Check This Out

Sydney Chase, a senior sweeper for Wiregrass Ranch High, has committed to play soccer at Saint Leo University. Through 17 games, Chase has six points, three goals and 17 steals. She’s also logged nearly 1,200 minutes of play this season. Chase will join two other East Pasco products at Saint Leo — sophomore Cassidy Place (Sunlake High) and freshman Savanna Ronk (Land O’ Lakes High).

Shaheed Salmon, a former Land O’ Lakes High School football standout and current Samford (Alabama) University junior linebacker, received First-Team All-Southern Conference honors, as voted on by league coaches. Meanwhile, conference media members gave him Second-Team All-Southern Conference honors. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound defensive stalwart tallied 93 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception in 2016 for Samford, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school. In 2013, Salmon led the Land O’ Lakes Gators in tackles (117), tackles for loss (21.5) and sacks (8.5). He also competed in basketball and track at Land O’ Lakes.

Freedom High girls varsity basketball coach Laurie Pacholke notched her 200th career win following a 51-43 win over Oak Hill High, on Dec. 19. Pacholke, who was hired in 2009, has had three 20-plus-win seasons, and just one losing season during that period. This year’s team, which features six seniors, stands at 7-3, through Dec. 19.

Joey Ivie, a former Pasco High football standout and current Florida Gators senior defensive tackle, has accepted an invite to participate in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21, in St. Petersburg. The postseason college all-star game typically attracts dozens of scouts from the NFL and other professional teams.

Despite missing two games with a thumb injury, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive stalwart tallied 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Several football analysts believe Ivie is a borderline draft-able prospect. He graduated from Pasco High in 2013.

Land O’ Lakes High safety/receiver Justin Kren and Wiregrass Ranch linebacker Ryan Scamardo were selected to the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-Star team. In eight games on defense, Kren recorded 31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception; he caught 16 passes for 165 yards and 1 touchdown on offense. Scamardo, meanwhile, notched 110 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks, through 10 games. Kren holds a college offer from Valparaiso (Indiana) University, while Scamardo has an offer from Webber International University, located in Babson Park, Florida.

Alexis Ridolph, a senior infielder at Wiregrass Ranch High School, has committed to play softball at Hillsborough Community College (HCC). In 17 games last season, Ridolph hit .317 with 10 runs and 6 RBIs. Her older sister, Kaitlyn Ridolph, played softball at HCC the last two seasons.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has announced the new Cypress Creek High School in Wesley Chapel will be assigned to Class 4A-Region 3 for both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 football seasons; the school is set to open in August. Zephyrhills Christian Academy, meanwhile, has been reassigned to Class 2A-Region 2. The final FHSAA football classifications for Classes 1A-8A and Independents can be found on FHSAA.org.

ATP world tennis pro John Isner, in association with Avila Golf and Country Club, hosted a charity exhibition to raise money for Friedreich’s Ataxia, a degenerative neuromuscular disorder that affects about one in 50,000 people in the United States. Before dozens of spectators, the Tampa resident played a singles match with 18-year-old pro Frances Tiafoe. The event, called FARA (Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance) – Ace for the Cure, was held on Dec. 6. It included a silent auction, raffle, and an opportunity for spectators to face down John Isner’s 140 mile-per hour serve. Isner and other tennis professionals also met with fans and took pictures after the exhibition.