VIDEO: Panthers Draft Teams For Thursday Night’s Annual Spring Game
By Florida Tech // March 2, 2016
Spring Game Set For Thursday Night At 7 p.m.
ABOVE VIDEO: Head coach Steve Englehart addressed the media Tuesday after practice. (Alan Zlotozynski, Space Coast Daily Video)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA- On Monday, Florida Tech held an extremely unique event when it held a draft for the two teams that will square off at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Florida Tech Panther Stadium for FIT’s annual Spring Game.
The first detail that was decided was what uniform each side would wear. The team coached by FIT President and CEO Dr. Anthony Catanese and incumbent university president Dr. T. Dwayne McCay selected the Gray jerseys, while the team coached by football founders Mike Shah and Scott Sorensen chose to don the Crimson jerseys.
Next, the teams picked their coordinators for Thursday’s affair. Chad Raymond and Dan Sabock will coach the offense and defense for Team Shah/Sorensen, while Austin Silvoy and Dan Owen will serve as coordinators for Team Catanese/McCay.
With the uniforms and coordinators determined, the table was set for what turned out to be an entertaining evening at the Varsity Training Center. One of the big elements that made the event possible was bringing in people who care about the team to be involved with the game.
“When we brought the presidents and boosters into it, it made a world of difference,” said Sabock.
“Dr. Catanese and Dr. McCay were studying this weekend for who they wanted to pick. It was a lot of fun, there was a lot of energy and excitement.”
The experience was also something unique for Shah, someone whose generous contributions made Panther football a possibility.
“This is the first time in my life doing something like that,” stated Dr. Shah. “I had a lot of fun. This was quite the experience, I would like to do more.”
The draft began in fairly predictable fashion, with each team selecting a quarterback to run their offense with the first picks. Team Catanese/McCay used the No. 1 overall pick to select Mark Cato, while Team Shah/Sorensen countered by taking local product Brandon Ziarno.
Team Catanese/McCay then focused on the running game, using back-to-back picks to take Trevor Sand and Antwuan Haynes. The Gray team also made safety Trai Cadore the first defensive player selected.
After filling in their offensive line with Steven Gilbert and Blake Stone, Team Shah/Sorensen added Tyler Grow and Skylar Sheffield in an attempt to counter the stable of tailbacks for the Grey Team.
From there the two teams went back and forth filling in their roster under the advisement of their respective coordinators.
With both teams set, attention is now turned towards this Thursday’s game. Players will practice with their respective teams in the coming days, gaining chemistry with one another along the way.
The unique format of the game should create plenty of entertainment for the fans packing the stands at Florida Tech Panther Stadium.
“This is so great for the kids,” said Catanese.
“I really hope the community turns out for the Spring Game because this is going to be a lot of fun.”
Admission to Thursday’s Spring Game is free of charge.
For those that are unable to attend, a live stream will be available at FloridaTechSports.com/live.
