The Vero Beach unified flag football team won the 2022 state championship on April 30 at the 4th Annual Sunshine Bowl, defeating Durant High School 56-26 in the title game played at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Teams from all around the state participated in the event that helps raise funds for Special Olympics Florida, which goes to holding events for high school athletes throughout the school year.
Vero defeated Tampa Plant 45-16 in the semifinal to advance to the championship game.
Vero Beach’s unified sports programs have had a successful year with its athletes as the basketball team placed third and the bowling team took fourth at the state championship this year.
Several athletes will be competing at the state track and field championships this week in Gainesville.
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Team members included: Marquis Baskin, Will Burris, Victor Esquivel, Persia Ferguson, Madalyn Goode, Connor Keeler, Samuel Payne, Jaylin Pierre, Jackson Rahal, ball boy Everett Hillard and coaches Todd Wood and Stephen Byrd.
Master’s Academy’s Tarpey signs to Grove City
Master’s Academy senior tennis standout Sunshine Tarpey signed a letter of intent to continue her career at Grove City College in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Tarpey won 135 matches across her Patriot career starting as a sixth grader and competed as the No. 1 singles player since her freshman year.
In her final two seasons, Tarpey was a district runner-up in both singles and no. 1 doubles for Master’s Academy.
Former John Carroll star Zirwas excelling as grad student for Wingate
Former John Carroll Catholic track and field standout and Wingate University graduate student Elliot Zirwas had a big day at the South Atlantic Conference track and field championships on May 5-6, winning the shot put to go along with top three finishes in two other events.
Zirwas’ best throw of 17.69 meters won the event and currently ranks ninth in all of Division II with his best toss this season of 18.38 meters taking place in March that set a new Wingate school record and also garnered him South Atlantic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honors.
In the discus, Zirwas finished second with a throw of 47.33 meters and took third in the hammer throw with a mark of 51.17 meters.
During his Bulldog career, Zirwas has been a top performer winning SAC Freshman and Field Athlete of the Year and was an All-Southeast Region selection in both the discus and shot put for the outdoor season.
Port St. Lucie High to host football clinic
Port St. Lucie High School will play host to a clinic presented by HOPE Through Football, a non-profit organization founded by NFL Hall of Famer Rod Woodson on June 17-18.
The two-day clinic will include a myriad of benefits for participants. From drills on the field to work on technique, sessions to break down performance and life skill development and skill testing will be conducted available to colleges for recruiting.
All local athletes from ninth to twelfth grade are eligible to participate in the clinic at a cost of $55 that will also include lunch each day.
For families that attend, an obstacle course for children and local food trucks will also be available on site.
For more information regarding the camp including how to register, visit https://hopethroughfootball.org/events/treasure-coast-clinic-2022/
Martin County to host celebrity flag football game
Martin County High School will play host to a celebrity flag football game featuring several former local football standouts including Tiger alum and Denver Broncos star Justin Simmons at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 21.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Free haircuts will be available for all children and there will be food, drinks, raffles and giveaways and more throughout the afternoon.
Former Martin County football coach Chuck Kenyon and current South Fork High School head coach Antwan Blatch will be the coaches for the two teams featuring an appearance by two-time Pro Bowler Willis McGahee and several notable former and current local stars.
Fort Pierce Westwood graduate Yamon Figurs, former Martin County star James Davis, former Treasure Coast star Jeff Luc, former South Fork star Stone Labanowitz and current graduating seniors Fresh Walters, Jayden Pressey, Javin Dames and Rod Huntley among others will take part in the game.
Sebastian River to host youth football camp Saturday
Sebastian River High School is hosting a free youth football camp on Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for children kindergarten through eighth grade courtesy of BNA Sports.
Participants will be taught the fundamentals of football from passing and catching to learning how to run faster and the ins and outs of playing different positions.
Campers will also take part in a flag football tournament as part of the festivities.
To register your child, visit https://bnasportsorganization.leagueapps.com/camps/3033217-makeyournamegreat-youth-football-camp?fbclid=IwAR2krF-DdkoPTp9aAwKQeAnBD-QaVVMf_DjjdNYCOTGqJZGl3b_PomueSWI
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
