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Land O' Lakes Sports

Saffore set to represent Sunlake at collegiate level

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Sunlake High School has never had a premier volleyball team. Before this season, they had never won more than six games in a single campaign, and compiled a 15-91 record across six seasons.

Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college. (Courtesy of Malika Saffore)
Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college.
(Courtesy of Malika Saffore)

While they played hard, they’ve never seen much success, and have never had a player continue their volleyball career in college.

But a lot can change in a year.

The Seahawks finished the 2013 season with a 16-10 record, tallying more wins in one season than in their entire history combined. They made the playoffs for the first time in school history. And now, also for the first time, a volleyball player will continue their career at the college level.

Senior Malika Saffore will attend school and play volleyball for Florida Southern College, an NCAA Division II school located in Lakeland. She signed a letter of intent last week and said she’s excited about the opportunity to continue her athletic career.

“I’m so excited to play next season,” she said. “I was definitely honored that I was the first person to get a scholarship who was on the volleyball team.”

While most people have seen volleyball in some form, Saffore said her sport isn’t always understood as a complex one. Keeping the team motivated and working well together is just as important as hitting the ball hard.

“Volleyball is such a momentum-built sport. It depends on whether one team has more energy than the other, and I don’t think people realize that,” Saffore said.

A lot of the skill goes beyond physical ability, and includes thinking several moves ahead and utilizing what she calls “volleyball intellect.”

Saffore has no problem using her intellect both on and off the court. She’ll actually attend Florida Southern on scholarships — both athletic and academic. When coupled with a 3.8 GPA, her dedication to volleyball means most of her time is spent working on school or sports.

Saffore spends about 15 hours a week practicing on the court, plus another five hours in the gym staying in shape. After allotting time for studying and homework, free time is scarce, but she’s been able to find balance between the two priorities in her life.

In college, Saffore plans to study nursing, so her time will continue to be limited. But she said that the skills she’s learned on the court often translate to success in the classroom.

“I think it gives me a sense of self-control,” she said. “If I feel overwhelmed about the amount of homework I have or a test that’s coming up, I collect myself and think, OK, I have to prepare myself in these different aspects and I follow that plan just like I do with volleyball.”

Florida Southern was a good fit with Saffore for several reasons, she said. She said she was immediately impressed with the campus and her new teammates, but she also was attracted to the idea of staying local. She’s very close to her family and enjoys the Florida sunshine, so the opportunity to keep playing volleyball (including beach volleyball, which she enjoys) and stay close to home for a school she liked was too good to pass up.

And while she’s proven her abilities and has earned a scholarship thanks to her volleyball talent, Saffore knows that this is the beginning of competition, not the end. The Moccasins — Mocs for short — are a good volleyball team, posting a 22-14 record last year, including a 10-6 record in the competitive Sunshine State Conference.

She’ll have to continue proving herself to succeed at a school that’s used to playing at a high level against top talent, and she’s ready for that challenge.

“When you get to college, you have to actually compete for the position that you want to play,” Saffore said. “I know I have to work 10 times harder than I do now, and compete not only on the court against the team we’re going to play, but compete for a spot on the team to be on the court.”

Published April 23, 2014

Land O’ Lakes junior heads to state as district tennis champ

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When Land O’ Lakes High School junior Kavya Avancha lost an individual tennis match against Wiregrass Ranch, she was disappointed.

Kavya Avancha, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, won her district finals matchup and became the first individual girls tennis player to advance to state competition in school history. (Courtesy of Kavya Avancha)
Kavya Avancha, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, won her district finals matchup and became the first individual girls tennis player to advance to state competition in school history.
(Courtesy of Kavya Avancha)

She dropped the best-of-three match in three sets, and admits she didn’t play her best tennis. It was her first — and ended up her only — loss in individual competition all season. And she was hoping for a rematch.

Avancha got that rematch, but the stakes were much higher: The district finals, with a spot in the state tournament on the line. Avancha had a chance to not only avenge her only loss this season, but also make up for a district finals loss the previous season.

This time the outcome went in her favor: A straight-set victory to make up for the previous loss, her first trip to state competition as an individual player, and Land O’ Lakes’ first ever state finals berth for an individual player in girls tennis.

“It feels great. I’ve been working really hard. I really wanted to make it to state this year, so I’m really happy about that,” Avancha said.

She qualified for state last year in doubles competition, and to reach that level this year on her own — while dispatching the only player to beat her this year — was particularly satisfying.

Avancha wasn’t the only one invested in the outcome. For Coach Karen Turman, who has taught tennis for 17 years and is a U.S. Professional Tennis Association-certified pro, it was a matchup that got her own competitive juices flowing.

“I wanted to play that match as much as Kavya,” Turman said. “I got up out of my chair and had to take a walk. I went up to the umpire and I said to him, ‘It’s hard to watch because I’d rather be on the court.’ You want to be out there in the competition yourself.”

Turman’s talents with a racket weren’t needed, and she was proud of Avancha and excited to see the school send an individual player to state for the first time.

Getting to this level of success takes a lot of work, Avancha said. She practices a couple hours after school on most evenings, and that’s often after the school’s own tennis practice. She even works with her father, Srinivas, who coaches her.

Spending that much time on her game allows Avancha to not think about form or technique during an actual match. Her body already knows where to position itself and how to hit the ball, so her mind can focus on strategy during the competition, finding her opponent’s weak points and exploiting them with her own strengths.

And her 11-1 record during the regular season shows that her method works on the court.

But according to Turman, Avancha’s real strength lies in how she approaches the game and conducts herself during matches.

“Nothing frustrates her. You cannot tell if she’s winning or losing by just her demeanor on the court, and that’s what a true champion does,” Turman said. “They don’t really show their emotion. They just have the guts to pull it out.”

Avancha’s focus is apparent off the court as well. As a member of Land O’ Lakes High’s International Baccalaureate program, she spends a lot of time on her rigorous course load and hours of homework almost every night. But the same determination that serves her well with a tennis racket gives her confidence in the classroom.

And Avancha admits that confidence isn’t something she always had. But competing and succeeding in tennis has helped her overcome those issues.

“Before tennis, as a kid, I was actually very nervous and not very confident,” she said. “But I’ve grown in my confidence. I can say what’s on my mind and that’s grown with the sport.”

Avancha knows the players will be better and tougher to defeat in state competition, which will take place later this month. But she said that facing a higher caliber of player makes the game fun for her, and she’s looking forward to seeing how she fares against the best in the state.

Before that happens, however, she’ll go back to the regimen of hard work and practice that has helped get to this point.

“I’m probably going to put in a little bit more hours these next two weeks than I usually do so I get more practice,” Avancha said. “But I’ll probably do the same drills and work on some other things I need to improve.”

Published April 9, ,2014

This week’s Sunlake softball game benefits Wounded Warrior

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The Sunlake softball team doesn’t have a winning record. After their home finale against the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, the team won’t be thinking about a state championship.

The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game. (Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)
The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game.
(Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)

The game also won’t affect the Class 5A-District 8 standings, where the Seahawks are near the bottom.

Still, the game on April 10 might be the most important one of the season.

Sunlake’s game will not only feature two softball teams looking for a win, it will serve as a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and services to injured military service members. Attendees can support the organization by making a direct donation at the game, or by purchasing arts, crafts or T-shirts that will be on sale from a variety of booths.

A portion of those proceeds will go to the organization.

Coach Nelson Garcia, who organized the event with his wife Denise, isn’t surprised that a team starting four freshman would endure some growing pains in the win-loss column. But he believes that supporting charitable organizations as a team — the Seahawks also had a Pink Out event earlier in the year to support breast cancer awareness — helps them grow in important ways that go beyond the playing field.

“They’re learning not only goals of softball, but in life and giving back to the community also,” Garcia said. “They’re very excited to do it. They can’t wait.”

Garcia spent 14 years with the fire department, so he understands the importance of serving the community. But while the team is eager to show support for the military and will wear special green camouflage shirts during the game (Zephyrhills also is participating, and will don orange camouflage shirts), the issue is particularly important for their coach and his family.

Garcia’s son, Sgt. Anthony Michael Garcia, was wounded in 2011 during his first tour in Afghanistan. He was approximately 15 feet away from an improvised explosive device, more commonly known as an IED, when it exploded.

Garcia’s son recovered and is now serving in his second tour of the region. But he realizes that many members of the military have worse outcomes and often need support, and the organization helps with everything from prosthetics to post-traumatic stress disorders.

“It seems like people forget that they go over there and they’re serving right now and they’re getting wounded,” Garcia said. “How many don’t come back, or don’t come back all intact? The great thing about the Wounded Warrior Project is they help all the military personnel in all the branches to get their lives back together when they come back.”

The event is open to the public and begins at 6 p.m., with the game starting at 7. There also will be giveaways, a hospitality tent for active and retired military, and a U.S. Army recruiting booth.

Sunlake High School is located at 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

For information about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit WoundedWarriorProject.org.

Published April 9, 2014

Gators, Warriors girls hoops teams reach new highs

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When a high school team makes the playoffs, it’s an impressive achievement. But they also know that, unless they win the state title, their entire season and postseason will end with a loss. It’s just a matter of time.

The Steinbrenner Warriors reached the regional finals for the first time, falling to Harmony in a close game. (Photo courtesy of Josee Briere)
The Steinbrenner Warriors reached the regional finals for the first time, falling to Harmony in a close game. (Photo courtesy of Josee Briere)

Often a school measures success not just by reaching the postseason, but how far they get in the tournament.

In that regard, two girls basketball teams are holding their heads very high.

The Steinbrenner Warriors (26-4) and Land O’ Lakes Gators (23-5) both closed out the year on the losing side of a playoff game, but they each went far beyond any other team in school history.

For Steinbrenner, that was the Class 7A regional championship game, where they fell to the Harmony Longhorns, 44-40.

For Land O’ Lakes it was a step farther: The Gators lost in the state semifinals for Class 5A to the Southeast Seminoles, 49-24.

Land O’ Lakes trailed for most of the game in a contest that didn’t turn out to be very close. But Southeast, from Bradenton, lost just one game all year and finished the season with a 27-game win streak and the state title.

Coach Phyllis Crain said her team didn’t play a perfect game, but they played a team they knew would provide a big challenge.

“They’re a very good team,” Crain said about the Seminoles. “Yes, we could have done things differently, but I don’t know if it would have made the result better. Bradenton Southeast is a very good team.”

Land O’ Lakes proved they’re also a good team themselves this season, and Crain attributes the school’s first regional title to a commitment to teamwork and playing well together. The Gators were considered underdogs headed into the postseason — they finished as district runner-up to the Gulf Buccaneers — and had to come from behind in two of their three playoff victories.

But Crain saw their confidence build and is proud of how far their teamwork took them.

“I’m very pleased with the season and I’m very proud of my girls,” she said. “They played well together.”

Steinbrenner also is proud of their accomplishments, but the end of their playoff run is more bittersweet because they were very close to advancing to the state semifinals. The Warriors had a sizeable lead in the second half, but a run by Harmony evaporated that advantage, and they lost by four.

“We had everything you could want for a team that was trying to get to a Final Four: Hosting a regional final, having a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter and playing a great game for the first 24 minutes,” Coach J.R. Allen said. “Unfortunately, the last eight minutes of the game we weren’t true to who we were the whole season.”

But Allen also admitted that before the season started, he thought Steinbrenner would be hard-pressed to get anywhere close to the regional final. For each of the four years the team has been in existence (led by Allen since the beginning), the Warriors have gotten better. But after last season, the team lost their main offensive weapons and it looked like they might struggle.

Allen challenged the girls to live up to the success of the previous group, even telling them he wasn’t sure they would be as tough as their predecessors. He hoped they would respond in a positive way, and was pleased when he got his answer.

“They bought in. They really bought in and they responded to the challenge well,” he said, noting the team took on a strong defensive identity he plans to carry over into next season. In addition to taking another step forward in the playoffs, Steinbrenner also had their first holiday-season success this year, taking the Indian Rocks Christian tournament back in January.

Both coaches are pleased with their respective campaigns, and can look back on the year with pride. Plus, they understand that the last game has to be put in context of the entire season, since almost all good teams end the year on a sour note.

“The only person who’s not going to hurt at the end of the season is going to be the champion,” Crain said.

Published March 5, 2014

National soccer scoring title belongs to Sunlake’s Pimm

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Any soccer team that played the Sunlake Seahawks this season knew that Remi Pimm was a scoring threat. The sophomore forward was by far the best scorer on his team this season.

Sunlake’s Remi Pimm led the nation in scoring this past soccer season with 64 goals. That mark also makes him the new Pasco County single-season record holder. (Photo by Michael Murillo)
Sunlake’s Remi Pimm led the nation in scoring this past soccer season with 64 goals. That mark also makes him the new Pasco County single-season record holder. (Photo by Michael Murillo)

Of course, he also was the best scorer in the district.

And the region.

And the state.

In fact, Pimm finished the year as the top scorer … in the nation. He had 64 goals and 39 assists. Pimm’s total not only was good enough for this year’s national honors, he broke the all-time record for most goals in a season by a Pasco County player of either gender.

Pimm said he takes the substance of the game seriously, but likes adding a little style as well.

“I like to create and have fun with the game, take defenders on, create scoring opportunities,” he said. “When I play I just like to have a good time. I like to do it the right way but also play with flair and good style.”

But flair and style wasn’t on everyone’s mind when he first joined the team this season. Pimm said that people would ask him if he was going to break the county record that had been recently set by another Sunlake player. Connor Gilboy — who joined the University of Florida’s football program and was red-shirted as a freshman this year after graduating from Sunlake — held the mark with 60 goals after last season.

Known for his soccer skills, Pimm said the pressure was on for him to claim the mark for himself. So he was glad to have accomplished that task in his sophomore season.

“Beating his record was my goal at the beginning of the year, and I beat that,” he said. “And I eventually got the Pasco record. I felt really good.”

One goal that the team didn’t accomplish was a state title. The Seahawks fell to Merritt Island 1-0 in the Class 3A state semifinals on Feb. 13. But the team finished with a perfect 16-0 district record and a 29-2-1 overall record.

While the Seahawks wanted to win the title, Pimm said he was proud of the team for playing hard, not giving up, and staying positive.

In fact, a positive mindset is a big part of Pimm’s game. He studies the best professional soccer players — he wants to be one someday — and noticed they bring an intensity and focus even if thing aren’t going exactly the way they want on the pitch.

Pimm believes good players need to have a positive attitude that things will go well, but a short memory if they don’t.

“The secret to scoring this many goals is to quickly forget when you miss one,” he said. “Also studying the game — which is a huge part — watching the professionals do it, and visualizing myself in their position.”

While the Seahawks’ season is over, soccer is still on Pimm’s mind. He plays for the FC Tampa Rangers, a local club based in Lutz, and will participate in the State Cup for the team’s Under-16 boys group, which begins next month.

But wherever he plays, Pimm has learned to keep his attention on the contest at hand, taking deep breaths to regain his focus when necessary.

And he’s also learned patience. While he might score multiple goals in some games, in others those opportunities might not be there in the beginning. He believes the key is to not dwell on a lack of success, but focus on taking advantage at the next available opportunity.

“At no point in the game should you ever hang your head and give up,” he said.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

Pasco’s new cheerleading state champion is Sunlake

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Just weeks after they took the Best of Pasco crown, the Sunlake High School cheerleading squad earned a new honor last weekend: Class 1A Medium division champions for the state.

They had to wait a day because of snow in the Panhandle, but the Sunlake High School cheerleading squad took the state crown for the first time last weekend in Kissimmee. (Courtesy of Pennye Garcia
They had to wait a day because of snow in the Panhandle, but the Sunlake High School cheerleading squad took the state crown for the first time last weekend in Kissimmee.
(Courtesy of Pennye Garcia

The cheerleaders took the FHSAA crown during the competition in Kissimmee, where they were the only school representing Pasco County.

“The girls are very excited, as well as myself,” Sunlake head coach Pennye Garcia said in a release. “They have been trained to know that we need to focus on the task at hand. Between the semifinal and final competition, I made a couple of changes to better our score, and it proved to be in our favor.”

The first FHSAA state championship for the team had to come with some waiting. The cheerleaders earned first place during competition Jan. 30, but one team competing got held up by weather, and didn’t make it there until Friday, Garcia said. Everyone had to wait until the next day, to give that team a chance to compete.

However, late Friday, Garcia got the email that Sunlake had won it all.

The cheerleaders will receive their trophy and medals during a planned pep rally at Sunlake Feb. 14.

To see highlights of the winning routine from Sunlake, visit Bright House Sports Networks at tinyurl.com/SunlakeCheer.

Published Feb. 5, 2014

 

Sunlake perfect in district, poised for playoffs

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When the Sunlake High School boys soccer team defeated the Pasco Pirates 3-2 on Jan. 9, they probably weren’t surprised they won the game. The victory meant the team completed district play for the season with a perfect 16-0 record.

A perfect 16-0 record, and 23-1-1 overall, has the Sunlake Seahawks in position to go all the way to the top in boys soccer. And after a disappointing loss in the state semis last year, they’re ready to do just that. (Photo courtesy of Sam Koleduk)
A perfect 16-0 record, and 23-1-1 overall, has the Sunlake Seahawks in position to go all the way to the top in boys soccer. And after a disappointing loss in the state semis last year, they’re ready to do just that. (Photo courtesy of Sam Koleduk)

If anything, they might have wondered how they gave up two goals. Adding those two, the team gave up just four goals in 16 district games for Class 3A-District 8.

On the other side of the ledger, the Seahawks scored 101 goals in those same contests. They registered 13 shutouts, including six by the score of 8-0.

While they’ve dominated their district, they’re almost as good in overall play. They’ve collected a 23-1-1 record with 138 goals scored. But amazingly, that record is actually a slight drop-off from last year, when they won 30 straight games before losing in the Class 3A state semifinals to Ponte Vedra 2-1.

By the numbers, it might look like the Seahawks are an offense-first team. But according to Coach Sam Koleduk, that’s not really the case.

“We’re more of a complete team, I think,” he said. “Right now we’re the leading scoring team in the country, and we’ve also given up the least amount of goals, also.”

There are a few factors that go into building the kind of success they’re having at Sunlake, Koleduk said. The team has a lot of players who also participate in local clubs, so they’re not just thinking about soccer for their school schedule. That extra work allows them to stay on top of their game so they’re ready to play at practice and during games.

Their junior varsity program also is strong — the team was undefeated this past season. Koleduk said it allows him to replace skilled players who graduate with talented, experienced athletes who are ready to play at the varsity level.

Finally, having a good team allows them to adjust their style of play to put more pressure on their opponent. Instead of a more traditional 4-4-2 formation — with four players in the back, four in the middle and two attacking up front — Sunlake often plays a 3-4-3 formation, putting an extra attacker up front and forcing an opponent into a more defensive posture from the start.

But that type of attack also means fewer players on defense if the opponent breaks through, so the goalkeeper has to be ready to make the necessary saves. Fortunately for the Seahawks, sophomore Danny Hrenko has been up to the task. Picking up where he left off as a freshman, Hrenko is frustrating opponents on the rare occasions they create a scoring opportunity.

He said that while he’s the man in front of the net, his teammates are the ones who deserve credit for shutting down opponents.

“The key is really my defense, to be honest,” Hrenko said. “It’s all about organizing them.”

Even when there are fewer players in the back, the team’s style doesn’t put him in difficult situations, and the defenders are able to neutralize the opponent most of the time.

But when the team has had relatively close games, Hrenko has usually helped them come out of them with a win. He said he enjoys making tough saves and proving the team is as tough defensively as it is prolific on offense.

“I like when I have a good shot against me and I make a good save. It makes me feel like I’ve done my part on this team,” he said.

With many players doing their part — sophomore Remi Pimm leads the nation in scoring — getting a step farther than last year seems like a reasonable goal. And while Koleduk — who has been with the team since the school opened back in 2007 — acknowledges his Seahawks are a talented team with a lot of promise, he said there are more variables that go into a trip to the state finals and a potential championship.

And not all of them are in the team’s control.

“We’ve got to stay focused, and it sounds funny, but a little bit of luck,” he said. “To make it all the way through without losing, you have to have a little luck on your side also, I think.

“Basically, you have to stay focused and healthy.”

Sunlake’s cheerleaders named ‘Best of Pasco’

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The high school football season is over, and the Sunlake Seahawks had a good year.

They made the playoffs and defeated most of their competition. Now, the team’s cheerleaders have begun their own competitive season, and they’re on track for similar success.

The cheerleading squad from Sunlake High School helped earn coach Pennye Garcia yet another Best of Pasco cheerleading title, defeating 11 other squads during a recent competition. Garcia has won the title in the past with Land O’ Lakes and Hudson high schools. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Price)
The cheerleading squad from Sunlake High School helped earn coach Pennye Garcia yet another Best of Pasco cheerleading title, defeating 11 other squads during a recent competition. Garcia has won the title in the past with Land O’ Lakes and Hudson high schools. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Price)

After placing first at the Universal Cheerleading Association’s Central Regionals on Dec. 7, the squad moved on to the Best of Pasco Sunshine Athletic Conference Cheerleading Competition. There they defeated 11 other squads to take first place in the county, claim the competition’s highest score, and earn another title for the school.

According to Head Coach Pennye Garcia, there were tense moments before the winner was named.

“We dropped two stunts in our routine, so we were really down. We didn’t think that we were going to win,” she said. But because the rest of their two-and-a-half-minute performance was so strong and had earned such a high degree of difficulty, the team was able to overcome a couple of mistakes and still claim the county title.

Garcia is proud of her team’s ability to work hard throughout the competition and earn the top spot despite the challenges.

And praise from Garcia carries significant weight. When the team walked into Land O’ Lakes High School for the competition, they saw plenty of cheerleading titles indicating that school’s own success.

“I coached at Land O’ Lakes for a long time,” Garcia explained. “It was kind of funny being over there and seeing the banner in the gym. I said, ‘Those are my winnings.’ I won Best of Pasco for a lot of years when I was at Land O Lakes.”

Garcia left Land O’ Lakes to start Sunlake’s cheerleading program when the school opened back in 2007. But soon after, she left Sunlake for a short stint at Hudson, where she claimed a Best of Pasco title for that school. Now she’s returned to Sunlake and another first-place finish has followed.

Since the team has shown an ability to overcome adversity, Garcia said they’re proving they deserve a designation not always associated with cheerleaders. “They’re the athletes that they say they are,” Garcia said. “With cheerleading, a lot of people still don’t see it as a sport. So I put it in front of them that if they’re true athletes, then they need to act like athletes and be able to overcome whatever they do and move on and make it better the next time.”

Senior Joy Wennlund, a team captain who has spent her entire high school career on the cheerleading team, understands that many people don’t consider it a sport. But she says that’s because they usually see the team when they’re supporting the football program. While that’s important for school spirit, there’s more to cheerleading than what fans see on the sidelines.

“There’s another side to that; the competitive side,” Wennlund said. “When we’re at practice is the only time we’re showing all of those skills. So no one really gets to see that competitive edge that we have until we go to competition.”

Although football games are played every week, there are only a handful of cheerleading competitions each season.

“There’s a lot less opportunities to show all the hard work and dedication we’ve put in as a team,” she said.

Still, Wennlund finds the experience rewarding and likes seeing the team come together, experience success and execute their routines after working so hard on them.

Those routines are Garcia’s own creations, and the longtime coach understands that a good team can’t focus on previous victories. Just like any group of successful athletes, she wants her cheerleading team to remain on an even keel and prepare for the competitions ahead of them.

“They need to be level-headed, but they also need to be focused on what they need to do to keep their stamina up,” Garcia said. “Because when they come back in January they need to be ready to go, and they know that I’m going to be pushing them.”

Land O’ Lakes girls soccer: Undefeated and focused

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When a high school team is undefeated after winning games by scores such as 8-0, 7-0, 9-1 and 6-1, you might think they have a very good baseball program with talented athletes on offense and defense.

And that assumption would be correct. Except for one thing: Those aren’t baseball scores. They’re soccer scores.

Land O’ Lakes coach Vicky King gives a pep talk last winter to a team that finished with its second straight district title. The Gators have a strong start to this season, off to an 11-0 start, and averaging just under six goals a game. (File photo)
Land O’ Lakes coach Vicky King gives a pep talk last winter to a team that finished with its second straight district title. The Gators have a strong start to this season, off to an 11-0 start, and averaging just under six goals a game. (File photo)

The girls soccer team at Land O’ Lakes High School isn’t just beating their opponents on their way to an 11-0 record, they’re burying them with 65 goals in 11 games, versus just eight goals scored against them. Only two games have been close (each decided by one goal), and they rule Class 3A-District 8 with a 10-0 record.

Land O’ Lakes has a strong history — they’ve won their district the past two seasons — and a very bright future this year. But don’t tell that to Coach Vicky King. She doesn’t let her players rest on their laurels or look past opponents toward the end of the season. They focus only on the practice ahead of them, the next opponent and playing good soccer every time they step onto the pitch.

“We don’t even talk about our wins and losses. No one has talked about our record at all,” King said with a decisive tone. “We don’t take anything for granted. We have to earn every goal. Nothing will be given to us.”

In fact, King said she doesn’t even remember her team’s record last year, even though they won the district title. Her time isn’t spent on the past, but getting the Gators ready for their next opponent.

Now in her 27th year coaching soccer at Land O’ Lakes, King has guided dozens of different teams. She noted that this squad is very talented, and while they do have a standout scorer — sophomore Victoria Cannata leads the team with 12 goals — the Gators have 16 players who have scored at least one goal so far this season. That diversity in offense makes them difficult to defend, and gives the team a number of options they can use to attack their opponent.

“You can’t shut us down by shutting down one person,” King said. “We have a lot of depth. We’ve created a lot of scoring opportunities that we haven’t created the past two years.”

Senior Brooke Silvest has played soccer all throughout high school, and notices something special about this year’s team. Even though they’re very young and skilled, it’s been improved team chemistry that has made a difference.

“We all work really well together,” she said. “We all get along much better than we ever have in the past. That helps a lot.”

Players aren’t selfish with the ball, often choosing to earn an assist rather than take the shot themselves. Talented underclassmen have chemistry with the more experienced players, and as a result, Silvest believes this is the school’s best girls soccer team since she’s been a member.

Silvest and the team have also bought into King’s philosophy, making no assumptions before a game and maintaining focus throughout their matches, regardless of the score. She admits that some of the earlier games were closer than they should have been because they weren’t playing their best (and possibly looking ahead on the schedule), but their focus is now always on the task in front of them.

The team goes into each match with the simple goal of working hard, rather than considering opponents’ records or their own past performances, Silvest said.

And while she doesn’t want to deviate from that strategy, Silvest has a lot of optimism about the team’s potential, and believes they have a chance to eclipse last year’s accomplishments.

“Last year we got knocked out in regional semis, and I think we can go to state this year,” Silvest said. “We’re a much better team, and I think we can beat the team that knocked us out.”

The Gators still have a half-dozen district games remaining on the schedule, including a rematch against Sunlake, whose only loss was a 2-1 defeat to Land O’ Lakes last month. But whatever they accomplish this year, it will be with a commitment to growing as a team and getting better with each game.

“We should improve,” King said. “We don’t want to peak too early. We want to improve as the season goes on.”

Sunlake, Wharton football squads fall in playoffs

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High school football teams fight all year for a shot at the district title. If they fall short, the backup plan is to be district runner-up, because that spot (like the title winner) earns a trip to the playoffs.

Neither the Wharton Wildcats nor the Sunlake Seahawks were able to achieve their top goal of a district title, but both earned a hard-fought runner-up spot to earn a playoff berth. And both battled right to the end in the first round of the playoffs, before falling to their opponents.

Neither team had an easy road to earning second place in the district. For Wharton, two straight district losses put them in a must-win situation at the end of the year against Bloomingdale. The team had faced a big deficit heading into the final period, but scored 22 unanswered points and came away with a 30-23 win, a tie-breaker over the Bulls and that coveted runner-up spot in Class 8A-District 6.

Sunlake dropped its first district game, then rallied to win their next three to earn their second place finish. A tough 28-21 win over Land O’ Lakes in October proved to be the difference between the two teams, and the difference between second and third place. In the end, the Seahawks’ 3-1 record was good enough for runner-up status in Class 6A-District 6.

While those were satisfying finishes for each school, it was really just the end of the regular season: Both teams then entered a separate 32-team regional tournament to determine the state champion. But for both clubs, the beginning of their playoffs would also be the end. Wharton fell in their playoff opener to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Panthers, 37-10, while Sunlake was a field goal short to the Gainesville Hurricanes, 17-14.

Sunlake Head Coach Bill Browning explained that, despite the loss, he was impressed with the way his team played.

“Gainesville’s a very talented team. They have a ton of speed,” he said. “We played exceptionally well. Physically, we beat them up. The effort was fantastic. Close ballgame.”

The Seahawks out-gained the Hurricanes and had a lead late in the game, but some untimely penalties and a late surge by Gainesville ended their season.

For Wharton, although the final score indicated the game wasn’t close, it really didn’t break open until the final period. The Wildcats were behind 14-3 at halftime and still within two scores in the fourth quarter. Head Coach David Mitchell said it was a few game-changing snaps and some self-inflicted wounds that turned the tide against them.

“They scored based on big plays,” he said. “We had problems with penalties. That’s what hurt us a lot.”

While he didn’t want Wharton to end their year with a loss, Mitchell believes they had a good season and already is looking toward next year. He has a number of returning players, and several of them will participate in other high school sports, which he said will help them on the gridiron.

In 2014, the key will be keeping them on top of their grades (and eligible to play sports), focused and ready for the new season.

Browning has his team looking forward to 2014 as well. He said the Seahawks have plenty of good talent returning — especially on offense — and they’ll be able to use some of the school’s junior varsity players, who enjoyed an 8-0 season this year.

Looking back, the coaches know that making the playoffs is an achievement in itself, both for themselves and the players who work so hard to get there. And for those graduating, many can look back on not just a good year, but a good career at their respective schools.

“For some of those players, it’s the third opportunity (to participate in the playoffs) in three years for them.  That’s pretty good,” Mitchell said.

And Browning agrees. “For the kids coming back we’ll have to learn from it (the playoff loss), and for the seniors, we had a great senior bunch. They’re the winning-est senior class in the short history of the school.”