Leesburg Yellow Jackets Football News: Leesburg's Fall Sports Programs Set And Hold High Academic Standards, October 25, 1995

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Leesburg's Fall Sports Programs Set And Hold High Academic Standards, October 25, 1995

Hubert O. Dabney Stadium on the campus of Leesburg High School. Home of the Jackets

October 25, 1995

There is a lot of pride about Leesburg High School's fall athletic program and it has nothing to do with win-loss records, or times over a predetermined distance.

Nope.

This form of Yellow Jacket pride is in academics.

''You know, (football coach) Ed (Hoffman) is under some heat because the football team's record is 1-7, but that is only one part of his job,'' Leesburg athletic director Pete Bush said. ''Look at the job his football players are doing in the classroom. People don't take that into consideration.''

Report cards went home Tuesday and, chances are, not too many athletes will be ashamed or afraid to show them to their parents. And, there aren't many athletes who will be practicing their artistic abilities and changing Fs to Bs.

Leesburg's varsity football team has a cumulative 3.3-grade-point-average out of a possible 4.0. The Yellow Jackets didn't lose any players to academic ineligibility.

''This is the smartest group of kids I have ever worked with,'' Hoffman said, referring to the fact that 21 of the 30 players on his roster made at least a 3.0.

Two of Leesburg's football players - John Russ and Clark Saylor - have perfect 4.0 grades. Ashley Hunt isn't far behind, coming in with a 3.83 for the first grading period, and Keith Farling has a 3.71. The lowest GPA for a player on Leesburg's varsity football team is a 2.2 - safely above Lake County's athletic eligibility standard of 2.0.

Bush, along with the Leesburg High School Athletic Boosters, started a program several years ago designed to recognize the school's top student/athletes each grading period. Students have to have above a 3.0-GPA to be recognized.

But, this may be one of the best academic grading periods in the program's history.

Not only did Leesburg's football team post some lofty figures, but so did all of the school's fall athletic programs.

Take, for instance, its varsity volleyball team, another program that hasn't enjoyed much success on the court. But, its players, are serving aces in the classroom.

Seven volleyball players will be recognized for GPAs above 3.0, including two more with 4.0 averages - Amanda Oberholtzer and Alison Ohnstad.

The good news continues for the 3.0-or-better club: 13 varsity cheerleaders, 15 girls varsity swimmers and 3 boys varsity swimmers, 13 boys varsity cross country runners and 4 girls varsity runners.

All total, in the five varsity sports (including cheerleading) a total of 76 varsity student athletes made at least a 3.0.

In addition to the recognition program that is done at Leesburg High School, Lake County School district also recognizes the athletes with a 3.0-GPA or better with a special breakfast. Gene Molnar, the supervisor of athletics for the district, said he hasn't compiled the countywide numbers.

The program, called Lake County Academic/Athletic Team, will have its honors breakfast on Nov. 14 with Superintendent Tom Sanders recognizing the county's top student/athletes.

''This is the fourth year for the program, we have done it ever since we started raising the GPA (from the state mandated 1.5-gpa to the county required 2.0),'' Molnar said. ''I'll have to admit, the numbers have gone up each year. Sometime, I expect they (the numbers) will top out, but it hasn't happened yet.''

If it can be said that there is a calm before the storm on a high school football schedule than this week can be equated to the calm with no district games for Lake and Sumter teams, then next week will definitely be the storm with one district championship up for grabs and another that could be determined.

In breaking an old coaching adage about never looking ahead that's just what we are going to do. The schedule for Nov. 3 offers three choice games.

The Tampa Catholic at Umatilla game will determine the Class 3A, District 5 champ. Both teams already know they are headed for the playoffs, but this game will determine who goes as district champs and gets the home field advantage, and who goes as the runnerup and will have to play on the road for at least the first week of the playoffs.

Not quite so clear cut is the Class 4A, District 7 race where Eustis plays at Mount Dora on Nov. 3. If Mount Dora wins the game it will be district champs regardless of what happens in their district finale against Tavares. A Mount Dora victory coupled with a South Lake victory over South Sumter on Nov. 3 would also guarantee South Lake the runnerup spot.

However, South Lake can go as the runnerup even if it loses to South Sumter, providing Mount Dora defeats Tavares on Nov. 10. If that happens, South Lake and Eustis would finish tied with 2-2 records, but South Lake would get second, based on its 6-0 victory over Eustis on Sept. 8.

If Tavares and South Sumter, in combination, win their final district games, it would set up a three-way playoff for the runnerup spot between South Lake, Eustis and Tavares, all with 2-2 district records.

Listen live on my790am or www.my790am.com Saturday February 25, 2012.

Former Leesburg High School and University Of Cincinnati Football Standout Ashley Hunt will make his first appearance on the Lake County Sports Show February 25, 2012.