Plenty has changed for Justin Nicolino since being drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 8.

Justin Nicolino (Photo by Mike Dydo)

While the recent graduate from University High School was having his car checked out by a local mechanic, the Toronto Blue Jays were making the left-handed pitcher the area’s first player to be selected in the draft, in the second round at No. 80 overall.

“I didn’t even get to tell anybody about it,” said Nicolino. In fact, upon finding out for themselves, family and friends went to sending him text messages and offering congratulatory phone calls.

“It’s been crazy ever since,” he said. “Everybody’s been calling. It seems everyday I’m doing something different because of it.”

There’s been a steady stream of television cameras and newspaper reporters interested in learning a little more about a kid who emerged from a potential third-to-fourth round pick in the draft to the lead story out of Central Florida.

Nicolino was chosen ahead of more heralded high school peers in Oviedo’s A.J. Cole (No 116 overall by Washington) and Mason Williams (No. 145 overall by New York Yankees) out of West Orange.

And with that, Nicolino was suddenly faced with a decision he knew would have a long-standing affect on his future. Having already committed to play baseball for the University of Virginia in 2011, Nicolino found himself with the kind of options any recent grad at his age would envy.

It didn’t take him long to decide that textbooks would have to wait, as the 6-foot-3, 160-pounder chose to bypass life in college in favor of the daily grind of the minor leagues.

“I am getting the chance to live a dream that not many kids my age have the chance to,” said Nicolino.

He knows just how rare an opportunity it is to be drafted by a major league team, never mind so high in the draft, and he’s seen firsthand how the recruiting process plays out.

While at UHS, scouts routinely paid visits to campus for a glimpse at the likes of fellow pitchers Steven Ewing and Brian Adkins, who recently completed collegiate seasons as freshman at Miami and UCF, respectively. It wasn’t long ago that former Cougars pitcher Jonathan Bachanov was taken No. 58 overall out of UHS in the 2007 draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Nicolino

“Having those guys around really took a lot of pressure off of me when I was younger,” he said.

Not only was it an opportunity to learn how to handle the attention that he too would eventually garner by scouts, but he also found that he thrived off of the chance to be in such a position in the first place.

“When scouts were coming to see them, I really started to feed off of that attention.”

Nicolino ascended to the top of University’s pitching rotation in his senior year under head coach Tony Mehlich after previously playing for Rodney Beatty, who is now at Cypress Creek.

By applying a little of what he learned from each coach – the “laid-back” approach of Mehlich and “old-school” style of Beatty, as he puts it – and instilling those things into what he does on the mound, Nicolino says he’s really grown into his own.

This past season his fastball clocked in near the low-90s while a curveball and changeup rounded out an arsenal used to strike out 74 batters in 44 innings at University.

The kid that’s called the east side of town home since moving to the area from Alliance, Ohio at a young age is likely to start his career with a Blue Jays minor league affiliate here in Florida once contract negotiations are ironed out.

At least he won’t be forced to stray too far from home. Not initially, anyway. Nicolino played his youth baseball at East Orange Little League and attended Bonneville and Camelot elementary and Corner Lakes Middle School.

No matter where baseball takes him from here though, the support he’s got at home is bound to help make that journey a little easier to set sail to. Such was the case when it came to deciding between Virginia and pro baseball.

“My parents have always raised me to make my own decisions,” said Nicolino. “Of course if I make the wrong ones then they step in to help with that, but it’s always been about not regretting anything. They just want me to be happy.”

Isn’t that what baseball is really all about anyway?

– More on Justin Nicolino –

Video at WESH

Video at WFTV

Stories at Orlando Sentinel

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

The Florida Gators, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, advanced to the field of eight for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2005. They defeated the Miami Hurricanes 4-3 in 10 Innings on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of 5,783 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville.

The Hurricanes committed seven errors in the game, including one in the top of the 10th by right fielder Chris Pelaez, who misplayed a fly ball hit by freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana, out of West Orange High School. Fontana would end up scoring the game-winning run on a RBI double by Austin Maddox.

Lake Brantley High School alum Greg Larson entered the game in the bottom of the 10th with one on base and one out. The sophomore proceeded to catch freshman Michael Broad looking on strikes and then force sophomore Rony Rodriguez to ground out to Fontana at shortstop, who fired a bullet across the diamond to Preston Tucker at first base for the final out. Larson collected his third save and was greeted by teammates as the celebration began.

The Hurricanes made nine errors in their two games of Super Regional play, which as a result denied local kids such as freshman Steve Ewing out of University High School and Ethan Bornstein from Winter Park High School a chance to make it to Omaha. The Gators opened Super Regionals with a 7-2 win on Friday night.

Fontana and Larson join sophomore Ben McMahan and senior Clint Franklin as players from the Central Florida area with spots on the Florida roster. McMahon played his high school ball at Bishop Moore while Franklin played at Timber Creek.

Joining the Gators at the World Series are the Florida State Seminoles, who are making the trip for the 20th time in program history and 14th time under head coach Mike Martin. The Seminoles defeated Vanderbilt 7-6 in the decisive Game 3 of the team’s Super Regional matchup at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

FSU, like the Gators, have four players from the Orlando area on its roster including senior outfielder Ohmed Danesh out of Dr. Phillips High School. Junior infielder Stuart Tapley and freshman Corben Madden both played baseball at Boone High School. Junior pitcher John Gast hails from Lake Brantley, where he was a teammate with Florida’s Larson from 2005-07.

For Gast, Tapley, and Danesh, this marks their second trip to Omaha in three years as FSU advanced in 2008, going 0-2 after losing to Stanford and Miami. The Seminoles open play this time around against TCU while Florida takes on No. 6 UCLA. The two state rivals could meet up early on as both are in the same bracket.

– More Local Players In College World Series –

Senior second baseman Mike Freeman out of Edgewater High School and sophomore shortstop Brad Miller from Olympia High School helped Clemson advance to the World Series. The Tigers take on No. 1 Arizona State to start the week’s final round of elimination play. Junior utility player Robert Beary out of Apopka started in 22 games for South Carolina, playing in 41 games on the year. The Gamecocks get underway against Oklahoma.

In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

Welcome to this week’s version of Orlando Sports Central Highlights…

– Local Product Leads AFL Predators –

Just two days after signing with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, former Kissimmee Osceola football and basketball standout Bobby Sippio made an immediate impact.

In the final seconds of Friday’s game, Sippio hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nick Hill to help secure a 58-54 win over the visiting Milwaukee Iron. He finished the game with 88 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

After starting the season 0-3, the Predators have won three-straight to move to 3-3 overall. They host rival Tampa Bay Storm (3-3) on Friday at 8 p.m. at Amway Arena. Orlando and Tampa currently trail Jacksonville (6-1) and Alabama (4-3) in the division.

After playing his college ball at Western Kentucky, Sippio (6’3″, 215 lbs) played arena football with the Storm, Chicago Rush, Dallas Desperados and Peoria Pirates of arenafootball2. He also got opportunities in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions as well as the United Football League’s California Redwoods and Florida Tuskers. In 2007 he led the AFL with 53 touchdown receptions while playing with the Rush.

– Former FCSL Player Gets Call To Majors –

Word out of the Florida Collegiate Summer League is that one of its own was recently called up to Major League Baseball last week.

Lucroy

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy became the first FCSL alum to crack the big leagues since the wood-bat league was founded in 2003. The Milwaukee Brewers brought up Lucroy from Triple-A Nashville on May 21 when Gregg Zaun was forced to the disabled list.

The rookie then got his first big-league hit that night in his first at-bat while on the road against the Minnesota Twins. He singled to left field in the eighth inning.

Lucroy, out of Eustis, was a standout for the Sanford River Rats and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. He ranks second all-time in FCSL batting average (.325) and slugging percentage (.500).

Considered Milwaukee’s top catching prospect, and fifth-best prospect overall, Lucroy started the season at Double-A Huntsville before moving on to Nashville after hitting .452 in 10 games. He has since registered a .238 batting average with two home runs in 31 total games on the year.

The 2010 FCSL season gets underway on Thursday, June 3 at Sanford Memorial Stadium when the River Rats host Leesburg at 7 p.m. The five-team league runs through Aug. 5 when the championship game is played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

– Bishop Moore Lax Alum In D-III Title Game –

Von Kamecke

Salisbury University senior Mike Von Kamecke has one more lacrosse game to play before his college career closes out this weekend.

On Sunday at 12 p.m. in Baltimore, Md., the former Bishop Moore standout takes the field with the Salisbury Sea Gulls (21-1) for the final time as they meet up with Tufts (19-1) for the NCAA Division III title. In a 14-13 semifinal win in overtime against Stevenson, Von Kamecke finished with three goals on five shots and was credited with two assists. It’s the fourth trip to the championship game over the past five years for Salisbury.

Von Kamecke is capping off his best season to date as he’s second on the team in assists (30), third in points (70), fourth in goals (40) and leads the team in man-up goals with nine on the year.

He closed out his high school career with the second-most points ever for a Hornet (288) between 2003-2006 while leading Bishop Moore to a state runner-up finish his senior year.

– Student-Athletes Sign With Colleges –

– University High School girls basketball player Rachel Turner signed on with Southeastern University in Lakeland last week. Turner earned four letters as a Cougar, playing a big role in the programs first two district titles following the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons and its first conference title this past year. The two-year captain finished her career with over 500 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists. She plans to study special education and would like to work as a teacher and coach.

– The number of Colonial High School football players moving on to play in college increased to five last week when defensive back Renard Allen signed with Concordia University in Chicago and quarterback Jose Castro signed with Baker University in Kansas. They join running back Jermaine Broomfield, bound for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, defensive lineman Ryan Moore (Baker University) and offensive lineman Sammy Mendoza (Defiance University in Ohio) as signees from the 2009 team.

– Last week Timber Creek High School had two student-athletes sign on with college football programs as Cameron Smith is heading to St. Olaf College in Minnesota and Matt Jones will be off to Mount Union College in Ohio.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Nearly a year after capping off successful prep careers together, the college freshmen watched each other pitch from opposite dugouts at Jay Bergman Field in front of a standing-room only crowd. They didn’t talk much leading into the showdown and there certainly wasn’t much to speak about afterwards.

On Tuesday night Ewing and Miami swept though town, leaving behind the remnants of a convincing 19-2 win over Adkins and the UCF Knights. It was the first meeting in East Orlando between the two programs since 1990.

Family and friends – as well as former classmates and coaches – all had a hand in producing a major turnout by UCF standards. Despite being played over spring break, the matchup drew 2,546 spectators, which now stands as the second-largest home crowd in program history.

Last season there were 2,758 on hand to watch UCF take on Florida.

Steven Ewing (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

For Ewing and the No. 13 Hurricanes it felt like just another home game as they routinely compete in front of several thousand each outing.

Apparently the crowds have hardly bothered Ewing during his first season under the spotlight. He’s just been concentrating on making the most of his opportunity on the mound.

In only his second collegiate start he earned his second victory on the season as he held the Knights to three hits and two earned runs over six innings in the win.

“I’m grateful that coaches have the trust in me to come out here and throw every week,” said Ewing. “I’m thankful that they gave me the spot. I worked hard for it over the fall and feel like I earned it.”

Miami Coach Jim Morris was impressed with the way Ewing got ahead of hitters throughout the night and showed such good composure for a youngster.

“I thought he did an outstanding job,” said Morris. “It was great for him to be back home and to pitch well.”

Ewing, who was drafted in the 37th round by the Cleveland Indians in the 2009 MLB Draft, knows several of the players on UCF’s roster and said afterwards that it was “nice to see them and throw against most of them.”

Ewing made his first career start March 2 at USF, where he earned the decision after allowing six hits and two runs over 6.1 innings.

“So far he’s just been outstanding,” said Morris. “We have high expectations for him and high hopes.”

The season hasn’t started out as bright for Adkins, or even the Knights for that matter. Despite settling down after Miami hitters made good contact on his pitches in the first inning, the Knights would commit five errors in the field to put UCF in an 8-1 deficit after four innings.

“I thought that Brian Adkins pitched pretty well, to be honest with you,” said UCF Coach Terry Rooney afterwards.

Brian Adkins (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Adkins would be credited with two earned runs and seven hits over 3.2 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs over four innings at No. 5 Florida and gave up five runs in less than an inning a week earlier against Duquesne.

The chaos mirrors the current slide the team finds itself in. The Knights are currently in the mist of a five-game losing streak after starting the season 7-1.

“We’re going to be alright, we’re going to get on track,” said Adkins. “It’s really no different from high school – it’s baseball”

And for the most part college baseball has been a good experience for Adkins.

“The guys on the team are great,” he said. “It’s just a matter of us coming together as a team and gelling. It’s only a matter of time.”

Wins and losses aside, there was one individual in attendance on Tuesday that took great pride in seeing both lefties on the mounds.

“To see each of them get to live the dream they always had of playing college baseball – regardless of the scoreboard – is a thrill,” said former University head coach and current Cypress Creek assistant Rodney Beatty.

“It’s an awesome feeling watching them and remembering them when they were freshman and as they got older into juniors and seniors.”

And the book on them both is just beginning to be outlined.

While Miami and UCF are scheduled to meet again in south Florida on March 23 – with future meetings already being planned for seasons to come – Adkins and Ewing will continue to focus on the goals of their respective teams.

After all, there are conference schedules and postseason tournaments to look forward to while living out that dream their former high school coach speaks of. Bragging rights can wait for another day.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing nf 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

1.) Bruce Miller – UCF Knights – After leading Conference USA in sacks and tackles for loss this season, Miller was rewarded as C-USA Defensive Player of the Year by league coaches on Wednesday. The junior defensive lineman ranks fifth in the nation with 12 sacks and 18^th in the nation with 16.5 tackles for loss through 12 games. Miller was part of a UCF defense that led C-USA in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, sacks and tackles for loss. The two-time conference defensive player of the week this season was also named to the All-Conference USA First Team along with teammates Jarvis Geathers, Cory Hogue and Jah Reid. Josh Burnett and Torrell Troup were named to the second team while Derrick Hallman, Brynn Harvey, Brett Hodges, Charley Hughlett and Lawrence Young were all honorable mentions.

2.) Gennelle Chatman – University Cougars – The senior forward pulled down a school-record 24 rebounds last Thursday in a lopsided win over East River. The effort topped her record-tying 18-rebound game in the district finals last year against Colonial, which helped the Cougars win their first district title in school history. Courtney Berry also had 18 rebounds in one game against Gateway in 2003. The four-year varsity player is currently averaging 13.3 rebounds a game and 7.8 points per game this season and is on pace to break the school’s career rebounding record. Chatman is also a member of UHS Student Government Association and National Honor Society.

3.) Austin Rivers – Winter Park Wildcats – The junior was named Most Valuable Player of the Rotary Tip-Off Classic last weekend as he helped lead the Wildcats to a big win in the championship game on Saturday. Rivers scored 28 points against Lake Brantley, 14 against Oak Ridge and went for 20 points and five rebounds in the finals against Winter Springs.

4.) Jim Haslett and Brooks Bollinger – Florida Tuskers – After leading the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers to a 6-0 regular season record, former NFL Coach of the Year Jim Haslett was named UFL Coach of the Year and Brooks Bollinger UFL Most Valuable Player. The Tuskers led the league in both offense and defense. Bollinger was outstanding in finishing with a league-best 1,825 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and 143 completions in an offense put together by former Arena Football League player and coach Jay Gruden.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 12/2/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/25/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/18/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/11/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

On Thursday, the Braves hosted a non-district Homecoming Game and got back to their winning ways with a 37-7 win over visiting University (2-5). Coming into the night the Braves were 5-0 against the Cougars over the past five years, outscoring them by a combined 167-43. This night was no different. The Braves scored four touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, leading 30-0 after 24 minutes of play.

“The big thing was working together,” head coach Phil Ziglar said while walking off the field with a smile on his face. “We came together as a team and showed them what we can do.”

Leading Boone was freshman running back A.J. Turman. The 6-foot, 185 pounder tore through the Cougar defense for 162 yards on 24 carries, by far the biggest night of his young career.

Handing the ball off to Turman was senior Sam Hutsell, who went 8 of 14 for 144 yards (18 yards per completion) and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Denard Lucas. Hutsell also ran in a six-yard touchdown with eight seconds left in the second quarter.

Lucas had a big night while racking up 104 yards receiving. His longest catch was made in the second quarter when he went for 57 yards on what seemed to be a play that would never end as he broke countless tackles over a span of more than 30 seconds before finally wearing out and being taken down. Junior Black Herring had an eight-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put Boone up 37-0.

“We’re going to come out with intensity and win all our games,” said Turman after the game while being congratulated. “Our goal is to make it back to states and win it all.”

On the defensive side, senior Tabarie Sullivan had two interceptions and Robert Akos also picked off a pass. Senior Mike Martinez had a sack and junior Jake Pender had a tackle for loss. For special teams, senior Calvin Washington returned a punt for a touchdown.

University quarterback Curtis Riley connected with Sean Beckton for a 44-yard touchdown late in the fourth to avoid the shutout for the Cougars.

– More University at Boone coverage –

Video highlights at WFTV

Photos by Stephen M. Dowell at Orlando Sentinel

Timber Creek quarterback Tyler Marincov looks downfield for a receiver.

Following last week’s 24-17 home loss to Oviedo, the Wolves could use some time off. This Friday the Timber Creek football team will sit and watch as local teams are in action while they get some rest during the bye week. That’s critical before heading on the road to face the Wildcats as last week starting running back Isiah Bolden left the game with a head injury after taking 16 carries for 124 yards in the loss.

Timber Creek’s overall mark dropped to 2-2 on the year. They’ve won big over Freedom (0-4), gave away a game to Boone (2-2) in triple overtime, held on for the win late against Wekiva (1-3) and were outdone by an Oviedo (3-1) team led by UCF recruit Blake Bortles at quarterback.

TCHS running back Isiah Bolden pushes forward for more yards.

Winter Park comes off its bye week to face Cypress Creek (3-1) as one of three unbeaten teams in the Metro Conference with a 3-0 mark. The others are Dr. Phillips (4-0) in District 6 and Apopka (4-0) in District 5. None of the three unbeaten teams are scheduled to play each other during the regular season.

Timber Creek vs. Oviedo – By The Numbers

Should Bolden be unable to go against Winter Park a mixture of Joe Haas (5.4 yards per carry on 14 attempts) and Cameron Smith (4.2 yards per carry on 10 attempts) could be in order. Against Oviedo they combined for 45 yards on nine carries while Smith found the end zone for a score. Smith also picked off a pass and had three tackles on defense.

Quarterback Tyler Marincov had his worst game of the young season as he finished 9 of 22 for 133 yards and two interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards and a touchdown, in the third quarter. Kyle Plaugher caught three passes for 63 yards and Jalil Byrd caught two for 29 yards.

Defensively for the Wolves, Colin Brown was in on 13 tackles while Jacob Wainwright totaled 10 tackles and picked off a pass. Michael Puckett recovered a fumble for Timber Creek.

Joe Haas attempts to avoid a tackle last week against Oviedo.

Cameron Smith eyes the end zone last week against Oviedo.

Timber Creek's defense forced three turnovers last week in the loss.

– Find more local high school football coverage and TCHS vs. Oviedo at:

High school football stats at Varsity Sports

High school football district standings at Varsity Sports

Video footage of Timber Creek vs. Oviedo at WFTV

Shannon Owens game recap of TCHS vs. Oviedo at Orlando Sentinel