says. āHe had good things going. Weāre going to keep it going.ā
Dr. Jonathan Yousef (left) and Ryan DeWeese of Cozy Research will conduct a clinical trial out of Dr. Yousefās Wesley Chapel office in the battle against Covid-19. (Photo: Courtesy of Ryan DeWeese)
Wesley Chapel will be helping with the fight against Covid-19, and you can help, too.
Bio-pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, with $486 million from the U.S government to accelerate its Covid-19 antibody therapy, known as AZD7442, will begin Phase-III clinical trials in various cities worldwide.
Cozy Research, LLC, a research company founded in 2016 by Wesley Chapel resident Ryan DeWeese, has been contracted by AstraZeneca to help conduct one of its clinical studies of roughly 5,000 volunteers worldwide, including 100-200 people in the Wesley Chapel area.
āWeāve placed most of our other studies on hold just due to the importance of Covid treatment,ā DeWeese says. āWeāre dumping all our resources into this upcoming study.ā
Cozy Research has three offices in Pasco County ā one for cardiology in Zephyrhills with Dr. Binu Jacob, one for gastroenterology in Wesley Chapel with Dr. Saeed Ahmed and the Lifetime Family & Urgent Care office in Wesley Chapel of Dr. Jonathan Yousef.
Dr. Yousefās office, located at 5801 Argerian Dr., off of S.R. 54, will be home to the AZD7442 clinical study.
āThis is the biggest study weāve done,ā DeWeese says. āWe havenāt seen anything like this (Covid) in 100 years, so itās an all-hands-on-deck approach. This is groundbreaking stuff, and something that weāre ecstatic to be able to provide.ā
Phase III trials are usually the last phase before seeking FDA approval.
If the trial is successful, AstraZeneca, which is based in Cambridge, UK, will supply 100,000 doses of the antibody therapy to the United States by the end of the year.
AZD7442 is a clone of antibodies, which are made by your immune system in response to infections. They stick to viruses and prevent them from infecting healthy cells. The antibodies used for engineering AZD7442 are derived from patients after they have recovered from being infected by the novel coronavirus, and mimic natural antibodies.
DeWeese said Cozy Research is looking for roughly 200 adults ages 18 and older to take part in the study.
They need to find people who have never been infected with Covid-19 but are at high risk of exposure. The hope is that the antibodies can protect those at high risk of getting the disease due to their jobs ā like teachers, healthcare workers, service industry workers and first responders ā as well as those who are over the age of 60 who may not be able to tolerate a vaccine due to other medical conditions.
Participants will receive a one-time injection of the monoclonal antibodies, which should be effective for six months to a year, and will have to check back five times over the next year to see if the antibodies are still present.
āThe hope of the study is that 90 percent of the people will never end up getting Covid,ā DeWeese says.
Those taking part in the antibody study will not necessarily be protected from the virus. The injection of antibodies does not replace hand washing and mask wearing, DeWeese says. āYou still need to exercise caution; this is just another layer of protection.ā
Cozy Research will be pre-screening patients over the phone and will give priority based on medical need or risk factors. Appointments will be Tuesday-Friday, with some Saturday openings available.
Volunteers may receive compensation for their time and travel
The study was expected to begin in early November. For more info or to see if you qualify, email Ryan@cozyresearch.com or call (813) 922-2115.
Wesley Chapel has been without a library for more than a year since the only previous location, the New River Branch Library on S.R. 54, began a major facelift.
That facelift, which will feature areas for teens and children, remodeled bathrooms, new furniture, an improved community garden and covered learning space, should be completed by January, but that hasnāt stopped District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore from looking ahead to another library for the area.
āI think the time is right,ā Moore says, pointing to the massive growth the area has witnessed in recent years, as well as the tens of thousands of homes still planned for the future.
Moore pitched the idea to his fellow county commissioners last week.
As usual, it will all come down to finding the money to build what Moore expects would be roughly a $10-million endeavor.
It may be a few years away, but plans to add a second library in Wesley Chapel are proceeding. The rendering above shows the outdoor lounge.
The land already is owned by Pasco County, Moore says. It is right in front of Seven Oaks Elementary, off of Mystic Oaks Blvd. In 2004, that parcel was set aside as part of the development agreement for the Seven Oaks DRI with the intention that the county would use it for a future library.
In September, Moore was able to secure funding for a concept design for the 20,000-sq.-ft. facility. Renderings of the possible library show plenty of meeting spaces inside and outside, as well as large glass windows that overlook the wetlands that would be behind the library (above).
Now, he is proposing a larger expenditure, probably close to $1-million, to fund the actual design of the library.
After that, āWeāll look at all possible resources to get it built,ā Moore says.
Bob Harrison, the Pasco County Libraries marketing and communications program manager, says it could take 3-4 years to bring the project to fruition. He agrees that Wesley Chapelās rapid growth warrants a second library.
āWe definitely look at the growth areas and Wesley Chapel is probably the fastest growing area in Pasco County and has been for some time,ā he says. āIt definitely could use another library based on its population growth.ā
Many of the countyās libraries have been refurbished and received updated maker spaces. For example, the Regency Park Library in New Port Richey has a test kitchen, the Hudson library has a recording studio, and both were decided on by local residents.
Harrison says the Wesley Chapel community will decide what special features to put in a new library via focus groups and meetings.
āAs far as I know, (Moore and his fellow commissioners) are certainly committed to making it happen,ā Harrison says. āOf course, funding is always a question, but I know at this point they are moving forward with it.ā
Although the New River Library is still closed, itās still available as an early voting site for this yearās General Election. For info, visit PascoVotes.com.
Shaun Dunn says sales of Trump merchandise are a good indicator of how well the President will do in Florida. The polls say otherwise. (Photo by John C. Cotey)
If local merchandise sales are any indication, Donald Trump is headed to a landslide re-election on Nov. 3.
Thatās how Shaun Dunn sees it, anyway. The businessman runs a Trump tent right next to his Joe Biden tent at the entrance to The Grove in Wesley Chapel, and says the Republican president is outselling the Democratic former VP 10-to-1. He is admittedly not a political scientist or pollster, but he is a numbers guy, and he thinks they are saying something.
āIf there really is 50 percent support of Biden, that tent should really have way more people,ā he says. āAs far as Iām concerned it just really shows you that the silent majority is more than you think.ā
Based on his sales and the interest people stopping by have shown, he thinks Wesley Chapel is Trump Country. Memorabilia like Trump-branded magnets, yard signs, hats, coins, mugs and yes, even masks to protect you from the spread of coronavirus, are flying off his tables.
Flags and the iconic red Make America Great Again hats are his best sellers, and Dunn says he has sold 250 life-size cutouts of Trump ā at $75 a pop ā since opening his stand on Sept. 1.
Before he could open his Trump tent at The Grove, however, he had to agree to open a Biden tent as well.
Mark Gold, who is developing The Grove, insisted Dunn do a tent for each candidate, as he didnāt want to get caught in any political quandary.
āI told him if he wants to do one, he does both,ā Gold says. āTo be fair.ā
Dunn says he was fine with the idea. In fact, he kind of liked it.
āI got to thinking about it, and you know, thatās probably the right thing to do,ā he says. āThat way, everybody gets a chance.ā
In fact, Dunn has opened Biden tents next to his Trump tents at his Holiday Mall location, also owned by Gold, and in Lakeland.
The Biden tent at The Grove was his first, and he says he has never seen any others in his travels.
Suli Torres works the Biden tent. She jokes that she got the short end of the stick, but since she will be voting for Biden, she is fine with it.
āEveryone is pretty excited to see me, Iāve even had people offer me food and drinks,ā she says, then adding, with a chuckle, āmaybe they feel sorry for me.ā
Torres was engaged in a conversation with a customer about climate change when we visited on a Monday morning, although that conversation was interrupted by a young woman wanting to purchase a Biden hat. At the Trump tent, though, Dunn was busy ringing up a pink āWomen For Trumpā t-shirt and a matching pink hat for one customer, and a mask and a coffee mug for another
Does the popularity of the Trump tent concern Torres when it comes to the Nov. 3 election?
Not really. āFlorida is a Republican (controlled) state, so Iām okay with it,ā she says. āI will cast my vote and hope for the best.ā
Dunn eschews political talk at either tent. He says his employees are trained not to get political with customers. He is unwilling to debate Trump vs. Biden, and says he is only there to make money.
āThey all want to talk politics,ā he says. āI donāt say nothing. Basically, I tell them āI hear ya,ā because I donāt want to be getting involved. I like somebody, but I prefer not to say. Iāll vote for who I like. But, this is just a business for me.ā
The one thing the Trump and Biden tents, which are spaced about 10 feet apart, do have in common? The amount of vitriol those working them have had to endure.
Due to the toxicity of the countryās political climate, Dunn and Torres each say they have been sworn at and threatened by people driving by or leaving after purchasing something from the other tent.
Financially, the Biden tent only makes enough money to cover what Dunn pays his employees and the rent. The Trump tent has been far more lucrative.
Dunn says four of his former employees left him to start their own Trump tents, and are all doing well. He wishes he had started selling it sooner. āIād be able to retire by now,ā he says.
However, do sales equal votes? Even in 2016, the Trump merchandising operation was a juggernaut, and he lost the popular vote by roughly 3-million nationwide to former First Lady Hillary Clinton, while claiming a narrow 70,000-vote edge in crucial battleground states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to give him a victory in the electoral college. (Trump won Florida by 112,000 votes; he won Pasco County by 52,000).
This election, the polls are favoring Biden ā by larger margins than they favored Clinton ā but Trump gear is just as prevalent, if not moreso, than four years ago. How those numbers will add up on election day remains to be seen.
The only math that really matters, however, is the nationwide final tally of votes. Record turnout is expected all across the country.
Dunn is likely correct about Wesley Chapel, and more broadly Pasco County, being Trump Country. Republicans have unanimously controlled the five-person County Commission for many years, and there are currently 159,127 registered Republicans, or 26,100 more than in 2016.
Meanwhile, there are only 118,127 registered Democrats in Pasco, an increase of only 10,800.
There also are 109,682 registered voters who did not list a party affiliation, an increase of 27,000 from the 2016 election.
One thing that is certain: Pasco County will vote. Presidential election voter turnout has averaged well over 70 percent since 1984, according to the PascoVotes.gov website. In 2016, the voter turnout was 73 percent.
In fact, residents were voting long before early voting even started on Oct. 19, as more than 70,000 mail-in votes already had been received, accounting for 18 percent of all registered voters in Pasco.
And, with this election expected to break turnout records across the country, Tami Bentley, the director of voter administration for Pasco County, says they are ready not just for more voters, but more socially-distant voters, due to Covid-19 concerns.
āWe have worked closely with Pasco County to secure some larger early voting facilities,ā Bentley says, like the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.
In addition, mail drop boxes will be posted at every early voting site for the first time, hopefully assuaging fears about mail-in ballot voter fraud being perpetuated on social media and by President Trump himself.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley also put out a joint statement promising a safe environment at all early voting locations, all of which will be manned by Poll Deputies.
Interesting Local Pasco Races
While Trump-Biden tops the ballot and is driving the expected record voter turnout, other races that have local implications include:
Superintendent of Schools: Kurt Browning, the Republican who easily won his primary, is running for his third term against Bayonet Point Middle School teacher Cynthia Thompson, who says the District needs an educator to fix it.
State Senator District 20: Republican Danny Burgess resigned as executive director of the Florida Department of Veteranās Affairs in June to run against Democrat Kathy Lewis in this special election to replace Tom Lee, who retired.
State Representative District 38: Republican Randy Maggard won the 2018 election to replace Burgess, and is defending his seat against Democrat Brian Staver.
Pasco County Commission, District 3: Incumbent Republican Kathryn Starkey, first elected in 2012, has raised more than $200,000 in her bid to keep her seat against Democrat Jessica Stempien, who has raised $30,000.
Pasco County Commission, District 5: Incumbent Republican Jack Mariano is seeking his fifth term (he was first elected in 2004) against Democrat Brandi Geoit and independent Victor Rodriguez.
Florida 12th U.S. Congressional District: Republican incumbent Gus Bilirakis, who replaced his father Mike (who served for 25 years) when he was first elected to the District 9 seat in 2007, is trying for another term in District 12 (which he has represented since 2013)against Democrat Kimberly Walker.
Early voting continues through Oct. 31, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Vote By Mail drop boxes are available at each early voting site, including the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus (3021 Sports Coast Way), AdventHealth Center Ice (3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd.) and the New River Library (34043 S.R. 54).
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, when polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.. Wesley Chapel has 13 polling places, which can be found by visiting PascoVotes.gov or by checking your voter registration information.
Considering that I didnāt cast a ballot for U.S. President back in 2016 (and took a lot of heat for it, from friends and readers on both ends of the political spectrum), it should come as little to no surprise that I did not vote for either President Donald Trump or former Vice-President Joe Biden (or any other candidate) this year.
Oh, just as I did in 2016, I still voted, I just didnāt feel, in all good conscience, that I could vote for either of these two men to lead our country for the next four years.
āWell, that means you canāt complain if you donāt like who ends up getting elected,ā is what many of my detractors told me in ā16.
I countered that, as an American citizen, I have the right to do anything I want (as long as itās legal), I just felt again that I would rather let the rest of the country decide between two candidates I canāt personally support ā which also is my right.
And, just to repeat myself, just because I didnāt cast my vote for Trump or former First Lady Hillary Clinton in ā16, or Trump or Biden this year doesnāt mean I didnāt vote. I did vote for the local and state candidates I felt I could support ā some of whom won and some who lost last time ā and I again feel pretty good about most of the people and amendments I did support.
And yes, I have now voted this year ā by a mail-in ballot that I requested and received from Pasco Supervisor of Elections Brian Corleyās office. I had no desire whatsoever to vote in person and, based on the lines from Day One at Pascoās early voting locations, I donāt want to drop off my ballot, either.
Covid-19 has affected so many aspects of our daily lives and although Iām still wearing a face mask everywhere in public I do go, way too many of you arenāt doing the same, so even with my vote, I still feel I need to do everything I can to protect myself.
As for who Iām voted for in some of the other elections on the Nov. 3 ballot, Iād rather not say, but Here is how I voted on all six Amendments to the Florida Constitution that also were on my ballot ā several of which I have fairly strong feelings about:
On Amendment 1, I say Yes, you should have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in any election, although I foolishly thought it was already a requirement nationwide.
On Amendment 2, considering the cost of living these days, I donāt feel that even $10 per hour is much of a living wage, and As a small business owner, I have no problem with the $1-per-hour-per-year increase through 2026, so Iām voting Yes.
On Amendment 3, I feel very strongly that in Primary Elections, only registered Republicans should vote for Republican candidates and Democrats for Democratic candidates, unless there is no opposition candidate, which is the system we currently have in place, so Iām voted No on changing that.
On Amendment 4, I feel that we already have too many such amendments to deal with every year, so to require any amendment to have to be approved in two elections gets a hard No from me. Iām not really 100% sure how I feel about Amendment 5, but I voted Yes because I believe that homeowners (even though Iām not currently one) should get as much benefit as they can since owning a home continues to only get more expensive.
And finally, I also feel that any spouse of any deceased or disabled veteran should get as much benefit as possible from their spouseās service, so Iām voting Yes on Amendment 6.
Even if you disagree with everything Iāve said here, I hope youāll also exercise your right to vote in this very important General Election.
