The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Lutz Sports

Steinbrenner softball claims best season in school history

By

When Brenda Leach took over as coach of the Steinbrenner Warriors, everyone was hoping for a good beginning, but they didn’t know exactly what to expect.

Leach is just the second head softball coach in the school’s history, and the team has never had a losing season since they began play in 2009.

So, when Leach led the team to its best season in school history, it certainly was a good start to her tenure.

The Warriors had a lot of youth on their softball team -- just two seniors -- but they came together and had the best season in school history. (Courtesy of Maureen Famiano)
The Warriors had a lot of youth on their softball team — just two seniors — but they came together and had the best season in school history.
(Courtesy of Maureen Famiano)

And while she expected a good year, even Leach wasn’t expecting as much as her team delivered.

“I had no idea that our record and accomplishments would be what they ended up being,” she said.

The numbers ended up being impressive no matter how you analyze them.

The Warriors compiled a 22-8 record, eclipsing 20 wins in one season for the first time in school history.

And while they won some close games, many victories were dominating performances. Steinbrenner recorded eight shutouts and scored 10 or more runs 10 different times. They began their season with 53 runs in their first three games alone.

While it is important to score runs and win games, those aren’t the only measures of a successful year.

If a team falls short in the district tournament, for instance, all that work won’t amount to much.

But Steinbrenner had its most successful year in that regard. The team claimed the Class 7A District 8 title after slipping past Wiregrass Ranch by a 2-1 margin.

The team then went to the regional tournament.

The Warriors have done that before, but after beating East Bay and Plant City, they reached the regional final for the first time. And while it ended that tournament with a 7-1 loss to Bartow, Leach remains very happy with how the year turned out.

“I’m so proud of all the accomplishments, so many successes this year to be proud of, it’s an amazing feeling,” she said.

While it was Leach’s first year at the helm, it wasn’t her first year with the school. She had served as an assistant the two previous seasons, so the players didn’t have to adjust to hearing advice from someone they didn’t know.

Still, Leach wanted to do things her way, and that meant both adding and eliminating some things from the program.

For instance, she added conditioning for six weeks before spring tryouts so the team would be physically ready for the upcoming season.

Before that, she encouraged all players — not just freshmen and sophomores — to participate in Miss Tampa Bay Softball, an unofficial fall league utilized by players who want to get in some year-round work. Playing together earlier helped them work as a team from the beginning, since they were already familiar with each other.

There were eliminations, too. Specifically, the bickering that sometimes occurs in sports teams. Leach wanted everyone to understand that there’s a job to do, and the Warriors weren’t going to waste time fighting with each other when they could be working to defeat their next opponent.

According to sophomore pitcher Emalee Jansen, it worked.

“We had a great bonding relationship, the entire team,” Jansen said. The Warriors would do things together outside of softball as well, like a dolphin tour over spring break. And when they won the district title, Leach invited them to her house to watch the game together.

Part of the team’s synergy came out of respect for their coach, Jansen explained. After playing softball at Gaither High School (where she won a state title in 1996), Leach was a first-team, all-region outfielder at Hillsborough Community College. She then continued her softball career at Ashland University in Ohio. Having an accomplished athlete guiding them gave the team an opportunity to learn from someone who had already achieved success, and gave them confidence in her approach.

“It was easy to relate to her, because she played college ball,” Jansen said. “She’s just a great overall coach.”

Leach will have a chance to repeat the team’s success next year with returning players like Jansen. Overall the team is losing just two seniors, and while they were important to the team, Leach believes they can fill those gaps and compete in the district and region again.

She also believes that the team’s playoff experience, including the loss, will help them going forward.

“These girls did not enjoy the feeling of losing in the regional final, and I think they’re going to come back more determined and more ready to work, and I think they want it bad as well,” Leach said.

Jensen agrees.

“We’re not done yet,” she said. “We’re striving for better achievements.”

Published May 13, 2015

 

Girls’ basketball team achieves perfect season

By

The Academy at the Lakes Middle Division girls’ basketball team won its league last season and team coach, Marla Oliver, was hoping it would be good enough to repeat as champions this year.

But she got much more than she expected.

The Academy at the Lakes Middle Division girls’ basketball team claimed its second consecutive league championship by achieving a perfect season. From left are coach Marla Oliver and players Zoe Moore, Zainab Nawaz, Lexi Fernandez, Lexi Kilfoyl, Amelia Cozzolino, Kendra Falby, Jordan Angeles and Bella Robichaux. Not pictured: Haneen McNamee. (Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)
The Academy at the Lakes Middle Division girls’ basketball team claimed its second consecutive league championship by achieving a perfect season. From left are coach Marla Oliver and players Zoe Moore, Zainab Nawaz, Lexi Fernandez, Lexi Kilfoyl, Amelia Cozzolino, Kendra Falby, Jordan Angeles and Bella Robichaux. Not pictured: Haneen McNamee.
(Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)

“I didn’t think that we were going to go undefeated at all,” Oliver said.

But that’s precisely what the Wildcats did. They ran the table, going 13-0 on their way to a second straight league title, making Oliver two-for-two as girls’ basketball coach. She also coached the boys’ basketball team for two years before taking over the girls’ squad.

They had a perfect season, but it wasn’t an easy climb.

As one of the smaller schools in the league, Academy at the Lakes has to deal with not only bigger schools, but older players as well. The Middle Division includes players from fifth-grade through eighth-grade, but since the academy also has a varsity team, their best players often get selected to that squad. That means they often have fifth- and sixth-graders facing eighth-graders from schools without a varsity program.

For Oliver, that meant using her team’s speed to overcome a size advantage from opponents.

“My girls can run,” she said. “Every time we got a rebound, we had our fast break in.”

Taking advantage of rebounds and fast breaks was key to their success, she said. Since that level of basketball often has low-scoring games (many teams don’t even score 20 points), every possession is important.

They were able to outrun many of their opponents, but they had some close calls.

Performing under pressure was good for the team, and it demonstrated players were able to follow the coach’s guidance and execute when necessary, Oliver said.

“I called the timeouts, I tell them what our play is and what our plan is, and they listened to me,” she said.

Listening to the coach was easy for Kendra Falby, a sixth-grader.

Falby described her coach this way: “She just says it like it is. She doesn’t sugarcoat it and water it down. She just gets to the point right away.”

That coaching style means the team has clear goals and knows what they have to do to succeed.

It also means tough practices, but that’s what was necessary to build on last year’s campaign.

Falby, who played for the team last season, is a softball player at heart, but really grew into her role with the basketball team. She scored nine points in the championship game against St. John’s.

Getting better meant taking the coach’s advice and trying some unusual methods, Falby said.

Falby practiced her shooting and lay-up mechanics at home. Falby also listened to her coach, who wanted her to try using her left hand for those plays.

The player said she would even eat with her left hand to get comfortable using it, which made shooting and going for lay-ups as a lefty more natural.

That kind of effort made a second-straight title all the more satisfying.

“It felt amazing because all the hard work we put into it,” Falby said. “It just showed how much I really did care.”

The girls cared so much that they made a special deal with their coach: If they won a second straight championship, Oliver would have special shirts made for them. They won, and now they have championship souvenirs as well.

The coach said she was happy to provide the shirts, and to commemorate back-to-back championships and a perfect season.

“They just worked really hard. They put in extra time and did anything I asked them to do,” Oliver said. “They’re awesome kids.”

Published April 1, 2015

Gimme five: Youth receiver a bowl participant … again

By

For the fifth year in a row, wide receiver Dean Patterson has been named an All-American by the Offense-Defense instructional football camp. He’s also been hand-selected to participate in the organization’s Bowl Week festivities, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando at the end of the year.

Dean Patterson, 12, has been selected to join the Offense-Defense Bowl Week later this year in Orlando. It’s his fifth invitation to the event. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Dean Patterson, 12, has been selected to join the Offense-Defense Bowl Week later this year in Orlando. It’s his fifth invitation to the event.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Even though he’s used to the invitation by now, he still admits to some jitters before he steps onto the field.

“I get kind of nervous and freaked out,” Patterson said. “But as the days (get closer), I normally just get all excited and happy.”

Patterson can be forgiven for his nerves, considering he’s just 12 years old. The seventh-grader, who lives in Lutz and attends Martinez Middle School, plays for the South Pasco Predators Pop Warner football program. He’s played youth football since he was four, and started getting recognition from Offense-Defense when he was seven.

Like many athletes his age, Patterson loves watching football at the higher levels. As a fan of Florida State University and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, he’s seen his teams achieve great success over the past year.

But he doesn’t watch the games like a regular preteen. Patterson keeps his eyes on the receivers, watching their movements, how they get separation from the defenders, and make adjustments to catch the ball. He supports his teams, but he’s also studying them, trying to find qualities he can emulate when he steps onto the field.

His system seems to be working. Each year, Patterson impresses the decision-makers at the Offense-Defense camp, even as he gets older and faces better talent coming to compete for spots at Bowl Week. But his reward includes a number of activities over the course of several days, including practices, a game at the Citrus Bowl, and another on campus at the University of Central Florida in Oviedo.

Even though Patterson’s a regular at the event, his first invitation didn’t even come at receiver. He was a running back at the time, and a cornerback the following year. But since then, he’s settled into the position he loves and plans to stick with it. He enjoys running routes and hearing his mother, Krystal, yell his name from the stands when he makes a big play.

At 5-foot-1, Patterson isn’t the tallest athlete on the team. Weighing 104 pounds, he’s not the biggest. And by his own admission, he’s only third or fourth fastest. It’s the intangibles, hard work and focus that allow him to excel at his position.

“It’s kind of getting to know your quarterback and what speed you have to run,” he said. Adjusting to a ball that might be over or under-thrown and making the catch is part of the job.

His future receiving opportunities include a potential athletic career at Steinbrenner High School when he’s old enough to attend. But before he can suit up for the Warriors, he has to stay focused and remain disciplined.

That includes in the classroom, too. Patterson reads to keep his vocabulary up and makes sure his studies are a primary focus.

“School’s always first,” he said. “You have to make sure you get good grades.”

Patterson also spends a lot of time with his head coach, going over game film and doing exercises every morning. But it’s not hard to schedule those workouts since his father coaches the team.

While it’s not unusual for a father to get involved in his son’s athletics, Robert Patterson had been coaching well before Dean had even seen a pigskin. An athlete himself who played football in high school — and soccer and lacrosse in college — he said that a coach was instrumental in helping him stay focus and motivated, and achieve success beyond high school. He wanted to be that kind of role model for other children, and that now includes his son.

“I’ve been working with at-risk youth for 20 years, helping kids get back on track or stay out of trouble with the law,” Robert Patterson said. “So to be able to do that with your kid, and see him flourish on the football field as well as the classroom, it’s a special deal.”

In addition to practicing three days during the week and playing a game on Saturdays, father and son have a regular early-morning jog that includes push-ups mixed in as well. Dean wakes up at 6:30 every morning to take care of his dog, Brady — named after the famous New England Patriots quarterback — before heading out on their morning routine.

The Pattersons are a close family. Dean’s little sister Kyra is on the cheer squad for the Predators, so she’s on the field while her brother practices at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center.

But they can be competitive, too.

When playing video game football on their Xbox 360, both Dean and Robert agree that dad has the upper hand. But what about a hypothetical match-up between the Patterson men if they were the same age, with Robert at his high school position of cornerback covering Dean as wide receiver? In that case, they have differing opinions over who would get the best of that encounter.

“I don’t know. It would have been a competitive deal, put it that way,” Robert said.

But Dean thinks he’d have the edge and could get open.

“I definitely do think so,” he said with a smile.

Published September 17, 2014

 See this story in print: Click Here

Putting the ‘cool’ back in Oscar Cooler Sports Complex

By

When it comes to baseball, a level playing field is crucial.

That’s one of the reasons a fundraising effort is under way to buy a better grade of clay for the baseball diamonds at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex.

A player warms up in a batting cage at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex. More batting cages are needed to meet the demand. (Courtesy of Lutz Baseball)
A player warms up in a batting cage at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex. More batting cages are needed to meet the demand.
(Courtesy of Lutz Baseball)

Warming up properly is important, as well, to improve form and prevent injuries. And that explains the goal of building additional batting cages for the baseball teams that compete at the park, located at 766 E. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The fundraising effort — which includes a baseball clinic, a golf tournament and an equipment drive — aims to raise money for improvements at the park, said Jeff Stanislow, a member of the Lutz Baseball board.

The organizers came up with a catchy name for their effort, asking people to “Put the Cool Back in Oscar Cooler Park.” They also enlisted the aid of Lou Piniella, whose career in Major League Baseball spanned a half-century, including stints as a player, manager, broadcaster and consultant.

The University of South Florida baseball program also is pitching in by hosting a clinic for players, to help them hone their skills. And Domingo Ayala — a baseball celebrity known for providing comic relief — will be there, too.

Piniella will be a keynote speaker at a banquet following a golf tournament that is at Avila Golf & Country Club on Sept. 15. Organizers hope to attract about 200 baseball players to the clinic and about 120 golfers to the golf tournament.

They want to raise enough money to pay for six new batting cages and some repairs to existing cages. The goal is to have the new baseball cages ready by next February, in time for the spring season.

Organizers also hope to purchase some clay to top dress the diamonds, to help prevent bad bounces and help prevent injuries to players.

“For years we’ve been using the less expensive clay because it’s $300 a truckload, and baseball clay is $1,500 a truckload,” Stanislow said.

Besides reducing bad ball hops and preventing injuries, the more expensive clay lasts longer, he said.

Piniella agreed to volunteer his time to help the cause because he has friends at Oscar Cooler park, Stanislow said, and he lives at Avila, where the golf tournament is being held.

About 300 players compete in the fall league, and about 400 play in the spring league, Stanislow said. About three-quarters come from Lutz, but there also are players from Odessa, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

The park hosts some practice sessions for travel ball teams during the off-season, as well.

“The park is an important place for kids. A place to build relationships. A place to build teamwork,” Stanislow said.

It also provides a healthy alternative to video games or other diversions, which can get them into trouble, he added.

Giving young people healthy diversions was exactly what the late Oscar Cooler had in mind when he pushed Hillsborough County commissioners to provide land for a baseball field in Lutz. When commissioners were dragging their heels about providing funding to build the baseball facility, Cooler recruited community volunteers to get the job done.

That was decades ago. Since then, thousands of youths have enjoyed a sports complex that has brought together generations of families to play and watch sports.

“When you have something of that kind of legacy, that’s been part of a community for so long, it’s really important to embrace that and have that story continue on,” Stanislow said.

Lutz Baseball is a nonprofit organization. For more information, visit LutzBaseball.com.

If you go …
WHAT: ‘Domingo’ Day at Oscar Cooler Sports Complex
WHEN: Sept. 14, with registration at 10:30 a.m., and event concluding with a 3 p.m. awards ceremony
DETAILS: Baseball clinics led by the University of South Florida baseball team, with visits from baseball celebrity Domingo
Ayala; a hit, run and throw contest; a keynote speech from Ayala; and an awards presentation.
COST: $25

VIP Tent Access
Those wanting more personal access to Domingo Ayala can have their pictures taken with him in a VIP tent. Cost is $50 per person, $150 per family

Play It Again Sports equipment drive:
Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at parking lot at Oscar Cooler Park, 766 E. Lutz Lake Fern Road

Play It Again Sports will purchase used sporting equipment from people who wish to donate. Proceeds will help improve the baseball facilities at Oscar Cooler Park. The company will purchase equipment used in all sorts of sports.

Charity Golf and Banquet:
WHERE: Avila Golf & Country Club, 943 Guisando De Avila in Tampa
WHO: Baseball legend Lou Piniella, keynote speaker
WHEN: Sept. 15, with golf tournament at 1 p.m. The banquet and silent auction is from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
COST: Packages and sponsorships range from $75 to $5,000
INFO: LutzBaseball.com

Published September 3, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Lutz player is simply all soccer, all the time

By

Robbie Soronellas is never too far from a soccer ball.

At practice, the 13-year-old is working on drills. In games, he’s the center-midfielder, directing the ball to the teammate with the best chance to advance the attack.

Soronellas’ bedroom is a tribute to his love for soccer, from his bed to his medals to his heroes on the wall. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Soronellas’ bedroom is a tribute to his love for soccer, from his bed to his medals to his heroes on the wall.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

And when he’s at his home in Lutz, he’s usually kicking around a smaller, toy version of a soccer ball.

Soronellas usually earns a lot of praise for his skills. Except when his parents catch him doing it in the house.

“They’ll get mad at me because I might break stuff,” he said.

When it comes to soccer, Soronellas is more likely to break records than home furnishings. He was part of Tampa Bay United’s U-13 team that won the Florida state cup for their age group, and competed in the regional finals in June. The team fell in the regional championship to the Georgia state champion by the score of 2-1.

It wasn’t his first state title — he also won that honor with the Lutz Rangers when he played for the U-11 squad — but Soronellas admits to feeling some pressure in the regional championship.

“I was really nervous going into that game,” he said. “The other team was really big, so I was thinking, ‘Man, it’s going to be really hard to beat them.’”

When it comes to sheer size, big players will always have an advantage over Soronellas. At 5-feet tall and 85 pounds, he won’t tower over any opponents. But he uses his coordination and skills to out-maneuver the other side, and said that smaller players also can pick up extra fouls when players clash.

His team’s success has translated into championships and successful runs in tournaments, but that doesn’t mean a lot of goals to add to his personal statistics. Soronellas didn’t score in the regional tournament or the state cup, and he’s fine with that. As long as the team is doing well and he has space to deliver passes to the team’s scoring threats. It’s more important to put team goals ahead of individual ones.

“My dad always tells me that,” he said.

His father, Frank Soronellas, knows a bit about winning soccer himself. A center-midfielder in his playing days, he helped bring a junior college national championship to Miami-Dade College, and later played for the University of Central Florida.

Soronellas admits his son would have had an edge over him at that same age. He takes pride in watching Robbie play, and notes that it’s his aggressive mindset toward the position that has led to great success.

“He’s a tenacious player,” Frank said of his son. “When he’s on the field he’s not going to let you by.”

That kind of playing style can frustrate opponents, which is exactly what the younger Soronellas wants. Even large, talented players can make mistakes if they’re taken out of the game mentally. It’s part of his team’s strategy, and Soronellas said it becomes obvious when the strategy is working.

“They start yelling at each other and they basically break down,” he said. “Sometimes when you start beating a team really badly, they start getting mad at each other.”

Soronellas tends to stay calm during matches, though he admits to throwing a few tantrums when he was younger (he started playing soccer when he was 4). As he got older, he learned discipline and can now put tough losses in perspective: He’s proud of what Tampa Bay United accomplished in the regional tournament and was excited to see the United States advance to the knockout stages at the World Cup last month.

Perhaps the only time Soronellas gets agitated is when he’s not able to include his favorite game. When there are no matches or practices, he’ll go see his brother Steven play soccer or practice for Steinbrenner High School. Or he’ll do some running at a local community center.

He might even play a soccer video game. And sometimes he’ll grab a smaller ball and do what young athletes have done as long as parents have worried about nice things breaking at home.

“Sometimes around the house I have a mini-soccer ball and I’ll start juggling it,” he said.

Published August 6, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Steinbrenner feeling optimism with new gridiron roster

By

When a high school football team has to replace 22 graduating seniors, it can be devastating to their prospects the following year.

But in Steinbrenner High School’s case, it might be just what they needed.

Andres Bautista is serious about providing leadership in his senior season, and working hard to get Steinbrenner High School’s football team into the playoffs. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Andres Bautista is serious about providing leadership in his senior season, and working hard to get Steinbrenner High School’s football team into the playoffs.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“The attitude and mentality of everybody is that they want to come and work hard. They saw what we struggled with last year, players just giving up,” said Andres Bautista, who plays on the defensive line. “Those seniors, they’re gone, so now we feel we have a better chance of achieving goals.”

Bautista, now a senior himself, is just one of two players who are entering their fourth year with the Warriors, and he believes the roster changes will improve their fortunes. Too many seniors didn’t give it their all, didn’t respond to challenging times, or simply didn’t perform up to their ability, he said.

As a result, the team finished a disappointing 3-7 overall, and 2-3 in the district last season.

Head Coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo, now entering his third year at the helm, isn’t too concerned with dwelling on last year’s fortunes. He’d rather take what he can from the past and apply it toward a more successful future.

“Every year is different in its own way,” Perez-Reinaldo said. “We look at last year’s successes and struggles, learn from them, and work on the new team and the new year.”

The Warriors gave up a district-high 303 points, but they had problems on both sides of the ball. The offense also struggled, both failing to score and committing turnovers, which put the defense in bad situations.

And when put in those situations, coverage issues allowed the opposing team’s offense to capitalize, Bautista said.

But that doesn’t mean Steinbrenner didn’t have significant bright spots. The Warriors were ranked second in kickoffs and punt returns. Not second in the district, nor the region. Steinbrenner was ranked second in those categories ahead of nearly every other school in the state.

Perez-Reinaldo believes that gives the team a significant advantage and can help improve their record in 2014.

“We hope to continue that,” Perez-Reinaldo said of the high special teams ranking. “If you can win those two — special teams and defense — everything else will fall into place.”

Perez also believes his receiving corps will be difference-makers this season. He credits Coach Michael Bosco for his work with the unit, and believes the wide receivers complement each other well.

While it’s too early to know how everything will fall into place, Perez-Reinaldo likes what he’s seen so far. A good work ethic and some success on the field have given him some optimism headed into the regular season.

“I think it’s important for kids to learn how to compete and then learn how to win,” he said. “This off-season, our team has really come together through workouts and seven-on-seven tournaments. We won our first seven-on-seven tournament ever at Steinbrenner this summer, and I see that as evidence that our team is learning how to win.

“Now it’s a matter to translating that to Friday nights.”

Bautista is looking forward to getting back to playing on Friday nights as well, because he missed a few of them last season. A torn meniscus in his right knee ended his 2013 campaign after just five games, and he had to watch the team struggle from the sideline. Now, after a successful return in a spring game (Bautista says his knee is 100 percent), he’s looking forward to providing the senior leadership he feels was lacking last season.

And Bautista believes the best way to provide that leadership is to show that he’s dedicated to seeing Steinbrenner reach the postseason for the first time in his high school career.

“That’s one of our biggest goals, is making the playoffs,” Bautista said. “I’m going to play how I’ve been playing since freshman year: Playing hard and going 110 percent.

“I love football.”

STEINBRENNER WARRIORS

Last Year: 3-7 (2-3 in district play
Fourth place in Class 7A-District 7

Key Returning Players
Andres Bautista, defensive line
Zack Deitz, linebacker

Key Addition
Quentin Poteralski, quarterback
(was a backup last season)

Player to Watch
Kezio Snelling, wide receiver
“Had a breakout year, and he is definitely a guy to watch,” said Coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo.

2014 Warriors Schedule
8/22 – Sunlake
8/29 – at Plant City
9/5 – at Alonso
9/12 – Spoto
9/19 – Sickles
10/2 – at Tampa Bay Tech
10/10 – at Wharton
10/17 – Wiregrass Ranch
10/24 – at Freedom
10/31 – Gaither
11/7 – Jefferson

Published July 30, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Lutz resident headed to Canada for martial arts games

By

Ethan Dillon has a trip to Canada planned for later this year. He’ll probably pack a jacket and some long-sleeve shirts.

He’ll also bring his three black belts.

Ethan Dillon, 14, of Lutz, will represent the United States at the TAFISA World Martial Arts Games in September. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Ethan Dillon, 14, of Lutz, will represent the United States at the TAFISA World Martial Arts Games in September.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Dillon, 14, of Lutz, is one of 60 martial arts athletes selected to represent the United States at The Association For International Sport for All World Martial Arts Games, Sept. 3-7 at The Olympic Oval in Richmond, British Columbia. TAFISA has had World Games every year since 1992, but September will be the organization’s first world games dedicated specifically to martial arts.

Dillon owns a first-degree black belt from Krav Maga Martial Arts, a second-degree black belt from Extreme Martial Arts and a second-degree black belt from Lee Jacobs Christian Karate. His disciplines include karate, mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu, tae kwan do and Krav Maga, a self-defense program used by the Israeli Defense Forces.

He also has a couple of green belts and a white-yellow belt to round out his collection.

While he earns plenty of accolades, Dillon spends little time dwelling on them.

“I don’t look at it too long because there’s always someone out there trying to get that, and if I want it I’m going to have to fight for it,” he said.

When he travels to Canada, he’ll fight to defend three world titles he won at the organization’s 2012 World Games in Austria. TAFISA, which is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Olympic Committee, operates under a “sports for all” philosophy, and includes adult and child competitors of both genders.

Dillon competes in both matches against opponents and through kata, a display of choreographed patterns of movements by himself. Of the two, it’s the one he does alone that’s hardest for him to master.

“I enjoy the kata. It’s a challenge, just because the way my head is, I don’t remember stuff very easily,” he said.

Dillon has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, making it sometimes harder for him to focus or remain still for long periods of time. But his mother, Melony Dillon, said that a decade of martial arts has given Ethan a great deal of discipline and improved his concentration, allowing him to excel in areas on and off the mat.

Even his behavior and attitude is better than most of his peers.

“I have to say, he’s probably one of the better teenagers around,” she said. “I see a young man growing into being a really great young man. Not just with martial arts, but on the whole, being a nice productive citizen.”

Dillon’s productivity on the mat requires a lot of effort and a busy schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Dillon works on traditional martial arts. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s mixed martial arts, a sport that has gained popularity over the years due to high-profile professional leagues such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Fridays are private lessons, and Saturdays are spent with team training.

Most of those days also include weight training, and Dillon has to fit his education in during the school year as well. Dillon is home-schooled, which allows him some flexibility with his schedule. But even his day off, Sunday, is often spent doing some physical activity, like paintball or swimming.

Martial arts also has taken a toll on his body. Dillon has torn ligaments in his right foot and broken his left foot. But he’s always eager to get back from an injury, doing whatever work he can while he heals.

His fighting injuries might take a greater toll on his mother than Dillon himself. While Melony is supportive of her son’s martial arts career, and travels with him to other countries to watch him compete, she hasn’t gotten totally comfortable with watching him get hit.

“It’s really hard sometimes when he’s fighting for me to put my mom hat over here and not go, oh jeez, my son just got hit really bad,” she said.

While it can be tough on his mother, getting hit isn’t usually a problem for Dillon. In fact, he likes to give his opponent the first strike, so he can absorb the first blow and proceed with his own attack unfazed by his opponent.

“It wakes me up, actually,” Dillon said. “I actually laugh sometimes when I get hit.”

Getting hit in Canada is expected, but it also will be expensive. For Ethan and Melony to make the trip, they’ll need around $4,500 to cover basics like equipment and uniforms, flight and lodging.

After fundraising efforts, he still needs to come up with around $1,200 by the end of July.

Dillon’s family goes to a lot of effort to fulfill his busy schedule, with weekly trips to Lakeland, Odessa and Sarasota for training. His 7-year-old sister, Emma Dillon, and his grandmother, Betty Dillon, are also big supporters.

While he works hard to excel and gain recognition, it’s his family’s support that helps keep him going.

“That helps quite a bit because I know that there are some families that push their kids to do this, and then there are other families that don’t even support their kids doing this at all,” he said. “It means a lot to me.”

For more information about Dillon and his fundraising, visit tinyurl.com/EthanDillon. For information about TAFISA, visit TAFISA.net.

Published July 2, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Teen coach is all business on football gridiron

By

On a rather hot day earlier this month, Zachary Cooper attended a football camp at Lutz Chiefs Stadium.

The 16-year-old did some conditioning, went through drills, and even participated in a scrimmage. Later, Cooper said it was a worthwhile event and the participants had a good time.

Zachary Cooper is a 16-year-old coach who takes his work seriously. He’s already coached at the youth football, middle school and high school levels, and has college and arena football in his sights. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Zachary Cooper is a 16-year-old coach who takes his work seriously. He’s already coached at the youth football, middle school and high school levels, and has college and arena football in his sights.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

But he wasn’t there to learn. He was there to teach. It was his camp, and he was the coach.

“I felt it went fantastic. The coaches really came out and they worked their butts off,” Cooper said. “We definitely had some kids that showed their talent and just showed that they are dedicated, and that’s what matters most is dedication. If you’re not dedicated you probably can’t play the sport.”

With some Steinbrenner High School football players to assist him, Cooper led around 50 middle school-aged attendees through a free two-hour camp, teaching them football basics as well as specific skills according to their position.

Cooper is already a recognized leader, serving as head coach for Martinez Middle School and an assistant coach for the junior varsity team at Steinbrenner. He’s also coached for the youth football Lutz Chiefs and been in touch with the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm about participating with their staff.

And Cooper is in discussions with a college in Georgia to continue his education — and his coaching career — once he graduates high school in 2015.

He might still be a couple of years away from voting, but Cooper’s already an experienced football coach who loves teaching the game.

“Being a coach, I really enjoy helping the kids out,” he said.

Cooper acknowledges it might sound strange to hear a teenager talk about “the kids,” especially considering he sometimes coaches athletes who are older than he is. But when teaching middle school players, he believes his age is an advantage.

Instead of having decades separate them, Cooper is just a few years older than they are, so the players relate to him and communicate with him easily. And while the older players might be skeptical at first, after a meeting or two, they’re on board as well.

“What I try and do is prove that I know what I’m doing and help these guys,” Cooper said. “After that, it’s full-on respect.”

That respect comes from the effort Cooper puts into his work. If he’s not guiding players on the field, he’s reviewing game film, or designing his own plays. Even though most of his coaching is for the defensive side of the ball, he has an offensive mind for the game as well. Cooper played offensive line as recently as his sophomore year.

That effort has paid off with players like Steinbrenner wide receiver Fernando Mallicote. The soon-to-be sophomore has learned a lot from Cooper from his time on the Steinbrenner junior varsity squad and the Chiefs.

Mallicote has made the jump to varsity for the fall campaign. Cooper played an instrumental role in helping him improve his game, he said.

“He cares,” Mallicote said. “He doesn’t just coach. He knows what the players are capable of.”

Mallicote helped Cooper with the football camp and said he enjoyed working with younger players, and even learned a few things himself at the event.

While he’s become friends with Cooper, Mallicote said that doesn’t mean anything when they take the field. The young coach will yell with the best of them, trying to wring the most out of his team on game day.

In fact, Cooper is as excited to participate now as he was when he was wearing a uniform.

“I’m probably just as hyped if not more,” he said. “When referees are making those bad calls like they always do, I’m definitely the first one out there to give them the what for.

“When my guys score, you’ll see me jumping up and down, hugging the guys just like I would if I was padded up.”

Cooper might still be padded up if not for a concussion that sidelined him earlier in his career. Coupled with other injuries, Cooper decided that playing the game wasn’t in his future and figured he’d give coaching a try. He didn’t expect to like it as much as he does, but coaching activities now dominate most of his time.

Due to the success of his camp on June 7, he wants to schedule another football-focused event in the future as well.

When he’s not in school or focused on his sideline duties, Cooper is producing the “Two Cents Radio Show,” a sports-related, Internet-based audio program. He also handles commentary for local wrestling shows, which are then streamed on the Internet.

But coaching is never far from his mind, and it’s something he expects will be a part of him for a long time to come.

“I tell my kids, I plan on doing it until my 60s or 70s,” Cooper said.

For more information about Cooper’s show or football camps, visit 2CentsSports.com.

Published June 18, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Four Gaither athletes officially sign on with future colleges

By

College signings are always bittersweet — parents and coaches proud to watch their athletes move on to the next level, but still sad to see them go.

Randy Oliva, from left, Veronica Garcia, Bryan Hartman and Brad Smith take a big step toward life after Gaither High School sports. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Randy Oliva, from left, Veronica Garcia, Bryan Hartman and Brad Smith take a big step toward life after Gaither High School sports.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

And Gaither High School has a strong contingent of athletes heading on to college with scholarships, including four who officially signed with their respective schools last week.

Brad Smith and Bryan Hartman, part of a Cowboys football team that went 5-6 this season, will find themselves playing together next fall as well. Smith, a defensive end and inside linebacker, and Hartman — an inside linebacker — will head to Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“Football isn’t easy nowadays, especially all year round,” head coach Jason Stokes said. “The thing that I know that these young men are going to be successful is just because of their attitude. They do whatever it takes for their teams. They lay it on the line, they play multiple positions, and they don’t come off the field.”

Also heading to college is Veronica Garcia, one of the leaders of Gaither’s volleyball team, who will spend next season at Ave Maria University, located on the northwest side of Alligator Alley in South Florida.

“The best thing I can say about Veronica is that she loves to play volleyball,” coach Tim Boylan said. “I’m so happy for her that she’ll be able to continue playing at the next level. It’s not work for her. She just loves being on a volleyball court.”

Randy Oliva won’t stray too far from home, either. He’s heading to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where he’ll play baseball for the Owls.

“He’s a hardworking guy,” Gaither baseball coach Frank Permuy said. “He’s the first guy on the field, and the last guy to leave every day. He’s one of the guys that always makes me late for dinner.”

Oliva started as a catcher for the Cowboys, but was playing third base by the time his freshman year ended. He moved to second base in his junior year because of an injury, and ended his time at Gaither at shortstop.

“He’s going to have a wonderful career, and not only that, he is a great student,” Permuy said. “He isn’t going to have any problems in college because his work ethic is going to carry him a long way.”

Published May 28, 2014

 

Gators, Warriors girls hoops teams reach new highs

By

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