The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kevin Weiss

Saint Leo’s Fitzi is first-team selection

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Anilise Fizi (Courtesy of Saint Leo University Athletics)

Saint Leo University’s women’s volleyball senior middle blocker Anilise Fitzi was named a first-team All-Sunshine State Conference selection, the league office announced last month.

Fitzi, a native of Walton, New Zealand, is the program’s first first-team All-Conference selection since the 2016 season, when Hope Lemon and Jamie Townsend each picked up honors.

The 5-foot-11 Fitzi led the team in the 2019 regular season in blocks (129), block assists (111), solo blocks (18) and hitting percentage (.356) while ranking second in total kills (292) and third in service aces (37). She ranks fourth in the Sunshine State Conference in hitting percentage, fourth in blocks, 10th in service aces and 18th in kills. She also ranks 36th nationally in hitting percentage and 57th in blocks per set.

Last season, Fitzi was named to the conference’s All-Newcomer team. She spent her first two seasons at Polk State College, in Lakeland.

Judge enjoys challenges in civil court cases

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Judge Kent Compton recently paid a visit to the East Pasco Networking Group —where he discussed his duties in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida.

The former Zephyrhills city councilman, and longtime lawyer and prosecutor took up the post in January, after being elected in August 2018.

While still settling in, Compton clearly enjoys his new gig at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse building in Dade City.

“I feel like I’ve got the best job in the state of Florida,” Compton said, during the Nov. 26 breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. He said he finds the position to be “very refreshing.”

Pasco County judge Kent Compton was a guest speaker at a Nov. 26 East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

He went on: “I love criminal law, but I love the civil law and I love everything new about it, and the challenges and the opportunity to do something different, to research something different, to hear the stories, —I enjoy that.”

Compton presides over county civil cases handling principal issues $15,000 or less, small claims and traffic court, as well as first appearance advisories. He also is on-call for emergency petitions for arrest warrants, search warrants, Marchman Acts, Baker Acts and so on.

On an emotional level, Compton said eviction hearings are “the hardest part of my job.”

He explained: “I’ve had some very unhappy people, particular in evictions. I’m human, but I have to follow the law, and Chapter 83 (of the Florida state landlord-tenant statutes) gives me fantastic direction on what to do. If the money’s not paid, if the right motion isn’t made, then people are disappointed.”

Compton added, “it can be kind of hairy — very specific notices, requirements of what the landlord has to do, what the tenant has to do.”

He also mentioned that conducting traffic court can become “quite a scene,” noting his courtroom will be filled with 20 or 25 law enforcement officers and another 50 people waiting for their case to be heard. There also can be “a little gamesmanship” between law enforcement officers and violators who’ve been issued a ticket or citation.

Violators “will come to court taking the gamble the law enforcement officer doesn’t show up,” he said. If that happens, Compton said he will dismiss the case “99% of the time.”

If the law enforcement officer is present, however, Compton said the violator usually will enter a plea to close the case.

In more substantial traffic matters, such as car accidents, Compton said there’ll be “a full-blown hearing” between a defendant and plaintiff.

That typically includes witness testimony, as well as video and photographic evidence.

Those cases, he said, can be challenging because it becomes “a credibility contest.”

Testimony between defendants and plaintiffs can be “just unbelievably 180 degrees separate,” Compton said.

In judging those matters, he said: “You rely upon your common sense and your life experience to try and decide who’s telling the truth, but sometimes I can’t tell, and if that’s the case, it’s not guilty.”

On the other hand, though, “Sometimes it’s pretty obvious the person is caught in their own lying,” he said.

When he’s unsure how to decide a case, the judge said, he’ll take it under advisement to research an issue further, study case law and lean on the experience of his fellow peers in the courthouse and judges throughout the state.

“I have the great resource of all the other judges who are very helpful to me if I have any indecision,” Compton said.

The speaker drew parallels between the courtroom and his dozen-plus years on the city council:

“It’s a people business. You must listen, and you must be fair and courteous. It’s the same job, there’s just a lot more legal mumbo jumbo to go along with it.”

Those qualities are something Compton reminds lawyers and others that enter his courtroom, he said.

Said Compton, “The lawyers, it’s basically a confrontation of business, but while we have to do zealous representation, we also need to have professional courtesy amongst each other and the court.”

When asked how the job differs from what he expected, Compton said, “I didn’t realize that I would see a stack of paper every day. I spend an hour and a half, two hours every day just going through paperwork and processing evictions or motions for summary judgement or credit cards, stuff like that.”

He also was surprised by the quantity of nonjury trials that he handles in the civil division.

Published December 04, 2019

Pine View football duo readying for prestigious tournament

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Two Pine View Middle School seventh-graders are gearing up for one of the nation’s most prestigious youth football events.

As members of FBU (Football University) Team Tampa, center Niko Spilotro and quarterback Jayce Nixon will participate in the annual FBU National Championship tournament in Naples, beginning Dec. 7.

Pine View Middle School seventh graders Niko Spilotro, left, and Jayce Nixon will participate in the annual FBU (Football University) National Championship tournament in Naples, beginning Dec. 7. They are members of FBU Team Tampa, which features the Tampa Bay area’s top middle-schoolers. (Courtesy of Toni Spilotro)

The 32-team tournament is described as “youth football’s biggest event,” uniting all-star athletes and elite-level prospects of all backgrounds from across the United States. Pine View Middle is in Land O’ Lakes.

National champions are crowned for sixth, seventh and eighth grade divisions.

The team’s first game is against FBU Jacksonville. If Team Tampa wins, it will vie for the Florida region championship, against the winner of the Dec. 8 game between Team Central Florida-Team Southwest Florida.

The Florida region winner then would advance to Championship Week, which is Dec. 15 to Dec. 19, where the team could potentially face other FBU all-star teams from across the country, beginning with the Southeast region winner (either a team from Georgia, Mississippi or northwest Florida), and on from there.

Hundreds of FBU national alumni have gone on to play in the NFL and Division I college football. Some notable names include Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Joey Bosa, New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, and Clemson University quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Getting to compete against the nation’s best and likely some future big names thrills the two 12-year-old teammates and friends.

Spilotro called it “a great honor” to be on Team Tampa and participate in the national showcase.

“I love to be able to compare myself to other great players to help enhance my game more,” he added.

It’s likewise a “pretty big” deal for Nixon, a left-handed pocket passer.

He put it like this: “I get to tell my friends I’m one of the kids (on Team Tampa) and I get to play with Niko, and I get to meet all these new kids.”

Plus, he said: “I also get to go against better competition that’ll make me better in the long run.”

Besides being Pine View teammates, the fact that they are the team’s center and quarterback makes their Team Tampa journey all the more unique, they agreed.

“It’s very special,” Spilotro said. Having been on the same team, they are familiar with how each of them plays, which will work to Team Tampa’s advantage.

Nixon said the Team Tampa coaches have praised the duo for their cohesion during snap exchanges and other drills during regular practices at Jefferson High School.

The team’s head coach is Carlo Thompson. The assistant coaches are also high school coaches and former college players.

“The coaches said we work really good together and (they) could tell that we’ve played together before,” Nixon said. “We developed that trust with the team, so having (Niko) there is always good.”

The 32-team FBU National Championship tournament is described as ‘youth football’s biggest event,’ uniting all-star athletes and elite-level prospects of all backgrounds from across the United States. Champions are crowned in sixth, seventh and eighth grade divisions. (Courtesy of Football University)

With FBU games being streamed online at FloFootball.com, it also could give the duo some more national exposure and get them on the radar of scouts and college coaches. A few games may even air in select television markets.

It’ll be a new experience, Nixon said.

“I really never played in a league like this where people are going to play on TV and stuff,” he said.
When it comes to the pigskin, both of these boys are serious.

The 6-foot-tall Spilotro plays hockey and basketball to improve his footwork, balance and hand-eye coordination in the offseason.

But, that’s all in a quest to enhance his football skills as an offensive and defensive lineman .
“Football is definitely my favorite sport,” he said.

He loves that it’s a team sport and requires the entire team to perform well.

He also likes to measure his personal progress.

“I love to see how far I have come and how far I’m going to be able to go. I really love just how you’re able to kind of let loose and play aggressive,” Spilotro said.

Nixon, meanwhile, started running track last year to improve his speed and agility.

He picked up the new sport “not to become a running quarterback, but just have the ability, if the pocket does break down, to get out and make a play.”

He also regularly plays flag football and in 7-on-7 football leagues to hone his overall quarterback skills.

The two boys took different routes to Team Tampa, which is coming off back-to-back seventh grade FBU national championships, which they claimed in 2017 and 2018.

Spilotro last year attended an FBU mini-combine in Naples, then attended an FBU regional camp in Orlando, where he was selected to the 2019 FBU Top Gun Showcase, in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The South Carolina event is an annual national showcase designed to highlight the country’s middle school and prep student-athletes in an intense position-specific test of technical skill and ability.

He performed well enough at the showcase to be named a Class of 2025 All-Top Gun Team selection.

And, he carried that momentum into Team Tampa tryouts, where he made the roughly 25-member squad that features the Tampa Bay area’s top seventh-graders, with players from as far away as Avon Park and Bartow.

It hasn’t all come easily for the athlete, however.

Spilotro has overcome a rare eye disorder called congenital nystagmus, a condition where the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements, which can result in reduced vision and depth perception. A Shriners hospital patient, Spilotro had surgery to correct the condition about two years ago.

“Physically, he’s had to really overcome some things to get to the level where he’s at,” his mother, Toni Spilotro, said. “He just didn’t walk into this world being a big, tough boy. It’s something he’s had to learn over the years and overcome his own challenges.”

Nixon, meanwhile, didn’t go through the FBU camp circuit. He instead was discovered by a rival coach while playing for the Bay Area Packers in the Tampa Bay Youth Football League (TBYFL). The signal-caller impressed enough to make Team Tampa after being invited to a tryout.

His new team has opened his eyes to the amount of talent in the Tampa Bay area.

“With my other (youth football) teams, it’s usually about one or two really good kids, but with this team, it does feel as a step up,” he said.

Published December 04, 2019

Big hauls

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(Courtesy of John Medvid)

Jason Russel, left, and Paul DuPhily teamed up to win the South Pasco Bassmasters November Classic at the Lake Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, hauling in 10 bass for a total weight of 26.79 pounds across the two-day tournament. The duo caught their haul on the edges of assorted vegetation, using soft plastics and Rat-L-Traps. The South Pasco Bassmasters fishing club is looking for new members for its 2020 season. For information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com, or email John Medvid at .

Saint Leo earns tournament bid

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The Saint Leo women’s volleyball team is NCAA tournament bound — for the seventh year in a row, and a total of 11 times overall.

The Saint Leo women’s volleyball program earned its seventh straight NCAA tournament berth. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University Athletics)

The Lions earned the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division II South Region and will face No.4 seed Embry-Riddle in the opening round.

The eight-team regional begins Dec. 5, hosted by No. 1 seed Lynn, in Boca Raton.

Saint Leo enters the 2019 postseason with a 21-10 record and 12-8 mark in conference play. The team is riding a three-match winning streak, including a 3-1 victory over Embry-Riddle on Senior Night on Nov. 16.

Saint Leo had four wins against regional foes during the regular season, over No. 1 seed Lynn, No. 2 seed Tampa, No. 4 seed Embry-Riddle and No. 6 seed West Florida, respectively.

Saint Leo has advanced to two of the last four NCAA South Region semifinals, but is seeking a return to the championship match of the region for the first time since 2009.

Youth XC racing series

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Hillsborough Harriers youth cross-country club (Courtesy of Hillsborough Harriers)

The Hillsborough Harriers youth cross-country club is accepting runners in grades three through eight for its 5K winter training series. The series consists of five 5K races between January and April in the Tampa Bay area. Weekly workouts for the series are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the Lutz and Carrollwood area. The club currently has over 40 boys and girls runners, from beginners to some of the top age-group runners in the state. The boys team recently finished as the state’s top-ranked middle school cross country club team. Cost for the 5K series is $80 for new members. Registration includes a Harriers race uniform. For more information, visit HarriersXC.com.

Pasco economy looks to grow and diversify

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From workforce assistance to recruiting new companies to building new office space, the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., has many projects “in the pipeline.”

Bill Cronin, president/CEO of the economic development agency, discussed those plans and more as the featured guest speaker at The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s November breakfast meeting at Seven Springs Golf and Country Club in New Port Richey.

The Pasco EDC’s mission is “to stimulate balanced and diversified economic growth.”

It uses private investments and tax dollars to foster economic development in Pasco County, helping businesses start and grow.

This rendering shows the future campus for TouchPoint Medical Inc., which is under construction near Suncoast Parkway, on State Road 54. (File)

To do that, Cronin said the agency is working to attract a wide range of industries to the county, such as life sciences and medical technology; business and professional services; high technology; logistics; aerospace, aviation and defense; and, advance manufacturing, among others.

A Michigan native, Cronin stressed the county doesn’t want to wind up like his home state that depends too much on the automobile industry, or another state such as South Carolina, which is too reliant on the tobacco, cotton and textiles industries.

“We don’t want to be that community that has to diversify down the road. We want to do it now and prepare so we’ve got jobs for everybody,” Cronin said.

Part of that diversification, Cronin said, is simply just bringing in more businesses and manufacturing companies, in general, to balance the county’s rapid residential growth over the past three decades or so.

The speaker noted that Pasco County is “pretty upside down in residential, as it relates to job creation.”

He also pointed out that it costs the county “a lot more money” to provide residential services — roads, schools, public safety and so forth — compared to meeting public service needs generated by businesses.

Said Cronin: “It behooves us to go after some of this business to lessen that imbalance on property tax and the burden on our taxpayers.”

Cronin also explained how the Pasco EDC is differentiating itself from other economic development groups across the United States, or what he describes as “16,000 competitors out there trying to get those businesses.”

This rendering from Welbilt shows how the expanded facility will look on completion in late 2019.

One strategic move is going after international companies wanting to expand their footprint in the United States, through its SMARTLandings incubator program.

Many of these international ventures may start with only one or two employees, Cronin said, but capturing that loyalty early on could end up paying dividends in the long run — when a company is ready to expand, perhaps, bring in a distribution or manufacturing center.

He noted, it’s an initiative other economic development groups aren’t doing, because “they’re only interested in these big projects that have 100 jobs, 50 jobs and things like that.”

Cronin also mentioned incorporating “North Tampa Bay, Florida” to the agency’s branding and tagline has gone some way in marketing the area to international businesses and corporations.

The economic development leader acknowledged getting some pushback on the branding.

“Yeah, we’re Pasco, but when we travel overseas, and we’re competing and we’re going out into the world, we first have to be included in the conversation, and then we can differentiate. You’ve gotta be in it first, and then you can differentiate after you’re in it, but if you’re not in it, you can’t differentiate,” he said.

Recruiting a company requires much more than offering incentives, Cronin said. It also involves offering workforce assistance programs and job training grants, he said.

He drew attention to an AmSkills (American Manufacturing Skills Initiative) apprenticeship program at New Port Richey’s Marchman Technical College that he said really resonates with German-based companies, which use a similar apprenticeship model for workforce training.

It helps create a comfort level for companies, Cronin said.

In this case, he said, it shows German companies “they’re really thinking like we’re thinking.”

“Sometimes that’s their biggest fear — what’s the employee look like? Is Joe going to look like Hans? What can they expect? When they see this (apprenticeship program), they know we’re trying to do our best to make sure it looks similar to their operation.”

The Pasco EDC also has partnered with CareerSource on a new website, ‘Workforce Connect,’ a one-stop resource that helps match employers and career seekers.

The website maps available training programs and services countywide, and helps align Pasco’s talent supply with industry demand.

Pasco County’s recent addition of several new companies has given the county more credibility in the eyes of other companies looking to make capital investments in an area, Cronin said.

“Now that (companies) see some activity happening, they’re more receptive to it. The market’s starting to respond,” Cronin said.

Moreover, the county’s proximity to Tampa International Airport and luxury housing developments, including Starkey Ranch and Wiregrass Ranch, have become “a really big selling point” to CEOs looking to add or relocate a company’s headquarters, Cronin said.

For decades, Pasco County has had a reputation of being a bedroom community, where people lived, but commuted daily to work in other counties.

Now, Cronin said, “we have CEO-level housing that CEOs can actually live up here, and their staff lives up here, so why get in that rat race and drive every day to Tampa?

“Instead,” Cronin said, “why don’t you move your operation to Pasco.”

Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.’s recent wins:

  • Mettler-Toledo relocates to Lutz and builds $30 million, 267,000-square-foot facility, creating nearly 700 jobs
  • TouchPoint Medical Inc., is building $24 million, 142,000-square-foot global headquarters in Odessa, creating 228 jobs
  • Phillips & Jordan Inc., is building $15 million, 47,432-square-foot regional headquarters near San Antonio, creating 40 jobs
  • Welbilt Inc., is adding 110 jobs and 42,000-square-foot building expansion to its New Port Richey headquarters
  • Bay Tech Industries is investing $1.5 million in new equipment and 12,170-square-foot building expansion in Odessa
  • Brew Bus Brewing Inc., is expanding microbrewery operation to Pasco, purchasing 34,000-square-foot facility in Wesley Chapel, creating 46 jobs

Published November 27, 2019

Wiregrass Ranch grad leads by example

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At Wiregrass Ranch High School, Carly Norman was a senior team captain and standout defender on the varsity girls lacrosse team — helping the program to a 14-2 mark during the 2019 season.

She also graduated in the top 10% of her class, with a 4.0-plus GPA.

But, it’s her contributions off the field and outside the classroom that proved to be most rewarding.

Wiregrass Ranch High School graduate Carly Norman became the school’s first recipient of the Congressional Citizen Award, for volunteerism and community service. Norman was president of the school’s Key Club service organization. (Courtesy of Kathy Norman)

Carly was involved in as many as 10 extracurricular activities.

In one of those, she was president of the school’s Key Club, the oldest and largest international student-led service program for high school students.

Through that, she spearheaded volunteer efforts at Feeding Tampa Bay, Bay Chapel Food Pantry, Humane Society of Tampa Bay and Habitat for Humanity, among others.

One definitive moment occurred in 2017, when Carly helped organize a weekend neighborhood cleanup in downtown Tampa, following Hurricane Irma.

The Wiregrass Ranch graduate recalled a local woman came up to her volunteer group and began sobbing. The woman thanked them for picking up trash and debris the devastating tropical storm had left behind.

Moments like that make volunteering all the more worthwhile, for Carly.

“It was just so touching to see how much my little effort, just taking some time off on Saturday morning for a couple hours to pick up trash made her feel so good,” Carly, now a freshman at the University of Central Florida, said.

The young woman’s efforts to serve have not gone unnoticed.

Earlier this year, she received the Congressional Citizen Award from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

The honor was bestowed for Carly’s exemplary volunteerism and community service.

She was Wiregrass Ranch’s first-ever recipient of the honor, which goes annually to select graduating seniors in Bilirakis’ district.

Though she wasn’t seeking recognition, Carly said she was “really touched” to be chosen for the award.

Seeing the value of giving back

Some volunteers who are Carly’s age may view helping others as a necessary chore to obtain needed service hours. But, in high school, Carly began embracing the opportunity to help others who are less fortunate.

The 18-year-old put it like this: “I  kind of just grew to love volunteering. It became almost like fun for me. It’s a great way to give back to my community and have fun with my friends while doing it. …If you just take some time to find it fun, it really is amazing.”

Carly said her mother, Kathy Norman, instilled in her the value of volunteering.

“When I grew up, my mom always taught me, ‘You give back to others. You help others,’” Carly said.

She began at an early age by writing personalized holiday cards to military members.

In addition to her volunteerism, Norman was a senior team captain and standout defender on the Wiregrass Ranch High School varsity girls lacrosse team.

It blossomed from there.

“When I did get older and had more opportunities to help, I really did jump at that,” Carly said.

Since then, she has gone on to become a member of UCF’s Circle K International service club, the college and university counterpart of the Key Club.

That, plus a demanding undergraduate physical therapy program, keeps her plenty busy.

As she watches her daughter juggle multiple responsibilities and still make time to serve others, Kathy Norman is “beyond proud” of her Carly.

“She works really hard and balances a lot. She basically just wants to be a good kid and do her best in everything.

“She’s really grateful for what she has, and to think that other people don’t have the bare basics, it really does pull on her heart a lot,” Kathy Norman said.

In addition to the Congressional Citizen Award, Carly received another distinction her senior year.

She was one of three Wesley Chapel-based high school female athletes to receive the inaugural HERStory Museum scholarship, offered by the new women’s sports virtual museum at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

Though she was a dancer and cheerleader growing up, Carly transitioned to lacrosse her sophomore year, as it was becoming a sanctioned Florida high school sport.

She recalls being encouraged by the school’s boys lacrosse team to try out for the girls squad so they would have enough players to field a program. (Because of Title IX, the school must offer both a boys and girls lacrosse program.)

She quickly fell in love with the sport, she said, noting it “made me appreciate how much Title IX does for women’s athletics.”

Carly wound up developing into a team leader, and was known as a scrappy defensive player. She also recovered from a torn ACL her junior year.

“It kind of taught me that I’m tough,” Carly said of the experience. “The truth is, I’m not a star athlete. I’m really just a kid who has a lot of heart.”

Wiregrass Ranch girls varsity head coach Craig Havemann wasn’t surprised to learn of Carly’s scholarship from the local women’s sports museum.

He speaks fondly on Carly’s three seasons in the program, citing her positive attitude and “go-getter” mindset.

“She just had the grit and determination to want to succeed,” Havemann said. “She had that extra little quality that some people have that they just stand out as leaders — always asking questions, always wanting to improve.

“She’s one of those people that always has a smile. I can’t remember her ever being down on herself or just down in general,” he said.

Havemann noted Carly stepped up as an upperclassman to lead offseason workouts, and helped acclimate new players into the program.

She took them under her wing and showed them the ropes, and let them know what the expectations were, he said.

It’s the type of initiative from a player any coach can appreciate.

“As a coach, she makes the job a lot easier,” Havemann said. “She’s one of those people you want to have on your team because she just brings the whole team up.”

He also observed that Carly “was a much better player than she gave herself credit for.”

Published November 27, 2019

Land O’ Lakes cheerleaders win ‘Best of Pasco’

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After a long history of struggles, the Land O’ Lakes High School varsity girls competitive cheerleading team is finding its groove.

The Gators won the prestigious ‘Best of Pasco’ Sunshine Athletic Conference Cheerleading Competition on Nov. 16.

At the event, hosted by Land O’ Lakes High, the Gators claimed a score of 78.4, defeating 12 other county high schools. The school’s crosstown rival, Sunlake High, scored 76.2, to earn second place.

The Land O’ Lakes High School varsity girls competitive cheerleading team won the ‘Best of Pasco’ meet on Nov. 16. (Courtesy of Ashley Linden)

The last time Land O’ Lakes won a ‘Best of Pasco’ meet was so long ago that Gator cheerleaders and coaches can’t be sure when it was.

“It’s a very big deal for us,” said third-year coach Ashley Linden. “It’s been a very long time,” she added, noting it’s been at least since the early 2000s.

Senior team captain Sarah Spitzig thinks it might have never happened before.

In any case, it marks a striking accomplishment for a program that had not garnered much of a reputation through the years.

Spitzig said it’s the first competition the Gators have won during her four years in the program. “We’re all super excited about it. It’s just boosted the team’s confidence a lot,” she said.

The coach added of the ‘Best of Pasco’ achievement: “Seeing them be successful is just the best feeling, because some of them have been there for competitions where they didn’t do so great, and they still stuck it out and still kept coming back.”

Like other cheer programs, the Gators 2½-minute routine combines an array of acrobatic and athletic tumbling, stunts, cheers and dances — to the sound of upbeat music.

Linden described the team’s routine as “creative” combined with “a lot of really great tumbling.”

Many of those advanced skills were fine-tuned at summer Universal Cheerleaders Association camp, Linden said.

The offseason reps must’ve helped, as Linden said the team’s execution of the routine was “clean” and “sharp” at the countywide meet.

The team’s newfound taste of victory extends beyond just technical skills, however.

Linden said it also can be explained by better attitudes and coachability overall, plus more pronounced leadership from a quartet of team captains (Spitzig, along with seniors Laura Madison and Gabriela Miller, and junior Emma Runkel).

The Gators competitive cheer routine combines an array of acrobatic and athletic tumbling, stunts, cheers and dances, all to the tune of upbeat music.

All those qualities, the coach said, “makes or breaks a team.”

“Everything has just taken like a huge turn for the better,” said Linden, a former high school cheerleader herself with experience coaching All-Star and recreational teams. “This group of girls is just different; they want it this year.”

It’s an assessment Spitzig can agree with.

“It’s less about the skills sometimes, but more about the attitudes,” the cheerleader said. “We won even without the highest skills that we could’ve been doing; it was more just about attitude coming together and working for it.”

Hand in hand with that is a stable and dedicated coaching staff, as Linden and assistant Gators cheer coach Karlee Roach have been working in tandem for three years to rebuild the program; Roach actually served as the team’s head coach the previous two seasons, then reversed roles with Linden this year.

When it comes to their efforts, the coaching duo goes the extra mile, cheerleaders say.

Runkel noted that the coaches “care so much for us.”

She added: “Personally speaking, I had such a negative attitude my freshman year that they really helped me grow as a person, and personality-wise, I’ve grown so much from them. “They’ve always been there supporting us, on and off the mat,” she added.

Spitzig concurred: “We’ve all just developed into more of a family having them here. They give up so much time, we just appreciate it.”

The signs of a budding 2019-2020 campaign were in the works toward the end of last year as the Gators placed fifth in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 1A medium division state championships.

At the beginning of the season, Linden felt the team had the opportunity to build on that.

She was optimistic despite the fact that 13 seniors graduated and the team would be relying heavily upon four freshman flyers.

The current 25-member roster consists of five seniors, 13 juniors, three sophomore and five freshman.

“I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the season that, ‘This is our season,’” Linden said.

“People probably thought we were going to be in a rebuilding year, and here we came. To win (‘Best of Pasco’), no one expected that. We kind of came out from under.”

And, what made the ‘Best of Pasco’ victory even more special — was earning bragging rights over a Sunlake cheer program that for years has been a local powerhouse.

“They’ve always been out for us and always proved that they’re better than us, but this year we’re actually coming up on top of them,” Runkel said.

“I’ve heard they’re coming back for us — but we’re coming back for them,” Runkel said.

2019-2020 Land O’ Lakes competitive cheer roster
Head coach: Ashley Linden
Assistant coach: Karlee Roach
Team manager: Mayah Ocasio

  • Christina Agovino
  • Mia Allen
  • Lexi Brown
  • Ariana Butler
  • Aysiah DeBernardi
  • Peyton Fields
  • Elizabeth Harmon
  • Alex Heck
  • Grace Huff
  • Maddy Huff
  • Lauren  Jones
  • Madelyn Macaluso
  • Laura Madison
  • Gabriela Miller
  • Leah Mixson
  • Gianna Ocasio
  • Katy Quandt
  • Paige Randall
  • Emma Runkel
  • Skyler Sander
  • Sarah Spitzig
  • Camryn Steele
  • Alyssa VanMeter
  • Nevaeh Vercellona
  • Kaitlyn Wall

Published November 27, 2019

Local athletes sign with colleges

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Several local high school athletes ceremoniously signed on Nov. 13 their letters of intent to play college athletics — the beginning of the fall national signing period for every sport, with the exception of football.

Here is a roundup of known high school athlete signings in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:

Academy at the Lakes
Softball: Jessica Mott — College of Holy Cross (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Volleyball: Victoria Rudolph — Roberts Wesleyan College (Chili, New York)

Six Land O’ Lakes High School athletes signed their National Letters of Intent on Nov. 13. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High Athletics)

Land O’ Lakes
Baseball
Patrick Groark — Florida State College at Jacksonville
Dakota Harris — Polk State College
Trey Skidmore — University of South Carolina-Union
Soccer: Landon Craven — Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama)
Softball: Bianca Potts — Enterprise State Community College (Enterprise, Alabama)
Tennis: Courtney Piltaver — University of Montevallo (Montevallo, Alabama)

Steinbrenner
Soccer
Gabriela Moore — Saint Leo University
Lauren Prentice — George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
Mia Tarrant — University of Massachusetts
Softball: Kylie Liotine — Saint Leo University
Tennis: Olivia Jablonski — Samford University (Homewood, Alabama)

Eight Sunlake High School athletes signed their National Letters of Intent on Nov. 13. (Courtesy of Sunlake High Athletics)

Sunlake
Baseball
JT Lambeta — Pasco-Hernando State College
Nick Plaisted — Pasco-Hernando State College
Lacrosse: Ryan Furlong — Canisius College (Buffalo, New York)
Soccer: Bryanna Joseph — Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama)
Softball
Alyssa Cordoba — Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, Florida)
Jenna Gabriella — Georgia Gwinnett College
Daisy McQuain — Daytona State College
Swimming: Chloe Grimme — University of Florida

Wesley Chapel
Softball
Jordan Almasy — University of Central Florida
Ally Fraley — Pasco-Hernando State College
Morgan Herndon — Lake Sumter State College (Leesburg, Florida)