Newsome (Lithia) had played sub-.500 baseball most of this season.
But
the Wolves caught fire at the right time, going on a tear and playing
their way to their first title in the prestigious Saladino Tournament.
Newsome,
the tournament runner up in 2007, won three straight games in the
elimination round, including a 2-1 triumph against Jefferson (Tampa) to earn
the crown.
The Wolves took control of the game on Jake Jones' fifth-inning, two-out single to left that scored
Michael Farley and
Tyler Packanik for a 2-0 lead. An inning later, Jefferson made things close with a run scored off a balk.
But it would be as close Jefferson would get as Newsome would hang on for the victory and the tournament title.
Jefferson junior P/1B
Jimmy Herget was named the tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, there were heroics in the title game of the Pasco County Varsity tournament as well. Shortstop
Geoff Degroot (and tournament MVP) hit a walk-off single to lift
Wesley Chapel to a 9-8 win against rival Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel). Wesley Chapel rallied, scoring five runs during the last two innings to win the tournament title and remain unbeaten at 12-0.
Also,
Canterbury (St. Petersburg) traveled across the state to win the Westminter Academy Spring Break Tournament in Fort Lauderdale. The Crusaders, led by event-MVP
Dasean Thomas, won four games to take the crown, including a 12-1 win against Sagemont (Weston) in the tournament finals.
More area Spring Break tournaments are taking place this week, highlighted by the popular Steve Georgiadis Tournament at
Seminole High School and the Dunedin High Tournament. Also, the
Northeast (St. Petersburg) Invitational is taking place this week.
MILESTONE WIN FOR BAY AREA COACHSteinbrenner (Lutz) baseball coach John Crumbley recently earned his 600th career victory.
Crumbley, in his second year at Steinbrenner, got the milestone with an 11-0 win against Cambridge (Tampa).
An
institution among local coaches, Crumbley spent 22 seasons at Jesuit
(Tampa), winning state championships 1994, 1997 and 2000. He is the all-time winningest baseball coach in Hillsborough County.
PLANT FOOTBALL COACH TO LEAD TEAM AT U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWLPlant (Tampa) football coach Robert Weiner is in line for more recognition.
Weiner, who has won three state championships in his seven years at Plant, has been named as the coach for the East team in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The contest features the top senior football players from across the country. Weiner served as an assistant coach for the East squad in 2010.
Next year's game will be played Jan. 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game is televised nationally on NBC.
Three Bay area players have already been selected for the event. Berkeley Prep (Tampa) wide receiver/kick returner
Nelson Agholor, Lakewood (St. Petersburg) defensive end
Dante' Fowler and Land O' Lakes tight end
Kent Taylor will all compete in the all-star game.
RECRUITING NEWS
The college recruiting odyssey of Armwood (Seffner) teammates has come to a conclusion. Almost two months after National Signing Day, fullback
Kyle Wilcox and wide receiver
A.J. King signed their scholarships with Penn and Western Michigan, respectively.
Wilcox, Armwood's Valedictorian, had originally settled on Princeton but just days before signing, he was told the Ivy League school's admission office had rejected his application.
King, meanwhile, had committed to Purdue early in the 2010 season. King suffered a knee injury one game into the 2010 season and missed the rest of the campaign. King and his Armwood coach Sean Callahan said Purdue's staff assured him his offer was still in good standing. But in January, the offer was withdrawn.
Both players expressed relief the process was over and that they could get on with their collegiate careers.
Other signings this past week included Hillsborough (Tampa) offensive lineman
Andre Gunn signing with Grambling State and Middleton DB
Jyhaad Grant signing with junior college powerhouse Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.
