Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Zephyrhills girls track and field coach Jason Rouser thinks an injection of young talent is exactly what the team needed this year.

“The outlook is looking really good, especially with the young talent,” Rouser said. “We have some very good freshman on the team with Aaliyah McKenzie and Kara Young and they’ve added a lot to our 4×100 relay team and in their individual events. They’ve added a lot of depth to the team.”

Young competes in the 100-meter event, as well as the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. She first discovered her speed while playing soccer.

“My mom said she first saw that I was fast when I played soccer in sixth grade,” said Young, who played on the Bulldogs junior varsity soccer team this year. “She said I always looked fast.”

Young has been successful in middle and high school since that day. She has not lost a 100-meter race in a school event since she started running at Stewart Middle in seventh grade.

While at Stewart, Young heard about Jamieshia Parker, who is now a senior at Zephyrhills. Parker was the Bulldogs all-around athlete last year, competing in the 100, 200, 4×100, 4×400 and long jump events, but tore her right anterior curciate ligament (ACL) in the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet at the end of the season.

“I ran to do a long jump, and when I landed I felt a twist and my knee bent in toward my other leg,” Parker said. “Then it snapped back outward and I fell. I tried to get up and I couldn’t. … I’ve never had anything like this before. This is the biggest for me.”

Young was disappointed when she heard of Parker’s injury.

“When I started here I was thinking I wanted to run with Jamieshia Parker and to learn from her,” Young said. “When I heard she had the knee injury I was upset, because I wanted to run with her. I’m happy she’s getting better.”

Parker is focusing on the 400 while getting her knee back strong this year.

“This being her last season as a senior she wants to contribute a great deal,” Rouser said. “She’s been doing it for three years and everyone asks about when she’s going to get back on the track in a meet. She’ll get back soon and she’s progressing really well. People ask is she going to be the same as she was, and I say no. She’ll be better.”

Another veteran member of the squad is junior Julia Hines, who competes in the 400, 4×100 and 4×400. Hines was part of the Bulldogs 4×400 team that reached the Class 3A regional meet last year, but has higher goals in 2011.

“I’m trying to go to states,” Hines said. “I want to place at regionals and go to states. I want to get a track scholarship and that would be a good way to get there.”

Hines said she has done more weightlifting this year to get stronger, but Young’s speed has also pushed her.

“I wasn’t too happy that she’s already beating me, but it’s pushing me because I want to be faster than her in all the races,” Hines said. “She has some sprints on me, but in the long distance I’ve got her.”

In the field events, the Bulldogs are going for their second straight state championship in adapted shot put. Last year, the first for adapted track and field in Florida, Heather Haynie won the title with a toss of 26 feet, 7.75 inches.

Haynie has since graduated, but a freshman Scarlett Lawhorne is hoping to pick up from there.

“I’ve learned a lot from Heather,” Lawhorne said. “We’ve worked together for about eight years. She’s given me some pointers that coaches couldn’t help me with.”

Lawhorne has been competing in Paralympic style events for most of her life and is happy to get the chance in high school.

“It’s cool because you get to come out here and prove people wrong,” Lawhorne said. “People say ‘how can you compete if you’re in a wheel chair.’ Then you show them you can do it and they’re amazed.”

Lawhorne’s best toss is 13 feet, 5.5 inches.

“It’s going to take lots and lots and lots of practice to get where Heather is,” Lawhorne said. “This year I just want to get to states. The girl I’m mainly competing against is really good. She threw about 13 feet last year in states. That is my goal is to beat her and throw past 13 feet.”

Rouser expects a lot from Lawhorne this year.

“Heather has laid that tradition for us, so we’re expecting Scarlett to do great things,” Rouser said.

Zephyrhills’ next meet is at home against Pasco on Tuesday, March 22 at 2 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Sunlake softball team has two pitchers who are essentially polar opposites of each other.

Senior Tyler Riendeau is 6-foot-3, while junior Meghan Durbin is nearly a foot shorter at 5-foot-2.

“Just the height from Tyler alone is intimidating,” said Sunlake first-year coach Jami Finan said. “She’s got a lot more speed than Meghan. Meghan has more movement.”

Riendeau, who transferred to Sunlake from Robinson last season, said their differences add to their success.

“We complement each other well,” Riendeau said. “We’re very different pitchers. I throw hard and she throws the ball for movement. I can start the game and she can come in or vice versa, and the batters will see completely different pitches.”

Durbin throws a fastball, changeup, curveball, dropball and screwball. Riendeau uses a fastball, dropball, knuckleball and cutter.

Durbin was the only pitcher for the Seahawks her freshman year. She said having another hurler on the squad has helped her in several ways.

“Tyler has been doing this longer, so I’ve learned a lot from her,” Durbin said. “We do different things, but she can still help me with how to pitch.”

Things have been working for the two on the mound this year. Riendeau has a 5-1 record with a 3.26 ERA in 43 innings of work. She has struck out 40 batters along the way.

Meghan is a perfect 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 26 innings pitched while recording 19 Ks.

Riendeau has signed her letter of intent to play at Lander University in South Carolina. Durbin has not committed to any school yet, but Finan said she has the ability to pitch at the next level.

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

Wildcats top cross-town rival Wiregrass Ranch for crown

By Kyle LoJacono

The Wesley Chapel baseball team entered the first ever RBI Pasco Varsity Tournament as the only county squad without a loss.

The Wildcats (12-0) ended the spring break event with four more wins and the event championship trophy by defeating Wiregrass Ranch 9-8 in the title game March 19 on a walk-off RBI single by shortstop Geoff DeGroot.

“To have the two host teams from the same community in the championship game was great,” said Wesley Chapel coach Chuck Yingling. “The community came out to see it. The atmosphere was amazing. Hopefully it gets larger next year and I think it will.”

Bulls coach Jeff Swymer took over the program two years ago and said area coaches have been working for more than a year to bring the event to Pasco.

“You see all the people out here and it’s great for the area and for the kids,” Swymer said. “It’s a local rivalry. This is as full as this place has ever been. There was good sportsmanship, well played at times and with mistakes by both sides, but it was what you’d expect out of a championship game.”

The tournament was modeled after the Tony Saladino Tournament, which started in Hillsborough County in 1981. The older event started with 11 teams and has grown to 32 squads playing at nine locations.

The RBI event had 12 squads this year, 10 from Pasco and two from Hernando County. The games were played at Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel, with the Bulls (10-5) hosting the championship.

Yingling has extensive experience with the Saladino event, coaching at Leto, Jesuit and Tampa Catholic in Hillsborough before coming to Wesley Chapel four seasons ago.

“I can’t say enough about what we had this year,” Yingling said. “It was really good for all the kids on all the teams that participated to play in something like this.

“I always felt the Saladino was a jumpstart to the second half of the season,” Yingling continued. “You go in there and have to play competitive and have to play exciting, and that’s what it’s going to be like in districts.”

The Wildcats had to get through Hudson and Central in the opening rounds and needed a walk-off home run from outfielder Zach White to get past Land O’ Lakes in the semifinals.

The Bulls took down Central and Hudson before beating Mitchell in their semifinal contest.

In the title game, Wiregrass Ranch got on the board first in the third inning, scoring a pair of runs off Wesley Chapel starter Marcus Crescentini. The Wildcats answered with four in the top of the fourth, but gave up three in the bottom half.

Neither team had its No. 1 pitcher start the contest as Wiregrass Ranch’s John Michael Gant and Wesley Chapel’s Brandon Mumaw pitched in the semis. Gant did relieve Bulls starter Ryan Kopenski in the fifth inning with that 5-4 lead.

Gant, whose fastball tops 90 mph, had a perfect fifth and his team scored three insurance runs in the bottom of the inning to stretch the lead to 8-4. Gant got two quick outs before the Wildcats rallied for three runs to tie the score off three straight singles and two Bulls throwing errors.

“We’re a pretty good fastball hitting team, so we knew we could catch up to his pitches,” Yingling said. “We came into a good part of our batting order and those kids did a good job with it. We’re a pretty good team against good pitchers. Sometimes it’s the guys that don’t throw as hard that we struggle against.”

Wildcats sophomore Hunter Robinson, who was the winning pitcher in the game, took the mound in the seventh. He held the lead and sent the game tied into the bottom of the inning.

“I was just thinking throw strikes,” said Robinson, who earned his first high school win in the championship game. “That’s what coach always says is throw strikes and it’ll get you far.”

Wesley Chapel catcher Andres Romero reached after being hit and was replaced by courtesy runner Cody Hodgens with one out in the seventh. Hodgens advanced to third after center fielder Drew Mitchell walked and Bulls pitcher Harry Olsen threw a wild pitch. DeGroot, who finished the game 3-5, then stepped to the plate and hit a 1-2 curveball into right field to secure the title.

“Our last game Zach White hit the walk-off home run and I was left on deck,” DeGroot said. “When I got the opportunity I just thought it’s my turn. It worked out.”

The teams combined for nine errors in the finals, five by Wesley Chapel and four by Wiregrass Ranch.

“And a lot of them were routine plays that shouldn’t have been errors,” Yingling said. “It’s just one of those things where this was the first time for this tournament has been played. The kids were a little excited.”

The Bulls next play at Lecanto on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. The undefeated Wildcats play at Fivay Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Sunlake softball team’s last step toward its first postseason berth isn’t physical — it’s mental.

“It is a mental game,” said first-year Seahawks coach Jami Finan. “It’s always mental first. That’s why we’ve focused on working together and teamwork.’”

The 2010 squad went 15-10, but was unable to advance to the regional tournament for the first time for the program. The current version has started the year 11-1, and the squad believes their team mindset has been the key to their success.

“We’re definitely a much closer team,” said senior centerfielder Chloe Fletcher. “We had some problems last year and the best thing to do is learn from those things and we’re just a much better team this year.”

Junior pitcher and second baseman Meghan Durbin agrees.

“We didn’t end last season on a good note,” Meghan said. “We weren’t as connected. I knew we were going to win some games, but against the harder teams, like Mitchell, I wasn’t sure. When we went and beat them on the road that told me we could beat anyone.”

The Seahawks defeated Mitchell 10-0 on March 2, the first time the program had beaten the Mustangs.

Things appear to be headed in the right direction for the Seahawks, but a 11-1 loss in their first game against Pasco (8-2) threatened to derail the season.

“We actually had two rainouts before Pasco, so we should have had a little more practice before we played them,” Finan said. “It was a little shocker, and I think we were a little intimidated by their pitcher (Courtney Brandt). I think it may have been a different story if we had some game action before.”

Brandt is 5-1 with a 0.21 ERA. Sunlake is 0-7 all time against the Pirates.

Since that opening loss, Sunlake has outscored its opponents 122-37.

“I remember our freshman year when people were beating us pretty bad,” said senior shortstop Alex Rogers, the team captain. “I’m pretty sure we got mercy ruled in every game but five that year. This year we’re doing it to other teams and it has a lot to do with team chemistry. Maybe we were intimidated by Pasco’s pitcher in that first game, but no pitcher really intimidates us now.”

Other mental hurdles still stand in the Seahawks way, including River Ridge and last year’s district champion Zephyrhills. Sunlake is 0-4 in its history against the Royal Nights, who were the district runner-up last year. The Seahawks have beaten the Bulldogs in the past, winning two of their seven meetings.

“We can’t think about who we’re playing like, Oh they’re River Ridge or Zephyrhills,” Meghan said. “We have to go in and try and win it like it’s any other game. We don’t have anything to be scared of.”

Finan said team unity has gotten the squad this far, but the batting average and pitching have helped too. Sunlake is currently batting .439 as a team. Fletcher is batting .654 batting, with 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, six steals, three triples and a home run. Sophomore catcher and first baseman Christine Rodhouse is topping the squad with a .692 batting average

“I’ve really found my niche now,” said Fletcher, who has no errors this year. “Last year I did a lot of slapping and I think this year I’ve been able to read the defense more and figure out what’s the best thing to do.”

Fletcher, who has signed to play at the College of Charleston, first moved to the area from Texas as a sophomore. She moved back to Texas to start her senior year, but came back in January after a death in the family.

“It was really hard to move away,” Fletcher said. “We went through a lot last year. I felt like I was missing a great season. It’s good to be back.”

Senior catcher and third baseman Shelley Stohler and Rogers are also both batting better than .500. Stohler is has a .591 average with eight RBI, while Rogers is at .526 with 17 runs scored and 13 RBI.

Junior outfielder Courtney Durbin, Meghan’s twin sister, leads Sunlake with eight steals, while also batting .476 with 22 runs scored, 20 hits, 15 RBI, nine doubles and two triples.

“I know I’m not the fastest runner on the team,” Courtney said. “I just try and stay aggressive. If I have a single, I try and stretch it to a double. If I have a double, I try and stretch it to a triple.”

The Seahawks pitchers Meghan and senior Tyler Riendeau have also been in sync with their catchers.

“I know the pitching and the catchers have been amazing too,” Finan said. “They work very well together. I don’t have to make calls on pitches at all because they work so well together.”

Sunlake next plays at River Ridge on Tuesday, March 22 at 7 p.m.

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

By Kyle LoJacono

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) released its Academic Team Champions for winter sports, which include boys and girls basketball and soccer, wrestling, girls weightlifting and competitive cheerleading.

Teams with a combined grade point average (GPA) higher than 3.0 were ranked against others within the same classification. Sunlake appeared five times on the list, more than any other area school, followed by Wiregrass Ranch with four.

“Like most schools we emphasize the importance of academics as well as athletics,” said Bulls athletic director and boys soccer coach David Wilson. “Most of our coaches keep track of their athletes throughout the year through grade reports or on line. If any of my athletes’ grades drop below a 75, then I am notified. We speak to the athlete then get them extra help if needed.

“Wiregrass Ranch also has academic coaches, who are teachers that volunteer their time, who work with athletes from certain teams if help is needed,” Wilson continued.

The Wiregrass Ranch girls soccer team also had the highest GPA of any squad on the list in the area.

“I’m very big on academics first,” said Bulls first-year girls soccer coach Erin Dodd. “I check grades almost daily for the girls and if they’re slipping they have to fix it quick, whether with tutoring, after school help or just plain doing the work to begin with.

“I always try to get them to understand that if they can’t get things done in the classroom, then there won’t be an opportunity to play or do anything outside of it,” Dodd continued. “With so many of the girls wanting to play college soccer, or even just go on to college, they have to have their priorities straight and that starts with their education.”

No other area school except Wiregrass Ranch and Sunlake had a team on the list. Additionally, no competitive cheerleading squad made the cut.

Wiregrass Ranch and Sunlake teams on the list include:

Boys basketball

Sunlake had the seventh highest GPA of any 4A program at 3.163. No other area team made the list.

Girls basketball

Wiregrass Ranch topped all area schools in 4A, posting a 3.398 GPA, the eighth highest in the state. Sunlake came in 10th with a 3.348 GPA.

Boys soccer

Sunlake had the 10th highest GPA at 3.220 of all Florida 4A schools. Wiregrass Ranch’s 3.193 was the 12th highest.

Girls soccer

The Wiregrass Ranch squad had the fifth highest GPA of any 4A school, at 3.543. That is the best finish and highest GPA of any area team on the FHSAA list. Sunlake came in at 3.362, which was the 15th best 4A team in the state.

Wrestling

Sunlake was the only area school to make the list in wrestling, finishing with the seventh best GPA of any 2A school. The Seahawks had a 3.071 GPA.

Girls weightlifting

Wiregrass Ranch was the only area team listed for girls weightlifting, which has only one classification. The Bulls had a 3.402 GPA, the seventh best in Florida.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Saint Leo University baseball roster reads like an all-star team from Pasco and northern Hillsborough county high schools.

“When I took over the program two years ago I wanted to do it with youth, and I felt like there was plenty of good talent right here in Pasco and Hillsborough counties,” said Lions coach Russ McNickle. “Fortunately for us we were able to get a lot of the best talent from here. The high school coaches are teaching them the game the right way and it translates to the field.”

The Division II program, which plays in the Sunshine State Conference, has 10 players from area high schools, including three apiece from Land O’ Lakes and Gaither. Third and first baseman Anthony Santa and pitchers Matt Smith and Jeff Bloomer are Gator grads, while catcher Jason Hamm, pitcher Patrick Schelah and infielder Kory Wan are former Cowboys.

“It’s awesome having three guys from Land O’ Lakes here because you feel like you’re close to home,” Santa said. “We grew up playing with each other. I’m so used to having guys from Land O’ Lakes by my side.”

Having three Gaither grads on the team has helped Schelah transition into college.

“I roomed with Kory and we graduated the same year,” said Schelah. “I know it helped me get settled.”

Bloomer gave different reasons for picking Saint Leo.

“It’s close, so the parents liked that,” Bloomer said. “I went to South Florida Community College before coming here. The Saint Leo coaches got to see me there and getting the chance to stay in Florida in the best Division II conferences around made it the perfect place.”

While the team is unified in its goal to win a conference championship, occasionally old allegiances come surface.

“We always talk about Hillsborough versus Pasco baseball and there’s no doubt that Hillsborough is way better than Pasco,” Hamm said with a laugh. “It goes on and on and the Gaither guys talk about how we used to beat them every time we played them. It’s a big friendly rivalry, but we’re still teammates and we all love each other.”

Santa had a similar feeling.

“When I first got here it was interesting because you knew about the guys on the other team, but you didn’t know them as a person,” Santa said. “You play together here and you get to know them, but we still have rivalries whenever we’re doing drills to see who’s better. Land O’ Lakes, Gaither, Pasco and all the different schools. The rivalry is still there, but it’s a friendly rivalry now.”

Sometimes the players go to the numbers to show which county is better.

“There’s always the going back and forth between the guys,” Bloomer said. “Some even have newspaper articles with their stats from high school to compare. It’s all good fun.”

The old rivalries between Pasco schools also come up in the back-and-forth.

“It’s funny because I played against Aaron Brandt and Dustin Brown when they were at Pasco,” Smith said. “Dustin Brown would have had a no hitter in one of those games in my senior year, but I got a hit off him. Dropped one into right field and ended that no hitter.”

Those friendly discussions remain because all the players had good relationships with their high school coaches.

“I loved playing for coach (Calvin) Baisley at Land O’ Lakes,” Santa said. “My older brother (Jose) played there and I grew up watching them. I couldn’t wait for the first time I played as a Gator. Everyone on that team grew up playing with each other on Little League and in middle school. We were like a family out there.”

Baisley has been the Gators coach for 27 years, while coach Frank Permuy has been at Gaither the last 26 seasons.

“It unbelievable playing at Gaither,” Hamm said. “There’s so much pride in Gaither baseball built through coach Permuy. He’s won a lot of games and tournaments there. He’s been the only coach they’ve had there since the school opened and it was an honor to play for him.”

That pipeline of local talent going to Saint Leo is far from drying up. Next year Wesley Chapel senior pitcher Brandon Mumaw will join the Lions.

“There are still some guys in this area we’re looking at,” McNickle said. “I think that for us, player development is huge. To get a high school kid to come in and develop for three or four years in the best Division II conference in the country is a big draw.”

Area baseball talent at Saint Leo

• Jeff Bloomer LHP Sr. Land O’ Lakes
• Spencer Bowles C Fr. Wiregrass Ranch
• Aaron Brandt RHP Jr. Pasco
• Dustin Brown OF Jr. Pasco
• Jason Hamm C Sr. Gaither
• Henry Johnson RHP So. Pasco
• Anthony Santa 3B/1B Jr. Land O’ Lakes
• Patrick Schelah RHP Fr. Gaither
• Matt Smith RHP Sr. Land O’ Lakes
• Kory Wan SS/3B So. Gaither