Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Dade City Little League opens option for special needs kids

By Kyle LoJacono

The Dade City Little League’s Challenger Division Angels opened up their 2012 schedule at home against members of the Wesley Chapel High football team on Feb. 25.

The winner — both teams came out on top.

“I was ready for this,” said Wesley Chapel junior Leny Vega. “I knew it was going to be a fun time with the team.”

Aaron Allen and his wife, Sue, organize the Angels games. Their son, Shane, is on the squad.

“Shane loves to play,” Aaron said. “Just like all the kids on the team he looks forward to coming out each Saturday. No matter if they can hit it 2 feet or 100 feet they look forward to batting and enjoy running the bases.”

The Angels are the only Dade City program in the division, so the Allens ask local groups like the Boys Scouts or Wildcats football to play.

The program started with seven kids last year and has grown to 12. Current players come from Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills and Dade City, but there are no set boundaries for those who want to join.

“Our hope is by the end of this year or next year to have two teams with the Dade City Challengers,” Aaron said.

One of the new recruits is Watergrass Ranch Elementary first-grader Dylan Williams, who played with the Angels for the first time on Feb. 25. Dylan’s mother, Andressa, heard about the team at the Pasco County East Special Olympics games at Wesley Chapel High on Feb. 16.

“We were ecstatic when I heard about it at the Special Olympics this year,” said Andressa, of Zephyrhills. “Dylan played in the regular Little League when he was 4 or 5, and he didn’t like it as much, but I think this is going to be really good for him. … It’s the little things that matter the most to parents who have kids with disabilities. Having a field here each week is just an awesome opportunity.”

The star of the day was Donald Pitts, who also played last year. The Angels’ first baseman hit a pair of inside-the-park home runs in the contest while also playing solidly in the field.

“Baseball is a very fun sport,” said Pitts, who lives in Dade City and attends Moore-Mickens Education Center. “I try to hit the ball so hard so I can hit a homer like the Major League.”

Pitts’ favorite player is Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, and he models his game after him.

“I try and hit like him because he hits homers and so do I,” Pitts said.

The Wildcats were out of their normal comfort zone on the baseball diamond. Vega said he last played baseball in the Land O’ Lakes Little League around age 5.

“Yeah I had to knock off some rust,” said Vega, who plays defensive end and offensive lineman in football.

Wesley Chapel coach Ben Alford regularly takes his football team on community service trips, such as reading to elementary students or volunteering at the Special Olympics.

“Coach wants us out doing these things because he knows it’s important and he wants us to see why it’s important,” Vega said. “He makes it fun out here while we’re doing this. It’s not like a chore or something like that.”

The Angels play home games on Saturday at John S. Burks Memorial Park in Dade City while traveling to nearby leagues like New Tampa. For information about the league or registration, call Aaron at (352) 206-4753 or Sue at (352) 206-4933.

Dade City Little League opens option for special needs kids

By Kyle LoJacono

The Dade City Little League’s Challenger Division Angels opened up their 2012 schedule at home against members of the Wesley Chapel High football team on Feb. 25.

The winner — both teams came out on top.

“I was ready for this,” said Wesley Chapel junior Leny Vega. “I knew it was going to be a fun time with the team.”

Aaron Allen and his wife, Sue, organize the Angels games. Their son, Shane, is on the squad.

“Shane loves to play,” Aaron said. “Just like all the kids on the team he looks forward to coming out each Saturday. No matter if they can hit it 2 feet or 100 feet they look forward to batting and enjoy running the bases.”

The Angels are the only Dade City program in the division, so the Allens ask local groups like the Boys Scouts or Wildcats football to play.

The program started with seven kids last year and has grown to 12. Current players come from Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills and Dade City, but there are no set boundaries for those who want to join.

“Our hope is by the end of this year or next year to have two teams with the Dade City Challengers,” Aaron said.

One of the new recruits is Watergrass Ranch Elementary first-grader Dylan Williams, who played with the Angels for the first time on Feb. 25. Dylan’s mother, Andressa, heard about the team at the Pasco County East Special Olympics games at Wesley Chapel High on Feb. 16.

“We were ecstatic when I heard about it at the Special Olympics this year,” said Andressa, of Zephyrhills. “Dylan played in the regular Little League when he was 4 or 5, and he didn’t like it as much, but I think this is going to be really good for him. … It’s the little things that matter the most to parents who have kids with disabilities. Having a field here each week is just an awesome opportunity.”

The star of the day was Donald Pitts, who also played last year. The Angels’ first baseman hit a pair of inside-the-park home runs in the contest while also playing solidly in the field.

“Baseball is a very fun sport,” said Pitts, who lives in Dade City and attends Moore-Mickens Education Center. “I try to hit the ball so hard so I can hit a homer like the Major League.”

Pitts’ favorite player is Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, and he models his game after him.

“I try and hit like him because he hits homers and so do I,” Pitts said.

The Wildcats were out of their normal comfort zone on the baseball diamond. Vega said he last played baseball in the Land O’ Lakes Little League around age 5.

“Yeah I had to knock off some rust,” said Vega, who plays defensive end and offensive lineman in football.

Wesley Chapel coach Ben Alford regularly takes his football team on community service trips, such as reading to elementary students or volunteering at the Special Olympics.

“Coach wants us out doing these things because he knows it’s important and he wants us to see why it’s important,” Vega said. “He makes it fun out here while we’re doing this. It’s not like a chore or something like that.”

The Angels play home games on Saturday at John S. Burks Memorial Park in Dade City while traveling to nearby leagues like New Tampa. For information about the league or registration, call Aaron at (352) 206-4753 or Sue at (352) 206-4933.

By Kyle LoJacono

Anyone who has seen a Gaither High sports event has likely seen Paul Barrett.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior has been on the Cowboys’ football team the last two years and a member of the soccer and track and field squads since coming to Gaither from Alonso as a sophomore.

Barrett played wide receiver in football, making five catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns to help the squad go 9-4 and reach the regional finals for the second time in the program’s 27-year history.

During the winter in soccer he posted six goals and seven assists while playing midfield and forward. The Cowboys won a district and regional championship to make back-to-back state final four appearances this year with Barrett’s help.

Now as the track season begins, Barrett is trying to achieve more than he did as a junior when he won three district championships and reached the Class 4A state meet in the 300-hurdles.

Barrett said the one challenge he has when the seasons shift is transitioning from sport to sport.

“It takes time when one season ends and the other starts because they’re all so different,” Barrett said. “Moving from football to soccer was hard, and then for track it’s nothing like soccer. The first week of track I was so tired.”

The deep playoff runs for the football and soccer teams meant Barrett joined his next squad weeks after practice began.

“He’s still getting into the track season,” said Gaither second-year boys track and field coach Jeff Ditman. “It’s not a bad thing because it’s great that he does so many sports. The determination to succeed is there with him. He’s committed and he’s got nothing but potential.

“He definitely brings the work ethic,” Ditman continued. “He’s an interesting kid, and I mean that in a great way. He’s a fun-loving kid and he brings a certain energy to the track that’s necessary. It can be a grind. You’re grinding away in practice because you’re not practicing — you’re training. He brings a fun-loving energy that really picks people up.”

Eric Sims, the Cowboys’ boys soccer coach, said Barrett filled holes created this year after losing 10 seniors from the previous squad.

“He’s really big and fast,” Sims said. “He’s really hard to stop once he gets going on a run. We needed his offense and he’s a big reason we got back to the final four.”

Ditman is also an assistant on the football team, giving him the chance to see Barrett in very dissimilar activities.

“He’s always prepared, and the other thing is he’s a kid who takes AP courses and works really hard in the classroom,” Ditman said. “It’s hard to do everything he does and excel in three sports, especially nowadays. It just seems like kids specialize. To actually compete in three seasons at a high level is really rare.”

Barrett said playing three sports gives him insights those who specialize in one don’t have.

“I learned a lot from football that I could use in soccer,” Barrett said. “Football is such a team sport because you have to use all the players to win. I tried to do that in soccer and use all our players. That’s what our team was in soccer because we used each other.”

Barrett was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and came to Hillsborough County in the sixth grade. He said soccer is the sport he has played the longest going back to his earliest memories.

“I did track to stay in shape after the soccer season,” Barrett said. “During the summer I tried to do club soccer, but it was too expensive so I started playing football.”

Barrett is unfazed by his busy schedule between school and athletics.

“The time management really isn’t that hard,” Barrett said. “A lot of kids exaggerate that part. I guess it’s just the mentality I grew up with.”

Barrett’s favorite sports memory at Gaither was playing at the University of Tampa in the 5A state semifinals as a junior. Second is winning the high jump district title a year ago, besting Alonso’s Brandon Holloway who is considered one of the top running back prospects nationally.

“I mean I beat Brandon Holloway, and how many people can say that,” Barrett said with a smile. “I can say I beat Brandon Holloway. He’s going to be famous some day.”

Barrett has no set plans for college, but would like to play soccer or compete in track on scholarship or as a walk-on. Wherever he goes he won’t forget the hours he has spent on the Cowboys’ gridiron, pitch and track.

“I’ve really loved my three years here,” Barrett said. “I’ll always remember being here.”

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Wesley Chapel baseball team rode into its district tournament last year with a program record 25 wins to two losses; appearing like a fourth straight championship was inevitable.

Then it happened.

Pasco upset the Wildcats in the district semifinals, ending the season well short of any of their goals.

“We didn’t expect it to end like that,” said senior third baseman Keegan Tanner. “We’ve all been working really hard because we were supposed to get to states, but we didn’t even get out of the districts. We’re not going to let that get to our heads so we get the job done this year.”

Wesley Chapel coach Chuck Yingling said they talk a lot about what happened on that April night.

“Even though we were 25-3 for the year, I never felt like we were mentally in the game like we needed to,” Yingling said. “Maybe it’s because we had eight seniors who’ve been together since they were in the eighth grade. They wanted to do some things their own way, and they were successful at it but we got off track and it showed in the district tournament.

“We talked a lot about how you have to stay focused and respect the game,” Yingling continued. “It’s not about whether you’re 25-3 or 3-25 — it’s how you respect the game and how you play the game that determines your legacy. I feel like it was a tough year to be 25-3 because we did struggle a lot, but won a lot of games. They were very talented, so we pulled through even when they weren’t doing things the way we needed to.”

The current Wildcats look much different from that record-setting squad a year ago. They lost eight seniors along with outfielders Alex McGough and Cody Hodgens who transferred to Gaither High.

The entire pitching rotation graduated, taking with them 22 of the squad’s wins and 153 of the 176 innings pitched. The departing starters, Brandon Mumaw, Matt Wynne and Marcus Crescentini, all signed scholarships to pitch in college.

“We have a lot of good arms, but they didn’t have to pitch much last year because of those three seniors,” Yingling said. “They haven’t had to do it on the field for a while, and once they do that it’ll help us a lot.”

Wesley Chapel only has two pitchers who made any starts a year ago, two for right-hander Chase Ingram and one for the lefty Hunter Robinson.

“It was nice having those three seniors last year,” Ingram said. “They did everything right, threw strikes and gave us a chance to win every game. I spent a lot of time with Matt and Marcus and they helped me out a lot, so I think I’m ready for this year.”

Robinson has tried to model his mentality after fellow lefty Mumaw, who led the squad with a 10-1 record, 72 Ks and 68.2 innings pitched.

“Brandon would go up there and he’d go the whole game and get out of all the pressure situations,” Robinson said. “Just learning from him and the other pitchers what to do in games and how to control yourself was important.”

Wesley Chapel has five seniors on its roster, three of which started regularly including Tanner, second baseman Cody Schaubert and left fielder Zach White.

“The seniors all feel like we have to step it up a little bit,” White said. “They were a big part of the team, but I think the three returning starters can pick up where they left off … I’m expecting maybe not to win as many regular season games as we did last year, but we’re going to be tough to beat when it matters at the end of the year.”

Yingling is counting on the young players growing significantly throughout the season like his first Wildcats team did in 2008 when they entered the district tournament 9-13 and as the last seed, but advanced to the finals to earn the first playoff berth in program history.

“I compare this team a lot to that first team,” Yingling said. “We’re a younger team than that team was, but neither team was very experienced and in a way we’re more knowledgeable about that game now than they were then because they know our system. … That’s why I feel we can make some nice gains through the year. One thing that is clear — this is the best working team I’ve had since I’ve been here. That makes them exciting to work with.”

The players are also out to show they can win consistently with a new cast of characters.

“I can’t wait to see how we perform,” Robinson said. “I want to turn some heads by staying really good even though we lost so many seniors.”

Wesley Chapel hosts Zephyrhills on Tuesday, Feb. 28 before traveling to River Ridge on Thursday, March 1. Both games start at 7 p.m.

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Sunlake softball team accomplished a number of program firsts a year ago.

The Seahawks (7-1) set a new record for wins in a season by compiling a 19-4 record. Also for the first time Sunlake beat perennial powerhouses River Ridge, Mitchell and Pasco and entered a district tournament as the top seed.

Unfortunately for the Seahawks they were unable to accomplish one other program first — making the playoffs. The squad was knocked out of districts by Zephyrhills in the quarterfinals, a fact that still stings for the returning players.

“Obviously we all want to go farther than we did last year,” said senior outfielder Courtney Durbin. “We were the No. 1 seed, so I’m just trying to get everybody on board with the idea that we can surprise people this year. No one is going to expect it.”

A resurgent Sunlake will have to rely on new leaders. The squad lost six seniors, all of which signed to play in college.

“They definitely have big shoes to fill; both teams really because junior varsity went undefeated and varsity went 19-4,” said second-year Seahawks coach Jami Finan. “I think the younger players who are back are going to be able to help reproduce some of those same things this season. We have some hard workers.”

Finan only has four seniors this year, but those she has appear to have the attitude needed to take the next step as a program.

“I just want to be a leader and set a good example,” said Meghan Durbin, Courtney’s twin sister. “It’s going to be really hard because we had a lot of great leaders last year, and they were all different. They worked together well. I think it’s going to be on the four seniors to find our own way.”

Senior infielder Hannah Bishop played in 10 games last year, where she recorded a .389 batting average with seven runs scored and seven RBI.

Sunlake gets a boost from Bishop McLaughlin transfer Amy Szymanowski, a senior catcher and shortstop, who hit .557 with 31 runs scored, 21 RBI, 18 steals, six doubles, six triples and four home runs last season.

Courtney and Meghan, a pitcher, infielder and outfielder, have been starters since their freshman years. Courtney hit .460 with a team-high 25 RBI, 13 doubles and 15 steals a year ago. Meghan posted a 9-1 record pitching with a 1.52 ERA while batting .393 with 18 runs scored and 14 RBI in 2011.

“The Durbins are leading everyone like they should,” Finan said. “They’ve committed to Rollins (College), so we’ll have some more people moving away to play in college.”

To Meghan, committing to a college was a relief.

“I didn’t want to go into my senior year worrying about where I was going to go to college; not worry about getting my grades up and doing showcases every weekend” Meghan said. “.”

For Courtney, it was vindication.

“There’re always people who tell you you’re too little, you’re too small, you’re not good enough,” Courtney said. “Just to be able to prove them wrong and being able to play at the next level feels good.”

The Seahawks are also getting help from a number of younger players, including freshman infielder Cassidy Kallenborn.

“I went to a few games last year and knew they were really good,” Kallenborn said. “I was pretty pumped up to come here. I didn’t know I was going to be on varsity because they were so good.”

Sunlake will need players like Kallenborn to fill in holes on the infield created as Meghan plays more in the outfield and after losing shortstop and team captain Alex Rogers to graduation.

Rogers, who is signed with University of North Carolina-Charlotte, hit .421 with 25 runs scored, 19 RBI and 10 steals as a senior.

“It’s a little nerve-racking because they had a girl like Alex playing shortstop,” Kallenborn said. “I remember coming to the games and everyone came to watch her because she was so good, but someone has to follow her.”

The Seahawks also have to contend with moving into Class 6A-District 10, which includes two playoff teams from a year ago in Mitchell and River Ridge. The new alignment also includes Tarpon Springs, a squad Sunlake has never played, and cross-town rival Land O’ Lakes.

“It’s going to be a battle, especially early in the year, but it’s not like we’re the only team that lost seniors,” Meghan said. “We just have to see what we need to work on and keep pushing.”

Sunlake plays at Tarpon Springs on Tuesday, Feb. 28 before traveling to Land O’ Lakes on Thursday, March 1. Both games start at 7 p.m.

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Kyle LoJacono

Todd Donohoe was named Freedom High’s sixth football coach since the 2006 season on Feb. 20, according to Patriots athletic director Elijah Thomas.

“His organizational skills and his competitive nature were some of the things that separated him from the other 20 candidates,” Thomas said. “We’re happy to have Todd. We want him to be here for 20 years leading the football program. He wants to do right by the kids.”

It is the third coaching stint for Donohoe, who was already on Freedom’s staff as a physical education teacher. He resigned from Strawberry Crest before the 2011 season amid pressure from school administration. The year away gave him time to recharge.

“Coaching is in my blood,” Donohoe said. “When I left Crest I knew I wanted to coach again somehow and somewhere.”

Donohoe coached at his alma mater Dunedin from 1996-98, compiling a 7-23 record. He started the program at Strawberry Crest, going 6-10 in varsity contests from 2009-10. Freedom’s new leader also spent four years as an Armwood assistant.

Donohoe replaces Tchecoy Blount, who coached the Patriots to a 6-14 record during his two seasons at the helm.

“I applied for a couple places, but when the job opened at Freedom it was the perfect opportunity,” Donohoe said. “I’m really excited to take this program into the future and make it into the winning program it should be. This is where I want to be.”

Freedom has made the playoffs only twice since the school opened in 2002. Both postseason appearances were as a district runner-up in 2006 and 2009, and both times the Patriots were knocked out in the first round.

Thomas said part of the reason the football program has failed to win consistently is the revolving door of coaches and predicts Donohoe is the person to put a stop to that constant changing of the guard.

“I absolutely believe he’s the right person for the job,” Thomas said. “He wants to be here for the long haul and we want him to be here for a long time too. We’re all looking forward to the spring and fall football seasons.”

Donohoe is also the Patriots’ boys track and field coach. He said he will remain that program’s leader for at least this season and possibly into the future.

“We’ve got a lot of good runners and field athletes coming back and I think we’ll be able to compete at a high level this year,” Donohoe said. “I didn’t want their season to be hurt by me becoming the football coach.”