Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Jeff Odom

The Academy at the Lakes seven-man football team is raising the bar.

The Wildcats have enjoyed three straight playoff seasons under coach John Castelamare, but with a seasoned group returning for next year, the players and coaches agree they want to go farther in their second season as a seven-man program.

“The last three years we’ve been to the playoffs, so we want to keep on doing that and maybe more,” Castelamare said. “We had to change something offensively with some personnel, but when this team gels together, and if they listen and they work hard, then we’ll get there.”

AATL enjoyed a solid year in 2012 that included a 7-1 record and trip to the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools state quarterfinals where the Wildcats gave up six second-half touchdowns en route to a 60-26 loss against Kissimmee City of Life Christian Academy.

One of the biggest question marks for AATL this spring is the offensive line, which loses most of its starters to graduation.

Tight end and linebacker Jack Fishman said he worked throughout the offseason with his teammates to work out and stay in shape to show some of the new players trying out what the game is all about. He added that he is confident in his coaches that they will find the right players to fill the voids in all positions.

“We just need to get our chemistry back,” Fishman said. “I think that we’re bigger than we were last year, we’re faster than we were last year, and we have guys that have the potential, and if we just get our chemistry back together, our offense will be fine.”

Quarterback Max Stepanents may hold the key to that chemistry.

Like Fishman, the junior-to-be bulked up in the offseason and said the team is ready for any challenges thrown its way.

“It’s only the beginning of the season, and there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re working well with the new guys,” Stepanents said. “(Last season’s playoff run) definitely gives us something to look forward to and to work harder. We’re definitely going to have to have a good relationship with (Castelamare), because he makes us better, and we’re definitely going to have to have a good relationship with our players to develop a team with the new guys.”

Injuries could be another major factor. Starting wide receiver Ahkil McGill unknowingly suffered a fractured foot during basketball season that has kept him out of practice, but Castelamare said he should be ready to go when the season starts and added that the team can’t afford many more, especially on offense.

“We’re at a bit of a disadvantage, because we only have 56 boys out of the pool here to choose from,” Castelamare said. “It’ll be interesting to see, because we have a little bit of speed in areas and a little bit of depth in other areas. We just lack a little bit on the line, so those guys can’t afford to get hurt.”

Fishman said while there are obstacles to get through, the team knows it’s in good hands under Castelamare, who coached previously at Ridgewood for 12 years and Wesley Chapel for 11 before coming to the academy in 2010.

“You know everything he says has a purpose; you know he’s not just yelling to yell,” Fishman said. “He’s a proven winner, and he’s gotten teams to championships before, so we believe everything he says and … he has respect just from his presence.”

Castelamare echoed Fishman and added that the respect, along with some veteran leadership, will push the team to new heights.

“They want to keep it up, because the last three years it’s been all about the playoffs,” Castelamare said. “First year it was the first round, second year it was the second and so on. So, they want to keep it going that way.”

Land O’ Lakes’ 13-year-old Carly McCreery competed April 28 at the jumper competition at Fannin Hill Farm in Brooksville. It was the first time she has competed at the 2-foot-6 level, and the Pine View Middle seventh-grader and her horse Miney took first place in all four classes. She bested her competition in her jump-off by 5 seconds despite losing her stirrup after the fourth jump.

McCreery is trained by Deborah Glover of Glover’s Stables in Spring Hill. She is working toward a career in professional jumping, with hopes of joining the U.S. Olympic Equestrian team and the Grand Prix circuit.

By Jeff Odom

When Kyle and Eric Schindler signed to play baseball at St. Petersburg College (SPC) last spring, neither brother knew how special the experience could be.

The Freedom High graduates spent four years playing baseball for the Patriots, molding the team into a contender and helping it clinch its first winning season (15-10) and playoff berth in program history last year.

As seniors, Kyle, a right-handed pitcher and infielder, went 4-4 with a 2.33 ERA in 57 innings pitched and Eric, a catcher and outfielder, batted .388 with 10 RBI.

Now, the twins have focused their attention on turning around the SPC program the way they always have — together.

***

The Schindlers started playing youth baseball at the age of 6. The two were inseparable from Little League through AAU and high school.

“All through our life it’s been great,” Kyle said. “We’ve always been on the field together.”

The brothers said they wanted to help build Freedom’s baseball program from Day 1, but they found it was harder than they imagined.

The squad had a combined record of 29-40 their first three years before finally showing its potential in 2012 when the Patriots qualified for the playoffs as the Class 7A-District 9 runner-up.

“It was great,” Eric said. “Freshman year we were 10-13. Sophomore year we only won eight or nine games, and it was awful. Then we came out junior year and shocked a lot of teams and started out 6-0. … Then, we turned it all around senior year and pretty much said hop on, boys. Let’s go.”

The duo didn’t have any doubt that they would continue their baseball journey with each other, no matter what college they ended up at.

“We went to different schools to work out like College of Central Florida, Brevard, Hillsborough and Daytona (community colleges), and then after every single workout we didn’t feel as good about it, but when we visited St. Pete it felt right,” Eric said.

They quickly decided SPC was going to be their next home.

“When we told people we were going to the same school together, they were like, ‘Oh, really?’ and the first thing they would be is shocked,” Kyle said. “I guess you don’t see that often; twin brothers or brothers in general going to the same school together. It’s a blessing, though.”

Eric said the biggest thing that stuck out to him was the opportunity to play in front of family and friends.

“Everyone that you’ve played with, all of your teammates and coaches and friends and family, they can still see you progress and watch you keep playing,” Eric said.

***

The SPC has dealt with its share of trouble during the past few seasons.

The program was cited for recruiting violations by the Florida Community College Activities Association in 2010 and was forced to forfeit its 2008-09 Suncoast Conference title, all regular season games from 2008 to 2010 and was slapped with a two-year postseason ban. Then, former coach Rob Francis was dismissed following an arrest in 2011.

The Schindlers said the opportunity to help rebuild the program — much like they did at Freedom — was actually a bonus.

“It’s easy to go to a big school and win all the time, but to turn a program that is not as highly known as other schools is a great thing to do,” Eric said. “Our assistant coach had a talk with all of the freshman before the season, and he was talking about the different kids coming in and how we have to start winning. … We told him that we had turned a program around to be one of the best in the county, and that it felt amazing. … I really feel like this can be the same situation, and it’s going to be huge.”

Kyle echoed his brother and said they hope to one day be compared to other famous siblings in the major leagues like B.J. and Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves.

“Our coach in the fall told me and Eric that we play the game the right way,” Kyle said. “He said to everyone in the room, ‘I’m not trying to boost up anybody or fill anyone’s head, but there’s two people in this room that may not get drafted, but the Schindler brothers are known around the state for how they play the game.’ … Even to this day, people tell us they hated playing against us, but they respected us, and I think that’s because we’ve been playing the game the right way and that will always be key.”

By Jeff Odom

The Freedom softball team’s magic simply ran out in the end.

The Patriots (22-4) mustered just one hit against Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas ace pitcher Meghan King and fell 1-0 to the Raiders (23-5) in the Class 7A state finals May 9.

Freedom coach Autum Hernandez told her players after the game how pleased she was with each of them and what the season meant to the program, which had never made the playoffs before this year.

“I told them I was super proud of them,” Hernandez said. “This is the first time we’ve advanced to the postseason and we make it all the way to the championship game. Their parents are proud of them. I’m proud of them. Their school is proud of them.

“So it’s bittersweet right now, and they’re upset right now, (but) looking back on this in a couple of weeks or a couple of months or years, they’ll realize what they’ve accomplished this year.”

The Patriots’ best chance to score came in the sixth inning when freshman Maddy Hall singled for Freedom’s only hit of the night. She moved to third on back-to-back groundouts, but was left stranded when King forced a groundout, ending the threat.

St. Thomas Aquinas used that momentum to its advantage and scored the only run of the night.

Katheryn Behm singled to lead off in the bottom of the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Morgan Biddle. Then, with only one out, Rachel Collins doubled off of Patriots reliever Kaitlin Hall to score Behm, and that’s all the Raiders would need to seal the victory.

“I was hoping with all my heart that we would (come back),” said Freedom starting pitcher Grace Street. “But I guess sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.”

To clinch a berth in the championship game, the Patriots knocked off Tallahassee Chiles 1-0 with a walk-off home run by Ashley Wilson in the eighth inning of the state semifinals May 8.

The Freedom outfielder worked the count full against Timberwolves (25-8) starting pitcher Samantha Martin, then drove the next pitch she saw to deep right field and over the wall for her first career homer.

“I just saw that ball coming right inside and thought that’s my pitch right there, and I swung for it and as soon as it came off the bat, I felt like it was a really good hit,” Wilson said. “When it went over, I was so excited just for my team and just what that means for all of us. That walk-off right there means the world.”

Both teams traded scoring opportunities throughout regulation, and Chiles looked poised to take its first lead in the top of the sixth.

Jenny Ross and Katie Baker singled to put runners at first and second. But after a quick out, Kaitlin, who relieved Street, got Hannah Hilaman to fly out to the left field warning track, which Wilson snared and rocketed to second to double up Ross and end the chance

In the eighth, the Timberwolves threatened when they got a runner to third with two outs, but Kaitlin stayed calm on the mound and worked out of the jam by getting a groundout to set up the walk-off.

Kaitlin, a Wharton transfer, echoed her coach and said it was a season to remember for the team, and she was proud to be a part of it.

“From this fall season I saw so much potential,” she said. “We came out and worked hard every day. … I thought we’d be good, but I didn’t think we’d be this good and make it this far. Teams are calling us the underdog, but I think we were just underestimated and unexpected.”

— Kyle LoJacono contributed to this report.

By Jeff Odom

Academy at the Lakes coach Jerry English tried to find the words to sum up his softball team’s loss to St. Petersburg Canterbury in its first trip to the Class 2A state semifinals May 10.

“We hustled and made some very, very good plays and got some timely hits,” English said. “We were in (the game), but the mistakes we made were youthful.”

Blunders got the best of the Wildcats (12-6), who led early, but committed five errors in the fifth inning. The top-seeded Crusaders (20-11) pounced on the mistakes to score 10 runs and pull away with a 13-3 six-inning victory at the Vero Beach Sports Complex.

“(Our) young kids are learning how to play the game, English said. “They didn’t do it on purpose. … (Canterbury) is a very good team and we were out-athleted.”

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the first when Katherine Smith singled to right field with one out, shortstop Lauren Evans walked on four pitches and Sydney doubled them both home to make it 2-0.

AATL made it 3-0 in the fourth when Skyler Boynton drove in Brenna Wilson with two outs.

Not much went right for the Wildcats after that.

The Crusaders opened the fifth with runners on second and third with one out. A fielding error by the AATL infield, and another at the plate, made it 3-2.

Canterbury took its first lead just one batter later when Kama Woodall cleared the bases with a clutch two-run double.

From there, the Crusaders never looked back.

The Wildcats committed two errors at first base and two more in the outfield. By the time they were able to get out of the inning, Canterbury had taken an 11-3 lead.

The Crusaders finished off AATL in the sixth when Kelsey Hill singled home a pair of runs, and the game was called because of the mercy rule.

“I was so pleased with the girls and their never give up attitude,” said Canterbury coach Jody Moore. “They made me very proud; everybody picked each other up, and I thought we did a really great job of coming from behind.”

In the region finals, the Wildcats used a five-run fourth inning to defeat Quincy Munroe 9-4 at Live Oak Park May 6.

The Bobcats (10-9) didn’t make AATL’s route to the final four easy, as they opened the first inning with three runs off of two errors by the Wildcats’ infield.

AATL would bounce back in the third as Evans, who was intentionally walked three times by Munroe starting pitcher Jerri Sloan, and Marie Aumaitre both scored off dropped fly ball errors by the Bobcats to cut the deficit to one.

In the fourth, AATL took its first lead and never looked back when a pair of walks and another Munroe error loaded the bases for the Wildcats with no outs.

Skyler doubled home a pair of runs to give her team a one-run lead. Then, after a fielder’s choice added another run, Sydney kept the rally going with a two-RBI double of her own to the left field fence to make it 7-3.

“We survived the three runs early on, and we knew we had to get them back,” English said. “We were playing for one run at a time. Everyone came through from the one through nine.”

The Bobcats added a run in the fifth, but that’s all they would get as AATL scored two more in the sixth to pull away.

“I’m just excited that we were able to get the win today,” Sydney said. “It felt really good to not have a lot of them get big hits and my defense, after that first inning, did really well, so I was really happy.”

By Jeff Odom

Three Sunlake football players that helped lay the program’s foundation signed on the dotted line May 10 to continue their careers at the next level.

Seahawks athlete Eddie Burgos (Black Hills State in South Dakota), offensive lineman Aaron Protch (Geneva College in Pennsylvania) and linebacker Brogan Ronske (Butte College in California) made their selections official inside the school’s media center.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Burgos, who split time as Sunlake’s running back, wide receiver and defensive back last season, said he’s excited to have the opportunity to play and isn’t worried about the change in climate.

“I know the weather is a little bit cold up there, people have been telling me that all day, but yeah, I just want to play football,” said Burgos, an All-Laker/All-Lutz News first team selection last season. “I want to try out as a freshman, try to be starting as a freshman and just make chances.”

Protch, who recorded 14 pancake blocks last season, said he never thought he would make it through four years of high school football. But with the guidance of Seahawks coach Bill Browning, he was able to become a program staple.

“It was life-changing, because I came from middle school to high school not even wanting to play football,” Protch said. “I was scared, extremely scared at the change in the level, but the coaches helped me transition, and they’ve honestly made me who I am today.”

Ronske finished last season with 39 total tackles, three sacks and one interception. The senior said he wants to complete a couple years at Butte, the same school where Super Bowl MVP and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers played at before transferring to California in 2002, and move on to a Division I FBS program.

“It means a lot to be able to go on to the next level, but the road doesn’t end here,” Ronske said. “I still have a lot of work to do, and I’m still not satisfied. I’ve got one or two years at Butte and hopefully go to a (Division I) college.”

By Jeff Odom

There were no hung heads following the Wiregrass Ranch baseball team’s 6-0 loss against Venice in the Class 7A region finals May 10.

The Bulls (20-10) were overmatched in nearly every facet of their meeting with the defending 7A state champs, but coach Jeff Swymer was happy with the way his players battled throughout the first postseason run in the program’s six-year history.

“I am exceptionally proud of what our young team accomplished,” Swymer said. “You can definitely tell walking in here why they have two (state championship) flags hanging underneath that American flag (in the outfield). They’re well-coached, well-organized, and guys do things and play the right way. … When you come here, you better play your best ball.”

The host Indians (27-3), who are nationally ranked by both MaxPreps and Baseball America, put their foot on the gas pedal from the very first pitch and never let up.

Led by starter Tyson Albert, the Venice pitching staff kept the Bulls’ bats quiet all night. Albert gave up no hits and struck out seven Wiregrass batters in 4.1 innings.

The Bulls didn’t record their first hit until Austin Drury knocked a blooper into left field off reliever Tyler Shambora to lead off the sixth.

“They just kept coming, didn’t they?” Swymer said with a laugh. “I wish I had that. They had a dugout that looked like 65 guys, and I’m scrounging together 14 or 15. … That’s what we want our program to be in a couple of years.”

Offensively, the Indians were just as dominant.

They got things going in the first when Mike Rivera doubled to right field to drive in Dalton Guthrie from third to make it 1-0, a lead they would not relinquish.

Venice added two more runs in the third, one in the fourth and another pair in the sixth to pull away.

In the region semifinals, Wiregrass Ranch starting pitcher Zach Drury tossed a complete game shutout as the Bulls stunned host Steinbrenner 4-0 May 7.

The Warriors (24-3), who came into the contest ranked No. 16 in the nation by MaxPreps, had outscored Wiregrass 20-1 in three previous meetings this season. But Swymer said his guys weren’t about to roll over in Game 4.

“We put in a lot of work (in practice) to really, really make some adjustments at the plate that I saw them doing to us,” Swymer said. “And the kids, I told them, the first three games they had their opportunities to do it the way they wanted to. This was my opportunity to do it the way I asked them to.”

That decision by Swymer paid off in dividends.

Wiregrass Ranch went blow for blow with Steinbrenner as both teams traded scoring chances in the first four innings. The Bulls, however, struck first as they scored two runs in the fifth.

Chris Parra reached on an infield error to open the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Drury. Campoamor broke the scoreless tie with a double off Warriors ace Gideon Dunn to score Parra, and Shane Bucenell followed suit with an RBI single to right, which plated Campoamor.

That’s all the support Zach would need as he mowed down the Warriors’ lineup, which left nine runners on base including the bases loaded in the sixth.

“The biggest game of my life for sure, and it’s awesome,” said Zach, who gave up just three hits and struck out five in the victory.

The Bulls added another run in the sixth when Austin scored Parra on a sacrifice fly to right and then one more in the seventh from Ryan Girard to secure the win.

“You’ve got to give Zach Drury credit; he was awesome tonight,” said Steinbrenner coach John Crumbley. “We had beaten him twice, and he came out with a desire, and they made plays for him. … We didn’t take enough (quality swings), and that’s a tribute to him.”