The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Bass contest winners

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Dave Panno and Ken Willis were the February winners in the South Pasco Bassmasters contest. (Courtesy of South Pasco Bassmasters)

Dave Panno, left, and Ken Willis caught their five-bass limit weighing 20.82 pounds, with their big bass weighing 5.78 pounds. Panno and Willis caught their fish in 3 feet to 6 feet of water around assorted grass, using stick baits and jerk baits. The South Pasco Bassmasters’ next tournament is on Lake Istokpoga on March 19.

New dining, golfing venture

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PopStroke Tampa, an experiential golf and casual dining entertainment venue, has begun construction at the Cypress Creek Town Center,  off the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, near Interstate 75, according to a news release.

The venture, at 25237 Sierra Center Blvd., is co-owned by Tiger Woods’ TGR Ventures.

This group shot was taken at the Feb. 2 groundbreaking of PopStroke Tampa. The photo includes Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, PopStroke Founder Greg Bartoli, TGR Design President Byron Bell, and members of the Stevens Construction team. (Courtesy of Andy Taylor/Pasco County)

Stevens Construction hosted the groundbreaking ceremony at the property, which will feature two 18-hole putting courses designed by TGR Ventures that will be unique to that location, according to information provided to The Laker/Lutz News.

The development also will feature a 13,712-square-foot building — including an open-air restaurant with multiple open decks, and covered dining areas and bars, the news release says.

Plans also call for a covered playground, beer garden, lobby with retail space, and a jumbotron to display scores and sporting events.

PopStroke offers craft beer, wine, ice cream and food at every location, while delivering an interactive and competitive golf experience for players of all ages and skill levels, according to the release.

The groundbreaking featured Greg Bartoli, PopStroke founder; Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore; Byron Bell, president of TGR Design; and Mark Stevens, president of Stevens Construction.

In the release, Bartoli explained the site was selected because: “Tampa is one of the fastest-growing markets in the country and a natural fit for PopStroke as we continue our expansion,” he said. “I have always enjoyed my time visiting the Tampa area for countless youth sporting events with my children over the years, and have long recognized the need to bring PopStroke to such a dynamic and diverse community.”

The Sarasota PopStroke, at University Town Center, is nearing completion.

In addition to Sarasota and Tampa, PopStroke will be opening five more locations in 2022.

The Florida locations’ golf and restaurant buildings are designed by MHK Architects and constructed by Stevens Construction.

For more information, visit PopStroke.com.

Published February 23, 2022

Pasco tourism agency wins prestigious award

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Experience Florida’s Sports Coast (FSC) — the tourism agency for Pasco County — recently won Florida Sports Foundation’s Small Market Venue of the Year award, for the contribution of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County to the state’s sports tourism industry.

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex of Pasco County, in Wesley Chapel (Courtesy of Experience Florida’s Sports Coast)

This award was received at the 2021 Florida Sports Summit, held last month at the Hammock Beach Resort on the Palm Coast. The awards given by the Florida Sports Foundation recognize sports industry partners’ contributions to the state’s $57.4 billion sports industry.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus opened its doors in August 2020, at 3021 Sports Coast Way, in Wesley Chapel. It since has hosted amateur events sanctioned by several national governing bodies such as USA Volleyball, USA Gymnastics, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball, AAU volleyball, Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), Florida Senior Games, Special Olympics, and U.S. Club Soccer.

Through those events and others hosted at both the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and various venues, the county welcomed over 50,000 visitors coming in for sports tourism-related events in the past year, according to a release from FSC. Additionally, those visitors generated over 26,500 room nights with an estimated $27 million in local economic impact for the Pasco community, the release reads.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus offers two 35,500-square-foot multi-purpose courts featuring eight drop-down basketball hoops and 16 volleyball nets; a 5,000-square-foot indoor cheer zone with springboard floor; and two full-size, outdoor multi-purpose fields.

The campus was developed as part of a private-public partnership between Pasco County Commission, the county’s tourism agency, and the Porter Family who donated the land.

Honoring decades of support

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(Courtesy of George Fotopoulus)

William Fotopoulus, founder and president of ABC Pizza and Pizza Villa, has been supporting Pasco County sports for 40 years. He was honored for his long-term involvement by the Land O’ Lakes Girls Soccer team, at Land O’ Lakes High, on Jan. 20.

Charter League Champs!

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(Courtesy of Meagan Smith)

Innovation Prep played in the Tampa Charter League Association (TCLA) basketball tournament against multiple charter schools around the Tampa Bay area. The team’s record was 5-1. It won in the championship game against Trinity Charter School, with the final score of 21-18. Coach Christopher Pierre-Charles led the squad to claim its first trophy.

Land O’ Lakes High product to begin pro soccer career

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Sydny Nasello (Courtesy of University of South Florida athletics department)

Land O’ Lakes High School/University of South Florida product Sydny Nasello will soon live out her dream of playing professional soccer.

Nasello last month was selected 13th overall to the Portland Thorns in the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft.

With South Florida, the junior forward was named American Athletic Conference (AAC) Player of the Year for the second straight season after leading the conference in goals (11) and finishing second in assists (5).

At Land O’ Lakes, Nasello racked up 120 goals across a four-year varsity soccer career. Her senior year, she was named the 2018 Florida Dairy Farmers Class 3A Player of the Year, after posting 45 goals and 13 assists, guiding the Gators to the regional finals, a 23-3 record and undefeated district mark.

Lacrosse standout named preseason All-American

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Ashlee Wilsynski (Courtesy of Saint Leo University athletics department)

Saint Leo University women’s lacrosse standout Ashlee Wilsynski has been named a USA Lacrosse Magazine 2022 Division II Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-American, as a third-team recipient.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, the junior attacker is one of 39 student-athletes awarded the distinction.

She is joined by four Sunshine State Conference (SSC) members: Hailey Daleo (Florida Southern College), CeCe Colombo (University of Tampa), Bridget Calwy (Rollins College) and Liz Fahey (Rollins College).

Wilsynski will begin her junior campaign in the spring.

She’s coming off a 2021 season where she started all 10 games, and led the Lions with 47 points (33 goals and 14 assists) and compiled a .735 shot on goal percentage.

As a freshman, she tallied 27 points as the team’s leading scorer with 21 goals and six assists before the COVID-19 pandemic cut short the season.

Saint Leo head coach Caitlin Hansen commented on Wilsynski’s preseason recognition, in a release: “Ashlee has been a strong player for us from the start and deserves this preseason nod. I hope it will inspire our younger players to dream big and for our returners to keep in motion what we have been building these last few seasons.”

Lutz flag football league

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(Courtesy of Cason Byrd)

Registration is ongoing for the Tampa-Lutz Under Armour Under the Lights coed winter flag football league, which begins Jan. 7 and runs through February. The league is open to boys and girls from kindergarten to eighth grade. Games will be played at Oscar Cooler Sports Complex, 766 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, in Lutz. The league is operated by former Steinbrenner High School standout quarterback Cason Byrd. For information, email.

Men’s cross-country program

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The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) athletics department has announced the addition of men’s cross-country to its intercollegiate sports roster, beginning in fall 2022.

Lee Rietsma is the new head coach of the Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) men’s cross-country program. (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

Lee Rietsma will serve as the upstart program’s head coach.

The team is expected to roster 10 to 12 runners.

The first signees include Pasco High School’s Seth Stringer and Palm Harbor University High School’s Max Moore.

Rietsma most recently has worked as the PHSC women’s cross-country assistant coach, under head coach Jacki Wachtel.

Rietsma, who lives in Land O’ Lakes,  grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He competed all four years in the Michigan High School Cross Country State Championships and then competed four years of track and cross-country at Central Michigan University.

Rietsma still runs locally and throughout the country in 5K through marathon-length distances, including a runner-up finish in the Walt Disney World Space Mountain Marathon with a time of 2:44:46.

“We are excited to start a long-awaited men’s cross-country program at PHSC and even happier to name Lee Rietsma as head coach,” PHSC athletic director Steve Winterling said, in a release. “Lee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a coach and runner,” the athletic director added, which he noted will help Rietsma advance the program quickly.

With men’s cross-country, PHSC now has seven sports programs. The others are men’s baseball, men’s basketball, women’s cross-country, women’s soccer, women’s softball and women’s volleyball, respectively.

Charter league champs

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(Courtesy of Adriana Williams)

The Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes Dragons middle school varsity volleyball team recently won the Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) championship. The squad went 8-2 in the regular season, then defeated Terrace Community Middle School (Thonotosassa) and Classical Preparatory School (Shady Hills) in consecutive playoff games. The team is coached by Adriana Williams.