In terms of style points, don’t expect Sickles to contend for the county scoring title in 2013. As long as the offensive and defensive fronts remain healthy, the Gryphons could be wildly vanilla and victorious. Coach Brian Turner isn’t secretive about his plans to run 1,300-yard rusher Ray Ray McCloud ...
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Tue. May 14, 2013 at 8:20 p.m. | Times Staff
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
TAMPA — Ray Ray McCloud is still waiting for his first offer. But it’s offseasons like the one he is having that pretty much tell you he won’t be waiting long. McCloud (5-10, 187) was recently named the offensive MVP at a Rivals Underclassman Camp, which he entered as a ...
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Sat. April 06, 2013 at 6:10 p.m. | John C. Cotey
LAKELAND — The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore filed in with everyone else, dutifully checking in Saturday morning for the Rivals Camp. His arrival caused a stir among the recruiting analysts and camp organizers, who hadn’t seen him in person before but were immediately impressed by his precocious build. “He walks in ...
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Sat. March 23, 2013 at 9:15 p.m. | Joel Anderson
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Will Worth, Sr., Newsome Why we picked him: Considering no county player was more vital to his team, Worth also was a bona fide defensive player of the year candidate. We chose him for offense in part because of his staggering playoff performance. The ...
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Sat. Dec. 22, 2012 at 11:29 a.m. | Times Staff
High school football season is …ov…ov…ov… I can’t say it. Go ahead. You try. Feels weird, doesn’t it? Ov …ovvvvvva… But it is. Let’s face it, we’re spoiled. We’ve had Tampa Bay area teams playing for state titles since, like, forever. Or at least 2000. You have to go back ...
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Thu. Dec. 20, 2012 at 11:50 a.m. | John C. Cotey
TAMPA — Sickles beat Alonso by a foot — the right foot of junior Daniel Lezotte. In a thriller that featured three lead changes in the final 124 seconds, Lezotte kicked a 43-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift the Gryphons."I had a whole bunch of adrenaline," Lezotte ...
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Fri. Nov. 09, 2012 at 9:46 p.m. | Don Jensen
Hillsborough and Armwood will retain their playoff berths after the Florida High School Athletic Association announced Monday that it would not immediately rule on an eligibility issue that could have created a three-way tie in Class 6A, District 8. The FHSAA is still reviewing the academic eligibility of a football ...
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Mon. Nov. 05, 2012 at 10:05 a.m. | Joel Anderson
Football coaches at Armwood, Hillsborough and Sickles have been told to prepare for a three-way tiebreaker at Hillsborough High on Monday, pending the Florida High Schools Athletic Association’s ruling on an eligibility issue that could cause upheaval in the district playoff race. Hillsborough County athletic director Lanness Robinson said the ...
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Sun. Nov. 04, 2012 at 6:27 p.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA — On the first play from scrimmage Friday, sophomore Ray Ray McCloud took a handoff 42 yards for a touchdown, and Sickles defeated Leto 51-6. McCloud rushed for 104 yards on five carries in the first half. Senior Nate Mills went 3 of 6 with a pair of touchdowns ...
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Fri. Nov. 02, 2012 at 9:33 p.m. | Christian Sandler
Officials with the Florida High School Athletic Association said they hope to make a ruling on the eligibility of a Jefferson High football player before next week, allowing for the possibility that forfeits by the school could force a tiebreaker in Class 6A, District 8. Peggy Jones, the FHSAA’s associate ...
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Tue. Oct. 30, 2012 at 1:26 p.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA — For the moment, Class 6A, District 8’s two playoff spots are going to Hillsborough and Armwood. By next week, both schools might have only a quarter and a handful of plays to fight for what they thought they had won over the course of five games. The potential ...
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Mon. Oct. 29, 2012 at 6:32 p.m. | Joel Anderson
Jefferson High has asked the Florida High School Athletic Association to look into the academic eligibility of one its players, potentially causing upheaval in the Class 6A, District 8 playoff race. Hillsborough County schools athletic director Lanness Robinson confirmed Saturday that Jefferson “was checking into something that was reported to ...
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Sat. Oct. 27, 2012 at 12:54 p.m. | Joel Anderson
Each week, our HomeTeam staffers will nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover, then we turn the voting over to our readers. These nominations span Saturday, Oct. 20 through Friday, Oct. 26. The winners get a free T-shirt and bragging rights over every ...
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Sat. Oct. 27, 2012 at 3:06 a.m. | Times Staff
TAMPA — Sickles senior Lee Myers, who hadn't played a game at quarterback since his sophomore season because of a knee injury last year, led the Gryphons to a 38-17 homecoming win over Strawberry Crest on Friday.Myers rushed for 102 yards and three TDs, and threw for 91 yards. "We ...
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Fri. Oct. 26, 2012 at 8:40 p.m. | Todd Foley