Pasco news and notes

By DAVID MURPHY, Times Staff Writer
Published August 28, 2007

Heard on the blog

Reader feedback from cyberspace

"Why ya'll saying Central got blown out. It was 7-7 at halftime. Then Central took all starters out in the third quarter while Dunedin still had their starters going strong. While in the fourth, Central's JV played vs. Dunedin's varsity.

Today on tampabay.com

Check out the Times' prep blog today for the release of our top 50 power rankings of football teams in Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The weekly poll can be found at http://blogs.tampabay.com/preps/. Armwood and Plant play each other Friday night. Guess who's our No. 1?

Also, visit our new football team pages, complete with schedules and rosters. We've got every high school covered from Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Go to http://highschool.tampabay.com

Generation gap

Just how much separates a player from a coach? Staff writer David Murphy sat down with 15-year-old Gulf golfer Bailey Logan, left, and 33-year-old coach Bret Wiest, right, to find out.

Last CD you bought?

Logan: Kelly Clarkson's My December.

Wiest: The latest Jack Johnson album.

Favorite clothing store?

Logan: Aeropostale.

Wiest: Urban Outfitters.

Age you received your first cell phone?

Logan: 14.

Wiest: 20.

Number of text messages you send in a day?

Logan: Two at the most.

Wiest: Zero to one.

Favorite movie?

Logan: Caddyshack.

Wiest: Star Wars.

Favorite book?

Logan: The latest Harry Potter book.

Wiest: The Celestine Prophecy.

What did you do last Friday night?

Logan: Did home work and then watched Terminator with my family.

Wiest: Attended an Orioles game in Baltimore.

What ringtone do you have?

Logan: One of the generic ones. I like the upbeat ones.

Wiest: A song by G-Love

Bishop fills open football date

Bishop McLaughlin athletic director Mike Zelenka confirmed the Hurricanes will host a home game against Academy at the Lakes on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. The Hurricanes had lost a home game on that date when Tampa Bay Christian canceled its season due to a lack of players. Academy at the Lakes had approached Bishop McLaughlin last year hoping to schedule a series.

When AATL athletic director Mark Arbet heard Bishop McLaughlin had a last-minute opening, he made a call.

"We're trying to get games that are competitive for our players and keep our kids safe," Arbet said. "We played Indian Rocks on Friday night. They have more kids on their football team than I have male students in our school. We want to make sure our kids are safe and we have even competition for our school."

AATL gave up its game against Lake City Christian to make room for Bishop McLaughlin. Traveling to Lake City would have been time consuming and costly.

"It's a huge dollar investment to go to Lake City," Arbet said. "It's just not in the budget."e_SClBSportsmanshipaward is namedafter Broadbelt

Pasco County's middle school principals and athletic director will honor a pair of schools Wednesday with sportsmanship awards named after former athletic director Kit Broadbelt, above.

An idea for a sportsmanship award came from Centennial Middle athletic director Margie Fackelman. She believed Pasco County schools would benefit from a sportsmanship award after learning no middle school in the state was nominated for the Fred E. Rozelle award handed out by the Florida High School Athletic Association. She also wanted to honor Broadbelt for his service.

"I thought that's kind of poor that not one middle school was nominated," Fackelman said. "At the same time, Kit had retired. I thought it would be a great way to honor a great athletic leader."

This year's recipients of the inaugural Kit Broadbelt Sportsmanship Award are Pasco Middle and Seven Rivers Middle. The schools were nominated after earning the most votes from coaches, officials and schools that voted. Pasco Middle actually went on to win the Rozelle Award for the 2006-07 school year.

The Broadbelt award will be given out at a dinner with principals and athletic directors Wednesday at Rapscallions in Land O'Lakes. Broadbelt, who is out of town, is expected to attend.

"He was totally honored and thrilled," Fackelman said of Broadbelt. "I think he was taken back a bit. I think it's a good way to show how much we appreciate what he's done."

Compiled by Times staff writers Izzy Gould and David Murphy.

Lasting images

See a game photo or feature picture that strikes your fancy? You can purchase them at tampabay.com/photos.

Tonight's top game:

Volleyball, Land O'Lakes at River Ridge, 7 p.m.

For both teams, the match marks the start of a season filled with high hopes. The Royal Knights feature an experienced, talent-laden squad that is entertaining visions of a playoff run. Land O'Lakes, expected to be one of the area's top teams, would love to kick a little sand in the face of a county power. Last season, the Knights beat the Gators twice. Tune in to find out what 2007 has in store.

Contact us

Izzy Gould can be reached at igould@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4612. David Murphy can be reached at dmurphy@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1407.

[Last modified August 28, 2007, 13:57:21]