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Celebration brings back that old school spirit

During Tarpon High School's 100th anniversary celebration, its football program will get to share a bit of the spotlight.

TARPON SPRINGS - Nick Kavouklis is old school.

He played football for Tarpon Springs High School from 1932-36 during the days of leather helmets.

"Sometimes, I'd just throw my helmet off and play without it," said Kavouklis, 87. "We all did back then."

It's a far cry from the way football is played today. Tarpon Springs now has amenities that Kavouklis could only dream about: the fancy maroon uniforms, modernized helmets and a stadium that seats thousands.

Still, Kavouklis likes to reminisce.

This year, the school is giving him the chance to do it for them.

Tarpon Springs is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The football team started in 1925, which makes it only 80 years old, but who's counting? The school decided to throw them into the festivities anyway.

The old-timers helped turn back the clock at the Oct. 20 homecoming game. The former players trotted onto the field for pregame introductions and were given a fitting tribute. At halftime, they rode on the homecoming floats that paraded around the track.

"It was a great experience to go back and do something like that," said Mike Karaphillis, who graduated in 1950. "There are just so many memories there."

The football program has played a big part in the school's history and lore. It tied the community together and made household names out of schoolboy stars.

The Spongers have made the playoffs more times than any other Pinellas school. In 1953, before the current playoff structure, they went 8-1-1 and won the Small School Championship. Tarpon Springs also reached the Class 4A state final in 1986, losing to Fort Lauderdale Dillard 14-6.

The late Nick Hatzie, a former Spongers quarterback who returned to coach in 1968, developed the football program, winning six district titles in the 1960s and '70s. George Werner continued that success and coached Tarpon in the '86 state final.

Current coach Bruce Buck knows all about the romantic attachment the community has had with football. Buck had been an assistant at the school since 1990 when he took over this year. As head coach, one of his first missions was to restore some of that old glory.

"I thought bringing some of the former guys was a neat thing to do, especially with the school's 100th anniversary this year," Buck said. "I think it's important to have that community involvement. One of my goals was to make sure Friday night football became a thing to do again."