Tag: Freedom

New Tampa Baseball/Softball Previews

Wharton High Baseball Primed For Another Big Season

Michael Burgess was content to be an assistant coach on the Carrollwood Day School staff for the 2022 high school baseball season. But, when the Wharton High head coaching job unexpectedly opened up, Burgess figured it was too good to pass up.

“I really just wanted to be a hitting coach,” Burgess said. “But then, this job just fell into my lap so I thought, why not? It’s a great opportunity to get some coaching experience and help prepare guys for the next level.’’

Burgess, 33, takes over for Scott Hoffman, who spent 18 years as the Wildcats’ coach, winning 267 games, including last year’s District championship. Burgess inherits a team that went 21-5 and returns several key players. Not that he’s had much time to get to know his players — Burgess was hired only about a month ago and has had to hit the ground running, as the Wildcats are off to a 4-1 start.

Burgess is no stranger to Hillsborough County baseball, however. He was a star outfielder at Hillsborough High and helped the Terriers reach the State championship in 2006. In 2007, after a stellar senior season, he was selected in the supplemental first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals as the 49th overall player selected.

While Burgess never played in a major league game, he did manage to have a 12-year professional career. He played a total of 1,256 minor league games for four different Major League Baseball organizations (Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles), in the Mexican League as well as the Independent League, hitting a total of 185 home runs before retiring in 2018.

He returned to Tampa, but hadn’t gotten baseball out of his system.

“It’s going to be a fun and great experience,’’ Burgess says of coaching the ‘Cats. “I’ve been down this road once before in high school. I’m familiar with all the competition. I can’t hit for the guys though. They’re always asking me, ‘Hey coach, you think you can beat such and such in a home run derby?’ I just tell them, ‘Y’all have no idea what I can do.’’’

Burgess will have several top-notch players returning from last year’s playoff team as his nucleus.

It starts with the one-two combination of senior pitchers Ryan Fry and Evan Chrest. Both are right-handers who combined to win 14 games last season. Fry, who is committed to University of Miami, was 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA last season, and struck out 12 in six innings to get a 2-1 win in the 2022 season opener. Chrest, a Jacksonville University commit, was 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA last season.

So far this season, the Wildcat duo has combined for. awhopping 42 strikeous in 22 innings, and only allowed five earned runs.

Burgess expects left-handed seniors Vijay Wadhwani and 6-foot-7 Jaythan Wilson to provide relief for his two starters.

“We’ve got two horses coming back,’’ Burgess says. “They have a dog mentality on the mound and throw a lot of strikes. We’re going to ride those guys all season. We have some guys who are going to come in on the back end and close out some games.’’

Offensively, senior Elijah Dukes is primed for a breakout season, and opened the 2022 season with a homer after leading the team last year with four (to go along with 24 RBI). Through five games, Dukes is hitting .429 with two homers.

The son and namesake of the former Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Hillsborough High standout, Dukes is a 5-foot-11, 240-pound prospect who can play the infield or outfield.

Burgess has known Dukes since he was born and has watched him grow up.

“I keep an eye on him and help him with his swing,’’ Burgess says. “His swing is very similar to mine. I’d say almost identical. I can really help him stay under control.

“He’s got some high expectations. He has pop to all fields. He can run. He’s not as fast as his dad, but he can run. He has good hands. We’re going to try to get some great things out of him this year.’’

Dukes won’t be the only bat to deal with for Wharton. Fellow seniors Billy Eich, a 6-6 first baseman and the Wildcats’ leading returning hitter after batting .360 last year, Quentin Meadows (14 RBI last year. andalready batting .538 this year) and David Limbach (who is on pace to better last year’s .315 BA and 20 RBI) are all expected to provide offense. With 11 seniors on the roster, expect the Wildcats to make a lot of noise in Class 6A for the next three months.

“We’re just looking for a couple of guys to step up,’’ Burgess said. “Once those couple of guys step up it’s going to be a great season.’’

FREEDOM BASEBALL
PREVIEW

COACH: Tripp Merrell (fourth season)

LAST SEASON: 12-13 (5-4, third place in Class 5A, District 6)

KEY RETURNERS: Raul Olivera, Sr., Util; Gio Mendoza, Jr., C; Lucas Richardson, Sr., INF

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Evan Mobley, Sr., P/INF; Logan Lambert, Jr., 3B.

BREAKOUT STAR: In his first game as a member of the Patriots, Evan Mobley threw a shutout in a 6-0 season-opening win over Alonso, and hasn’t allowed an earned run in two appearances. The Tampa Bay Tech transfer certainly got off to a good start and will be counted on to eat up innings this season. He also will play the infield when not on the mound. Mobley hit a team-best .340 for the Titans in 2021.

OUTLOOK: This is the fourth season for Merrell, which means this will be the first class he has coached from freshmen to seniors. The Patriots are already off to one of their best starts ever at 4-1.

There are eight seniors on the roster and plenty of depth in the lineup, and his top five returning offensive players are top hitter Raul Olivera (.430, 34 hits, 13 RBI, six doubles — all team bests in 2021). Through the first five games, freshman Bryce Nanns, junior Gio Mendoza, senior Lucas Richardson, Olivera and Mobley all have four RBI each.

In addition to Mobley, senior Michael Morrison, junior Joey Wey and senior Marshall Chastain (who has 12 strikeouts in 10.2 innings this season) should provide pitching depth.

One of the difficulties for the Patriots almost every season is the competition. District 5A-6 includes perennial Tampa powers Jesuit, Jefferson and Hillsborough. But, with a veteran roster, Freedom has as its best chance in recent memory to compete with those top-tier teams.

COACH SAYS: “There is a lot of optimism going through this program right now. We’ve got seven of our nine offensive starters returning, we’ve got a deep pitching staff. If we can improve on what we’ve been working on during the offseason then we should be in pretty good shape. Our district is very tough, but that’s Hillsborough County baseball. It’s a challenge every year.” — Freedom baseball coach Tripp Merrell

WHARTON SOFTBALL PREVIEW

COACH: Amber Lamb

LAST SEASON: 8-11 (2-5 in Class 7A, District 11).

KEY RETURNERS: Riley Collins, Sr. P; Lexi Cowles, Jr. 1B/C (photo); Isabella Rittle, Sr., INF; Haleigh Self, Sr., 3B.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Hannah Lopez, Fr.; Samantha Leyva, Fr.; Brooke Loomis, So., P/INF (Brooks-DeBartolo transfer).

BREAKOUT STAR: As the only returning pitcher with any experience, senior Riley Collins will be heavily relied upon. She threw 104 innings as a junior and had a 3.62 ERA. She struck out 40, so she will have to increase that total this season. Collins, who also hit .244, will be asked to throw strikes and should have a better defense behind her this season. She was 6-11 as a junior, but she could easily completely flip that record this season.

OUTLOOK: Lamb, who missed the Covid-shortened 2020 season due to maternity leave, had a hard time fielding a team in 2021. But, at least she fielded one — this year, Freedom High will not have a softball team, due to a lack of players.

Although Lamb’s best player, Tieley Vaughn, is now at USF after rewriting much of the school record book, the roster is fuller and Lamb says she has depth and has improved at just about every position. Junior Lexi Cowles may have been overshadowed, but she was outstanding last year, leading the team in doubles (7) and RBI (28); she also was second in hits (27), runs (20), triples (3) and home runs (3). She is off to a hot start this season, hitting .562 with two doubles and home run in the early going.

Senior infielder Isabella Rittle is hitting .417 and already has two homers, the first of her varsity career.

Lamb says she also is very impressed with freshmen Lopez and Leyva, and Loomis could pick up some innings to give Collins a breather.

COACH’S QUOTE: “There is definitely optimism this season. We had so many more girls try out this season than last season. We were so scarce on numbers. But now, it’s very encouraging. We are trying to win the District (6A-6). That is definitely a goal.’’ —Wharton softball coach Amber Lamb

Freedom

Wharton Drubs Patriots 48-0

10 Quick Things about Wharton’s 48-0 win over Freedom in the 2021 season opener for both teams

1. Wharton is now 13-6 against its rivals right down Bruce B. Downs Blvd., but Friday’s win only punctuated what is the most lopsided stretch in the series. In the last three years since Freedom’s last win, the Wildcats have outscored the Patriots 140-20. The only other three-year stretch that comes even close is 2010-12, when the Wildcats outscored Freedom 99-21.

2. Fridays game was never in doubt. Freedom quarterback Alex De la Cruz had about 2.3 seconds each play to get rid of the ball, and rushed two interceptions on his first two throws, leading to Wharton scores. After a three-and-out on Freedom’s next series, it was 20-0 midway through the opening quarter.

3. It was 41-0 with 8:44 remaining in the first half, meaning the Wildcats were scoring 2.7 points a minute, and on pace to score 129.4 points. Freedom accepted the running clock shortly after that, choosing not to wait until halftime.

4. Senior Carson Mohler, a Plant City transfer, is Wharton’s new QB, he certainly looks the part at 6-foot-2, 225.

He was 8-for-18 for 176 and three TDs last season for the Raiders.

Friday night, he was 6-for-8 for 161 yards and three TDs, completing passes to five different receivers.

5. The only receiver to catch more than one pass from Mohler was Cameron Cobb. He caught two of the widest-openest touchdowns you will ever see. And no, widest-openest isn’t a word, but it fits in this case.

6. Sophomore Arkese Parks had an 87-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the night, and finished with 90 yards. Starter Keith Morris also scored a touchdown.

7. Wharton’s defense, even without Division-I recruits like Daveon Crouch, Booker Pickett Jr. and Dijon Johnson in the lineup, came up with a number of big plays. Senior linebacker Henry Griffith had his first career interception leading to a score, lineman Micheal James returned a fumble 20 yards for a score to make it 27-0 in the first quarter, and linebacker Cam Campbell scored a touchdown as well, but it deserves its own number.

8. So, De la Cruz is punting for Freedom, and Campbell blocks the low kick right back to Patriot kicker, who punts it again, right into the hands of…Campbell. The Wildcat returns it 20 yards for a touchdown. How does one even score that? Is it legal? Has it ever happened before in the history of football? I have no idea. (And while we are at it, have two Camerons on the same team but one playing defense and one playing offense ever scored touchdowns in the same in football history?)

9. Freedom ran 23 offensive plays in the first half, to just 14 for Wharton. But the Patriots were outgained 260 yards to minus-13.

10. This game didn’t tell Wharton coach Mike Williams anything about his team. “Next week’s game will, though,” he said. Wharton travels to Jesuit for what should be a real slobberknocker.

Prep Notes: Wharton New Field, Spring Football Update

Wharton High will be playing its football games this fall on a brand new artificial turf field, with construction expected to be completed by the end of July.

The Wildcats will debut the field for their regular season football home opener against rival Freedom High on August 27.

“Oh yeah, they are excited about it,” says Wharton’s athletic director Eddie Henderson.

According to Henderson, Hillsborough County Public Schools is doing a rotation of 3-5 fields each summer, with the final goal being to install artificial turf at every public high school.

Last year, the first schools in the rotation — Sumner, Sickles and Hillsborough — had new fields put in. This summer, Steinbrenner, Lennard and Blake are getting new fields, along with Wharton. Each field costs roughly $2 million, but Henderson says the District will make up a lot of those costs with what it saves in maintenance and re-sodding.

“I think that there will be a lot of money saved over the long run,” Henderson says.

Plant High was the first county public school to put in an artificial turf field in 2010, after raising $600,000 for the project.

SPEAKING OF WILDCATS: Wharton recently wrapped up its spring season with a 14-0 loss in one half of play against Tampa Bay Tech, but second-year coach Mike Williams wasn’t concerned about the score.

“The spring is about evaluating our kids and seeing who is ready to move up to varsity,” Williams says. “And we liked what we saw.”

Although the Wildcats graduated all of their varsity quarterbacks, Williams was pleased with last year’s junior varsity starter, Tyree Works, who handled all of the spring snaps. But, Works will have more competition in the fall from some promising freshmen and transfers. Williams is hoping to transition from a power-based offense to one featuring more perimeter passes to spread out the game.

With leading rusher Keith Morris and some key wide receiver transfers ready to beef up the offense, Williams expects to score more than the 19 points per game the team averaged last year.

Almost every defensive player is back, including a linebacking crew that could make an argument for being the best in Tampa Bay and includes All-Staters Daveon Crouch, who recently committed to Boston College, and Henry Griffith and second-team MaxPreps Freshman All-American Booker Pickett Jr.

The Wildcats went 7-2 in 2020 because the defense was top-flight, allowing only nine points per game and posting three shutouts.

“This is going to be a big summer for a lot of the guys,” Williams says.

NUMBERS GAME AT FREEDOM: Freedom High, coming off a winless season, picked up an 8-7 jamboree win over King last month to wrap up spring football.

Quarterback Alex de la Cruz threw a touchdown pass to Greg Underwood Jr., and then found RJ Broadnax for the two-point conversion and the win.

De la Cruz will enter the fall as the starter, after promising freshman and last year’s leading passer Taquawn Anthony said he would not be returning to Freedom.

The Patriots suffered a more serious blow when their best player, Robby Washington, transferred to Eagle’s Landing High in McDonough, GA. Washington led Freedom in rushing, receiving and touchdowns last year, and averaged more than 12 yards every time he touched the ball. He has offers from Alabama, Miami and Boston College.

Third-year coach Chris Short will continue trying to rebuild the Patriots, though only 22 players dressed out for the spring game and very few of them had any previous game experience.

He says a lot of players are waiting on paperwork, but admits that adequately filling a football roster for the upcoming fall season will be a tough chore.

“The hardest thing I’m dealing with right now is the same as when I was an assistant, and that’s getting kids to come out,” Short says. “I’m hoping it’s a cyclical thing with us, but if we can get these kids signed up we’ll be okay.”

football Freedom Wharton

New Tampa Basketball Preview

Wharton Boys Shooting For 20 Once Again

The Wharton boys basketball program has churned out 20-win seasons for 15 straight seasons under coach Tommy Tonelli, and once again he has a roster strong enough to reach that total in 2020-21.

Just as long as Covid doesn’t get in the way.

The fall sports seasons at Wharton and Freedom survived the pandemic’s effects due mostly to the fact that they were mostly outside events. The winter season, however, means indoor sports like basketball. Even before the season was a week old, the Wildcats had gotten into a preseason classic and a regular season tournament (going 1-1 to start the season) due to teams bowing out due to Covid.

With a total of only 23 games scheduled this season (not including an extra tournament game or two, as well as the Class 7A, District 7 tournament, there will be little margin for error when it comes to Wharton again reaching 20 wins.

Last year, the Wildcats finished 25-4 and a captured a third straight district title.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Tonelli says. “Literally, you can only take it day-to-day and can’t look too far ahead, or you’re potentially setting yourself up for disappointment. You can get shut down in the blink of an eye.”

If the season is unmarred by Covid, Tonelli thinks he has another strong team, led by returning starters Elijah Barnes and Trevor Dyson.

Barnes averaged seven points a game and was a top defender last year playing primarily off guard, but as a senior this season will take over the point guard duties. Dyson, a junior forward who averaged 11 points and led the team in rebounding, is coming off a standout season, his first as a starter.

“They will be two guys we rely on this year,” Tonelli says. “They are both very skilled, can do a lot of different things on the court and are team leaders.”

Sophomore guard Chandler Davis is hoping to carry over a strong 2019-20 campaign — where he emerged as a starter towards the end of the season — into a prominent role as a full-time starter. And, Tonelli is expecting big things from junior forward Carlos Nesbitt.

“I think he (Carlos) is really ready to have a breakout year,” Tonelli says. “He’s really starting to blossom and find his confidence. “

Junior guard Jordan Brown, who is coming off a knee injury, and Kay Julius, who is currently in the starting lineup, were both on varsity last season although neither received a lot of game experience. And, sophomore forward Reginald “RJ” Bell was a junior varsity standout. The three, along with a promising group of sophomores, help give the ‘Cats a deep rotation.

Freedom Boys Trying To Unlock The Hoop

Ken Angel took over Freedom High’s boys basketball program in 2018-19 and promptly went 25-4 in his first season with a senior-laden team. But, Angel quickly learned that whatever high school basketball giveth, it can taketh away, following graduation. Last season (2019-20), the Patriots dropped to 6-19.

“It was a tough season,” says Angel.

And, one he says the Patriots have no intention of repeating.

Angel has begun the rebuilding process at Freedom, and will do so around senior guard Jack Stone (pictured above) and junior guard Josh Germain.

Stone, the team’s leading returning scorer from last year at 10 points per contest, saw playing time on that 25-4 team, and knows what it takes it win. He is the team’s best shooter, and scored 26 and 20 points in a pair of preseason classics.

Germain is a slasher who Angel thinks will be one of the team’s top scorers. Senior forward Javil Hamlet will be Freedom’s top player in the post.

A focus on scoring points has been a point of emphasis for Angel during the offseason. Last year, the Patriots scored 50 or more points in their first three games, and managed to equal that number only four more times the rest of the season.

The defense, however, was pretty stout. The problem was that the Pats actually lost games in which they allowed only 25 and 33 points.

“Defensively, we were good,” Angel says. “I wish I knew the answer to the question (on how to score more).”

Even so, Angel says he expects marked improvement this season.

“We have quite a few seniors this year,” Angel says, “it’s just a matter of who is going to step up. Last year, we had seniors, but they just didn’t get a lot of playing time the previous season. But, we’ve been in the gym, played as many fall league games as we could, and have gotten better and stronger. It’s going to be a hard road for us, but passion and heart can go a long way and these guys are hungry and aggressive.”

Wharton Girls Ready To Break Out

With Freedom unable to field a girls basketball team this season, Wharton will be the only show in town for the 2020-21 season.

And for coach Terry Thompson, it should be his best team yet, as it assumes center stage. After back-to-back 8-win seasons, the Wildcats return every player but one from last year’s team.

“Our biggest goal is to play physical and play disciplined basketball,” Thompson says. “If we do those two things, we’ll be okay. And, we hope to be competing for a District championship. We think we have the depth to be more competitive (with last year’s champion Plant, which ended Wharton’s 2019-20 season with a 72-4 massacre).”

Marinique Redding, an All-County selection last year, is the top returner. The senior forward scored 16 points in a season-opening 51-25 win over Spoto. Junior forward Leah Jessup added eight rebounds, and senior point guard Candice Green had six steals. The play of these three veterans will determine how far the Wildcats can go this season.

Wharton also does have depth. Senior captain Jenna Onderko is “the glue” that keeps the team together, and Thompson is hoping for a breakout season from junior Nilaja Bythewood. Her sister Nielle, as well as Candice Green’s freshman sister Nina, also are expected to produce this season.

“Our defense is our strength,” Thompson says. “But offensively, for the first time, we have multiple people that can score the ball. This year, our offense is a whole lot better, and so is the team.”

Freedom preview

Family Fuels Academic Success Of Freedom Valedictorian

When Amir Iranmanesh takes the stage at this year’s Freedom High graduation ceremony to give his valedictorian speech, he won’t be thinking about his GPA, which he says is 9.14.

The 18-year-old will be remembering his late grandmother, the most influential person in his life.

“Everyone says this about their grandmas, but mine was the purest, most innocent person in the world,” says Amir, who describes himself as very family-oriented. “She was magical — every time I make a decision, I pause to consider what she would do.”

Amir believes his achievement would have been impossible without his parents, who emigrated from Iran before the 1979 revolution that threw their home country into chaos and raised their children to make their own decisions since they were young.

“My parents have always put a lot of trust in me, and gave me enough love to motivate me to want to do good things,” says Amir, who also credits his brother Eamon and sister Elhaam for their support.

Amir says he didn’t intentionally aim for the top rank in his class. He had a “passion for math” and wanted to learn as much of it as possible, so he began taking dual enrollment courses at Hillsborough Community College as soon as he could.

“Understanding math truly opens a whole new perspective on the world,” says Amir, who especially enjoyed algebra and calculus but also took extra courses in literature, public speaking, visual arts and computer science.

Amir’s strategy was to fill up his school days with homework and extracurricular activities and reserve Fridays and Saturdays for spending time with family and friends.

He competed for Freedom’s swim team for three years, and was a member of the school’s National Honor Society. He also served as an officer in multiple organizations at school, including the Rho Khappa National Social Studies Honor Society, Model United Nations and Future Business Leaders of America.

Amir helped others succeed in the classroom, too. He created a year-long math tutoring club staffed by student and teacher volunteers during their lunch hours, and also collected more than 3,500 book donations for the New Tampa Regional Library.

The future businessman currently serves as the treasurer of the student body-elected Executive Board of the HCC Dale Mabry Student Government Association. He manages a nearly $650,000 budget, votes on how to use the money during weekly board meetings and helps run general student body meetings on Tuesdays.

Although undecided at our press time where he will attend college, Amir says he plans to attend somewhere in Florida to remain close to his family.

Amir says he draws inspiration from his parents — father Ali, a civil engineer who owns a company with Amir’s mother Parvin, a former social worker.

“I plan to major in business so I can learn everything about how companies work, then invest in real estate once I have a steady income,” Amir says.

Amir traveled back to his native Iran last month for an extended vacation, exploring new cities and visiting family. He also took time to pay his respects at the grave sites of his three late grandparents and reflect on what he might do someday to alleviate the country’s crumbling economy.

“It’s upsetting to see people from my own city suffer and struggle to pay for food,” he says. “Whatever my journey is, it will surely consist of me giving back to my hometown.”

Freedom High’s 2019 graduation ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds on U.S. 301 in Tampa on Thursday, May 30, at 9 a.m.

Freedom valedictorian