Let me introduce myself . . .
Hello sports fans, welcome to The Sports Section! I’ll be posting my thoughts and views on national, state, and local sports. I grew up a Detroit sports fan, and will forever love University of Michigan athletics. That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t love and respect sports teams from all over. I was a good-not-great athlete in high school, and I played football, basketball and baseball. I ran the half-mile and threw the shot put in junior high, along with playing a lot of golf. I was one of those kids who memorized batting averages on baseball cards, and I knew starting lineups and sixth men of every top 25 college basketball team. After starting up and folding my own sports newspaper, The Sports Leader (est. 1995 in Vero Beach), I’m back and doing what I was always meant to do. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. I’ll welcome all input, even if you don’t agree with me, for a case in point, check out my picks for the pre-season All-IRC Prep Football team.
Pre-season All-IRC Team
Offense
QB- Collier Proctor, jr, SES: Has the best arm in a county that doesn’t pass the ball much.
RB- Fred Macon, sr, SRHS: The best all-around running back in the area.
RB- Collin Kite, sr, SES: His 200+ yard game against Trinity-Palmer was his coming out party.
TE- Quincy Dudley, sr, VBHS: A fierce combination of strength and speed
OT- Marcus Jackson, jr, VBHS: His improvement caught the eye of Miami this summer.
OT- John Carter, sr, SRHS: Leads the way for the SRHS offense, almost a clone of Jackson.
OG- Travonte’ Boles, sr, VBHS: Winner of several camp MVP awards this spring and summer.
OG- Parker Young, sr, SES: The Pirates depend on him to have a great year.
C- Gary Kagan, sr, SRHS: The Sharks’ captain helps Carter clear the way for Macon.
WR- Stephon Clark, jr, SRHS: Can jump over anybody to get the ball at 6’4″.
WR- Joe Garafalo, jr, VBHS: The Fighting Indians’ version of Percy Harvin.
Defense
DL- Jacob Fojtik, sr, SES: An impact player at any one of seven positions.
DL- Cody Horstman, jr, VBHS: High effort player with good size and strength.
DL- David Dixson, jr, VBHS: Will absolutely terrorize offenses this year.
LB- Cameron Budde, sr, SES: Two-time team MVP is the best linebacker in the county.
LB- Dion Holmes, jr, VBHS: Versitile defender shows his NFL bloodlines on the field.
LB- Daniel Lee, sr, SRHS: This tackling machine looks to improve last year’s standout performance.
DB- Calvin Christian, sr, SRHS: He makes receivers pay for catching the ball, and covers lots of ground.
DB- Chris Barbado, sr, SES: Has potential to improve on his five interceptions last year.
DB- Cortez Ash, sr, SRHS: He’s always in the right place at the right time.
DB- Javon Jones, sr, SRHS: Clutch interception in the K.O. Classic showed he’s a performer.
DB- Usnider Dorvelia, sr, VBHS: He steps up in run support like a linebacker.
P/K- Pat Baker, sr, VBHS: Has the leg to kick in college.
KR- Stevie Wallace, sr, VBHS: Several return touchdowns over his career makes him the only choice.