Dixon & Astroth Camp Update (7/31)

Damian Dixon and AJ Astroth posted a perfect 3-0 record in today's contests.

Both Dixon and Astroth compete on the same team at the camp.

Tournament play began today and the boys will continue all the way to Sunday, when the championship game will be held if they can replicate their dominant performances tomorrow and Sunday.

Astroth and Dixon's connection has proven a strong connection. Astroth says, "It gives the team a higher chemistry level because we've played together a lot which helps us on both ends of the court."

Dixon & Astroth Camp Update (7/30)

Both Damian Dixon and AJ Astroth are attending the Junior Nationals International Sports Festival being held at the University of Illinois. Both took time out of the gruling schedules and chimed in on what kind of competition they have been facing and how they have competed in the last few days.

"We all have our different strengths and weaknesses so when you play against the other skilled players it makes you step up and compete. I would say that AJ and I match up pretty well," Damian Dixon commented when asked about the competition as a whole.

"Every game we have to compete, so as we play more and more games we figured out that if we play all-out the entire time we come out on top,"AJ Astroth said being asked how him and fellow-'Cat Dixon were stacking up against the other players.

The camp will last two more days. Be sure to stay tuned for updates on both Dixon's and Astroth's progress all throughout the camp.

Dixon, Astroth To Start Camp Tomorrow

Senior-to-be, Damian Dixon and Junior-to-be, AJ Astroth have safely landed in Champaign, IL and will be starting the USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival tomorrow morning. The camp will begin tomorrow and run until August 2nd.

Stay tuned for daily updates on Dixon's and Astroth's experiences at the nationally recognized individual camp.

Season Returned to Full Force

After a clean sweep vote, all sports will revert back to the old 25 game season this coming year.

The voting was unanimous (15-0) to rescind a vote made a few weeks ago regarding shortening the seasons for all sports other than football. The FHSAA must have felt that the tension and lawsuit from aggravated groups across the state would have cost them more money than what they would have had saved if the schedules were to remain shortened.

The FHSAA was facing a lawsuit due to the infringement of Title IX and felt it fit to rescind the ruling to shorten the season due to the recent decline of the economy.

The news is great news too many area sports fans, student-athletes, parents, and fans who enjoy watching their teams compete all throughout the year. With the troubled times many of the members of the community face on a day to day basis, I was very angered to hear that the way the school system was trying to take action was by removing what some people use as a release to their busy and stressful lives.

For all of those mother, fathers, sisters, brothers, and whomever else cares for a child who attends one of these schools and takes part in a sport knows what a joy and exit it is to watch a relative or child compete and play a game they love to play in.

Mortgage payments, electric bills, credit card debts, and every other stressors that darken our skies get put on hold on the nights where we all gather around the hardwood, the diamond, or gridiron to cheer and support our local school.

The season is back at it's 25-game length and more basketball is never a bad thing.

Season May Not Be Shortened; FSHAA Facing Complaints, Lawsuit

Not so fast my friends.

The decision to cut down varsity and junior varsity games next year in response to the ailing economy might be overturned amid recent complaints and a lawsuit for potentially violating Title IX, TBO.com reports.

The recent change of heart is due to the lawsuit that the Parents for Athletic Equity has brought onto the FHSAA.

The executive director of FHSAA Roger Dearing stated, "Although the overriding reason for the reduction was to ease the financial burden on the schools in Florida, it would not help to turn around and have them pay money in legal fees for actions in litigation." Basically Dearing is stating that the cost of the lawsuits schools would face would dwarf any financial gain the school systems might make by shortened schedules.

The Parents for Athletic Equity feel that cutting the 22 sports' schedules, excluding football, is a direct violation of Title IX.

Title IX was enacted back in 1972 and basically gave females the equal right to play sports and outlawed any discrimination on the basis of sex. Practices, facilities, funding, etc. were all to be equally assigned and has been that way since 1972. Cutting the season of virtually every sport except football is sought to be a violation of these guidelines.

There are plenty of arguments for both sides. High school athletic directors claim ghat cutting down the basketball and volleyball schedules will hurt them more than not cutting down the football schedule because the latter sports make more money. Others say that cutting down the schedules will cut costs dramatically and that a precedent should be set in times like these.

The TBO.com article can be found HERE.

Wharton Falls, Summer League Ends

Wharton fell to Newsome Tuesday night 45-37, ending the 'Cats summer league season. Wharton was riding an 7-game winning streak but fell just short of extending their success and their run in the summer league playoffs.

Although the summer leagues and camps have no direct relation on how the team will perform later this fall, these leagues and camps allow coaches and players develop skills as well as discover weaknesses that they can focus on for the next several months before it's time to hit the ground running in November.

AJ Astroth feels that the team's only limit is the sky. The Junior stated, "We have a lot of potential to be really good next year with a lot of hard work."

The 'Cats will return their top 3 scorers and will get a boost in the rebound department with the emergence of Jonathan Torres and his ball hawking ability.

Assistant Coach Adam Noble felt certain players showed "added toughness" throughout this years summer league. Noble said, "I learned this team is continuing to improve and we'll be in shape for the upcoming year. We're starting to learn to play defense and the more we play, I feel the better we will become on defense."

With school a little over two months away and November just a handful of months away, these 'Cats look poised to make plenty of noise in the years to come.

Complete Summer League Results:
Record (8-3)

vs. Sickles (L)
vs. TC (W)
vs. Tampa Prep (L)
vs. Kathleen (Cancelled)
vs. Plant City (W)
vs. Wiregrass (W)
vs. Jefferson (W)
vs. Robinson (W)
vs. Plant (W)
vs. Middleton (W)
Playoffs
Round 1 BYE
Round 2 vs. Middleton (W)
Round 3 vs. Newsome (L)

FULL SCHEDULE