TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Mitch Tilmon wanted to be a Florida State Seminole cheerleader. That was his goal, and that dream was achieved this summer.

"I really love games," he said of his favorite thing he gets to do as a member of the cheer squad. "Experiencing the crowd and getting everyone hyped up, it's so much fun."

For his teammates, Tilmon was the perfect addition to the sidelines.

"He always has a smile on his face no matter what happened during his day," said senior Katie Barnette.

"He's an amazing tumbler," added Staci Sutton. "He's doing more elite skills than most people on this team."

Tilmon was born with amniotic band syndrome, a genetic condition that results in deformities of the limbs, but he's never let it hold him back.

"When I was growing up, like, I didn't really see anyone like me," said Tilmon. "So, it was never really, like. I never saw someone that I could look up to and be like, 'OK, if they're doing it, then I can do it.' I really had that drive, and I was like, 'Can I do this?' And like, it just, it feels really good to like be in the spot where I am in now."
The rest is history.

"The first time I ever stunted with him, I like kind of felt bad asking," said Barnette. "I was like, 'Do I need to change anything?' And he was like, 'No, just do the same thing.' I was like, 'OK.'"

"And it hit, it was crazy. I don't think about it as like, oh, I have one arm, like I need to like do this a certain way. I'm like, 'OK, how am I going to overcome this and just be like everyone else and just be like a normal athlete,'" said Tilmon.

"He never asks to be switched out of anything. It's just incredible," added Sutton. "He's an inspiration to the coaching staff as well as the entire team,"

Sutton said she didn't initially see Tilmon's audition tape, as she never received it.

Tilmon used his never-quit attitude and called her up, and she said that as soon as she saw him tumbling, it was an easy decision to add him to the squad.

Alison Posey initially published this story at WTXL.

GREEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — La Salle football coach Pat McLaughlin was realistic after Friday's 51-point loss to visiting IMG Academy.

"I'm not even sure if an all-star team beats that team," McLaughlin said. "An all-star team from Cincinnati may keep it close with that team."

IMG Academy, ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps, defeated La Salle 58-7 in front of an estimated 4,500 at Lancer Stadium.

Despite the score, McLaughlin said the Lancers gave their best effort as a program. La Salle (2-1) is determined to learn from Friday's result.

"As proud or more proud of this team than I've ever been because there wasn't a man in the program, a coach, a player that quit tonight," McLaughlin said. "They played from start to finish."

IMG Academy (2-0), the reigning MaxPreps and USA Today national champions with several major college commitments, led 21-0 with 2:01 left in the first quarter and 37-7 at halftime. The second half included a running clock.

IMG Academy running back Kaytron Allen, a Penn State verbal commit, rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns including three scores in the first quarter alone.

The final statistics showed how dominant IMG Academy was in their second game in Ohio in less than a week. IMG defeated Bishop Sycamore 58-0 Aug. 29 in a nationally-televised game in Canton.

IMG Academy didn't miss a beat after spending the week in the Midwest. It had 475 yards of total offense Friday night compared to La Salle's 54 yards. IMG Academy had 23 first downs compared to La Salle's five.

"This isn't coach talk but you try to find a weakness on that team and you can't find it," McLaughlin said. "I mean they're getting the best players across the country. And again our kids stepped up. It got ugly a little bit but I felt like our kids battled the entire night."

The Lancers forced a turnover with 8:45 left in the second quarter when sophomore Koy Beasley recovered a fumble. Beasley had a game-high seven tackles.

The Lancers scored less than three minutes later when junior Mason Mattingly found senior tight end Dylan Eddings for a 5-yard touchdown pass connection.

Junior kicker Mason Luensman added the point-after attempt. That completed a 6-play, 47-yard drive.

La Salle is scheduled to play at Louisville Trinity (0-3) Sept. 10.

McLaughlin said the Lancers will move on to the next week and not dwell on Friday night.

"Our kids weren't scared; they played hard," McLaughlin said. "We brought them in and we battled four quarters."

CINCINNATI — University of Akron track and field standout Amir Willis, a 2018 Withrow High School graduate, announced Saturday afternoon he has decided to transfer and sign with Florida State University.

"When I went on my visit (June 3) I just felt like I was the most comfortable there," Willis told WCPO Saturday afternoon. "It felt like a family-friendly environment and I knew I would excel on the track and in the classroom at Florida State."

Willis, a junior, earned 2021 Mid-American Conference performer of the year honors for the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Willis also considered Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Louisiana State University, University of Southern California and Texas A&M among his other finalists. He has studied organizational supervision in preparation for a career in real estate in the future.

He was the MAC outdoor champion in the 100-meter dash (10.35 seconds) and 200-meter dash (20.45) at Miami University in early May.

He became the first Akron sprinter to capture the men's 100 and 200 meters in the same championship in program history, according to Akron track and field.

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He was the 2021 MAC indoor champion in the 60- and 200-meter dashes along with being a part of the 4x400-meter delay.

Willis, who entered the NCAA transfer portal in late April, said Saturday's signing ceremony was a very proud moment in his track and field career and he's elated to join Florida State.

"It's like a dream come true," Willis said.

Willis earned All-American honors at Withrow and was the Division I state runner-up in the 400-meter dash as a senior in 2018. He set Eastern Cincinnati Conference and school records in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dashes during his high school career.

"Withrow really shaped me mentally and physically to endure everything when I got to college as far as the training and the classroom," Willis said.