Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Land O’ Lakes Little League won the Sectional 4 softball championship for players ages 9 and 10 with a 5-2 victory against Plant City on July 15.

Land O’ Lakes hosted the sectional tournament, where the home squad went 3-0 after going 4-0 to win the District 25 title at New Tampa on July 3. The title qualifies the Central Pasco County program for states.

Callie Turner pitched the first four innings with nine strikeouts for Land O’ Lakes in the sectional finals. Lexi Kilfoyl closed the contest.

Land O’ Lakes needed a fifth-inning rally to win the contest, which was started with a lead-off walk from Jenna Gabrielli, followed by a single from Turner.

Asia Thomas smacked an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. Kilfoyl put Land O’ Lakes up for good with a two-run double. Emily Bowling brought Kilfoyl home later in the inning for the contest’s final score.

Players on the squad include Kimmie Cheung, Vanessa Alexander, Gianna Degrace, Prestine Carter, Morgan Boudreau, Bianca Potts, Anna Rawls, Bowling, Gabrielli, Turner, Kilfoyl and Thomas. Manager Homer Kilfoyl and coaches Dan DeGrace and Darin Kilfoyl lead the team.

Land O’ Lakes traveled to Viera last weekend for the state tournament, but results were not available by press time.

–Kyle LoJacono

The Lutz Little League 9- and 10-year-olds won the Section 4 championship July 15 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, earning a state berth. Lutz got past teams from South Brandon, Plant City and Buffalo Creek to earn the title with a 3-1 record.

The Northwest Hillsborough County program defeated Buffalo Creek 8-6 the morning of July 14. Lutz lost an 11-9 contest to South Brandon later that night, which included a six-hour rain delay.

The marathon games continued July 15 with a seven-hour contest against Plant City, which included a venue change.

The title game started at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, but finished at Dade City Little League because of bad weather in Central Pasco County. Lutz came out on top of the championship contest 11-5.

Lutz played at the state tournament in Fort Lauderdale July 21 to 23, but results were not available by press time.

–Cameron Valdez

By Meaghan O’Neal

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Land O’ Lakes Little League entered the finals of the Section 4 tournament needing just one more win to earn a spot in states.

It didn’t happen for the Central Pasco County 11- and 12-year-olds.

Land O’ Lakes was matched against Plant City in the tournament finals on July 22 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex. Both squads were 2-2 entering the contest, but the home team ended up on the losing side of an 18-9 score.

The first five innings of the championship game looked bleak for Land O’ Lakes, falling behind 9-2.

With one mighty swing, Colton Bierly brought the home team back from the brink with a three-run homer to close the score to 9-5.

Bierly’s teammates rushed onto the field to congratulate him. He said “it felt good” to bring the team back in the game.

Land O’ Lakes pushed across four more runs before the game would end, but it wasn’t enough to win.

Manager Mike Peeples, a former MLB player, said he is still proud of the job the boys did despite coming up short of states.

“They did great,” Peeples said. “We’ve worked hard the past couple weeks and some of them have made big strides. We were short by one game and that hurts, but they did very well and I’m proud of that.

“(It took) the whole team; all 13 of them played well all season,” Peeples continued. “You saw signs of it late in the game. They kept fighting. To get this far it took all 13 kids just being teammates and playing the game together.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Mason Woodside was hired as Freedom’s new baseball coach July 17, taking over a program coming off its first postseason berth.

“I am extremely excited for this opportunity at Freedom High School,” Woodside said. “I believe through hard work and preparation, we can continue to build a very good baseball program.”

Woodside, 25, comes from Steeleville High in Illinois, where he was also a physical education teacher and served as the school’s athletic director.

“First of all, we were looking for a good teacher, which he is, who is also a good baseball coach” said Freedom athletic director Eli Thomas. “He came highly recommended and we’re confident he’s the person for the job.”

Woodside coached American Legion Baseball in his hometown of Pinckneyville, Ill. for three years before leading the Steeleville program for two seasons.

The Patriots’ new skipper had already moved to the Tampa Bay area when he learned of the coaching and teaching opening while on the Hillsborough County schools website.

“From talks with my principal (David Sheppard) I feel like there is a lot of potential to grow and develop the student-athletes at Freedom to become not only good baseball players, but also good people,” Woodside said. “I am very big on my players being role models for other students, as well as being well disciplined themselves as a student-athlete.”

Woodside replaces A.J. Leppla, who resigned in June following three years at the helm while compiling a 34-37 record. The Patriots went 15-10 last season, including a playoff berth as a district runner-up.

By Jeff Odom

For the second time in as many years, the Steinbrenner girls soccer team has a new face in charge.

Angela Gillisse, a former University of Tampa and Durant High standout, was named the program’s coach July 18. She replaces Robert Woodard, who resigned in April after guiding the Warriors to their third straight district title with a 16-4-2 record in his only season.

“I think one of the advantages I have is knowing that (Steinbrenner) is such a successful program and a successful team, however, I don’t know any of the girls. … So it’s kind of a clean slate with them come tryout time,” Gillisse said.

Gillisse, who previously served as athletic director at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School in Tampa, will teach physical education at the school. She said the Steinbrenner administration has been very welcoming to her, and she hopes to build on the program’s tradition of success.

“I’m excited about the opportunities and where the program can go,” Gillisse said. “I don’t anticipate (pressure) because I played at Durant High School when it first opened and we had a pretty strong athletic program. … Pulling from that experience, and then also playing in college for a strong D-II athletic program, has really prepared me for any type of pressure of situation. And if there is, I’ll embrace it.”

The Warriors, who won the Class 4A state title in 2010, lose recent graduates Cici Gonzalez, the program’s record holder with 91 career goals, and Taylor Valley (13 goals in 2011). They return senior midfielder Alexis Bredeau (eight goals, six assists), junior defender Miranda Gonzalez and senior goalie Stephanie Hirsch (eight shutouts).

Bosco named boys track coach

Steinbrenner social studies teacher Mike Bosco has been named boys track and field coach, Steinbrenner principal Brenda Grasso announced July 16.

Bosco, who has been with the school since it opened in 2010, resigned his post as boys swim coach after just one season in order to take the position vacated by newly named football coach Andres Perez. He will remain on Perez’s staff as the wide receivers coach.

Grasso said in an email she hopes to name a replacement boys swimming coach soon.

By Andy Warrener

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Hillsborough County doesn’t have an NBA team, but it might have the next best thing in the Tampa Bay Rebels.

The professional men’s basketball team competes in the Florida Basketball Association (FBA). The Rebels have bounced around the area during their first few years, playing home games at venues like Hillsborough Community College and YMCAs.

“It was a challenge,” said coach Fernando Rojas. “One of the most difficult things in this league is all the travel.”

The FBA has just four teams, which are spread out in Lake Wales, Orlando and West Palm Beach, all locations requiring extensive travel.

The Rebels are settling into their new home court at Freedom High. Rojas is an assistant on the school’s boys basketball team and is a New Tampa resident.

The Rebels secured their home court as the year is winding down. They went 11-1 through the regular season, clinching a spot in the league title game against the Heartland Prowl, the only team to beat Tampa Bay this year, at home on July 28 at 8 p.m.

All 10 Rebels have his own story of why he joined the squad.

Take the team’s leading scorer Tim Ware. The forward went to high school in Alabama and played three years at Kentucky State before competing with a startup league in Canada. His next stop was with the Jacksonville Giants, an American Basketball Association team and is now in his first year with the Rebels.

Rojas generally doesn’t have the luxury of developing players during multiple seasons.

“Guys come and go for any number of reasons in this league,” Rojas said. “My goal with each year’s team is to develop a core group of guys, local guys that understand the program.”

Player movement is not a bad thing. Rojas’ primary goal is to get them signed to international contracts and has helped 20 do just that since 2005. The Rebels use international basketball rules to help players transition to basketball in another country.

In international play, the ball can be touched while in the cylinder. Thus, there are more battles under the basket for rebounds and tip-ins. That also creates more fast breaks while teams commit post players to crashing the boards.

“A lot more of the game is above the rim,” Ware said.

The game is also officiated differently.

“In international ball, if you are jumping over a player in front of you to get at the ball, usually that is not called,” Rojas said. “You are expected to be able to box that person out.”

Rojas is always on the lookout for new talent. He has tryouts every year, scours the minor leagues and even travels internationally with his teams.

“There is a huge group, thousands of players that are in great shape, have excellent training and don’t make the NBA,” Rojas said. “We’re not mainstream, but our talent level and our product are really good.”

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

By Meaghan O’Neal

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

FC Tampa Lutz Rangers soccer club had a special guest from across the pond last weekend.

Shane Yates, the youth academy coach from Manchester United, came to Oscar Cooler Sports Complex to share his soccer experience with the Rangers.

Yates has been a soccer player since he was 10 years old. He played professionally for a decade and has spent the last 12 years coaching the next crop of young stars.

“I’ll teach anyone, but I predominately enjoy teaching children,” Yates said.

Yates has travelled around the world doing just that through Manchester United’s prestigious soccer academy in England. He is the second international trainer the Rangers have had for instructional sessions in as many years

Last year, soccer players from Scotland were brought in to teach the club. This year they chose Manchester United because they plan to begin using its curriculum.

The academy in Manchester has been a starting point for many professional soccer players around the world. Mike Connell, the Lutz Rangers’ founder, said their curriculum will help the third-year program improve its players’ technique for upcoming seasons.

Yates’ sessions with the kids is the starting point, which the coaches will carry on, but they also want something else from Manchester — inspiration to become better players.

“The reason we do it is to make sure that our kids understand the level of the game around the world so they can aspire to be that good, because they can get caught up in their little cocoon world but they really need to see the game at a high level,” Connell said.

Zacki Thalji and Roman Holt, two players from the Rangers, were excited to learn from Yates as soccer is their favorite sport. Both agreed they love the sport because of how challenging it is.

Connell hopes things like Yates’ visit will keep the players focused on becoming better soccer players.

“We’d like to think that years from now this was a catalyst that kept them inspired to be better soccer players,” Connell said, “because they’re good players right now, but unless they keep dreaming and unless they keep wanting to be a better player they will get comfortable, and we never want them to get comfortable; we always want them to strive.”

For more information on the Rangers, visit www.fctamparangers.com/.

By Andy Warrener

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Gaither sophomore Samson Moore is only 15 years old, but he is already sending shockwaves through the national track scene.

Samson already owns the Cowboys school record by running the 110-meter hurdles in 14.29 seconds, which was set last year when he finished as the Class 3A state runner-up. He added to his trophy case by winning the 400 hurdles at the AAU National Club Championships July 15 in Orlando.

“It was hugely fulfilling,” Samson said. He added, “It really didn’t set in until that night when I got home.”

Samson’s time of 53.8 was 0.6 seconds off the meet record set in 2006 by Robert Griffin III, who was taken No. 2 overall this year in the NFL draft. That time is also 0.6 seconds away from the qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic team.

Six-tenths of a second might seem like a lot in sprint events like the 100, in the 400 hurdles the difference is negligible.

According to Samson’s dad and coach Ed Moore, “Samson was so strong coming out of the eighth hurdle, he ran up and had to chop his steps. … If it wasn’t for that, the meet record would have been his.”

The national title comes a year after Samson ran poorly at the same event.

“When Samson competed in last year’s nationals, he made the finals in 400-meter hurdles, but his performance in the finals was poor,” Ed said. “He told me after that race that he would do whatever it took to come back the next year and redeem himself.”

Samson added, “I felt like I put a damper on my name, the way I performed at last year’s event. I feel like I’ve regained that respect after this year.”

Samson couldn’t work on his 400 hurdles time during the high school season because the event isn’t sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The plan was to run the 110 hurdles and 400-meters events to work on his form clearing the obstacles and building his speed in the distance.

Ed said the way the body processes air in a 400-meter race is different than in the shorter events. When you run the 400 “it’s impossible without transitioning to your aerobic system.”

Samson showed signs that he might develop into an elite athlete at a young age. He was competing in club track by the time he was 7 years old.

“By the time he was 9 we noticed that he was not only getting better, but he was getting relatively better than his competition,” Ed said. “Kids that would beat him one year couldn’t beat him the next year, and it continues today.”

The performance earns Samson a spot in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Houston, but he is forgoing the meet in favor of the gridiron.

“There’s a lot of people that want us to go to the Junior Olympics coming up,” Ed said. “We’re not doing that. We’ve decided that it’s time for Samson to focus on football.”

Samson said he loves the “team bond” that comes with football.

“In track, you still compete with your team, but in track your performance is entirely up to you,” Samson said. “In football it’s a different situation.”

Samson played wide receiver/safety last season on Gaither’s junior varsity football squad. Cowboys coach Jason Stokes is excited about the athleticism he can add to the varsity team.

“As a person, he’s so impressive with how hard he works,” Stokes said. “Athletically, he’s just a phenom. I can’t wait to get him going out there on the field. I really think he’s going to impress a lot of people as he grows. … A lot of guys say, ‘Oh he’s a track kid so he’s not tough enough to play football.’ With Samson that’s not the case. He’ll hit you.”

–Sports Editor Kyle LoJacono contributed to this report