Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Girls continue Wesley Chapel’s new winning ways

By Kyle LoJacono

Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) is starting to establish itself as a regular on the national softball stage.

Last year, the WCAA Angels all-stars, which included players ages 9 to 10, won the Dixie softball state championship, qualified for the World Series and finished as the national runner-up. In 2012, it’s the Darlings carrying the Wesley Chapel banner for the country to see.

The Darlings (8-0), ages 7 to 9, claimed the state crown July 16 in Carrabelle, earning a berth in the World Series. The girls from Wesley Chapel went 5-0 at the event while outscoring their opponents 66-33.

“I knew they had the ability,” said Darlings coach Mike Garrison. “A lot of the players were from my team from the regular season. The others I saw in the season, and from the first practice you could see their talent.”

Much like Little League, Dixie all-star teams are formed after the regular season. Mike was an assistant on the Darlings squad last year, along with four returning players.

States started out with a bang for Wesley Chapel, defeating Okeechobee 10-0. Mike said their defense, which is a strength of the squad, helped carry the day.

The Darlings had an offensive explosion on Day 2, defeating Holmes County 11-6 and Marianna 22-19.

The second contest was a nine-inning marathon, four frames longer than a regulation game.

“The bats were huge on Saturday,” Mike said. “There were big hits up and down the batting order.”

Wesley Chapel also hit six home runs during the contests, one from Madison Baxter and the other five from Ashley Garrison, Mike’s daughter.

Ashley’s homers were all inside the park, requiring her to run hard from the first step out of the batter’s box.

“I’m not really sure how it happened,” Ashley said. “Basically I know not to think about it and just run.”

The fourth game came with a shift in Wesley Chapel’s defense. Even though coaches throw to their own batters in the age group, pitchers are still limited to 11 innings at the position during the tournament.

The doubleheader and extra innings the day before used many of the frames for WCAA’s regular pitchers Alexia Littleton and Madelyn Golka. Mike turned to left fielder Hailey Margetis to take the defense spot, helping Wesley Chapel defeat Belleview 15-2.

The Darlings faced Holmes County in the championship game, which turned out to be the closest for Wesley Chapel in the event.

“The first inning was really scary because it was the championship game,” Ashley said.

WCAA shook off the nerves, thanks in part to defense from catcher Sophia Santana.

“I was throwing behind my catchers gear on every ground ball to get it and throw them out,” Santana said. “I just kept thinking I need to get an out; I need to get an out.”

WCAA had an 8-6 lead in the final frame with two outs when the Holmes County batter hit a fly ball to left field, where Golka was camped underneath.

“It was really high, and there was a lot of sun,” Golka said. She added, “I just wanted to catch it.”

She did, giving Wesley Chapel the state title.

“That ball was in the air for about a half an hour,” Mike said. “She’s a very confident player, so we all had confidence she would catch that ball.”

Along with the state title, the Darlings earned the Louise Jordan Sportsmanship Award, which was voted on by the umpires and scorekeepers. The Wesley Chapel Angels, who finished as the state runner-up, also picked up the honor.

Mike said WCAA’s success the last two years at states shows how Wesley Chapel is growing athletically.

“It’s a young community with a bunch of young families and young kids,” Mike said. “Two seasons in a row to nationals, that’s pretty good.”

The Dixie Softball World Series is in South Carolina July 28 to Aug. 1. For information on the WCAA softball league, visit wcaa.countmein.com/Home.aspx and click the baseball and softball link under programs tab.

 

Darlings roster

Madison Baxter

Brianna Baer

Ashley Garrison

Madelyn Golka

Alexia Littleton

Hailey Margetis

Taylor Marks

Amber Rodriguez

Sophia Santana

Brianna Segers

Samantha Squire

Micaela Wark

Mike Garrison, coach

Chris Marks, assistant

Joey Rodriguez, assistant

Bill Wark, assistant

By Kyle LoJacono

High school gyms won’t host basketball games for several months, but the Steinbrenner girls basketball team is training like it’s midseason.

The players have reason to put in more work than ever this summer as the Warriors enter their fourth season. They went 22-3 last year and claimed their first district championship, including a 10-0 record against Class 7A-District 9 opponents.

The banner year followed 9-10 and 15-7 campaigns in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. Now, instead of building up, it’s the Warriors on top with others looking to dethrone them.

“That’s motivation for us the fact that they’re out to get us,” said Bailey Hooker, a 6-foot senior forward/guard.

Additional fuel comes from how short the playoff run was; a first-round exit to St. Petersburg 42-39 in overtime.

“Looking back at that game I just think dang,” Hooker said. “Whenever someone brings it up, or coach says we were that close, that is fuel for our fire to work even harder because we were that close.”

Steinbrenner graduated only one starter, but also lost four seniors off the bench.

“It’s very different,” Hooker said. “I’d say the dynamic of our team is so different because that group was part of the core that came here that same year, and we all played on the same AAU team. Having them leave, even though they weren’t starters, they were part of our chemistry. Having them leave has been weird, but our chemistry is still great.”

The lone starter to graduate is guard Alexis Wright, who scored 8.9 points while being Steinbrenner’s lockdown defender and vocal leader. Warriors coach JR Allen said Wright’s departure will be felt, but added Hooker has begun to fill that guidance void.

“She’s become such a better leader verbally, which is what we need going into this year,” Allen said of Hooker. “We lost probably the best leader I’ve ever had, boy or girl, in Alexis Wright. That was one of my concerns was who’s going to fill that role, and Bailey has done that. She also organizes team things like sleepovers and things like that to keep the team unity. Just having girl stuff so they’re cohesive away from basketball.”

Hooker had a team-high 19.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.1 blocks last season, but is putting in more time and energy this summer to take her game to another level.

Allen gave her individual shooting goals, which include taking 5,000 one-dribble jump shots while making 10,000 3-pointers and 10,000 free throws, but is also working out harder to improve her overall game.

“Coach Allen always tells me ‘you’re a scorer, but I need you playing defense and getting rebounds too,’” Hooker said. “Before each game he gives us goals, and it hardly ever says anything about scoring. It’s usually this many rebounds, steals and assists so we get everyone else involved. That’s good because I like being a versatile player.”

Steinbrenner is also close to getting one starter back from injury — Lauren Shedd.

The 5-foot-10 senior forward was a starter her first two seasons along with the first five games last year before being diagnosed with two fractures in her back. Shedd suffered the breaks to her L4 and L5 vertebra while doing CrossFit training during the summer of 2011.

“I’m really hard headed,” Shedd said with a smile. “I have such a passion for the game and I didn’t want anything to stop me, but it got to the point where I just couldn’t do it anymore. … Originally I did physical therapy for two months and I was cleared, but when I went back it was worse.”

An exam found the breaks hadn’t healed, so Shedd had to wear a full-body brace for 90 days.

Shedd’s back problems go back to when she started playing in eighth grade.

“I wasn’t used to the jumping, so my spine was getting compressed,” Shedd said. “I found out I have a form of scoliosis, and it made the vertebrae in my back extremely weak. I must have broken my back before, maybe as soon as I started playing. I’m not sure. They don’t know how long ago it happened, but it was an old injury. I just thought I had a bad back, so I used ice a lot.”

She still gets sore easily as her muscles adjust to holding her up again, but said her back is feeling much better. Shedd just completed a month of physical rehabilitation and has yet to be cleared to return to the court, but her therapist told her if she continues to progress she should be able to play this season.

“I’m more ready to play a game than I’ve ever been,” Shedd said. “I definitely have more of an appreciation for everything that I am and being healthy and strong. The doctors said I should have been paralyzed, so I’m grateful to get the chance to play again.”

Shedd said just being around the team again is uplifting because of how close the players are.

“We’re just a big family,” Shedd said. “I know a lot of teams say that, but we go out of our way to hang out with each other. We’ve grown up together. I’ve played with these girls since middle school, and I feel like I’m at home with these girls. The chemistry between us inside and out is amazing.”

—Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Andy Warrener

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

The Tampa Bay Rebels captured the Florida Basketball Association (FBA) championship July 28 on their home court at Freedom High, topping the Heartland Prowl in blowout fashion 131-106.

The Rebels (12-1) fell behind 3-0 on a 3-pointer by Prowl (10-3) leading scorer Michael Floyd. The lead was short-lived, as Tampa Bay stormed back with fast-paced transition offense that produced easy buckets.

The Rebels ended the first quarter up 34-23, but the Prowl started the second on a 7-0 run to close the gap.

Tampa Bay coach Fernando Rojas knew not to take Heartland lightly, especially because the Prowl were the only team to beat the Rebels all season.

“That’s the way they play,” Rojas said. “You can’t ever think you have them beat just because you have a lead.”

Tampa Bay guard Aubrey West checked into the game in the second, providing the defensive spark needed to put Heartland away. The Prowl began rushing their shots and found themselves back down by 10 points.

“They were playing with more energy than us at that point in the game,” Rojas said. He added, “We were finally able to slow them down, play defense and take control of the game. They are a fast team.”

Point guard Jerel Young hit a 3-pointer and connected on a layup, pushing the Rebels lead to 60-52 at halftime.

Forward Shun Watson wouldn’t allow Heartland to get close in the second half, draining 3-pointers and stealing would-be passes. Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished by his coast-to-coast steal and layup.

“My mentality at that point was just kill,” Watson said. “I was feeling it after that shot; I felt like I couldn’t miss.”

Watson scored a season-high 30 in the title game. Forward Tim Ware, Tampa Bay’s leading scorer this season, racked up 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter.

The title is the Rebels first in the four-team FBA. The squad’s success earned several Tampa Bay players opportunities in higher-level leagues.

“I will be playing for the Atlanta Aliens in the ABA pretty soon,” Watson said. “That season starts in late October.”

Young said he is trying out for an NBA Development League team in Texas in September. Rojas added that Ware and center Matt Kendrick have international teams interested in them.

For more information on the Rebels, visit www.tampabayrebels.com.

By Jeff Odom

When she was just 14 months old, Reagan Moore fell in love with horses.

It was her mother, Allison, who decided to take Reagan and her brother, Dylan, to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, which is where the young equestrian’s passion was first sparked.

While the giraffes, rhinos and monkeys were a neat sight, Reagan’s eyes widened when she saw the row of ponies. At the time she was four months younger than the age requirement to ride, but Allison obliged and Reagan’s journey into the barn began.

Reagan continued to go back to the zoo with her mother to ride the “Hee Hee’s” as she called them.

“Everything was always Hee Hee this and Hee Hee that,” Allison said. “The people (at the zoo) were always very nice and accommodating, because we were there a lot, and they knew us. She would just ride around the track in that circle.”

Reagan, who will be entering the first grade at Learning Gate Charter School in Lutz, said she took an interest in the animal because of its intelligence.

“They’re smart and lucky,” Reagan said. “(The best part is) when you’re going fast with the wind.”

Riding the ponies was fun, but she wished for more. She wanted to ride a horse.

Two weeks before she turned 3 years old, Reagan and her grandmother went to the Avalon Horse Academy in Lutz to inquire about the possibility of her riding, but Carly Duggan, an assistant trainer, told her she had to wait until her birthday.

“When her birthday came, we were right back at the farm, and she was ready to go,” Allison said. “She’s been in love with (Carly) since she met her and just developed this relationship and, they have just this great rapport.”

The equestrian began to shine on the track and moved into her first full season of Saddle Seat competition, a form of English riding, this year when she turned 5.

For the youngest rider in her under-8 division, the best part about participating in shows is winning, “because you get blue ribbons.”

She won so many ribbons that Allison had to add more wire where she hangs them at their home.

“I’m tremendously proud,” Allison said. “For her to find something that she was so passionate about at 3 years old is huge, and she lives and breathes (horses) and is quite obsessed with it. Every holiday she asks for a horse, but Santa Claus doesn’t bring live animals.”

Allison said she plans on taking Reagan to competition next year in North Carolina once she gains more experience. She added a professional riding career could happen one day, if her daughter continues to work at her passion.

“We love to watch her and she has been teaching us a lot of things about hard work and drive at her age,” Allison said. “She has a lot of potential, and I know horses are going to be in her future, no doubt. From (Saddle Seat) she’s talking about wanting to jump and trying out other English riding. I see her going A-Circuit, which is the professional version of horse riding probably in the next few years. I think she’s gonna move fast, and I know we’ve got a lot of horse shows in our future.”

–Follow Jeff Odom on Twitter: @JOdomLaker

The Land O’ Lakes 9- and 10-year-old Little League softball team won the state championship July 23, winning the final 12-1 against Fort Myers American.

The girls from the Central Pasco County program won all three games at states, improving their postseason record to 11-0. Land O’ Lakes put up at least 10 runs in four of the five games at the event and has outscored its opponents 90-27 during the postseason.

“We had strong pitching all weekend by (Callie) Turner, (Lexi) Kilfoyl, (Morgan) Boudreau and (Jenna) Gabrielli,” said coach Homer Kilfoyl. “Putting up double digit runs in four out of five games, everybody on the team came to hit this weekend.”

Homer said the victories were also a factor of doing the little things right, not just hitting the ball around the park.

“Aggressive and strong base running also contributed to the double-digit runs,” Homer said. “On defensive side, solid fielding with minimal errors held the opponents in check all weekend. Totally a great team effort and unwavering strong support from the parents.”

States started out with a bang for Land O’ Lakes, putting up 10 runs while giving up none to end the game by mercy rule after four innings.

Central Pasco had a doubleheader on Day 2 of the event, first defeating Eau Gallie 12-8 before beating Fort Myers American 11-7.

Land O’ Lakes squeaked by Niceville 2-1, but needed eight innings to do so. Regulation games are six. Turner started the contest, working the first seven frames before Lexi closed it out.

Central Pasco faced Fort Myers American in the finals. Lexi threw a complete game to help her squad record the 12-1 victory.

Land O’ Lakes advanced to the Southeast Regional Tournament in Luray, Va., where the local girls faced off against the champions from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia July 27 to 31. Results were not available by press time.

—Kyle LoJacono

 

State championship roster

Vanessa Alexander

Morgan Boudreau

Emily Bowling

Prestine Carter

Kimmie Cheung

Gianna De Grace

Jenna Gabrielli

Lexi Kilfoyl

Bionca Potts

Anna Rawls

Asia Thomas

Callie Turner

Homer Kilfoyl, coach

Dan De Grace, assistant

Darin Kilfoyl, assistant

 

Land O’ Lakes postseason results

Districts 25 tournament at New Tampa

June 30 Dade City W 15-1

July 1 New Tampa W 1-0

July 3 New Tampa 3-2*

 

Section 4 tournament at Land O’ Lakes

July 13 Bloomingdale W 6-1

July 14 Buffalo Creek W 13-4

July 15 Plant City W 5-2

 

State tournament in Viera

July 20 Pinellas Park/Northeast W 10-0

July 21 Eau Gallie W 12-8

July 21 Fort Myers American W 11-7

July 22 Niceville W 2-1*

July 23 Fort Myers American W 12-1

*Extra innings

The Lutz Red 9- and 10-year-old Little League baseball team reached the state tournament by hoisting the Section 4 championship July 15.

The boys from Lutz went 1-2 to finish sixth out of nearly 300 clubs in Florida. They end the all-star season with a 7-3 record.

The state tournament was in Fort Lauderdale July 20 to 23. Lutz lost its first two contests at the event, falling 12-2 to fellow Hillsborough County program Citrus Park and 11-3 to Martin County North. They fought back to win 9-6 against South Fort Myers in 10 innings.

The 2012 Red squad is the first 9/10-year-old baseball team and just the third of any age group from Lutz to make the state tournament since 1990.

Lutz had the chance to play spoiler in its final game, which was delayed by one day because of rain. The North Hillsborough program tied the contest 6-6 in the top of the sixth to force extra innings.

The squads battled through four scoreless frames until Lutz moved ahead on a passed ball before adding two insurance runs. Tyler Keeting was the starting pitcher before being relieved by Reece Kaplan and Addison Dubin with Jack Richardson closing the game.

Lutz’s defense helped carry the day in the extra innings. Center fielder Spencer Famiano fired a throw to the plate to a perfectly positioned Alex Perez, the squad’s catcher, who tagged out the would-be winning run.

The victory ended South Fort Myers’ chance at a perfect tournament record.

—Kyle LoJacono

 

Lutz Red roster

Michael Blackwood Jr.

Adison Dubin

Spencer Famiano

Adam Fischel

Jay Garvey

Reece Kaplan

Tyler Keeting

Anthony Kirchner

Alex Perez

Jack Richardson

Brent Serrano

Gavin Sissel

Carson Yonker

Scott Kirchner, coach

Ryan Dubin, assistant

Marc Yonker, assistant