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A trio of Land O’ Lakes High School varsity baseball standouts recently signed their National Letter of Intent to play collegiate baseball. From left: shortstop/catcher Max Law (University of North Florida), right-handed pitcher Troy Klemm (Palm Beach Atlantic University) and McCabe Sargent (Saint Leo University). If you have information on other signings, please email .

Charleston Southern’s Shane Bucenell, a former quarterback at Wiregrass Ranch High School, was named the Big South Freshman of the Week for his role in a 48-26 win over Liberty University on Nov. 12. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound signal-caller threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns, and added a 57-yard rushing score. It is the second time this season Bucenell has received the weekly freshman honor. Through seven games, Bucenell has passed for 933 yards and 13 touchdowns, and rushed for 255 yards and 3 TDs.

Saint Leo men’s basketball senior Marcus Dewberry eclipsed 1,000 points for his career after opening up the 2016 season with back-to-back 30-plus point games. Dewberry, a native of Lakes Wales, became the 23rd Lions player to reach the milestone.

“Marcus [Dewberry] is not only one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached but also a great individual,” Lions head coach Vince Alexander said, in a release. “It is an incredible feat to get 1,000 career points.”

In October, Dewberry was named a preseason All-American by the Division II Bulletin.

Land O’ Lakes High swimmer Jabari Ramsey is now a two-time state champion after winning the 100 breaststroke (56.86) at the Class 3A FHSAA State Championships on Nov. 12. Ramsey, a junior, bested his 2015 state champion time of 57.07. Ramsey finished fifth at states as a freshman two years ago.
Also noteworthy: Wesley Chapel’s Abbey Duncan was second in both the 100 fly (55.31) and the 100 back (56.98) at the state championships. Duncan, a senior, will swim for Ohio University next season.

Sunlake High quarterback Justin Hall set several school passing records over the course of his senior season in 2016.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound pocket passer set marks in the following categories:

• Season passing yards (1,945)
• Career passing yards (3,775)
• Completions (222)
• Career TD passes (33)
• Passing yards in a game (317)
• Touchdown passes in a game (4)
• Completions in a game (18)

The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) women’s cross country finished 23rd at the National Junior College Athletic Association DI 5K National Championships on Nov. 12, in El Dorado, Kansas. Pasco-Hernando finished ahead of other Florida College System Activities Association teams, including South Florida State (30th) and Tallahassee Community College (33rd). Pasco-Hernando was paced by freshman Kylyn Burbine (20:17), Charlene Sanchez (21:03), Cynthia Negron (21:29), Annaliese Besaw (21:38), Morgan Mattera (22:07) and Marffee Simbulan (23:54). Meanwhile, longtime PHSC women’s coach Jacki Wachtel was named the NJCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

Wharton High’s Bryanna Rivers, a senior middle distance runner, has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to run both cross country and track for the University of Massachusetts. Rivers holds the school record in the 800 meters (2:11.87) and was part of the 4×800-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay teams that also set school records (9:22.04 and 3:38.23, respectively). Rivers has advanced to the state meet in track every year since joining the team as a freshman.

The Wharton High School boys’ cross country team finished ninth in the 2016 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A Cross Country Finals on Nov. 5, at Appalachee Regional Park, in Tallahassee. The ninth-place finish was the highest in program history; the previous best was 11th place in 2008. Additionally, Wharton was the second-highest placing team from Hillsborough County (Newsome High finished in third place). Wharton High sophomore Tre Rivers finished ninth overall in 16:16, the highest placement for any Hillsborough County boy in any of the four classifications in the 2016 state meet.

Also noteworthy: Wharton girls runner Rania Samhouri, a senior, made the state meet as an individual, finishing ninth overall in 18:49.

From left: Evan Evans (10K), Isabella Pawloski (5K), Jennifer Glickman (10K) and Shannon Thompson (5K) each took first place in their respective divisions at The Connerton Challenge 5K and 10K race, on Nov. 5 in Land O’ Lakes. The race benefitted Operation Helping Hand, an organization which assists severely injured and medically retired service members.

The Saint Leo men’s cross country team has advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships after a second-place finish at the Division II South Region Championships on Nov. 5. At regionals, the Lions placed four runners among the top 20 finishers in the 10K race: freshman Ronald Cheserek (second, 31:43.69); senior Rafal Matuszczak (sixth, 31:55.71); senior Niclas Bez (17th, 32:46.91); and junior Anthony Deleva (18th, 32:54.21).

“We have a few adjustments we need to make before nationals, and I think that will put us in a good spot to do some big things,” said Lions head coach Kent Reiber. The national championships will be on Nov. 19, at The Abbey Course at Saint Leo.