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Land O' Lakes Sports

Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame adds members

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The Land O’ Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation recently added five new members to the school’s athletics Hall of Fame, during a dinner ceremony.

The inductees for the 2019 class were: Stacy Bishop, a record-setting girls soccer player from 1999 to 2003; Jerry Brewster, a state qualifying wrestler and team MVP in 1986; John Childers III, an All-Conference basketball standout in the mid 1980s; Vicky King, longtime varsity girls soccer coach; and Mike McBride, an All-State football player and standout wrestler from 1989 to 1993.

The ceremony marked the school’s seventh Hall of Fame induction class, which began in 2013 after the Gators Athletics Foundation was established as a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Florida Gators All-American receiver Reidel Anthony served as the keynote speaker for the May 16 induction ceremony.

The foundation’s purpose is to “raise funds through donations and fundraising events for the direct benefit of the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes High School.”

The mission of the foundation is to enhance the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes by providing additional funds for facilities, uniforms, transportation and other athletic program needs not covered by traditional school funding.

Here’s a closer look at this year’s inductees:

Stacy Bishop: Female Athlete
Stacy Bishop (Class of ’03) was an All-County and All-District soccer player all four years at Land O’ Lakes, where she registered 192 goals (still a Pasco County record) along with 90 assists. In addition to those accolades, Bishop in 2003 was named Pasco County Athlete of the Year and recognized as an National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Academic All-American.

Former Land O’ Lakes girls soccer standout Stacy Bishop, left, with her former coach Vicky King at the 2019 Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Courtesy of Michael Williams)

Bishop went on to play Division I collegiate soccer at Louisiana State University and Florida, developing into a first-team All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist (annually given to the nation’s top collegiate soccer player).

Following her collegiate career, Bishop played professional soccer in the Women’s Professional Soccer league, earning stints with the Boston Breakers and Atlanta Beat franchises, respectively.

Vicky King: Coach/Administrator
Vicky King has been a coach at Land O’ Lakes for 33 years, since she joined the school in the mid-1980s.

In her lengthy career, King has racked up a number of achievements coaching both girls soccer and athletes with special needs.

In varsity girls soccer, King is the longest tenured and winningest coach in Pasco County, with a career record of 509 wins, 198 ties and 75 losses. That includes a state championship in 2003 and four other state semifinals appearances (2004, 2015-2017).

Meanwhile, King in 2015 guided the Land O’ Lakes unified soccer team (which joins athletes with and without disabilities) to represent Team USA at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, which yielded a bronze medal when the team defeated China 2-1. That year she was also named Florida Special Olympics Coach of the Year.

Jerry Brewster: Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerry Brewster (Class of ’86) was a member of both the football and wrestling team at Land O’ Lakes. Among his biggest accomplishments in athletics came on the mat — qualifying for the state wrestling tournament and earning team MVP honors his senior year. He went on to wrestle collegiately for a short time at College of DuPage in Illinois before continuing his education to earn a bachelor’s degree at University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Tampa.

Former Land O’ Lakes wrestling standout Jerry Brewster

Upon graduating with his MBA, Brewster has embarked on a career in the wealth management industry, building one the leading wealth management groups in the Tampa Bay area. He was named a 2019 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes Magazine, becoming the only wealth advisor in Pasco County to receive the honor.

Aside from his professional career, Brewster has a maintained presence in the Pasco community.

In recent years, he has served on the board of directors of HCA Regional Medical Center-Bayonet Point, Chasco Fiesta, and Rotary Club of New Port Richey. He also has been the auction chairman of the Rotary Club of New Port Richey’s annual Wild Game Dinner for over a decade.

Brewster was instrumental in helping to establish the Land O’ Lakes High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

John Childers III: Lifetime Achievement Award
John Childers III (Class of ’86) played both basketball and baseball at Land O’ Lakes, with some of his biggest achievements coming on the hardwood.

Former Land O’ Lakes basketball and baseball standout John Childers III

In three seasons on the varsity basketball team, Childers III earned team MVP honors and was a second team All-Gulf Coast Conference selection. He went on to receive a full basketball scholarship to Pasco-Hernando Community College where he was a two-year starter.

Professionally, Childers III advanced through the ranks at Chase Bank and eventually started his own mortgage solution company in 2001, JCIII & Associates Inc. The company grew to 650 employees before being sold in 2015.

Through the company, Childers III helped contribute more than six figures to local charitable causes, such as Moffitt Cancer Center, Derrick Brooks Charities, and others.

Even well into his professional career, Childers III would still attend Land O’ Lakes athletic events and supported various athletic programs. He also helped spearhead the Land O’ Lakes Athletic Hall of Fame with other volunteers.

Mike McBride: Male Athlete
Mike McBride (Class of ’93) was a football and wrestling standout at Land O’ Lakes, earning All-State honors in the former and All-District honors in the latter, while also competing in track and field.

Former Land O’ Lakes football and wrestling standout Mike McBride

On the gridiron, McBride starred as a two-way lineman to become the school’s first All-State football player in 1992 — and is currently one of just five Land O’ Lakes football players to have earned the All-State designation all-time.

On the mat, McBride qualified and finished at or near the top in a number of local, regional and state tournaments. That included a 29-3 mark his senior season, where he won a district individual championship and placed third at regionals, along with collecting individual titles at the East Lake and Springstead Invitational meets.

McBride’s father, Charlie McBride, was inducted into the Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015, for his contributions as a coach and teacher. It marks the first father-son combo to be inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of fame.

Past Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

2018

  • William Gebauer
  • Jeff Hendrix
  • Don Meredith
  • Kirk Peterson
  • Karla Walsh Graziano

2017

  • Allen Claggett
  • Desiree Croteau
  • Doug Hutchinson
  • Michael Keough
  • Stephen Querns

2016

  • 2002-2003 girls soccer team
  • Jerry English
  • Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier
  • Dianne McClendon
  • Phil Teston

2015

  • Kevin Dowling
  • Kenny Gorman
  • Charlie McBride
  • Sharmine McCreary
  • David Singleton

2014

  • John Benedetto
  • Dennis Blankenship
  • RJ McKenna
  • Tina McWithey
  • Will Weatherford

2013

  • Colleen Bentz
  • Tim Harvey
  • Kenneth McCurry
  • Robert Shirmohammad
  • Henry Walls

Published June 12, 2019

Hockey team formed for Land O’ Lakes High

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It all started as an idea between two dads who just wanted the best for their hockey-playing sons: What if we started our own hockey team at Land O’ Lakes High School?

After long months of conversations, fundraising and coordination, Joshua Whitman and Bill O’ Connor’s theoretical question became a reality.

Joshua Whitman, team manager and one of the people responsible for creating the newly formed Land O’ Lakes High School hockey team, watches the first period of game play through the glass. The Land O’ Lakes resident uses his tablet during the game to do live tracking of stats and to manage the live stream video. (Christine Holtzman)

This coming fall, the Land O’ Lakes High School hockey club will begin its first season in the Lightning High School Hockey League, or the LHSHL.

The Gators becomes the 19th school to join the league. The league is operated by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and features varsity level programs throughout Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.

Hockey is not a sanctioned sport by the Florida High School Athletic Association, the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.

And, since most high schools don’t have enough players to field a team, the LHSHL has what’s called catchments, where it combines players usually from three or four different high schools to form a team.

Previously, Land O’ Lakes students would be zoned to play for the Mitchell Mustangs hockey team, which also includes players from Mitchell and Sunlake high schools.

While the other players keep their eyes on the ice, Peter Tedeschi, of Land O’ Lakes, turns to wave to some friends who came to support the team. The Gators squared off against the Wiregrass Ranch Hockey Club in their inaugural game on April 19 at Advent Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

With their sons, who play travel league hockey together, set to be high school freshmen next year, Whitman and O’Connor didn’t want them to get lost on an already overpopulated Mitchell roster.

They also wanted them, and others, to get a true high school athletic experience — able to solely represent the Gators with their fellow Land O’ Lakes classmates.

O’ Connor put it this way: “It’s fun because we all live in the same community and we all see each other at school. It’s like playing on the high school football team, with all the people from the same area. That’s what’s cool about it. You can tell the enthusiasm from the kids.”

The parents got the blessing of the LHSHL to start a team and enlisted the help of USA Hockey to determine if Land O’ Lakes had enough players to make it all work.

They also canvassed social media to gauge interest from Land O’ Lakes families.

Gators player Michael Yevstratov, center, No. 5, heads the attack into the offensive zone after a center ice face-off win. His teammate, Ian Ravens, right, No. 13 , prepares to join Yevstratov in the battle.

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

“I was so surprised how enthusiastic everybody was and how supportive everyone was. That was the key. That’s what I think was good,” O’ Connor said.

Once it was confirmed their community had the hard numbers to fill a club roster, the dads created a nonprofit foundation, Central Pasco Youth Hockey Foundation Inc., to help with fundraising and sponsorships efforts, and oversee the general operation of the team.

They also went about filling a coaching staff, which is now led by Bill Karas, a Minnesota native who brings more than 50 years of coaching and scouting experience to the club.

The entire endeavor took all of about six months.

Joe Eisenberg, the team’s assistant coach, is calling out to his players during the first period of the game. The coach is generally yelling instructions on where to go on the ice or for players to return to the bench for a shift change.

“We just kept moving forward, and it just kind of snowballed,” Whitman said. “Looking back now, it did fly by. It was good we started early and got things done as fast as possible.”

Unlike most LHSHL teams, the Gators will have what’s called a “pure” team, with its entire roster made up of players who attend Land O’ Lakes High or are home-schooled and live within school boundaries.

It undoubtedly adds a school spirit factor to the team.

The hockey club raised about $1,800 selling Gators hockey sweatshirts alone, Whitman said, to help offset equipment and registration costs.

“It’s created quite a buzz at the school,” said Whitman. “One of the things that we want to try to do is kind of change the culture about high school hockey here in Florida, because it kind of is a secondary thought for most kids.”

The Gators hockey club actually began play this spring in a league operated by local rinks that’s independent of the LHSHL. The spring league is designed as a prelude to the fall season for current eighth-graders through high school juniors.

Gators Head Coach Bill Karas watches his players on defense. Karas, a Minnesota native, is a USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach and brings nearly 50 years of hockey experience to the Gators bench.

The spring roster has 28 players. That includes three high school juniors, a sophomore and a freshman, 15 eighth graders, and 10 seventh graders on the practice squad.

The club’s first-ever game was on April 19, when it faced Wiregrass Ranch High at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

It was a memorable game for all, including the Gators head coach, who has seen just about everything in his five decade-long hockey career.

“First game here, we probably had 200 people. It was incredible. You don’t see that at a Minnesota high school game,” Karas said. “I was very impressed with the support that we’re getting from the Land O’ Lakes community, and I’m just glad to be part of it.”

The hockey dads and coaches aren’t the only ones excited about the Land O’ Lakes hockey venture. Players are, too, of course.

Leftwing Ian Ravens is one of the roster’s older, more experienced players, as a 16-year-old junior.

After the historic game, the Land O’Lakes High School Gators and the Wiregrass Ranch Hockey Club gathered for a group picture on the ice.

After playing in recreation leagues for many years, Ravens is glad to finally represent his high school in hockey gear.

“It’s a big thing. I’m looking forward to our senior nights, stuff like that, things that I wouldn’t be able to do playing for Mitchell or another team,” said Ravens.

“I think we’re going to get a lot of recognition in the school. We have a lot of fans,” he added.

Meantime, Ravens is confident about the team’s prospects in the LHSHL regular season, which runs roughly from September through February.

Though the fall roster will mostly be composed of incoming freshman, the rising senior feels the upstart team can hold its own. In the spring league, the Gators have won a few games and remained competitive in others.

“I think that we’re going to go in strong, which we have to,” said Ravens, who’s been playing recreational hockey for about 11 years. “We’re going to be playing a lot of different teams, not just the teams that we’re playing now (in the spring). We’ve got to be more physical, which I definitely see in everyone. I see that we have a lot of potential. I think we’re going to go far with it.”

Published May 29, 2019

Sunlake girls weightlifting coach earns statewide honor

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In her decade-plus long tenure as the Sunlake High girls weightlifting coach, Denise Garcia has racked up her fair share of achievements.

Some of the biggest came this year alone.

Back in February, Garcia guided the Seahawks to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 2A state championship — marking the program’s first-ever team weightlifting title.

Sunlake High girls weightlifting head coach Denise Garcia hoists the Class 2A state championship trophy at the 2019 Florida High School Athletic Association state meet in Panama City. Garcia has coached the school’s girls weightlifting program for 11 years. (Courtesy of Denise Garcia)

The veteran coach groomed eight lifters who competed in this year’s state meet. Six earned state medalist honors by placing among the top six individual finishes. The awards came across various weight classifications.

All told, the Seahawks registered 22 points collectively to defeat second-place Vero Beach High, which finished with 19 points.

Sunlake’s title also marked the end of the sport’s longest active streak of consecutive team state championships, which had been held by Navarre High School. Navarre had claimed four titles, from 2015 through 2018. This year, Navarre tied for seventh place.

Garcia’s efforts earned her the distinction of being named Florida Dairy Farmers Girls Weightlifting Coach of the Year. The award was announced last month.

Despite her program’s memorable 2019 campaign, Garcia remains taken aback by the designation as the state’s top girls weightlifting coach.

“As far as me getting this award, it’s a total surprise. It’s amazing, because there’s so many great coaches out there,” said Garcia, who wrapped up her 11th year as Sunlake girls weightlifting coach.

The recognition is always nice, of course.

But, for Garcia, it’s more important to see her high school lifters reach their potential and succeed in competition.

The coach put it this way: “All the awards you get, it all means a lot, (but) you don’t do it for getting an award, you do it for your team and to make them better. You do what you’re supposed to do for the team.”

Garcia praised her athletes — past and present — for being coachable and working hard along the way.

“I’ve just been blessed and I’m lucky enough to have girls with a good work ethic that want to learn, that want to buy into my program, and you see what happens,” Garcia said.

Under head coach Denise Garcia, the Sunlake varsity girls weightlifting team won its first-ever state crown. The Seahawks took eight lifters to the state meet, six of whom earned medalist honors on the way to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A state title.

The coach outlined the recipe for success in the sport: “It’s a balance. It’s a balance of good work ethics, your program, being coachable. It’s just an everyday thing. They need to listen. It’s this formula they have to have. It’s got to be the whole, total package.”

Garcia said most of the girls she coaches initially begin with little background in weightlifting. Often, they discover a passion for the sport.

In Florida, high school weightlifters compete in the bench press and clean-and-jerk.

“It’s just teaching from the bottom up, and they absolutely fall in love with weightlifting,” Garcia said. “It’s something about weightlifting, and once they get hooked, that’s it.”

Garcia herself got her first taste of weightlifting as a student at Leto High School in Tampa. A softball and volleyball player, she learned “old-school” weight training techniques from the likes of FHSAA Hall of Fame coach and athletic director Vernon Korhn, and others.

“It’s just old-time coaches that would let me go in the weight room and work out, and I just fell in love with it,” she said.

Garcia figured she could take her knowledge of pumping iron and develop a program for girls when she was hired to work at Sunlake.

“I was like, ‘My god, I can do something with this program.’ I love weightlifting, so I put something together and there it is, it worked out,” said Garcia.

Garcia said she will be coaching the team again next year.

It’s frankly a no-brainer, with a roster that expects to return all but two of its individual state qualifiers from last year.

That includes rising junior Madison Guincho and rising seniors Gianna Levy, Juliette Pacheco, Abigail Schmook, Antoinette Farmer and Brianna Caban.

There’s also other up-and-coming lifters in the program, Garcia said, that could help Sunlake repeat as state champs.

“We have a lot of talent on this team,” the coach said.

And, besides the possibility of securing another state crown, Garcia hopes to witness one of her own lifters be named Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Weightlifting. Vero Beach senior Jayda Jenkins earned that honor this year after claiming the Class 2A individual state title at 119 pounds.

“That would be awesome. Oh my gosh, that would be awesome,” Garcia said.

The Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards program annually honors the state’s top athletes and coaches in all 30 FHSAA sanctioned and recognized sports. The program is in its 27th year.

Published May 22, 2019

AATL tops Land O’ Lakes in postseason tune-up

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Two of the state’s top softball players matched up for the final time against one another in high school uniforms when Academy at the Lakes hosted Land O’ Lakes in a recent non-district game at Starkey Ranch District Park.

Starting pitcher from the Academy at the Lakes, senior Lexi Kilfoyl, on the mound before the start of the game against Land O’ Lakes High School. (Christine Holtzman)

In the latest matchup between crosstown foes, the Wildcats and senior ace pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl bested the Gators and their senior star pitcher, Callie Turner, en route to a 10-2 victory on April 24.

Kilfoyl struck out 14 batters on her way to a one-hit complete game, allowing four walks and two unearned runs.

It marked a confidence-boosting performance for the 2018 Gatorade State Player of the Year and University of Alabama signee, who’s methodically battling back from a right shoulder ailment that’s plagued her since early March.

Land O’ Lakes High School starting pitcher, senior Callie Turner, winds up to throw a pitch in the first inning.

It also put the bow on a 13-7 regular season for the Class 2A defending state champs as they gear up for what is likely another lengthy postseason run.

Kilfoyl’s counterpart and fellow USA junior national team candidate didn’t fare as well, however.

Turner, the Class 6A Player of the Year, surrendered all 10 runs (seven earned) in six innings of action against the Wildcats’ balanced lineup. It was a rare off night for the University of Tennessee signee, who finished the regular season with a 1.76 earned run average and 158 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.

In spite of the late season defeat, the Gators, like Academy at the Lakes, are hoping for a deep playoff run since ending the regular season 20-5 overall and 9-1 in district play. Land O’ Lakes finished last season as the Class 6A state runner-up after falling to Plantation American Heritage in the state title game.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state softball championships begin May 8 and continue through May 24 for all classifications.

Published May 08, 2019

Academy at the Lakes’ athletic trainer Makenzie Brinker, right, examines the injuries of player Jessica Mott, who was hit by a pitch in the first inning.
Land O’ Lakes High School senior Shelby Westbrook up at bat in the third inning. Westbrook was walked to first.
Academy at the Lakes’ Coach Diane Stephenson gives a pep talk to batter Kacey Atkins during the second inning of the game.

Locals shine at boys weightlifting

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A handful of locals turned in top-notch performances at the 2019 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) boys weightlifting state championships, held last month in Panama City.

Standouts included Sunlake High School seniors Caleb Huff and Victor Velez, who each won a gold medal in Class 2A. Huff won in the 119-pound division and Velez won in the 129-pound division.

Sunlake High seniors Caleb Huff, left, and Victor Velez both claimed gold medals at the 2019 FHSAA boys weightlifting state championships in Panama City. Huff won first place in the 119-pound division and Velez won first in the 129-pound division. The duo stands with Sunlake boys weightlifting coach Matt Smith. (Courtesy of Sunlake High School)

Huff registered a 255-pound bench press and a 225-pound clean-and-jerk for an aggregate total of 480 pounds, besting the second place finisher, Oakleaf’s Michael Williams (420 total).

The feat marked Huff’s second-straight weightlifting state title.

He finished first place last year in the 119-pound division, with a 230-pound bench and a 200-pound clean-and-jerk for a 430 total.

Huff also had a strong showing at the state meet as a sophomore two years ago, where he finished in sixth place in the same weight class.

Velez, meanwhile, posted a 260-pound bench and 250-pound clean-and-jerk for a 510 total. He bested Wiregrass Ranch High senior Alex Alvarez, who placed second with a 480 total on a 255-pound bench and a 205-pound clean-and-jerk.

Velez finished second at last year’s state meet in the 129-pound weight class, with a 450 total.

The lifts of Huff and Velez carried Sunlake to a fifth-place team finish, best among all local schools.

In the Class 1A meet, Zephyrhills High senior Ethan Vest placed second overall in the heavyweight division with a 425-pound bench and 335-pound clean-and-jerk for a 760 total. That was behind Union County’s Agelu Nunu, who set a state record with a 525-pound bench press, to go along with a 300-pound clean-and-jerk for an 825 total.

In the 139-pound division, Cypress Creek High senior Connor O’ Malley placed fifth with a 255-pound bench and 225-pound clean-and-jerk for a 465 total.

Several other local lifters competed in the state meet, but did not place among the top six across the various weight class divisions. Zephyrhills had the most state meet participants among local schools, with seven lifters.

State results from area weightlifters and teams

Class 2A
Team results
Sunlake — fifth place (14 points)
Wiregrass Ranch—tied 13th place (5)
Land O’ Lakes — no placing (0)

119 pounds: Caleb Huff, senior, Sunlake: first place; 255-225—480

129 pounds: Victor Velez, senior, Sunlake: first place; 260-250—510; Alex Alvarez, senior, Wiregrass Ranch: first place; 275-205—480

Class 1A
Zephyrhills— tied 13th place (5 points)
Cypress Creek— tied 26th (2)

139 pounds: Connor O’ Malley, senior, Cypress Creek: fifth place; 255-210–465

Heavyweight: Ethan Vest, senior, Zephyrhills: second place; 425-335—760

Other area lifters who participated in the state meet

Class 2A
139 pounds: Alex Hall, senior, Sunlake (255-200—455)

169 pounds: Kevin Sacco, senior, Land O’ Lakes (scratch)

Class 1A
119 pounds: Garrett Ellison, senior, Zephyrhills (165-0—165)

129 pounds: Justin Clark, junior, Zephyrhills (195-205—400)

154 pounds: Dylan Hitchner, senior, Zephyrhills (255-230 — 485)

199 pounds: Samuel Bergeron, senior, Zephyrhills (scratch)

219 pounds: Caleb Keeling, senior, Zephyrhills (320-0—320)

238 pounds: Cameron Helms, senior, Zephyrhills (350-255—605)

Published May 01, 2019

Imagine School captures girls soccer title

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Caidee Sumner and Bella Wood were determined to end their middle school soccer careers on a high note.

The eighth-grade team co-captains did just that — leading the Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes Dragons to the 2019 Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) girls soccer championship title.

“It’s our last year here and we wanted to go out as a champion,” Wood said.

The Dragons (9-2) entered the TCAL playoffs as a No. 3 seed, after losing its only regular season contests to Learning Gate Community School and Lutz Preparatory School, respectively.

The Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes girls soccer team won the 2019 Tampa Charter Athletic League championship. It marked the middle school team’s second title in three seasons. (Courtesy of Sam Koleduk)

In each of those defeats, the Dragons were without one of those team captains.

But, with its top two players fully available for the playoffs, the Dragons were poised to claim its second TCAL title in three years.

Sumner’s presence was undoubtedly felt in the games that mattered most.

In the semifinal game against the No. 2 seed Learning Gate, Sumner scored an unheard of four goals in the team’s 5-3 win.

She followed that performance in the title game, scoring the lone goal in the 1-0 win against No. 1 seed Lutz Prep.

It was par for the course for the Dragons forward, who led the team with 42 goals.

Said Sumner, “It’s really nice just to know that my last year here, I get to score the last goal. The ball got up the field by our team for me to score, so I mean it’s a team effort.”

She added: “Every goal I scored, I was thinking for our team, ‘I have to score. I’m the scorer. I have to score for us to win.’ Every goal was for this team, which was really nice just to score to know that like we’re going to win, and the team’s behind me.”

As the one-nil score would indicate, Lutz Prep was the Dragons’ toughest test all season long.

The Dragons figured as much heading into the game.

“We were fighting the whole time, until we scored the goal,” Wood said.

“We had that drive just to win,” Sumner said. “I told them (teammates) before, ‘We have to fight hard if we want to win this game, and we did. We came through.”

The victory added extra meaning as it marked the third straight year the two local charter schools have matched up in the title game. The Dragons lost to the Bolts in last year’s championship, but won in 2017.

“Those are our rivals. We always want to beat them,” Sumner said.

Such familiarity helped the Dragons’ game plan for the Bolts, Sumner said.

She explained: “Over the years, we learned that they had a few of their stronger players we have to watch out for, so we just focused on them, marking them, blocking them, like putting them down so they just didn’t get the ball much.”

The championship put a bow on a season where the Dragons posted seven shutouts and outscored opponents 75 to 9.

It was also a proper sendoff for a quartet of eighth-graders moving on to the high school ranks, made up of Sumner, Wood, Natalie Magharus and Trinity Slone. The rest of the team’s fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders are expected to return next season.

“I’ll miss everyone because it was so fun,” said Wood, who’s moving on to Land O’ Lakes High School with Sumner. “We were a family, and it’s going to be hard to leave them because we’ve known them for three years.”

The season likewise couldn’t have ended any better for Dragons first-year coach Henry Cheung, who coaches the team alongside Saint Leo Hall of Famer Sam Koleduk.

“Overall, it’s a good season. I am proud with the girls for what they did, and I’m happy my first year coaching I got a championship,” Cheung said.

He added: “The girls are hardworking. They gave everything they had.”

Coaching chops aside, Cheung credited the team’s talent level and ability to play together as reasons for the on-field success.

“We’re united,” he said, noting the team knows how to play well together.

And, despite the exodus of Sumner, Wood and the others, the coach has high hopes for next season.

“I’m looking forward to next year,” Cheung said. “Under coach Sam (Koleduk) and all the other girls, we’ll do good next year, too.”

2019 Imagine School girls soccer roster

  • Abigail Courtney
  • Madalyn Courtney
  • Lilie Shen-Dale
  • Ava Folkman
  • Emily Folkman
  • Angelisse Force
  • Natalia Magharus
  • Aurora Nelson
  • Julissa Novillo
  • Siena Pena
  • Madylena Perez
  • Annelisa Russo
  • Trinity Slone
  • Mya Smith
  • Caidee Sumner (co-captain)
  • Gabriella Suppa
  • Payton Webster
  • Bella Wood (co-captain)
  • Keeley Yarbrough
  • Coach: Sam Koleduk
  • Coach: Henry Cheung

Notable performers

  • Caidee Sumner — 42 goals, 13 assists, 97 points
  • Bella Wood — 15 goals, 17 assists, 47 points
  • Annelisa Russo — 13 goals, 9 assists, 35 points
  • Julissa Novillo — 3 goals, 12 assists, 18 points
  • Madylena Perez— 4 goals, 7 assists, 15 points
  • Lilie Shen-Dale— 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points
  • Keeley Yarbrough — 7 shutouts

By the numbers

  • 9-2 overall record
  • 75 goals scored
  • 9 goals allowed
  • 7 shutouts

Game-by-game results for 2019 season

  • New Springs School (13-0 win)
  • Sunlake Academy (15-0 win)
  • Henderson Hammock (10-0 win)
  • Trinity School (7-0 win)
  • Learning Gate (1-0 loss)
  • Lutz Prep (5-4 loss)
  • Hillsborough Academy (7-0 win)
  • Classical Prep (6-1 win)
  • Terrace Community (7-0 win)
  • Tampa Charter Athletic League Semi-Final: at No. 2 seed Learning Gate (5-3 win)
  • Tampa Charter Athletic League Championship: at No. 1 seed Lutz Prep (1-0 win)

Published April 17, 2019

Sunlake sweeps conference track championships

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For the second straight year, the Sunlake High track and field program reigned supreme at the Sunshine Athletic Conference (SAC) Eastside championship meet, as its boys and girls teams earned first-place overall finishes to best six other east Pasco high schools.

Liina Winborn, of Sunlake High School, right, in the lead over Natalie Abernathy, of Land O’ Lakes High School, during the girls 1600-meter run. (Christine Holtzman)

The Sunlake boys team tallied 189 points, comfortably ahead of second place Wiregrass Ranch (101) and third place Land O’ Lakes (94.5).

The Sunlake girls team registered 253.5 points, more than doubling the point totals of both Wiregrass Ranch and Land O’ Lakes, who tied for second with 125 points.

Cypress Creek, Pasco, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills also participated in the April 3 meet at Cypress Creek Middle High School in Wesley Chapel.

Both Seahawks squads combined to place first in 18 of the 34 events.

That included a near sweep of middle and long distance events, which encompasses the 4×800 relay, 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs. Land O’ Lakes senior Natalie Abernathy was the lone non-Sunlake distance runner to win an event, placing first in the girls 3200-meter, clocking 11:46.60.

D’narijo Troupe, of Sunlake High School, competes in the high jump.

The feats by many of Sunlake’s distance runners shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the success of the school’s cross-country teams this past fall. At the 2018 FHSAA Class 3A state championships in Tallahassee, the Seahawks boys team finished fourth overall and the girls placed 10th.

Grueling summer and fall workouts for cross-country hence laid the groundwork for track season, Sunlake distance coach Randal Reeves said.

“We kind of knew we were going to be out front,” Reeves said of the conference meet.

“They’ve been working their butts off.”

Allison Fleming, of Wiregrass Ranch High School, jumps over a hurdle during the girls 300-meter hurdles race.

Sunlake junior distance runner Liina Winborn turned in one of the more noteworthy meet performances.

She took first place — and set personal bests —  in both the girls 1600-meter (5:09.25) and 800-meter (2:27.35). She opted not to compete the 3200-meter run, though she was seeded No. 2 entering the event.

Winborn’s mark in the 1600-meter was particularly eye-opening — a whopping 21 seconds quicker than second-place finisher, Abernathy (5:30.49), a two-time SAC East Track Athlete of the Year.

“I feel really great because I PR’d and I tried my best, and I had a lot of great supporters out here,” Winborn said of her meet results.

“I want to do my best every race. I don’t really have a specific time in mind. I just set my goals high to where they can be achievable.”

Donte Sol, running for Wesley Chapel High School, is in the lead during the boys 400-meter dash.

Winborn has picked up right where she left off in the fall, where she finished sixth in the Class 3A cross country state meet.

Established as one the state’s top distance runners, Winborn is receiving looks from “quite a few” NCAA Division I programs, her coach said.

“Overall, as a runner, she’s probably top 10 in the state, performance-wise,” Reeves said.

Her achievements — in track and cross-country — don’t come by accident.

Reeves said the distance runner has never missed a practice — even in times when she’s been sick. The coach added Winborn also makes it a point to train alongside the top distance runners on the boys team.

“She is a coach’s dream,” Reeves said. “She does everything I ask of her — and asks for more. Her dedication really says it all. She puts it all out there, and she’s a leader in that regard.”

2019 Pasco County Sunshine Athletic Conference Eastside championships

Team Scores (Boys)
1) Sunlake (189 points)

2) Wiregrass Ranch (101)

3) Land O’ Lakes (94.5)

4) Wesley Chapel (84)

5) Zephyrhills (75.5)

6) Cypress Creek (68)

7) Pasco (28)

Event winners
Track events
100-meter dash: Cartrell Strong, Zephyrhills, senior (11.22)

200-meter dash: Donte Sol, Wesley Chapel, senior (22.62)

400-meter dash: Donte Sol, Wesley Chapel, senior (48.75)

800-meter run: Edward Scheid, Sunlake, junior (2:03.38)

1600-meter run: Dominic Burleson, Sunlake, senior (4:32.20)

3200-meter run: Dominic Burleson, Sunlake, senior (10:15.09)

110-meter hurdles: Brian Parker, Wiregrass Ranch, junior (15:46)

300-meter hurdles: Brian Parker, Wiregrass Ranch, junior (40.64)

4×100-meter relay: Zephyrhills — Maguire Neal, freshman; Ja’Quan Sheppard, senior; Clayton Cornelius, sophomore; Cartrell Strong, senior (43.33)

4×400-meter relay: Sunlake — Issac Taveras, junior; Ludcheel Colas, junior; Cade Whitfield, sophomore; Edward Scheid, junior (3:31.51)

4×800: Sunlake — Dominic Burleson, senior; Edward Scheid, junior; Cade Whitfield, sophomore; Ludcheel Colas, junior (8:10.62)

Field events
High jump: Isaiah Burns, Wesley Chapel, sophomore (5 feet, 10.75 inches)

Pole vault: Shayne Tenpow, Sunlake, senior (11 feet, 0.25 inches)

Long jump: Jacquez Mobley, Pasco, senior (20 feet, 6.50 inches)

Triple jump: Cartrell Strong, Zephyrhills, senior (43 feet, 8.50 inches)

Shot put: Kasean Ridgel, Wiregrass Ranch, senior (49 feet, 10.50 inches)

Discus: Joseph Perez, Sunlake, senior (151 feet, 9 inches)

Team Scores (Girls)
1) Sunlake (253.5 points)

2) Wiregrass Ranch (125)

2) Land O’ Lakes (125)

4) Cypress Creek (60.5)

5) Wesley Chapel (39)

6) Zephyrhills (33)

7) Pasco (9)

Event winners
Track events
100-meter dash: Delcina Gilespie, Cypress Creek, junior (12.58)

200-meter dash: Gianna Levy, Sunlake, junior (26.70)

400-meter dash: Gianna Levy, Sunlake, junior (1:02.18)

800-meter run: Liina Winborn, Sunlake, junior (2:27.35)

1600-meter run: Liina Winborn, Sunlake, junior (5:09.25)

3200-meter run: Natalie Abernathy, Land O’ Lakes, senior (11:46.60)

100-meter hurdles: Allison Fleming, Wiregrass Ranch, junior (16:35)

300-meter hurdles: Allison Fleming, Wiregrass Ranch, junior (47.63)

4×100-meter relay: Sunlake — Nia Johnson, junior; Jaymonda Calmes, Gianna Levy, junior; Hannah Kilmer, junior (49.97)

4×400-meter relay: Land O’ Lakes — Ashley Doers, junior; Lauren Bates, junior; Abigail Perez, junior; Lizzie Epps, freshman (4:19.01)

4×800-meter relay: Sunlake — Shannon Gordy, sophomore; Ashley Spires, sophomore; Emma Burleson, freshman; Justine Ruhlman, senior (10:19.77)

Field events
High jump: Ondrasha Joel, Wiregrass Ranch, freshman (4 feet, 11 inches)

Pole vault: Juliette Pacheco, Sunlake, junior (10 feet)

Long jump: Gianna Levy, Sunlake, junior (17 feet, 2 inches)

Triple jump: Jayda Forester, Sunlake, junior (33 feet, 8 inches)

Shot put: Lauryn Beacham, Sunlake, senior (38 feet, 4.25 inches)

Discus: Lauryn Beacham, Sunlake, senior (108 feet, 10 inches)

Published April 10, 2019

Land O’ Lakes tennis standout eyes district title

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After a sophomore campaign that yielded an undefeated mark in regular season dual matches and being named Sunshine Athletic Conference Eastside Girls Tennis Player of the Year, Land O’ Lakes High School’s Courtney Piltaver has even bigger goals in sight this season.

The junior is eyeing a 6-3A district title.

“I’m hoping to win districts this year,” she said.

Beyond that, Piltaver is hoping for a deep run in the Florida High School Athletic Association state series, at regionals and possibly a state qualification.

Land O’ Lakes High School varsity girls tennis standout Courtney Piltaver is the reigning Sunshine Athletic Conference Eastside Girls Tennis Player of the Year. She’s building off last season’s sophomore campaign with a 4-0 start to the 2019 regular season. (Kevin Weiss)

In doing so, Piltaver must first avenge last season’s defeat in the district finals — a back-and-forth battle to East Lake’s Marissa Penning, who’s currently ranked among the state’s top 25 sophomores by Tennis Recruiting Network.

“It was like a really close match; it was a good, long one,” Piltaver recalled.

Penning, however, transferred schools and is not competing at the high school circuit this year, said Piltaver, who often trains and plays with the Clearwater sophomore in high-level USTA junior tournaments.

That could open the door for an elusive district crown and maybe more.

“I’m not sure if there’s any other competition coming out of East Lake, because typically a lot of good players come from there, so hopefully I can make it to the states,” Piltaver said.

Of course, Piltaver would again like to repeat as east Pasco’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year and garner all-conference first-team honors. “That’d be nice,” she quipped.

Piltaver said winning the awards last year “made me feel good, like I accomplished something that I worked really hard towards, so it was just another thing that made me feel good about all the work I put into tennis.”

She’s certainly on the right track again, with a 4-0 mark on the 2019 season.

“I’m hoping to stay undefeated this (regular) season,” she said, “which I’m thinking I will.”

The tennis standout has the work ethic to back up her play.

In addition to regular high school practices and matches, Piltaver trains five days a week at the Dobsha Tennis Academy in Odessa, where she fine tunes technical skills, including serves and footwork; on weekends, she competes in high-level USTA (United States Tennis Association) junior tournaments.

When it comes to the court, Piltaver means business, said Land O’ Lakes girls tennis coach Jen Gaete.

“She’s really focused; you can see the high energy,” Gaete said. “She does have that wanting to pursue, wanting to chase the dreams.

“She’s really just driven by the sport and wanting to do well,” the coach added.

Gaete also noted Piltaver is quick to give her teammates positive feedback and pointers during matches, offering in-game strategy and reminding less experienced players about techniques, such as proper racket grip, court positioning and so on.

“She’s always willing,” Gaete said. “She helps me with a lot of those leadership roles and wanting to give the girls some coaching.”

Gaete went on: “She’s encouraging of the others. It’s always about being a part of the team.”

Handling the grind of the sport comes naturally for Piltaver, who’s been playing tennis nine-plus years.

“I just love playing, I love competing,” Piltaver said, “and, I just like to challenge myself, and I think that has like really helped me with life skills. Yeah, it gets hard sometimes but, honestly, I just love doing something. Like, it’s really become my life.”

Besides her all-around tennis skillset, Piltaver said her biggest strides of late have come from upping her physical fitness and mental focus — areas that have come in handy during long, drawn-out matches in the Florida heat.

“I feel like I have the body and the mentality to be an athlete, and I think that’s really the thing that’s gotten me so far, said Piltaver, who’s ranked among the state’s top 80 players for the 2020 recruiting class by Tennis Recruiting Network. “When matches get really tough I’m able to stay in it and not lose focus, which is something really important.”

She added, “The sun out here is really horrible, so just being able to endure that for two hours and play another match after that definitely was a big jump.”

Mental and physical strength also helped her recover from a pair of back injuries in recent years.

Early on in her freshman season, Piltaver suffered a grade 3 back strain. She was only able to compete in one high school match and therefore ineligible for postseason play.

“It’s weird because I’ve never been injured and then all of a sudden I hurt my back and then I was out for like five months because it was really bad,” Piltaver said, noting it took another few months to get back to her regular form. “Once you get past the struggle point you’re like, ‘OK,’ and then you start taking off.”

And, before the start of this season, Piltaver was in a car accident, sustaining pulled ligaments in her back.

A less serious injury compared to her freshman year, Piltaver was only sidelined her for a couple weeks before returning to action; she said she now feels 100 percent.

“I’m fine,” Piltaver said. “I think it was just sore. I needed to let my body rest.”

Now fully healthy, Piltaver is looking to play in as many USTA junior tournaments as possible —in addition to her high school slate — to prepare for what lies ahead at the next level, as one of very few tennis players from Pasco County receiving offers to play collegiate tennis.

Piltaver’s actively going through the college recruiting process and considering multiple NCAA Division II schools, including Belmont-Abbey College, Barton College, University of Montavello, Limestone College, and North Greenville University, to name a few.

Piltaver said she’s considering Division II schools “mostly because I feel like academics is important, and I just feel like they have the better academic side that I was looking for.”

Said Piltaver, “I’m trying to get my officials visits in September, so I can sign in early fall, because that’s really what I’m looking toward.”

Published March 27, 2019

Land O’ Lakes standout finds home in new pro football league

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Not too long ago, Shaheed Salmon was making thumping defensive stops as an All-State linebacker all over the gridiron of John Benedetto Stadium at Land O’ Lakes High School.

He’s still doing the same — now, as a professional football player.

The 2014 Land O’ Lakes High graduate is a backup linebacker in the American Alliance of Football’s (AAF) Birmingham Iron franchise.

The league is about the closest level to the NFL as you can get.

Former Land O’ Lakes High standout Shaheed Salmon is now playing professional football in the Alliance of American Football’s Birmingham Iron franchise, where he’s a reserve linebacker. Salmon graduated from Land O’ Lakes in 2014, then went on to star at Division I FCS Samford University. (Courtesy of Birmingham Iron)

It features numerous NFL veteran players and coaches, plus dozens of big names from the college football ranks.

Salmon’s team alone includes one of the league’s most recognizable faces — running back Trent Richardson, a former NFL first round pick and two-time BCS National Champion and All-American at the University of Alabama.

“The competition — it’s great,” Salmon said in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “You look to your left and you’re playing with someone who played at Alabama, at the highest level, even in the NFL.”

The AAF launched this year by television producer Charlie Ebersol and Hall of Fame NFL general manager Bill Polian.

The eight-team, 10-game season league is an unofficial complement to the NFL by showcasing developing talent.

Play began in February, with games broadcast on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NFL Network and other properties.

Salmon played collegiately at Division I FCS Samford (Homewood, Alabama), where he developed into an All-Conference standout as one of the nation’s most productive tacklers.

Post-college, the 6-foot-2, 227-pound Salmon signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May.

He was cut three months later after suffering an ankle injury.

Salmon admittedly was unsure what the future held for his football career, as he worked to rehab his injury and get back into playing shape.

“There was definitely a week or two I was kind of confused of what I was going to do next with my path,” Salmon said.

Salmon said he considered entering the Canadian Football League, but “luckily I got a contract to come to the Alliance.”

Salmon made the 52-man Iron squad following a league-wide training camp back in January.

Salmon has, like other AAF players, a non-guaranteed contract worth $250,000 over three years, with additional bonuses tied to performance, statistics and fan engagement.

Shaheed Salmon lettered all four years at Land O’ Lakes, earning All-State, All-Conference and All-County nods. The linebacker registered 261 career tackles and 20.5 sacks, including 117 stops as a senior. (File)

While not NFL money, it’s still a good chunk of change by most standards.

Moreover, Salmon gets to play in a city that’s just a stone’s throw away from his old college stomping grounds.

“You know, I feel real comfortable here in the 205 (area code),” Salmon said, “because I look at the fans and I see a lot of familiar faces, just coming to support me and stuff, so it’s really neat to be back in Birmingham.”

He’s quickly made a name for himself as a pro.

Salmon received some national attention when he made a pivotal play in the Iron’s Week 2, 12-9 win over the Salt Lake City Stallions on Feb. 16.

In a nationally televised broadcast on TNT, Salmon recovered a fumble — forced by teammate Jamar Summers on a punt return — in the end zone near the end of the third quarter, shifting momentum the Iron’s way as it fought back from a deficit.

Recognition followed on national television, sports websites and social media.

Salmon remains humble about the moment.

“I was just grateful for the touchdown. Jamar made an excellent play, and I just kind of did my job and I was at the right place at the right time,” he said.

Besides the fumble recovery for touchdown, Salmon has one assisted tackle through three games, playing mainly in a reserve role.

Like others in the AAF, Salmon dreams of getting to the NFL someday.

The AAF is regarded as a farm system of sorts for the NFL.

In fact, the league has an “NFL out” written into its player contracts, allowing players in the league to sign with an NFL team if given the opportunity.

“That’s everyone’s goal in this league; everyone’s trying to get back to the NFL,” Salmon said.

Salmon acknowledged that widespread goal brings an added layer of competitiveness and intensity to the startup league.

He explained: “Everyone that’s in this league was pretty much told no (by NFL teams), so it kind of makes them hungry, so that everyone’s a competitor.”

Salmon’s more immediate target, however, isn’t on the NFL.

Instead, it’s striving to do the best he can for the Iron.

“I’m just trying to perfect myself in this defense that we’re playing in,” he said. “I’m just focused right now on this team.”

Meantime, Salmon reflects fondly on his days at Land O’ Lakes.

He lettered in football all four years, collecting 261 career tackles and 20.5 sacks, including 117 stops as a senior in 2013.

The pro footballer said his favorite year as a Gator was as a wide-eyed freshman on varsity in 2010.

(That team finished 9-2, but later had all its wins forfeited after being found guilty of recruiting violations by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).)

“I was on varsity, so it was just an exciting feeling (as a freshman),” Salmon said. “We were pretty good, too, so I just soaked up all the knowledge I could from the older guys and stuff, so that experience was pretty cool.”

Salmon can next be seen in action March 9, when the Iron hosts the Orlando Apollos. Game start is scheduled for 2 p.m., ET on B/R Live. The game can be streamed online at Live.bleacherreport.com.

Published March 6, 2019

Stellar hoops season ends for Land O’ Lakes

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The Land O’ Lakes High varsity boys basketball team’s banner season — and hopeful bid for a state finals appearance — has come to a close.

After winning a district championship and then dismantling King High 62-35 in the regional quarterfinals, the Gators fell at home to Hillsborough High 52-36 in the Class 7A regional semifinals, on Feb. 26.

The defeat ends what was one of the best hoops seasons ever for Land O’ Lakes, who finish the 2018-2019 season with a 24-3 record and a 7-0 district mark, under longtime coach Dave Puhlaski.

The Land O’ Lakes High boys basketball team finished the 2018-2019 season with a district title and a 24-3 record. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High Athletics)

Land O’ Lakes last surpassed the 20-win plateau during the 2011-2012 season — when they went 22-7 and also won a district crown.

The Gators entered the playoff contest against Hillsborough on a 16-game winning streak.

Their last defeat had come on Jan. 1, a 72-65 overtime loss to Wildwood Middle High in the Greg O’ Connell New Year’s Shootout tournament; the team’s other loss was against Wesley Chapel High 57-53, on Dec. 21.

But, the Terriers’ (27-2) size and experience proved too much for Land O’ Lakes, with a roster featuring nine seniors and six players 6-foot-5 or taller.

Land O’ Lakes shot 29 percent from the field and had just two players in double figures, as standout junior guards Chase Farmer and Mehki Perry scored 11 points apiece.

(Hillsborough went on to qualify for the state final four after beating Auburndale High 75-71 in the Class 7A regional final on March 1.)

Disappointing defeat aside, the Gators again figure to be one of the area’s top contenders next season.

The team expects to return its top four scorers, including Farmer (19.1 ppg) and Perry (14.1 ppg), and leading rebounder, 6-foot-5 post Brett Gwinn (6.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg).

Meantime, another local school hoping for a state finals appearance also saw its season come to an end.

The Freedom High boys basketball team fell to Wharton High 69-51 in the Class 8A regional semifinals, on Feb. 26.

The Patriots finished the season with a 25-4 record and 12-2 district mark.

Unlike Land O’ Lakes however, the Patriots may be in for some rebuilding next year, as the team loses nine seniors, including its top five scorers and rebounders.

2018-2019 Land O’ Lakes High varsity boys basketball

  • Myron Bloom, senior
  • Jerry Cribbs, freshman
  • Levi Downing, junior
  • Emmanuel Durojaiye, senior
  • Chase Farmer, junior
  • Brett Gwinn, junior
  • Justin Knowles, senior
  • Dayvion Luqman, junior
  • Aleks Marczak, senior
  • Jerry Peace, junior
  • Mekhi Perry, junior
  • Nate Santana, sophomore
  • AJ Smith, junior
  • Dave Puhlaski, Head coach, 30th year

Published March 06, 2019