Pasco sideline

QUOTABLE

"My phone's been ringing off the hook. But I'd much rather have it that way than no one calling at all." -- RYAN BENJAMIN, former River Ridge and USF long snapper who signed with the Bucs this week on all of the calls he has received from well-wishers

ATHLETICS

Eleven county athletes are among more than 500 seniors across the state nominated for the High School Heisman, awarded each year to one male and female athlete to recognize "today's top scholars, athletes and citizens among America's high school students."

Principals and guidance counselors can nominate one boy and one girl from their school, and nominees must play at least one sport, have a 3.2 grade point average and be involved in their community.

Those nominated are: Mitchell's David Broughton and Megan Witkowski; Hudson's Josh Bunting and Tarah Marinelli; Zephyrhills' Justin Cobb and Renee Yonkof; Ridgewood's Taylor Greene and Adamm Oliver; Land O'Lakes' Ryan Hutson; Gulf's Ruthie Vaughn and River Ridge's Mandi Petrella.

Pasco's Amanda Newsome was listed as a nominee in Wednesday's Times, and Pasco principal Pat Reedy said he nominated her. But she is not listed among the official nominees. Reedy said he did not have a boys nominee, and Wesley Chapel was the only other county school without a nomination.

The nominees will be pared to 20 state finalists next week. Then one boys and one girls state winner will be announced Nov.4.

From there, 12 national finalists are selected before two winners are announced Dec.14.

HALL OF FAME

Bailiff returns home to be among first inductees

Before he took to the courtrooms of Dade City as a bailiff, Joe Page was a standout on the cross country course at his hometown high school in New Jersey.

Last weekend, Page was one of 38 athletes and coaches inducted as Raritan High's first class of hall of fame members. He joined the rest of his cross country team, inducted for its 1964 season, when it won the state title.

"It was great getting back there, seeing those guys for the first time in a long time," Page said.

Among the biggest thrills, he said, was seeing coaches Thorton Smith and William Lenskold.

Lenskold, Page said, had an unorthodox style of motivating runners, once chasing Page with a stick during a meet. Smith earned the team's respect by running the 21/2-mile course with it during practice, teaching it strategies along the way.

Page, 54, lives in Spring Hill now and is a 1967 graduate of the Rockets in Hazlet, N.J. He was inducted this year as a team member and was invited back for induction next year as an individual. He also played a semester of basketball at the University of Nebraska.

BEST BET: CROSS COUNTRY

WHAT: Pre-State meet

WHEN: Saturday; junior varsity girls 5 p.m.; JV boys 5:40 p.m.; girls bay area championship 6:20 p.m. (Hillsborough and Pinellas counties only); boys bay area championship 7 p.m.; girls open varsity 7:30 p.m.; boys open varsity 8:10 p.m.; girls elite varsity 8:40 p.m.; boys elite varsity, 9:10 p.m.; awards ceremony 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Ed Radice Complex, Tampa

WHO: The girls teams from Mitchell, River Ridge and Wesley Chapel and the boys teams from Mitchell, Ridgewood and River Ridge are part of a huge field, 41 girls teams and 35 boys in the varsity portion alone. Mitchell's girls finished 11th among 19 teams last year, paced by a fifth-place finish by Nicole Guercio, who finished the 3-mile run in 20 minutes, 10.35 seconds. The state's top runners return to the same course for the state meet Nov.23. "It's our last big test before conference," said Mitchell coach Bill Napolitano, whose boys are ranked No.2 in Class 3A by flrunners.com. "And we're ready except for one man." Brandon Stiener is out with a pulled ligament in his right knee. But except another top showing from Mitchell star Jeff Masterson, ranked No.3 in 3A.

-- Compiled by Greg Auman, Chase Squires and Jamal Thalji.

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