FORT MYERS — The breakthrough seemed only a run away, especially after Daniel Portales delivered the tying single in the bottom of the fourth. Then Jesuit failed to score with the bases loaded. It happened again with runners at first and third base in the bottom of the fifth. In ...
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Wed. May 22, 2013 at 11:53 p.m. | Joel Anderson
When Armwood’s first-team defense completed its goal-line stand with a fourth-and-2 stop to conclude Friday evening’s intrasquad scrimmage, rising junior defensive end Byron Cowart was lined up at nose guard. Cowart (6-foot-5, 250 pounds), shaping up as the area’s top recruit from the Class of 2015, said he’s hopeful of ...
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Mon. May 20, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. | Joey Knight
TAMPA — His fourth voyage to the precipice of prep baseball immortality seems mildly different than the previous three. Spencer Trayner believes it’s due to the collection of passengers making this latest May sojourn. The Jesuit senior calls it “the grittiest, scrappiest team yet so far that I’ve been a ...
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Mon. May 20, 2013 at 5:32 p.m. | Joey Knight
The fervor over the Jesuit basketball team's state championship season reached a new level of euphoria Tuesday afternoon. Lin-sanity. Beneath a shroud of secrecy, Houston Rockets PG Jeremy Lin made a 90-minute cameo Tuesday at the Tiger Palace, where he engaged in a pickup game with the seniors from Jesuit's ...
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Wed. May 15, 2013 at 11:23 a.m. | Joey Knight
TAMPA — The question, as it often is with state high school baseball semifinals, is whether to throw your ace in the semifinal or save him for a potential title game matchup. Over the years, that question seems to get answered mostly like this: ace. Get there. Then worry about ...
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Mon. May 13, 2013 at 7:32 p.m. | John C. Cotey
TAMPA Mason Warren looked up at Daddy on Friday night, a deep look of consternation on his face. He had just watched Leland Saile, one of the Jesuit High baseball players, dump a big old thing of Gatorade — a special mixture by trainer Chris Smith of lemon-lime and grape ...
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Sat. May 11, 2013 at 12:24 a.m. | John C. Cotey
DURANT — For the plan to work, Chaz Fowler had to keep the game within striking distance and Durant needed to punish Orlando Timber Creek for pitching around Tyler Danish. So much of the Cougars’ winning formula revolved around Danish on Friday night, from getting him to the mound to ...
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Sat. May 11, 2013 at 12:18 a.m. | Joel Anderson
The football vernacular is loaded with names — derby, duel, controversy, quagmire — for quarterback competitions. We’re not going to affix any such label to those occurring locally. Suffice to say, some county jobs are up for grabs. Here are some more prominent vacancies, and those vying for them. Alonso ...
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Thu. May 09, 2013 at 11:14 p.m. | Times Staff
EAST LAKE — Never mind what may have been said over social media, or from the aluminum bleachers, or from the fences along the foul lines, or even in those fleeting moments between fastballs. Here’s what was said when the game was all over, when Tyler Danish had done what ...
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Wed. May 08, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA — King senior right-hander Brett Morales admits that it sometimes takes him an inning or two to get comfortable on the mound. Once Morales locks in, however, he’s usually unshakable. On Thursday, even a 30-minute lightning delay couldn’t break Morales’ concentration. The Florida signee threw a three-hitter in King’s ...
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Fri. May 03, 2013 at 12:37 a.m. | Bryan Burns
TAMPA — All three of Jesuit’s starting quarterback candidates made a splash on Day One, if only by planting their feet on the waterlogged Alumni Field synthetic turf. Clearer skies must prevail before offensive coordinator Chris Taylor gets a read on who his guy will be in 2013, but for ...
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Wed. May 01, 2013 at 10:35 p.m. | Times Staff
Photo gallery JACKSONVILLE — At Saturday’s Class 2A state track meet, the pole vault runway was back to being a zone reserved for Hillsborough County boys and girls athletes, just as it was when gold medals were a foregone conclusion, not a point of conjecture. Tampa Catholic’s Nicole Carroll and ...
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Sat. April 27, 2013 at 11:37 p.m. | Bob Putnam
TAMPA — After only a handful of pitches, it was clear Brandon Caples did not — and would not — have his best stuff. The King senior, who came into the game with an 8-0 record and 1.25 ERA, was obviously not his usual self in the District 6A-11 championship ...
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Fri. April 26, 2013 at 12:15 a.m. | Joel Anderson
VALRICO — Before the district tournament started Monday, Wharton coach Scott Hoffman noticed a funny little quirk about the bracket. It looked awfully familiar. The Wildcats were poised to face the same teams they had last year, when they won the District 8A-7 championship and made it to the region ...
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Tue. April 23, 2013 at 11:07 p.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA – To fans of college football, the tale of Nick Saban’s customary reception to University of Alabama recruits has become the stuff of legend. As the story goes, Saban – usually wearing a suit and crimson-colored tie in most retellings – invites the recruit into his office, offers him ...
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Sat. April 20, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. | Joel Anderson