Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

University of Tampa (UT) freshman forward Cici Gonzalez knew time was running out as she returned to the field after a break late into the second half against Sunshine State Conference (SSC) rival Saint Leo University (SLU).

The Spartans (7-2, 2-0 SSC) had dominated possession throughout the road contest Sept. 19, but had nothing to show for it through the first 89 minutes.

“I was just thinking we’ve got to get something,” said Gonzalez, a Steinbrenner High graduate. “The whole game I kept thinking it’s going to come, it’s going to come because we kept dominating and attacking.”

UT finally broke through with 33.4 seconds remaining.

Midfielder Laruen Moore took the ball up the left sideline and found forward Amber Pennybaker in the corner on a through ball. Pennybaker beat the SLU (2-5-1, 1-2-1 SSC) defender and fired a cross into the box that was hit home by Gonzalez to give her squad a 1-0 win.

“I know Amber is really fast,” Gonzalez said. “She’s really good at getting around people, so I thought she’d turn that corner. As soon as I saw her getting in front of the girl, I ran as fast as I could because I knew the pass was coming. I didn’t even see it go in. I just threw myself at it.”

Moore, a Gaither High graduate, said the game was one of the most frustrating of the season. Her squad outshot the Lions 19-4 and practically lived on the Lions’ side of the field.

“We try to keep fighting through that,” Moore said. “It’s what we work on a lot in practice is the fight. If you win all the 50/50 balls it’s going to come. After all that work, we know it’s going to happen. We just kept saying, ‘We’re going to win this game. We have to.’”

Moore, a sophomore, said she had a good feeling as she saw the game-winning play developing.

“I saw Amber making the run, and I thought if I play that ball and she makes that cross it was over,” Moore said. “We’ve scored on so many crosses before. In my head I just thought one more time. I looked at the clock, saw about a minute left, played the ball, she crossed it in and Cici made a great run to put it in. … The whole game was so frustrating. To end on that was just perfect.”

Pennybaker, a sophomore, said she was happy she could redeem herself after what she called a “bad” first half.

“When I was stepping on the field to sub in the game, I was thinking I didn’t have a really effective first half and I wanted to change in the second half,” Pennybaker said. She added, “Moore gave me a good ball, and I couldn’t waste it. I heard (Gonzalez) call my name, and saw her out of the corner of my eyes. I pulled it away from the keeper so she could have a chance to finish.”

UT coach Gerry Lucey said their game plan was executed on all levels up until it came to putting away goals.

“Sometimes we’d shoot the ball too early, not get the right angle or not make the right runs in front of the net to connect with somebody,” Lucey said.

Lucey was happy about the nature of the winning play.

“We work on a lot of things in practice, pattern things like that, so it’s nice to see some good soccer win it at the end, instead of just a lucky goal,” Lucey said. “It worked in terms of finding the right player, cutting in and Cici made a fantastic run. She showed great commitment to get inside the box and finish that off.”

SLU coach Ged O’Connor said he liked the fight out of his young squad that started seven freshmen.

“It’s the experience factor,” O’Connor said. “Unfortunatly we don’t have a lot of seniors who can go in and dominate. They’re learning on the job. We held on as long as we could. We knew we were playing a quality team in UT. It’s always a battle when we play them.”

Saint Leo continues SSC play at home against Eckerd University Sept. 26 starting at 5 p.m. UT plays at conference rival Lynn University Sept. 26 starting at 1 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

Fast rebuilding projects are something the Wiregrass Ranch boys cross country team has become quite good at.

Last year, the Bulls had to replace their top-four runners from a squad that won conference, district and regional championships.

Despite the losses, Wiregrass Ranch managed to again sweep its conference, district and regional meets while placing sixth at the Class 3A state final, matching the best result in the program history.

“It was tied for the best performance, but we scored the least points, so it was our best team,” said sixth-year Bulls coach Chris Loth. “Last year was our best team.”

Three of Loth’s top seven graduated from that 2011 squad — Tyler Mattera, David Hill and The Laker/Lutz News Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Sam Hippely.

The losses have been substantial, but those back from that sixth-place squad have no interest in taking a step back.

“The expectations were high last year because the team has won so much, but everyone thought we’d be worse than we were,” said senior Thor Alastre, who moved up to varsity last season with teammate Ben Hall. “It was fun, exciting to show people we could still do it.”

Hall, a senior, added, “We work really hard to win. This is one of the best sports teams at the school, and we want to keep that reputation. … Coming into last season I knew we’d lost a lot of great runners, and I was really nervous. I knew we’d have to all make up for what we lost, but I knew we still had really good runners.”

Loth said the squad still has plenty of talented runners on his 26-member roster, principle among them seniors Ermias Bireda and Patrick Hill along with Alastre and Hall.

“The top four seniors, we never missed practice this whole summer,” Alastre said. “We run no matter the weather, rain or the sun.”

Loth added that Alastre and Hall are taking over the leadership right now as Bireda and Hill recover from inflammation in their shins from over-training.

“The four seniors we have this year are awesome,” Loth said. “We just have to get them all in the same race, and that’s not going to happen for awhile. People are going to look at us and say we stink, and they’re not going to know what we’re really like and that we’re still a good team until conference when everyone is back. Conference, I think, will be the first meet where we’re all running together and all in shape.”

Loth’s said his confidence comes from the fact that his runners are not only talented, but also because they are completely committed to keeping Wiregrass Ranch at the top of every meet they enter.

“Being on this team has been the best part of my high school experience, really,” Hall said. “I got to meet so many great kids, and we’ve done a lot of winning, which makes it more fun of course.”

Hall, whose personal record (PR) in a 5-kilometer race is 16 minutes 52 seconds, said he had no interest in running before high school.

“I was kind of a lazy kid, but my friend Tyler said I should join the cross country team,” said Hall, who wants to cut his time to 16:30. “Once I did, I realized all my friends were on the team, and I really liked it.”

Alastre (PR 17:05, goal 16:30) added, “It’s an indescribable feeling being a part of this team. Our slower runners are faster than the top guys on a lot of other teams. It’s challenging because one week someone runs the best, and the next week it’s someone else. It pushes you to be your best.”

That push is currently coming from a group of young runners who want to secure a varsity spot while Bireda and Hill are recovering.

“We have our best group of freshmen in years,” Loth said. “We had two freshmen debut in the low 20s and Keval (Patel) is also right there, and I’ve got two more right behind them. I think by the end of this season those guys are going to push the other guys. I’m confident that we’re developing very well, and I expect to see a couple freshmen in the postseason for the first time in five years.”

The Bulls will compete at the FLRunners.com Invitational in Titusville on Sept. 29.

Wiregrass Ranch’s top-10 runners

Thor Alastre, Sr.

Ermias Bireda, Sr.

Brennan Cameli, Jr.

Stefan Dordevic, So.

Ben Hall, Sr.

Patrick Hill, Sr.

Andy Hippely, So.

Jarred Lanier, Jr.

Christian Suriel, Fr.

Collin Tifft, So.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Steinbrenner volleyball team took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the Class 7A-District 9 tournament with a 25-23, 25-19, 25-16 victory at home against Freedom Sept. 20.

The win not only moves the Warriors (8-3) to 2-0 in 7A-9 play, but also improves their all-time record against district opponents to 28-0. They also remain perfect in their five matches against the Patriots (8-4), who they beat for the district title last year.

The Warriors needed only three sets to defeat Freedom, but it was far from an easy night for the home team. The Patriots led for 32 of the 44 plays in the second set, but the Warriors were able to pull out critical points when it mattered most.

“They were riding with us the whole time,” said Warriors junior outside hitter Rachel Mathison. “We had to really battle back a couple of times. … We’re so determined to win.”

Steinbrenner coach Laura Stegenga said the focus in recent practice has been on the frontline attack. The Warriors were averaging 20.2 kills per match entering the contest, but racked up 42 against Freedom. Mathison had a team-high 16, sophomore Avery Bradshaw posted seven and senior Madison Seuzeneau added five.

“Early we focused on backline defense and serve receive, and that’s been our strength,” Stegenga said. “We went back in the gym and had a purpose with our hitting, and I thought every time my hitters went up to swing tonight there had a purpose. That made their consistency so much stronger than what it’s been in the past.”

Steinbrenner sophomore middle hitter Lauren Heldt said the increase in the offense is a result of the backline and setters.

“The passing was perfect,” said Heldt, who had five kills. “(The ball) is where it needs to be, and it makes it easy for the hitters.”

Stegenga said another focus was blocking, especially on Patriots senior outside hitter Jasmyn Perry.

“We knew that Jasmyn was their key play and key hitter, so yesterday at practice we adjusted to her,” Stegenga said. “By having that double block shading in toward Jasmyn we were able to execute.”

Perry had 14 kills, but she was greatly limited in her attack by the 6-foot-1 Heldt.

“We’ve all worked really hard at blocking in practice, and we knew she was their big hitter,” Heldt said. “We knew we had to stay on her. I had Avery (Bradshaw) and Madison Powell on my right side. We just closed every time, and it was fantastic.”

Mathison said she knew Heldt would be able to hold Perry in check.

“We told her not to think about it,” Mathison said. “Just get her feet there and block. She doesn’t even have to jump to get over the net. She’s a brick house right there.”

Her team has yet to drop a set against a Hillsborough County opponent this year, but Stegenga said she wants to see her squad jump on opponents quicker.

“We always seem to have a slow start, and then all of a sudden we think we’ve got to play,” Stegenga said. “I’m going to come up with drills to start executing plays from the beginning. … I have a lot of athletic, good volleyball players who can play multiple positions. I might start experimenting with them to see how to maximize their potential.”

Freedom coach Kerry Short said she liked the fight from her team.

“We knew coming in and playing at Steinbrenner was going to be tough,” Short said. “They had the home court advantage, but I think we got a good look at what’s to come in the district finals.”

Warriors junior setter Casey McLean had 19 assists, while sophomore setter Brooke Royals recorded 17. Senior libero Natalia Campos posted 20 digs, Seuzeneau recorded 11 and Mathison had eight.

Steinbrenner played at Alonso, while Freedom hosted 7A-9 rival Chamberlain Sept. 24, but results were not available by press time. The Warriors travel to Wharton Oct. 1, the same night the Patriots host Alonso. All matches start at 7:30 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Gaither football team took its first step toward making consecutive playoff appearances with a 30-7 home win against Class 7A-District 7 rival Wiregrass Ranch Sept. 21.

The Cowboys (3-1, 1-0) won by four scores, but had to fight hard to pull away from the Bulls (0-4, 0-1) who have lost their last 16 games.

“We didn’t underestimate them; we just didn’t execute,” said Gaither coach Jason Stokes. “Too much stuff going on this week with it being homecoming, and early in the game we made too many mental errors. They bit us on offense and defense.”

Senior running back Vu Le said Wiregrass Ranch didn’t play like a team that hasn’t won since Nov. 5, 2010.

“They played hard and played to the whistle,” Le said. “They’re a good competitor this year because they’re trying to win the district too.”

On their first possession, the Bulls drove deep into Cowboys territory thanks to a 52-yard pass from quarterback Shane Bucenell to Ryan Shea, but Gaither’s defense stopped the momentum on the next play when lineman Ernest Suttles forced the first of three Wiregrass Ranch fumbles.

Safety D.J. King scooped up the loose ball to set up a nine-play, 66-yard drive capped off with quarterback Alex McGough finding Marcus Brown for a four-yard touchdown.

“I had to get that momentum back,” King said. “They were driving the ball on us. I just try to make plays, and when I saw that ball on the ground I thought pick it up and run.”

The senior suffered a sprained neck at Wiregrass Ranch last year, which forced him to spend several hours in the hospital.

“I’ve never had to go to the hospital before, so I wanted to get payback a little bit,” King said. “I was thinking about what happened last year today and this whole week because it was scary when it happened.”

The Bulls answered on their next possession with a 13-play drive that ended with Bucenell sneaking into the end zone on fourth-and-goal on the one-yard line.

That made the score 7-7, something running back Shug Oyegunle changed 14 seconds later.

The senior took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown with 4:54 left in the first half to give the Cowboys the lead for good.

“I saw a big hole from my blockers and took it,” said Oyegunle, who finished with 141 all-purpose yards.

Stokes said Oyegunle’s touchdown helped snatch control of the contest.

“This is such a momentum game,” Stokes said. “Without a doubt that touchdown gave us some life.”

Gaither’s offense started gashing Wiregrass Ranch after halftime with six plays of 12 or more yards. Le scored twice in the final 24 minutes, the first on a 17-yard catch and the second on a 51-yard run with 4:13 remaining for the game’s final points.

“It was a district game, so I knew I had to step up my game,” Le said. “I want to be a leader out there, so once I got the ball I was just thinking score.”

McGough completed 8-of-18 passes for 108 yards, 51 to Brown on four catches.

The Cowboys allowed no turnovers in the contest and recorded 301 yards of total offense.

“I feel really confident,” Oyegunle said of the offense. “We have all the talent on this team to take it far. We’ve worked hard, now we just have to work even harder.”

Gaither’s defense strangled Wiregrass Ranch’s offense in the second half, recoding two of its three sacks, picking off Bucenell once and forcing another two fumbles. Both loose balls were recovered by defensive lineman Thanasi Halkias.

The Cowboys did allow one big play after halftime, a 70-yard pass to Joe Irizarry late in the fourth, but linebacker Devon Wieand intercepted Bucenell on the next play.

Both squads have a bye this week. Gaither will travel to 7A-7 rival Steinbrenner on Oct. 5, while Wiregrass Ranch hosts district opponent Tampa Bay Tech. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

Freedom football coach Todd Donohoe couldn’t help but laugh with his players as they huddled together after the game under a steady rain that had been falling since the opening kickoff.

After two lopsided losses to open the season, his Patriots (2-2, 1-0) won their second straight game and tied the win total from last season, beating Class 7A-District 7 rival Steinbrenner 25-19 at home Sept. 21.

“The kids are working so hard, the coaching staff too,” Donohoe said. “Freedom really needed this.”

The Patriots defense didn’t allow a touchdown by dominating the Warriors’ (1-3, 0-1) offensive line and sacking quarterback Curtis Fitch three times. Steinbrenner, which was without its top wide receiver Jon Marc Carrier because of a knee injury, also fumbled five times, three of which were recovered by Freedom.

“We bend, but we didn’t break,” said senior linebacker Isaac Tanner. “We just stood together as a team, and that was the biggest thing.”

The Patriots relied heavily on their rushing attack, which quickly wore down the Warriors’ defense.

Led by running back Andre Folks, the Patriots drove 65 yards to set up their first score. Sophomore quarterback Taylor King found Sayff Saed in the back of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown to go ahead 7-3.

The four-point lead lasted only 16 seconds as Steinbrenner halfback Kendall Pearcey answered with an 80-yard return to the house on the ensuing kickoff.

That’s when King told his offense it was time to go.

“We came into the game with high confidence and really executed,” King said. “On offense, we still need to get better, but we keep working every play.”

Freedom scored again to open the second quarter as Nate Godwin punched it in from near the goal line.

“We watched a lot of film, and we knew where they were going to come at,” Godwin said. “We brought the pain to them, and just did what we got to do.”

After the Warriors missed a 48-yard field goal, the Patriots were back at it with the trio of Folks, Godwin and King, which combined for four first downs on the drive. King called his own number on first-and-goal from the two-yard line for another Patriots touchdown to extend the lead to nine after a missed extra point.

Steinbrenner cut the deficit to six with a 42-yard field goal by Michael Ruggles before the break, but Freedom extended it to 12 on their first play after halftime.

King (9-of-13, 148 yards) rolled out and found Alunte Fleshman, who got around two defenders and scampered 90 yards for a touchdown.

The Warriors scored one more time in the fourth quarter as Tyler McClain and Nick Ringo jumped a Patriots fumble in the end zone to make it a one possession game.

Steinbrenner’s defense stifled Freedom on its next two drives, setting up one last comeback attempt.

Passes of seven and 11 yards to Pearcey put the ball on the 27-yard line, but Fitch threw four straight incompletions to end the game.

“We came to Brandon (last week) and the offense stepped it up; we came out here tonight and they stepped it up again,” Godwin said. “We’re going to keep working hard, keep competing and we want to go to the playoffs and keep moving.”

The Patriots host Alonso Sept. 28. The Warriors have a bye this week before hosting district rival Gaither Oct. 5. All games start at 7:30 p.m.

By Andy Warrener

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

The Sunlake football team was unable to slow down the run game of a smash-mouth Springstead squad Sept. 21, dropping its Class 6A-District 6 opener 13-7.

The Eagles (4-0, 1-0) ran over the Seahawks (2-1, 0-1) in the first half, which ate up the clock and allowed each squad only three possessions apiece in the opening 24 minutes.

But the host Springstead had the advantage in starting field position, beginning drives at its own 40-yard line and the Sunlake 40 and 37. The Eagles scored all 13 points in the opening half to enter the locker room leading 13-0.

“I told the guys, field position was going to be critical in this game,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning.

The Seahawks gained just 29 yards in the first half and dodged two bullets when long snaps went past punter Connor Gilboy, but the senior had the presence of mind to scoop each up, run around to find room and boot both downfield.

Everything changed for Sunlake in the second half.

The Seahawks defense slammed the door on Springstead’s run game, allowing zero net yards on its first two drives.

Meanwhile, the Sunlake offense began to show signs of life by sticking with running senior quarterback Josh Zifer up the middle and getting Eddie Burgos the ball more.

After their first drive fizzled, the Seahawks netted 87 yards on their second and third drives and put their first points on the board with a nine-yard touchdown catch by Burgos.

Field position also swung in Sunlake’s favor, starting its second half drives at its own 48, 48 and 45.

The shorter fields helped put the Seahawks in position to tie the game with six minutes left.

Sunlake converted one fourth down on the drive, but couldn’t make it two with about three minutes remaining.

The Seahawks still had time on the clock and a full set of timeouts, but Springstead gained its only first down of the second half and ran out the clock.

Sunlake linebackers Ben Wood (eight solo tackles) and Ray Busbee (six solo tackles) led the defensive effort.

The Seahawks host district rival Mitchell Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.