Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2011 Wharton volleyball team has one of the most successful regular seasons in program history, but the ending was unsatisfying for the Wildcats.

The squad went 19-4, but lost in the Class 8A-District 7 semifinals to Plant. A victory would have given Wharton its first postseason berth since 2006.

The Wildcats graduated eight seniors and return just four players, but those back are ready to take that next step into the playoffs.

“Everyone’s wondering if we can do it again,” said senior outside hitter Caci Andreychuk. “That’s always the question. I think this team will be as good or better than last year. … There’s a little pressure because you want to at least do as good as you did last year, but I think we’ve got the players to do it.”

Part of that confidence is a result of calling up several talented young players from the junior varsity (JV) team while adding a few freshmen to the varsity squad, including libero Chanelle Hargreaves.

“I went to a lot of the matches last year and saw that they were really good,” said Hargreaves, 14. “I was excited to try and be a part of it. … I’m actually pretty nervous. All the older girls have been here for years already. They know how things are, and I’m kind of just trying to find out how high school works.”

Senior setter Ashton Stocker, who has committed to Furman College, said the team may be young, but there is still a lot of talent on the court.

“It’s really exciting,” said the 6-foot-1 Stocker. “As long as we can figure out how to make it work we should have a really good season. … They definitely have the talent. Chanelle is amazing already. I think we have the talent, but we are young so we have to get them comfortable with playing.”

Fifth-year Wharton coach Eric Barber said the ability to replenish the varsity squad each year was something he wanted when he came to the Wildcats.

“It comes down to trying to establish a program here, not just a team,” Barber said. “The girls that I had that first year on varsity did a great job starting that process. They were great workers and really bought in to the idea of working hard and building a successful team to the point that last year we saw the fruit of that.”

The biggest hole from graduation is front and center, where 6-foot-2 middle hitter Stephany Brown patrolled.

Brown recorded a team-high 84 blocks last year, averaging 1.3 per set to tie for 10th most in the state. She also had 157 kills and 29 aces. She signed with Palm Beach Atlantic University following the season.

“Skill wise, losing Stephany left a hole,” Barber said. “That was a position that I was really kind of concerned about coming into this season. Can we fill that middle position as a team? We do have a girl, Avery Day, who’s coming up from junior varsity. She really did awesome in the offseason. She played club. She got a lot better, so we have high hopes that she’ll come into that middle position and make an impact.”

Barber said he has no worries about the setter and outside hitter positions with Stocker and Andreychuk.

“I think Ashton is the best setter in the district,” Barber said. “Just unbelievably talented. Caci is just an all-around player. She’s really strong, but she does more than just hit.”

Along with posting 324 assists in 2011, Stocker had 63 digs, 56 kills, 48 blocks and 38 aces. Andreychuk had a team-high 291 kills, 164 digs and 57 aces last season while adding 20 blocks.

The squad also gets a boost at outside/rightside hitter from Freedom transfer Hannah Kaczmarek. The junior, a first-team All-Western Conference and All-Laker/All-Lutz News selection, racked up 364 kills last year. She attended Wharton as a freshman and her family moved back into the school’s district this summer.

Stocker and Andreychuk have been taking on more of a leadership role while training for their senior season,

“Because we had so many seniors last year, me and Ashton didn’t have to be leaders,” said the 5-foot-11 Andreychuk. “Now it’s our time to shine and really lead.”

Getting through 8A-7 is no simple task. The district includes Alonso (10-9), Bloomingdale (10-4), along with Durant (11-12) and Plant (18-9) which both made the postseason last year. Plant has also won state championships in five of the last six years.

“Hands down it’s one of the toughest districts in the state,” Barber said. “Going through those kind of teams prepares you to get ready for state and have a good shot at it.”

Neither Stocker nor Andreychuk have experienced the postseason in high school. Andreychuk has only attended Wharton, while Stocker transferred last season from Wiregrass Ranch, a program still seeking its first playoff berth.

The girls have played together for five years at the club level, and they agreed getting into postseason would be significant.

“It would be a huge deal,” Andreychuk said. “It just gives me chills right now talking about it. You see our banner up there and there’s not a lot on it. There’s not a lot of action on that banner, and it’d be great to change that.”

Stocker added, “I really do think we have a really good chance at being district champions. … It would be amazing. That’s what I’ve been working toward, and it would be awesome to do it my senior year.”

The Wildcats open the regular season at Leto on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. The 8A-7 tournament is at Durant Oct. 23 to 25, with the championship match on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

—Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

Wharton roster

Player Pos. Yr. Ht.

Caci Andreychuk OH Sr. 5-11

Avery Day MH So. 6-1

Chanelle Hargreaves L Fr. 5-5

Gabrielle Jackson RS/OH Jr. 5-7

Hannah Kaczmarek RS/OH Jr. 6-1

Kathryn Kastner RS Sr. 5-6

Caitlin Lievre DS Sr. 5-5

Kylie Paul DS Jr. 5-3

Kristy Rosica OH Jr. 5-7

Lindsey Schaible MH Fr. 6-1

Doranna Smith DS Jr. 5-5

Ashton Stocker S Sr. 6-1

Kennedy Stocker RS/OH So. 5-7

By Kyle LoJacono

Freedom volleyball has undergone a large transformation the last few years.

In 2010, the Patriots were looking for their first playoff berth. Now, the squad is seeking its third in as many years.

The postseason has been commonplace the last two seasons, but something is still missing — a banner hanging in Freedom’s gym following a district championship.

“It’s been exciting, and for the girls it’s almost expected to be in the playoffs, but still there is not a district banner in our gym” said fifth-year Patriots coach Kerry Short. “We would really like to have one. We’re tired of coming in second.”

Senior Ashle Thompson has been with the program for four years and said getting a district title would be the “icing on the cake” of her senior year.

“We always expect to win our district, and we’re really hoping this is the season because we haven’t achieved it yet,” said the 5-foot-8 middle hitter. “We’re always almost there.”

Junior setter Kelly Schaller added, “It would be awesome just to know that I contributed to our first banner. It would be up there until this school closes, which probably won’t be for a long time.”

It would mean as much to 5-foot-9 outside hitter Jasmyn Perry. The senior transferred from Tampa Bay Tech in 2011, the first time she’s been on a playoff team.

“It would mean so much to me just to see that our team, Freedom High School 2012, on a banner,” Perry said. “Oh my gosh, it would be awesome.”

The Patriots know what they want, but understand wearing their first district crown won’t come easy in Class 7A-District 9.

The alignment includes Steinbrenner, which has won three district titles since the school opened in 2009, including 7A-9 last year when the squad went 24-5. The Warriors won both meetings with Freedom last year, but the Patriots did take a set in the regular season.

Winning a set from Steinbrenner may not seem like a large accomplishment, but it is the only time the Warriors have dropped one to a district opponent ever.

Freedom will also have to get by Wiregrass Ranch (12-13), Gaither (7-15) and Chamberlain (5-14) to make it out of the district.

“The teams in our district are tough,” Short said. “I feel almost every year with our schedule we’ve gotten tougher and tougher opponents. That’s a good thing because to get better you have to play tougher competition to get you to that next level.”

The Patriots also face Wharton (19-4) and Plant (18-9) in nondistrict play.

“We have a really difficult schedule and we have a chance to win at a really high level,” Perry said. “We play Steinbrenner, Wharton, Plant. I’m not saying we’re definitely going to beat those teams, but we’re going to give them a run for their money, and that’s really exciting to be able to say.”

As the excitement around the program has risen, so has the interest in volleyball at the school. Short inherited a team that went 6-10 in 2007. She had about 20 kids try out that year.

Since then, Freedom has never finished below .500 and the win total has increased every season, up to 19-9 last year. The amount of girls interested in playing has also jumped.

“This was the biggest tryout I’ve had,” Short said. “We had 50 girls, so within that conditioning they kept showing up. They were excited about the volleyball season.”

The Patriots only graduated rightside hitter Natalee Judson (143 digs, 32 kills) but lose outside hitter Hannah Kaczmarek, who set a single-season program record with 364 kills last year.

Kaczmarek, a first-team All-Western Conference and All-Laker/All-Lutz News selection, moved into Wharton’s district where she attended as a freshman, but the Patriots get reinforcement from a familiar face.

Junior Ashley Wilson returns after focusing on softball last year. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter led the squad in 2010 with 295 kills while adding 205 digs and 25 aces.

“I got my softball scholarship, I’m going to Elon University, so I decided since that’s all done, I can come back,” Wilson said. “Last year, I wanted to focus on softball, but I still love volleyball. I missed it so much more than I expected.”

Schaller, who had 799 assists, 149 digs, 74 kills and 55 aces last year, said having Wilson back adds to a loaded frontline.

“Our hitting, especially outside, our outsides are some of the best in the district,” said the 5-foot-9.5 Schaller. “It really shows, and we get most of our points from the outside. We need our back row too. Our outsides would do nothing without our back row.”

Perry recorded 313 kills, 196 digs, 45 aces and 30 blocks last season, while Thompson added 89 digs, 62 kills, 37 aces and 22 blocks to the frontline.

“I think we can be really dominant this year,” Wilson said. “With all the talent we have on the frontline and defense we should be able to play with anyone.”

Freedom opens the regular season at home against Bloomingdale on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The 7A-9 tournament is at Gaither Oct. 22 to 25, with the final on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

—Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

 

Freedom roster

Player Pos. Yr. Ht.

Kayla Ireland RS Jr.

Gabbi Jacobs DS/OH Jr.

Kaitlyn Miller RH Jr.

Delaney Myers DS/OH Sr.

Jasmyn Perry OH Sr.

Kelly Schaller S Jr.

Hannah Skendziel MH So.

Delaney Smith DS Jr.

Megan Snow RH/OH Jr.

Ashle Thompson MH Sr.

Ashley Wilson OH Jr.

By Kyle LoJacono

When Tropical Storm Debby rolled through in June it brought flooding to many parts of Pasco County, including inside the gym at Saint Leo University (SLU).

The storm hit when the Lions’ campus was undergoing several construction projects, including changing the way water drains away from the university grounds.

With no place to go, the water forced opened one of the doors to the SLU gym, which caused major damage to the flooring.

SLU athletic communications manager Evan Ortiz said the plan was to redo the gym next summer.

“Debby decided to make that more of a priority,” Ortiz said.

The finished gym was unveiled to the student-athletes and coaches on Aug. 21, the first day of class for the fall semester. The volleyball team got first crack at practicing in the Lions’ new digs.

“As soon as I stepped on the floor I could feel it cushion a little bit,” said SLU volleyball coach Sam Cibrone. “I was here over the summer when they were doing it, so I saw the pads that went in. It was really awesome. After every fifth board they put a string between them, and when they put it together they pulled the string out. It made such a small gap that we would never see with the naked eye, but it allows the floor to move because of the space for that give.”

The men’s basketball team got on the floor later that same night during an unofficial session of pickup games. Senior guard/forward Trent Thomas said the players got to play lightly on the surface before, but Aug. 21 was the first time they were competitive on it.

“Playing on the floor it felt like it gave you a plus one in everything,” said Thomas, who led the Lions with 15.4 points per game last year. “Runningwise, jumping, everything was just a little extra bounce. … There’s a lot of cushion. When you’re running and jumping it’s not bad on your knees at all. It’s like coming down on clay. You’re feet don’t hurt when you land or cut fast. It feels great.”

Thomas said they played for two hours on the new floor.

“At first we’d say this is the last game, and then we kept saying “No, let’s keep playing,’” Thomas said. “I think it was more like we were excited to come back and all play together for the first time. We’re ready for the year. We’ve been ready to get back into it.”

The gym opened in May of 1970 and had undergone only minor renovations during the years. Ortiz said along with the flooring, the project included updates to the air ducts, bleachers and baskets.

Cibrone joined the program eight years ago and said playing on the old floor was more demanding on the player’s bodies.

“It was difficult because the floor was built right on concrete with no padding at all,” Cibrone said. “We had a lot of shin splints and a lot of knees swelling. It was just tough on the body jumping on concrete all the time. This year I’ve seen the floor compressing and the kids aren’t sore. It’s been a total change.”

Cibrone said he’s seen improvement in the team’s vertical jumping. That, along with a reduction in injuries, is a welcome combination by his players.

“They love it,” Cibrone said. “They’re not hurt and in the training room, and it’s creating some excitement around the program right now. … We had a down year the last two seasons after making the NCAA (Division II) National Tournament for four years in a row before that. We’re hoping the new floor and excitement will help bring fans to the game and bring a better atmosphere while helping the performance. I think the floor will make all that difference.”

SLU volleyball starts the season by hosting the University of Charleston and Southwest Baptist on Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. Lions basketball is finalizing its schedule.

By Jeff Odom

In his first season at the helm, Wesley Chapel boys golf coach Mike Rogers wanted to teach his squad the fundamentals of the game while polishing each Wildcat into a better player.

Wesley Chapel was fresh off of a Class 1A regional title and state tournament appearance when Rogers took over for Alan Black, who retired in 2010 after leading the program for its first 11 seasons.

Now, the time has come for Rogers to write his own success story with the squad.

“I’m looking forward to another exciting year,” said Rogers, who also serves as the school’s athletic director. “We have some new faces on the team with some new kids that are coming up and are hopefully going to give us a jolt to our team. We’ve got a little more competition out there this year, so I think it will be good to have them compete against each other and do some pretty good things in the conference again this year.”

The Wildcats return plenty of leadership from last season’s squad, including senior John Nickisher, who earned a spot in regionals last season. Also back are sophomore Corey Mumaw and junior Noah Fleck.

Fleck said he expects the program to take steps beyond last season’s mark and return to the regional and state tournaments.

“I think the goal of any team is to improve from last year and just play the hardest,” Fleck said. “I’ve been playing at junior tournaments and in my neighborhood to prepare, and play as much as we can.”

Turner Imhoff transferred to Wesley Chapel from Pasco this summer. The junior has played with Fleck since he was younger. Imhoff said Wesley Chapel can stack up well against any team.

“I think we should do well,” Imhoff said. “I’ve been playing with Noah since I was little, and I think we have a stronger team bond. We have (some) very good guys on this team and a lot of solid golfers, so I really feel that we’ll have a chance at regionals.”

Adding to the new faces is junior Kevin Blum, who will be participating in his first season of competitive golf. He said Fleck, who taught him how to play and jokingly describes Blum as his “prodigy,” motivated and convinced him to join the team this year.

“He introduced me to golf, and I’m actually pretty good at it, so I came out (for the team),” Blum said. “I hope to get in the matches and play well, and just do what I’ve been doing out here in practice.”

Rogers said the key for another competitive year will be to keep the same focus during the entire season. He added if each golfer can do that and show the necessary leadership, the victories will come.

“Last year we were just inconsistent from one match to another, and we have to just have more consistency with each golfer in each match and build upon each week,” Rogers said. “I think having some of the leadership and experience playing from either another school or being on the team the past few years and having the maturity will filter down to some of the younger kids, and they’ll be able to see that and grow into leaders on the team as well.”

Wesley Chapel opens the season by hosting cross-town rival Wiregrass Ranch Aug. 28 at Lexington Oaks Golf Club starting at 3:30 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

The days leading up to Freedom football coach Todd Donohoe’s debut were anything but smooth.

The game itself was no better.

Heavy rain throughout the week soaked the Patriots’ field, making it unplayable and forcing the kickoff classic preseason game to be moved to their opponent’s field, a gridiron Donohoe is very familiar with.

The contest was played at Strawberry Crest, a program Donohoe started in 2009 and led for two years. The Chargers showed no let-up in a 29-0 shutout against the Patriots and their former coach Aug. 24.

“We’ve got a lot of talented players here, we just did not play up to our potential, that’s for sure,” Donohoe said. “It’s not necessarily one thing; it’s a combination of a lot of things we definitely got to get better at if we’re going to be where we want to be.”

Donohoe said returning to his former school for the first time since stepping down in 2010 had nothing to do with how the team played.

“We just got outplayed and out-coached, and I give (Strawberry Crest) credit for that,” Donohoe said. “It will only get better from here because there’s a lot of talent on this team, and I do believe in these kids.”

Freedom’s opening drive told the tale of the contest as four penalties stuck the team 42 yards behind the first down marker. The Chargers pounced on the opening and never looked back.

After the Patriots failed to convert the fourth-and-42, Strawberry Crest quarterback Tristan Hyde led his offense down the field. The drive was capped off by a seven-yard completion over the middle to Colby Williams for the game’s first touchdown.

Strawberry Crest forced Freedom to punt from its own end zone on the next drive. The snap sailed over the head of punter Alec Grubbs to give the Chargers two more points on a safety. Strawberry Crest added another score just 12 seconds later on the ensuing kickoff, which was returned 60 yards by Josh Hyde.

Patriots starting quarterback Taylor King and the offense struggled to move the ball. The junior signal caller gave up two turnovers in the red zone, throwing an interception and fumbling on a fourth-and-1.

The lone bright spot for Freedom came in the fourth quarter when junior linebacker Josh Callazo intercepted a pass in Strawberry Crest territory, but the Patriots could not turn it into points. They finished the contest with 12 penalties.

Senior defensive back/running back Nate Godwin said there were too many missed chances.

“We just got to work,” Godwin said. “We beat ourself tonight, because I don’t think they were a better squad at all. We need to focus on everything and just come out and compete.”

Donohoe added, “Obviously we’re going to try and not let (those penalties) happen again. I mean I don’t think anybody wants to commit penalties, and we as a staff have to try and correct it.”

Freedom opens the regular season at home on Sept. 1 against Durant at 7:30 p.m.