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Local track star and 2018 Zephyrhills Christian Academy graduate Evan Miller recently competed in the 2023 Pan American Games, joining Team USA in Santiago to compete in the 200 meter and the 4×400 relay from Oct. 20 to Nov. 4.

Miller won two Class 1A state championships while at Zephyrhills Christian Academy. 

In the 4×400, and running with teammates Derek Holdsworth, Christopher Royster and Richard Kuykendoll, Miller and Team USA finished fifth with a 3:08, finishing behind Brazil, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, respectively.

In the 200 meter, Miller disqualified in the semifinal Heat 1 wave.

Additionally, over the Fourth of July weekend, Miller competed in the V12 Summer games in Alachua, winning gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter sprints.

Two varsity sports teams from Sunlake Academy of Math and Science (SAMS), 18681 Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, both brought home championship titles to cap off impressive seasons.

The Ravens Boys Soccer Team, led by coaches Jaksa Panic and Damian Ladd, went undefeated (12-0) and allowed just two goals this season en route to the Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) Championship in late October.

The Ravens Volleyball team, led by coaches Amber Hicks, Amy Loftis and Phill Duros, also went undefeated (12-0), which helped them secure their TCAL Championship, also in late October.

 

 

 

The winning ways for the Pasco Stars Softball Team — a Special Olympics team made up of 14 players mostly from Zephyrhills and Dade City — just won’t stop.

The team, once again, brought home the gold medal, this time thanks to winning all six of its games at nationals, including 13-11 in the final over Wisconsin Dairy. The team outscored their opponents 71-22 in those six games.

The championship brought them more recognition, with the City of Zephyrhills and Mayor Melonie Bahr Monson honoring them with a proclamation at the Oct. 23 City Council for the team’s championship and creating a positive image in the community.

Team members include John Algood, Justen Buchanan, Kenny Carriveau, George Morris, Phillip Olson, Roger Olson, Curt Walters, Bubbie Morris, Chris Allen, Richard Proctor, Ernie Shultz, Andres Torres and Scott Walter.

The team also put up some incredible stats, such as seven players finished batting .700 or better. Phillip Olson hit .789 with five doubles, two triples and a homer; George Morris hit three doubles and a homer (.764); and Chris Allen batted .705 with a homer; and Ernie Shultz hit two doubles and a grand slam.

A couple of Sunlake High golfers were firing on all cylinders recently, putting them on course for a couple of school records.

Both senior girls golfer Alyssa Mixon and junior boys golfer Max Haines were able to set new 9-hole school records, with both rounds coming at Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club, 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway in Lutz.

Mixon shot a 5-under 31 against nearby rival, Land O’ Lakes High, on the team’s Senior Night on Sept. 28, and Haines shot a 6-under 30 vs. Gulf High on Oct. 3. Mixon birdied five of her first six holes, while Haines opened his round with three birdies, and closed on the last three holes with a birdie on each.

Both golfers looked to carry over that hot play when the Seahawks played in the Sunshine Athletic Conference Tournament, which was held at Saddlebrook Resort, with the boys playing Oct. 9 and the girls on Oct. 10.

Seth Williamson, the 7-year-old Wesley Chapel youngster and speedster who is the “Fastest Kid in the Nation,” a title he earned by winning multiple championships last and this year during AAU Track and Field National Championships, now has another title to add to his young athletic career.

In late September, Williamson became the youngest track and field athlete ever to receive an NIL deal, signing a deal with Ford’s Garage restaurant, 25526 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz, across from the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Generally, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals are meant for college athletes, however, through his Speed Starz Track/Running Club, Williamson was able to secure the deal — and get a burger named after him!

The High Octane burger — a spicier entree with its pepper jack cheese and jalapeno toppings — will be on the Ford’s Lutz location’s menu starting in January.

Molly Blackwood, a senior infielder and power hitter at Academy of the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes, once again, competed in the European Championships for the Great Britain National Team in the Czech Republic.

Her team finished fifth in the competition.

Blackwood, a Bethune-Cookman College commit, who batted .393 with 10 RBI and homer in nine games (injury) in the 2023 season, finished the competition with a .325 batting average over 25 at bats, with eight hits, four RBI, a double, a triple and four runs scored.

The Lutz Bananas, a 12U team based out of the Lutz Cal Ripken League, off Lutz Lake Fern Road, took first place in the Southeast Regional Tournament in Virginia, held July 18 to July 23.

The Bananas, which are named after the Savannah Bananas, the fun, social media phenomenon exhibition baseball team, now moves on to the Cal Ripken 70/Majors World Series in Branson, Missouri, scheduled from Aug. 3 to Aug. 12.

The Bananas represented Florida in the tournament where they faced teams from North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. They went 5-1, outscoring opponents 44-24.

The Bananas won back-to-back one-run games to reach the final where they topped Williamsburg 8-5 for the title.

The Lutz Bananas are representing the Southeast Region and will play against Arkansas, Hawaii, Midwest Plains, New Jersey and Idaho in their first 5 games in the World Series.

Team members include Caedon Allegra, Calvin DeMasi, Aaron Hanstedt, Bryce Hanstedt, Kamden McCoy, Patrick Sandomenico, Braden Savage, Evan Stevens, Elijah Sutton, Cody VanOpdorp and Dominic Verpault and coached by Ryan Hanstedt, Brad Savage and Pete DeMasi.