DADE CITY — An Ohio State assistant coach was sitting in a Tampa barbershop this spring, raving about a high school freshman who had just landed a Buckeyes offer. That’s when Unsigned Preps 7-on-7 coach Carlos Blake asked if he wanted to see a real ninth grader. Blake whipped out ...
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Sat. May 18, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. | Matt Baker
SHADY HILLS One of the North Suncoast’s top returning quarterbacks may not be familiar to those outside of Bishop McLaughlin. • Rising senior R.J. Perciavalle is going into his third season as the starter under center and even saw some looks at quarterback as a freshman. • As a sophomore, ...
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Fri. May 17, 2013 at 8:56 p.m. | Derek J. LaRiviere
Spring football gives coaches time to test out players who are new to the sport or evaluate players who have seen little varsity action. • Here are four of the North Suncoast’s secret weapons who saw little or no varsity time last fall but could become game changers this upcoming ...
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Thu. May 16, 2013 at 3:02 p.m. | Matt Baker
Nate Craig, Pasco WR (6-3, 200) The latest: One of the state's top freshmen has landed offers from all of the state’s top three programs this week. Miami became the last of the big three to offer Craig a scholarship, Pirates assistant Chad Hatfield announced on Twitter. Later in the ...
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Thu. May 16, 2013 at 2:46 p.m. | Matt Baker
BROOKSVILLE Heading into his third season at the helm, one thing Mike Einspahr has taken away from his experience as coach is quality is more important than quantity. • His first spring in 2010, the 72 players who were on the practice field for Central more than doubled the amount ...
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Wed. May 15, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. | Derek J. LaRiviere
Nate Craig, Pasco WR (6-3, 200) The latest: One of the state's top freshmen now has the attention of two of the state's power programs. The Gators became the first state school to offer the sophomore-to-be, Pirates coach Tom McHugh announced on Twitter. UF coach Will Muschamp called McHugh to ...
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Tue. May 14, 2013 at 12:04 p.m. | Matt Baker
FAU gave Pasco ATH Malik Johns is first college offer, Pirates coach Tom McHugh announced Tuesday morning on Twitter. “FAU!!!” McHugh said. “It is about time.” Johns was one of the North Suncoast’s most dynamic weapons as a junior. He returned five punts for a touchdown – including in the ...
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Tue. May 14, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. | Matt Baker
HOLIDAY Despite Anclote’s reliance on the run last fall, the Sharks needed the leadership and skills of quarterback John Forgione to make their first playoff run. • That’s why one of Anclote’s big challenges this spring — along with developing the offensive line — is to find the replacement for ...
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Mon. May 13, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. | Matt Baker
Nate Craig, Pasco WR (6-3, 200) The latest: Rutgers became the seventh college to offer the sophomore-to-be, Craig announced Friday morning on Facebook. The Scarlet Knights regularly recruit the North Suncoast and landed Pasco star Janarion Grant in February. Later in the day, Craig received an offer from Vanderbilt ...
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Fri. May 10, 2013 at 9:47 a.m. | Matt Baker
Led by Division I prospects Malik Johns and Nate Craig, Pasco could have a dozen athletes vying for playing time at running back or receiver and carrying on the Pirates’ tradition of standout skill players. • But one early story in spring is Pasco’s beefier, stronger offensive line that is ...
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Thu. May 09, 2013 at 8:29 p.m. | Matt Baker
BROOKSVILLE One of Hernando’s biggest challenges this spring is to find a replacement for Tyrail Hawkins, the do-it-all athlete who lined up everywhere from quarterback to defensive back to returner and signed with Georgia Southern. • “We won’t have just that one guy,” Leopards coach Dwayne Mobley said. “We’ve got ...
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Wed. May 08, 2013 at 3:49 p.m. | Matt Baker
Another day, another big-name offer for Pasco WR Nate Craig. The standout sophomore-to-be picked up an offer from the Tennessee Vols on Wednesday morning, Pirates coach Tom McHugh announced on Twitter. Craig also has offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Mississippi State, Texas Tech and UMass. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Craig has ...
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Wed. May 08, 2013 at 11:03 a.m. | Matt Baker
Pasco WR Nate Craig landed his first SEC offer today. The standout sophomore-to-be picked up an offer from Mississippi State, Pirates coach Tom McHugh announced via Twitter. Craig also has offers from Texas Tech, Ohio State and UMass. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Craig has drawn attention from recruiters and recruiting gurus ...
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Mon. May 06, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. | Matt Baker
Fivay has plenty of holes to plug after a 6-4 season, losing all-North Suncoast quarterback Tyler Degen, star receiver Andrew Meyer and key parts of the offensive line. All of these questions fade to the background once you talk to coach Chris Taylor about his starting tailback. Rising senior Davion ...
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Mon. May 06, 2013 at 6:02 p.m. | Matt Baker
When we went looking for the stars of 2013, we zipped right past the pretty-boy quarterbacks, the speedy running backs, the hard-hitting linebackers and the fancy-footed wide receivers and defensive backs. This year, they’ll be taking a back seat to those referred to, lovingly, by their coaches as the big ...
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Tue. April 30, 2013 at 8:34 p.m. | John C. Cotey