Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Freedom flag football team reached the District 12 championship game against state runner-up Alonso on April 26, but lost to the Ravens 19-0.

In any other high school sport the Patriots (9-1) would have moved on as the district runner-up, but in flag football only the district champion continues in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Freedom it was the first, and only, loss this year.

“It was still definitely a great season,” said Patriots coach Dennis Derflinger. “You want to go out and win the district championship so you can continue to play, especially for the seniors. Alonso is a great team and they proved it. They shut us down with a good defensive scheme. They were the better team tonight.”

Freedom defeated Alonso (11-1) earlier this season 27-21, giving the Patriots the No. 1 seed in the district tournament. In that loss, Ravens coach Matt Hernandez discovered the key to defeating the Patriots — keep the ball away from senior Briahanna Jackson.

“We wanted the rematch, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy with a player like Jackson on the other side,” Hernandez said. “In the first game, she had two interceptions on defense and did whatever she wanted on offense. We needed to make sure she couldn’t get the ball on defense and didn’t have time on offense.”

Alonso put pressure on Jackson while she was playing quarterback, forcing her out of the pocket. She managed to complete eight of 18 passes for 58 yards, four to senior Lindsay Taggart for 35 yards.

On offense, the Ravens relied on short passes to keep the ball away from Jackson, who plays defensive back. Alonso quarterback Carlee North attempted only two passes of at least ten yards all night. One was tipped and nearly picked off by Jackson in the first quarter. Jackson came up with the interception on the second attempt in the fourth quarter.

“They just kept it underneath and tried to get pitches off that to run the option,” Derflinger said. “They’ve scouted us a number of games and knew that Bri was over the top. She’s pretty aggressive when the ball is in the air and she made some plays the few times they went down the field. They just kept the ball away from her.”

Jackson transferred to Freedom from Wiregrass Ranch just a few weeks before the flag football season started. She last played the sport as a young child and is mainly a basketball player.

“She has a lot of athleticism and can change a game with one play,” Derflinger said of Jackson. “She didn’t get a lot of opportunities today, so that was tough for us.”

Freedom took its semifinals contest April 25 against fourth seeded Wharton 39-0 to make the finals. Jackson had four touchdown passes in the win. Alonso, the two seed, took down Gaither in the other semifinals 47-0.

Besides only one team advancing in the playoffs, another difference between flag football and other high school sports is only the top four teams in each district even make the district tournament.

The Cowboys (4-5) have made districts every year since Hillsborough County started offering flag football as an official sport in 2006. Freedom is the only other District 12 program that can make that same claim.

“Our district is usually pretty strong,” Derflinger said. “There are always a couple teams who step up and surprise you. It’s just great to be able to compete against a team like Alonso the last two years because it makes you get better as players and as a coach.”

 

Land O’ Lakes advances as 4A-8 runner-up

By Kyle LoJacono

Land O’ Lakes shortstop Trae Urban hit the first pitch he saw over the left field wall of Sunlake’s field, signaling what was to come in the Class 4A-District 8 championship game April 29.

The Gators (20-8) came up on the short side of an 8-5 slugfest, losing to the top-seeded Hernando Leopards. However, by making the district finals they qualified for the program’s first regional tournament since 2008.

“We’re disappointed in the outcome, but not at all in our effort,” said Gators coach Calvin Baisley. “We competed and came back. They could have quit when they were down 5-1, but if you ask me if I’d rather win tonight or Tuesday; I’d rather win Tuesday. I’d really rather win them both, but Tuesday is win or go home.”

Hernando (23-5) fought back to score five runs in the bottom of the second, including a two-run homer by Ian Townsend hit just left of straightaway centerfield 375 feet away.

The Gators answered with three in the fourth and another in the sixth to tie the score at 5-5. Land O’ Lakes had a chance to take the lead in the sixth when Trey McNickle hit a two-out RBI single into centerfield with the bases loaded. Townsend scooped the rolling ball and threw a strike to nail Gino Pepenella at the plate to keep the game tied.

“It was one of the best throws I’ve had,” Townsend said. “Glad it happened when it did.”

Hernando got a break in the bottom of the sixth when Dylan Harris bobbled the ball at second with one out, putting Leopards on first and second. McNickle walked Townsend to load the bases and Brett Maggard hit a two-RBI single. Christian Arroyo added another run on a sacrifice fly.

Both teams’ lineups saw a lot of pitches and drew a combined 17 walks in the contest. Each coach used three pitchers, with neither starter going four innings.

Gators starter Brad Hencke (4-0) went the first two frames, facing 12 batters and throwing 48 pitches.

“High school baseball, it’s kind of weird in tournament play because you only have so many pitchers,” Baisley said. “We were fortunate to have one of our better pitchers starting, but he wasn’t going to go much further than he did because he already pitched this week and is going again in regionals. So we’re in a district finals and Hernando isn’t throwing their top guy and our guy is limited to 50 pitches.”

Urban went 2-3 at the plate with a walk, a double and the leadoff home run, the only two extra base hits for the Gators on the night.

The Gators left 10 batters on base, including five in scoring position. Baisley said that needs to be corrected if the squad is to advance in regionals, but he and his players are just happy for the opportunity to prolong their season.

“They’re excited to continue on,” Baisley said. “There’s disappointment, but kids are resilient; more resilient than coaches. When we go get something to eat tonight as a team, they’ll talk about the game and get ready for next week. We’re still playing.”

Land O’ Lakes plays at Mitchell on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2010 Gaither baseball team entered the Class 5A-District 9 tournament as the No. 1 seed and event host, but underdog King upset the Cowboys for the district title.

Gaither (15-8) flipped the script and got payback on the top-seeded Lions (16-9), winning the 5A-9 championship 14-4 at Leto on April 28.

“There was a little bit of revenge on the players’ minds and they were looking forward to another chance against King,” said Cowboys coach Frank Permuy. “They celebrated on our field last year and that didn’t sit too well with the team.”

Gaither’s offense scored 42 runs in its three tournament games, which all ended after five innings by mercy rule, while the defense and pitching allowed only nine.

Senior third baseman and No. 3 hitter Alejandro Brunet was one of the offensive stars for Gaither. He entered the tournament batting less than .200, but hit four home runs in the event. He also raised his average to .254.

“I was really happy for him,” said junior pitcher Alex Milne, who started the championship game. “He is one of the best teammates we have and he really sparked our whole offense.”

Gaither entered districts with a .275 team batting average, making the offensive explosion even more surprising.

“It’s been a hard season for us at the plate,” Permuy said. “Alejandro had some struggles, but he’s the only player I consider to be a real No. 3 hitter for us. He’s worked hard all year and still had a good on-base percentage. It was good to see everything come together at the right time.”

Permuy also said he was extremely pleased that his squad committed no errors in the tournament.

“We’ve been trying to limit the errors all year long and it seems to finally be clicking for us,” Permuy said. “I believe errors are what lose more games than anything in high school, so that was a big plus for us.”

Milne (3-3) went the distance for the Cowboys in the championship game to earn the win.

“It meant a lot to me to win the district championship,” Milne said. “We lost a lot of good players from last year and I think we surprised a lot of people. We’ve really focused on getting better every week and every day this year, and we learned a lot from the seniors who graduated last year. They should get some of the credit for us winning this year.”

The season has been more of a struggle for Milne than he is accustomed to. He had a 15-2 record during his first two seasons at Gaither, including 8-0 as a sophomore.

“He stepped up and had a big game for us,” Permuy said. “We could have brought in someone to finish the game, but he really wanted to finish it himself. He had some mechanical problems this year we had to work through and he is throwing a lot better. We also lost a couple games for him, so his record should be better than it is.”

The Cowboys put on a hitting display in the semifinals, banging out 12 hits to defeat host Leto 17-4. Gaither piled up 10 runs in the bottom of the second. They took down Chamberlain 11-1 in the quarters.

Gaither will host Venice in the 5A regional quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. The Cowboys were eliminated by Venice in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Warriors must wait another year

The Steinbrenner baseball team was knocked out of the Class 4A-District 9 tournament by Jefferson 2-1 in the semifinals, one game away from the first playoff berth in program history.

The Warriors (17-7) and Dragons (22-4) were scoreless entering the seventh inning. Steinbrenner scored first in the top of the frame. Jefferson loaded the bases in the bottom half and scored the tying and winning runs off a two-run infield error.

Steinbrenner defeated Robinson 11-1 in the quarterfinals. Jason Wilton (5-3) worked six innings to record the win, while Jesse Haney drove in four runs. The Warriors had 14 hits in the contest.

 

 

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.