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Springstead High School

Pasco Pirates off to solid start

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Just a few weeks into the regular season, the Pasco High football team already has surpassed its win total from all of last season.

In fact, they’ve doubled it.

Pasco High head coach Tom McHugh, in his 11th season, has a career mark of 83-35, which includes a string of seven straight playoff appearances from 2007 to 2013. (File)

The 2016 season was unpleasant for the Pirates, losing nine straight games until they beat Gulf High — a struggling program that’s now lost 22 straight regular season games — in the season finale.

The 1-9 record was its worst since 1978, when Jimmy Sessoms coached the team.

The struggling campaign was a surprise to many, considering the Pirates often have been one of the county’s upper-tier programs under longtime head coach Tom McHugh.

McHugh, in his 11th season, has a career mark of 83-35, which includes a string of seven straight playoff appearances from 2007 to 2013.

Additionally, under McHugh, the Pirates have produced some of the county’s top players who have gone on to collegiate and professional careers, including, defensive tackle Joey Ivie (University of Florida/Dallas Cowboys, defensive back Josh Johnson (Purdue University/Canadian Football League/Jacksonville Jaguars), athlete Janarion Grant (Rutgers University) and defensive back Jayvaughn Myers (Auburn University).

Yet, perhaps the biggest disappointment to the Pirates’ faithful wasn’t the abysmal 1-9 record, but its devastating 46-0 home loss to Zephyrhills High in the annual 9-Mile War — oftentimes a one-sided affair in which Pasco High claims the all-time series record 40-19.

This season, however, appears to be a strong contrast to last year.

The Pasco High Pirates have rebounded from last year’s dismal 1-9 mark. The 2017 squad features 17 seniors, including middle linebacker Cameron Smith. (Courtesy of Tom Ketchum)

The Pirates handily won its first two contests over both Hudson High (22-10) and Gulf High (46-0), and proved dominant in its preseason game, a 36-18 victory over Ridgewood High.

And, unlike the 2016 season, the Pirates have a bevy of experienced depth, both on offense and defense. This year’s roster features 19 seniors. Last year’s had just seven.

Besides a steady, game-managing presence at quarterback in junior Doug Crawford, the Pirates display an explosive rushing attack currently averaging more than 200 yards per game — thanks to a trio of runners in senior Jaleel Hansberry, and juniors Early Knight and Jacquez Mobley.

The defense, too, has shown an ability to create pressure and limit opposing yardage, early on.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Pirates have three reigning All-Sunshine Athletic Conference players in senior offensive lineman/defensive tackle Camron Craig, senior middle linebacker Cameron Smith and senior defensive lineman Cody Mercer.

The Pirates, meanwhile, have several winnable games on their 2017 slate.

In addition to facing upstart Cypress Creek Middle High at home, the Pirates should match up well against Superior Collegiate Academy, along with district foes Sunlake— which appears to be in a rebuilding year — and Land O’ Lakes high schools.

But, contests against the likes of Mitchell, Springstead and Zephyrhills high schools should determine how good this team is.

And, how far it will go.

 

–Stats compiled by Maxpreps.com

Published September 13, 2017

Land O’ Lakes High softball wins state title

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They finally did it.

On May 20, the Land O’ Lakes High Gators unseated powerhouse Plantation American Heritage 3-1, claiming the Class 6A Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSSA) softball championship at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.

The achievement marks the first fastpitch title for Land O’Lakes (29-3) and the first for a Pasco County program since Ridgewood High won in 1992.

On May 20, the Land O’ Lakes High Gators defeated Plantation American Heritage 3-1, claiming the Class 6A Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) softball championship at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach. The win marks the first fastpitch title for Land O’ Lakes (29-3) and the first for a Pasco County program since Ridgewood High won in 1992.
(Courtesy of Edwin Rodriguez, Land O’ Lakes Gators varsity softball)

Making the victory even sweeter: The Gators downed the same team that eliminated them in last year’s state semifinals.

And, it wasn’t the first time this postseason Land O’ Lakes exacted revenge.

The Gators twice beat Wesley Chapel High School — in districts and regionals —after the Wildcats bested them during an April 4 regular season game (2-0 loss).

Besides payback, the championship shows the Gators — in recent years one of the region’s premier softball program — can dethrone a state dynasty; American Heritage (25-4) was making its fourth straight championship game appearance and was trying to win its eighth title overall.

Likewise impressive, the Gators won in comeback fashion.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Land O’Lakes found timely hitting —base hits by Callie Turner and Tia Williams  — and benefitted from Patriot mistakes — hit by pitch, wild pitch— to build the lead for good.

Meanwhile, Turner, the team’s sophomore ace, kept the game within reach from the outset, pitching like she has all season long.

The University of Tennessee commit fired a complete game, allowing just five hits and striking out eight against a potent Patriots lineup (.447 team average, 24 home runs).

The Gators’ championship win culminated a pair of close playoff games.

The day before, on May 19, Land O’ Lakes edged North Fort Myers High 2-0 in the state semifinals.

And, on May 12, the Gators narrowly beat Springstead High 2-0 in the region finals.

For followers of Land O’ Lakes varsity softball, the championship isn’t an utter shock.

But, it’s likely eye-opening after last year’s graduation of Shannon Saile, one of the program’s all-time great pitchers.

Saile — now a freshman standout at Florida International University — amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four seasons. She also compiled 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters in her prep career.

Moreover, Gators head coach Mitch Wilkins this season had to replace two key bats in then-seniors Tayler Holt (.347 average) and Kendall Tipton (.311 average).

No matter.

Projecting forward, a state title repeat in 2018 isn’t out of the question.

Armed with Turner (0.21 ERA, 249 strikeouts) and a budding star in sophomore Shelby Westbrook (2.10 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 43.1 innings), pitching won’t be an issue.

Hitting shouldn’t be a problem, either.

The Gators do lose centerfielder Jessie McCallister (.358 average, 17 RBIs) and outfielder Lexi Turner (.293 average, 19 RBIs).

But, the team returns just about everyone else, including sluggers Tia Williams (.444 average, 24 RBIs), Ashley Smith (.390 average, four home runs, 30 RBIs) and Brianna Lindner (.352 average, two home runs, 22 RBIs).

Not to be overlooked, Wilkins’ mentoring should provide a steadying force, too.

After a 13-13 mark in 2014, the team has since gone a combined 80-9 under Wilkins.

Published May 24, 2017

Sunlake falls short of state title bid

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They were just one win shy from reaching the Class 7A state tournament.

Yet, as the performance in their first-ever region final would indicate, Sunlake’s varsity girls basketball team still has some work to get there.

The Seahawks (17-9) — the last girls hoops squad standing in Pasco County — suffered a devastating 66-24 loss to Orlando Edgewater (16-14) on Feb. 17 at Wiregrass Ranch High School.

Sunlake fell one win shy of reaching the Class 7A state tournament. However, they return all but one player for the 2017-2018 season.
(Kevin Weiss)

A sizable Seahawks crowd — loud and proud in pre-game warmups — was quickly silenced as Edgewater roared to a blazing 24-0 start, less than 7 minutes through the opening quarter.

The Eagles attacked Sunlake’s 2-3 zone, mostly by hitting 3s, drawing fouls and getting second-chance opportunities.

Edgewater’s well-rounded athleticism and on-ball traps, too, proved a problem for the Seahawks throughout the contest.

The first Sunlake points finally came with 51 seconds left in the first quarter — a three-point play by 5-foot-10 junior guard Elizabeth Moran, who led the team with eight points.

It was far from enough, though.

By halftime, Edgewater’s lead grew to 53-16.

A running clock ensued in the second half.

For the game, Edgewater made 18 three-pointers, and out-rebounded the Seahawks 27-12.

Edgewater, which has won four state championships since 2007, is now playing in the state tournament for the sixth time in 10 years.

Despite the lopsided defeat, Seahawks coach Reesa Hendrix Pledge remained upbeat.

“Sometimes you’re just not ready,” Hendrix Pledge said, honestly. “But, we’ll be ready next year. We’ll be back.”

There’s a solid chance of that, considering Sunlake has just one senior— guard Cheyenne Yucatonis — graduating from a team that returns five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.

“They’re babies,” Hendrix Pledge said. “There’s two of them that started last year, and the rest of them are just now playing.”

The 2016-2017 season, she noted, was more about “coming together as a team.”

“The greatest thing,” Hendrix Pledge said, “is they love each other more, and they fight for each other.”

Sunlake’s final basket of the season, fittingly, was scored by Yucatonis. The senior was subsequently pulled out of the game as a show of gratitude for her contributions to the program.

“She’s meant everything,” Hendrix Pledge said. “She’s worked hard, she’s been the first one to practice, she’s been the one that helps clean up, she’s (taught) them what it takes to work year-round and to get better.

“That’s what we needed this year — that leadership — and she showed it.”

Prior to the setback to Edgewater, Sunlake won four consecutive playoff games, defeating Springstead twice, Land O’ Lakes and Brandon high schools.

Elsewhere in our coverage area, the Carrollwood Day School’s varsity girls basketball team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history. Under first-year coach Karim Nohra, the Patriots (27-2) are heading to Lakeland to play in the Class 3A state semifinal, following a 51-43 victory over Orlando Christian Prep in the region final on Feb. 14.

Nohra previously guided Academy at the Lakes to the final four in five of his six years before departing to CDS in October.

The Patriots enter the state tournament with youth — and lots of it. The roster of 10 players includes just two sophomores, six freshmen, an eighth grader and a seventh grader. Additionally, all five starters are freshman, including top player Tiasia McMillan, a guard who averages 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Key returnees for Sunlake in 2017-2018

  • Andrea Wallace, junior center: 11.9 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 2.2 blocks per game
  • Mary Moran, junior guard: 9.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.5 steals per game (SPG)
  • Kasia Ramirez, junior guard: 8.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.1 SPG

Published February 22, 2017

Land O’ Lakes softball primed for deep playoff run

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Land O’ Lakes High School softball coach Mitchell Wilkins is taking things “one game at a time.”

Despite wrapping up a marvelous regular season (24-2-1), the third-year coach is trying not to get ahead of himself in looking at the pathway to a state title, though he knows his team matches up well against most opponents.

Head Coach Mitch Wilkins has led the Gators to two straight 20-win seasons. The team will compete in the Class 6A FHSAA regionals, starting April 20. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes Football)
Head Coach Mitch Wilkins has led the Gators to two straight 20-win seasons. The team will compete in the Class 6A FHSAA regionals, starting April 20.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes Football)

The Gators are rolling into the playoffs as one of the state’s hottest teams—reeling off 15 straight wins, many by large margins of victory.

“I think we’re set,” the third-year coach said. “I have in my mind how I want to approach as we go through regionals.”

To win the Class 6A FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) state title, the Gators will have to win five straight games in the process, starting on April 20.

But, Wilkins is careful not to look too far ahead.

“I can’t be distracted by that, because we know what happened last year—we lost in the second round at the districts semifinals and didn’t get to go any further — so we have to look at each game and figure out what’s the best approach for that game before we start looking at a state championship.”

After finishing 24-3 last season—district semifinals’ hiccup aside— Wilkins knew he had an established team with lofty expectations entering the 2016 season.

“We knew we had good players, but we wanted to see how they matched up — and so far so good,” Wilkins said. “We’re really happy with what we have, not only one through nine, but we’ve got weapons on the bench that I can put in and feel just as comfortable having play.”

One player that Wilkins is always comfortable playing is senior ace pitcher Shannon Saile (four no-hitters, 0.66 ERA), who’s struck out 221 batters —which ranks fifth in the state. Her ability to throw all her pitches—fastball, curveball, screwball, riseball— in each quadrant of the strike zone has made the FIU (Florida International University) softball commit a nightmare for opposing hitters.

“She’s been a monster,” her coach said. “She hits both sides of the plate. …She loves to pitch at the bottom of the strike zone.

“She gets a lot of swinging strikes—pitches out of the zone—because the (opposing) girls know they have to be ready and swing early, because she throws so hard.”

Averaging more than two strikeouts for every inning pitched, Saile’s presence in the circle has taken a significant burden off of the team’s defense, Wilkins said.

“Defensively, when I only have to account for one out an inning — that is such a blessing,” the Gators coach said. “That takes a lot of stress off our defense. The most stressful thing they have is waiting to see if somebody’s going to hit the ball and put it in play. …They have to stay on the balls of their feet the whole time, if somebody does hit it.”

Giving the Gators additional assurance heading into the postseason is the emergence of several young players, including two-way freshmen Callie Turner and Shelby Westbrook, and sophomores Brianna Lindner, Ashley Smith and Tia Williams.

“We have a good mixture of youth and veterans,” Wilkins said, noting eight of the team’s 14 players will earn their first varsity letter. “This year, we are better pitching, but we haven’t hit quite as well as we did last year—but we haven’t needed to. In the same respect, we’ve played better competition this year.”

That “better competition” includes Springstead (24-1)— a team the Gators fell to 1-0 in extra innings in the season opener—whom Land O’ Lakes may rematch if both teams reach the regional finals.

“We know they’ve made some improvements since then, and we’ve made some improvements since then, so it’ll probably be a little bit different game,” Wilkins said, adding, “we’re confident we can play with them.”

“We feel — especially with Shannon pitching and our defense, and the emerging offense from our sophomore starters — that we can compete with anybody in the state.”

Land O’ Lakes Gators softball
Head Coach: Mitchell Wilkins (3rd year)
Record: 24-2-1
Player to watch: Senior pitcher Shannon Saile (15-2 W-L, 0.66 ERA, 221 Ks, four no-hitters)

“Shannon’s been great. She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do and more. She elevated her game a couple summers ago when she realized she had the opportunity to be the No. 1 pitcher. She added some miles per hour to her pitching speed and worked on her different pitches to be that dominant pitcher. She has worked hard to become that.” –Coach Mitchell Wilkins

Sophomore sluggers: Brianna Lindner (.375 avg., 4 HRs, 26 RB)
Tia Williams (.463 avg., 4HRs, 30 RBI)
Ashley Smith (.443 avg., 2 HR, 16 RBI)
X-Factor: Freshman Shelby Westbrook (29 runs scored, 16 stolen bases)

“Shelby has really emerged as a weapon just with her speed. She creates a lot of havoc when she’s on base. All she has to do is put the ball in play, and it’s a really good opportunity for her to get on base.” –Coach Mitchell Wilkins

Published April 20, 2016

New Wiregrass Ranch coach builds up the Bulls

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Wiregrass Ranch is on its fourth head football coach in as many years, and hasn’t had any real success in several seasons.

It sounds like a big rebuilding job.

Good thing the team’s new coach specializes in that kind of project.

“It’s almost as if that’s what my calling card is, to take challenges like this, and try and fix them,” said Mark Kantor, the Bulls’ head coach.

He’s done it before.

Mark Kantor has been assigned the task of rebuilding the Wiregrass Ranch football program, and he's tackling it with plenty of effort and a good amount of patience. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photos)
Mark Kantor has been assigned the task of rebuilding the Wiregrass Ranch football program, and he’s tackling it with plenty of effort and a good amount of patience.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photos)

He coached at Gaither High School for nine years, also coming in as that team’s fourth head coach in four seasons, and he took the team to the playoffs three years in a row. They even won a district title.

Things were even more dire at Hudson High School.

When he walked into that program, it had a 0-24 record.

The team won three games his first season, and accomplished winning records the next two years, adding a playoff berth as district runner-up in his second season.

Coming to Wiregrass Ranch, Kantor had to evaluate what he had on the field.

The young players had a lot of energy and enthusiasm, he said.

But, there was a numbers problem.

With less than 40 players on the varsity team last year, and around 75 in the program over all, it fell far short of the 120 it should have had.

Kantor knew that was an issue as the team headed into the season.

But, he had no idea how many he’d lose to injury.

“In 23 years of coaching, 13 as a head coach, I’ve never seen it this bad,” he said of the injuries to his team. “I go to church every week, so I don’t know what it is.”

The Bulls have lost their starting quarterback and running back, as well as linemen, defensive ends and cornerbacks. But, the schedule won’t wait, and they’ve managed a 2-5 record so far, including a 1-3 mark in Class 7A District 8.

The Bulls have suffered injuries on both sides of the ball. While it might impact their record, it hasn't hurt the effort they give on the field.
The Bulls have suffered injuries on both sides of the ball. While it might impact their record, it hasn’t hurt the effort they give on the field.

It’s been a challenging year so far, but starting receiver Taylor Bleistein already sees a difference with Kantor at the helm.

“It’s been the best year that I’ve ever had. He’s put in a system that is completely different than what we’ve ever seen,” said Bleistein, a senior who’s been with the program all four years. “This is the best step I think the program has (taken) in a long time.”

It started in the off-season, according to Bleistein. Weight room work was more intense and serious, and the team has grown closer and more focused, despite dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball.

The receiver plans to continue playing after high school, with scholarship opportunities looking likely. However things turn out this year, he sees a bright future for Wiregrass Ranch football.

“I really like the direction that we’re going in as a program. He’s a great guy, he’s a great coach, he knows what he’s doing,” Bleistein said.

A good amount of that knowledge comes from another local coach. Kantor credits Sunlake coach Bill Browning as being a mentor, both when he played for him at Springstead High School, and later coached on his staff.

“He was a motivator. He was as tough as they come,” Kantor recalled from his days working with Browning. “It was a great learning experience, not only to play for him, but to also have an opportunity to coach for him.”

Browning’s Seahawks had little trouble with the Bulls when they faced off on Sept. 11, winning 31-7. But Browning saw Wiregrass Ranch give a lot of effort in the loss, and expects that trait to be a characteristic of Kantor’s team going forward.

“He was a hard-working, 100-percent type player, and he’s coaching the same way,” Browning said of Kantor. “I think he’s doing a great job over at Wiregrass.”

Browning knows a little bit about turning around programs himself. When he took the job at Springstead back in 1987, the Eagles had a cumulative record of 20-70 and had never had a winning season, he said. They would not only earn their first winning record, but also win a bowl game and a district title. And, he’s built Sunlake from the ground up into a perennial contender.

He believes that Wiregrass Ranch is on the right track with Kantor, and they’ll just have to be patient as he creates a winning atmosphere.

Kantor knows that might take some time, and he’s ready to put the work in to make it happen. If he can build on the talent he has, and if they can stay healthy, he believes he has the start of a successful program.

“I truly want to build something here,” he said. “We’re young, but we’ve got a lot more growing to do. There are parts there, absolutely.”

Wiregrass Bulls’ remaining schedule
Oct. 16 at Mitchell
Oct. 23 vs. Gaither
Oct. 30 at Plant

Published October 14, 2015

Athletes met lofty expectations in 2014

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Athletic competition typically is marked by athletes and teams with lofty goals for the upcoming year. Many times, however, they fall short of those goals despite a great deal of determination and hard work.

Sunlake’s Terrence Jackson and Zephyrhills’ Antwione Sims go up for a ball when the schools met late in the year, a game the Bulldogs won. Both football teams had big plans for 2014, and their hard work paid off during the season. (File Photo)
Sunlake’s Terrence Jackson and Zephyrhills’ Antwione Sims go up for a ball when the schools met late in the year, a game the Bulldogs won. Both football teams had big plans for 2014, and their hard work paid off during the season. (File Photo)

But there also are cases where that hard work really pays off, and both individuals and teams meet their goals.

Here are a few sports stories that had successful endings across a variety of athletic contests.

Missions accomplished
Before the season started, the Sunlake Seahawks wanted something that had eluded them throughout their history: A district championship.

“That’s one of our goals, to win the district title,” Sunlake head coach Bill Browning said last August. “It’s missing right now, but it really just provides more motivation for us.”

Middle linebacker and tight end Austin Yeloushan felt the same way.

“We’re planning on doing that this year,” he said. “We’ve been working hard in the weight room.”

Whether it was the weights or the program’s history of success, Sunlake had another strong year, finishing the regular season at 8-2. They also survived a three-way tiebreaker with Mitchell and Springstead high schools to claim their first-ever championship in Class 6A-District 6.

At Zephyrhills High School, Head Coach Reggie Roberts knew people would be focused on the Bulldogs’ rivalry with Pasco High School. But Roberts was concerned about something else: The postseason.

“Contrary to what people believe, I’m not worried about Pasco,” Roberts said ahead of the season last August. “We have a lot of games. If we lose all our games and win the Pasco game, we’re still not in the playoffs.”

Instead, things turned out almost the exact opposite of Roberts’ hypothesis: The Bulldogs lost to Pasco again, this time a tough 35-34 loss. But they won nearly all of their other games, finishing the regular season 8-2 and earning a playoff spot through Class 5A-District 6 in another tiebreaker.

As a result, an eight-year playoff drought was snapped, and Roberts took his team to the postseason for the first time in his tenure as coach at Zephyrhills.

Getting gold, again
As a freshman in 2013, Abbey Duncan was a state champion for Wesley Chapel High School’s swim team, and was even profiled by The Laker/Lutz News in March.

But things change from year to year, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the outcome was a little bit different in 2014.

Not the part about being a state champion. Duncan did that again. But this time it was for a different school.

Duncan transferred to Academy at the Lakes and helped that program achieve success in her sophomore year. Her state championship also was a little different, claiming the 100-yard backstroke in 2014.

Duncan took the championship in a freestyle event last year.

She enters 2015 as a two-time state champion, and she’ll only be a junior.

New coach, similar success
On the baseball diamond, the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls had a few question marks as they tried to follow up on their 2013 campaign, which included their first-ever playoff berth and a spot in the regional final.

A big one was their coach.

Marshall McDougal was not only a new coach at the high school, he had never coached high school baseball before. But as a recently retired professional baseball player, he brought a lot of experience and optimism to the Bulls’ job.

“As a whole, our team is pretty solid all the way through,” McDougall said last April during his inaugural season as coach. “It’s a matter of keep pushing the kids, keep improving, and keep playing hard, and I think our kids can go a long way.”

McDougal turned out to be right, taking Wiregrass Ranch right back to the playoffs. This time they fell in the regional semifinals, but proved that the program was ready to continue its success streak, even with a new coach at the helm.

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Playoff foe awaits district champ Sunlake

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Each year, high school football teams enter the season with specific goals. Some achieve them, and others fall short.

For Sunlake High School, the goal since the school’s inception has been to claim a district title. And every year they’ve fallen short of that goal.

Until this year.

Sunlake High School junior Nick Valdes, left, and the rest of the Seahawks hope to make the most of their first playoff berth as district champions. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Sunlake High School junior Nick Valdes, left, and the rest of the Seahawks hope to make the most of their first playoff berth as district champions. (Fred Bellet/Photo)

The Seahawks survived a three-way tiebreaker on Nov. 3 that had teams playing one quarter of football against each other to determine a winner. As a result, they’ll enter the playoffs with the title of district champion of Class 6A-District 6, an accomplishment that’s not lost on head coach Bill Browning.

“It’s very gratifying. The kids worked very hard for it,” said Browning, who has been with the school since it opened in 2007.

Back then, the team was essentially a junior varsity squad, he said, and were out-matched at every turn. But over the years, Browning and his staff have built a successful program, finally claiming that elusive district title this season.

As a result, Browning let himself enjoy the moment. For a few hours, anyway.

By the next morning, it was on to game preparations, and getting his team prepared for the games in front of them.

“You meet one challenge and then you go on to the next challenge,” he said. “That’s the competitive nature.”

The challenge in the playoffs will be a home tilt against Vanguard High School on Nov. 14. Located in Ocala, the Knights don’t seem too formidable on paper. They’re just 4-5 on the season, and claimed a playoff spot as runner-up in District 5 with a 2-2 record. They were 1-4 on the road, and gave up an average of nearly 47 points in their five losses.

But Browning and the Seahawks won’t make any assumptions with regard to Vanguard. They’ve faced them in the playoffs before, winning a close contest, and know that any team that makes the postseason has talent.

To be successful, Sunlake will rely on the players like Naejaun Jackson, a running back and receiver who has given the offense a spark in the second half of the season. Browning described Jackson as the “lightning” to running back Nathan Johnson’s “thunder.”

While the experience of entering the playoffs as a district champion is a new experience for Sunlake, it’s nothing new for Browning. A high school coach for 25 years, he also earned district titles for Springstead High School and Hernando High School before taking the job to start the Seahawks’ program from scratch.

But this one is special, in part because his biggest fan isn’t here to watch the games anymore. His father, Maurice, passed away this past summer at age 95.

During his son’s tenure the older Browning attended every Sunlake football game. In the last contest he saw, the spring classic game, Browning’s father saw the team that would eventually earn the school its first district title.

And his assessment of his son’s team at the time?

“After the classic, his words to me were, ‘You’ve got your work cut out for you,’” Browning recalled.

After a lot of hard work, Sunlake is not only a district champion for the first time, but a playoff host as well. Browning hopes those advantages will help the team go farther this year than during previous campaigns.

“The farthest we’ve gotten is the second round in the playoffs,” Browning said. ‘That’s our goal now, to go farther than any Sunlake team has.”

While Sunlake has been able to console themselves with playoff runs while they sought a district title, it was a different story for Zephyrhills High School. But they snapped an eight-year playoff drought with their own tie-breaker game, and will head to the playoffs as the Class 5A-District 7 runner-up.

While the Bulldogs can be proud of accomplishing a major goal for 2014, there’s just one problem: The actual playoffs haven’t even started yet.

So now what?

“You feel really good for a short time, but you know you’ve got to get back to work and start over,” Zephyrhills coach Reggie Roberts said. “Our objective is not just to get there. It’s to perform once we get to the playoffs.”

Soon after he was drenched in a celebratory bath from the water cooler, Roberts already was thinking of the Bulldogs’ playoff strategy.

And Zephyrhills isn’t expecting a warm welcome in their return to the postseason. Their first match-up will be Nov. 14 at Live Oak to face Suwannee High School, a team that didn’t need any tiebreakers to qualify for the playoffs. With a perfect 9-0 overall record headed into their final regular season game, Suwannee dominated District 5 with a 6-0 mark. The Bulldogs finished at 9-1 after a 42-14 loss to Columbia High School from Lake City.

The team — also nicknamed the Bulldogs — has held opponents to seven points or less four separate times, while being held under 30 themselves just once.

The key to the Zephyrhills’ success, according to Roberts, will be not changing things just because it’s the playoffs. From coaching to practice to execution, he wants his team to utilize the same strengths that helped them reach the postseason.

“We have to go with what got us there, and we have to do what we’ve done all year long,” he said. “We have to play consistent football on both sides of the ball.”

Roberts knows first-hand the importance of ending the season strong. As an all-state linebacker for Zephyrhills, he made the playoffs in his senior season back in 1989. His defensive coordinator, Booker Pickett, also was on that team. But they lost their playoff game, a match-up Roberts still remembers well and thinks they could have won.

He doesn’t want his team ending their year with a feeling that they could have done more in the postseason, and his focus is on getting them as prepared as possible to be successful.

But Roberts also wants them to enjoy the moment the way he did when he played in the postseason, and appreciate the special atmosphere.

“The crowd, it was so packed there was no room to sit,” Roberts recalled. “It was tremendous. It was like a college atmosphere. It was great small-town football.

“That’s why you want to get there. To create those memories.”

Nov. 14
Vanguard at Sunlake, 7:30 p.m.
Zephyrhills at Suwanee, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $8
If Sunlake (8-2) wins, Seahawks take on winner of Mitchell (6-4) at Gainesville (5-5).
If Zephyrhills (8-2) wins, Bulldogs take on winner of North Marion (8-2) at South Sumter (10-0).

Published November 12, 2014

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Sunlake, Zephyrhills, Pasco football teams in tiebreakers tonight

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The high school football season is coming to a close, but not every game takes place on a Friday.

In fact, the lights are coming on at both Sunlake and Zephyrhills high schools Monday, as teams from both schools take part in a rather unusual tiebreaker game that could mean a district championship for one team, and a runner-up status for others.

Football teams from Springstead and Mitchell high schools will travel to Sunlake in Land O’ Lakes tonight to participate in one of the two tiebreaker games. Both teams will play a single 12-minute quarter, with the leader at the end of that quarter going on to play another quarter against Sunlake for Class 6A-District 6.

Springstead and Mitchell are tied overall at 6-3, including 3-1 marks in district play. Sunlake is 8-1 overall, but also is 3-1 in the district. So the winner of the second quarter will be named the district champion, and the loser of that quarter will become the runner-up.

It will be pretty much the same at Zephyrhills High School when Nature Coast Tech and Pasco show up to play a quarter against each other, with the winner taking on Zephyrhills in the second quarter in a Class 5A-District 6 showdown.

Zephyrhills is 7-2 overall, but 4-2 in the district after a loss to district champ South Sumter earlier in the season, and being edged by a single point in its game against Pasco last Friday. Nature Coast Tech and Pasco are 6-3, but also are 4-2 in district play. The team that comes out on top at the end of the second quarter will be the district runner-up, and will advance to the playoffs.

All teams are allowed a maximum of 60 players in uniform, and marching bands are not invited.

The games — which begin at 7 p.m. — are open to fans. Admission is $7.

All teams are scheduled to play their final regular season games next weekend, with district winners and runners-up then heading to the playoffs.

 

Sunlake stays calm, steady even after Pasco upset

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Every high school football team has some optimism when they start a new season. But if your first opponent is considered the best in the county — riding a 38-game regular season winning streak — that optimism might be tempered.

Unless you’re the Sunlake Seahawks.

Sunlake Seahawks head coach Bill Browning doesn’t want his team to become content. Despite ending Pasco High School’s four-year win streak, there is still a long road to the district title. (File photo)
Sunlake Seahawks head coach Bill Browning doesn’t want his team to become content. Despite ending Pasco High School’s four-year win streak, there is still a long road to the district title. (File photo)

The Seahawks never trailed in a 17-6 home victory over the Pasco Pirates on Aug. 30. And even though the gridiron crew from Sunlake High School is considered a strong team in their own right, they know it was a special accomplishment to beat someone who hasn’t seen the losing column in the regular season since 2009.

“I hate to rank victories, but it was obviously a huge victory just from the fact that Pasco has dominated everybody in the regular season for so long,” said Coach Bill Browning, who has been with Sunlake’s football program since its inception seven years ago. That tenure includes a few previous losses to the Pirates, but Browning feels that other milestone wins in the school’s history contributed to a sense that they could finally turn the corner against the county’s regular-season juggernaut.

The Seahawks had a small lead when the marching bands took the field halfway through. While Browning was feeling good about his team’s chances, it wasn’t until the opening plays of the second half that he felt like it was going to be Sunlake’s night.

“It was a close game going in at halftime,” Browning said. “We went out (to start the third quarter), received the football and took the first play for a long touchdown. That was huge. I think that gave us the momentum in the second half and they (Pasco) could never re-establish that momentum.”

That play was a 64-yard touchdown run by the team’s starting fullback, junior Logan Wolfe. It was Wolfe’s second touchdown of the night and made him the team’s star in one of the school’s biggest wins. But he’s not interested in taking much credit for himself.

“The huge run would never have happened if it wasn’t for this team’s offensive line. They produced that huge hole for me to run through, so that 64-yard run was all them,” Logan said.

In fact, he credits his teammates on the other side of the ball — the Seahawks’ defense, which frustrated Pasco throughout the evening — with the key to the victory. He believes they have one of the best defenses in the state.

Whoever gets to share credit for the big win, Browning is making sure they don’t get too overconfident from it: The Seahawks’ reward for toppling the Pirates was a tough week of practice to prepare for their next game this past weekend.

Yet Sunlake persevered, beating River Ridge 25-0, and improving to 2-0 on the season.

The team’s goals are the same as before — win the district title and reach the state playoffs. But Browning acknowledges that the win gave the Seahawks a boost and a little swagger, and shows the athletes what they’re capable of accomplishing.

But Browning isn’t adopting any new swagger himself: With around 35 years of coaching experience and more than 20 years in the head coach’s role at schools like Hernando High School and Springstead High School in addition to Sunlake, he doesn’t allow himself to become too elated and dejected following a single game.

In fact, it wasn’t long after the Friday night win that Browning turned his attention to their next opponent.

“To be truthful, Saturday morning I was focused on River Ridge,” Browning said with a laugh. “I’m one who never gets too high, and I don’t get too low. I try to stay at a happy medium. Coaches who don’t do that get on roller coaster rides, and they’re the ones who have a tendency to burn out and don’t last very long in the game.”