VIN'S PEOPLE: A salute for Southeast High’s Athletic Hall of Famers

Big ups to the honorees at Southeast High’s 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame celebration this Thursday.

Among them are …

Steve Battle (1968): Southeast’s career rushing leader with 2,564 yards, a record that stood for 28 years until broken by fellow HOF inductee Dyral McMillan.

Faust DeLazzer: Spent 17 years as Southeast’s defensive coordinator overseeing some tough units that helped the Noles win two consecutive state championships, four regional championships and 14 straight district football titles. He also coached Noles baseball to its first district title. 

Martin Cavillo (’94): Won state titles in the 1,600 meters (3) and 800 meters (2) and was a U.S. Olympic trials invitee. 

Briana Phillips (2003): Four-year starter in basketball (1,493 points; 1,396 rebounds) and remains the only Nole to have surpassed 1,000 points and rebounds in school history. She played at Florida and was co-captain as a senior.

Nikkieda Rutland (2002): An all-state defensive back as a senior, led the Noles with 99 tackles and five blocked kicks, was 2001 Herald-Tribune Defensive Player of the Year and later played at Garden City Community College and Tennessee State.

Jawarski Pollock (2001): First-team all-state wideout as a senior with 76 receptions for 1,344 yards and 21 touchdowns and later played at North Carolina.

Dyral McMillan (1995): Scored 32 TDs, still a school record, for the Noles ’94 state champions, rushed for 2,863 yards and scored 59 TDs over three seasons. He played at Miami and USF. 

Southeast’s 1985 “Bushwackers,” the first Noles team to beat Manatee, the state’s No. 1 ranked team, went 13-2, losing 27-7 to future NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and Pensacola Escambia in the state championship game.

Those ’85 Noles were Jessie Price, Jeff Hall, Kevin Daniels, Kenny Parrish, Dwight Murry, Shane Cline, Steve Thomas, Iron Perkins, Jason Merritt, Pat Carnegie, John Richardson, Stevie Pollock, Derrick Frazier, George Brown, Reginald Bundrage, Daryl Campbell, Kevin Zenobi, Waymon Bowden, Ed Brown, Earl Hines, Stanley Boyd, Tom Washington, Karl Vaughn, Roman Hall, Maurice Lee, Jonathan Jones, Reggie White, Lathario Jones, Robert Frazier, Donnie Gibson, Randy Lanier, Darrin Newman, Horace Parker, Rob Greenhalgh, Donald Newman, Mike Yakich, Brian McKnight, Billy Hamilton, Robert Hamilton, Steve Wolfe, Dusty Rhodes, Tim Powell, Ed Purvis, Dwight Sutton, Ronnie Washington, Tom Warren, Tyving Perkins, Calvin Hornes and Doyce Jackson.

Head coach Paul Maechtle’s football staff included DeLazzer, Scott Taylor, Herb Tschappat, Bill Knisley, Dennis Long, Woody Woodward, Gary Holbrook, Bob Carroll, Howard Eberly, Mike Wilder, Bob Thomas and Bob Lilly.

The event is at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, 7051 Wireless Court, Sarasota. For tickets, visit: gofan.co/event/6536215?schoolld=FL6058

· A bow to Chef Greg Campbell for 20 years at Pier 22.

· Happy trails to Coastal Orthopedics’ Dr. Steven Schafer, retiring after 25 years in orthopedic surgery at Blake Hospital.

· Jim Phelan hit the Big 7-0!

· Palmetto High pitcher Landon Stuart committed to Lake Sumter State College.      

· Macie Adams is 39. Again.

· And here’s the latest humorous gem on Bayshore Eye Care’s 26th Street West marquee: “I Didn’t Think Orthopedic Shoes Would Help … But I Stand Corrected.”

Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: VIN’S PEOPLE: A salute for Southeast High’s Athletic Hall of Famers