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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Row and Paddle for Hospice raises $1,550

November 3, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Land O’ Lakes Rowing Club’s Row and Paddle for Hospice event brought about 60 people to Lake Saxon Park in Land O’ Lakes Oct. 23.

From left are rowers Mary Cooley, Jeanette Phillips, Leslie Stanford and Barb Hayes while Mary Jane Kranendonk directs them at Row and Paddle for Hospice Oct. 23. (Photos submitted by Anthony Masella Jr. of www.OurtownFLA.com)

The goal was to raise money for the HPH Hospice and the club brought in $1,550 for the organization.
“The atmosphere was fun and exciting and everyone wants to do it again next year,” said Mary Jane Kranendonk, founder of the club. “The Stewards Foundation brought their crews and were nice enough to leave another rowing shell for our Land O’ Lakes team to use. Overall it was a wonderful day.”
The event included rowing and paddling demonstrations, races, food vendors and massages for those who wanted to loosen up their muscles before or after the exercise.
The money raised will go to the hospice, which helped the Kranendonk family deal with the loss of Kranendonk’s oldest son, Thomas, three years ago.
Laura Finch, of Wesley Chapel, is HPH’s manager of bereavement services and children assistance programs. She said it is the generosity of people like Kranendonk and the club that make it possible for them to help families in grief.
The club has about 15 members who are mainly from Land O’ Lakes, but also has rowers from Lutz, Odessa and one from Brooksville. The group started earlier this year and rows Saturday or Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m.
For more information on the club, e-mail .

AutoFest returns to Zephyrhills Nov. 11-14

November 3, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Shannon Edinger

The changing of the season marks the return of AutoFest, hosted by Zephyrhills Festivals Inc. and Zephyrhills Auction Inc. The 26th Annual Fall AutoFest will take place Nov. 11-14, and will open at 8 a.m. each day.
Tim Sierra, who works for Zephyrhills Festivals and Auction, says the Fall AutoFest will have an antique collector car auction, swap meet, car corral and exhibition racing on a quarter- mile dirt track.

Tommy Zee, of Zephyrhills, polishes his 1953 Henry J.

The antique collector car auction will take place Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13.  The auction will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.  It will be a gathering of buyers and sellers with special vehicles such as street rods, muscle cars, classics, racecars, specialty trucks and motorcycles up for auction.  A total of 290 cars, both domestic and foreign, will be accepted at the auction for both days.  There is an array of consigned auction vehicles so far ranging from Ford coupes to fully loaded Chevy Corvettes.
The swap meet is one of the festival’s highlights.
“There are a lot of new and used auto parts and accessories found here,” Sierra said.  The swap meet is held in a massive area where people can find car parts and collectibles ranging from engines and transmissions to souvenirs such as T-shirts and old gas pump signs.
The car corral area of the swap meet is where there are vehicles for sale.  There are primarily domestic and some foreign cars ranging from fair to excellent condition for sale at the car corral.  “Unlike the auction, the car corral allows people to deal with the owner directly,” Sierra said.
There is also a vintage auto-racing event that takes place Friday through Sunday at 10:30 a.m.  Warm-ups will take place on Thursday.  There will be stock cars, sprint cars and midgets racing in the event.
Stock cars have the appearance of typical family sedans, but are built to race.  Sprint cars are single-seated, open-wheeled racing machines that vary in appearance, and midgets are similar to sprint cars, but they are more compact.  The older midgets are typically narrower and taller than the newer midgets.
General admission grants access to all events.
The festival park is located at 2738 Gall Blvd. (US 301) in Zephyrhills.  Admission is $8 Thursday, $10 Friday and Saturday and $5 Sunday.  There is free admission to children 12 and younger with paying adult.
For more information about the festival or to find out how to register, visit www.zephyrhillsauction.com or call the park at (813) 782-0835.

Car sales help cancer research through Wesley Chapel dealerships

November 3, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Gary Hatrick

Buying a car at Wesley Chapel Toyota or Wesley Chapel Honda will also help the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer as a result of a community initiative begun by the Toyota dealership.

David Williams, managing partner of Wesley Chapel Toyota; with Patrick Abad, general manager; and Mike Speigl, general manager of Wesley Chapel Honda; present a check for $35,000 to Shaina Sine, associate director of annual giving for Moffitt Cancer Center. (Photo by Gary Hatrick)

Proof was offered in dollars Wednesday as WC Honda Managing Partner David Williams presented Moffitt Cancer Center representative Shaina Sine with a check for $35,000 accumulated through car sales.
“We take a small percentage out of each car sale and donate it to Moffitt,” Williams said. “We started out with Toyota and we just recently acquired Honda across the street so they gave a small percentage in the few months that we’ve owned it. Next year it will be a larger check because we’ll have both stores doing it all year.”
Williams said that the effort began about a year ago as the Toyota dealership sought ways to get involved and give back to the community. They felt there was no better partner in the local community to help than Moffitt.
“Everybody has been touched in one way or another by cancer, especially breast cancer,” Williams explained. “We’ll continue to build and try to get more each year. Our goal next year is $50,000 to $60,000.”
Both Toyota and Honda dealership employees have worn pink shirts all through October to highlight breast cancer awareness and plans are to do so every year.
“We thank Wesley Chapel Toyota and Honda for partnering with Moffitt Cancer Center to spread awareness of breast cancer and helping with our mission of education treatment and detection,” Sine said.
The money will go a long way to fund research initiatives and patient care initiative, Sine continued, as well as enabling Moffitt to get out in the community and help underserved populations and women throughout the region.

Coffee shop offers organic goodness

November 3, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Samantha Taylor

How great is a coffee shop that serves organic coffee and food while donating 10 percent of its proceeds to missions?  I am talking about this new place in Lutz called A Cup of Organic.
It lives by the slogan: the coffee that gives back.
When I walked in, I was greeted by a very friendly guy named Joel who said, “Our goal is to create an environment and a business that shares love, hope, encouragement and healthy food.”
Even if that isn’t your cup of tea, the awesome atmosphere fostered in this place is undeniable. A Cup of Organic doesn’t only sell organic coffee; most of their menu features organic creations from sandwiches to muffins, so I picked out the best thing I could find for you: a 100 percent organic panini on whole wheat bread.
Even their vegetables, cheese and turkey are organic, which is great since organic food is hard to find in a restaurant. Plus, the bread is baked fresh in their family bakery.
To complement my sandwich, I ordered the organic tomato bisque soup; mmmm, it was delicious!
You know me though; I took half the sandwich home but you can order half a sandwich and a cup of soup for only $5.99. It’s refreshing to walk into a store where you feel like you are being welcomed into someone’s own home.
They even have huge leather couches that you can sink into and enjoy your organic cup of Joe.  As if that weren’t enough, they make their coffee even healthier by offering almond milk and agave nectar as sweetener. I encourage you to check out this place.
After my meal, I had a great laugh because I soon found myself singing worship songs as Joel pulled out his acoustic guitar and put my singing skill to a test.  What an experience!

Lobster mobsters catch heck from Johnny Law

November 3, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Commotion in the ocean.
His air hose broke!
Lots of troubles.
Lots of bubbles.
He was in a jam!
‘Was in a giant clam!!!
Rock Lobster, The B-52s

By Randall Grantham

I read in the news about a guy getting sentenced to almost two years in jail for having undersized lobster.  They cut his son/co-defendant a break and “only” gave him 18 months in the Monroe County Jail for participating in the great lobster heist.
Being a fifth-generation Floridian and an avid hunter and fisher, I will admit that, at first blush, I thought the sentence a little harsh.  I mean who among us hasn’t at least considered taking home a 21.5-inch grouper? Or sliding a few extra redfish under the ice?
We call it the “Cracker Exemption,” and by that we mean that the laws might not always apply equally to tourist and native alike when it comes to feeding your family. Admittedly, in today’s times, I, and most of us, do not need to bend the rules to eat a meal. And let me just say categorically, right now, on the record, that I have never done any such thing.
Then, when I looked at the rest of the article about the lobster mobsters, I saw that they had 277 undersized wrung lobster tails and therefore knew what they were doing.  Especially when Johnny Law saw them toss the box containing their catch overboard and try to flee.
Clearly, they were in the wrong and were abusing the resource.  But they’re not the first lobster mobster and maybe their sentence will make the original mobster feel better about his punishment.
The original Lobster Mobster, way before the Little Mermaid used the term, is Ray Odor. He is 80-plus years old, started diving in the 1940s and is a local legend. His love of the underwater began in 1946 when he swam in Weekie Wachee Spring, again, way before it was commercialized and made into a park.
Swimming there during his first furlough from the army, his brother had him put on a mask and watch when a pretty girl dove from the 15-foot tower. As her halter-top came down, freeing the puppies, he swore an allegiance to the depths.
He had to invent his own gear based on trial and error and a book by some guy named “Jock” Cousteau and, in 1958, he opened the first commercial skindiving shop in the area. The term SCUBA had not yet gained popularity.
He still dives and spear fishes (and sells his own line of accessories) and you can read all about him at www.spearfishing.cc. But the reason I write about him here, is that he served a stint, himself, in the Monroe County Jail for illegal lobster.  Although I think he had too many as opposed to too small, he too got busted.
According to his rap song that you can listen to on his website, he is the original Lobster Mobster.  He was lobstering in the Keys and they caught him and put him in the pokey.  He ended up doing 38 days, but they also forfeited his brand new SUV and converted it to a Florida Marine Patrol vehicle.
Talk about adding insult to injury.  The next year an FMP officer was having breakfast with a group of Ray’s diving buddies from this area.  When the cop found out they were from Tampa and then, that they were Ray’s friends, he took great pleasure in pointing out that the black government vehicle parked outside used to be red.  It was Ray’s truck!
Ray doesn’t go down to the Keys anymore.  But, as I said, he still dives and he manufactures spearfishing equipment.
He also lives about five blocks from my house and when I met him the other night, he had some stories to tell and some artifacts and seashells to show.  His wife, Shirley, told us he could go on all night and I’m sure he could.  But after talking to him for a few hours, I got excited and wanted to get home so I could rest up for a dive the next day to get some (legal) dinner with my new stuff.

Randall C. Grantham is a lifelong resident of Lutz who practices law from his offices on Dale Mabry Highway. He can be reached at . Copyright 2010 RCG. To comment on this or anything else, email the editor at and for past columns go to lakerlutznews.com.

Regional Golf

November 2, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Warriors make states
By Kyle LoJacono
Before this season, the Steinbrenner High girls golf team set a goal to reach the state tournament and the second-year program did just that Oct. 25.
Sara Bair

“I’m so proud for the team,” said Warriors junior golfer Sara Bair. “We knew we could do it. We’ve worked really hard to get better and this shows what we can do.”

The Warriors shot a 339 at the Class 1A, Region 5 tournament, good enough for second behind Northside Christian’s 295.
Steinbrenner senior Alex Milan shot the second best score of the tournament with a 3-over 74. Bair came in with an 81.
Milan, who has committed to play at Florida State University next year, has played in the state tournament as an individual the last two years, but has never been part of a team in the event.
“I’m so excited to get there as a team my senior year,” Milan said. “… I definitely see us finishing in the top five. As long as we all stay calm and play like we know we can, we should be in the top five.”
Warriors coach Mark Mann said Milan’s experience in states will help the rest of the team.
“Alex was so happy for everyone else,” Mann said. “She wanted them to have that experience. She’s finished No. 9 and No. 8 the last two years in the state and I think she’ll be able to help the team get ready for it.”
Milan got that No. 9 finish two years ago at Sickles High and No. 8 last year when Steinbrenner opened.
“Ultimately I’m going out to win like any other tournament,” Milan said of states. “If you’re not trying to win then you shouldn’t be out there. I know I have the ability to win, I just have to do it.”
Steinbrenner was 10-3 in the regional season and won the program’s first district title Oct. 18. The state tournament is Nov. 2 and 3.

Alan Black and Wildcat boys make states

By Kyle LoJacono

In the 11-year history of Wesley Chapel High no boy’s golf team had ever reached the state tournament until now.

Brandon Mumaw

“Really this is something we couldn’t have planned any better,” said Wesley Chapel senior Brandon Mumaw. “We have a lot of seniors and this is our last chance to get to states.”

The Wildcats shot 319, which was tied with Saddlebrook Prep after 18 holes. The two district rivals went to a playoff, which the Wildcats took to claim the Class 1A, Region 3 championship.

“It didn’t look good early, but the kids regrouped and truly every shot mattered,” said Wesley Chapel coach Alan Black. “They knew they were going to states when they got to the playoff because the top two teams advance, so they were able to play loose. Saddlebrook has been our big rival the last bunch of years, so you couldn’t have written a better script for us.”

The program first coincides with Black’s last season. Black has been at Wesley Chapel since the school opened after spending 10 years at Land O’ Lakes High.

“I’ve been on the team for four years now and we’ve been getting better each year,” Brandon said. “When we started the year we knew we’d have a chance to get to states and send coach Black out on top. It really is something special.”

Coach Black has taken two individual golfers to states before, including Cameron Knight who won the 2004 2A state title.

“The team finished third in districts, but the top three advance,” said Wildcats athletic director Steve Mumaw. “The kids had high expectations, but probably didn’t think they’d win the championship. Before every tournament they said to each other they needed to win for coach Black, so they put pressure on themselves all year and it’s great to see them win.”

Steve is also Brandon’s father.

“I’m proud of all the kids, not just my son,” Steve said. “Jacob (Fleck) went out and shot 2-under and was great all day. I’ve been around the team for four years because Brandon is on the team, so I’ve seen them grow up and get better.”

Fleck’s tournament low 70 claimed the individual championship. He also won the Sunshine Athletic Conference Oct. 11.

Coach Black did not make any dramatic guarantees for the state tournament, but does believe the Wildcats can compete with the other teams at states.

“We’ve compared scores and some of the teams we’re going against are very good,” Black said. “A lot of the teams are private schools that usually have very skilled golfers, but we beat some of those kinds of teams in regionals too. All we can do is play our best and see where we end up at the end of the tournament.”

Game of the week

November 2, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Gators 29-21 win keeps them alive for the playoffs

By Kyle LoJacono

As the final second ticked off the clock, Land O’ Lakes High coach Matt Kitchie looked up, raised his arms and yelled with excitement and relief.

The Gators (7-1) won a hard-fought game against Class 3A, District 7 rival Sunlake High (7-1) 29-21 Oct. 29 to stay alive in the playoffs. Land O’ Lakes has made a Pasco County record 13 straight postseason appearances entering this season, but a loss to the Seahawks would have ended that.

Stephen Weatherford

“It’s very important,” Kitchie said of keeping the streak alive in his second season coaching the Gators. “I don’t want to be the guy who lets that die.”

Gators senior quarterback Stephen Weatherford is the sixth member of his family to play for Land O’ Lakes and likely felt a little more pressure to keep the streak alive than anyone else on the team.

“It is a great feeling,” Weatherford said. “My brothers have all played here and I didn’t want to be on that team to stop the streak.”

The Gators had to come back in the game’s final minutes for the win. The offense got the ball back with 6:57 left in the game on their own 19 yard line. It took ten plays for Land O’ Lakes to get to the Sunlake 4 when Weatherford took matters into his own hands.

With 2:58 on the clock, Weatherford ran in for a four-yard touchdown to put Land O’ Lakes up for good. The Gators signal caller said he always believed the offense would be able to get the winning score.

“Being the quarterback of a team you’ve got to stay calm and confident,” Weatherford said. “If you panic then the whole team is going to panic. Everyone on our team knows we have a good offense and athletes who can score at any time.”

The Gators defense stopped Sunlake on the next drive by sacking Seahawks senior quarterback Jacob Jackson twice and

Shadow Williams (8) and Jackson Cannon bring down Seahawks quarterback Jacob Jackson for one of the Gators 10 sacks.

forcing an incompletion on fourth down. Weatherford got the ball back and added a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Will Irwin with seconds remaining.

“I knew our defense was going to go out there and get us the ball back,” Weatherford said. “I have to face it in practice and they just bring the heat. We’ve got great linebackers and defensive line and they just fly all over the place.”

That defense had 10 sacks in the game, the third double digit sack performance of the season, four from junior linebacker Shadow Williams.

“He’s definitely the toughest quarterback we’ve had to take down this year,” Williams said of Jackson. “He’s a load, but we just needed to swarm to the ball and we were able to get it done.”

Senior linebacker Patrick Meritt sacked Jackson on third down of Sunlake’s final drive, which essentially ensured the win.

“That’s the most intense feeling I’ve ever felt in my life,” Meritt said. “Going into that play I wasn’t designed to blitz, but the gap opened and I just decided to go.”

Gators wide receiver Will Irwin brings in a 21-yard touchdown reception in the final seconds of a 29-21 win against the Seahawks.

Land O’ Lakes came out on top, but some early fumbles nearly cost them the game. The Gators gave Sunlake the ball on their own 30 on the third play of their first drive. Jackson made them pay when he hit junior tight end Nick Morrison for a 10-yard pass for a touchdown.

The Gators put the ball on the ground six times of which two were picked up by Sunlake. The week before against Pasco High they fumbled four times and lost two.

Kitchie had the kids work on securing the ball in practice before the matchup and said they will continue to correct the problem.

The Land O’ Lakes offense’s 29 points were more than the 21 Sunlake had given up all year entering the contest. Weatherford completed 13 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, including one to junior tight end Kent Taylor. Senior running back Ryan Lane had 40 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

Jackson was the Seahawks offensive leader, completing five of 13 passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 70 rushing, including 61 on a touchdown run near the end of the third quarter.

“He’s a special player,” Kitchie said of Jackson. “I hate to see him go from this area. It’s fun to watch games like this. Even if you’re coaching against him and you think your head is going to explode, but still it’s just so much fun. I have the best job in the world.”

Things will not get easier for the Seahawks when undefeated Pasco comes to play them Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ll have to get back at it in practice and learn from this,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning.

Land O’ Lakes will play Mitchell High at home Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Warriors down Elfers Christian 72-27

November 2, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Zephyrhills Christian moves on to the semifinals

By Kyle LoJacono

Zephyrhills Christian Academy took another step toward a state championship by defeating Elfers Christian 72-27 Oct. 29 in the six-man football quarterfinals.

The 72 points were the most scored by the Warriors (11-0) in their history.

Warriors quarterback Mikey Smith lines up under center in Zephyrhills Christian’s game against Elfers Christian.

“They actually scored on us first,” said Zephyrhills Christian coach Mike Smith. “Then Dale Smith (Jr.) ran the next kickoff back for a score and we never looked back from there.”

Dale, who is a senior linebacker, also scored on an interception and a fumble return.

Warriors quarterback Mikey Smith, an eighth grader and Mike’s son, had a pair of touchdown passes in the game. Mike said the offensive star was Josh Roberts, who scored almost every time he touched the ball.

“They just couldn’t bring Josh down,” Mike said. “We didn’t punt once all night and it was good to put up those kinds of numbers.”

Zephyrhills Christian’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, but the defense was rusty after having a bye week in the first round of the six-man football playoffs. The Warriors allowed just 20 points and recorded eight shutouts in the regular season.

“I made a coaching mistake by not letting them hit in practice leading up to the game,” Mike said. “I was worried about injuries. We usually hit really well in games and we came out flat and tried to make a lot of arm tackles. We won’t make that mistake again because we’ll be hitting in practice.”

The Warriors will next play in the semifinals against the No. 3 seed Clearwater Academy (10-1) Nov. 5 in their building, 34927 Eiland Blvd. at 7:30 p.m.

This is the fourth season of the six-man league and the Warriors have made the semifinals each year. During the season many of the Warriors players, including Roberts, Mikey and Dale, said they feel they will win the state title this season.

“We have to play our game to win,” Mike said. “Clearwater has probably the best quarterback we’re going to play against. He gets everyone involved and we’ll need to play better defense if we’re going to beat them. We need to believe in ourselves because we have a shot at this.”

Bulldogs first perfect season

November 2, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Raymond B. Stewart Middle football team completed the first perfect season in program history Oct. 26 by defeating Weightman Middle 41-6 at home.

The Bulldogs (6-0) claimed the Eastside Conference championship with the win. The squad was also the co-champs last season with a 4-2 record.

“It was a pleasure to coach this team,” said Norman Scheuerman, who has coached Stewart for five years. “We had a lot of eighth graders come back from last year and it was great to have them go out as outright champions this year.”

When Scheuerman took over five years ago, the Bulldogs did not have a winning reputation.

“We had to change the whole atmosphere around here and get the kids excited and proud about their athletic program,” Scheuerman said. “They had a lot of 1-5 and 0-6 seasons because they weren’t scoring.”

Jaylan Pickett (left) and Brandon Debyah.

Scheuerman and the coaching staff have also gotten the community excited about the team. He said administration told him the game against Weightman had the highest attendance of any home game in program history.

“Our stands have been packed all year,” Scheuerman said. “People come up to me I don’t even know and congratulate me on how the team has been doing. It’s nice to see that support from the people of Zephyrhills.”

Putting up points also is no longer a problem for Stewart. The Bulldogs averaged just less than 32 points a game while they allowed less than six.

Two of the key contributors on the offense and defense are Jaylan Pickett and Brandon Debyah.

“It was a great year,” Debyah said. “We thought we could win every game because we knew we were good. Last year we almost won every game. Our losses were really close.”

Scheuerman said the Bulldogs lost by a combined nine points in their two defeats in 2009.

“In the end, it’s just middle school football and a lot of these kids will go out and play on the high school team the next couple of years, but I’m happy the eighth graders could go out on top,” Scheuerman said. “They can always say they were part of the first perfect team here.”

Two years, two district titles

November 2, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Steinbrenner High volleyball team is only 2-years-old, but the new program has already established a winning reputation.

The Warriors (17-9) won their second straight Class 4A, District 9 championship by defeating Strawberry Crest High 25-13, 25-10, 25-18 Oct. 28 in just 64 minutes.

“I feel like we came out exactly like we needed to,” Warriors coach Staci Elias said. “We came out strong. We served, we passed

Erin McMurtry sets up Megan Moyer for one of her seven kills against Strawberry Crest.

really well. You know there in the third game we got a little relaxed for a while. You know our goal all year has been to finish and that’s what they did.

“I think it was an expectation coming in,” Elias continued. “It was definitely an expectation for this season. It’s been a goal from when we started the program last year to put district titles up there.”

The Warriors were led in kills by junior outside hitter Miranda Powell with nine against the Chargers (12-9-1), followed by senior outside hitter Natalia Ortiz with eight and senior middle hitter Megan Moyer with seven.

“We played really hard last year and we’re going to keep it up this year,” Moyer said. “We’ll play our hardest and just go as far as we can this year.”

Ortiz added three blocks in the contest. Powell had two blocks and a team-high seven aces.

Giving those frontline players clean opportunities was setter Erin McMurtry, who had 38 assists while adding five aces and five digs. The senior and co-captain believes the team’s collective mentality can serve them well in regionals.

“We just play together as a team,” McMurtry said. “We have fun, but we’re unified. We don’t want to break apart. If someone is having like a bad day, we just pick them up.”

Steinbrenner freshmen Rachel Mathison (left) and Casey McLean with the district championship trophy.

While most of the Warriors have experienced a district crown before, two are freshman. Outside hitter Rachel Mathison and setter Casey McLean were part of the junior varsity (JV) squad that finished 18-1 this season before moving to varsity.

“It was really honoring because we started off as JV and we bumped up because we were performing so well and now it’s just an honor to be able to defend our district title,” said Mathison, who had four kills in the title match.

Coming up to a team that was the reigning district champ could have been difficult, but McLean said that was not an issue.

“The girls are all so welcoming and there’s a really good atmosphere,” said McLean, who had two aces and three digs against the Chargers.

Lakewood High eliminated Steinbrenner in the first round of regionals last year at home in five games. Elias believes the team will use that as motivation this season.

“I feel very confident,” Elias said. “We’re going to take it one match at a time. We’ve got the experience. We’ve got a year under our belts. They know what it felt like to lose that first round of regionals last year and on our home court, so I think they remember that feeling right now.”

Steinbrenner plays against Palmetto High at home Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

In the 5A-9 tournament, Freedom High fell to Sickles High 25-18, 25-17, 25-21. The Patriots still advance to regionals, but have to play on the road at Venice High Nov. 3.

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

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