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Playing other sports help footbal players stand out more

Joe McNamara, Normando Harris, Alex Wethy, James White and Vinnie Mauro are the faces of the Class of 2010. All have been contacted by major colleges for football, but all have not taken part in the weekly combine sessions for good reason.

In an age where football is virtually non-stop, getting a chance to step out of the gridiron spotlight and compete in other arenas is something that many high school athletes relish. While some compete on the basketball court and the running track, some have opted to combine the skills that wrestling and baseball offer to give themselves an advantage of not getting burnt out on the football field.

McNamara is one of those players many have yet to hear about. The anchor of Cypress Bay's offensive line, this gifted and very athletic 6-2, 275-pound lineman has performed well enough on the football field to attract attention from programs such as FIU, Wake Forest, Iowa State and USF. His leadership and skill level has been recognized by his teammates, opposition and coaches

Allen Held continues his tradition at South Broward

Three years ago, Allen Held guided his South Broward football team to an 8-2 record, and because the Bulldogs lost twice in the district, they had to sit home and watch other programs they had beaten advance to the playoffs.

After last Friday's 27-26 win against rival McArthur, luck just might finally be on the side of this veteran coach who is easily one of the hardest working and most overlooked two sport coaches in South Florida for much of the past two decades.

Colleges flock toward Western High lineman Feliciano

Jonathan Feliciano grew up with posters of Ray Lewis in his bedroom and dreams of playing for the University of Miami bouncing in his head.

He just never believed the latter would happen. It wasn't that the 6-4, 305-pound offensive lineman didn't think he was good enough to wear orange and green. He just didn't believe the Hurricanes would come looking for him at Western High, a program that was 1-9 two seasons ago.

He was wrong.

Linebacker Sean Spence a big hit with Miami Hurricanes

Nobody talks much anymore about University of Miami sophomore linebacker Sean Spence being undersized.

They talk about his uncanny ability to sniff out the ball. They talk about the way he crushes opponents with his made-for-replay tackles. They talk about how he's a likely candidate to leave for the NFL after three seasons. And they talk about his No. 31 jersey that Nike has replicated -- is the orange one or white one more appealing?

BIG GOALS

Edison graduate Jasper Howard laid to rest

One by one, they came to shed tears, share memories and say good-bye to the young football star and soon-to-be father they knew and loved.

Jasper Howard was finally laid to rest Monday afternoon, more than a week after he was fatally stabbed in the stomach following a late night campus party at the University of Connecticut on the morning of Oct. 18.

No one has been charged with the death of the 20-year-old former Miami Edison High football and track star yet. As police spent the weekend searching storm drains and a nearby lake where Howard was killed, his family and friends continued to mourn.