Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Saint Leo University (SLU) cross country runner Tereza Novotna concluded her freshman season with a 64th-place performance at the NCAA Division II national meet on Nov. 19 in Spokane, Wash.

“The race was tough, but I made it,” Novotna said. “It was a great experience.”

The native of Opocno, Czech Republic ran a 23:03 in the 6-kilometer race. She is the first Lions runner to qualify for nationals.

“I am proud of Tereza,” said SLU coach Melissa Miller-Mangen. “The NCAA championships are one of the most memorable events to participate in. She is already aiming for the 2012 championships to build upon this performance.”

Novotna was named the Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Year this season while also setting program records for lowest times in a 5K and 6K.

 

The Laker and the Lutz News has named its All-Laker/All-Lutz News team for the 2011 fall high school athletic season. Members of the team were selected based on skill, value to their team, final statistics and head-to-head matchups. Schools in the coverage area include Academy at the Lakes, Bishop McLaughlin, Carrollwood Day, Freedom, Gaither, Land O’ Lakes, Saddlebrook Prep, Steinbrenner, Sunlake, Wharton, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch. The football team will be released after the season ends. Sports Editor Kyle LoJacono selected the team. All stats were as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches and all playoff performances are as recorded by the FHSAA.

Girls golf first team

–Sara Bair, Sr., Steinbrenner. Carded a 76 at districts to help the Warriors advance to regionals as a team for the second straight season.

–Claire Becker, Fr., Steinbrenner. Exploded onto the season and made a big impact on a team as a freshman. Was consistently one of the lowest scorers in every match.

–Nina Hwang, Sr., Saddlebrook Prep. Her 80 in the district tournament made her the event runner-up. Hwang missed out on a state appearance by just two strokes at regionals.

–Lauren Riehle, Sr., Saddlebrook Prep. Won her third straight individual district championship this season while adding a regional title.

–Teresa Romero, Fr., Freedom. Shot a team-best 77 at districts to help the Patriots take third place and advance to regionals.

Girls golf second team

–Shannon Clark, Jr., Wharton. Led her squad with an 80 at districts, but missed out on a trip to regionals by five strokes.

–Ellen Crowley, Sr., Academy at the Lakes. Qualified for regionals for the second straight season, the first Wildcat golfer ever to accomplish the feat.

–Michelle Stein, Sr., Steinbrenner. Stein was a consistent performer for the Warriors all year and carded an 82 to help the third-year program make regionals.

–Morgan Litchfield, Sr., Gaither. Her 91 at districts qualified her for regionals as an individual.

–Eden Shirmohammad, So., Land O’ Lakes. The only central Pasco County golfer, boy or girl, to qualify for regionals.

Player of the Year: Lauren Riehle, Saddlebrook Prep. Riehle claimed her third straight individual district championship this year and added her first regional title in her senior season. She competed in the Class 1A state meet in consecutive years. This year Riehle shot a two-day total of 157 to take 19th place out of 95 competitors. Riehle will continue her golfing career at the University of Miami.

Coach of the Year: Mark Mann, Steinbrenner. Mann takes the honor for the second straight season. He became the Warriors’ leader when the school opened in 2009 and has helped make the program into one of the most consistent in the Tampa Bay area. His squad lost No. 1 golfer Alex Milan, who is now playing in college at Florida State University, to graduation last year, but managed to guide the team to a 10-0 regular season record and back-to-back regional tournament appearances.

Boys golf first team

–Jorge Junquera, So., Wharton. His 76 at districts earned him a spot in regionals for the second straight season.

–Jimmy Jones, So., Freedom. Claimed the Class 2A-District 10 individual championship with a 71 to help the Patriots finish as runner-up.

–Tom Ng, N/A, Saddlebrook Prep. Won the Class 1A-District 9 individual district title to also help his team place first at the event.

–Trevor Joseph, Sr., Steinbrenner. The Warriors’ No. 1 didn’t have his best round at districts, where he shot an 80, but was the consistent leader for the third-year program.

–Jimmy Stanger, Jr., Gaither. Won a district championship and was a regional runner-up on his way to playing in the Class 2A state meet.

Boys golf second team

–Ryoto Furuya, N/A, Saddlebrook Prep. Shot an 81 in the Class 1A-District 9 tournament to help the Spartans win the team championship.

–Nik Kalolo, Jr., Steinbrenner. Carded a 77 at districts to help Steinbrenner reach regionals as a team in back-to-back years.

–Clyde Meadows, Jr., Gaither. Moved up several spots to the No. 2 position for the Cowboys after the squad lost two of its top three to graduation.

–John Nickisher, Jr., Wesley Chapel. Reached regionals individually by shooting a 94 at the Class 1A-District 9 event.

–Michael Richards, N/A, Saddlebrook Prep. Carded an 81 in districts to help Saddlebrook Prep win the Class 1A-District 9 title.

Player of the Year: Jimmy Stanger, Gaither. Stanger established himself as the Cowboys’ No. 1 player the year before but was hungry to take his game to the next level. He revamped his swing during the offseason to be more accurate, and his scores improved throughout his junior campaign. He shot a 3-under 69 to win the Class 2A-District 9 individual championship and followed that up with a 71 at regionals to advance to states for the first time in his high school career.

Coach of the Year: Dwayne Olinger, Gaither. Olinger had a challenge in his third year at the helm of Gaither’s program. He lost two of his top-three golfers from the 2010 squad that was the district runner-up. The year started slowly and Gaither entered districts as the No. 6 seed out of 12 teams, but finished third and advanced to regionals.

Volleyball first team

–Libero: Cary Anne Bame, Sr., Steinbrenner. Came up with 262 digs while adding 18 aces for the Warriors.

–Middle hitter: Stephany Brown, Sr., Wharton. Her 1.3 blocks per set was tied for 10th most in the state. Had a team-high 84 blocks while adding 157 kills and 29 aces.

–Middle hitter: Baylee Hooker, Jr., Steinbrenner. Had a team-high 55 blocks and added 55 kills with a hitting percentage of 32.8, better than any Warrior with at least 10 attempts.

–Outside hitter: Jess Johnson, Sr., Bishop McLaughlin. Led all area athletes with 403 kills while averaging 1.4 aces per set for the first team in program history to make the playoffs.

–Outside hitter: Hannah Kaczmarek, So., Freedom. Put down 364 kills. Also posted 93 digs and 55 aces to help the Patriots reach back-to-back postseasons.

–Outside hitter: Madison Seuzeneau, Jr., Steinbrenner. Had a team-high 341 kills with a hitting percentage of 27.5.

–Rightside hitter: Rachel Mathison, So., Steinbrenner. Totaled 145 kills with a 27.5 hitting percentage while adding 137 digs, 21 aces and 17 blocks.

–Setter: Kelly Schaller, So., Freedom. Used her athleticism to set from anywhere on the court to post 799 assists, while contributing 149 digs, 74 kills and 55 aces.

–Utility: Teresa Della Penna, Sr., Land O’ Lakes. Did everything for the Gators. Led the squad with 185 kills and 50 aces while adding 200 digs and 70 assists.

Volleyball second team

–Libero: Cara Walden, Jr., Land O’ Lakes. Came up with 289 digs for the Gators while adding 14 aces.

–Middle hitter: Lauren Heldt, Fr., Steinbrenner. The freshman came on in the second half of the year to post 62 kills, 54 aces and 48 blocks.

–Middle hitter: Kendra Sheets, Sr., Land O’ Lakes. Was a defensive presence for Land O’ Lakes with a team-high 63 blocks.

–Outside hitter: Caci Andreychuk, Jr., Wharton. Had a team-leading 291 kills, 164 digs and 57 aces.

–Outside hitter: Jasmyn Perry, Jr., Freedom. The Tampa Bay Tech transfer helped fill holes on the Patriot frontline. Recorded 313 kills, 196 digs and 45 aces.

–Outside hitter: Miranda Powell, Sr., Steinbrenner. Led the Warriors with 90 aces while putting down 309 kills.

–Rightside hitter: Tori Quaglia, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch. Recorded 146 kills, 99 digs, 49 blocks and 32 aces for the Bulls.

–Setter: Casey McLean, So., Steinbrenner. Posted 832 assists despite having the tall order of replacing setter Erin McMurtry, the 2010 All-Laker/All-Lutz News Volleyball Player of the Year.

–Utility: Grace Olsen, So., Wiregrass Ranch. The epitome of a utility player. Had a team-high 351 digs and 150 kills while adding 32 aces.

Player of the Year: Cary Anne Bame, Steinbrenner. Bame posted a program-record 262 digs this season while committing only 49 errors, but her contributions go further than statistics. The senior has been a team captain for the squad since Steinbrenner opened in 2009, and her leadership was evident every time the Warriors took the court. Bame’s teammates and coaches have said she brought a level of confidence the team needed to win its third straight district championship this season.

Coach of the Year: Jennifer Graham, Steinbrenner. Graham took over a program that had won back-to-back district championships and a combined 40-15 record the previous two years. Graham, who had been an assistant the first two years of the program, needed to find replacements for seven graduating seniors. She guided the Warriors to a 24-5 record, setting a single-season record for wins. Steinbrenner also completed a perfect district season for the third straight campaign, reaching the regional semis in back-to-back years.

Girls swimming/diving first team

–Danielle Albright, Sr., Wharton. Won the 200-yard freestyle district and regional championships, and backed that up with a fourth-place performance at states.

–Athena Cimino, Fr., Wiregrass Ranch. The only Bulls swimmer to claim a district title when she won the 3A-5 50-yard freestyle. Also finished as regional runner-up and took seventh at states.

–Krystin Demsher, So., Land O’ Lakes. Brought home the 500-yard freestyle Class 2A-District 5 championship. Also part of the Gators’ 400 freestyle team that won district gold.

–Savannah Mattox, Sr., Sunlake. The Seahawks’ senior bested all competitors for the Class 2A-District 5 100-yard freestyle race by finishing in 1:00.4.

–Dee Sopapong, Fr., Wharton. Claimed the 100-yard breaststroke title and was part of the 200 medley and freestyle teams that also captured district titles.

Girls swimming/diving second team

–Jenna Cropanese, Jr., Bishop McLaughlin. Was the only Hurricanes swimmer to win a district title, claiming the 1A-3 100-yard butterfly in 1:03.82.

–Andrea Mapugay, Jr., Land O’ Lakes. Placed second in the Class 2A-District 5 50-yard freestyle race in 27.21.

–Dona McDonald, So., Land O’ Lakes. Finished as the Class 2A-District 5 100-yard freestyle runner-up in 1:00.97, 0.57 seconds behind the champion.

–Courtney Meyer, So., Sunlake. Captured a district championship by completing the 2A-5 100-yard backstroke in 1:06.76.

–Jocelyn Williams, So., Land O’ Lakes. Completed the Class 2A-District 5 100-yard backstroke race in 1:12.45, good enough for second place.

Swimmer/Diver of the Year: Danielle Albright, Wharton. Albright ran, or swam, away with the Class 3A-District 4 200-yard freestyle championship by finishing in 1:56.7. A sign of things to come for the senior. She backed up that title with a regional crown by shaving 4.05 seconds off her district time. Albright also placed fourth at states, better than any other area competitor in any event.

Coach of the Year: Robin Hilgenberg, Land O’ Lakes. The Gators’ leader helped Land O’ Lakes maintain its dominance of area swimming. Hilgenberg’s squad won its fourth straight Sunshine Athletic Conference and third straight district championships this season. The program also completed an undefeated regular season.

Boys swimming/diving first team

–Chad Ankers, Sr., Wharton. Claimed a pair of individual district championships and also helped the Wildcats win a relay crown.

–Cam Hilgenberg, So., Land O’ Lakes. Won the Class 2A-District 5 50-yard freestyle race by swimming a 22.57.

–Giorgi Meyer, Sr., Steinbrenner. The diver won his second straight district championship this year by scoring 508.9.

–Austin Wachsman, Sr., Sunlake. The Seahawks’ senior scored 331.7 to win the Class 2A-District 5 diving championship.

–Jordan Wheeler, Fr., Land O’ Lakes. The freshman wasn’t intimidated by his first district meet, winning the 500-yard freestyle title in 4:59.58.

Boys swimming/diving second team

–Marc Berson, So., Freedom. Finished as the runner-up in the Class 3A-District 4 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle races.

–Jordan Shollenberger, So., Freedom. Took second in the Class 3A-District 4 200-yard individual medley by finishing in 2:11.51.

–Dillan Villavisanis, So., Academy at the Lakes. The only member of the Wildcats’ squad placed second in the 100-yard backstroke at the Class 1A-District 7 meet in 1:05.91.

–Caleb Zeleznock, So., Wesley Chapel. His time of 1:54.08 was good enough to make him runner-up at the Class 2A-District 5 200-yard freestyle race.

–Austin VanVliet, Sr., Sunlake. Placed second in the Class 2A-District 5 100-yard freestyle race in 50.28.

Swimmer/Diver of the Year: Chad Ankers, Wharton. Was the only area swimmer to claim three district championships this year. Won the individual 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle races in 55.08 and 1:45.55, respectively. The senior was also on the Wildcats’ 200 freestyle team that tied for first with George Jenkins in 1:36.73. At regionals he placed third in both individual events.

Coach of the Year: Barbara Hayes, Land O’ Lakes. Hayes guided the Gators to another Sunshine Athletic Conference title this year, their 11th consecutive. Land O’ Lakes also won a district championship after missing out on the crown last year, the first time the program hadn’t won such a title since 2003. To top things off, the Gators completed another undefeated regular season.

Girls cross country first team

–Elise Cedre, So., Wiregrass Ranch. Overcame a rolled ankle to run a 20:26.6 at states, good enough to place 64th overall.

–Chelse Ginn-Davis, Jr., Wiregrass Ranch. One of the most consistent scorers for a Bulls squad that had to replace four of its top-seven runners from a year ago.

–Savannah Goode, So., Wiregrass Ranch. Goode decided to run cross country this season instead of being a cheerleader. Posted a 20:45.07 at states to take 74th.

–Nikita Shah, Jr., Wiregrass Ranch. Her fourth-place finish at the Class 3A state meet is better than any other runner in school history.

–Berlin Waters, Jr., Wiregrass Ranch. Normally a soccer player, Waters picked up cross country this year as well. Finished the state course in 20:33.66 to finish 66th.

Girls cross country second team

–Laure Arfaras, So., Freedom. Was constantly at the top for a Patriots squad that finished as a district runner-up and advanced to states.

–Taylor Griffith, Jr., Wharton. Led all Wildcats runners at the Class 4A state meet by posting a 21:07.68 to place 93rd.

–Mariah Henderson, So., Wharton. The sophomore ran a 21:18.87 in her first state finals meet, good enough for 97th.

–Ashley Smith, Sr., Freedom. Ran better than any other Patriot at the Class 4A state meet by finishing in 20:30.98 to take 67th.

–Annie Tedesco, So., Freedom. Tedesco finished in 80th place at the state meet by running a 20:48.38.

Runner of the Year: Nikita Shah, Wiregrass Ranch. Shah entered the year as one of the top girls runners in the Tampa Bay area and peaked at the right time. The junior finished in less than 18 minutes in the district, regional and state meet, including setting a personal record 17:52 at the Class 3A-Ditrict 6 race. Shah ran a 17:53.96 at the Class 3A state meet to take fourth place, better than any runner in school history. Her time would have made her the individual champion in the 1A, 2A or 4A state meets.

Coach of the Year: Don Howard, Wiregrass Ranch. Howard had quite a challenge ahead of him at the start of the 2011 season. He lost four of his top-seven runners from the 2010 squad that won conference, district and regional titles. Howard managed to get his new and returning runners at a level to place seventh at the Class 3A state meet, one spot off the best finish in program history.

Boys cross country first team

–Ermias Bireda, Jr., Wiregrass Ranch. Led all Bulls runners at the Class 3A state meet by running a 16:09.10, good enough for 15th place.

–David Hill, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch. His consistent times helped the Bulls take sixth as a team at the Class 3A state meet, matching the best finish in program history.

–Sam Hippely, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch. Won an individual conference championship and placed 26th at states in his final year.

–Matt Magee, Jr., Steinbrenner. Placed 37th at the Class 3A state meet by finishing in 16:29.51.

–Travis Nichols, So., Land O’ Lakes. Won the Class 3A-Ditrict 6 individual district championship and later took 16th at states by posting a 16:10.74.

Boys cross country second team

–Patrick Hill, Jr., Wiregrass Ranch. The junior ran a 16:59.62 at states to claim 77th overall.

–Tyler Lima, Jr., Steinbrenner. The Warriors’ team captain ran a 16:48.55 at the Class 3A state meet, good enough for 63rd overall.

–Tyler Mattera, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch. Without the senior’s times, Wiregrass Ranch wouldn’t have been able to place sixth at the Class 3A state meet.

–Tyler Stahl, So., Land O’ Lakes. Suffered an injury at the Class 3A state meet, but the sophomore was a big reason the Gators returned to the finals.

–Blake West, Jr., Steinbrenner. Ran a personal record 17:10.66 at the Class 3A state meet to take 89th.

Runner of the Year: Sam Hippely. The Wiregrass Ranch senior saved his best season for last. He won an individual Sunshine State Conference championship, finished as the Class 3A-Ditrict 6 individual runner-up and placed fourth at regionals to help the Bulls win titles at all three events. Also posted a 26th-place finish at states, helping Wiregrass Ranch take sixth overall to match the best finish in program history.

Coach of the Year: Chris Loth, Wiregrass Ranch. Loth had to come up with four new runners for the squad and did so with his now tried-and-true methods of training top athletes. Loth’s boys claimed conference, district and regionals championships this year and also placed sixth at the Class 3A state meet, matching the best finish in the program’s six-year history.

By Kyle LoJacono

It wasn’t the prettiest game ever played, but the Gaither football team came out on top 17-14 in its Class 7A regional semifinals contest at Tampa Bay Tech (TBT) on Nov. 25.

“That was the ugliest game I’ve ever been a part of,” said first-year Cowboys coach Jason Stokes. “It wasn’t the way we drew things up, but we came out with a win.”

Gaither (9-3) forced five Titans (8-4) turnovers, but gave up four including an interception returned 20 yards for a score by Armani Sampson on the first possession of the second half to give TBT a 14-10 lead it maintained until 9:54 remaining. That’s when Cowboys wide receiver Carlo Perello made the game-changing play.

Perello, who finished with five catches for 208 yards, caught a slant pass and shed a pair of would-be Titans tacklers. The senior turned up the field and looked as if he would run into another defender, but Perello leapt over the stunned TBT player. After that it was off to the races to complete the 73-yard scoring strike to put Gaither up for good.

“I just don’t want to go home,” Perello said. “I knew I had to do something in the game to get us going.”

It was the second long scoring catch for Perello, following a 76-yard touchdown near the end of the first half. The Cowboys had struggled to produce much offense until Perello’s first touchdown, posting 6 yards of total offense before the explosive play.

“The whole sideline changed after that first play when we scored, and then the whole sideline changed again after he scored again,” Stokes said. He then added, “We had some injuries on the offensive line, so we tried to go to our quick passing game. (TBT) did a really good job adjusting and we couldn’t get anything going running the ball. … It was a war of attrition and thank God the Cowboys found a way.”

Gaither sealed the win when defensive back Amani Oruwariye picked off Titans quarterback Aaron Midthus in the end zone with 38 seconds remaining.

“I was confident I was going to make the play,” Oruwariye said. “Once I got it in my hands I knew the game was over.”

The victory sends the Cowboys to the regional finals for just the second time in the program’s 27-year history. The nine wins is also more than the eight recorded by the squad during the previous three seasons combined.

“It is unbelievable what these kids have done this year,” Stokes said. “I’m so proud of them. The first thing I told them when I came here was you need to buy in. Either get on board with us or don’t be part of our program. We’re going to do things differently, and you may not understand why at first but just trust your coaches. Just buy into what we’re doing and we’re going to have success.”

The playoff contest was rematch of a game TBT won 17-14 earlier this season. The win made the Titans Class 7A-District 7 champions and Gaither the runner-up.

“You know district champs, they can have that,” Perello said. “We’re going for regional champs right now.”

Cowboys linebacker Matt Williams, who forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and recorded a sack against the Titans, said the chance to avenge that regular season loss was motivation.

“Coach told us all week if we lose, then they’re going to own us until next year,” Williams said. “We’d have to wait 365 days to play them again. Coach said we just can’t let them beat us twice in one season, so we came out here and played with our hearts.”

Gaither’s defense limited TBT to 176 yards of total offense while forcing five turnovers and recording three sacks.

“I love playing in this defense,” Oruwariye said. “Our defensive coordinator coach (Brian) Del Valle makes great schemes each games. If we do our assignments we know we’ll make plays.”

Gaither had chances to put up more points in the contest. The Cowboys missed field goals of 34 and 37 yards. They also had a fumble return for a touchdown by Williams called back because of a block-in-the-back penalty and also allowed 10 sacks to go with their four turnovers.

The sloppy play was similar to the first game between the squads.

“You know I don’t think we learned anything from the first game,” Stokes said. “The whole point was to come in here and cut down on the turnovers and mistakes, and we did nothing but that. If we don’t improve it’s going to be a long ride home from Lakeland next week.”

Gaither travels to Lakeland on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The winner earns a spot in the 7A state final four.

 

By Eugenio Torrens

Sunlake’s historic football season came to a screeching halt at the hands of Gainesville senior Chris Bivins.

Bivins intercepted Seahawks (10-2) quarterback Cameron Stoltz to dash Sunlake’s comeback bid and chances of making it to the Class 6A regional finals against Armwood with a 21-14 road loss.

“It’s gonna hurt tonight,” Sunlake coach Bill Browning said. “It should, they worked extremely hard and we had an opportunity to win tonight.”

The Seahawks (10-2) were flying high having made it to the playoffs for the first time in the school’s five-year history and nabbing a playoff win on the road 22-21 at Ocala Vanguard the previous week.

But against Gainesville (10-2), four turnovers grounded Sunlake and the offense wasn’t able to generate much rhythm in a game dominated by both defenses.

“It feels good to be part of the first playoff team and the first team to win a playoff game, but it does stink to go out this way,” said senior linebacker Nick Morrison.

Senior running back Rashaud Daniels added, “It was special to be able to make history with my team.”

The Hurricanes got on the board first when Cordero Dixon scooped up a fumbled Seahawks pitch and returned it 49 yards.

Sunlake’s defense responded on Gainesville’s next drive. The Hurricanes were pinned back on their own 7-yard line, when Jerome Samuels stuck his hand up to deflect a Mark Cato pass. The ball landed in Paul Scott’s hands and he scampered to the end zone.

Late in the second quarter, Stoltz threw his first interception to Dixon, who scored his second touchdown of the night with a 51-yard return.

The offensively stagnant Seahawks came out in the third quarter and put together their best drive of the game — a 68-yard march capped off when Stoltz’s pass was tipped by Gainesville’s Tashon Whitehurst and into the alert arms of Eddie Burgos for the score.

Because Connor Spencer’s extra point attempt was blocked earlier, the Seahawks were forced to go for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Stoltz found Morrison to knot the game up at 14.

The Seahawks were backed up on their next series, a three and out, and the ensuing punt gave the Hurricanes great field position at the Sunlake 27. Cato found Bivins for an 8-yard touchdown that turned out to be the game clincher.