No. 24 Florida scores big victory over Missouri 93-54
Zach Clouse cannot remember a portion of his childhood. His mom, Cathy, remembers it too well.
She remembers the time Zach was sitting on his father’s lap and fell backward as his eyes rolled. She remembers when he would suddenly fall or his head would drop to the table while sitting.
Zach was diagnosed with epilepsy, a disorder that causes seizures. He was told he would not play football or any other sport. He was told he may never drive a car.
That made Wednesday afternoon at Edmond Santa Fe High School sweeter.
Clouse signed his letter of intent to play football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan.
“I just didn’t think it was going to be possible,” Zach Clouse said. “I’ve never understood how I was playing from all of the stuff they’ve told me. I feel pretty fortunate.”
Clouse spent the past two years as Santa Fe’s starting center. Now a 6-foot-3, 300-pound teenager, he’s moved past epilepsy.
In fact, Santa Fe’s coaches had little idea he had the disorder.
“To be able to overcome that is pretty special,” Santa Fe coach Kyle White said. “To be able to do the demands that high school football puts on your body — especially a big kid like him — and for us to never see anything about it says a lot about him.”
Clouse was 5 years old when he had his first seizure.
After a trip to the emergency room, it subsided for a few months, but he still fell a lot and was hitting his head. That’s when he was diagnosed and placed on medicine.
That didn’t help, though. Clouse instead stopped eating and would not interact with friends during recess. He just sat on a bench staring at the sky.
One doctor suggested he enroll in special education classes.
Cathy instead sought a second opinion at OU Children’s Hospital, where Zach’s medicine was changed. Within months he made huge leaps learning. He had the alphabet, numbers and some colors mastered.
It didn’t take long until he was playing flag football.
“I just loved it ever since,” Zach said.
By the eighth grade, he had outgrown epilepsy, according to his doctor.
It was at that point Clouse became serious about football.
By his senior season, he was one of the top centers in the Oklahoma City area.
And he fulfilled his dream to play college football.
“I really didn’t ever think I was going to play college football or pretty much any sport,” Clouse said. “I just can’t believe it.” Chris Chiozza notched the first triple-double of his career, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and No. 24 Florida dominated woeful Missouri 93-54 on Thursday night.
Chiozza joined the exclusive club when he dished to Devin Robinson for a 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. Equally impressive: The Gators tied a school record by winning their third consecutive game by at least 30 points.
Coming off lopsided victories at LSU (106-71) and at Oklahoma (84-52), Florida wasted no time putting Mizzou in a huge hole. The Gators led 12-2, 18-3, 30-6 and 48-18 in the first half while building a 31-13 rebounding advantage. Coach Mike White’s team did little wrong for the third straight outing and looked more than ready for No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday night.
The only suspense was whether Chiozza would join Nick Calathes and Corey Brewer in Florida’s recent triple-double club. Calathes and Brewer are the only Florida players to accomplish the feat since 1997.
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Big 12 Men’s Basketball Standings