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This fall, take a hike

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Suffering from pandemic-induced cabin fever? Perhaps some fresh air and outdoor exercise in a local park or preserve can clear the homebound blues.

Maybe it’s best to take a hike.

While so much has changed in this unusual year, at least one thing remains on track: Hillsborough County’s fifth annual Hiking Spree.

Sponsored by the county’s parks and recreation department, the adventure challenge encourages people to exercise, explore the outdoors, and experience nature through numerous parks and preserves.

Lettuce Lake Conservation Park is included in Hillsborough County’s 2021 Hiking Spree. It is one of 20 parks and 25 trails people are encouraged to visit throughout fall and winter. (File)

This year’s trail list features 25 trails at 20 locations throughout the county.

Here’s how the spree works: Complete at least eight trails between November and March 31 and earn a patch, a medallion for a walking stick, or a dog bandana. One of the hikes can be at a location of the participant’s choice that is not on the list of 20 locations.

Participants may hike on their own, or in a group setting with friends and family. Some sites have entrance and parking fees. Hikers may repeat any trail twice for credit, as long as the hikes occur on different dates.

Hiking Spree trails are designed to offer something for everyone, from hiking rookies to seasoned outdoor enthusiasts. Hikes are rated from easy to moderate to strenuous.

Lengths range from less than a mile to 7-miles long — such as the paved loop road at Thonotosassa’s Flatwoods Conservation Park.

Environmentally diverse sites are spread throughout the county and range from neighborhood parks such as Carrollwood Village Park, to large preserves with multiple habitats like the 1,100-acre Lake Dan Nature Preserve in Odessa.

Also, for the first time, this year’s trail list includes two state parks – Alafia River State Park and Little Manatee River State Park, in Lithia and Wimauma, respectively.

A total of seven of the 2021 Hiking Spree parks and preserves fall within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area: Carrollwood Village Neighborhood Park, Peterson Road Park, Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, Lake Rogers Conservation Park, Lake Dan Nature Preserve and Cypress Creek Nature Preserve.

While most parks, preserves and trails are rotated in and out of the Hiking Spree each year, a few locations are constants because they have so much to offer.

That includes Lettuce Lake, one of the county’s most popular parks, at 6920 East Fletcher Ave., in Tampa.

More than half of the park’s property lies in the natural flood plain of the Hillsborough River, consisting of a hardwood swamp forest. The remainder of the park consists of hardwood hammocks and pine flatwoods plant communities.

Within the park is a 1.25-mile paved exercise trail and 3,500-foot boardwalk with an observation tower that provides scenic views of the Hillsborough River and an opportunity to see all sorts of wildlife, from wading birds and songbirds, to even alligators.

Another favorite is the 1.25-mile Singing Bluffs Trail at Edward Medard Conservation Park, 95256 South County Road 39, in Plant City. The trail is noted for unique elevation changes due to some old phosphate mines, alongside plenty of wildlife to admire from afar.

Since its creation in 2016, the Hiking Spree program has grown in popularity each year, now drawing thousands of participants. The five-monthlong achievement window spanning fall and winter is timed to take advantage of the cooler, drier weather and to coincide with prime bird-watching times.

Here’s the list of parks and trails for the 2021 Hiking Spree:

Neighborhood Parks and Recreation Centers — short, paved trails with water and facilities

  • Wortham Neighborhood Park, Riverview: Bluestem Trail (1.4 miles), Sand Pine Trail (1.7 miles)
  • Carrollwood Village Neighborhood Park, Tampa: Laurel Oak Fitness Trail (1 mile)
  • Peterson Road Park, Odessa: Upper Tampa Bay Trail (2.4 miles)
  • Lucy Dell Community Pond, Tampa: Boardwalk Fitness Trail (0.5 miles)
  • Seffner CommUNITY Park & Garden, Seffner: Hickory Fitness Trail (0.75 miles)
  • FishHawk Sports Complex, Tampa: Pandion Fitness Trail (2 miles)
  • Ruskin Neighborhood Park, Ruskin: Quiet Pines Fitness Trail (1.2 miles)

Conservation Parks — Mid-range, well-maintained paths and trails

  • Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, Tampa: Hammock Run (1.25 miles), Boardwalk (0.75 mile)
  • Edward Medard Conservation Park, Plant City: Singing Bluffs (1 mile), Levee Trail (2.64 miles)
  • Lake Rogers Conservation Park, Odessa: Lakeside Trail (1.8 miles)
  • Flatwoods Conservation Park, Thonotosassa: The Big Loop In The Woods (7 miles)
  • Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park, Tampa: Bobcat Trail (0.5 mile), Otter Trail (0.7 mile), Eagle Trail (0.3 mile)

Nature Preserves — No facilities, subject to daily conditions

  • Apollo Beach Nature Preserve, Apollo Beach: Beach Dune Trail (0.2 mile)
  • Lake Dan Nature Preserve, Odessa: West Spur Trail (4.8 miles)
  • Bell Creek Nature Preserve, Riverview: Pine Lily Loop (3.7 miles)
  • Cypress Creek Nature Preserve, Tampa: Two Loops Trail (3.4 miles)
  • Golden Aster Nature Preserve, Gibsonton: Blue Lake Trail (3.3 miles)
  • Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve, Plant City: Creekview Trail (4.4 miles)

Florida State Parks

  • Alafia River State Park, Lithia: Old Agrico Hiking Trail (1 mile)
  • Little Manatee River State Park, Wimauma: North Hiking Trail (6.5 miles)

Come prepared, and pace yourself
When hiking, it’s important to bring the following items:

  • Correct trail map for your destination
  • A compass or GPS
  • Plenty of drinking water
  • Appropriate shoes
  • Sun protection

Parks officials also recommend that novices first gain experience at a neighborhood park, and then progress to the conservation parks and nature preserves.

The neighborhood parks and recreation centers are generally short, paved trails with water and facilities, unless otherwise noted.

Conservation park trails provide more of a nature experience than your typical neighborhood park trail. Though some are paved, most are primitive trails that traverse a variety of natural habitats ranging from upland pine flatwoods, to wetland swamps, to bottomland forests. Most of the conservation parks have amenities, such as running water, restrooms, playgrounds and manicured pathways.

Nature preserve trails, meanwhile, take the nature experience up several notches — almost as if you’re briefly leaving civilization for a hike. On a nature preserve, development is kept to a minimum to protect natural areas and wildlife. Nature preserve trailheads have small, unpaved parking lots, a fence with a walk-through entrance, and a small kiosk with trail information. They do not have restrooms or running water. Moreover, trails are unpaved, longer with fewer trail markers, and have rougher terrain.

What’s helpful, though, is nature preserves do feature trail markings, or blazes, usually colored in red, blue or yellow. These paint markings located on posts or trees will help guide you in the proper direction. So, if you come to an intersection, look for a blaze for what direction to hike. It’s recommended to always carry a map when hiking a nature preserve.

Participants are encouraged to post photos from their hikes using the hashtag #TakeAHikeHC. Visit HCFLGov.net/hikingspree for information and to register.

Published November 04, 2020

Lutz native manages hometown Rays to World Series

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has come full circle (err, diamond) with his baseball career.

The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum is managing his hometown pro ball club at the sport’s grandest stage, in the 2020 World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has led the franchise to the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas. Cash is a Lutz native and Gaither High School alum. (File)

He’s making other sorts of history, too.

The 42-year-old Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic.

He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series, which then consisted of the top four little league teams each — from both the United States and the world.

The North Tampa-based team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5, though it was a team from Trumball, Connecticut, that took home the title in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Cash is hoping for a better outcome some three decades later against a much more distinguished California-based club in the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The best-of-seven World Series could run through Oct. 28.

Whatever the result, Cash has done yeoman’s work guiding the Rays to its second World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Pretty special feeling,” Cash said about reaching the World Series, during a recent postseason press conference. “I don’t think I’ve had many better, other than getting married and having three kids. This is right there below that. Can’t get much better than that. This is a special group to be a part of. It’s fun to see them win games and fun to be a part of it.”

Among baseball’s brightest
Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated success for a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 19 players serve 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic. The Lutz native was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. (File)

All that, though, didn’t stop Tampa Bay from finishing with an American League (AL)-best 40-20 regular season record and division title — then downing the Toronto Blue Jays, the large-pocket New York Yankees and the Houston Astros en route to the World Series in an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Cash, in his sixth year as Rays skipper, has consistently garnered high marks throughout the baseball industry as a steadying cog in the team’s accomplishments.

Last season he steered the team to 96 regular season wins and its first playoff berth in six years. He also holds the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

Sporting News already crowned him AL Manager of the Year, for a second-straight time. Other outlets are likely to follow.

Cash is revered for putting players in position to succeed via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s World Series roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, also is represented by Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

While some old-school baseball types scoff at some of the team’s myriad unconventional methods, Cash and other Rays coaches embrace it, with understandable assistance from the team’s front office and analytics department.

The organization’s philosophy as a whole facilitates free-thinking and considers all sorts of out-of-the-box ideas in trying to eke out games in any way fathomable against richer teams with pockets three or four times as great. The Rays $28.6 million payroll pales in comparison to the Dodgers’ $105.5 million, for instance.

Cash described the Rays’ approach this way: “We think what we’re doing is maximizing a roster and doing everything we can to make the best decisions and put the players in the right spot to succeed, and ultimately win as many games as possible.”

Such a collaborative working environment allowed Cash to grow and thrive when he became the game’s youngest manager back in December 2014.

“Well, personally for me, it’s helped me immensely, for somebody that had never managed six years ago, to be able to make some mistakes and learn from them. Try some things that people would use the word ‘different’ and it be OK and accepted, it’s been hugely beneficial,” said Cash. “We’ve listened to everybody, we’ve learned from everybody, and everybody’s opinions are valued here, and that’s how we think we can come up with what we think is the best decision on a given year, a given season, a given game, whatever it is, so it’s a pretty great situation to be a part of.”

Lutz roots
Besides leading the Rays to baseball’s promised land, Cash enjoyed a spirited playing career beyond his Little League days and growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

He recalled those early roots back in a 2016 interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“I remember when my parents moved to the neighborhood in Lutz, it was like a one street cul-de-sac, and there were boys everywhere,” Cash said. “We had pickup football games, pickup basketball, baseball games every day. It was just a pretty cool neighborhood to grow up in, because there were so many kids our age that we could go out there and have a complete game with.”

Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Cash was an All-State baseball player at Gaither High School. He graduated in 1997. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Schools)

Cash would later star at Gaither High School and Florida State University before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher, spending time on the then-Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Once his playing career ended, Cash became a bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians, working under manager Terry Francona from 2013-2014, until landing the Tampa Bay gig.

Cash’s knack for getting the best out of his team was a learning process as he ascended through the sport’s ranks.

“I was really fortunate to be around a lot of good coaches, managers, just baseball people, teammates, and watched how people went about it different ways, and not every way works for individuals, and not every player responds to one way.

“I think Terry Francona was probably the biggest influence, in the way that he came to the ballpark, in watching the way he treated players one through 25 on the roster,” Cash explained.

As for the significance of delivering a baseball championship to the region where he was born and raised, it’s a question Cash hasn’t yet given much reflection.

“You know what, I’ve briefly thought about that, but I’m trying to avoid it,” Cash said. “You want to bring it back to the club that you work for. If you add another layer to it, it was similar to getting the job six years ago, but this is now more magnified than being a guy that was born and raised in the Bay Area. I think any city, I would appreciate it, any team in this position would appreciate it, (but) it just might make it a little sweeter if we’re able to do some special things here in Texas.”

Visit MLB.com for a full broadcast schedule and results of the 2020 World Series.

Published October 28, 2020

Zephyrhills celebrates tennis center grand opening

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The grand opening celebration of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center was serenaded in maybe the most Zephyrhills way possible — with a slew of skydiving parachute landings on the nearly 10-acre property, at 6585 Simons Road.

The new Sarah Vande Berg Wellness and Tennis Center hosted its grand opening celebration. A gym, various wellness treatments, and opportunities for instruction are offered at the new facility, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

If the Oct. 17 event is any indication — even amid the COVID-19 pandemic — the state-of-the art tennis complex may put the city on the map not unlike how the airborne extreme sport has for decades.

Over 400 mask-wearing visitors turned out to get a firsthand look at a finished product five years in the making — accomplished through myriad partnerships between city, state, and private investment and donations.

The $4.9 million tennis complex is labeled, “Tampa’s first boutique-style racquet sports and wellness club.”

It lives up to the billing through:

  • 11 regulation-sized outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • The nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop
Pascal Collard, president & CEO of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center, wipes away tears of joys, as he described the dedication and sacrifice of the center’s staff to make the vision a reality.

Aside from showing off wide-ranging amenities, the grand opening celebration was filled with entertainment and people congregating to partake in music, food, drinks, dancing, giveaways and conversation.

The three-hour event was climaxed with the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of Sarah Vande Berg, making a tennis serve. It overlooks the facility’s exhibition show court.

Speaker after speaker heaped praise on the complex, which, as well as being a public asset, is expected to draw regional, national and international amateur and professional tournaments in tennis, pickleball and padel.

Though membership-based, guest users are encouraged to make court rentals and partake in other frills. Meanwhile, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation will provide tennis memberships and lessons at the facility to underprivileged kids in the area.

At the unveiling of the Sarah Vande Berg statue, her father, Todd Vande Berg, transfers a kiss off his fingers on the memorial statue of his daughter.

Sarah’s legacy lives on
The facility opens five years after the tragic death of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, on Oct. 11, 2015.

She was a member of the University of South Carolina-Upstate women’s tennis team at the time of her passing. Those closest to her described Sarah as a fierce, but gracious competitor, both on and off the court. She was widely known for her infectious laugh and love for life.

It was shortly after Sarah’s death when local real estate developer David Waronker donated the property adjacent to Dean Dairy Road/Eiland Boulevard, to be earmarked for a community tennis facility “to ensure Sarah’s name and legacy would live on.”

Those visiting the facility during its grand opening were greeted by a portrait of Sarah Vande Berg, for whom the facility is named.

“We got off easy. All we had to do was donate the land,” said Waronker, humbly minimizing his role.

Sarah’s father is longtime Zephyrhills Planning Director Todd Vande Berg.

At the ceremony, he expressed his pleasure regarding how the final product shaped out.

The tennis center named in his daughter’s honor is a “game-changer” and “raises the bar” for the community, he said.

“You know, I’ve been at a lot of facilities throughout the state and I’m not aware of any that compares with what we’ve built here in Zephyrhills,” he said. “I know Sarah’s looking down on us from heaven, smiling, amazed at what we’ve been able to create here.”

A lengthy, collaborative project
The project was quite an undertaking.

The vacant piece of land was bereft of waterlines and powerlines, and had limited access through a dirt road even when a groundbreaking ceremony took place some 15 months ago.

Todd Vande Berg’s emotions are apparent, as he recounts the death of daughter, Sarah, who was killed in an automobile accident in South Carolina, at the age of 21. She had been a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier.

The facility originally was expected to open in the spring, but the pandemic, combined with weather issues and other logistical hurdles, pushed back completion.

DeLotto & Sons was the general contractor for the tennis center, with assistance from Fleishman-Garcia Architects, Cornelson Engineering and Central Florida Landscaping.

“In my brief 48-year construction career, I can tell you I’ve never worked on a project quite like this one,” said DeLotto president Craig Lamberson.

He highlighted: “The emotional journey we experienced, while making sure every detail would be worthy of Sarah’s legacy, and the wide range of friendships that have blossomed through the entirety of this challenging venture.”

Three-year-old Tali Sinatra has the perfect vantage point to watch the unveiling of the Sarah Vande Berg statue. The little girl is sitting on her father Jason Sinatra’s shoulders. She also took the opportunity to take a mask break.

Added Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe: “It has not been a smooth road, but we’re here. It was longer than anticipated, but look where we are.”

The city manager described the facility as “the beginning of an exciting future for sports and wellness in Zephyrhills.” He also noted the facility “will serve as an economic driver for our region.”

Poe said Zephyrhills is already known for its pure water and skydiving, and now will be known for its tennis, too.

Poe went on: “We have a World Series champion in (former New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals pitching coach) David Eiland. We have a Super Bowl champion in (former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman) Ryan Pickett. No pressure, but hopefully we’ll have a Grand Slam champion who can say they got started here.”

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard, too, served up his experience on the venture, since his management firm partnered with the City of Zephyrhills three-plus years ago.

Collard and his team were responsible for leveraging connections and forging partnerships with individuals and organizations to bring aboard some of the facility’s splashier features — such as the salt room, cryotherapy, and restaurant. The city — with the help of a state appropriation and other impact fees — funded the tennis portion of the facility.

Collard brings a wealth of tennis experience to the table, having founded 33 academies in his native Belgium, and being the former tennis director at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Preparing to return a serve by his coach, former tennis pro Thomas Grinberg, Bautista Durrells (foreground), 13, of Wesley Chapel, tries out one of the new tennis courts at the Sarah Vande Berg Wellness & Tennis Center. Grinberg is head tennis coach a SVB.

His coaching includes working with several widely known tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Martin Verkerk, both of whom coincidentally ranked as high as No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings back in 2003.

Collard had broader and more meaningful aspirations though.

One of them was wanting to help create a top-of-the-line public tennis facility in the United States, welcome for all.

“I always wanted to create something different and something unique…and we did, and it’s right here,” said Collard.

He continued, “Our goal is to create a place of gathering. Our mission is to foster excellence to cultivate a safe and inclusive community, and put a smile on everybody’s face, regardless of age, gender, race or belief.”

For more information, call (813) 361-6660, email , or visit SVBtenniscenter.com.

Published October 21, 2020

Saint Leo Athletics adds to Hall of Fame

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While meaningful competition has halted on Saint Leo University athletics fields this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s still some positivity coming out of the athletics department — in its announcing of the 2020 Hall of Fame inductee class.

The class features seven individual honorees and one team.

The Saint Leo University athletics department recently announced its 2020 Hall of Fame inductee class, which features seven individual honorees and one team. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University Athletics Department)

The inductees for the Class of 2020 are:

  • Kit Gardner, baseball, football, basketball, track and field
  • Daphne Washington, women’s basketball
  • Pat Bowen, baseball
  • Hannah Beard, women’s soccer
  • Marcus Ruh, men’s basketball
  • Matt Obermeyer, men’s lacrosse
  • Jaclyn Mailoto, volleyball
  • The 2005 men’s soccer team

“This is a really great class of Hall of Famers,” Saint Leo athletics director Fran Reidy said, in a release. “We have inductees who are at the top in the records books, others who helped propel their teams to NCAA postseason play, and the 2005 men’s soccer team that earned the first SSC title in school history, and in doing so, set the tone, which has led to 23 additional SSC Champions.

“This class not only excelled during competition, but in the classroom too, as evidenced by the diversity of the recognition they received during their careers for the Green and Gold,” he said.
Reidy continued: “We are disappointed we can’t get them officially into the Hall of Fame until next Fall, but the Saint Leo community looks forward to providing the Class of 2020 with an event matching their exceptional achievements.”

The addition of the 2020 Class brings the number of inductees up to 145 and three teams.

The Hall of Fame was organized by the Saint Leo Alumni Association and Athletic Department in 1986-1987, to honor former students, coaches and administrators who excelled in Saint Leo athletics in the prep school, junior college or senior college.

Its purpose is “to perpetuate the memory of those persons who have brought distinction, honor and excellence to Saint Leo athletics, and familiarize the entire campus community and alumni with the university’s rich athletic history.”

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

  • Kit Gardner

    Kit Gardner, Class of 1960

Kit Gardner from 1957 through 1960 excelled as a four-sport athlete at what was then Saint Leo Prep, from competing in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field.

He served as both the kicker and quarterback for the football team while starting as a guard on the hardwood. He patrolled shortstop for the baseball team while competing in the hurdles on the track. He was a two-time “The Yankee Clipper” award winner at Saint Leo, the highest athletic award given out during the Saint Leo Prep era.

Gardner went on to serve in the United States Air Force and served as a golf professional at the Columbia Country Club in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • Pat Bowen

    Pat Bowen, Class of 1993

Pat Bowen is a prime example of the maxim, “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

He joined Saint Leo program as a walk-on in 1995, but etched his name into the record books by the time he graduated in 1999, also penning that into a short-lived pro ball career.

Bowen ranks second in career strikeouts with 266, behind only Dave Garcia (303, 1993-1996). The 6-foot-3 pitcher also posted a 20-8 career mark including five saves; those 20 wins ranked him third all-time at the end of the 1999 season.

Meantime, Bowen ranked seventh among all NCAA Division II pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9) his junior season.

Also, he was part of a pair of NCAA postseason appearances (1996, 1999), an All-South Region honoree in 1999, and a two-time All-SSC selection.

Following a storied Saint Leo career, Bowen was drafted in the 34th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Anaheim Angels, where he spent a few years playing in rookie-level ball and the independent circuit.

Bowen later began coaching youth sports beginning as an assistant varsity baseball coach and head junior varsity coach at Greensboro Day School (Greensboro, North Carolina).

He went on to become the head softball coach at Bishop McGuinness Catholic School (Kernersville, North Carolina) before landing in his current role as the school’s head baseball coach, as well as the offensive coordinator for the football program.

  • Daphne Washington

    Daphne Washington, Class of 1993

Daphne Washington had a celebrated four-year career on the court between 1989 through 1993, and remains one of the women’s basketball program’s most productive scorers and rebounders.

She ranks second in program history in career scoring (1,495 points) and fifth in rebounding (704 rebounds). Meanwhile, her career field goal percentage (54%) and single-season field goal percentage (58.8% in 1991-1992) are tops in program history, while total free throws made (297) ranks second in the books.

As for other accolades, Washington was Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Freshman of the Year in 1989-1990, and went on to be a two-time Honorable Mention All-SSC selection and a Second Team All-SSC performer as a junior.

  • Hannah Beard

    Hannah Beard, Class of 2009

Hannah Beard is unquestionably one of the most decorated women’s soccer players in Saint Leo history.

The four-time All-Sunshine State Conference (SSC) selection has her name plastered throughout the program’s record book — tops in career assists (31) and games played (76), second all-time in points (123) and fourth all-time in goals (46).

Beard, too, holds other notable marks — including the single-season record for assists with 12 in 2008 and tied for most goals scored in a single game, with four against Clearwater Christian College in 2008. (Casie Poyssick also achieved the feat twice, during the 2003 season.)

The list of awards for the striker runs deep.

Beard was a two-time NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Scholar All-American and three-time NSCAA All-Region honoree, and was named an NSCAA All-American as a junior. She also was honored as the SSC Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and was named to a pair of SSC All-Tournament teams.

Also notable: As a junior, Beard helped lead Saint Leo to its first conference tournament championship in program history.

Following her time with the Lions, the Liverpool, England native played professionally in both the United States and Australia.

  • Saint Leo University men’s basketball.

    Marcus Ruh, Class of 2013

Marcus Ruh only spent two years donning a Green and Gold uniform, but his impact was felt the first time he laced up his sneakers and hit the hardwood.

A junior transfer from Wisconson-Eau Claire, the 6-foot-4 guard went on to score 859 points from 2011 through 2013 — a combined 14.8 points per game —pacing the Lions to two NCAA berths and the school’s first-ever Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Championship.

His senior year, Ruh was named 2012-2013 SSC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 16.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, while leading the squad to a then school-record 22 victories. He shot 45.8% from the field, 45.9% from three-point range, and 79.6% at the free throw line that season.

Ruh not only excelled on the court, but also in the classroom — posting a 4.0 grade-point average in business administration and graduating summa cum laude.

For that, he was named NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Capital One Men’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year, the highest academic honor bestowed in the sport.

Ruh went on to pursue a professional hoops career in Australia, spending one season with the Ringwood Hawks. He also spent time as a coach with the Green Bay Storm on the AAU circuit before moving into his current role as a sales representative for Cintas.

 

Jaclyn Mailoto

• Jaclyn Mailoto, Class of 2014

Playing under former Saint Leo head volleyball coach Sam Cibrone from 2010 to 2013, Mailoto was tasked with running the team’s offense as a setter from the time she was a fresh-faced freshman to a wily senior.

Her top-level play was underscored throughout the years, as she was named to the Sunshine State Conference All-Freshman Team in 2010, then recognized as a senior with First Team All-Conference and AVCA All-South Region First Team honors.

Mailoto led the conference in both assists (1,366) and assists per set (11.78) her senior year, the single-season assists per set mark is a program record, too.

Meantime, her 3,222 career assists currently rank second in the Saint Leo career record book, while her career average of 8.57 assists per set comes in at fourth.

Mailoto has since gone onto coach club volleyball for 850 Elite Volleyball Academy, in Valparaiso.

  • Matt Obermeyer

    Matt Obermeyer, Class of 2014

A dynamic playmaker during his four seasons on the Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team, Obermeyer is still the program’s all-time leading goal scorer (135) and fourth in career points (158).

The 5-foot-10 attacker made an instant impact as a freshman in 2010, charting 33 goals and five assists, which earned him Deep South Freshman of the Year.

Accolades continued the ensuing three years, earning First Team All-Conference honors from 2012 through 2014; Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2012 and 2013; USILA Scholar All-American honors in 2014; and Deep South Player of the Year in 2013.

Since graduating with a marketing degree, Obermeyer is currently director of operations at SpotX, a global video advertising platform.

  • 2005 Saint Leo men’s soccer team

Led by head coach Joel Harrison, the 2005 Saint Leo men’s soccer team became the first program in school history to capture a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Championship after a notable 7-1 run in conference play and a 15-1 regular season mark.

Unforeseen circumstances prevented what could’ve been an even more memorable season, however.

Because of Hurricane Wilma, the team was unable to compete for an SSC Tournament Championship, but earned the right to host the 2005 NCAA South Regional. Saint Leo had a 14-day layoff before competing in the regional final against Lynn, falling 3-1.

The team was led by All-American and Saint Leo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 member Asmir Pervan along with four others who earned All-SSC honors, including Brent Stanze, Matias Pereze, Saint Leo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 member Eusebio Herrera-Montoya, and Giancarlo Conte. Pervan was named SSC Player and Offensive Player of the Year, while Montoya brought home Freshman of the Year honors. Harrison was named the SSC Coach of the Year for his efforts, as well.

Published October 14, 2020

Hitting the links? Check these local golf courses

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As we flip the calendar to October and corresponding cooler outdoor temperatures, it makes make an ideal time to dust off those golf clubs, iron your polo shirts and hit the links again in the morning or afternoon. Another reason: it’s also one of the more socially distanced sports or recreation activities at the ready. (Just watch out for those incoming snowbirds.)

Locally, there’s more than 20 courses spanning Odessa, Lutz and New Tampa, and all the way through East Pasco. Each presents a unique quality, from Scottish links to Florida-style with wide open fairways and water hazards, to some with rolling hills reminiscent of North Carolina-esque layouts.

Some courses are longer than others, some more expensive and exclusive, but there’s seemingly something for anyone, whether a novice or scratch golfer.

With that, here’s a closer look at the local golf courses to check out in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Pasco County golf courses

The Groves Golf and Country Club, in Land O’ Lakes (Courtesy of The Groves Golf and Country Club)

The Groves Golf and Country Club: 7924 Melogold Circle, Land O’ Lakes
18 holes, par 65

Skinny: The Groves promotes itself as “the longest short course in Florida” suited for golfers of all skills levels. Designed by professional golfer and sportscaster Gary Koch, the 4,019-yard course surrounding 200 acres of conservation wetlands features holes ranging from 105 yards to 375 yards. Greens are well-bunkered with winding fairways flanked by trees and water. Course also features an aqua range and full-sized putting green.

Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club, in Dade City (Courtesy of Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club)

Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club: 12900 Lake Jovita Blvd., Dade City
Two 18-hole courses, both par 72

Skinny: The semi-private Lake Jovita features two 18-hole championship courses, the North and South, which Golf Digest magazine once called, “one of the best kept secrets in Central Florida.” Unlike much of Florida, rolling hills and elevation changes provide for scenic views of the surrounding oaks, lakes and ponds. Both courses play a bit longer, tapping out at 7,226 yards and 7,153 yards, respectively. Lake Jovita also is home to the Saint Leo University men’s and women’s golf teams, and has played host to many college tournaments and charity scrambles.

Lexington Oaks Golf Club, in Wesley Chapel (Courtesy of Lexington Oaks)

Lexington Oaks Golf Club: 26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd., Wesley Chapel
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The 6,646-yard course traverses through woods, marshland and waters, requiring players to avoid bunkers on elevated, massive greens — including a 62-yard wide surface on the 18th hole. Three of its par 3s are handicapped as the toughest holes on the course — including the 233-yard second hole, carryover water on a two-tiered green.

Links of Lake Bernadette: 5430 Links Lane, Zephyrhills
18 holes, par 71

Skinny: The semi-private club was designed, built and previously owned by former golf Dean Refram, who also designed the original Saddlebrook. The 6,400-yard course is regarded for rolling fairways, towering pines, and playable for golfers of all ages and skills levels. Golf Digest once rated it as the “Best Overall Value” in Tampa Bay.

Plantation Palms Golf Club, in Land O’ Lakes (Courtesy of Plantation Palms Golf Club)

Plantation Palms Golf Club: 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The 6,831-yard course presents a difficult layout, with water hazards on all but one hole en route to rolling, elevated greens. Property also features a lighted driving range and 18-holf miniature golf course.

 

 

Saddlebrook Golf Club, in Wesley Chapel (Courtesy of Saddlebrook Resort & Spa)

Saddlebrook Resort: 5700 Saddlebrook Way, Wesley Chapel
Two 18-hole courses, par 70 and par 71

Skinny: The renowned Saddlebrook Resort features two 18-hole courses — Palmer Course, Saddlebrook Course — which incorporate rolling fairways and well-maintained greens, along wilderness areas full of cypress, pine and palm trees. Other frills also stand out — including a 16-acre golf training center and professional golf instruction utilizing state-of-the-art swing technology through Trackman, SAM Balance Lab ad SAMPuttLab. The facility is home to Saddlebrook Preparatory School, which has groomed many elite-level junior golfers, including Australian-born Karl Vilips, one of the world’s top-ranked amateurs now competing at Stanford University.

Saint Leo Abbey Golf Course: 33640 State Road 52 W., Saint Leo
18 holes, par 71

Skinny: The manageable 5,659-yard public course with a slope rating of 105 is convenient and affordable for Saint Leo University students and faculty, located directly across the road from the main campus.

Scotland Yards Golf Club, in Dade City (Courtesy of Scotland Yards Golf)

Scotland Yards: 9424 U.S. 301 S., Dade City
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The 6,661-yard course plays into its namesake — a traditional links-style layout reminiscent of courses played in England and Scotland. Though relatively few water hazards, many pot bunkers are strategically located throughout.

 

 

Silverado Golf and Country Club, in Zephyrhills (Courtesy of Silverado Golf and Country Club)

Silverado Golf and Country Club: 36841 Clubhouse Drive, Zephyrhills
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The semi-private 6,671-yard layout is accented by 100-year-old oaks shading the course’s clubhouse and fairways. It also is home to a variety of Florida wildlife like sandhill cranes, red-tail hawks, egrets, grey squirrels, ducks, geese and even foxes. The club features a full practice area including grass driving range, chipping and bunker areas, plus a 3,000-square-foot practice putting green.

Southport Springs: 3509 Southport Springs Parkway, Zephyrhills
18 holes, par 69

Skinny: The nearly 5,000-yard course prides itself on being a quick round and accommodating senior golfers, but still testing low handicappers because of narrow fairways and small greens.

Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club, in San Antonio (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club)

Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club: 10641 Old Tampa Bay Dr., San Antonio
18 holes, par 71; 9-hole executive, par 27

Skinny: The 6,210-yard Scottish links-style courses requires golfers to steer narrow tree-lined fairways and water hazards on all 18 holes. It’s been labeled a “shot-maker’s course,” whereby accuracy and skilled iron play are a must for respectable scores. Fairways are made up of 419 Bermuda turf while putting surfaces are made of TifEagle Bermuda grass. Novices not quite up to the task are welcome to try the club’s 9-hole, par-3 executive course.

Zephyrhills City Golf Course: 39248 Ave. B, Zephyrhills
18 holes, par 68

Skinny: The 5,054-yard layout has a 70.0 course rating and a slope rating of 113. Since opening in the 1970s, it’s been a local favorite —approachable for beginners, yet offering advanced players an opportunity for a quick round. Lakes and streams play throughout the course, along with the occasional bunker strategically placed out.

Hillsborough County golf courses

The Club at Cheval, 4312 Cheval Blvd., Lutz
18 hole, par 71

Skinny: The semi-private, 7,005-yard layout is one of the area’s more ballyhooed courses, running through 860 acres of development property. Shot-making is critical, as the course features water hazards on every hole and 108 bunkers total. Its signature hole is a par-3 17th, where water short of the green wraps around the left side to the back of the landing surface.

The Eagles Golf Club, in Odessa (Courtesy of Eagles Golf Club)

The Eagles Golf Club: 16101 Nine Eagles Dr., Odessa
Two 18-hole courses, both par 72

Skinny: Features two 18-hole golf courses surrounded by more than 30 lakes, ponds and canals. The 6,604-yard Forest Course requires accuracy, thanks to contoured fairways and well-protected greens. Meanwhile, the lengthier 7,101-yard Lakes Course is aptly named, as water comes into play on nearly every hole, and plays more like a traditional Florida course with a generous driving area.

Heritage Harbor Golf and Country Club, in Lutz (Courtesy of Heritage Golf and Country Club)

Heritage Harbor Golf and Country Club: 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway, Lutz
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The 6,900-yard public course offers its fair share of water and marshes to cross. One appreciative feature the club markets is homes don’t crowd fairways — as only five holes out of 18 have housing on both sides. During a round, you’re bound to spot hawks, ospreys, loons, ibis, herons and kingfishers. It’s also one of the newer courses locally, built in 1999.

Hunter’s Green Country Club, in New Tampa (Courtesy of Hunter’s Green Country Club)

Hunter’s Green Golf Club: 18101 Longwater Run Drive, Tampa
18 holes, par 72

Skinny: The 7,059-yard course — designed by Tom Fazio, one of the most well-known golf course architects of all time — is sculpted from existing pine flatwoods and wetlands, giving it a picturesque element. The course in 2017 was renovated with new TiFEagle Bermuda greens on all 18 holes and practice areas. Additional sand bunkers also were recently constructed throughout the entire course, bringing more of a challenge.

Northdale Golf & Tennis Club: 4417 Northdale Blvd., Tampa
18 hole, par 72

Skinny: The 6,824-yard course presents a Florida-style layout with wide-open fairways, and large, inviting greens. Natural surroundings are highlighted by cypress trees and spring-fed lakes.

Pebble Creek Golf Club, in New Tampa (Courtesy of Pebble Creek Golf Club)

Pebble Creek Golf Club: 10550 Regents Park Drive, Tampa
18 hole, par 71

Skinny: The 6,436-yard course is set on a secluded layout with moss-draped grandfather oaks and water on 16 holes. There’s all sorts of wildlife, from alligators to sandhill cranes. Elevated greens are another noted feature.

 

 

Silver Dollar Golf Club: 12711 Silver Dollar Drive, Odessa
Three 9-hole courses, par 35, par 36, and par 37

Skinny: Silver Dollar’s three 9-hole championship-length courses (Gator, Panther, Bobcat) can be played individually or consecutively, each featuring a wide variety of fairways, bunkers and water features flanked by stately trees. The course also boasts one of the better practice facilities, including a full driving range, two putting greens, pitching and chipping green with sand trap, and three practice holes. Measures a long of 6,489 yards when the Gator and Panther courses are paired together.

Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, in New Tampa (Courtesy of Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club)

Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club: 5811 Tampa Palms Blvd., Tampa
18 hole, par 72

Skinny: The 7,004-yard private course sits on an Audubon sanctuary and claims to test golfers of all skill levels, as water hazards come into play on 10 holes and bunkers, strategically placed throughout. Its signature par-3 17th hole requires a tee shot over an expansive body of water to a green abutting two left side bunkers. The course is the former home of the Senior PGA Tour’s GTE Suncoast Classic Tournament.

TPC Tampa Bay, in Lutz (Courtesy of TPC Tampa Bay)

TPC Tampa Bay: 5300 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, Lutz
18-hole, par 71

Skinny: Consistently ranking among the top-rated courses in all of Florida, the PGA Tour-built 6,898-yard course winds through natural wetlands, cypress heads and lagoons. The course presents its share of difficulties with a slew of uneven lies and water found on 15 holes. It’s played host of the PGA Tour Champions event for 21 years running.

Published October 07, 2020

MLB playoffs are here, featuring these locals

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This rapid-fire 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season has been anything but ordinary — from the condensed 60-game slate to the implementation of novel rules, such as expanded rosters, universal designated hitter, seven-inning doubleheaders, and runner-on-second rule in extra innings.

That’s not even mentioning the myriad health and safety protocols pro baseball organizations have been forced to navigate amid the COVID-19 pandemic — which included all games being played in stadiums without fans.

Maybe one of the positive benefits of the new 16-team expanded playoffs format is more opportunity for several locals with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area to showcase their skills and abilities in front of a national audience, with hopes of winning a World Series title this fall.

Here’s a closer look at the hometown products who may be seen this week and beyond throughout the postseason, which runs Sept. 29 through mid-October:

Zephyrhills High product Austin Adams is finding his groove after offseason knee surgery, for the San Diego Padres (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

Austin Adams, San Diego Padres, pitcher
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School

Twenty-nine-year-old Austin Adams earned the benefit of being traded from the losing Seattle Mariners to the playoff-bound Padres (No. 4 seed National League) at the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

As it turned out, Adams’ first action in 2020 actually didn’t come until he put on a Padres uniform, as he was still nursing offseason knee surgery.

The righty looked reliable in his three late-season appearances with San Diego, posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 4 innings pitched, exhibiting top-level four-seam fastball velocity and spin rates, to go along with a signature slider.

Adams grew up in Zephyrhills, playing little league at Sam Pasco Park. He went on to earn four letters in baseball (and one in basketball) at Zephyrhills High School from 2006 to 2009. He posted a 2.43 ERA and 80 strikeouts in his Bulldog career.

Adams’ high school success led to a baseball scholarship at the University of South Florida, a program that had its first Big East Championship final in 2012, during his junior year.

Other MLB players hailing from the Zephyrhills area are Dave Eiland (1988-2000) and Domonic Brown (2010-2015).

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Gant, a Wiregrass Ranch High product (File)

John Gant, St. Louis Cardinals, pitcher
Local tie: Wiregrass Ranch High School

Twenty-eight-year-old John Gant presently is on the team’s 10-day injured list (right groin tightness) and likely won’t make an appearance unless the Cardinals make a deep postseason run.

However, he played an integral bullpen role as a late-inning reliever and setup man for a Cardinals (No. 5 seed, National League) organization forced to play 11 doubleheaders after a rash of COVID-19 cases forced them to miss 19 days of competition in July and August.

In 17 appearances, the fifth-year MLB vet went 0-3, but compiled a career-best 2.40 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, striking out 18 batters in 15 innings pitched.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch High varsity baseball team from 2008 to 2011 — striking out over 200 batters and suffering just three losses in four years. He also was a member of the Wiregrass Ranch basketball and swimming teams, and also served as scorekeeper for the girls basketball program, which was coached by his father, John Sr., then a science teacher at the school.

Gant signed with the New York Mets out of high school and spent five years in the minors before making his big league debut in 2016 (then for the Atlanta Braves).

Matt Joyce, Miami Marlins, outfielder
Local tie: New Tampa resident/business owner

New Tampa resident and business owner Matt Joyce is going strong at 36 years old, for the Miami Marlins. (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

Thirty-six-year-old Matt Joyce has played a key leadership and mostly everyday role for a Marlins (No. 6 seed, National League) organization that not only clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2003, but also had to overcome an early season COVID-19 outbreak that had 18 players test positive — forcing the team to find reinforcements in its minor league system and free agent market.

The corner outfielder began the season on the injured list, but went on to post a .252/.351/.331 line with two homers and 14 RBIs in 46 games.

In the playoffs, expect Joyce to continue to get consistent playing time, particularly against right-handed pitching — which he’s made his lengthy career on.

Through born and raised in Brandon, the 12-year MLB veteran has since made New Tampa home, living in the Hunter’s Green area and recently opening an F45 Training fitness center chain at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve neighborhood shopping center.

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians, outfielder
Local tie: Gaither High School

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado is a Gaither High product (File)

Twenty-five-year-old Oscar Mercado has struggled mightily, offensively in his sophomore MLB season —posting a .128/.174/.174 line and just two extra-base hits in 86 at-bats across 36 games, as he dealt with swing mechanic issues all year long.

It’s a far cry from a showy rookie season in 2018 when he batted .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 119 games, adding 70 runs scored, 25 doubles, three triples and 15 stolen bases.
Even with his struggles at the plate, Mercado has provided defensive value in the outfield and with his speed on the base paths — skills that could be put on display in the playoffs for the Indians (No. 4 seed, American League)
A native of Columbia, Mercado and his family emigrated to the United States and settled in the Tampa area when he was 7 years old. He became a four-year starter at shortstop at Gaither High School from 2010 to 2013, leading the program to back-to-back district crowns. Following a storied prep career, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being a second round draft pick in 2013.

Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher
Local tie: Odessa native, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson is an Odessa native and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product (File)

Twenty-four-year-old Nate Pearson entered the season as one of the most prized prospects in baseball, thanks to a fastball that regularly touches triple digits combined with multiple refined breaking balls.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander missed over a month of the season because of elbow tightness, but seems ready for the postseason after picking up his first career win on Sept. 25 — firing 1.2 scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles and hitting 101.5 miles per hour on the radar gun. He finished the year with a 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 18 innings.
The Odessa native starred at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, helping the program to the Class 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2015. He wrapped up his prep career with a career 1.24 earned run average and 144 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched, with a 12-1 record. He later became a first round draft pick in 2017 out of Central College of Florida in Ocala.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, a Lutz native and Gaither High alumnus (File)

Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays, manager
Local tie: Gaither High School

Kevin Cash, the 42-year-old skipper, seemingly has pulled all the right strings for a Rays (No. 1 seed, American League) club that went 40-20 despite a rash of injuries to its pitching staff (they had as many as 12 pitchers on the injured list at one point).

With that, Cash appears to be a front-runner for the AL Manager of the Year award, navigating a young, unheralded roster and putting players in position to succeed via unorthodox lineups, bullpens, platoons, defensive positioning and shifts, and more. The sixth-year manager also receives high marks for his leadership in galvanizing a clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds.

Cash spent his younger days growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood, situated across from Lake Park in Lutz. He first hit the national scene in 1989 — then a 12-year-old second baseman for a Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
Cash later starred at Gaither High School, penning that into a successful college run at Florida State University and eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher mostly.

Visit MLB.com for updated playoff schedules, and how and when to see these locals in action.

Published September 30, 2020

Zephyrhills tennis center ready for play

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Lace up the tennis shoes and prep those rackets and balls for play — because the much-hyped Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is now open to the public.

What began as drawings and plans on paper nearly four years ago is finally a reality in the form a $4.9 million athletic complex situated on 8.25 acres of land at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills.

The complex enjoyed a soft opening on Sept. 21. A grand opening celebration is set for Oct. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The center is now open every day, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center sits on more than 8 acres of land off Simons Road in Zephyrhills. It features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface), eight pickleball courts and four padel courts, and a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse. The northeast corner of the 8-plus-acre property is reserved for an additional 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose sports complex, enough room to accommodate four full-size tennis courts. (Courtesy of David Alvarez, DCA Media Consulting)

The facility’s outdoor centerpiece is 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface), eight pickleball courts and four padel courts — two of the world’s fastest-growing racquet sports.

Attached is a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor club housing cutting-edge health and wellness amenities that promote training and recovery.

There are rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga. There’s also a 1,300-square-foot fitness center featuring workout equipment, including recumbent bikes, rowers and ellipticals.

The indoor clubhouse also has a full restaurant and cafe operated by Land O’ Lakes-based caterer Mark Vesh.

Though membership-based, guest users are encouraged to make court rentals and partake in other amenities. Walk-ins are welcome and any specific questions can be answered by the facility’s front desk manager.

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, patrons are wasting no time getting their game on.

For instance, a 30-member coed pickleball group from Zephyrhills reserved courts for a mini event on the facility’s first open morning.

The complex is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, in October 2015.

Her father, Todd Vande Berg, is the longtime planning director for Zephyrhills.

All-Star crew
The tennis center venture is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.

The municipality owns the state-of-the-art tennis facility, but Collard is responsible for its day-to-day operations and programming.

Collard has been involved with the project since October 2017, when his tennis management firm, Tennis P.R.O. Florida LLC, was hired by the city.

Finally seeing the complex come to life is a relief for Collard, noting he invested “a lot of time and money and energy and passion” in conjunction with Zephyrhills during the last several years.

Said Collard, “It’s a lifetime goal and a lifetime dream that’s come true to be able to run a place and really do something that’s touched the community and that will touch people from all over the world.”

In running the facility, he brings a diverse tennis background to the table.

The nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse at the tennis facility contains a fitness center, restaurant/café, and rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga, among other frills.

Collard previously served as tennis director at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. His personal training includes working with several widely known tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Martin Verkerk, both of whom coincidentally ranked as high as No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings back in 2003.

Many of the other 36 total staffers at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center similarly bring aboard respectable pedigrees.

The facility’s tennis director is Rene Moller, a former touring pro director at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy who’s been a full-time coach to John Isner, the highest-ranked American men’s tennis player, as well as Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who’s ranked No. 31 in the world.

Another notable tennis instructor is Mika Todo, a former professional WTA international tennis player from Japan who’s been working as a tennis coach for the past 20 years, and successfully trained junior players who won the title in the All-Japan Junior U12 and U14 tournament.

Also, former NFL defensive lineman Mel Williams will serve as a fitness coach and specialist in tennis footwork and plyometrics. He played for the New Orleans Saints, the Washington Redskins, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins in the early 2000s.

A host for pro tournaments
The facility is beginning to deliver on its promise as a tourism driver for East Pasco, by drawing big-ticket national and international events.

Collard said the complex will host a sanctioned professional women’s tournament in late January that’ll offer a $25,000 grand prize for the winner and points in world rankings. The event is expected to draw 32 players representing a number of different countries and nationalities.

A corresponding men’s tennis tournament organized by retired professional Johan Kriek and sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation also is in the works, Collard said. Kriek won 14 professional singles and eight doubles titles, ranking as high as seventh in the world in the 1980s. “It’s going to be very impressive and exciting,” Collard said of the forthcoming events.

A community hangout
At a hard-hat tour back in June, Collard explained his visioning for the complex is to become a community hangout of sorts, where users do more than simply play tennis with friends then leave and go about their day.

Pickleball is one of the most popular sports among seniors. Eight brand-new courts are dedicated for that activity at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center.

“It started with tennis, but it now became a destination,” said Collard. “Basically, the concept here is, ‘I’m not doing one hour of sport and I go home. I’m coming here to play tennis, then maybe I do a cryotherapy session and then maybe I go eat here because there’s a full restaurant.’ You can bring your entire family…so it’s really unique.”

In coming years, the facility could expand even further. The northeast corner of the 8-plus-acre property is reserved for a 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose sports complex, enough room to accommodate another four full-size tennis courts. However, the addition had a setback when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1 million appropriation for the project from the state’s budget.

In opening amid ongoing coronavirus concerns, the facility is adhering to prescribed health and safety precautions, Collard explained.

Masks are required inside the clubhouse, but not while playing outdoor racquet sports.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard

Staffers also have installed about 30 umbrella tables in a roomy outdoor space for patrons to eat, drink, relax and watch play, in a socially distanced manner.

There are also plans to install a temperature screening gate before entering the building in the coming week, in partnership with AdventHealth.

Collard summed up the varied safety measures: “We have sanitizer everywhere. We have masks for everybody.”

As for next month’s grand opening, Collard promises a “big, big wow factor.”

Collard added: “We have a lot of surprises. It’s going to be pretty, pretty amazing what’s going to happen right there.”

Between now and then, visitors also may notice spruced-up landscaping on the property.

Collard noted that landscaping is always put in last.

For more information, call (813) 361-6660, email , or visit SVBtenniscenter.com.

Published September 23, 2020

Hometown kids to watch in college football

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Before becoming college football standouts regularly seen on national television and in massive stadiums across the country, these athletes distinguished themselves on the gridiron locally, in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Big-time college football has returned this fall — later than usual and with a pared-down schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But that won’t stop several locals with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area from enjoying the big stage and making plays on Saturdays in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southeastern Conference (SEC) and American Athletic Conference (AAC), among others.

Here’s a closer look at a handful of hometown players to keep an eye on throughout the 2020 college football season:

Isaiah Bolden, receiver
College: Florida State University, redshirt sophomore
Local tie: Wesley Chapel High School

Wesley Chapel High product Isaiah Bolden is a redshirt sophomore receiver/kick returner at Florida State. (Courtesy of Florida State University sports information department)

After spending his first two years working as a defensive back at FSU, the 6-foot-2, 196-pound Wesley Chapel High product has shifted to the offensive side of the ball — to wide receiver. Throughout preseason, FSU coaches have raved about Bolden’s size, athleticism, big play ability and passion for the game.

But, just how much playing time the redshirt sophomore garners at the position remains up in the air, as he tries cracking a deep, experienced position grouping.

At the very least, expect to see plenty of Bolden as a co-starter on kick return duties. Playing in all 13 games last season, he returned six kickoffs for 156 yards, including a career-long of 41 yards, and one punt return for seven yards.

Bolden was a three-sport star at Wesley Chapel, shining in football, basketball, and track and field. In addition to his pigskin talents, Bolden was the varsity basketball team’s leading rebounder (8.5 rebounds per game in 2017-2018) and collected a bronze medal in the 100-meter dash at 2018 Class 3A state championships.

The former Wildcat was a consensus four-star recruit and courted by some two dozen Division I FBS college football programs, including several other blue bloods.

Donovan Jennings, left tackle
College: University of South Florida, junior
Local tie: Gaither High School

Gaither High product Donovan Jennings is looking to build off a respectable 2019 campaign along the offensive line for USF. (File)

The massive 6-foot-5, 338-pound Gaither High alumnus is cemented as USF’s starting left tackle in a new up-tempo offense, and is looking to build off a strong 2019 showing where he saw action in 10 games and made eight starts.

In fact, Jennings last season was the team’s highest-graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus (66.9), a website that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division I football.

He’s been lauded by coaches for his pass protection skills and effectiveness in the run game, a combination of quick feet, balance and strength. He often was tasked with blocking opponent’s top pass-rushers in one-on-one situations last season.

Expectations remain high again in 2020. He’s been named to the Athlon Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team and Phil Steele Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team.

Jennings, surprisingly, didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year of high school, as size limitations in youth leagues prevented him from playing the sport. However, he blossomed in four short years at Gaither, earning All-State honors and scholarship offers from the University of Central Florida, and Virginia, Marshall, Old Dominion and Toledo universities, among others.

Odessa native Devontay Love-Taylor brings an experienced presence to Florida State’s offensive line. Love-Taylor prepped at Mitchell High School. (Courtesy of Florida State University sports information department)

Devontay Love-Taylor, right tackle
College: Florida State University, redshirt senior
Local tie: Odessa native

The Odessa native is set to make an immediate impact for Florida State — penciled in as the team’s starting right tackle following his transfer from Florida International, where he made 16 starts in 32 career games and last season earned honorable mention All-Conference USA recognition.

The sturdy 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman is being leaned on for his experience, work ethic and maturity. The website Pro Football Focus graded Love-Taylor an above-average rating (74.2) on 721 snaps last season in an FIU uniform.

Love-Taylor prepped at Mitchell High School, where he earned first-team All-Conference honors and pushed the program to the 6A state playoffs. He also played basketball.

Tre’ McKitty, tight end
College: University of Georgia, graduate student
Local tie: Wesley Chapel native

Wesley Chapel native Tre’ McKitty is listed as the starting tight end at Georgia, an SEC program with legit national championships aspirations this year. (Courtesy of University of Georgia sports information)

The Wesley Chapel native looks to be entrenched as the starting tight end on a Georgia team with legitimate aspirations of hoisting a national title and ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound McKitty transferred to Georgia from FSU in January following a coaching change. He played in 35 career games in three seasons at FSU, hauling in a combined 50 receptions for 520 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

In camp with his new squad, Georgia coaches raved about McKitty for bringing a gritty demeanor and showing aptitude in blocking, along with making catches.

Prognosticators are likewise bullish on McKitty’s final season, as he was named to a preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, awarded to the nation’s top tight end.

McKitty grew up playing in the Land O’ Lakes-based South Pasco Predators youth football league. He played his freshman year at Wesley Chapel High then prepped at Bradenton’s IMG Academy, where he was a blue-chip recruit

Steinbrenner High alum Noah Ruggles is in a kicker position battle at North Carolina. He was the team’s primary place-kicker last season. (File)

Noah Ruggles, kicker
College: University of North Carolina, junior
Local tie: Steinbrenner High School

Ruggles emerged as North Carolina’s primary kicker as a sophomore last season, converting 19 of 27 field goal attempts — including a long of 49 yards — and perfect on all 45 of his extra-point attempts.

The former Steinbrenner High standout was nearly automatic for the Tar Heels on kicks inside 40 yards, but struggled on some longer kicks, including going 0-for-3 on attempts of more than 50 yards.

His defining moment in 2019 came when he kicked the game-winning field goal in a 20-17 home win against conference rival Duke in a late October contest. It was just a week removed from UNC head coach Mack Brown benching Ruggles, after he missed two overtime field goal attempts in a road loss to Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound kicker will need to prove himself once again. He’s listed second on the team’s depth chart behind All-American Furman transfer Grayson Atkins, but is still expected to earn ample opportunities.

Closer to home, Ruggles earned All-State honors at Steinbrenner and was named most valuable player of the East-West Hillsborough County Senior All-Star Game in 2016.

Zephyrhills High alum Ja’Quan Sheppard is poised for a bigger role this season for Cincinnati. (Courtesy of University of Cincinnati sports information department)

Ja’Quan Sheppard, safety
College: University of Cincinnati, sophomore
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School

The Zephyrhills High product is pressing for a larger role this season for a Cincinnati program favored to finish atop the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

As a true freshman in 2019 for the 11-3 Bearcats, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound safety played in nine games, mostly as a special teams ace, where he ranked among the team’s top special teams defenders with six stops on kickoff coverage. Sheppard collected two tackles in his Cincy debut at Marshall, and also tied that mark with two tackles at Houston.

In high school, Sheppard was mostly known for his skills as wide receiver at Zephyrhills, where he registered a combined 91 catches for 1,649 yards and 25 touchdowns across four varsity seasons. His impact helped guide the Bulldogs to arguably its best season in program history in 2018 — winning 11 straight games and reaching the Class 5A region semifinal. He was no stranger to accolades, earning All-State and All-Conference honors, and being invited to the Pasco County Senior All-Star Football Game. Sheppard was a consensus three-star recruit with more than 20 offers from Temple, Marshall and Kentucky, among others.

Published September 16, 2020

Fall prep football primer

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Better late than never, and something better than nothing.

In typical years, Florida’s high school football season kicks off sometime in August with a preseason game followed by a 10-game regular season schedule.

This year isn’t like any other, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) weeks ago gave the OK to begin fall sport tryouts on Aug. 24, with competition beginning Sept. 4, though many programs have elected to take the gridiron on Sept. 11 with a contracted eight-game slate.

Locally, prospects are high for some teams, while others hope to use this season as a learning experience for ensuing years.

Without further ado, here is a look, a primer, of all the Hillsborough County and Pasco County prep teams in The Laker/Lutz News coverage are.

Hillsborough County

Carrollwood Day School Patriots
Coach: Mark Jones (fifth year)

Following a winless 2019 campaign, Carrollwood Day School is poised for a major turnaround thanks to a trio of Seffner Christian Academy transfers in senior tight end Michael Trigg, junior defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland and offensive tackle Clay Wedin, plus the addition of defensive tackle Desmond Mamudi, a Steinbrenner High School transfer. All of those players are viewed as high-level Division I talents — most notably Trigg, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top five tight end prospects for the 2021 recruiting class. Meanwhile, Cleveland is a Miami commit; Mamudi, a USF commit; and, Wedin boasts nearly two dozen scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, among others.

Size alone should provide a mismatch in the small-school 2A ranks. Trigg is 6-foot-4, 230 pound; Cleveland is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds; Mamudi is 6-foot-3, 310 pounds; and, Wedin is 6-foot-6, 280 pounds.

Freedom High School Patriots
Coach: Christopher Short (second year)

Freedom felt significant struggles offensively last year under new head coach Christopher Short, being shutout in half of their contests. Perhaps a roster with 16 seniors and a seemingly manageable schedule will yield more victories this time around.

The Gaither Cowboys are projected again to be one of the state’s top football teams following a Class 6A state semifinals appearance last season. (File)

Gaither High School Cowboys
Coach: Kirk Karsen (fourth year)

Gaither looks to reach the playoffs for a fourth straight year and build off its most successful season in school history —  a 12-2 mark and reaching the Class 6A state semifinals.

Despite the graduation of stat-stuffing quarterback Tony Bartalo (3,194 passing yards, 50 total touchdowns) and some other standouts, the Cowboys remain loaded with more than a handful of Division I talents. That includes quarterback Kiael Kelly (Ball State commit), lineman Andrew Kilfoyl (USF commit), cornerback Jordan Oladokun (Iowa commit), tailback Ricky Parks (Utah commit), and cornerback Jordan Young (Florida commit), among others. National high school sports website MaxPreps.com tabbed Gaither as the state’s No. 10 team regardless of classification in its 2020 preseason rankings.

The Steinbrenner Warriors are coming off its best season in program history, but will have to develop a new starting quarterback and an otherwise talent-laden senior class. (Courtesy of Steinbrenner High School athletics department)

Steinbrenner High School Warriors
Coach: Andres Perez (ninth year)

Like Gaither, Steinbrenner, too, is coming off its most prolific campaign in program history — going 12-2 and reaching the Class 8A state semifinals.

Also like Gaither, the Warriors must pivot its passing game with the graduation of uber-productive quarterback Hunter Carlson (2,582 passing yards, 35 total touchdowns) and top two wideouts Dean Patterson (58 receptions, 837 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Aidan Bitter (54 receptions, 807 yards, 13 touchdowns).

With that, expect the Warriors to rely heavily on a running game paced by Iowa State commit Dean Silas, a 5-foot-7, 170-pound senior who tallied 985 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 113 carries (8.7 yards per carry) last season.

Also of note, the Warriors feature one of the nation’s top-ranked prep long snappers and punters in junior Griffin Wiltse. He averaged 37.9 yards per punt last season.

Pasco County 

Academy at the Lakes Wildcats
Coach: Shawn Brown (sixth year)

Academy at the Lakes is seeking its third eight-man state title in four years. After winning back-to-back eight-man state crowns in 2017 and 2018, the Wildcats last season went 6-2 and were eliminated in the first round of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference playoffs.

Keeping senior quarterback Jalen Brown — the team’s starter since eighth grade — healthy all season is paramount to another deep run. Same goes for fellow seniors and team captains Adrian Leverette, Sean Saccomanno and Dwight Downing, plus others.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Hurricanes
Coach: Ken Stills (first year)

New head coach Ken Stills takes over a Bishop McLaughlin program that woefully went 1-7 and was outscored by a 274-91 margin.

The Hurricanes, of course, hope for a turnaround under Stills, who brings quite the gridiron pedigree, having played for the Green Bay Packers (1985-1989) and Minnesota Vikings (1990) following a decorated college career at Wisconsin.

Stills most recently served as a running backs coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton and also is a former head coach for the River City Rage of the United Indoor Football, and former running backs coach of the XFL’s Los Angeles Xtreme.

He’s also the father of former University of Oklahoma and current Houston Texans’ wide receiver Kenny Stills, who’s embarking on his eighth NFL season.

The Cypress Creek Coyotes hope to build off the first winning season in program history. (Courtesy of Cypress Creek High School athletics department)

Cypress Creek High School Coyotes
Coach: Mike Johnson (fourth year)

Cypress Creek enjoyed its first winning season and first playoff berth since the Wesley Chapel-based school opened in 2017.

Replacing the talented twin duo of Jalen and Jehlani Warren will be tough, but the Coyotes look to have a quarterback to build around in junior Owen Walls, who entrenched himself as the team’s starter midway through last season.

Land O’ Lakes High School Gators
Coach: Trac Baughn (first year)

After a disappointing 2-8 mark last season, Land O’ Lakes turns to a football coaching lifer who hopes to steer the program back to winning seasons and playoff berths.

In new head coach Trac Baughn, the Gators get someone with more than 30 years combined experience at the college and prep level, mostly throughout the state of Mississippi.

His two seasons as head coach at Kosciusko High School in central Mississippi may serve most relevant to the Gator programs.

Baughn guided that team to 10-3 mark in both 2015 and 2016, reaching the third round of Mississippi 4A playoffs both years. He was twice named “Area Coach of the Year” as those teams finished ranked in the Mississippi Associated Press’ 4A Top 5.

Baughn in interviews has said he operates a system predicated on running the football and being fundamentally sound on defense.

While the team will trot out more than a dozen seniors, the Gators have an unfavorable schedule against the likes of Mitchell, Tampa Catholic, Gaither, Wiregrass Ranch, Fivay and Calvary Christian high schools, among others.

Pasco High School Pirates
Coach: Jason Stokes (second year)

Pasco finished 4-6 last year, but proved competitive in several of their defeats — losing four games by seven points or fewer. The Pirates return more experience compared to last season, but also have a challenging schedule that features Auburndale, Hollins, River Ridge — each of which tallied at least eight victories last season.

The Pirates should continue to be one of the county’s better defensive teams with the return of First-Team All-Conference linebacker Amir Burgess and linebacker Gabriel Barnes, the team’s top two tacklers from 2019.

Sunlake High School Seahawks
Coach: Trey Burdick (second year)

Sunlake may still be in a bit of transition mode under second-year head coach Trey Burdick, who took over from area coaching legend Bill Browning — the man who built Sunlake from scratch in 2007, guided it to seven straight winning seasons and retired as one of the winningest coaches in Pasco and Hernando counties.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks must find a way to replace the impact left behind by several All-Conference performers, such as tailback Zach Spicer, linemen Hunter Feiden and Cayman Wiseman, linebacker Damian Riewold, and athlete Jacob Schwarz, among others.

Returning junior quarterback Kevin Spillane, however, provides some stability offensively and turned in a respectable 2019 campaign, completing 63.3% of his throws for 921 passing yards and seven touchdowns and six picks, and adding another 130 yards on the ground.

Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats
Coach: Tony Egan (fifth year)

The Wildcats haven’t suffered a losing season with head coach Tony Egan at the helm. A somewhat manageable schedule, which includes matchups against Anclote, Gulf and Tarpon Springs — programs that went a combined 4-26 last season — should help keep that deed intact. Finding consistent and reliable quarterback play will be critical, plus the needed emergence of some playmakers to help replace of two-way standout Jelani Vassell (graduated) and defensive back J.T. Anderson, a Division I prospect who transferred to Chamberlain High. Meantime, the Wildcats have boosted its coaching staff with notable program alums Kenny Roberts and Ellrie Allen.

The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls seek a fifth-straight winning season behind strong quarterback play. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch athletics department)

Wiregrass Ranch High School Bulls
Coach: Mark Kantor (sixth year)

Wiregrass Ranch is seeking its fifth-straight winning season, but it won’t be easy replacing the production of nine All-Conference seniors from 2019. That includes the reigning Sunshine Athletic Conference Eastside Offensive Player of the Year (wideout Keith Walker) and Defensive Player of the Year (linebacker Dylan Ridolph, the county’s all-time career sacks leader with 48.)

Luckily, the Bulls do benefit returning arguably the county’s top quarterback in junior Rocco Becht, who completed 52.1% of his throws last season for 1,985 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The son of 12-year NFL tight end and ESPN college football analyst Anthony Becht, the pro-style signal-caller is a consensus three-star recruit with already a half-dozen scholarship offers from Division I FBS programs (FIU, Iowa State, Southern Miss, Toledo, Wake Forest, West Virginia).

Another bonus: The team boasts one of the nation’s top-ranked kickers in Adam Mihalek, who last season registered 31 touchbacks, averaged 56.1 yards per kickoff, was successful on 36 of 39 point-after touchdown attempts, and made three of seven field goals, including a long of 39 yards.

Zephyrhills Christian Academy Warriors:
Coach: Mike Smith (sixth year)

Zephyrhills Christian has enjoyed four-straight winning seasons and corresponding playoff appearances, but will have a colossal void to fill with the graduation of two-way lineman Malik Jones — arguably the most decorated athlete to ever come through the program.

The 6-foot-2, 296-pound Jones — now a freshman on scholarship at Division I FBS Florida Atlantic — registered a single-season county record in sacks (26) in 2019, to go along with 113 total tackles. A two-time state wrestling champion, his strength and push on both lines of scrimmage will be missed dearly.

Offensively, the 2A school must replace the production of tailback Tyler Davis, who rushed for 1,274 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior last season.

The Zephyrhills Bulldogs look to become feared again following a pedestrian 5-5 record in 2019. (Courtesy of Zephyrhills High athletics department)

Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs
Coach: Nick Carroll (fifth year)

Zephyrhills last season experienced its first minor setback in the Nick Carroll coaching era — finishing with a pedestrian 5-5 mark.

By comparison, in the previous three seasons, the Bulldogs under Carroll went a combined 29-6 en route to two district titles and another runner-up.

Expect the Bulldogs to be feared again this season, with a more experienced roster, plus a slew of returning All-Conference performers in tailback Zyre Roundtree, defensive back Tre Gallimore, offensive lineman Jarrin Galyan and defensive end Maguire Neal.

A full year of experience under the belt for incumbent dual-threat quarterback Timothy Jackson should lead to a leap in production and decision-making for the rising junior. Last season he completed 50% of his passes for 924 yards, seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and added 371 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

THE TEAMS

Hillsborough County schools in Laker/Lutz News coverage area (and their 2019 records)

  • Carrollwood Day School Patriots (2A) (0-9)
  • Freedom High School Patriots (6A) (2-8)
  • Gaither High School Cowboys (6A) (12-2)
  • Steinbrenner High School Warriors (8A) (12-2)

Pasco County schools in Laker/Lutz News coverage area (and their 2019 records)

  • Academy at the Lakes Wildcats (eight-man) (6-2)
  • Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Hurricanes (Independent) (1-7)
  • Cypress Creek High School Coyotes (4A) (6-5)
  • Land O’ Lakes High School Gators (6A) (2-8)
  • Pasco High School Pirates (6A) (4-6)
  • Sunlake High School Seahawks (7A) (4-6)
  • Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats (5A) (5-5)
  • Wiregrass Ranch High School Bulls (7A) (7-4)
  • Zephyrhills Christian Academy Warriors (2A) (6-5)
  • Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs (5A) (5-5)

Published September 09, 2020

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus ready for play

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The spacious, bio-cushioned hardwood floors sparkle under the lights.

The multisport electronic scoreboards operate without a hitch.

Area youth and adults will have access to the field house during weekdays, with the opportunity to participate in recreation leagues, camps and clinics. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

The myriad ceiling-hung basketball goals and volleyball nets are mechanically lowered and raised in minutes.

The centralized cheerleading/dance springboard floor is square for stunts and tumbling. Adjacent outdoor multi-use grass fields are manicured and marked up for soccer, lacrosse and other events.

Put another way, the highly-anticipated Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County is finally open and ready for play, at 3211 Lajuana Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

With 98,000 square feet of indoor space, the complex is hyped as a destination for local youth, school teams and adult athletes, while also playing host to a diverse set of regional, national and international level sports tournaments year-round.

The $29 million field house is the centerpiece of a $44 million public-private project. Ultimately, it will be phased to include seven outdoor multi-use fields and a 128-room hotel situated 80 acres of land donated by the Porter family, one of the area’s leading cattle ranchers who established Wiregrass Ranch in 1942. The sports campus is funded with county tourist tax development dollars, while the adjacent hotel will be funded and constructed via private capital from Mainsail Development Group.

An Aug. 27 ribbon cutting ceremony signaled the opening of the first phase of the much-anticipated Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

An Aug. 27 grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony offered an in-depth look of the state-of-the-art facility that the county hopes will be a game-changing tourism draw for years to come.

The multi-use sports complex, which features 37-foot-high ceilings, is large enough to hold either 16 volleyball games or eight full-court basketball games at any given time.

It’s two 35,500-square-foot gyms are separated by a cheer/dance studio, athletic training center and second-level mezzanine. Spacious floors can be converted to accommodate other sports, such as pickleball (up to 16 courts), futsal (up to eight courts), as well as large-scale wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA) or karate tournaments.

Versatility and flexibility are key aspects of the complex’s design. For instance, one side of the gym could be used for a volleyball tournament, while the other side could be used for another sport or even a convention.

Other notable amenities include an educational lab, full-service kitchen, a concessions area aptly titled “Fast Break,” and snack bar, “Power Alley,” both situated in the lobby.

Designed to attract athletes, from near and far
The birth of the campus dates back to 2001, when a feasibility study identified the county as a possible sports tourism hotspot.

Concrete plans for the multi-purpose athletic center didn’t come together until 2015.

The facility officially broke ground in June 2018.

Pasco County Commissioner and Pasco County Tourist Development Council Chairman Mike Moore labeled the project “a huge milestone” for the area.

“This isn’t a dream on paper anymore — it’s actually happening right in front of us, ” Moore said at the grand opening ceremony.

In addition to a combined 70,000 square feet of floor space, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County features a competition cheer/dance studio and springboard.

“It’s a beautiful facility. It’s no longer a construction site, it’s now the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

“It was a long road to get here, and it took a shared vision and commitment from this County Commission that we have here, the Tourist Development Council, and a very, very generous family,” Moore said.

The athletics campus is a public-private partnership between the county, who owns the land and facility, and RADD Sports, a private sports management company tasked with handling day-to-day programming, maintenance and operations.

Moore noted the importance of such a partnership: “A county government, let’s be honest, isn’t set up to effectively run a facility like this. That’s probably the last thing you want ever to happen, is a county government to run a facility like this.”

The complex will be open for public use and local leagues Monday through Thursday, while Friday through Sunday will generally be reserved for attracting out-of-area tournaments.

The youth and amateur sports industry has quickly taken notice of all the frills.

The venue has booked 53 events or tournaments across the next 42 weekends, according to RADD Sports CEO Richard Blalock. That so far encompasses basketball, cheerleading, futsal, gymnastics, karate, volleyball, and wrestling; upwards of 17 different sports could be effectively at the complex, officials say.

It’s very first hosted event was a South Florida-based boys travel basketball tournament, which generated 500 room nights booked for the county.

“During a pandemic, that’s really strong,” Moore said, adding the number of bookings already scheduled is “really, really incredible.”

Said Moore: “The people that come here are going to stay in our hotels, which they already have. They’re going to eat at our restaurants. They’re going to shop at our Pasco County stores. And, it’s not just the athletes that are competing that’ll be doing that, it’s their families, it’s their friends, and it’s the spectators.”

Meanwhile, a team of RADD athletic directors/coaches with extensive professional backgrounds will help run local programming in the arenas of cheer, gymnastics, soccer, basketball and volleyball — the primary sports focus of the complex. That includes afterschool programs, camps, recreation leagues and so on.

With talents and skills that’s taken them to sports’ highest levels nationally and internationally, even they were awestruck by the complex’s diverse amenities.

The 98,000-square-foot indoor field house is the cornerstone of the 80-acre Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County. It is now open and ready for play.

“There’s no other facility like it, not in the Southeast, and maybe not even the country,” said basketball director Ronnie Outen, a former Division I hooper at West Virginia University who spent 15 years playing professionally overseas in Austria, Italy and Lebanon, among other countries.

Outen specifically observed the benefits of the facility’s second-floor mezzanine, which offers “a bird’s eye view” of every game in action — a plus for college recruiters, scouts, family members and so on.

“A lot of places have a lot of courts, but they’re not centrally, strategically placed where you can just get a view of the whole facility in one specific location,” he said.

Former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell is heading up the campus’ indoor futsal and outdoor soccer programming. With seven full-sized outdoor fields and hotel coming online within walking distance, he believes the space is worthy enough to host year-round residencies for professional soccer teams overseas.

“I know where I’m from, I certainly didn’t have anything like this,” said Campbell, a former English Premier soccer player from the United Kingdom.  “I think we’ve opened ourselves and Pasco County up to the opportunity of bringing in  professional soccer teams.”

Some of the complex’s finer details, such as heavy-duty commercial rollup doors to conveniently load and offload equipment, makes it ever more appealing to lure some headline tournaments and become the flagship for others.

“They spared no expense,” Matt McDonough, the facility’s senior director of cheer and event development, said. “There’s really so much you can do with this. You can rock and roll with a giant wrestling tournament here, judo, fencing. I think they even planned for archery.”

For more information, visit Wiregrass-sports.com.

Published September 02, 2020