As it helps community rebuild, Florida Gulf Coast plays on

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Austin Cherichella’s task was simple: throw everything away.

The junior from Orlando, Florida, and the rest of his Florida Gulf Coast teammates and coaches put their clubs away for a few days last week to help their community clean up after Hurricane Ian devastated the Fort Myers area. With storm surge and flood waters rushing through coastal neighborhoods, homes that weren’t lifted off their foundations were filled with saltwater, destroying most, if not all, of what was inside.

“So many pictures,” Cherichella described of the homes in the Pine Island area, where he was volunteering. “We were taking carpets out, throwing doors out. … They were saying just take everything out of…