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Pinellas: News and notes
By BOB PUTNAM and JOEY KNIGHT, Times Staff Writers
Published December 5, 2007
On the Web: Dandy Dozen, audio report
Check out the first installment of our weekly ranking of the top 12 boys and top 12 girls basketball teams from the Tampa Bay area. Then tell us which teams we overlooked or overrated. Also, Tampa Catholic running back Drew Zink and assistant coaches Chris Taylor of Armwood and Matt LePain of Largo appear on our weekly audio football report at highschool.tampabay.com.
Check it out
Can't make it out to Largo's state football semifinal against St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday? Catch 47 has you covered, broadcasting the game live at 7:30 p.m. There also will be live updates from the Armwood game at Miami Booker T. Washington.
Packer profile
Sean Holte and Darien Johnson
Holte and Johnson, both fullbacks, knew they would be lucky to get a few carries this season.
That's what happens when the tailback is Brynn Harvey, who has rushed for 2,432 yards this season.
Instead of running the ball, Holte and Johnson run interference.
Both have the job of being Harvey's personal escort. On most snaps, Holte or Johnson delivers a block on a defender, leading Harvey into the hole.
"We take pride in our blocking," Holte said. "My job is to get the defender out of the way."
At the beginning of the season, Holte told his coaches his goal was to make sure Harvey rushed for 2,000 this season.
Mission accomplished.
Tickets printed
Largo athletic director Greg Zornes said 3,500 tickets will be available for Friday's Class 5A state semifinal game against Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
Well, make that 2,500 for Packer fans.
Zornes said 1,000 were given to St. Thomas Aquinas in advance.
Did you know?
Longtime Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas coach George Smith is in the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. He has more than 300 wins and has guided the team to 10 state finals appearances, including the past three.
By the numbers
11 Consecutive years St. Thomas Aquinas has won the FHSAA all-sports award.
Local legends earn state honor Nine former area standouts, all of whom played in the NFL, are among those selected as the top 100 players in the first 100 years of Florida prep football by a statewide panel. The list was sponsored by the Florida High School Athletic Association.
The area picks: OL Forrest Blue (Chamberlain), DL Jerome Brown (Hernando), RB Rick Casares (Jefferson), WR Darrell Jackson (Tampa Catholic), LB Steve Kiner (Hillsborough), DL Marty Lyons (St. PetersburgCatholic), QB John Reaves (Robinson), RB Larry Smith (Robinson) and DL Ted Washington (Tampa Bay Tech).
The complete list can be found at www.fhsaa.org.
[Last modified December 5, 2007, 00:14:11]
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