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Sports

Sickles And Alonso Track Teams Gear Up For Big Event

Both high schools will compete in the The George Steinbrenner Invitational at USF on Saturday.

Both Sickles and Alonso lost coaches this year. Coach Roger Mills of Alonso lost the girls head coach and Coach Penny Heide lost the boys head coach. Both coaches are playing catchup to get their assistants up to speed.

The Ravens and Gryphons will grapple with 76 other schools in what is certainly the largest competition of the year in  The George Steinbrenner Invitational. The event takes place Saturday at 9:00 am at the University of South Florida track and field facility, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL 33620.

Both teams have the luxury of having formidable coaches. Mills, of Alonso, has been at the helm for the last four years and also coaches youth football. Sickles head coach Penny Heide has been with the team for 14 years and also coaches basketball and volleyball.

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While both schools lost great athletes to graduation last year, most of Alonso’s top athletes from last year have returned.

Junior Brandon Holloway returns to run the 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter races, and the 100 meter and 400 meter relays. Brandon made the state finals last year in the 100 meter and holds the school record of 10:72.

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Franklin Mosely returns for his senior season and specializes in the 400 meter, which he set the record for last year with a 50:06 time.

“He(Mosely) is a team leader and a rock solid athlete for the last four years,” Mills said.

Quatasia Fantroy remains a standout on the girls side, holding the school record in the long jump, 100 meter and 200 meter.

At Sickles, sisters Dominique and De’Andre Williams are both soccer and flag football athletes and run the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays together.

On the boys side, Jonathan Bermudez and Kyle Rodriguez return for their senior seasons -- both with remarkable records.

“For the first time, we have enough athletes that we will be a legitimate district contender,” Mills said about his squad. “We are trying to build a program of continued and sustained success.”

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