Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Land O’ Lakes girls soccer streak ends

By Kyle LoJacono

Before this season, the Wiregrass Ranch High girls soccer team had zero district tournament wins, but the 2010-11 version put up three Ws in the event to earn the Class 4A-District 8 championship.

The Bulls (21-2-2) won the tournament, played at Land O’ Lakes High, by beating the five-time defending district champs and No. 1 seed River Ridge 3-2 in the title game Jan. 21. Wiregrass Ranch earned the No. 2 seed in the event and split the two regular season meetings with the Knights (20-3-2).

“There wasn’t any intimidation factor,” said first-year Bulls coach Erin Dodd. “We knew what their record was, what their history was. We also knew that we’re a great team and we can beat anybody that we come up against. Hopefully that continues. River Ridge is a great team and it’s been a great battle with them all season. It just feels good and I know that the girls are ecstatic.”

After the game, Dodd’s players doused her with ice water to celebrate the win.

Sophomore goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby had 16 saves in the win, including one on a breakaway from River Ridge senior Jessica Tata with less than four minutes remaining. Tata entered the contest with 22 goals on the season.

“Dayton is a great goalkeeper and our defense really came through tonight,” Dodd said. “She made some amazing saves and some of our defenders kept the ball out of the net as well. They knew what tonight meant and they wanted it so bad. They knew that we could beat this team, and they did it.”

Wetherby said she is always surprised after she makes a save.

“I love being a part of something where I can help with other people,” Wetherby added. “It’s just great to know that it’s

not just for me. It’s for the team and it’s for our school. That’s the best part.”

The Bulls got on the board when sophomore Berlin Waters scored off an assist from senior Nicole Esposito to take a 1-0 lead. That gave the inexperienced squad some additional confidence.

“As soon as we scored everyone was just so happy,” said Waters, who attended Academy at the Lakes last season. “As soon as that happened we knew we could win this.”

Also scoring for Wiregrass Ranch in the title game was sophomore Anne Cypriano and junior Christina Wojaczyk.

While the Bulls have reached their first regional tournament, Land O’ Lakes failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2000. The Gators (12-7-3) entered the event as the No. 4 seed, but were eliminated by Nature Coast 2-1 in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Teams need to reach the tournament finals to advance.

Freshman Brooke Sivest scored the lone goal for the Gators off an assist from senior Jayme Forcier.

Zephyrhills High entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed in the nine-team event, but having won its last four games. The Bulldogs (5-12-6) were matched up against No. 9 Hernando, but dropped the contest 2-1. Sarah Denney scored the lone goal for the east Pasco County squad.

Sunlake High (3-10-5) was the No. 7 seed, matching them up against Wiregrass Ranch in the first round. The Bulls topped the Seahawks 6-0 with a pair of goals by Waters and A.J. Blount and one apiece from Sierra Monday and Jordanyne’ Fye.

The Bulls followed up their first win ever in a district tournament with another victory, this time a 4-1 defeat of the No. 6 seed Lecanto High in the semifinals. Blount recorded a hat trick and Monday added another goal.

Dodd, who coached the girls soccer team at Dr. John Long Middle the previous four seasons, said she knew the team had a great chance to make regionals after seeing them in their first practices.

Gaither also advances as runner-up

By Kyle LoJacono

It seemed inevitable Freedom High and Gaither High would match up for the Class 5A-District 9 championship, and the Patriots had just enough to come through 1-0 in penalty kicks for the title Jan. 21.

Freedom converted four penalty kicks to Gaither’s three. The two squads entered the tournament as the top ranked teams, with the Cowboys earning the No. 1 seed and Freedom as No. 2

“We were excited to take on Gaither,” said first-year Freedom coach Jenna Ball. “They were our first district game. We tied them 1-1 and we’ve wanted another shot at them.”

Freedom (11-1-3) won the district last year, eliminating the Cowboys (10-5-2). The Patriots reached the regional semifinals in 2010.

“We were looking forward to playing Freedom again,” said second-year Gaither coach Trevor Scott. “They’re a great team.”

Both teams will play in regionals after reaching the finals of the tournament, which was played at Gaither.

Both teams had difficult games just to reach the final. Freedom defeated Hillsborough High 1-0 Jan. 19. Patriots junior goalkeeper Emily Ball came up with 15 saves to preserve the win.

“She was the key for us tonight,” Jenna said. “We can thank her for that win. She played amazing and she led the team in the back with her confidence. The team fed off that and she made some amazing saves.”

Emily knew she was locked in.

“I can tell when I’m in the zone because I don’t hesitate,” said Emily, who is also a team captain. “I just feel the game. It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.”

The lone goal came on the first shot of the game for Freedom from junior Jenna Stiling, her team-leading 14th of the year.

Gaither had to come from behind to take down Sickles High 3-2 in the semis. The Gryphons scored the first two goals of the game and had a 2-0 halftime lead before junior Kaycee McGuire took over.

McGuire limped off the field with an injured ankle in the opening minutes of the contest. She fought through the injury and came back to not only record the game tying assist on a corner kick, but also score the game-winning goal with 8:25 remaining in the game.

“I’ve had a couple injuries to both my ankles and she just caught me and it turned,” McGuire said.

The winning goal came on a direct free kick that sailed over a wall of Sickles defenders to just sneak in under the crossbar.

“I thought it was going over,” McGuire said. “When it dipped in I was just speechless.”

A very thick fog rolled in over the field in the first half that was accompanied with much colder air. Despite barely being able to see, the Cowboys battled through the elements.

“Ultimately it’s just not giving up,” Scott said. “Every single one of them wanted it. I told them at halftime that Sickles

seemed to want it more than us in the first half and I think that made my girls mad. So I looked at them and told them you have to work for your seniors. I told them they only have 40 minutes left. Some of these seniors are never going to play soccer again after this year. They worked for their seniors tonight.”

The other Cowboys goals came from Taylor Meek and Samantha Knowles.

Freedom next plays at home against Naples Gulf Coast High, while Gaither must travel to Venice High. Both games are Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

The 4A-7 tournament at Mitchell High included both Wesley Chapel and Pasco high schools, but neither squad qualified for the postseason.

The Wildcats (3-10-2) entered the tournament as the team No. 7 seed, matching them against the No. 2 seed Gulf in the first round. The Wildcats were on the short end of a 2-0 final, finishing the season 3-10-2 after winning just one game the previous year.

“The girls did very well against one of the top teams in Pasco County,” said Wildcats first-year coach Michelle Clark. “They have improved so much this season.

“This is a building year. A stepping stone for where we want to get,” Clark continued. “We want them to get used to winning and they’ve improved a lot from last year.”

Pasco (7-12-1) was the No. 4 and got by its first-round match up with Ridgewood High, but could not repeat that achievement against Mitchell. The Pirates fell 5-0 to the Mustangs, who out shot the Dade City squad 30-1.

Mitchell came out as the district champion with Gulf as the runner-up. The Mustangs won the title game 2-0 Jan. 21.

By Zack Peterson

Lake/Lutz News Correspondent

A torrent of rain showers that flooded the playing field couldn’t water down Steinbrenner High’s potent offense, as the girls soccer team cruised to an 8-0 victory against Strawberry Crest High in the Class 4A-District 9 final.

Throughout the day Jan. 21, the conditions worsened with heavier floods of rain, making Warriors (16-2-2) home field sloppy and challenging to play on.

“It was not a day of rhythm with this weather,” said Warriors coach Teresa Patterson. “But I was proud of the performance despite the conditions.”

Although the rate of play was significantly altered by the difficult terrain, the ability to score was not. Steinbrenner’s dynamic offense took no time breaking through Strawberry Crest’s defense, scoring their first goal in the third minute of the game.

Throughout the first half, the Warriors worked steadily, chipping away at the Chargers defense with 17 shots. At the end of the first half, they stood with a 4-0 lead while caked with dried mud.

According to Patterson, the team’s priority was to look for framing goal situations, or what is known as deflection goals. After taking a shot on goal, the Warriors needed to crowd the box and look for another opportunity to follow up their prior shot with more pressure on the goalkeeper.

Even though slow rolling passes and unexpected skips and bounces frequently made it difficult to form a cohesive offensive attack, the Warriors overcame the conditions and followed their game plan.

“It took a lot of focus because it was muddy everywhere,” said senior Cici Gonzalez.  “We had to make sure our passes were sharp.”

Several Warriors scored multiple times using their framing-goal strategy. Lauren Garris put in two goals and Gonzalez scored three times, completing her hat trick in the last 12 minutes of the game.

“It felt so good to score,” Gonzalez said. “I always want to score and it’s my job to on offense, but doing it in these conditions made it even better.”

With the victory, the Warriors move to the regional tournament for their second consecutive year. Last season, the Warriors squared off against Palmetto High and won 4-2. However, Lakewood Ranch High defeated them 2-1 the following game.

The Warriors have aspirations for this year’s regional tournament, but they are not getting ahead of themselves.

“I personally think if we focus on one game at a time and pay attention to the fine details we have a fine chance to be successful,” Patterson said.

“I’d like to see better execution (in the regional tournament) on set pieces like corner kicks or penalty kicks as well,” Patterson continued. “I’d like us to be cleaner in those situations.”

According to Gonzalez, in the end it’s all about their mindset.

“I know we have the ability to win,” Gonzalez said. “We just have to stay focused on one game, not get ahead of ourselves, and concentrate.”

Steinbrenner next plays at home Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. against Seminole Osceola High.

By Kyle LoJacono

Wiregrass Ranch High senior Kelsie Brunke is not satisfied with being part of one winning program. She needed to make it two.

Brunke is not only a member of the Bulls soccer team that is 21-2-2 and the Class 4A-District 8 championship, she is also a team captain on the cheerleading squad that has qualified for the state meet.

“I’ve just liked doing them both,” Brunke said. “I’ve been cheerleading for four years and played soccer for longer than that. I couldn’t really pick between the two because they’re so different and I love them both. I just sleep a lot when we don’t have a practice or game.”

Brunke is a defender on the Bulls soccer team that allowed just 28 goals, or 1.1 per contest, during the regular season. Her efforts helped the squad not only win the first district tournament game in program history, but also reach regionals for the first time.

She did not record any goals or assists from the backline, but Wiregrass Ranch soccer coach Erin Dodd said her presence was always felt.

“She’s a very fast and aggressive player,” Dodd said. “That’s her greatest strength is her speed. She pressures the forwards and makes it really hard for them to get a clean shot or pass.”

Dodd said Brunke started at times when she felt her speed would match up better against their opponents, but also injected a lot of energy when she came off the bench.

“She’s also a vocal leader and someone who leads by example at the same time,” Dodd said. “She’s the kind of kid you don’t have to worry about. She also takes college classes. She’s a very remarkable young lady.”

As a cheerleader, Brunke is one of three team captains. Her leadership and skill helped the Bulls win the all girl division at the Best of Pasco event this season.

The cheerleading squad followed that up by finishing second at the Region 2 large varsity division competition Jan. 8.

“Winning Best of Pasco was very exciting,” Brunke said. “We didn’t do very well there before and it was very rewarding to win that in my senior year. Getting past regions was cool too. We made it to states a couple years ago and I’m glad we could make it back this year.”

Kara Babij, Bulls cheerleading coach, said the team would not have been able to do what it has without people like Brunke.

“She’s one of our true leaders,” Babij said.

Brunke has seen a lot of winning this season, but it has not always been easy to practice and play/compete for two teams.

“We worked around each other’s practices,” Dodd said. “When she had practice on the same day, we’d share her for part of the time or she’d be there on one day and with us for another. The important thing is every time she’s on either the field or in the gym she gives 100 percent.”

The Bulls soccer team will play at home against Gulf High at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 in the first regional tournament game in program history. The Wiregrass Ranch cheerleaders will next compete in the state meet Feb. 4-5 in Orlando.

By Kyle LoJacono

She strides slowly toward the bench press, gets into position and pauses for just a moment before lifting more than her own weight.

Sunlake High sophomore girls weightlifter Alex Ruiz spends many hours each week in the gym getting stronger, but that pause before each lift is as important to her success. During that brief moment she says a pray and remembers her older sister Brianna, who died in a car accident several years ago.

“Every single time I do something it’s because of her,” Ruiz said. “I think about her at every meet and before every lift in practice. I can feel that she still sees me and I want to make her proud.”

One thing is certain, Ruiz is on track to qualify for states in her first year on the team. She started working out during the summer when she could only bench press and clean and jerk 85 pounds.

Now Ruiz is at 135 pounds in the bench and 125 in the clean and jerk, more than the 110 pounds she weighs. Last year the state champion in the 110-pound weight class put up 135 pounds in the bench and 150 in the clean and jerk.

Ruiz also participates in softball, cheerleading and track and field teams, but never lifted before this season.

“Really I have no idea,” Ruiz said of how she picked up weightlifting. “I just told coach (Denise) Garcia I wanted to. I didn’t expect to end up being good at it.”

Garcia said she knew Ruiz had the mental strength to be competitive at weightlifting, but did not expect she would progress so far in such a short amount of time with the team.

“She’s amazing,” Garcia said of Ruiz. “She’s probably the smallest girl on the team, but she has so much heart.”

Ruiz took first place in the 110-pound at the Sunshine Athletic Conference event Jan. 22, putting up a total of 250 pounds combined in the bench and clean and jerk. She will try to qualify for the state meet, which is Feb. 12 in Kissimmee, Jan. 29 at the district competition.

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

By Kyle LoJacono

Former Land O’ Lakes High football coach Matt Kitchie has been hired as the offensive coordinator at Hillsborough High. Kitchie confirmed the move Jan. 22.

“On to greener pastures,” Kitchie wrote in a text message.

Kitchie spent the last two seasons with the Gators, compiling a 17-3 record. He was dismissed as the coach by Pasco County Superintendent Heather Fiorentino just before school let out for the winter break, but kept his job as a physical education teacher.

Kitchie had been suspended indefinitely for the way he handled an off the field incident during homecoming week, according to Land O’ Lakes principal Ric Mellin. He missed the last regular season game and first playoff contest.

The Gators (9-2) were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round to eventual Class 3A state champion Jefferson High, the second straight year the Dragons have eliminated Land O’ Lakes. Kitchie will have another shot to defeat Jefferson as Hillsborough and the Dragons will be in the same district starting next season.

Kitchie will also be the quarterback coach at Hillsborough. He brought a high-powered spread offense to Land O’ Lakes two seasons ago, which averaged 38.3 points and 385.1 yards per game in 2010.

Hillsborough (8-4) averaged 22.8 points and 212.4 yards per game last season. The Terriers also made the regional tournament and advanced to the second round, where they were eliminated to eventual 4A state runner-up Armwood High.

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