Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Two Land O’ Lakes track and field athletes capped off their seasons on the medal stands at the Class 3A state meet at the University of North Florida May 4.

Senior pole vaulter Ian McKenzie earned his first spot on the podium by tying for fourth place after clearing 13 feet 6 inches.

Sophomore Hallie Grimes earned her second medal with a sixth-place performance in the 400-meter by finishing in 56.93 seconds, 2.67 off the championship pace set by Hallandale senior Kyri Tabor. She also set a new personal record (PR) in the prelims by running a 56.87, beating her previous best time of 57.43 set in the state prelims a year ago.

“I was so excited to see 56 in the prelims, but I think it kind of tired me out,” Grimes said.

Grimes placed one spot lower than she did as a freshman, but her time in the finals was 1.37 faster than a year ago. She said she felt pressure all year to live up to the standards she set in her first high school season, and that stress mounted in the hours leading up to states.

“I’ve been so nervous all day,” Grimes said. “I was probably more nervous than ever before. All of the times were so close. It was anybody’s race.”

Grimes had held back until the final 200 of races all season. She planned to turn on the speed earlier at states but couldn’t break from her normal routine.

“I tried going out faster, but my nerves always get me,” Grimes said. “I just can’t come out fast because I’m thinking I’ll tire out. For next year I’ll work on doing that.”

She also plans to run in AAU meets for the first time this summer to build her speed and endurance.

“I’m excited to see how far I can go,” Grimes said. “My time is 56 as a sophomore. Hopefully by senior year it’ll be a lot better than that.”

As for McKenzie, the journey to a state medal started four years ago when he failed to perform as a sprinter.

“It just wasn’t going to happen,” McKenzie said with a laugh. He added, “I was too slow for the 100, but I wanted to compete and get points for the team. I thought I could do it, and I just kept at it.”

A former coach suggested the pole vault, but things didn’t take off until he got a vaulting instructor this year. He began this season clearing 12-6 and now has the school record of 13-7.

“It’s been an incredible year,” McKenzie said. “I’ve been hoping to get to states. It’s my first year with coach Bob Leidel of the Florida Pole Vault Academy, and I added a foot to my PR. I got the school record, got to states; it’s just been a wild ride.

“It’s what I was hoping for,” McKenzie continued. “I could say I expected it, but in my wildest dreams I never thought I’d be on the medal stands, much less at states. There’s a lot of good vaulters in our class. This is easily the toughest class in all of Florida.”

McKenzie will continue vaulting in college after accepting a preferred walk-on spot with the United States Naval Academy

“I know I can get 14 or 14-6 with just another few months of work before I go up there,” McKenzie said. He added, “It’s so fun. You put in so much work, and to know that I get to continue to do it in college and get better is great. One day I want to get in the 16-foot club.”

McKenzie couldn’t stop smiling when talking about competing in college or about what this season has been like. The Gators boys have dominated the local track season, claiming eight meet Ws after going winless a year ago. They also won a Sunshine Athletic Conference championship for the first time and also earned only the third district title in program history.

“It’s been something to really be proud of,” McKenzie said. “We got a new coach this year (Bill Schmitz), and it’s the first year we’ve ever won districts and conference championship in the same season. We’ve had a lot of great athletes. We brought a lot of kids to regionals. We had a lot of sophomores really step up and have good showings. They’re going to be people to watch. Land O’ Lakes track is going to dominate for the next couple of years.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The Academy at the Lakes softball team’s playoff run ended May 1 at home, losing 3-1 in the Class 2A regional finals to Quincy Munroe.

The Wildcats (14-5) were able to get runners on against the Bobcats (15-6), recording 10 hits, but stranded 11 including six in scoring position. The academy loaded the bases twice, but failed to capitalize on either chance.

Munroe had only six hits but managed to score three times in the third without one. The first run came off a double steal and two more crossed home after errors were committed during a rundown created after a fielder’s choice.

“Errors killed us in this game,” said sophomore shortstop Lauren Evans. “We just could not get the bat on the ball when we needed it.”

Those three runs were all Bobcats pitcher Haleigh Corbally would need. The senior used 134 pitches to strike out 13 batters with one walk in her seven innings of work.

“There’re no cupcakes at the regionals,” said Wildcats coach Jerry English. “These are some of the eight best 2A teams in the state. You can’t have an off day, and we didn’t have an off day. They had a good day.”

Evans drove in the academy’s only run in the fifth inning. She finished 2-for-4, as did freshman first baseman Talia Pardo. Freshman center fielder and leadoff hitter Skyler Boynton had four hits and two doubles.

Skyler’s sister, junior Sydney Boynton, pitched seven innings of six-hit ball for the academy, posting eight strikeouts and two walks.

The Wildcats did get deeper in the postseason than any other team in program history while also winning their first district championship. The academy will likely have most of its players back as only one player, Amelia Oliver, is a senior.

“We had a good season,” Evans said. “We fought hard all year. We’re a young team and most of us will be back next year. I think we’ll use this to come back and get even farther next year.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The Wiregrass Ranch football team reached new heights two years ago, winning a district championship and finishing better than .500 for the first time.

Then 2011 happened.

The Bulls suffered through a 0-10 campaign last season and were outscored 410-46. The players are out to show the sixth-year program is more like what was on the field in 2010.

“We all have that internal drive to go out and prove what we’re all about,” said sophomore wide receiver Tyre Creary.

Junior quarterback Jake Day added, “Not that we wanted to go 0-10 at all, but it’s something that motivates every one of us. The guys who will be seniors want to get us back on top.”

The falloff was great, but not completely unexpected. Wiregrass Ranch lost 49 combined seniors after the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but bring back most of the core this year.

The Bulls return leading rusher Eli Galvan, a freshman, who had 317 yards on 59 carries and a touchdown.

Wiregrass Ranch also brings back its leading receiver in junior Ryan Shea, who snagged 15 catches for 191 yards and a score. Also adding to the receiving corps are towering 6-foot-9 sophomore James Jackson (three catches, 40 yards) and the speedy Creary (14 catches, 182 yards).

Day began last year as the Bulls starting quarterback, but a concussion in Week 1 against Wesley Chapel and another against Gaither in Week 4 derailed any chance for him to get settled under center. He completed 14-of-58 passes for 226 yards and two scores, and said he is completely healed.

“I feel so much more comfortable now,” Day said. “I’ve been going to football camps and doing everything to get better as a quarterback and player.”

Wiregrass Ranch also has three players competing for the quarterback spot in freshmen Zach Davidson and Shane Bucenell and sophomore Zack Drury.

The defense graduated its top four tacklers and top two sackers, but get a talent infusion from inside linebacker Xavier Wilson. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior moved from Virginia last December; too late to play but soon enough to be a part of winter workouts.

“I’ve already seen a lot of improvement,” Wilson said.

He said the defense is working to win games on its own.

“I’ll put it the way coach says it: ‘We’re going to try and outscore the offense,’” Wilson said. “We’re not just making turnovers. We want to score.”

All the players want to get their first win since Nov. 5, 2010, a 35-7 victory against Hudson, but fourth-year coach Jeremy Shobe said the focus is on smaller goals this spring.

“We’ve talked about eliminating mistakes and focusing on the here and now,” Shobe said. “We want them to look at every rep and every drill. We talked about the process before this spring. We’re not talking about winning and losing. We talk about what we are doing in the process to get better. If you worry about those small things the wins will take care of themselves.”

Creary added, “Our receivers coach says look the ball all the way into your hands. Sometimes last year we’d just try and catch it, and we had a lot of drops. You forget to do everything to make the catch before you start running. We’re trying to get all those things down perfect.”

Shobe has seen improvements with the simplified approach and drive to redeem the program.

“We’re probably already ahead of where we were at the end of spring last year,” Shobe said. “If we play to our potential it does not matter who we’re playing.”

It won’t be easy competing in Class 7A-District 7. The grouping includes reigning district champion Tampa Bay Tech (8-4) and runner-up Gaither (9-4), which made the regional semifinals and finals last season, respectively. Steinbrenner (7-3) is also in 7A-7, along with Freedom (2-8) and Chamberlain (1-9).

–Stats/results as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Andy Warrener

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

It was a memorable morning at Freedom High May 3 when a school-record six student-athletes signed to play their sport in college.

It wasn’t just the number that surprised principal David Sheppard, but the diversity of the signees.

“We want to get the message out that no matter what sport they do, athletes at Freedom have a chance to be successful beyond high school,” Sheppard said.

The signees are Kyle and Eric Schindler (baseball), Michael Sacco (soccer), Nicole Seybold (cheerleading) and Devin Turner and Jon Economou (football).

The Schindler twins helped guide Patriots baseball to its most successful season this year, including the first winning season (15-10) and first playoff berth. They will continue their careers at St. Pete College.

Sacco also made major contributions to Freedom sports this year. He recovered from an ACL tear in time to help the Patriots go 12-6-1 and make the postseason. He now moves on to Eckerd College, where he will likely play midfield or defense. He was impressed with the college’s facilities.

“You can tell they’ve put a lot of money into their new fields, plus there’s a lot of other signees that should give us a good chance to compete in the NCAA tournament,” Sacco said.

Seybold will attend the University of Oregon. Seybold will always remember helping Freedom reach new heights as a senior when the program won a county and regional championship for the first time.

Turner and Economou will add an entirely new chapter to their playing careers together after playing for the New Tampa Wildcats in middle school. They will both compete at Becker College in Boston.

“It feels good knowing there’s someone on your team that you are familiar with,” Economou said.

By Jeff Odom

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Four Steinbrenner student-athletes were awarded scholarships from the school’s athletic booster club May 4.

Seniors Sara Bair (girls golf), Cary Anne Bame (volleyball/flag football), Zach Rocca (boys track) and Tom Mazzetti (boys tennis) each received $500 toward their education and a plaque that will be displayed inside the school.

The four applied for the award earlier this year, but none were told they had won when called out of class.

“I didn’t know what the pass was for when they gave it to me, so I just walked into the media center not knowing what was going on,” said Bair, who will attend University of Florida. She added, “When I came in, I saw my mom and I thought back real quickly to my application, and I was just shocked.”

While he wasn’t told about the ceremony, Mazzetti said he saw his mother and knew something was happening.

“I was in class seventh period and we had a substitute,” said Mazzetti, who will attend Florida State University (FSU). “I was taking the attendance sheet (to the office), and I was going down the stairs and I ran into my mom and I’m like ‘What are you doing here?’ and she said something’s a surprise. … So I went up here and it turns out all of the hard work paid off.”

Bame, a three-year volleyball team captain, was also awarded the David Logan Scholarship from Bright House Sports Network May 3. She said receiving both honors in consecutive days is one of the best moments of her high school career.

“It’s a good way to kind of close it out,” said Bame, who will attend FSU. “It’s just weird, because it’s all over now. It’s kind of neat closing out this year of high school sports.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Wesley Chapel junior Courtney Prengaman won the Class 2A state high jump championship April 28 at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

Prengaman cleared 5 feet 6 inches to claim the title, besting runner-up Jennie Carmody from Satellite by two inches. It is the first state championship in the program’s 12-year history, something that surprised the newly crowned champion.

“I didn’t know that,” Prengaman said. “I know that I’ll be — I didn’t know that. That’s cool. Alright, first one. I’m pretty stoked about being the first.”

The top-two jumpers got over 5-4 on their first try but scratched on all three attempts at 5-6. Both had an additional chance to clear the height before it would be moved down an inch.

Prengaman jumped first, cleared it and prayed the performance would be enough.

“I got down off the mat, laid on the ground and watched through the crack of my arm to see if she’d get it,” Prengaman said. “When I saw she’d hit it I stood up and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for a long time.”

Prengaman began high jumping in seventh grade.

“My middle school coach had me do it because I was tall,” said the 6-foot-2 Prengaman. “I was actually terrified of it because it’s a scary thing.”

She started this season clearing 5-2, which was tied for the school record. Prengaman said her goal when the year began was to break that mark. Winning a state title wasn’t in her mind or the thoughts of first-year Wildcats girls coach Brad Allen.

“The first time she cleared 5-6, which was at conference, I think that was when I thought to myself she can take first place,” Allen said.

She cleared 5-7 to win a district crown, but jumped only 5-4 at regionals the week before states, losing to Carmody. Allen said they worked on technique in the week leading up to the finals along with building her confidence.

“The biggest thing is getting over the mental blocks,” Prengaman said. “My mind is the worst thing. I’m completely capable of jumping really high, but I will tell myself that I’m too tired or something hurts. I just take myself out of the competition on my own. … Today I won’t say I knew I could beat her, but I’d convinced myself I could beat her.”

Prengaman gave a lot of credit to Allen. She didn’t have a jumping coach before this season, but he decided to take on that role along with guiding the distance runners

“I didn’t know anything about high jump,” Allen said. “I bought books and DVDs and got on YouTube to learn everything I could about it. She was excited to have someone helping her. She did all the work.”

Prengaman added, “He had me doing strength training and jumping every day instead of falling asleep on the mat at practice like the last few years. We didn’t really slack off this year. I worked really hard, and it paid off.”

Allen said he is excited to get another year to work with Prengaman. He thinks she can jump 6 before she graduates.

“We’ve already set up what I’m going to be doing the next few months,” Prengaman said. “Lots of strength training, early morning practices and repetition to get me really strong so when the season starts next year I’m ready to go.”

Wesley Chapel earned a sprint medal thanks to senior Ravin Gilbert’s fifth-place performance in the 100-meter. The Georgia State University signee finished in 12.18 seconds, 0.39 behind the championship pace of Miami Jackson’s Robin Reynolds.

By Jeff Odom

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Gaither baseball coach Frank Permuy wasn’t satisfied when his team secured a spot in the Class 7A-District 9 championship.

His fourth seeded Cowboys (16-9-1) knocked off No. 1 Steinbrenner in the semifinals, but committed six errors in the contest. Permuy told his players they better get to work to ensure it didn’t happen again.

Gaither responded with an offensive explosion en route to the program’s 11th district title with a 10-6 victory over No. 2 Freedom April 26.

“I didn’t think our pregame preparation was going the right way, so I had to shut the clubhouse down a little bit and got after some people,” Permuy said. “I think it paid off. … Maybe that was the difference, or maybe they just felt like it was time to start doing it.”

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys’ bats to heat up. Center fielder Hayden Kelley doubled over his counterpart to start the first inning. After shortstop Oscar Mercado was plunked, first baseman Jose Gonzalez blasted a three-run homer to give his team the lead.

The Patriots (15-9) answered with a run in the bottom of the first. Kyle Schindler reached on a lead-off walk and scored after three errors, the last a fielding miscue by Mercado.

Permuy told the team it couldn’t have another defensive mistake if it wanted to be a champion.

“I said ‘that’s our allotment for the game,’ ” Permuy said. “ ‘We can’t make anymore.’ ”

In the second, Gaither got extra-base hits from Eddie Pastrana, Chris Torres and Kelley.

Torres, who finished 3 for 3 with a trio of doubles, said his bat sparked at the right time.

“When you’re in a slump you just got to stick with it,” Torres said. “It’s baseball. It happens, and I just had to go out there and give it my all. I couldn’t stay in a slump forever.”

Starting pitcher Matt Frey kept Freedom’s offense on its heels, striking out 10 for the win.

The Patriots wouldn’t go down without a fight, starting a sixth-inning rally. Frey walked Devin Sheppard with the bases loaded, followed by a Cam Morgan double to clear the bags to draw Freedom within four. However, the calm demeanor from Gaither reliever Alex Milne paid off, and the team played through the jam to seal the win.

“The one thing about these guys is they haven’t given up all year,” Permuy said. “They really believe in each other. When you say team, this is probably the closest we’ve had in years.”

Gaither’s path to the district crown was anything but routine, as the host overcame two deficits to Steinbrenner to win 10-9 in the semis that needed eight innings April 24.

The Warriors (17-8) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second thanks to five Cowboys errors. Gaither wouldn’t panic, answering with a five-run third.

Steinbrenner’s Cole Gordon belted a three-run homer off Gaither starter Evan Gainey in the fourth to put his team on top by four.

The Cowboys chipped away and delivered the fatal blow in the eighth when Mercado delivered a two-out single, stole second and third and scored on a passed ball to complete the comeback.

Freedom defeated No. 3 Wiregrass Ranch 5-2 in the other semi to capture playoff berth for the first time in program history.

“It feels good overall,” said Freedom coach A.J. Leppla. “Obviously the outcome (in the finals) isn’t what we wanted, but to be here and everything is the first time in school history; we’ve had a lot of success this year, and I’m very proud of our young men.”