Nature Coast cheating, 3 allege
The athletic directors of three high schools say they won't schedule the school, saying it breaks state and county rules by recruiting.
By VINCENT THOMAS
Published March 4, 2006
Athletic directors from three county high schools are threatening not to schedule Nature Coast Tech, accusing the school of violating county and state rules.
John Sedlack (Central), Brent Gaustad (Hernando) and Bob Levija (Springstead) met with Sonya Jackson, director of athletics for the school district, Jan. 30 and submitted a letter they had prepared for Nature Coast principal Margaret Schoelles. The letter detailed the three schools' intentions to withdraw from the Hernando County Athletic Conference and discontinue scheduling Nature Coast "in any athletic contest with the exception of FHSAA-mandated district contests"
"We feel the integrity of our athletic programs is at risk if we continue to schedule Nature Coast," the letter said. "Our belief is that athletics should be held to a high standard, be above reproach, and follow the rules. Nature Coast has continued to disregard Hernando County School policy and FHSAA rules."
The letter was accompanied with written accounts of alleged violations, furnished by each athletic director.
Although Sedlack and Gaustad said Jackson asked that they suspend any further action until the county can investigate the accusations, Jackson said the burden of proof is on Central, Springstead and Hernando and that, thus far, no evidence has been furnished to support their allegations.
"They say that there is evidence," Jackson said. "I've asked that, if there is evidence, please bring it forward."
The bulk of the accusations stem from recruiting allegations. Because it is a magnet school, Nature Coast is the only public high school not subject to zoning rules. Since the school opened, some coaches and administrators at the other schools have alleged that Nature Coast uses its zoning freedom to recruit athletes.
The documents that each school brought to the Jan. 30 meeting list some of these allegations. In a letter sent to Gaustad, a middle school administrator said he "witnessed recruiting/inappropriate conversations taking place," between Nature Coast football coaches and some of the middle school football players. Springstead's claims included eighth-grade athletes being accepted to the school before Nature Coast's lottery took place and alleges recruiting violations by the girls basketball program. Central said a number of its basketball players transferred to Nature Coast to follow an assistant coach, a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws.
Most of the claims don't name players or coaches, which prompted Schoelles to ask: "What coach? What player?"
"These are baseless allegations," she said Friday.
She did admit to lesser infractions, such as Springstead's claim that Nature Coast players played junior varsity games on Thursdays, then suited up for the varsity on Friday.
"We fixed that," she said, and the school faced no discipline from the county or FHSAA. Schoelles and athletic director Joy Greene also admitted that they are new in their roles, that Nature Coast is a 3-year-old school, still getting comfortable with the unique functions of a magnet school.
"But these accusations won't stop until they have a chunk of flesh," said Schoelles.
Sedlack, Gaustad and Levija have not backed off their belief that Nature Coast has violated county and Florida High School Athletic Association rules.
"These (claims) aren't fictitious," Sedlack said. "We're not those kind of guys."
Vincent Thomas can be reached at vthomas@sptimes.com or 352-848-1430.