Northmont grad tunes out Florida State drama

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By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer 1:15 AM Saturday, October 17, 2009

With a university trustee saying 79-year-old football coach Bobby Bowden ought to be put out to pasture and other officials probably thinking it, the situation at Florida State might seem a bit chaotic.

Northmont High School graduate Zebrie Sanders doesn’t see it that way.

“There’s no distraction,” said Sanders, a starting offensive tackle. “Everybody’s together, including the coaches. I don’t know where the rumors are coming from, but as far as we’re concerned, nothing’s going on.

“Like the coach always says, you can only handle what you can control.”

Sanders, a sophomore, has found a home on the right side of the line after arriving at FSU as a left tackle. He was switched last season and has started five of the Seminoles’ six games.

A hot commodity coming out of Northmont, the 6-foot-5, 297-pound Sanders chose FSU over a variety of other traditional powers and has not regretted it.

“It’s going pretty good,” the business major said. “Just trying to take one step every day to get better.”

Sanders started last season as a true freshman. After struggling early, he learned fast. In 466 snaps spanning his final eight games, he was not flagged for a single penalty. He made the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-academic team, too.

“He’s a great kid,” said mentor Eric Wright, the ninth-grade Trotwood boys basketball coach and an Arise Academy truant officer. “Whether he goes to the (NFL) or directly into business, he’ll do well. He’s a pretty level-headed young man.”

Making high-profile acquaintances doesn’t seem to be a problem. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who Sanders met on a recruiting trip to Gainesville, is a Facebook friend.

“It was just a request and I accepted it,” Sanders said, downplaying the connection. “Florida State is where I wanted to go.”

A Viking buzz

There’s a buzz up in Cleveland about the Cleveland State basketball team and much of it has to do with Dunbar grads Norris Cole and Aaron Pogue.

The Vikings, who won the Horizon League and shocked Wake Forest in the NCAA tournament last season, take the court today, Oct. 17, for a public practice.

Cole is CSU’s leading returning scorer (13.3) and the 6-foot-9 Pogue, his former high school teammate, is one of four junior college transfers being counted on to contribute. Pogue redshirted at CSU last season after transferring from Vincennes (Ind.) Community College.

Campus tour

• Maria Moeller (Marion Local) won’t start for the Ohio State women’s basketball team as a senior, but the 5-7 point guard is coming off a season in which she shot 42 percent from 3-point range. She also received the “Buckeye Power Club” award from the strength and conditioning staff, symbolizing leadership, work ethic and winning attitude. Two magazines, Athlon and Lindy’s, rank OSU No. 3, behind UConn and Stanford.

• Ohio Northern senior defensive end Josh Horn (Franklin) leads the Ohio Athletic Conference with seven sacks and ranks fourth with 45 total tackles. Teammate Eric Wenzler (Springboro) has a league-high two interceptions for the 2-2 Polar Bears.

If you have news of a local athlete playing sports in college, please send an  e-mail to smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com or call (937) 225-2408.

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