Carrollwood Day School’s Rachel Stevenson recently scored her 33rd goal of the season, setting a new school record across the girls and boys soccer programs. Stevenson, a senior midfielder, has scored more than 90 goals across her four-year varsity career.
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Heavy hauls!
Ken Willis, left, and Dave Panno teamed up to win first place after reeling in five bass, totaling 9.78 pounds during the South Pasco Bassmasters Jan. 20 tournament, at the Lake Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Lake Wales. The duo used white chatter baits and plastic worms to catch their haul. The next tournament is Feb. 17 in Winter Haven. For information on joining the fishing club, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.
Local signings & offers
Royce Luedde, a senior at Wiregrass Ranch High School, has signed to play collegiate soccer at Florida College, an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) program in Temple Terrace. Luedde, a 6-foot-4 all-state defenseman, has posted eight goals and 22 points for a Wiregrass Ranch team that currently stands with an 20-1-1 record.
Javion Hanner, a junior at Zephyrhills Christian Academy, has picked up a football scholarship offer from Harvard University, a Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound athlete posted a team-leading 1,379 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Hanner transferred from Pasco High School after his sophomore year in 2016.
Former Gaither coach in Hall of Fame
Frank Permuy — the man credited with starting the Gaither High School baseball program in 1984 — was among 11 members of the American Baseball Coaches Association’s 2018 Hall of Fame Class.
The formal induction ceremony was on Jan. 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Permuy, who retired in 2014, compiled a 513-276 record in 30 seasons, with 13 district titles and a state runner-up finish. His other coaching stops included Leto High School, Tampa Catholic High School and the University of Tampa.
He becomes just the second prep coach from Florida to be inducted; the other is 1994 inductee Richard Hofman, of Westminster Christian School in Miami.
The 2018 ABCA Hall of Fame class also included former Saint Leo coach John Schaly. Now coaching at Ashland University in Ohio, Schaly spent six years (1992-1997) at Saint Leo, leading the Lions to the Division II playoffs in 1996 and earning Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year honors.
Lacrosse alum to play for Puerto Rico
Joe Espinosa, a former Saint Leo University men’s lacrosse player, has been selected to represent Puerto Rico at the 2018 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Men’s Lacrosse World Championship.
A 2010 graduate of Saint Leo, Espinosa was one of 30 players selected to the Puerto Rico roster, after the national team hosted a two-day tryout; the team was announced on Jan. 10.
The 2018 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship will take place July 12 to July 21, in Netanya, Israel, in Netanya Stadium. The worldwide competition will showcase 50 participating countries. It is Puerto Rico’s first-ever appearance.
Espinosa was a short stick midfielder while at Saint Leo.
In a release, Saint Leo men’s lacrosse coach Brad Jorgensen said, “We are proud to see Joe representing Puerto Rico in the World Games. His passion for lacrosse and our university is contagious, and we are thankful for it.”
Volleyball coach takes new position
Longtime Pasco-Hernando State College volleyball coach/assistant athletic director Kim Whitney has been named varsity head coach at Calvary Christian High School, a Class 4A private school in Clearwater.
Whitney has coached at PHSC since 2004, building the team into a junior college national power. She led the program to 13 regional tournament appearances, seven District P championship titles, seven NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) national tournament appearances, three Suncoast Conference championships, and an NJCAA D-II National Championship in 2010. Most recently, she was named Southeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) at the 2017 AVCA convention in Kansas City in December.
Local football standouts selected to U.S. National Team
Two of the top football players in Pasco County — and in all of the Tampa Bay area — have been selected to represent the United States as members of the 2018 Under-19 National Team.
Wesley Chapel’s Isaiah Bolden and Wiregrass Ranch’s Jordan Miner were among 47 players from 15 states named to the USA Football roster.
As part of the team, Bolden and Miner will compete against Football Canada’s Under-19 National Team on Jan. 19 at 9 p.m., at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas. The game will be streamed live at www.internationalBowlix.com.
The matchup is part of International Bowl IX, which also features 24 high school-and middle school-aged teams from across eight nations on three continents.
Other National Teams will compete against teams representing Canada, Japan, Mexico and the Nordic region, comprised of players and coaches from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Bolden and Miner, both senior cornerbacks, last month signed their national Letters of Intent to play Division I FBS college football — Bolden to Florida State University; Miner to Penn State University. Both were consensus four-star prospects and ranked among the state’s top players for the 2018 recruiting class.
Seven undefeated seasons and counting!
The Stewart Middle School Bulldogs football team recently was recognized for its streak of seven straight winning seasons from 2010 to 2016 — a feat that includes 41 consecutive wins and seven conference titles.
On Dec. 15, Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield presented a proclamation to the Bulldogs football team for its lengthy win streak. Though middle school records are difficult to find, USA Football shows only five high schools in the country have more consecutive wins, and one has the same number.
The Bulldogs had two head coaches during its seven-year undefeated run — current coach Greg Mathis (winning seasons from 2014 to 2016) and former coach Norman Scheuerman (winning seasons from 2010 to 2013).
Local commitments and signings
Wiregrass Ranch High product Stephanie Brower recently became a member of the University of Florida women’s basketball team, as a freshman walk-on. One of the top players in Pasco County, the 6-foot forward played in 123 games for the Bulls, compiling nearly 1,500 points and more than 1,000 rebounds for her career.
She most recently helped guide Wiregrass Ranch to 21 wins and a Class 8A regional appearance during the 2016-2017 season.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product Paul Coumoulos announced his commitment to play collegiate baseball at Saint Leo University.
Coumoulos posted a .378 career batting average in four varsity seasons at Bishop McLaughlin, helping his team reach the Class 3A state semifinals last season.
The outfielder was later selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 40th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, but didn’t sign.
Steinbrenner athletes sign letters of intent
Six student-athletes from Steinbrenner High School signed letters of intent with various Florida colleges and universities, during National Signing Day on Nov. 8.
Baseball
Jordan Lala (University of Miami)
Noah Luke (Pasco-Hernando State College)
Huston Richter (Saint Leo University)
Softball
Stephanie Balmer (University of Tampa)
Jennifer Bryant (Lake Sumter State College)
Megan Pierro (University of South Florida)