Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Seahawks get back-to-back wins

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

LAND O’ LAKES — Sunlake has won two games for the first time in its brief history. Another school record fell when the victories came back-to-back.

The Seahawks, who had just one win in two previous seasons, nearly made it three in a row on Oct. 9. A 27-21 overtime loss to Wesley Chapel, however, left the third-year team with a 2-3 record halfway through the season.

“Sunlake came ready to play,” said Wesley Chapel coach John Castelamare, whose team went undefeated in its third year. “They did a good job. This is an experience for them. They’ve never been through that.”

Sunlake, which debuted in 2007 at 0-10 and opened last season by defeating River Ridge for its lone win, has clearly shown signs of a turnaround. It all started with a 35-14 upset of playoff contender Gulf. Then came the largest margin of victory in school history, 47-0 over first-year Anclote.

“We’re much improved from last year,” Sunlake coach Bill Browning said. “If this team works hard, we should be a team to be reckoned with in the future.”

The victory over Gulf was especially rewarding for Sunlake quarterback Jacob Jackson, who in the 2009 playoffs was Gulf’s signal-caller in place of injured starter Madison Burr during a playoff loss to Pasco.

“I loved it,” Jackson, a junior, said of beating the Bucs.

With a shot at the coveted .500 mark, Sunlake took a 14-7 halftime lead on Wesley Chapel. Jamal Jones became the school’s first player to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he ran back the opening kick 84 yards.

Wesley Chapel’s Keegan Turner scored on a quarterback sneak, but the Seahawks countered with a 3-yard scoring run by Rashaud Daniels. Turnovers, along with a touchdown pass from Jackson to Jones that was called back on a penalty, kept Sunlake out of the end zone for the remainder of regulation play.

Jon Mahan’s 26-yard touchdown run for Wesley Chapel, along with a two-point conversion by Tanner, led to overtime.

With each team getting a shot at the end zone from 10 yards out on four plays, Sunlake lost by converting once while the Wildcats scored twice. Wesley Chapel’s Damon Bagwell and Sunlake’s Alex Rodriguez traded touchdown runs in the first overtime.

In the second overtime, Jackson’s pass to Jones on fourth down fell incomplete and the Wildcats won it on a Chris Pierre-Charles scoring run.

“It was hard-fought,” Browning said. “You’ve just got to grow from it. We’ve got to dust ourselves off an come back.”

While the entire team has contributed, Daniels could be the poster child for Sunlake’s resurgence. The sophomore tailback had a breakout game against the Buccaneers with 139 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He added 120 yards and three scores against the Sharks.

Rodriguez has also figured prominently in the offense. The junior running back had a school-record 92-yard touchdown run in the Anclote game.

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

TRINITY — Two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum clashed at Mustang Stadium with host Mitchell remaining unbeaten after a 21-7 victory over Class 3A, District 7 rival Zephyrhills.

Ricky Trinidad, Pasco County’s leading rusher, gained 140 yards and scored twice for the Mustangs (6-0). Matt Michaels added a touchdown pass to Brandon Mundy.

Zephyrhills avoided a shutout when returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

PASCO 38, GULF 0: Both teams had playoff hopes at the beginning of the season, but the Bucs are out of it after being held scoreless in a pivotal 3A-7 matchup. The Pirates are tied with Mitchell and Land O’ Lakes atop the district.

D.J. Clower threw touchdown passes to Mitch Wozniak, Janarion Grant and Hakeeme Ishmar. The defense chipped in with Trey Dudley-Giles scoring on a fumble recovery and Chase Sellers bringing back an interception for a touchdown.

LAND O’ LAKES 42, ANCLOTE 0: Alex Robinson and Justin Tello did just fine as backups for suspended starter Stevie Weatherford. Tello ran for a touchdown and had two scoring passes to Will Irwin. Robinson had a touchdown run and Tyler Peak ran for two scores.

HUDSON 43, RIVER RIDGE 28: Kenny Toce passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in a career-game, but it was not enough for River Ridge in a district loss. Toce found Trevor Hooker twice and Zack Ford once for those scores.

Zack Wynn had three touchdown passes and Dylan Luke ran for three scores to lead Hudson. Brandon Jones, Dontaie Collins and James Tello each had a touchdown catch.

BISHOP McLAUGHLIN 39, HERNANDO CHRISTIAN 14: The Hurricanes took a 19-0 halftime lead at home and finally won a game in their fifth try.

Giovanni Perone and Mitch Ritter, who replaced the injured Perone at running back for the second half, each gained more than 100 yards. Ritter ran for three touchdowns and Perone two with Jordan Betancourt adding a scoring run.

WIREGRASS RANCH 14, CRYSTAL RIVER 7: After spotting the Pirates a 7-0 lead, the Bulls got a 90-yard punt return from Antwan Prince for one score and a 10-yard run from Josh Johnson for another.

TARPON SPRINGS 35, RIDGEWOOD 14: Cameron Rodriguez and Scott Kujack had touchdown runs for the struggling Rams, whose defense shined with five turnovers.

Former Ridgewood and Gulf standout running back Adrian Golden ran for two scores for the Spongers.

Patriots dominate homecoming game

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff writer

CARROLLWOOD — Carrollwood Day Prep is still a newcomer in 11-man football, but it managed to dominate Winter Haven All Saints’ Academy 54-0 to stay a perfect for the season.

The victory was the third home shutout for the Patriots, who have outscored their opponents 206-22 and have not allowed a point at home.

“Everything has been going so well and I just can’t believe this is happening, because I’ve been waiting my whole life for this,” said Darius Bing, who rushed for more than 200 yards.

Billy Embody echoed Bing’s sentiment.

“We are just working together really well,” Embody said. “We have to keep working, because it won’t mean anything if we don’t keep playing hard and winning.”

The Patriots (5-0) scored on their opening drive. Bing, who ran it in from 27 yards out, added three more rushing touchdowns, including one for 80 yards, and scored again on an interception return.

Embody threw two touchdown passes, one to Matt Monteilh and the other to Deuce Gruden. Monteilh also had a 37-yard punt return for a score for the only points in the second half.

“I’m so proud of the players,” Carrollwood Day Prep coach Lane McLaughlin said. “They didn’t get too distracted by all the homecoming festivities. Now we need to get ready for (Orlando) First Academy.”

SICKLES 31, BOCA CIEGA 28 (OT): While turnovers have been Sickles’ biggest problem this year, it was a turnover that led them to an overtime win against Boca Ciega. The Gryphons have thrown five interceptions and given up 16 fumbles, including two more against the Pirates. But Sickles’ Chris Nahat intercepted a pass from Shaquille Bradford that set up the game-winning field goal.

Sickles was facing a 22-7 halftime deficit, but made a comeback on the arm and legs of John Melvin Hendrick, who threw a touchdown to Nahat and ran for another. Brieann Dollard added two more rushing touchdowns.

Hillsborough County leading rusher Carey White did not find the end zone for Sickles, but had 132 yards on the ground.

WHARTON 27, BRANDON 25: Wharton held off a fourth-quarter comeback by Brandon to pick up the road win. Wharton was up 27-12 entering the final quarter and stopped a game-tying, two-point conversion to seal the win.

Wharton’s Shane McEwen had a rushing score and 80 total yards, while Ryan Hatter ran and threw for two more scores. Marvin Murray caught that touchdown and David Larry ran for a 39-yard score.

TAMPA BAY TECH 21, FREEDOM 3: Freedom scored on a 46-yard field goal, but could not change the scoreboard after. The Patriots had a chance to score just before halftime, but Tyler Guy was intercepted by Greg Hickman.

Offense was hard to come by for Freedom, which managed just 28 yards rushing and 133 passing. T.J. Mutcherson had four catches for 48 yards.

PLANT 49, GAITHER 0: Gaither was shut out for the second straight week. Last week, the Cowboys lost 68-0 against Hillsborough before falling to Plant.

Gaither’s offense was thought to be the weak link coming into the season, but the Cowboys have scored just 25 points on offense.

Plant got four touchdowns from Phillip Ely, who passed for 221 yards.

ST. PETE CATHOLIC 40, STEINBRENNER 10: After going 2-0 in junior varsity play, Steinbrenner has lost its first two varsity contests.

The Crusaders opened the scoring on an interception return by Julian Smith and added another in the second half by Evan Holmes that put the game out of reach.

Steinbrenner’s Christian Carriere passed for 135 yards passing and one score, while Tobi Antigha had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Gryphons one of the top teams in Class 2A

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff writer

CITRUS PARK — Katie Cook is not the first from her family to swim for Sickles, but she may be the best.

Her sisters, Megan and Amanda, swam with the Gryphons, but neither won a state title.

“It would be nice to have the bragging rights over my sisters, if I was able to win a state title,” Cook said.

In the past, the successful Sickles boys team demanded attention, but this year the girls are shining in the pool with a 3-1 start. The opening of Steinbrenner has taken many students away and the swim team has not been immune. However, the drop in numbers has not hurt the quality.

“I’m very proud of my girls,” third-year coach Fay Went said. “We have a very small team this year with only 14. I like to say I was able to keep my superstar swimmers, but lost all my depth. We had a lot more girls than normal swimming in meets for the first time ever this year.”

One of those superstars is co-captain Cook, who swims the 50-yard freestyle and 100 free. She won the 50 free and placed second in the 100 free at districts last year, and owns school records in the 50 free (24 .15 seconds) and 100 free (52.02 seconds).

“I swim year-round on a club team, so I’ve been really working to get better for this season,” said Cook, a junior. “We do a lot of dry-land training and we also did a training camp over the summer with my club team. So that has really benefited me.”

Cook’s club team is Tampa Bay Aquatics, which includes numerous state qualifiers and trains in New Tampa.

“Last year, I learned that I can reach states and my goal has always been to be a state champ,” Cook continued. “That has been on my mind all through workouts in the summer. I really want to go far this year, so that has been driving me.”

Other top swimmers for Sickles include seniors Katie Westbrook, Christina Decisneros and co-captain Alex Valder.

The Gryphons lost their first meet to Academy of Holy Names by nine points, but won their next three. That included a one-point victory against Berkley Prep.

“The difference between the first meet and now is tremendous,” Went said. “I wish I could go back and do the Academy meet again. I didn’t really know what events were best for which girls to swim, but now we have a better feel for that and we are getting more experience.”

Went is the success center lab manager at Sickles as well. The center gives students information to help them make decisions about college and careers. It seems like Went’s interest in swimming and seeing young people succeed has rubbed off on her son.

Trey Went, a senior who swims the 50 and 500 free for the boys, has a 4.80 weighted grade-point average and would like to stay in state for college.

“It’s nice to have a mom that can help me with swimming, but we really don’t work together on my swimming,” Trey said. “People might think it’s an advantage for me to have a mom that is a swimming coach, but it isn’t that big a deal.”

Trey reached states last year in the 500, and despite the boys team’s down year he is still working hard to go further this season.

“It kind of stinks that we lost a lot of our good swimmers to Steinbrenner opening, but we are all still working hard,” Trey said. “I’m just trying to go faster in the pool and try to touch the wall before everyone else.”

Sickles girls team’s next big event is Oct. 17 in South Tampa. Many of the girls prep teams in Hillsborough County will be competing at the meet.

“It will be a real test for the team,” Went said. “But I think we are ready.”

Lake Jovita hosted SAC tourney

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

TRINITY — The Mitchell boys golf team surpassed last year’s 8-2 mark by going 11-0. The Mustangs clinched a perfect record on Oct. 6 with a 153-172 win against Land O’ Lakes.

Now, the unbeaten team has high hopes for the postseason.

The Mustangs, ousted in last year’s regionals, are aiming for a state berth. Last fall, they came within four strokes of that elusive goal.

“That was tough to take,” Mitchell coach Rick Hyatt said.

First, however, is pairing the Sunshine Athletic Conference regular-season title with the tournament championship. The overall SAC crown takes both facets into account and Mitchell has won one or the other in each of the past three seasons.

The SAC tourney took place Oct. 13 at Lake Jovita, but results were unavailable at press time.

“We’re halfway there,” Hyatt said. “That was our goal for the year, to put it all together.”

Chaz Heinz, a senior, leads a talented squad that includes four golfers who recently shot in the 30s during a 151-178 defeat of Gulf. Heinz and Dylan Strout shared the lead at 37.

A pivotal battle came in the season’s fifth match with Mitchell and Wiregrass Ranch sporting identical 4-0 records. The Mustangs remained unbeaten with a 157-166 victory at Crescent Oaks.

Mitchell’s dominant season came despite the graduation of 2008 SAC Player of the Year Kenny Cavender and five other seniors. Talent and depth, however, figured prominently in this year’s performance as five of the team’s 10 golfers shot in the 30s.

Heinz headed into the SAC tourney with a team-leading 37.6 average, Richardson was right behind at 38 while three others — Strout, Sterling Bash and Dominick Dithmer — were tied at 39.

“That carried us,” Hyatt said of the team’s depth. “When someone had a bad day there was someone else to pick them up.”

BULLS NEARLY PERFECT: That lone loss to Mitchell kept Wiregrass Ranch from an undefeated season. The team finished 10-1, closing out the regular campaign with a 161-177 win over River Ridge.

Wiregrass Ranch’s Logan Horrigan shot a 38 in that match and was followed by teammates Dylan Larson (39), Chris Kluender (41) and Nick Stutt (43).

As for Hillsborough County teams, Gaither had four golfers — Josh Black, Jimmy Stanger, Clyde Meadows and Shawn Sirignano — break 40 in a 146-164 win over Wharton.

The Cowboys improved to 9-1 with recent wins over Plant and Hillsborough. Stanger turned in a season-low of 35 in that Oct. 1 match.

GIRLS GOLF: Wiregrass Ranch has a girls team to be reckoned with. Senior Anna Caldwell, junior Taylor Upchurch and sophomore Bianca Scimali are the top three on a team that started 6-2.

In Hillsborough, Alex Milan of first-year Steinbrenner set a school record with a round of 33 at Heritage Harbor in a 196-230 win over Sickles. She also had rounds of 34 and 36 in previous wins over Sickles and Gaither, respectively.

The Warriors continued to impress by winning eight of their first 10 matches.

Freedom’s Caroline Sorrick led her team to a 198-218 win over Newsome by shooting a 35.

By Capt. Ric Liles

Fishing Columnist

Fishing has been pretty good lately, but before I get to that I want to inform everyone of Nov. 10 meeting, from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

The statewide Manatee Forum should be a great place for anglers to voice concerns. Every now and then, readers get upset with my political views, but it’s part of my business as a fisherman and I want you to be informed. If I’m not on a charter that day I hope to see you there.

Back to the good stuff. This past week was a good one on the water with schools of redfish continuing to be the big attraction. We have had the best results on the St. Petersburg side of the bay.

Trout catches have come in 30-40 fish per outing, but most have been under the legal size. We should have a great spring for trout.

I had some kids on the boat and by the time we got back to the dock their 14-inch trout had grown to monster status. You’ve got to love the way a kid makes a fish bigger with time. Truth of the matter is, it’s not just kids who do it.

The snook are already staging around the mouths of creeks and rivers due to cooler water temperatures. A recent cool snap got them headed in that direction.

Mangrove snapper and Spanish mackerel have slowed down, but it appears that sharks have taken up the slack. We had several small sharks come to the boat and I even found out what it’s like to get my fingers stuck in a shark’s mouth. Just so you know, a small shark has very strong jaws. Lesson learned.

Until next time, good luck and be safe on the water. Remember: don’t let your kids be the ones that got away, take them fishing.

Baseball region finals return to single-elimination format

DADE CITY — The Florida High School Athletic Association’s two-year trial with baseball playoffs is over and the best-of-three series for region finals will be abolished. The single-elimination format, as is the case with other playoff rounds, will return for the 2010 season.

Pasco was the lone county team to compete in that short-lived format. The Pirates split a pair of region final series games with Palatka before being eliminated with a 9-6 loss in the third game of the 2008 playoffs.

Swampfest scheduled Nov. 6-8 at Land O’ Lakes Community Center

LAND O’ LAKES — Swampfest, a fund-raiser for Land O’ Lakes High athletic programs, will take place Nov. 6-8 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center off US 41.

The festival, highlighted by a midway and carnival rides, is the second organized by the booster club. The inaugural Swampfest took place in March at Land O’ Lakes High’s Gator Stadium. Sponsors and vendors are needed. To purchase a booth, call Darlene Harris at (813) 235-5859 or visit www.lolswampfest.com.

Chiefs play final youth football games at Oscar Cooler Park on Oct. 17

LUTZ — The Lutz Chiefs of the Pasco Police Athletic League have called Oscar Cooler Park home for more than three decades. The youth football and cheerleading organization will play at the park’s expansion area next season and their final games at that site are Oct. 17 against the Zephyrhills Bulldogs. Divisional games in five age groups will be played from 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. Entry is a $3 donation.

Two USF football players win Big East Conference weekly honors

TAMPA — University of South Florida football players Nate Allen and Carlton Mitchell were honored by the Big East Conference, following their team’s 34-20 win over Syracuse.

Allen, the defensive player of the week, forced two of a school-record seven turnovers. The senior safety had two interceptions and eight tackles. Mitchell, a junior wide receiver from Gaither, had six catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

—   Steve Lee, Sports Editor