Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By Jeff Odom

 

Wiregrass Ranch boys basketball coach Jeremy Calzone made his team focus on just one thing for the first three weeks of offseason workouts — defense.

The Bulls (3-0) were one of the best in the area when it came to scoring last season, averaging 77.3 per game while eclipsing the 100-point mark twice and 90 four times.

However, it was Wiregrass Ranch’s defense that likely prevented it from raising the district championship banner for the second straight season.

The Bulls finished the 2011-12 season 17-11, but fell in the Class 7A-District 9 final to Chamberlain 80-65. They allowed 73.1 points per game last year, way more than the seventh-year coach wanted.

“The kids were getting sick of (practicing defense), and they finally said let’s play some,” Calzone said.

His team played well in practice, but limped through the preseason, which frustrated Calzone.

Junior guard/forward Elijah Blackman said their coach called a team meeting Nov. 19, the Monday before Wiregrass Ranch’s regular season opener against River Ridge, to discuss what needed to be change.

The squad responded with an 81-47 thrashing of the Royal Knights, stopping many of their opponents’ scoring chances.

“In the preseason games, we did all right, but we didn’t do as well as we wanted to,” Blackman said. “After (River Ridge), we felt like we stepped up as a team. There’s still some holes where we can work on, like talking consistently, but going forward we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

The Bulls followed up the season-opening victory with wins at Sunlake 73-44 Nov. 28 and at Nature Coast 65-63 Nov. 29, the first 3-0 start in the program’s seven-year history.

 

In order to end up on top of the 7A-9 tournament, which is at Steinbrenner, Wiregrass Ranch will have to get past the reigning champion Chamberlain and the Warriors, who the Bulls knocked off in the district semifinals 85-75.

Senior guard Larrentz Manora, who averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds last year, said the plan is not only to rely on the defense, but making 3-point shots, which the team has had plenty of success doing.

“Confidence is key to making the shot, and I believe we have a lot of confidence on the team,” Manora said. “When we shoot the ball, we already know it’s going in, so we’re just ready to get back on defense and start the press.”

Calzone echoed Manora and said he would like to see more easy baskets when the 3-pointers aren’t falling.

“That’s the way we play,” Calzone said. “When we shoot that way we’re going to win, and we’re trying to preach more layups when we’re not shooting well, but when we are, we’ll try and shoot as many as we can.”

The squad does return most of its starters from last year, including The Laker/Lutz News Boy Basketball Player of the Year in senior guard/forward Rico Kerney, who averaged 25.1 points and 14.2 rebounds last season. Calzone said there are many playmakers on his team that can get it to the next level.

“Demarco Burgess (7.5 points, five assists, 2.9 rebounds*) has really stepped up his game; Chris Parra (17.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, three steals*) is obviously a big time kid for us, a 1,000-point scorer in his career, so those two and Menora have really stepped up this year hitting threes as our sharp shooter,” Calzone said. “We’re so deep, we feel like we can beat anybody. We can beat anybody on any given night.”

Wiregrass Ranch hosts Steinbrenner Dec. 4 before traveling to Chamberlain Dec. 7. Both contests start at 8 p.m.

*Stats from last season

 

 

By Jeff Odom

 

Wiregrass Ranch senior Rico Kerney opened the season Nov. 26 against River Ridge with an alley-oop dunk for his first points of the 2011-12 campaign. He finished with a two-handed slam over a 6-foot-5 defender.

For some high school players, dunking once is a career feat. But for Kerney, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound guard/forward, that’s just another night at the office.

Kerney, who averaged 25.1 points and 14.2 rebounds last season while earning The Laker/Lutz News Player of the Year honors, makes the most difficult shots look easy.

He set school records for points (704), rebounds (398) and steals (91) last year and was named the team’s player of the year by Bulls coach Jeremy Calzone, a credit to the senior’s work ethic.

While his statistics are eye-catching, it’s the work put in with his teammates that makes him stand out.

Wiregrass Ranch worked to build up its defense going into this season, and Kerney bought right in to improving that side of his game in part to show is teammates it was vital for their success this season. He has not neglected offense, though.

“We worked on a lot of picks and screens to hopefully keep moving on offense,” Kerney said. “Our goal is (to score) 100 (points) and we (want) to hold (our opponents) below 70, which is also a goal too.”

On a depth chart filled with playmakers, Kerney is the most seasoned.

As a sophomore, Kerney tasted success for the first time as a starter on Wiregrass Ranch’s first and only district championship team. He was the only returning starter last season and helped guide his squad to a runner-up finish in Class 7A-District 9 behind Chamberlain.

Now, Kerney feels like the time is right to add another year to the championship banner hanging atop the rafters at the Bulls’ gym.

“We worked on our defense in the summer,” Kerney said. “Our summertime was about working hard on everything and it’s showed out and we’ve gotten better, and I’m proud of my team.”

Kerney’s teammate Larentz Manora, a senior, said Kerney is one of the team’s biggest leaders, giving everything he has from the opening tipoff.

“Man, Rico Kerney, he’s the Energizer Bunny,” Manora said. “That’s Rico right there and we feed off his energy. That’s how we roll.”

 

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Sunlake girls soccer player Cassidy Place is hopeful that the 2011-12 Seahawks can achieve program history by making the playoffs for the first time.

But even if a regional berth isn’t in the cards, the 5-foot-10 junior defender has already made Sunlake history of her own.

She has decided to play at Saint Leo University (SLU), becoming the first in the program’s six-year history to commit to compete in college.

“I’ve always wanted to go there since I was little,” Place said. “I grew up going to camps there. It was my No. 1 choice. The campus is so beautiful, and it’s just the perfect place.”

Place said it’s been a goal to play in college since she first started playing, which goes back as far as she can remember.

“Basically I’ve been playing since they let me,” Place said. “I was really little. I don’t remember what age, but basically my whole life.”

Place has four goals, four assists and 99 steals this season for the 4-4-4 Seahawks, who are currently seeded second in Class 3A-District 7 with a 3-0-2 league record.

The future Lion was also a member of the Tampa Bay United U17 squad that reached the state cup last summer.

SLU is a Division II program in the Sunshine State Conference. The Lions won the regular season conference title two years ago with a 15-3-1 record. They went 2-12-2 in 2012 after losing eight seniors from the championship squad.

Place said Saint Leo’s recent winning ways was another factor in her decision, along with a desire to get the Lions back at the top of the SSC while playing for coach Ged O’Connor.

“He’s a really good coach,” Place said. “He’s all about fitness and hard work, and that’s something I really liked about the camps.”

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Wiregrass Ranch girls soccer team won at Freedom 6-0 Nov. 27 on the same field where its season ended in January.

The Bulls (9-0, 3-0) lost 2-1 in penalty kicks to the Patriots (1-5-3, 0-2-1) in the Class 4A-District 8 semifinals a year after the Wesley Chapel program had reached the regional finals. Freedom also defeated Wiregrass Ranch 1-0 last regular season.

“We knew coming in this game Freedom was really tough for us,” said Bulls senior forward Berlin Waters, a Saint Leo University commit. “We knew we had to come out and show them who’s boss and kind of get our revenge from last year.”

The victory is also important for this year’s district standings as a Wiregrass Ranch win Dec. 7  against Gaither would lock up the top seed in the 4A-8 tournament.

“We knew that if we could get over this hurdle we’d be looking good in the district,” said first-year Bulls coach Eddy Costa.

Wiregrass Ranch was the third seed in the six-team district last year, which forced the squad to play in the quarterfinals before facing the Patriots. A top-two finish would earn the Bulls a bye to the semifinals, meaning they would need to win only one tournament game to make the playoffs.

“The new district last year was a little difficult,” Waters said. “Now we’ve built up our confidence, and we know we can do well in this district now.”

Costa was able to get every player into the contest. He said experience is more important for the squad than trying to score eight goals and win games shortened by the mercy rule.

“We’re only as good as our weakest player, and having a strong bench is crucial at the end of the season,” Costa said. He added, “That does help those girls get the experience and get the butterflies out of their stomach.”

Wiregrass Ranch opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Vanessa Jordan made a run up the right side for her 12th goal of the season.

The Bulls found the back of the net eight minutes later when Waters scored her first of three tallies, two in the first 40 minutes. Sophomore forward Taylor Muzik-Eversdijk buried home a rocket shot from 25 yards out, and Wiregrass Ranch entered halftime ahead 4-0.

Senior midfielder Ann Cypriano rounded out the scoring by converting a free kick from 25 yards out in the 57th minute.

The Bulls have outscored their opponents 54-4 this season, with four players recording at least eight goals.

“We’re trying new things and new tactics, and throughout these games we’re really building good chemistry with each other,” Waters said. “So many people on our team can score, and we work well together.”

Costa is pleased with the offensive production, but said he is most excited about the defense.

“There’s that old saying about offense wining games and defense winning championships,” Costa said. “What I’ve told the girls from the beginning is it doesn’t matter if we score six goals a game if we give up seven. It’s great that we’ve scored 54 goals, but it’s even better that we’ve given up four. Defensively we stay compact, not just the back four, but with the system that we use.”

A big part of the defense has been senior Hannah Eder, who moved from midfield this year after not playing on the backline since seventh grade at John Long Middle.

“I was nervous at first,” Eder said. “I do think it was a good move for coach to move me because he wanted some more speed with our defense, and most of our defenders are really good technical players, so I think we have a good mesh of players in the back.”

Eder and the Wiregrass Ranch defense allowed only one shot on goal against Freedom to secure the squad’s seventh shutout of the season.

Costa said there have been many “unsung heroes” who have contributed to the 9-0 start.

“Hannah Eder did a great job, and so did (defender) Lauren Gorden,” Costa said. “She was very aggressive to the ball. Cypriano, she doesn’t score a lot, but she scored on a set piece, and that’s something we’ve been working on.”

The only major concern Costa had against the Patriots was being called offside 12 times.

“I called this the offside week,” Costa said. “We had 15 yesterday against Anclote and 12 today. That’s way too many. We’re offensive minded and the girls sometimes get too rambunctious and just go forward. The defense will step up, and sometimes our girls get caught up looking at the ball and not where the defenders are. It’s not something we tend to do that frequently, but we did this week and we’re going to correct it very quickly.”

Besides that, Costa is working to make sure the players don’t get too excited about what they’ve done and stop looking at what’s needed to keep rolling.

“Right now the biggest emphasis I give to the girls is let’s be humble,” Costa said. “Let’s go into every game knowing that we have to fight to get the first ball because teams are going to be eager to score on us.”

Eder added, “We’ve got a lot of little goals to accomplish to get to states, but with each game it’s building on what we need. We know we have enough speed, skill and athleticism to get there. … The team is great because we’re not about any individual person to win.”

The Bulls hosted Mitchell Dec. 3, but results were not available by press time. Wiregrass Ranch travels to cross-town rival Wesley Chapel Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and host Gaither Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.

Freedom plays at Strawberry Crest Dec. 5 and at 4A-8 opponent Chamberlain Dec. 7. Both games start at 6 p.m.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Freedom boys soccer team picked up its first win of the season in comeback fashion against Class 4A-District 8 rival Wiregrass Ranch Nov. 27.

The 2-1 home win is also No. 1 for first-year Patriots (1-4, 1-2) coach Charlie Haueter, who said it was big to pick up the district victory.

“It’s really important because we’ve dropped two district games,” Haueter said. “We gave up a two-goal lead last game (against Sickles), so to come back and get a win is a big deal.”

The night started poorly hours before the game when five Freedom players were involved in a car accident near the school. Among them was starting midfielder Brenton VanFleet, and Chad Fox and Felipe Garcia.

Things didn’t get better early for the Patriots.

The Bulls (5-2, 1-2) took an early lead when Bryce Wilson headed forward a pass that was put away by Jacob Spana.

Wiregrass Ranch maintained the lead until Derik Harvery scored twice in the final 15 minutes.

Senior midfielder headed in a free kick taken by Ben Wasserman from 30 yards out with 15 minutes remaining, followed by the game-winning tally seven minutes later assisted by Jett Wright.

“At halftime we said we need to be more physical and communicate better because we weren’t talking,” Harvery said. “We talked a lot more, made more passes and it worked for us.”

Junior goalkeeper Nate Brown returned to the Patriots’ lineup after missing the previous three games with a strained groin. He made eight saves, many of which seemed destined for the back of the net.

“The greatest part about Nate is nobody gets more upset, angry and mad at halftime when we’re down a goal,” Haueter said. “He takes it very, very personally. After I let them have a team chat at halftime, he walked up to me and said we’re not going to lose this game. He was so angry they scored the goal they did. When you get a guy like Nate motivated, he’s going to play that great and make crazy saves for a little tiny guy.”

Brown said he talked about keeping the defense tight during halftime.

“They were literally just walking into our defense constantly,” Brown said. “That fluke goal they got they walked right in, so we need to stop doing that. Then I told the midfielders to start passing the ball more because we were just playing kickball the whole game. When we started possessing the ball it got a lot better.”

Harvey said the victory could be a turning point.

“I think you’re going to see us start winning games because of this,” Harvery said. “We’ve been practicing a lot harder and communicating as a team, so it’s been building to this.”

Freedom had a similar victory last year against district rival Gaither.

The Patriots were two games below .500 when they defeated the Cowboys 1-0 last season. The momentum helped Freedom secure the No. 1 district seed and make the playoffs for the first time in three years.

“I’m hoping it’s the same thing,” Brown said. “Right now we can only hope and work hard each day.”

Freedom plays at Strawberry Crest Dec. 5 and at 4A-8 opponent Chamberlain Dec. 7. Both games start at 8 p.m.

Wiregrass Ranch traveled to Mitchell Dec. 3, but results were not available by press time. The Bulls host Brooks-DeBartolo Dec. 5 and 4A-8 opponent Gaither Dec. 7. Both games start at 8 p.m.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Steinbrenner girls soccer team defeated Robinson Nov. 30 at home 4-0 without nine starters.

Many of the Warriors (4-4) were in Georgia or North Carolina for showcase tournaments. Mix in several injuries and first-year Steinbrenner coach Angela Gillisse had only 12 players for the contest.

Gillisse said the game had more importance than a normal nondistrict matchup in November because the Warriors had lost four of their last five going into the contest, all by one goal. To add to the pressure for a turnaround, Steinbrenner plays two Class 4A-District 8 opponents this week.

“This was a game that we really, really needed to win,” Gillisse said. “I just told them to play their game and be comfortable and confident out there. … It was huge for their confidence being down those starters and after those losses going into the Thanksgiving break. It was really neat for the girls who were away too because they were texting us the whole time trying to find out what the score was. They were excited to hear we won and for the girls who had to step in.”

The only regular starters who played for the Warriors were junior defender Megan Haraschak and senior forward Alexis Bredeau, who had two goals to increase the team-leading total to 11.

“I told Alexis that this was on her back,” Gillisse said. “She had to step up, and she played really well. … Alexis had her best game of the season. She had a beautiful header off a corner kick from Megan. My two starters really held the team together and did what we needed. Our defense was unbelievable. Megan was so solid back there.”

The game also marked the return for junior Miranda Gonzalez, who missed the first seven games this season with a torn hamstring. The University of Tampa commit is usually a defender, but she played forward against Robinson.

“I couldn’t even tell you the last time I played up top,” Gonzalez said. She added, “It was kind of the plan because she didn’t want me to have to run too much on defense or make too many tackles.”

Gillisse said it was good to see Gonzalez on the field for the first time.

“I think she was feeling like she wasn’t a part of the team and contributing,” Gillisse said. “She was exactly what this team needed.”

Gonzalez subbed in before the first water break and stayed in for most of the first half and part of the second before experiencing some calf cramping.

“I haven’t played in awhile, so I wasn’t used to it,” Gonzalez said. She added, “My hamstring was OK, and that gave me confidence that I’m healing, finally, and am going to be back soon. It was awesome.”

The Warriors got on the scoreboard when Synthia Ritchie scored off an assist from Michaela Jones before the first water break. The freshman is Steinbrenner’s third-string goalkeeper, but she was forced to play in the field because of how many people were gone.

Senior goalkeeper Eleanor Wilson made two saves to record the shutout.

The Warriors host Gaither Dec. 4 before traveling to Sickles Dec. 7. Both district matchups start at 6 p.m.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Freedom girls basketball team won its Class 7A-District 9 opener Nov. 29 at Chamberlain 77-30.

The Patriots (4-0, 1-0) started a bit slowly, missing their first two shots and first four free throws, but closed out the first quarter leading 22-7 and entered halftime ahead 50-15.

Freedom’s 35-point lead forced a running clock the entire second half. The Patriots have forced such shortened games in every contest this season and are beating teams by an average of 77.5-25.5.

“When we were on tonight, that’s the intensity we need to play with for 32 minutes,” said Freedom coach Laurie Pacholke. “We were looking inside, hitting from the outside and taking advantage of all of our strengths. We had some letdowns, and we have to learn not to play to the scoreboard when we’re up big.”

Senior forward Faith Woodard said they aren’t where they want to be, but added they’re showing improvement each game.

“We’re getting a lot better at using what we do in practice,” Woodard said. “We had good ball rotation, our bench scored, so I definitely see improvement.”

Woodard had 20 points and six steals. Sophomore guard Taylor Emery had 17 points and senior forwards Ashle Thompson and Lauren Repp added eight and six, respectively.

Everyone on Freedom’s roster got into the contest, including freshman Nari Garner who had 11 points.

“Nari really stepped up and played well,” Pacholke said. “A couple of the other freshmen, we need to get some minutes under them in these situations. … You’re only as strong as your weakest player, and you never know when that 13th player is going to need to come on the court.”

The Patriots pulled down 26 rebounds, including eight from Emery and five from Repp. “Lauren is probably our smartest basketball player,” Pacholke said. “She knows where to be and where the basketball is going to go. She is the type of kid who does the dirty work. She doesn’t do the things that show up on the stat sheets, but keeps us in ball games.”

Junior guard Bella Gibson had four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Senior guard Neena Pacholke had five assists and three steals.

The Freedom boys (1-1, 0-1) came just short of knocking off the defending district champion Chamberlain (2-0, 1-0), falling 45-44. The Patriots had a 3-pointer in the air to win, but it hit off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

Both Patriots squads hosted Hillsborough Dec. 3, but results were not available by press time. Freedom plays at home against Middleton Dec. 5 and district rival Gaither Dec. 7. The boys games start at 6:30 p.m. with the girls contests following at about 8 p.m.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker