The Tampa Bay Sentinels have found a home in Plant City. Now, they are asking for the community’s support for a great cause.
The Sentinels, a full-contact public safety football team and non-profit charity organization, chose to have its two regular season home games in Plant City at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, after playing at Skyway Park in Tampa in previous seasons.
“We saw an opportunity to play in Plant City, and it was a great fit,” said head coach Jim Gaczewski. “The facilities there are great, and it’s a family-oriented area, so we hope people will come out and support us and the charity.”
The Sentinels have been a longtime supporter of the MacDonald Training Center, which has locations in Plant City and Tampa. Founded in 1953, the center provides educational, vocational and residential supports for people with disabilities.
The Sentinels will make their full-contact debut in Plant City Saturday when they host the Cleveland Warriors, a public safety team from Cleveland, Ohio. It will be the first time the Sentinels have faced the Warriors, who will be playing to raise money for their own local charity.
The Sentinels will play their final home game April 6, against the Orlando Guardians. Both games are set be begin at 1 p.m., and tickets are $7. Children 12 and under are free, as well as anyone with a military ID and those who are disabled.
On Jan. 12, the Sentinels played a charity flag football game against the St. Pete Green Machine at Otis M. Andrews. Money raised by that event also benefited MacDonald Training Center.
TEAM OF HEROES
The Sentinels comprises members of law enforcement, corrections, probation/parole officers, firefighters, paramedics/EMTs and members of the military from five counties around Tampa Bay. Notable members include Tim Titus, an Armwood High alum, and Ben Williams, an officer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, who played four years at running back for the University of South Florida.
“I just enjoy the camaraderie that all the players have,” Williams said. “I’ve met some guys that I work out with now. I like that we play for a charity and enjoy how seriously the guys on the team take it.”
Williams is just one of the talented players that straps on pads for the Sentinels, which formed in 2008 and are the third public-safety team to form in Tampa Bay, being proceeded by the Guardians, now based in Orlando, and the Tampa Bay Posse.
“I love the game of football and enjoy having the opportunity to keep playing the game that I love,” Williams said.
The Sentinels feature players just a few years removed from college and others that are well removed from their college- or high school-playing days, but the intensity is still there, according to Gaczewski.
“This is a chance for people in Plant City and in East Hillsborough to come out and see a bunch of old guys playing a sport they love,” Gaczewski said. “They’re still putting on pads and showing their talents, and we want people to see that.”
GROUND AND POUND
While some of their opponents prefer to air the ball out, Gaczewski’s team prefers to run the football.
“We’re kind of an old-fashioned, smash-mouth football team,” he said. “A lot of teams predominately throw, but we like to control the clock on the ground. If it takes us 12 minutes to move down the field and score a touchdown, then we’ve done our job.”
Williams is one of the key members of the Sentinels backfield, along with fullback/running back Forrest Boles, of the Leesburg Police Department.
The Cleveland Warriors won’t be the first out-of-state team the Sentinels have faced. Others include Atlanta and Roanoke, Va. According to Gaczewski, playing teams outside the region and state gives them an opportunity to see different styles of play, and in turn, improve themselves.
“It’s great playing against upper talent and seeing how our guys match up,” he said. “This will be the first time we’ve faced Cleveland and will be their first game of the season, so it will be a different experience for both of us.”
The Sentinels are currently 1-1 on the year, but Gaczewski hopes he will have a full roster Saturday. With the busy schedules of public safety members, road games are sometimes hard to bring out players, who fund their own way, including travel and equipment.
“This is just a great way to give back to our community,” Gaczewski said. “Hopefully, we can draw a big crowd and raise as much money as possible.”
TAMPA BAY SENTINELS VS. CLEVELAND WARRIORS
WHEN: 1 p.m. March 23
WHERE: Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, 2602 E. Cherry St.
TICKETS: $7. Children 12 and under are free, as well as anyone with a military ID and those who are disabled.
BENEFICIARY: All money raised by the game will go to the MacDonald Training Center, which has locations in Plant City and Tampa.
.” >http://detstvo-kristall.ru/bankovskie-rekviziti-raschetniy-schet.php