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Wake-Up Call: Sickles right for White

Staff photo by BILL WARD

Cary White has had a winding route through Hillsborough County football, but has found a home in the Sickles' backfield.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 16, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

On the football field, Sickles High School running back Cary White generally follows the path of any straight-ahead power player.

"He's going to lower his shoulder and run you over," Sickles coach Pat O'Brien said.

But White's route to becoming Hillsborough County's leading rusher - and finding a spot in the Gryphons' backfield - wasn't as predictable.

White, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound junior, spent two seasons with Gaither. Dissatisfied, he transferred to Chamberlain - he speaks about that two-month stint as dispassionately as someone changing planes in Atlanta - before landing at Sickles in time for spring football.

Finally, he says he has found a home.

Shifting schools has become a major theme of modern prep football, particularly in Hillsborough County, where dozens and dozens of players sought and gained new locations, seemingly with no restrictions. White said he simply needed to do what was best for him.

"I feel like I'm part of a family, a team unit, where we're all pulling together," White said. "I'm happy here."

Sickles (5-1) is coming off a dramatic 31-28 overtime district victory against Boca Ciega, a game in which White rushed for 132 yards. He needs just 25 yards to reach 1,000 in tonight's non-district game against Durant (5-1).

White's father, also named Cary White, is a former state track and field champion. The elder White won the 120 high hurdles (14.3 seconds) for Alachua Santa Fe High School at the 1984 Class 2A state meet and once defeated Haines City's Arthur Blake, an All-American, as an amateur runner.

The elder White has been a youth football coach, along with current Sickles running backs coach Corey Norphlet, and they both have an interest in drumming up college interest for young Cary.

The move to Sickles has helped, they say.

"I know in order for Cary to be successful, he had to be in the hands of a good coach who could help him get to the next level," said the elder White, who owns a moving company, Onyx Movers, and ran for a time at the University of Florida. "At that time, Chamberlain had the skill set we needed.

"After the dismemberment of Chamberlain's program (after the retirement of Coach Billy Turner, several players transferred), we thought Sickles would be a good place for him. We have really clicked with the school. He knew a lot of their kids from youth football. It has been a great situation."

White's rush to 1,000 yards - and beyond - has obviously made him a major factor behind what could be the second state playoff berth in Sickles' history.

But White was popular well before the recent success.

"The first day he was on our team, he stepped in as a leader," Sickles senior middle linebacker Scott O'Donoghue said. "Basically, he's the biggest factor on our offense. He has added a ton.

"Here's the thing about Cary, though. When we played Blake, one of our linebackers went down. Cary stepped in there and played. And he hadn't even practiced at that position. He just does what's needed. It just so happens that he gets a lot of attention for running the ball, but he's a team guy all the way."

Norphlet, who coached Kwane Doster at Robinson and Jarvis Giles at Gaither, said White has the talent to play for a Division I-A program.

"There was a big light on Jarvis at Gaither, obviously," Norphlet said of Giles, who is now a freshman contributor at the University of South Carolina. "Had he not been there, that same light would've been on Cary. He was that good."

Asked about college-football possibilities, White just shrugs his shoulders and says it's too early to consider.

He has a similar reaction when asked about his status as the county's rushing leader.

"It's not his major concern," O'Brien said. "As long as he's helping the team, he could care less about his yardage or if he's scoring touchdowns. That's what makes him really special. And he's a great student."

White's father has emphasized academics. He has witnessed several of his former youth-football players "fall to the wayside" because they didn't have the grades for college.

"If the football went away tomorrow, Cary would still be prepared for college and ready to go that route," the elder White said. "We feel very blessed that he has that part of his life in order.

"He's always been the kind of kid who lights up in front of other people. He's so concerned about other kids, about making them shine, that I don't think anybody begrudges him (getting some attention) because they know he's about the team. People probably didn't think something like this would happen at Sickles, but we saw potential. I think this is an organization that's here to stay."

And after moving from Gaither to Chamberlain to Sickles, it looks like White has a permanent home, too.

Weatherford back in Tallahassee

Former Florida State University quarterback Drew Weatherford (Land O'Lakes), who led the Seminoles to their last ACC championship in 2005 as a freshman, is back in Tallahassee to work for Seminole Boosters. Weatherford recently tried out for the United Football League's Florida Tuskers.

Odom makes UF Hall of Fame

Former University of Florida offensive tackle Jason Odom (Bartow), who also played for the Bucs before retiring from the NFL, was selected for the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Odom will be inducted on April 9, 2010.

Dowling will get elite treatment

Bradenton Southeast High School defensive back Jonathan Dowling, who has orally committed to UF, is among the 10 players who will receive an in-school celebration and assembly for his selection to the Under Armour All-America Game, featuring 85 of the nation's top high-school players, on Jan. 2, 2010 at Tropicana Field.

Another player to be honored is Nick Montana, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, a quarterback from Westlake Village, Calif.

Coaching carousel

It's the season for NFL coaching unrest. The Sporting News Today lists 10 underachieving teams and the head coaches with the most to fear:

1. Tom Cable, Raiders.

2. Jim Zorn, Redskins.

3. Dick Jauron, Bills.

4. John Fox, Panthers.

5. Jeff Fisher, Titans.

6. Wade Phillips, Cowboys.

7. Eric Mangini, Browns.

8. Raheem Morris, Bucs.

9. Norv Turner, Chargers.

10. Gary Kubiak, Texans.

The report, written by Albert Breer, suggests that Morris will be given time in Tampa Bay.

It also says Jon Gruden is a "logical target" for the Redskins. There are persistent rumors that the University of Louisville, which is expanding its stadium, wants Gruden to replace Steve Kragthorpe.

Gruden, who attended Thursday night's Cincinnati-USF game at Raymond James Stadium, would not address the Louisville rumors.

Kazmir watch

Former Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir is scheduled to start for the Los Angeles Angels in Tuesday night's Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, who are expected to answer with CC Sabathia. The ALCS begins tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to Rays first-base coach George Hendrick, who turns 60 on Sunday.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Thursday's trivia question:

ESPN's Craig James began his professional football career with the USFL's Washington Federals in 1983.

Friday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

When former FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford led the Seminoles to the 2005 ACC title, which team did he defeat in the league's championship game?

Check for the answer in Monday's Wake-Up Call.

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