Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Land O’ Lakes girls track and field team will be well represented at the Class 3A state meet after several athletes’ performances at regionals April 28.

Freshman Hallie Grimes took third in the 400-meter race in 59.75, just 0.16 seconds behind first place. Grimes then teamed with Samantha Austin, Alyssa Lonsway and Nicole Woodard to take second and fourth in the 4×400 and 4×100 respectively. The quartet set the Gators record in the 4×400 the week before at districts.

Gators 15-year girls coach Harold Ridgeway said it is the first time in program history both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams qualified for states the same year. It is also the first time Grimes, Austin and Lonsway will compete at states.

Woodard, a senior, also advanced to states in the long and high jumps for the second straight year and third overall. She came in fourth with a high jump of 5-02 and was the regional runner-up with a long jump of 18-04, a new personal best. She won the Sunshine Athletic Conference and district championships in both events this year.

“I’m feeling really confident in my jumps,” Woodard said. “I’m hoping to place in them both.”

The only year Woodard did not make states was as a sophomore, when she was recovering from a torn anterior curciate ligament (ACL).

Last year, Woodard was the only Land O’ Lakes athlete, boy or girl, to compete at states. She is relishing the chance to have more teammates join her as a senior.

“That really makes it special because we push each other to get better,” Woodard said. “We’re a little family.”

The Land O’ Lakes boys did not fair as well as the girls, failing to qualify any athlete for states.

The Gators came in seventh place in the girls team standings with 35 points. Bellview won the regional title with 72.66, followed by Kathleen’s 68 and Wiregrass Ranch’s 45.

The Bulls also took third in the boys team standings with 50 points. Orlando Edgewater was the champion with 67 points, followed by Winter Haven’s 62.

The top four finishers in every event qualify for the Class 3A state meet on Friday, May 6 at Winter Park.

–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Pasco baseball team completed one of the biggest upsets of the year by defeating top-seeded Wesley Chapel in the semifinals of the Class 4A-District 7 tournament.

“This is the biggest win for us this year,” said 19-year Pasco coach Ricky Giles.

The Pirates (14-12) were beaten by Mitchell 14-4 in the championship game, but the Dade City squad continues on to regionals by making the district finals. Pasco has made the playoffs 10 of the last 11 years, with 2010 being the only year out.

The Pirates were the No. 4 seed in the tournament, played at Wesley Chapel, and had to defeat Ridgewood 5-1 in the quarters just to face the Wildcats.

“We struggled all year,” Giles said. “I hoped we’d be a good team in April and into May because we made a lot of mistakes young teams do early in the year. The kids came up with a huge victory and they have made big improvements.”

Wesley Chapel (24-3) was going for its fourth straight regional tournament appearance, but the loss in the semis ended the streak. Wesley Chapel was the last Pasco County team to lose a game and set a program record with 24 wins.

Pasco’s Cole Stancil and Wesley Chapel’s Brandon Mumaw, both seniors, put up zero after zero in the first five innings. The Pirates got on the board first in the sixth with a pair of runs and added another three in the seventh.

The Wildcats scored four in the bottom of the seventh and had two base runners with two outs. Senior Matt Wynne lined out to second baseman Clint Tedder to complete the upset.

Stancil allowed six hits in the complete game victory, recording four strikeouts. Giles went to the mound in the final frame with the score 5-4 to see how his pitcher felt. He liked what his senior pitcher told him, as the veteran coach let him finish what he started.

“He told me he had it,” Giles said. “He said he had enough to get the final out. I felt that we’d rode him to that point, so let the senior close it out. He did it.”

Pasco plays at Hernando in the 4A regional quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco sophomore Janarion Grant kept up his family tradition of winning track and field state championships by taking the Class 2A long jump title on April 30.

Janarion had a championship jump of 24-03.5, a personal best. It is the first state track title for any Pirate athlete since his uncle Darren Grant took the 3A high jump gold in 1993 and the first in the long jump since 1989.

“I wasn’t expecting to have a jump like that,” Janarion said. “I’ve been working hard at it every week, but to come out and have my best jump ever at states, I was shocked. It couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

Wesley Chapel senior Hunter Joyer won his second straight 2A shot put championship with a toss of 61-01, less than five feet from the state record of 65-08.25.

Joyer won the title last year while attending Tampa Catholic. It is the second state championship for Joyer this year after winning the 1A weightlifting crown in the 238-pound classification less than a month ago.

“It’s a great feeling to win two state titles in two sports,” Joyer said. “Some guys never get to win even one. It’s a hard thing to do. It was my goal this year.”

Wesley Chapel and Pasco tied for 21st with 10 team points. Godby won the overall title with 65.

For the girls, Steinbrenner junior Alexis Wright won the first track and field state championship for the second-year school by claiming the girls 100-meter hurdles race.

Wright ran a 15.05 in the finals, just 0.06 seconds faster than second place Khadeeja Dooling from American Heritage. Last year she finished ninth in a preliminary race by running a 15.76.

Wesley Chapel sophomore Ravin Gilbert took seventh in both the 100 and 200 with runs of 12.72 and 25.18 respectively.

The Warrior girls scored 24 points in the event to finish eighth as a team, while Wesley Chapel earned four. American Heritage took home the state championship with 92.

–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Pasco softball team advanced to the Class 4A regional finals, using two very different methods to achieve victory.

The Pirates (25-6) first defeated Lecanto at home in the quarterfinals in a slugfest 9-3 on April 27, and then beat River Ridge on the road 2-0 in a pitching duel on April 29. Pasco last reached the regional finals in 2007 when the squad was the state runner-up.

Pasco senior pitcher Courtney Brandt threw a complete game one-hitter while striking out 10 batters in the semis. Junior outfielder Vanessa Mills hit a two-run inside-the-park home run in the second inning to score the only runs the Pirates would need.

Against Lecanto, the Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by senior pitcher Courtney Brandt and an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Jordan Lane. Sophomore centerfielder Kelli Parker added her second career home run in the second to help stretch the lead to 6-0 after the frame.

Lecanto (9-14) started a comeback in the top of the third when they drew a walk and hit a double with two outs. Shortstop Taylor Upchurch hit a three-run blast over the leftfield wall to cut the lead to 6-3

“When they hit that ball over, all I could say is it’s a game now. We’ve got to get back to playing hard,” Lane said.

Pasco added two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. Lane went 2-4 at the plate with a double. She also made a pair of backhand catches on screaming line drives to save sure doubles in the field in her second game back from an ankle injury that kept her out for two weeks.

“We depend on her defense as much as her hitting,” said Pasco coach Lisa Herndon. “We’re getting her back at the right time and we’re glad for that. She makes a difference on the bases and at the plate with timely hits. She’s always come through for us.”

Mills went 2-4 with a double and a solo homer. Junior first baseman Sarah Burchfield added a two-run double in the quarters.

Brandt (16-4) threw 103 pitches in the complete game victory against Lecanto. She struck out 11 and allowed three hits and one walk in the contest — which was not good enough for the Stetson University signee.

“Actually it was an off night,” Brandt said.

Brandt may be hard on herself, but she lights up when talking about the team’s opportunity this year.

“I’ve never gotten out of the first round before,” Brandt said. “I’m feeling really confident in our team right now. I want to win and go on as far as I can before I graduate.”

Pasco was knocked out for the regional quarterfinals last year. Parker said the desire to go further into the postseason combined with players’ personalities have made the difference.

“I think we’ve been working together really well,” Parker said. “I think that’s what’s really made the difference this year.”

The Pirates host Harmony on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2011 Wiregrass Ranch boys tennis team reached the state tournament for the first time in the program’s five-year history, but the Bulls playoff march ended April 18 in Altamonte Springs.

Wiregrass Ranch lost its Nos. 1-4 singles and Nos. 1 and 2 doubles first-round matches. No. 5 player Daniel Helfrich, a junior, won his opening match 6-2, 6-3, but lost his next contest 6-0, 6-0.

Despite the early exit, Bulls coach Dave Wilson, who has been the only coach in the program’s history, thinks the experience will serve his young squad well in the future.

“We went with the mentality of winning the whole thing, but unfortunately we got some tough draws early,” Wilson said. “I think it’s been a learning experience for us now and next year we should bring back everyone but Spencer (Ong) and go after it again. The others now have more experience and will know what it is like next year”

Ong was the Bulls No. 2 player this year and is the only senior on the roster.

“The one that hurt was when Spencer lost,” Wilson said. “We all took a little bit of a mental hit I think when he lost because he’s done.”

Wiregrass Ranch No. 1 player Courage Okungbowa, a sophomore who moved to the area from Virginia, had a perfect record in singles play before the Class 3A state event. He drew the second-seeded William Neuner from Pensacola Washington, losing 6-4, 6-2.

Ong was matched up against Lakewood Ranch’s Arnav Mohanty and lost 6-2, 6-0. Bulls No. 3 Eric Busch, a junior who moved from Texas, lost to Gainesville’s Peter Feliciano 6-2, 6-3. Rounding out the top five, No. 4 player Jaime Feliciano, a sophomore who moved from Puerto Rico, dropped his match to Barron Collier’s Jorge Vargas 6-2, 6-0.

The Bulls won their second straight district championship this year, the fourth consecutive season they have reached the regional tournament. They also won the first regional championship in program history and were the only Pasco County squad to reach the state tournament.

“We got some new players to add to the ones we had from last year’s team that reached the regional finals,” Wilson said. “I knew we’d be really good this year and I’m very proud of what the kids did. We want to make this a regular thing, getting to the state tournament, and hopefully before long, we can have one of those state championships for ourselves.”

–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Zephyrhills girls track and field team continued to make itself known in the sprinting events at the Class 3A regional meet April 28.

Bulldogs freshman Kara Young qualified for the state meet by taking fourth in the 100-meter race in 12.52. She won the 100 district championship in 12.75 the week before.

“Kara has really carried this team this season,” said Zephyrhills girls coach Jason Rouser. “She has shown throughout the year that she is one of the best young athletes in the area. Now she gets to show what she can do at states.”

Young then teamed with fellow freshman Aaliyah McKenzie and seniors Jamieshia Parker and Alexandria Viera to finish as the runner-up in the 4×100 relay in 49.25, a new school record.

Skarlet Lawhorne won the regional adapted shot put girls championship with a toss of 11-01. During the season she said her goal is to win the second straight state title for Zephyrhills in the event, after Heather Haynie won the gold last year.

“Skarlet has come out to every meet and worked hard in practice all year,” Rouser said. “A lot of times there isn’t another girl to compete against in meets, but she hasn’t slacked off all year. She’s been a big part of our team.”

The Zephyrhills boys sent several athletes to regionals, but none of them were able to qualify for states.

The Bulldogs girls finished in 16th place as a team with 16 points. Bellview won the regional title with 72.66, followed by Kathleen’s 68 and Wiregrass Ranch’s 45.

The Bulls also took third in the boys team standings with 50 points. Orlando Edgewater was the champion with 67 points, followed by Winter Haven’s 62.

The top four finishers in every event qualify for the Class 3A state meet on Friday, May 6 at Winter Park.

–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Wiregrass Ranch boys and girls track and field teams finished third at the Class 3A regional meet April 28 one week after each won district championships.

The girls also finished in third last year, but the boys made a jump up from a ninth place performance in 2010.

“It’s a thrill to see both teams up at the top of regionals,” said Bulls second-year girls coach Don Howard. “It’s kind of a friendly competition between the two teams to see who can do better and they all work hard every day in practice. It shows what hard work does.”

The Wiregrass Ranch 4×400-meter girls relay team of Kayla Deloach, Makayla Strickland, Kelsey Sturman and Marissa Tomei won the regional championship in 4:04.80. Marissa teamed with A.J. Blount, Hannah Eder and twin sister Tori Tomei to place third in the 4×100.

Wiregrass Ranch’s Nikita Shah, the reigning All-Laker/All-Lutz News girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, was the runner-up in the girls 3,200 meter, finishing in 11:36.59, a new personal best. She was diagnosed as anemic about five weeks ago and had yet to break the 12 minute mark this year before regionals.

“She’s a really good student and has great character, but a lot of her identity comes from being a runner and you could see it was affecting her mood,” Howard said. “She thought she just wasn’t a good runner any more, but I told her someone as good as she is doesn’t lose it overnight. She made states last year in the 3,200 last year and was one of our best runners in cross country.”

At the district meet the week before Shah said she felt strong again after taking iron supplements for the last five weeks, but still needed to get her speed back.

“She looked as strong as ever to me,” Howard said. “He old personal best was 11:45 and I think she held back a little on the final 400 meters. I think she could have gone faster.”

Teammate Ariel Grey placed fourth in the 3,200. Grey also was part of the 4×800 team with Elise Cedre, Alex Diepholz and Marissa Ginn-Davis that took third. No other team at regionals sent all three relay teams to states.

The Bulls boys scored big in the field events. Senior Alex Kazanski won the district championship with a pole vault of 14-06, the same height he posted to win the 3A state championship last year.

Sophomore Travis Manecki was the runner-up with a discus toss of 149.

In the distance events, Ryan Pulsifer finished as the runner-up in 9:44.12 in the 3,200 meter. Teammate Logan Selzer took fourth in the 1,600.

The Wiregrass Ranch boys 4×800 relay team of Ian Cassette, Tyler Mattera, Josh Reilly and Selzer came in third in 8:14.20.

The Bulls girls scored 45 points at the meet, behind regional champion Bellview’s 72.66 and Kethleen’s 68. The boys posted 50, behind Orlando Edgewater’s 67 and Winter Haven’s 62.

The top four finishers in every event qualify for the Class 3A state meet on Friday, May 6 at Winter Park. The Bulls girls did not score any points in last years finals, but the boys put up 10 from Kazanski’s championship vault.

“We hope to have some Wiregrass Ranch names on the final leader board,” Howard said. “The goal is for the kids to win championships and I think they’re ready to compete against the best athletes in the state.”

–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

By Kyle LoJacono

Steinbrenner senior inside linebacker Alex Bombino will continue his playing career at LaGrange College in Georgia and marks two victories for the fledging program.

Bombino is the second Warrior in the school’s two-year history to receive financial aid to play college football, following Tobi Antigha signing an athletic scholarship with Presbyterian College. Division III schools like LaGrange do not give athletic scholarships, but offered him financial aid, amazing considering where his grades were just two years ago.

“When I came here from Sickles as a junior I had a 2.0 GPA,” Bombino said. “Now I will be graduating with about a 3.2.”

Bombino said the turnaround is a result of coach Floyd Graham and the support staff at Steinbrenner.

“We do weekly grade checks on our kids to make sure they’re keeping up in their classes,” Graham said. “We try to assist them in any way possible and give them the tools to succeed. We have coaches on the staff who teach most subjects and have tutoring sessions on Thursday for those who need the help.”

Bombino approached Graham during his junior year and told him he wanted to play in college.

“I told him it would take a lot for work to get his grades up, but he put in the effort,” Graham said. “He got his grades up and raised his ACT score from about an 18 to a 24 in a couple months. Now he’ll get to play in college and get his education, which is the most important thing.”

Bombino was also a team captain last year and was the only Warrior to make every workout and practice his senior season. Steinbrenner went 5-5 in 2010 and Bombino led the squad with 64 tackles.

“I’ve loved helping to build the program at Steinbrenner,” Bombino said. “LaGrange reminds me a lot of Steinbrenner because it’s a relatively new program they’re building. I want to be a part of that.”

Bombino plans to study biology at LaGrange and hopes to one day become a dentist.

“I’m blessed to get a chance to play in college,” Bombino said. “The hard work and great coaching really made the difference, but the help with my grades has a lot to do with it too.”

LaGrange went 3-7 last season and will compete as an independent program in 2011.