David Penland III originally expected his week would revolve around spring football.

Instead, the 12th-year University Christian football coach spent a windy Wednesday in Lake County cheering on UC's softball team, and the coach who helped guide his own path to the gridiron, one day before a delayed football kickoff.

"For Coach Stroud," he said, "it's been a long time coming."

After pushing back its spring football game two days because of the school's Florida High School Athletic Association softball championship — and victory — in Clermont, University Christian showed no signs of rust in its spring football contest against Mayo Lafayette.

Penland said he particularly savored the long-awaited first state head coaching title for softball coach Keith Stroud. Stroud has directed nearly every team sport at some point during a UC tenure stretching to the 1980s, and led the football team while Penland himself was lining up on the gridiron for his freshman and sophomore years.

Stroud is no stranger to championships — he lined up on a UC baseball team under John Brown that won back-to-back titles in the 1970s with future major leaguers Glenn Davis and Storm Davis, and he hit the infield grounder that brought home the sixth-inning tying run in the Class A final victory over Jupiter Christian on May 18, 1979. But an FHSAA triumph as a head coach previously eluded him.

"He was my coach in different things, and I was glad to see him finally get one," Penland said.

Penland almost didn't get the chance to watch his former coach lift a championship. Once UC qualified for the Class 2A softball tournament, the FHSAA's Class 2A final was scheduled to begin in the evening on May 23, the same time as the football game.

So UC called an audible on the football schedule, pushing it back two days to Thursday, and Lafayette agreed to the move. The Hornets had themselves qualified for the Class 1A baseball finals in Fort Myers, which wrapped up earlier in a loss to Chipley.

Once the softball ended and the football staff returned to Jacksonville, UC made its performance worth the wait.Other than an unofficial goal-line drill at the end of the session, University Christian allowed no points and registered six sacks on Lafayette quarterback Tywan Williamson, two of them by junior Dah'kari Gilley.

Playing in a modified format consisting of alternating series of 10 plays from the 20, UC scored the lone offensive touchdown. Junior running back Alan Woods, entering as the backfield successor to 2022 All-First Coast offensive player of the year Orel Gray, powered across from 1 yard.

"We try to make [defenses] fast and physical," Penland said. "We got to see a lot of different players tonight and throw them in some different positions, and that's what this is all about."

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Hurley, Anderson key Trinity win

UC's win over Lafayette was far from the week's only high school football action.

• While the matchup of future college quarterbacks Colin Hurley (LSU) and Marcelis Tate (USF) naturally took center stage when Trinity Christian faced Fletcher, some of the top performances came on defense. Trinity linebacker Cameron Anderson recorded a game-high six tackles, and rising junior Romeral Hawkins got both an interception and a forced fumble.Hurley overcame four sacks to complete touchdown throws to Miles Burris and Jayke Jones in Trinity's 20-7 win.

• Raines' traditional defensive strength stood out again and rising senior tailback Mark Miller produced several electrifying runs in a 24-0 shutout at Parker.

• Bolles edged White 23-21 in a matchup with multiple future college prospects in action, particularly on the defensive side, including White's Joshua Patterson and Bolles' Trent Carter and Simeon Caldwell.

• In the exhibition debut for Oakleaf coach Christopher Foy, the Knights found a promising aerial combination in junior Brandon Wallace and freshman Denereo Jacobs, who linked up on an 8-yard score against Spruce Creek during Thursday's three-team jamboree at Spruce Creek.

• In Orange Park's first football game since the large-scale renovation of Hoyt B. Cotney Stadium, the host Raiders played Ocoee to a 12-12 tie. Gabe Taylor connected with a wide-open Ryder Fulmer for a 75-yard score in an Orange Park highlight.

• With Steve Reynolds on the sidelines as head coach, Keystone Heights showed they're still ready to run the ball. Cartez Daniels rushed 17 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns in jamboree wins, 7-0 over Ridgeview and 14-0 over Alachua Santa Fe.

• Ponte Vedra won 22-14 over Beachside in the varsity portion of a St. Johns County clash.

Eye on recruiting: QBs Locklan Hewlett and Tramell Jones Jr. impress in spring jamboree

Bartley to lead Jackson football

The last piece of Duval County's football coaching puzzle is complete entering the 2023 season.

Jackson removed the interim tag Thursday from football coach Daryl Bartley, filling the last public high school vacancy on Jacksonville's gridirons.

Bartley, who had guided the Tigers through spring practice, takes over after Foy's December departure to Oakleaf after three seasons on Main Street. He has previous college coaching experience, directing the offensive lines at Virginia University of Lynchburg and Edward Waters University.

Jackson finished 8-3 last year, receiving the No. 1 seed in Region 1-2M. The Tigers will compete in District 2-2M this year alongside Northside rivals Raines and Ribault.

Nease grad Calvo makes MLB debut

Former Nease pitcher Blair Calvo is officially a major leaguer.

The Colorado Rockies called up the 27-year-old right-hander from the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, and he made his National League debut Tuesday night in a 5-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Calvo pitched a perfect eighth inning, retiring Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Christian Walker and Evan Longoria in order.

For Calvo, the big-league debut came after a long journey from St. Johns County, overcoming Tommy John surgery and a 2022 heart scare — as reported by the Denver Post in spring training, his heart began pounding at 260 beats per minute, forcing him to spend several days in a hospital for evaluation.

He played college baseball at Eastern Florida State College, Pittsburgh and finally back home at Flagler, where he received a 23rd-round draft selection in 2019, but made no minor-league appearances at all in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and recorded a 4.54 ERA at Class-A Fresno in 2021. Last year, he went 4-2 with a 3.09 ERA after a call-up to Double-A Hartford.

Calvo becomes the first Nease graduate in the majors since Chris Barnwell in 2006 with the Milwaukee Brewers, the second active local on the Rockies alongside Justin Lawrence from First Coast and the second Jacksonville-area player to make his MLB debut this year after Sandalwood's Brett Wisely with the San Francisco Giants.

Six locals among FACA softball picks

Six Jacksonville-area players are among the selections on the North team for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association's All-Star Classic for softball, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Chris Bellotto Field at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.

Outfielder Ciara Gibson and infielder Mariyah Sanchez will represent Oakleaf, joined by Clay pitcher Gabrielle Ellis,Columbia pitcher Zoryana Hughes, Fleming Island outfielder Alexis Bucklew and Union County catcher Tamia Young.

Fleming Island's Jennifer Bucklew coaches the North team, with Kara Lokeinsky of Fleming Island as an assistant.

The North team will play against the East All-Stars at 8 p.m. Friday and against the South All-Stars at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Around the area

Sandalwood linebacker C.J. Allen committed to Georgia Southern football. Allen recorded 84 tackles, three sacks and an interception during his junior year. … Bishop Snyder recognized college signings for Abby Allen (women's soccer, SUNY-Delhi), James Bishop (football, Hampden-Sydney), Matthew French (men's golf, Flagler), Madison Lambert (women's soccer, Trinity) and Jaime Preston (women's track, West Virginia State). … Former Sandalwood defensive back Jadon Canady announced his transfer from Tulane to Ole Miss football. … Former St. Johns Country Day midfielder Bella Pontieri is transferring from Virginia Tech to the University of North Florida for women's soccer, along with former Creekside midfielder Paige McSwigan transferring from Cincinnati. … Former Bishop Snyder guard Moise Balungu committed to Cloud County Community College basketball. … Former Bolles distance runner Charles Hicks, now at Stanford, qualified for next week's NCAA men's track finals in the 5,000 and 10,000. ... Former Bolles pitcher Jackson Baumeister earned third-team All-ACC honors at Florida State baseball. … Bartram Trail promoted assistant Megan O'Grady to head girls lacrosse coach, after Meghan Jackowiak stepped down earlier this month. A Massachusetts native who played NCAA Division III college lacrosse at the University of New England, O'Grady has spent the past five years with the program of the two-time defending FHSAA champions. ... Bolles named former college assistant DeAndre Walker as its new head boys basketball coach, taking over from Jason Hughes, who had coached the Bulldogs for five seasons. A former team captain at Fairmont State (W.Va.), Walker worked as an assistant at Tennessee-Martin from 2016 to 2021 and has also coached at Ohio Dominican and Columbus State Community College. … Bolles also hired Ann Marie Hawley, former Fleming Island attack, as the Bulldogs' new girls lacrosse coach. Hawley, who played college lacrosse at Syracuse, will be assisted by former Ponte Vedra coach Jen Conway. … Eagle's View named Kiryn Williams, formerly at Seacoast Christian, head boys basketball coach. … Fleming Island hired Abbi Anderson as head cheerleading coach. … Tampa Alonso quarterback Mieke Rowe won the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Flag Football award and Alonso's Matt Hernandez was named flag football coach of the year. … The FHSAA board of directors is scheduled to hold its last meeting for 2022-23 on Monday and Tuesday in Gainesville.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: University Christian coach David Penland cheers softball title