Nature Coast Football Saga Continues

The night the lights went out in Groveland keeps producing drama for the Nature Coast Technical High School football team.

In the wake of a brawl during last week's game at Groveland-South Lake, which occurred in the dark moments after the stadium lights went out, the Sharks continue to face penalties.

Already the Florida High School Athletic Association has suspended Head Coach Jamie Joyner and senior Brad Lucier for throwing punches in the melee, though the school has appealed those decisions.

Also, the FHSAA forced the previously undefeated Sharks to forfeit last night's scheduled regular-season finale at Central High and could remove them from playoff competition.

Nature Coast, the Class 3A, District 6 champion, is set to host 3A-5 runner-up Williston High this Friday in a regional quarterfinal.

By Monday, a higher authority may pile on more bad news for the Sharks. The Lake County Sheriff's Office is wrapping up its investigation into the incident and could charge three or four Nature Coast players with either misdemeanor or felony battery.

According to Corporal Jim Vachon, the sheriff's office will attempt to contact the players and their parents to hear their side of the story before filing charges.

The names of the players were not made available because the sheriff's office had not yet interviewed or charged them.

The charges would stem from injuries sustained during the brawl by South Lake Head Coach Walter Banks and South Lake players Dalton Fender and Titus Mobley.

According the incident report narrative obtained by Hernando Today, Fender "was jumped and kicked in the ribs by an unknown assailant" while Mobley "was hit in the head with a helmet, while his helmet was off, by an unknown assailant." Both players were transported to South Lake Hospital for treatment.

As for Banks, he was "hit in the head with the helmet and sustained a small cut on the left side of his face by his left eye."

The report concludes that due to the field being dark, the reporting deputy was unable to determine who any of the suspects were at the time.

When reached by phone earlier this week, Banks declined comment, citing a gag order imposed by the Lake County School District.

Nature Coast Athletic Director Travis Lamle said his school has no comment, as well.

In an appeal letter sent to the FHSAA, Principal Tizzy Schoelles admitted knowledge of one South Lake player sustaining serious injuries, but theorized he may have been trampled by his own teammates as they charged across the field to the Nature Coast sideline.

No South Lake players are currently being investigated because, according to Vachon, no complaints have been filed. If any complaints are received against South Lake, he said they will be handled in the same way.

As for Joyner, despite the punishment levied by the FHSAA that has also led to the Hernando County School District removing him from his classroom, no charges have been filed.

Vachon said that part of the investigation will remain open pending the interviews of a couple more witnesses.

An unnamed referee at the game determined Joyner threw a punch during the altercation. Joyner immediately denied the allegation.

In Schoelles' letter to the FHSAA, she states that Joyner stepped onto the field and pushed a South Lake player aside to assist one of his own players to his feet.

Additionally on Friday, the Nature Coast Football Boosters issued a press release stating their intent to seek legal representation "to explore the probable liability issues" against the FHSAA, Lake County School District and South Lake.

Larry Dodson, the booster club's chairman, said his organization, as the fundraising arm of the program, doesn't feel it should have to pay reparations to Central for the forfeited game.

Superintendent Dr. Wayne Alexander has already said Nature Coast would have to compensate Central, which would have hosted the heavily-anticipated battle of county rivals.

"We didn't cancel the game," Dodson said, "and I don't think it should be canceled."

Dodson added that the club is lining up more legal aid as it awaits the FHSAA's final decisions. The press release notes that the club is taking these actions independent of the school district and Nature Coast.

"For some of these kids, they've worked two years for this," said Dodson, father of senior lineman Lane Dodson. "To have it snatched away because of the actions of someone else? It's totally wrong."

Having attended the South Lake game, Dodson said he didn't know how the South Lake players were injured. Though he felt some Nature Coast players likely had to defend themselves, he said they all retreated to the fence line within 45 seconds to a minute.

The club, according to Dodson, also stands by Joyner. He backed up the assertion that Joyner merely pushed away an attacking South Lake player. He also said that Joyner was then hit in the head by a helmet, but only further pushed away the assailant.

"I have been watching Coach Joyner, (assistant) Coach (Charles) Liggett, Travis Lamle, all the people who you entrust your child to, to not only learn about athletics but about life," Dodson said. "There's no way in hell, under any circumstances, when that man (Joyner) would ever raise a hand to a child."