The Laker/Lutz News

Local Sports

All-Pasco County fall awards announced

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High school coaches from Pasco County Schools recently announced Sunshine Athletic Conference (SAC) All-Conference Teams, Athletes of the Year and Coaches of the Year, for the 2021-2022 fall sports season.

Selections were made for both the East and West divisions.

The following high schools from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were represented in the East: Cypress Creek, Land O’ Lakes, Pasco, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills.

Here is a listing of boys team and individual recipients within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area for cross-country, football, golf, swimming & diving, and volleyball.

NOTE: The Laker/Lutz News will publish the Girls All-Conference listings in its Jan. 19 edition.

Fall Sports (Boys)

The Sunlake varsity boys cross-country team finished third in the Class 3A state championship meet, representing the best finish among all local schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. From left: Nathan Lee, Cason Meyer, Cade Culpepper, Alex Pena, Colby Robbins, Maximillian Goserud and Cody Smith. (File)

SAC East All-Conference Cross-Country
Team Champion: Sunlake
Coach of the Year: Randal Reeves, Sunlake
Runner of the Year: Colby Robbins, Sunlake

First-Team
Colby Robbins, Sunlake, senior
Zack Poekert, Cypress Creek, junior
Alex Pena, Sunlake, junior
Cason Meyer, Sunlake, senior
William Poe, Zephyrhills, sophomore
Cade Culpepper, Sunlake, freshman
Seth Stringer, Pasco, senior

Second-Team
Max Goserud, Sunlake, senior
Hunter Boggs, Wiregrass Ranch, sophomore
Dalton Sallengs, Land O’ Lakes, junior
Caden Sessions, Land O’ Lakes, sophomore
Nathan Lee, Sunlake, junior
Cody Smith, Sunlake, senior
Nathan Webb, Land O’ Lakes, freshman

Honorable Mention
Cole Couch, Wesley Chapel, senior

SAC East All-Conference Football
Team Champion: Wiregrass Ranch
Coach of the Year: Anthony Egan, Wesley Chapel
Offensive Player of the Year: Rocco Becht, Wiregrass Ranch
Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Poleon, Wesley Chapel

The Wiregrass Ranch varsity football team defeated all three of its Pasco County opponents this season, downing Mitchell (21-6), River Ridge (69-47), and Zephyrhills (40-7). (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School athletics department)

First-Team Offense
QB: Rocco Becht, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
RB: Jaylin Thomas, Zephyrhills, senior
RB: Jaylan Blake, Wesley Chapel, senior
WR: Kenan Ayala, Land O’ Lakes, junior
WR: Bryson Rodgers, Wiregrass Ranch, junior
TE: Dylan Lolley, Cypress Creek, junior
OL: Cristian Loaiza, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
OL: Logan Ridolph, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
OL: Isaiah Tavo, Land O’ Lakes, senior
OL: Quinn Hewitt, Sunlake, senior
OL: Briac Riles, Wesley Chapel, senior

First-Team Defense/Special Teams
DL: Maguire Neal, Zephyrhills, senior
DL: Aiden Marsh, Land O’ Lakes, junior
DL: Steven Prevaux, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
DL: Zeph Johnson, Sunlake, junior
LB: Josh Poleon, Wesley Chapel, junior
LB: Theotis Smith, Zephyrhills, senior
LB: Mitch Hammond, Sunlake, senior
DB: Abram Beer, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
DB: Nick Sheldon, Zephyrhills, senior
DB: Nehemiah Morgan, Wesley Chapel, senior
DB: Tymar McKever, Zephyrhills, senior
P: Daniel Lester, Sunlake, senior
K: Daniel Lester, Sunlake, senior
Utility: Nehemiah Morgan, Wesley Chapel, senior

Second-Team Offense
QB: Kyle Horvath, Land O’ Lakes, sophomore
RB: Kione Robinson, Cypress Creek, senior
RB: Jackson Lipski, Sunlake, junior
WR: Dontrell Clerkley, Cypress Creek, senior
WR: T.J. Jackson, Zephyrhills, senior
TE: David Alejandro, Land O’ Lakes, senior
OL: Austin Slusher, Cypress Creek, sophomore
OL: Tucker Schwab, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
OL: Damon McMillian, Zephyrhills, sophomore
OL: Max Hembrecht, Wesley Chapel, junior
OL: Karl Campbell, Cypress Creek, senior

Second-Team Defense/Special Teams
DL: Vincent Tre, Cypress Creek, junior
DL: Xavier Lewis, Land O’ Lakes, senior
DL: Gabe Stewart, Wesley Chapel, junior
DL: Calob Durham, Zephyrhills, junior
LB: Jordan McCaslin, Wesley Chapel, senior
LB: Ethan Ayo, Pasco, senior
LB: Kevin Marks, Land O’ Lakes, junior
DB: Ayden Roysdon, Wesley Chapel, senior
DB: Elijah Westbrooks, Wiregrass Ranch, junior
DB: Luis Nunez, Sunlake, senior
DB: Jakobe Campbell, Zephyrhills, sophomore
P: Will Fotopolous, Land O’ Lakes, junior
K: Colton Corrao, Cypress Creek, senior
Utility: Jaxson Rivera, Zephyrhills, senior

SAC East All-Conference Golf
Team Champion: Sunlake
Coach of the Year: Bob Kamps, Sunlake
Golfer of the Year: Cody Williams

Sunlake senior Cody Williams, left, was named 2021 SAC East Boys Golfer of the Year. Williams stands alongside coach Bob Kamps, who was named 2021 SAC East Boys Golf Coach of the Year. (File)

First-Team
Cody Williams, Sunlake, senior
Daniel Polce, Cypress Creek, senior
Alex Dodd, Sunlake, junior
Conor Newbold, Cypress Creek, sophomore
Eddie Chang, Sunlake, senior

Second-Team
Ben Alexander, Land O’ Lakes, junior
Aidan Sherman, Land O’ Lakes, senior
Max Haines, Sunlake, freshman
Joaquin Parrilla, Cypress Creek, junior
Levi Wade, Cypress Creek, sophomore

Honorable Mention(s)
Gabriel Johnston, Zephyrhills, senior
Aidan Brooks, Wiregrass Ranch, junior
Cooper Krump, Pasco, freshman
Jackson Almasy, Wesley Chapel, junior

SAC East All-Conference Swimming and Diving
Team Champion: Wiregrass Ranch
Coach of the Year: Kyle Gramm, Wiregrass Ranch
Swimmer of the Year: Alex Thai, Sunlake
Diver of the Year: Nolan Ray, Land O’ Lakes

First-Team
200 medley relay: Sunlake — Cayden DeTillio, sophomore; Alex Thai, senior; Jackson Houck, junior; Tien Duong, junior
200 freestyle: Andrew Fisher, Pasco, senior
200 individual medley: Garret McNab, Land O’ Lakes, junior
50 freestyle: Alex Thai, Sunlake, junior
100 butterfly: Noah Porter, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
100 freestyle: Kevin Chen, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
500 freestyle: Jack Porter, Wiregrass Ranch, sophomore
200 freestyle relay: Sunlake — Cayden DeTillio, sophomore; Alex Thai, junior; Jackson Houck, junior; Tien Duong, junior
100 backstroke: Michael McCloskey, Land O’ Lakes, junior
100 breaststroke: Alex Thai, Sunlake, junior
400 freestyle relay: Wiregrass Ranch — Kevin Chen, senior; RB Childers, senior; Parker Munari, senior; Noah Porter, senior
Diver: Nolan Ray, Land O’ Lakes, junior

Second-Team
200 medley relay: Wiregrass Ranch — Parker Munari, senior; Noah Porter, senior; RB Childers, senior; Kevin Chen, senior
200 freestyle: Jack Porter, Wiregrass Ranch, sophomore
200 individual medley: Cristian Doan, Pasco, freshman
50 freestyle: Tien Duong, Sunlake, junior
100 butterfly: Michael McCloskey, Land O’ Lakes, junior
100 freestyle: Tien Duong, Sunlake, junior
500 freestyle: Reid Knuckes, Wiregrass Ranch, junior
200 freestyle relay: Cypress Creek — Adam Przychodski, junior; Nicky Vreeland, senior; Clay Ballash, sophomore; Paul Bobey, senior
100 backstroke: Parker Munari, Wiregrass Ranch, senior
100 breaststroke: Cristian Doan, Pasco, freshman
400 freestyle relay: Andrew Fisher, senior; Aaron Loguercio, junior; Cristian Doan, freshman, Connor Harrie, junior
Diver: Aaron Tran, Land O’ Lakes, senior

Honorable Mention(s)
Tyler Norman, Wesley Chapel, sophomore
Jacob Piankowski, Zephyrhills, sophomore

Published January 12, 2022

2021 offered special moments in local sports (Part Two)

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This past year levied countless memories in the local sports scene — from shattered records and career achievements for individuals and teams, to several major events and showcases in the area.

Here is a look back at some of the moments in sports in 2021, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

(This is Part Two of a two-part series.)

Bishop McLaughlin baseball coach brings major league pedigree
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School tabbed a decorated big-leaguer to lead its pedigreed baseball program, back in August.

His name is Rob Ducey, and he spent parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1987 to 2001 — playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, California Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School has tabbed former major-leaguer Rob Ducey, pictured, to lead its baseball program. (File)

A left-handed hitting outfielder, Ducey played over 700 games in the majors, posting a .242 batting average, .331 on-base percentage, .396 slugging percentage, with 309 hits, 190 runs, 146 RBIs, 31 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Ducey later served as a hitting coach in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees, Expos and Phillies; and was a talent scout for the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

This baseball lifer status — and one of the very few Canadian big-leaguers — has Ducey enshrined into both the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame (2006) and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2013).

All told, Ducey has been involved with professional baseball in some shape or form for over 37 years.

And now, the 56-year-old Tarpon Springs resident is taking his varied experiences to the Hurricanes varsity baseball program, which has won five district championships and two regional championships, and has made a pair of state final four appearances

Ducey has clear expectations for the area team he takes over.

“Obviously, I want the pitchers to throw strikes, I want the defenders to handle the baseball, and the hitters to be able to situational hit,” he said, in an exclusive interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“We may not have the most ability on the field, but you’re going to know that you’ve got to fight, and if we do that every single day we come out and work improves in those areas, then it’ll be a successful year.”

Future NHL stars showcase skills in Wesley Chapel
For a few days, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) next generation of talent skated into Pasco County —  showing puck fans and pro scouts their skills in shot-making, blocking, toughness and teamwork.

AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel was the site of the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase, held from Sept. 18 through Sept. 21.

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, goalie Hugo Alnefelt, No. 60, blocks a shot by Carolina Hurricane prospect Blaker Murray, No. 85, during action at the 2021 Lightning Prospect Showcase at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. (File)

Hosted by the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the event also welcomed prospect teams from the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.

With it being the Lightning’s turn to coordinate the event, the Wesley Chapel-based facility provided an ideal locale.

The 150,000-square-foot complex — the largest ice sports facility in the southeastern United States — is known for having four full-sized ice rinks and a mini-rink housed under one roof.

Aside from sheets of ice, the facility was designed to meet various NHL specifications, all the way down to specific railings and glass around the boards.

The facility also features an on-site sports medicine clinic with an evaluation and treatment room; a fully equipped fitness center with over 2,000 square feet of space; and a 90-yard indoor track turf.

Those features, plus the accessibility to on-site hotels and restaurants, as well as nearby Saddlebrook Resort, were other selling factors for the Lightning and other franchises, officials said.

Each prospect team featured a couple players who’ll likely see time in the NHL this year, which only added to the event’s allure.

Twenty-year-old Panthers goalie Spencer Knight fit that description.

Last year, Knight became the first goaltender to ever have played both in the Stanley Cup playoffs and NCAA (at Boston College) in the same season.

Meantime, Lightning fans received a glimpse of the franchise’s wave of younger talent over the course of the four-day competition.

The Lightning’s 24-man prospect squad finished the tournament as the only team with a perfect 3-0 record. They never trailed in any of their three tournament wins against the Hurricanes, Panthers and Predators.

Zephyrhills football volunteers receive permanent honor
Greg First and Kerry Ryman have witnessed their fair share of Zephyrhills High School football games over the last 40 years or so.

They’ve played a notable role over that time, too, with First providing play-by-play as stadium announcer, and Ryman operating the clock and scoreboard.

In many ways, the friendly pair were synonymous with Zephyrhills High athletics.

Friends and family watch as Kerry Ryman and Greg First receive plaques and recognition for their 40 years of voluntary service providing play-by-play and scoreboard duties for the Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs football team. Here, principal Dr. Christina Stanley makes the honor official, during a pregame ceremony. (File)

Because of those varied efforts, the Zephyrhills High press box at Tom Fisher Field in Bulldog Stadium officially was named the First-Ryman Press Box — during a pregame ceremony in October.

The press box dons the volunteers’ names in large black font with an orange backdrop — the school’s signature colors; Zephyrhills students designed and painted the press box’s new look, as a show of gratitude.

Year in and year out, First and Ryman built their respective Friday nights in football season around Bulldog football.

First had to be locked in on all aspects of the game — taking cues from spotters and properly pronouncing players’ names on a particular offensive or defensive play, all while peppering in various school announcements and sponsorships throughout the game, as his voice was heard by everyone from the stadium’s booming sound speakers.

Ryman, meanwhile, had to pay rapt attention to the game’s head official, monitoring various starts and stoppages in action and other game situations, while simultaneously following specific clock and scoring procedures.

As a part of the action for so long, First and Ryman were in on many highs, some lows and countless unforgettable occurrences. “There’s so many memories over the years that you really could write a book,” First told The Laker/Lutz News.

The two men relinquished their press box volunteering duties this season, after serving for some four decades.

Their press box presence may be gone, but it won’t soon be forgotten.

Freedom High swimmer wins state title
Local athletes and teams performed well at the 2021 FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Swimming and Diving Championships.

But it was Freedom High senior Michelle Morgan who registered the best individual showing among all area swimmers.

The Division I University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill verbal commit took gold in the 3A 200-yard individual medley, clocking 2:01.06 to finish ahead of Gainesville High senior Katherine Sammy (2:01.90).

Morgan also won the event last year, posting a 2:00.92.

The Freedom High swimmer collected additional individual hardware in 2021, taking silver in the 3A 500-yard freestyle.

Her time of 4:53.78 trailed only Chiles High senior Stella Watts, who swam in 4:46.86 in the event.

Morgan also was a leg on the Patriots’ medal-earning 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay teams, which finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Other Freedom relay members were seniors Carly Joerin and Alexa Valdez Velez, and freshman Alex LaBohn.

Altogether, Morgan helped pace Freedom to arguably its best showing in program history. The girls squad finished fifth at states, won its first-ever regional title, and also claimed district and conference crowns.

“We had a phenomenal season,” Freedom head swim coach John Olewski wrote in an email to The Laker/Lutz News. “Assistant Coach Catherine Wright and I are so proud of the Freedom swimmers and divers. The administration, faculty, staff and students of Freedom High School applaud the Freedom Swim & Dive team members and join them in celebrating their many successes this season.”

Lutz native Kevin Cash claims second-straight manager award
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash — a Lutz native and Gaither High product —  became the first American League (AL) manager to win Manager of the Year twice in a row, announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) in November.

The Freedom High School girls swimming and diving team finished in fifth place at the 3A state championships last month in Stuart. The squad collected seven medals, including the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. From left: freshman Alex LaBohn, senior Carly Joerin, senior Michelle Morgan and senior Alexa Valdez Velez. (File)

Also, Cash is only the second manager to win such a BBWAA Manager of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons — joining Bobby Cox, who did so with the National League’s Atlanta Braves in 2004 and 2005.

Cash was recognized for steering the Rays to a franchise-best 100-62 regular season mark in 2021. (However, the Rays playoff dreams ended sooner than expected, losing to the Red Sox in four games in the AL Division Series in October).

He did so under weighty circumstances, with one of the sport’s lowest payrolls, a bevy of injuries (33 different players being placed on the injured list) and a competitive division that featured three other teams that won 90-plus games (Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays).

Besides wins and losses, Cash receives high marks for his ever-changing batting orders, unconventional pitching usage, and ability to maintain a positive culture in the team clubhouse.

Locally, Cash grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

His baseball notoriety began as a young boy.

Some three-plus decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He later would star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher.

Published January 05, 2022

2021 offered special moments in local sports (Part One)

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This past year levied countless memories in the local sports scene — from shattered records and career achievements for individuals and teams, to several major events and showcases in the area.

Here is a look back at some of the moments in sports in 2021, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

(This is Part One of a two-part series.)

Land O’ Lakes Little League celebrates 50th anniversary
The start of each Little League season often elicits a heightened level of nostalgia.

Alissa Canter, vice president Land O’ Lakes Little League, holds the 50th Anniversary charter with director, Gary Gwinn. (File)

With spring in the air, youth of all ages and skills partake in America’s favorite pastime, testing their mettle on the mound, at the plate and in the field.

For Land O’ Lakes Little League, this year’s Opening Day festivities took on added significance: The organization celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 27, at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, off Collier Parkway.

The organization actually formed back in 1967 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center (now Heritage Park) off U.S. 41, but it didn’t receive its first Little League charter until 1971.

The local league has come a long way since its initial startup — boasting upwards of 800 boys and girls, ages 4 to 16, playing baseball and softball across 10 fields.

The large ballfield took center stage in the league’s season-opening event.

Teams from all age divisions were spread across the infield and outfield, signaling the league’s staying power and sustained growth.

First pitches were accurately thrown from veteran baseball players, as well softball Little League players.

Local players sang the national anthem and read the league pledge.

There was the unveiling, too, of a framed 50th anniversary “golden ticket” issued and signed by the Little League International Headquarters, which is based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The beauty of the organization is it’s a recreational format.

It welcomes the novice player that may never make an all-star team or play high school ball, to others who have the potential to earn college scholarships and maybe play professionally someday.

“I think every kid should play Little League,” Land O’ Lakes Little League President Gary Gwinn told The Laker/Lutz News.

NBA hopefuls showcase hoops skills in Wesley Chapel
Pasco County and the greater Tampa Bay region isn’t really known for its basketball prowess, but that reputation, or lack thereof, may soon change.

Pursuing dreams of playing professional basketball, a large group of athletes dropped by Wesley Chapel, of all places.

Six-foot-11-inch Nate Reuvers, from the University of Wisconsin, takes a few practice shots prior to the start of the 3-point and slam dunk competitions held during the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. Some 50 players from throughout the country converged in Wesley Chapel for the basketball event. (File)

In early June, some 50 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft-eligible hopefuls descended upon the area to showcase their athleticism and hoops skills in the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine (TBPC), at the AdventHealth Sports Arena at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

The elite-level hoopers — many from recognizable high and mid-major NCAA Division I programs — dribbled, dunked, jumped, shot and passed their way into the eyes and impressions of various NBA and international coaches and scouts.

Several names may be familiar from deep runs in the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness tournament, such as University of Southern California guard Tahj Eaddy, University of Houston forward Justin Gorham, and University of Loyola-Chicago center Cameron Krutwig, among others.

The three-day event featured drills, games (5-on-5, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3), athletic testing and measurements, as well as a 3-point shootout, dunk contest and more.

The player selection committee was led by ESPN television analyst Fran Fraschilla and BasketballNews.com NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock, who were there to evaluate players during the weekend.

The competition came together in a matter of about six weeks, seeking to replicate the Virginia-based Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a long-running hoops combine event canceled a second-straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quade Green was the leading scorer at the University of Washington this past season, at 15.4 points per game.

Like others, it was his first time stepping into the Wiregrass Sports Campus.

He came away impressed with the state-of-the-art digs.

“This is a beautiful gym,” Green said, in an interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “Lot of great players here, great people around you, too. They’ve got connections. Life connections, too, for the long run.”

Zephyrhills runner competes in U.S. Olympic trials
Evan Miller’s sprint for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics may have come up short — but it was still an experience most athletes can only ever dream about.

The Zephyrhills athlete on June 25 competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Miller — then a rising senior at University of South Carolina — clocked 21.04 seconds in the first-round heat of the men’s 200-meter dash, finishing 23rd overall.

Evan Miller (File)

He competed in the same heat against other widely known professional sprinters, including Terrance Laird and Jaron Flourney, among others.

The competition was televised live nationally on NBC Sports Network.

Miller’s trials mark was a shade off his personal best of 20.50 seconds — which he recorded at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted on-campus at South Carolina in late March; he wound up earning second-team NCAA All-American honors during the season, too.

Miller was one of about 30 sprinters nationwide who either qualified or accepted an invitation, and declared for the men’s 200-meter trials event.

From there, the top three men’s 200-meter finishers at trials earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team — Noah Lyles (first, 19.74 seconds), Kenny Bednarek (second, 19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (third, 19.84).

While disappointed with his own trials output overall, Miller relished the opportunity so very few earn — let alone coming off a 2020 track season hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All around, it was a really good experience,” Miller told The Laker/Lutz Newspaper. “It was kind of surreal that I was there with the top athletes in the country. It was just a really good feeling. I was kind of trying to take it all in, but I also couldn’t like believe it at the same time.”

Before college, Miller had made a name for himself as a sprinter at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

His senior year, he won the Class 1A individual crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA State Track & Field Championships. He also was a leg of the school’s 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Locals athletes taken in 2021 MLB Draft
It’s not uncommon for at least a few ballplayers from area high schools and colleges to be taken in the Major League Baseball (MLB) first-year player draft.

The year 2012 was no different, as five local athletes from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were taken in the nationally televised draft, which spanned 20 rounds (and 612) picks from July 11 through July 13:

  • Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace (Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Comp B, 69th overall)
  • Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard (Boston Red Sox, 13th round, 376th overall)
  • Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham (Pittsburgh Pirates, 18th round, 523rd overall)
  • Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette (Toronto Blue Jays, 18th round, 543rd overall)
  • Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams (Kansas City Royals, 19th round, 559th overall)
Sunlake High/University of Florida product Tommy Mace was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians (now named Guardians) in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft. (File)

Every player, except for Ehrhard opted to sign with their drafted team, for various dollar figures.

Mace — the highest selection from the local community — inked with the Indians (now Guardians) for a $1.1 million signing bonus; Graham signed with the Pirates for $125,000; Burnette signed with Blue Jays for $50,000; and, Williams signed with the Royals for $25,000.

Ehrhard, meanwhile, will play collegiate baseball at NCAA Division I Oklahoma State University, majoring in applied exercise science with a focus on strength and conditioning. He was this year’s recipient of the 2021 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

(While slightly outside our coverage area in west Pasco County, Fivay High/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund went in the first round (19th overall) to the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson ultimately signed with the team for just under $3.25 million.)

National champion returns home to teach aspiring players
Land O’ Lakes native Shannon Saile was a part of history — guiding the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team to the 2021 NCAA Division I national title, serving as one of its top senior pitchers.

With her decorated athletic career in tow, Saile’s next major task was organizing a series of fastpitch softball clinics to train the next generation of youth standouts.

Shannon Saile, left, a national champion softball pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners, explains the fundamentals of the fast pitch to 11-year-old Laila McClelland, center, of Odessa. (File)

To do that, the 23-year-old returned to her central Pasco hometown and set foot on the same park ballfields that forged a pathway for myriad athletic accomplishments.

The upstart Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic was held on July 25 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, home to Land O’ Lakes Little League.

About 30 girls — ages 8 to 15 — took part on a steamy Sunday, eager to take in guidance from Saile and other widely known pitching instructors and volunteers.

With Saile’s tutelage, young campers sharpened their fastballs and secondary offerings like changeups, through arm path mechanics and leg drive techniques, as well as various speed, agility and balance drills.

“I just hope that I can teach them the foundation of pitching, because it’s much more important than just getting out there and throwing pitches,” Saile explained to The Laker/Lutz News. “The drills are super important, because they help me grow my strength and my confidence in my pitches.”

Besides learning newfound softball techniques, campers also had an opportunity to get signed autographs and take pictures with Saile, who’s become a household name in the sports world. She was invited to ESPN’s nationally televised 2021 ESPY Awards, for being part of one of the best moments from the year in sports.

Saile goes down as one of the most accomplished — if not most accomplished — fastpitch softball players to ever come out of Land O’ Lakes High School and the greater Tampa Bay area.

As a Gator, she amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four varsity seasons from 2013 to 2016, also compiling a combined 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

The advancement to the college ranks likewise went swimmingly for the 5-foot-7 right-hander.

Saile began her Division I softball career at Florida International University, finding immediate success with a pair of sub-2.00 ERA seasons in the circle, before transferring to Oklahoma.

As a redshirt senior this past season, Saile posted an impressive 1.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while being second on the team in wins (17), innings pitched (100.1), complete games (six), and strikeouts (132).

Published December 29, 2021

Imagine School boys soccer celebrates banner campaign

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Peter Arroyo dreamed of being able to hoist a Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) soccer championship before he graduated from Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes.

The eighth-grader’s wish was actualized when the school’s boys middle school program won its first-ever title earlier this fall.

“I’ve been waiting to get this since the fifth grade,” said Arroyo, a captain and one of the Dragons leading scorers and distributers.

Imagine School finished the year with an impressive 10-1-1 mark, plus the showy gold hardware.

The Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes boys soccer program won its first-ever Tampa Charter Athletic League Championship earlier this fall. (Courtesy of Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes)

They entered the TCAL playoffs as the No. 2 seed, behind Terrace Community Middle School — the lone team they lost to 2-1 in a regular season contest.

After defeating Lutz Learning Gate Community School in the TCAL semifinals 2-1, the Dragons had the chance to exact revenge on Terrace Community in the championship.

The Dragons initially fell behind 1-0, but soon rattled off four consecutive goals — two scores apiece from Arroyo and fellow eighth-grade striker Preston Russo.

Motivational words from Dragons head coach Henry Cheung helped spark the offensive attack, after the team trailed early on.

Cheung recalled the watershed moment, “I told the team, ‘Hey, we can beat them,’ and I told them, ‘Hey, we’ve got to focus. This is it, this is the last game for some of these (eighth-grade) players, we have to go all out…’”

Fifth-grade left-wing striker Julian Cash also recollected the title game’s swing in momentum.

“(Terrace Community) thought they would beat us because they beat us in the regular season and we were like, ‘That’s not going to happen,’ so they were like, ‘This is going to be easy game,’ and when they were up 1-0, they thought they were going to win, and then we come back, because they were (playing) lazy, right, thinking they were going to win.

“We come back, put the pressure on them, and win 4-1,” he said.

Altogether, securing the first title in team history “was kind of like really shocking and overwhelming,” Arroyo said, noting the weighty competition season long. “I’m still like shocked that we won,” he said.

Russo — who led the Dragons with 17 goals scored— likewise characterized the achievement as “hard to process.”

The banner campaign yielded more significance, given the program didn’t have a traditional season in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, they scheduled an informal tournament with a couple other local schools.

Aside from successes, simply returning to an organized soccer season offered a breath of fresh air. “It just feels good, with the pandemic and all that, we just need something back to normalcy,” said Cheung.

Progression, from start to finish
Despite the overall record and final outcome, the Dragons banner season was consistently a work in progress, from start to finish.

Cheung acknowledged the 16-member team’s talented group of fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

But getting them to work together as a cohesive, selfless group was an early task.

“They have their experience, and individually, they’re really good, but it’s that working together that I have to build them up throughout the season,” explained Cheung.

“I’m glad it worked out, because in the beginning, we struggled a little bit, because everybody, they have their own, ‘I want to take the ball, I want to take the chance,’ but we have to learn how to pass the ball, work as a team to move forward.

“I think that’s the most important part as a team, that we have learned this season — we work united, as a team,” he said.

Cash observed the team’s evolution in a similar lens, “In the beginning, we all just wanted to score goals and we wouldn’t pass the ball, but when we started passing the ball we played much better.”

The team’s talent and soccer instincts were other guiding factors, added Arroyo.

“We have a lot of athletes, a lot of speed,” said Arroyo. “Everyone that contributed to most of the goals has an attacking mindset. Like, they all know how to create plays, they all know what to do, and especially on defense, too. They know what to do on defense, they know when to do it, so,  it’s like very well-rounded team overall.”

Robust game planning was another component.

Cheung reviews film of all the team’s matches. He studies other opponents’ tendencies and varies formations from there, be it a defensive set or counter-attack. “We play two formations throughout the season,” the coach said.

Bittersweet memories
While Arroyo relishes helping make program history, it’s a somewhat bittersweet ending as he’ll soon embark on a new journey as a freshman at nearby Sunlake High School.

The team leader is going to most miss providing mentorship to the squad’s fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders.

“Playing with the younger kids, teaching them the ropes and how to do it, I’m going to miss that a lot,” he said. “Like getting all of the eighth-graders together that play soccer, and teaching the fifth-graders how to play, it was just like a guiding lesson.”

He added, “As soon as we get to high school, everyone’s going to be older than us…and it’s not going to be as fun.”

Russo acknowledged that advancing to the prep ranks will offer a different dynamic for him, Arroyo and the team’s three other eighth-graders.

“It’ll be kind of like a restarting from the bottom, from the ones being taught what to do and how to play,” he said.

Cash takes a more upbeat, yet philosophical view on the exodus of eighth-graders. “One day, they’re going to be seniors and I’ll be a freshman, and it’s going to be an all-over repeating cycle — they’re going to tell me what to do in high school,” he said.

Though the Dragons will be without its leading scorer and team captain, they do return several other impact players, including its primary goaltender.

Cheung also is looking forward to seeing the advancement of each grade level, as well as some fresh faces that’ll enter the program.

The aim, of course, is to win another title.

“We’re going to go for No. 2, for sure,” the coach said. “I know we’re going to lose some of our good players, but I’m excited for the fourth-graders coming into fifth-graders.
“We’re a strong team, still. I think we should be good.”

Meanwhile, Cheung otherwise gets a kick out of seeing his players’ passion and enthusiasm for the game, harking back memories of his childhood growing up in Hong Kong, China.

“When I played at their age, seeing them play on the field, reminds me of myself when I played as a kid,” he said. “I enjoyed the moment, and so I want them to enjoy the moment, as well, so that’s why I became a coach.”

Imagine School Land O’ Lakes boys middle school soccer
10 wins, one loss, one draw
63 goals scored
12 goals allowed
Three shutouts

Game-by-game results
Regular season

  1. Lutz Prep (3-1 win)
  2. Sunlake Academy (10-0 win)
  3. Henderson Hammock (7-1 win)
  4. Innovation Prep (8-0 win)
  5. Hillsborough Academy (2-2 tie)
  6. Trinity School (5-2 win)
  7. Terrace Community (2-1 loss)
  8. Union Park (6-1 win)
  9. Learning Gate (3-2 win)

Playoffs

  1. Learning Gate (2-1 win)
  2. Terrace Community (4-1 win)

Roster
Peter Arroyo
Mathew Broderick
Jay Capelo
Julian Cash
Alessio Cullinan
Luca Greco
Trent Hamuay
Tyler Hamuay
Reece Lawrence
Nathan Merriman
Adrian Morales
Ethan Palazzi
Preston Russo
Elijah Tigue
Aidan Soto
Sebastian Suppa
Head coach: Henry Cheung

Published December 22, 2021

Lutz native Kevin Cash claims second straight manager award

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash earned an early — yet well-deserved — birthday present this year.

He became the first American League (AL) manager to win Manager of the Year twice in a row, which was announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) on Nov. 16, mere weeks before his 44th birthday on Dec. 6.

The Lutz native/Gaither High School alum was honored for steering the Rays to a franchise-best 100-62 regular season mark in 2021.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash became the first American League manager to win the
Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) Manager of the Year Award twice in a row. The 44-year-old Cash grew up in the Lutz area and is a Gaither High School alum. (File)

Cash received 19 first-place votes, three second-place votes and five third-place votes for a total of 109 points in the 5-3-1 scoring system. He won the award over Seattle Mariners’ Scott Servais (71 points) and Houston Astros’ Dusty Baker (33 points), respectively.

Cash also is only the second manager to win such a BBWAA Manager of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons. He joins Bobby Cox, who did so with the National League’s Atlanta Braves in 2004 and 2005.

The seventh-year manager humbly said he shouldn’t be listed in the “same sentence” or “same conversation” as the retired Cox, who ranks fourth all-time in managerial wins with 2,504 and is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“When you think of major league managers, but really, the greats in this game, Bobby Cox is going to find himself at the top of many lists,” Cash said, during a Zoom media briefing after the award announcement. “I’ve crossed paths with Bobby one time, years ago, but to hear the stories about him…you can appreciate and understand the quality of person and impact that he had on our game.”

Overcoming expectations, adversity
Despite coming of a World Series appearance during a pandemic-shortened 2020, expectations were relatively tame in the latest campaign.

Not only did the Rays again roll out one of the game’s cheapest payrolls, but they traded former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and let sage veteran pitcher Charlie Morton walk, declining the player’s $15 million option.

Before the season, Baseball Prospectus’ widely cited PECOTA (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) sabermetric system forecasted the Rays to finish 86-76 with an 11% odds to win the division. (PECOTA forecasts the MLB standings and individual player performance. PECOTA takes teams’ depth charts and projects the playing time and stats for all their players, then simulates the season to come up with estimated win totals and playoff chances for every team.)

The projections didn’t appear far off at the onset, as Tampa Bay had a so-so start to the first month of the season, going 13-14 in April.

The Rays launched into another gear in May, going 22-6, then reached the All-Star break with a 53-37 mark.

The club would go on to secure the AL’s best record, while also leading its division for 98 straight days.

The team’s postseason run ended sooner than expected, however, losing to the Boston Red Sox in four games of a best-of-five AL division series in October.

Adversity hit along the way, over the course of the six-month season.

The Rays weathered 33 different players being placed on the injured list (totaling 43 stints).

That list included ace flamethrower Tyler Glasnow, who went down in mid-June with a season-ending partial UCL tear and flexor strain.

The injured list reached a club-record 17 players at various points throughout August.

Adding to the level of difficulty was a highly competitive AL East division, whereby three other star-powered teams posted at least 90 wins — Red Sox (92-70), New York Yankees (92-70), Toronto Blue Jays (91-71).

Mixing smarts with personality
The reputable manager put his own twist on game strategy.

He used a club-most 61 players and 38 pitchers.

He used 14 different pitchers to record a save —  setting a major league record.

He used 158 different batting orders in 162 games — the most in the majors and a club record.

Aside from all his tinkering, Cash deflected credit for the team’s feats this past season: “Well, I’m most proud of the players and the team, and the accomplishment of the regular season. One hundred wins in the American League East, with the talent level that was top to bottom in our division — pretty remarkable.”

Along with shrewd, if not sometimes head-scratching maneuvers that buck traditional baseball trends, Cash is regarded for bringing an even-keeled approach to his players and staff over the course of a trying season.

“I think you feed off your players, you feed off your staff, and we all work really hard to be as consistent as possible,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to put them in the best position.”

The Tampa Bay Rays won a franchise-record 100 games en route to its second straight AL East pennant in 2021. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays communications)

He’s also famous for his self-deprecating humor within the clubhouse, often joking with players about his own substandard .183 career batting average across eight big league seasons from 2002 to 2010.

“You try not to take yourself too seriously,” Cash said, “and you appreciate how challenging this game is, whether it’s hitting, pitching, playing defense, running the bases — it’s really tough.”

He continued, “There’s enough outside pressures right now that are going on…we’ve got to do a good job of trying to keep it loose to where they have their clubhouse, their dugout, to where they can go and just be themselves.”

While advancing through the coaching ranks, Cash followed a protocol “to be all ears, and listen a lot more than speak, and learn as much as possible.”

It was especially true in collaborating with the Rays top baseball minds in the front office. “They’re a lot smarter than I am, and (I) value the perspective of the front office, and certainly value the perspective of the player development group,” he said.

Over the years, Cash said he’s strived to “find that balance” between befriending players, while still mentoring them along through a coaching methodology that focuses on consistency, communication and authenticity.

Looking forward, Cash is quite bullish on the team’s trajectory, given the vast number of young stars who contributed to recent successes, including AL Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena, 20-year-old wunderkind Wander Franco, and a youthful pitching staff paced by 24-year-old lefty Shane McClanahan, among others.

The manager believes the franchise’s proverbial arrow is pointing “up, maybe straight up.”

He put it this way: “It’s a pretty exciting time to be a Tampa Bay Ray. We’ve got some really good players that were here…and there certainly is more to come, but a lot to be excited about.”

Local roots
Long before becoming one of the sport’s more recognizable figures, Cash grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

His baseball notoriety began when he was young.

Some three-plus decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
He later would star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher.

As a pro, he spent time on the then Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.
Upon the end of his playing career, Cash became a scout for the Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay gig in December 2014.

Published December 15, 2021

Area athletes shine at state golf championships

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Simply qualifying for Florida’s high school state golf championship tournament is an achievement in itself.

The Cypress Creek High School varsity girls golf team took seventh place in the 2A state competition. (Courtesy of Cypress Creek High School athletics department)

It’s an opportunity reserved for just 48 teams of boys and 48 teams of girls across three classifications.

The championship tournament also is open to individual qualifiers.

Hundreds competed, out of thousands of prep golfers — in an opportunity to showcase their skills among the state’s elite.

Three teams and three individuals from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area had the chance to show off their skills at the 2021 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state golf championships, from Nov. 9 through Nov. 17.

The event took place at Mission Inn Resort & Club, in Howey-in-the-Hills.

Boys competed at the Lake County resort’s 6,764-yard par-72 El Campeon course. Girls took on the 5,455-yard, par-72 Las Colinas course.

The Cypress Creek High School varsity boys golf team finished in sixth place in the 2A state finals.

The most notable showing came from Cypress Creek High School’s varsity golf program, in the Class 2A state tournament.

The boys squad finished sixth among 16 teams, while the girls program finished seventh, also among 16 teams.

The Coyotes boys are coached by Dennis Martin, while the girls are coached by Rob Patterson.

Cypress Creek sophomore Connor Newbold recorded the best score among all local golfers — carding a 5-over par across two rounds (74-75 — 149) to finish fifth out of 95 golfers in the 2A event.

The only golfers who topped Newbold in the 2A tournament were Broward American Heritage’s Luke Clanton (72-69—141), Tampa Jesuit’s Carter Dill (69-77 — 146) and Andrew Siffert (77-70 — 147) and Delray Beach American Heritage’s Jason Shwartz (71-77 — 148).

The Sunlake High School varsity girls golf team finished in 10th place in the 3A state finals. (Courtesy of Sunlake High School athletics department)

Other Cypress Creek boys golfers included Daniel Polce (tied 30th, +18), Trey Sasser (tied 66th, +32), Joaquin Parrilla (tied 70th, +34) and Levi Wade (93rd, +58).

Meantime, the Cypress Creek girls were paced by junior Carmen Phousirith, who shot a 16-over par across 36 holes (78-82 — 160) to finish 17th among 96 golfers in the 2A competition.

Her teammates included Tiffany Colin (tied 24th, +19), Annamarie Ratican (tied 37th, +27), Addison Noll (91st, +81) and Jillian Scott (94th, +89).

Carrollwood Day School seventh-grader Elyse Meerdink (Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School athletics department)

The state tournament otherwise wrapped up a strong season for both Cypress Creek squads, as the girls team won district and regional titles, and the boys won a district title and were regional runner-up.

The other area team that qualified for the state golf meet was the Sunlake High School varsity girls, who finished 10th(out of 16 schools) in the 3A event.

Sophomore Alyssa Mixon paced the Seahawks with a 7-over par across two rounds (72-79 — 151), earning her a tie for seventh place with Naples Gulf Coast freshman Ann-Sophie Bourgault.

Golfers who finished ahead of Mixon and Bourgault in 2A, in order, were, Lake Mary’s Izzy Pellot (64-71 — 135), Forest’s Haley Davis (69-72 — 141), Lake Mary’s Ryleigh Knaub (72-72 — 144), Niceville’s Gracie Grant (72-76 — 148), St. Cloud’s Morgan Beaulieu (73-75 — 148) and Niceville’s Peyton Maraman (72-77 — 149).

Sunlake High School senior Cody Williams, left, alongside coach Bob Kamps. (File)

Sunlake senior Taylor Zachary wasn’t far behind.

She shot a 9-over par (76-77 — 153), good enough for an 11th place tie with Orlando Dr. Phillips sophomore Elan Zhang.

Other Seahawks golfers included Hailey Stricker (tied 76th, +53), Helena Potter (tied 88th, +53) and Hannah Mathis (92nd, +61).

Besides team play, there were three individual qualifiers from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Carrollwood Day School seventh-grader Elyse Meerdink carded an 11-over par ( to finish tied for 40th in the 1A girls event.

She made headlines back in April when she won the National Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, Georgia) as a sixth-grader competing in the 10- to 11-year-old age group. She was one of 80 boys and girls from across the nation to qualify for the event held at the site of the Masters Tournament.

Academy at the Lakes junior Tristin Perkins carded a 14-over par (79-79 — 158) to finish 40th in the 1A boys event.

Sunlake senior Cody Williams shot an 18-over par (79-83 — 162) to finish 57th in the 3A boys competition.

Class 3A
Boys
Individual qualifier(s)
Cody Williams, Sunlake (57th) 79-83 — 162

Girls
Sunlake (10th place, out of 16 schools)
Alyssa Mixon (tied 7th) 72-79 — 151
Taylor Zachary (tied 11th) 76-77 — 153
Hailey Stricker (tied 76th) 94-90 — 184
Helena Potter (tied 88th) 94-103 — 197
Hannah Mathis (92nd) 101-104 — 205

Class 2A
Boys
Cypress Creek (sixth place, out of 16 schools)
Connor Newbold (fifth) 74-75 — 149
Daniel Polce (tied 30th) 82-81 — 163
Trey Sasser (tied 66th) 87-89 — 176
Joaquin Parrilla (tied 70th) 92-86 — 178
Levi Wade (93rd) 108-94 — 202

Girls
Cypress Creek (seventh place, out of 16 schools)
Carmen Phousirith (17th) 78-82 — 160
Tiffany Colin (tied 24th) 82-81 — 163
Annamarie Ratican (tied 37th) 79-92 — 171
Addison Noll (91st) 115-110 — 225
Jillian Scott (94th) 113-120 — 233

Class 1A
Boys
Individual qualifier(s)
Tristin Perkins, Academy at the Lakes (40th) 79-79 — 158

Girls
Individual qualifier(s)
Elyse Meerdink, Carrollwood Day School (tied 40th) 75-80 — 155

Published December 08, 2021

Local swimmers make waves at state championships

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Local athletes and teams performed well at the 2021 FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Swimming and Diving Championships, held last month at the Sailfish Splashpark Aquatics Athletics Center, in Stuart.

The Freedom High School girls swimming and diving team finished in fifth place at the 3A state championships last month in Stuart. The squad collected seven medals, including the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. From left, freshman Alex LaBohn, senior Carly Joerin, senior Michelle Morgan and senior Alexa Valdez Velez. (Courtesy of John Olewski)

Eleven local schools were represented across the four classifications —  Academy at the Lakes (Class 1A), Carrollwood Day School (1A), Cypress Creek High (2A), Wesley Chapel High (2A), Freedom High (3A), Gaither High (3A), Land O’ Lakes High (3A), Sunlake High (3A), Wharton High (3A), Wiregrass Ranch High (3A) and Steinbrenner High (4A).

Two of these programs registered top-10 finishes — the Freedom Patriots girls team finished fifth among the 46 schools competing in 3A, while the Sunlake Seahawks girls team finished eighth in the same classification.

Other noteworthy team showings came on the boys side in 3A — with Freedom notching a 14th place finish and Wiregrass Ranch a 15th place finish, out of 46 schools, respectively.

Freedom had a banner season — its boys and girls squads each won regional titles for the first time in school history — under the guidance of coaches John Olewski and Catherine Wright.

The Steinbrenner High School swimming and diving team was well-represented at this year’s state championships in Stuart. (Courtesy of Steinbrenner High School athletics department)

The squads claimed district and conference titles during the season, too.

“We had a phenomenal season,” Olewski wrote in an email to The Laker/Lutz News. “Assistant Coach Catherine Wright and I are so proud of the Freedom swimmers and divers. The administration, faculty, staff, and students of Freedom High School applaud the Freedom Swim & Dive team members and join them in celebrating their many successes this season.”

Freedom senior Michelle Morgan — a Division I University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill commit —  registered the best individual showing among all area swimmers.

Morgan is a familiar name, for those who follow swimming.

She was one of the state’s top distance swimmers for years and she qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympics Trials in the 400-meter individual medley.

Carrollwood Day School sophomore Adele Sands finished third in the Class 1A 100-yard freestyle (51:50) and fourth in the 1A 200-yard freestyle (1:50.59). (Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School athletics department)

At states, Morgan took gold in the 3A 200-yard individual medley, clocking 2:01.06 to finish ahead of Gainesville High senior Katherine Sammy (2:01.90).

She also won the event last year, posting a 2:00.92.

For reference, the state record in the girls 200-yard individual medley is 1:57.07 set in 2009 by then Countryside High’s Melanie Margalis, who went on become an Olympic relay gold medalist for the U.S. National Team.

Morgan collected more hardware, taking silver in the 3A 500-yard freestyle.

Her time of 4:53.78 trailed only Chiles High senior Stella Watts, who swam in 4:46.86.

She also was a leg on the Patriots’ medal-earning 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay teams, which finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Other Freedom relay members were seniors Carly Joerin and Alexa Valdez Velez, and freshman Alex LaBohn.

Joerin — a Division I Dartmouth College commit — likewise notched robust individual medalist performances, taking fourth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:00.03) and fifth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:08.56).

The Sunlake High School swimming and diving team earned five individual and relay medals at the state meet. (Courtesy of Sunlake High School athletics department)

Also in 3A, the Sunlake girls tallied five medals (or top-eight finishes).

The Seahawks best showing was the 400-yard freestyle relay, which finished in sixth place with a 3:42.12. The squad consisted of seniors Lillian Hilt, Amber Ewald and Leah Fonnotto, and junior Madison Houck.

Carrollwood Day sophomore Adele Sands was another area standout, in the small-school 1A competition. She took third in the 1A 100-yard freestyle (51:50) and fourth in the 1A 200-yard freestyle.

In the boys’ end of the pool, the highest individual finish came from Gaither freshman Aidan Levine, who took sixth in the 3A 100-yard backstroke (52.85).

Levine also was a leg on Gaither’s 3A 200-meter freestyle relay, which finished 16th (1:33.11).

The next best showing was Wiregrass Ranch senior Noah Porter, who earned seventh in the 3A 100-yard freestyle (48.11).

He also took 11th in the 200-yard individual medley (1:59.12) and was a leg on the team’s 200-yard medley relay (ninth, 1:40.98) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:21.40).

Altogether, local boys and girls individual and relay teams combined to register 16 medals (top-eight finishes).

Also noteworthy: The girls state 50-yard free record (22.22) set last year by former Steinbrenner High swimmer Lexi Mulvihill remained intact.

The closest to that mark came in the 1A meet, when South Florida HEAT (Home Educated Athletic Teams) sophomore Erika Pelaez posted a 22.29 — .07 behind the record.

Mulvihill is now a freshman scholarship swimmer for Auburn University.

Results among locals at the state meet:

4A Boys
Steinbrenner (tied 41st place, out of 47 schools)

Events:
50-yard freestyle: Gavin Peck, sophomore (disqualified, false start)
100-yard freestyle: Gavin Peck, sophomore (10th, 47.18)

4A Girls
Steinbrenner (22nd place, out of 43 schools)

Events:
200-yard individual medley: Kayla Daley, junior (16th, 2:11.26)
100-yard butterfly: Kayla Daley, junior (14th, 57.69)
100-yard freestyle: Gavriela Daniels, sophomore (15th, 52.96)
200-yard freestyle relay: Charlotte MacGregor, sophomore; Kayla Daley, junior; Gavriela Daniels, sophomore; Abigail Greene, senior (ninth, 1:38.36)

3A Boys
Freedom (14th place, out of 46 schools)

Events:
200-yard medley relay: Martin Ferrebee, junior; Anthony Murashkin, freshman; Gregory Murashkin, freshman; Sean Thatavakorn, freshman (10th, 1:41.27)
200-yard freesyle: Martin Ferrebee, junior (14th, 1:45.62)
200-yard individual medley: Sean Thatavakorn, freshman (15th, 2:00.69)
100-yard freestyle: Sean Thatavakorn, freshman (12th, 48.82)
500-yard freestyle: Martin Ferrebee, junior (10th, 4:41.90)
100-yard breaststroke: Anthony Murashkin, freshman (15th, 1:02.02)
400-yard freestyle relay: Martin Ferrebee junior; Ethan Udagawa, junior; Brandon Thatavakorn, freshman, Sean Thatavakorn, freshman (11th, 3:19.90)

Wiregrass Ranch (15th)
Events:
200-yard medley relay: Parker Munari, senior; Noah Porter, senior; Robert Childers, senior; Kevin Chen, senior (ninth, 1:40.98)
200-yard individual medley: Noah Porter, senior (11th, 1:59.12)
100-yard freestyle: Noah Porter, senior (seventh, 48.11)
400-yard freestyle: Kevin Chen, senior; Robert Childers, senior; Parker Munari, senior; Noah Porter, senior (13th, 3:21.40)

Gaither (tied 31st)
Events:
200-yard freestyle relay: Aidan Levine, freshman; William Acero Clark, senior; Anibal Utrera, senior; Zachary Cannon, senior (16th, 1:33.11)
100-yard backstroke: Aidan Levine, freshman (sixth, 52.85)

Sunlake (tied 31st)
Events:
200-yard freestyle relay: Tien Duong, junior; Jackson Houck, junior; Connor Canfield, sophomore; Alex Thai, junior (13th, 1:32.37)
100-yard breaststroke: Alex Thai, junior (10th, 1:01.04)

Land O’ Lakes (40th)
100-yard butterfly: Michael McCloskey, junior (ninth, 51.83)

3A Girls
Freedom (Fifth, out of 46 schools)
Events:
200-yard medley relay: Michelle Morgan, senior; Alex LaBohn, freshman; Carly Joerin, senior; Alexa Valdez Velez, senior (fourth, 1:49.36)
200-yard individual medley: Michelle Morgan, senior (first, 2:01.51); Carly Joerin, senior (fifth, 2:08.56)
500-yard freestyle: Michelle Morgan, senior (second, 4:53.78); Carly Joerin, senior (fourth, 5:00.03)
200-yard freestyle relay: Carly Joerin, senior; Alexa Valdez Velez, senior; Alex LaBohn, freshman Michelle Morgan, senior (fifth, 1:39.58)
100-yard breaststroke: Alex LaBohn (15th, 1:09.10)

Sunlake (Eighth)
Events:
200-yard medley relay: Amber Ewald, senior; Lillian Hilt, senior; Piyarmard Edwards, sophomore; Madison Houck, junior (seventh, 1:51.26)
200-yard individual medley: Lillian Hilt, senior (seventh, 2:10.31)
50-yard freestyle: Madison Houck, junior (14th, 24.81)
500-yard freestyle: Leah Fonnotto, senior (16th, 5:22.77)
100-yard backstroke: Madison Houck, junior (seventh, 58.77); Lillian Hilt, senior (eighth, 59.57); Amber Ewald, senior (10th, 58.93)
400-yard freestyle relay: Lillian Hilt, senior; Amber Ewald, senior; Leah Fonnotto, senior; Madison Houck, junior (sixth, 3:42.12)

Wiregrass Ranch (28th)
Events:
50-yard freestyle: Maryam Khalil, senior (tied 11th, 24.60)
100-yard breaststroke: Maryam Khalil, senior (seventh, 1:07)

Wharton (37th)
Events:
100-yard breaststroke: Lauren Blevins, sophomore (12th, 1;07.41)

Land O’ Lakes (No points)
Diving: Lillianna Diberadinis, sophomore (20th, 223.55)

Class 2A Boys
No local schools or individual placed finishers

Class 2A Girls
Cypress Creek (No place)
Events:
1-meter diving Isabelle Le-Nguyen (17th, 204.80)

Wesley Chapel (No place)
Events:
1-meter diving: Jessica Roehrig, junior (21st, 126.40)

1A Boys
Academy at the Lakes (34th, out of 38 schools)
Events:
50-yard freestyle: Nathaniel Smith, sophomore (15th, 22.02)
100-yard freestyle: Nathaniel Smith, sophomore (13th, 23.11)

1A Girls
Carrollwood Day School (18th, out of 44 schools)
Events:
200-yard freestyle: Adele Sands, sophomore (fourth, 1:50.59)
100-yard freestyle: Adele Sands, sophomore (third, 51.50)

Published December 01, 2021

Sunlake boys finish third at state cross-country championships

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The Sunlake High School varsity boys cross-country team continued to show itself as among the state’s elite distance running programs and tops in Pasco County, and in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The Seahawks finished in third place out of 32 schools in Class 3A at the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park, in Tallahassee.

The Sunlake High School varsity boys cross-country team finished third in the Class 3A state championship meet, representing the best finish among all local schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. From left: Nathan Lee, Cason Meyer, Cade Culpepper, Alex Pena, Colby Robbins, Maximillian Goserud and Cody Smith. (Courtesy of Randal Reeves)

The 3A team crown went to Miami’s Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, which tallied 42 points after its top five runners went second, ninth, 10th, 14th and 17th place, respectively. It represents that private school’s fifth-consecutive state title and 13th all-time.

Second place went to Fort Myers High School, who tallied 132 points after its top-five finished seventh, 22nd, 37th, 44th and 50th.

Sunlake wasn’t far behind.

They tallied 151 points, as its fleet went third, 16th, 23rd, 58th, and 76th in the 3.1-mile course on Nov. 12.

Rounding out the top five team finishers were Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas High School (201 points) and Naples High School (235 points), respectively.

Junior Alex Pena — who paced Sunlake with a third-place individual finish — broke the 16-minute mark by clocking a 15:46.8, a 5:04 per mile pace.

The lone runners in the 3A meet who finished ahead of Pena were Leon High School sophomore Patrick Koon (first place, 15:23.8) and Belen Jesuit sophomore Joshua Ruiz (second, 15:37.4).

Following Pena for Sunlake were seniors Colby Robbins (16:21.3) and Cason Meyer (16:21.3); freshman Cade Culpepper (17:03.1); and, senior Maximillian Goserud (17:16.9).

The Seahawks sixth and seventh varsity runners — whose scores aren’t tallied in the results — were junior Nathan Lee (17:47.7) and senior Cody Smith (18:16.7).
The timed average for the Sunlake boys was 16:36, equating to an average pace of 5:21 per mile. There was just a 1:31 gap between its No. 1 through No. 5 runners.

The Seahawks, coached by Randal Reeves, racked up a number of other accolades during the season — altogether sweeping conference, district and regional team titles.

Robbins took individual crowns at each of those three meets. This included recording the fastest time in county history (and setting a new Sunlake record) with a 15:14 mark on the school’s 5K home course at the Sunshine Athletic Conference (SAC) meet on Oct. 20.

The 2021 (FHSAA) Florida High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships was held Nov. 12 at Apalachee Regional Park, in Tallahassee.
(Courtesy of Florida High School Athletic Association)

Other individuals from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area also fared well in the 3A boys meet.

Cypress Creek High School junior Zack Poekert finished sixth overall, timing 16:05.

Zephyrhills High School sophomore William Poe took 26th, clocking 16:35.

The meet featured 234 runners.

Several local teams and individuals exhibited solid showings at the state finals across other classifications, too.

The Wharton High School varsity girls yielded the next best local team showing — finishing 10th in the Class 4A meet.

The Wildcats were paced by senior Brooke Reif — a University of Richmond signee — who finished fourth among all individual 4A girls, after running an 18:49.2, an average pace of 6:03 per mile.

The Sunlake girls went 14th in the 3A meet, while the Land O’ Lakes High School girls collected a 26th place finish.
The Steinbrenner High School boys program went 24th in the 4A contest.F
Land O’ Lakes native Elli Black — a home-schooled seventh-grader who runs for Tampa Cambridge Christian School — finished state third overall in the 1A girls meet, posting 18:26.4. The other state qualifying girls individual was Wiregrass Ranch freshman Ava Schmitt (48th, 20:27.3, 4A girls).

Roundup of local teams and individuals at the 2021 FHSAA Cross Country State Championships:

Boys

4A
Steinbrenner (24th)

Ronald Aeschleman, senior (57th, 16:52)

Sawyer Raveling, senior (111th, 17:37.1)

Jaden Simpson, senior (124th, 17:46.0)

Jacob Smith, junior (169th, 18:25.4)

Joaquin Abanses, freshman (170th, 18:26.3)

Brady Peifer, freshman (172nd, 18:28.3)

Eion McDarby, senior (212th, 19:49.7)

3A
Sunlake (third)
Alex Pena, junior (third, 15:46.8)

Colby Robbins, senior (16th, 16:21.3)

Cason Meyer, senior (23rd, 16:31.8)

Cade Culpepper, freshman (58th, 17:03.1)

Maximillian Goserud, senior (76th, 17:16.9)

Nathan Lee, junior (110th, 17:47.7)

Cody Smith, senior (148th, 18:16.7)

Indvidual(s)

Cypress Creek: Zack Poekert, junior (sixth, 16:05)

Zephyrhills: William Poe, sophomore (26th, 16:35.5)

 2A

No local teams or individual runners

 1A
No local teams or individual runners

 Girls

Class 4A
Wharton (10th)

Brooke Reif, senior (fourth, 18:49.2)

Alexi Amer, senior (51st, 20:30.8)

Alexandria Frye, senior (81st, 20:56.5)

Olivia Hammill, junior (109th, 21:18.3)

Aubrey Raile, junior (127th, 21:46.6)

Keira Moody, freshman (191st, 23:27.7)

Dana Robinson, senior (209th, 24:22.9)

 Individual(s)

Wiregrass Ranch: Ava Schmitt, freshman (48th, 20:27.3)

3A
Sunlake (14th)

Sara Ellingson, senior (54th, 20:15.7)

Shelby Viseur, senior (77th, 20:39.9)

Avery Pham, sophomore (78th, 20:41.1)

Abigail Williams, sophomore (89th, 20:49.8)

Jaiden Wickert, junior (128th, 21:35.8)

Emma Burleson, senior (145th, 21:57.8)

Ally Moyer, sophomore (165th, 22:22.6)

Land O’ Lakes (26th)

Maranda Hildebrand, senior (88th, 20:48.9)

Sara Ashley, senior (133th, 21:39.2)

Aileen Castillo, sophomore (152nd, 22:04.0)

Dixie Blessing, freshman (169th, 22:43.5)

Ava Adriana, sophomore (171st, 22:47.0)

Grace Connoy, sophomore (200th, 23:38.6)

Alli Laffler, freshman (202nd, 23:40.9)

 1A
Individual (s)

Elli Black, Cambridge Christian (Land O’ Lakes resident), eighth grade (third, 18:26.4)

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Pasco County football all-stars will face off on Dec. 10

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Football bragging rights in Pasco County again are up for grabs — at the upcoming 2021 FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) East-West Classic all-star game.

The seventh annual showcase is slated for Dec. 10 at 7 p.m., at Sunlake High School Field, 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The game — organized by the Pasco County Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) — features dozens of the best senior players from 15 county high schools (13 public, two private).

The event is branded as, “the best players from every position, from every school, showcasing their talent.”

Tickets are $10 and can be pre-purchased at any participating high school and at the Sunlake stadium ticket gate on gameday. Tickets also are available online at 2021PascoAllStars.eventbrite.com.

Parking will be $5.

The top senior high school football players in Pasco County will face off in the 2021 Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) East-West Classic all-star game on Dec. 10, at Sunlake High School. The showcase features dozens of the best senior players from 15 county high schools. (File)

Players on the East squad will represent Cypress Creek, Land O’ Lakes, Pasco, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Ranch, Zephyrhills, and Zephyrhills Christian high schools.

Players on the West squad will represent Anclote, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, Fivay, Gulf, Hudson, Sunlake, Mitchell and River Ridge high schools.

Land O’ Lakes head coach Trac Baughn will lead the East squad and Hudson head coach Tim Hicks will guide the West squad.

Baughn steered the Gators to a 9-1 record, playing an independent schedule.

Hicks led the Cobras to a 6-4 mark, and qualified for the playoffs for the first time within district play since 2013.

To select the rosters, coaches from each county high school gather in a “war room” and draft players from every school, and every position.

After much deliberation, the all-star teams get whittled down to 40 players in the East and 40 players in the West.

Wesley Chapel garnered the most All-Star team selections with nine picks, followed by Zephyrhills (eight), Mitchell (seven), River Ridge (seven) and Sunlake (seven), respectively.

The squads are scheduled to begin practices on Nov. 30, where they will devise various plays and strategies.

The idea for a countywide all-star football game was spearheaded several years ago by FCA area director Bob Durham, upon the suggestion of local FCA board of directors. The directors recommended the annual event, pointing to the success of long-established all-star games in both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The Pasco County chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has put on the senior all-star football game every year since 2015. (Courtesy of Fellowship of Christian Athletes-Pasco County)

The local FCA chapter also organizes an annual Pasco County All-Star baseball and softball game in the spring.

The gridiron matchup has proven to be a hit among fans, typically drawing a couple thousand attendees each year.

The all-time series is tied 3-3, though the West team has won the past two years, with scores of  28-0 in 2020 and 23-21 in 2019.

For many players, the showcase provides a chance to perform in front of college recruiters, many of whom attend the game from across the Southeast region.

Though it may signal the last football game ever for some, the event also will feature athletes destined for big-time NCAA Division I FBS football, such as Zephyrhills linebacker Maguire Neal (University of North Carolina at Charlotte verbal commit), Hudson wideout Ladamien Starks (University of Maryland scholarship offer), and Wesley Chapel linebacker Jorden McCaslin (Marshall University scholarship offer), among others.

In addition to the all-star game, players will be recognized at a dinner banquet at Word of Life Fellowship in Hudson, where character awards, courage awards, GPA awards, and various skill awards will be distributed. A “Coach of the Year’” also will be named and voted on by county coaches. An all-star cheerleader team has been assembled for the showcase, too.

The FCA is a 68-year-old ministry in public schools. There are chapters in every high school in Pasco and at five middle schools. Through the many student-led meetings, or “huddles,” that take place on campuses, the FCA works to promote character, integrity, leadership and faith-based principles.

For more information, visit PascoAllStarGame.com, or email Bob Durham at .

Football
East All-Stars
Cypress Creek: Andrew Burgess, Dontrell Clerkley, Colton Corrao, Kione Roberson, Owen Walls
Land O’ Lakes: David Alejandro, Calvin Cockerman, Nick Kleoppel, Xavier Lewis, Hunter Sullivan, Isaiah Tavo
Pasco: Ethan Ayo, Elijah Chilbert, Javon Jeune, Cody Tadlock
Wesley Chapel: Jaylan Blake, Dylan Chana, Sebastian Gutierrez, Ethan Harper, Nehemiah Morgan, Jorden McCaslin, Briac Riles, Ayden Roysdon, Tony Salatino
Wiregrass Ranch: Abram Beer, Nate Kidd, Christian Loaiza, Steven Prevaux, Logan Ridolph, Tucker Schwab
Zephyrhills: TJ Jackson, Tymar McKever, Maguire Neal, Willie Queen, Jackson Rivera, Nick Sheldon, Theotis Smith, Jalen Thomas
Zephyrhills Christian: Austin Henderson, Dontrevius Jackson, Adrian Miller, Donnie Lloyd, Reggie Pry, Demetri Whitehead

East coaches
Head coach: Trac Baughn, Land O’ Lakes
Jason Stokes, Pasco
Cameron Culbertson, Wesley Chapel
Mark Kantor, Wiregrass Ranch
Nick Carroll, Zephyrhills
Mike Smith, Zephyrhills Christian

West All-Stars
Anclote: Gavin Allen, Alec Hale, Daryon James, Quinten Moore
Bishop McLaughlin: Ben Norris
Fivay: Steven Carrol, Zario McCray, Nick Monfre, Melvin Rivera
Gulf: Keonte Adams, Al Blanton, Terrance Henderson, Angel Ortiz
Hudson: Ivan Barahona, Tyler Gauci, Victor Gouveia, Cole Kanehl, Bryan Lindsay, Ladamien Starks, Hunter Young
Mitchell: Adam Buannano, Tyler Geary, Adrian Divcic, Hunter McFarland, Trey Montgomery, Ethan Rice, Deomari Thorpe
River Ridge: Anthony Adams, Mason Cline, John Finch, Tyler Gillespie, Trenton Hawks, Ali Mumtaz, Aiden Schmitz
Sunlake: Owen Campione, Quinn Hewitt, Zeph Johnson, Daniel Lester, Luis Nunez, Kevin Spillane

West coaches
Head coach: Tim Hicks, Hudson
Antony Smith, Anclote
Ken Stills, Bishop McLaughlin
Billy Blair, Fivay
Sean Eperjesi, Gulf
Tim Boggess, Mitchell
Ryan Benjamin, River Ridge
Jordan Gold, Sunlake

Cheerleaders
East All-Stars
Cypress Creek: Faith Welling, Campbell Young
Land O’ Lakes: Peyton Fields, Breana McClung, Paige Randall
Pasco: Haley Enea, Kylie Weiser
Wesley Chapel: Arianna Kiser, Dehlia Lussier
Wiregrass Ranch: Alexis Burns, Chloe Gilligan
Zephyrhills: Emily Kirk, Madison Long
Coach: Ashley Linden, Land O’ Lakes

West All-Stars
Anclote: Crystal Le, Lacey Vey
Bishop McLaughlin: Courtney Deese, Niki Papageorgiou
Mitchell: Hailey Dolen, Colson Gantt
Coach: Mathea Frerichs, Gulf

Pasco County East-West Classic year-by-year results:
2020: West wins 28-0
2019: West wins, 23-21
2018: East wins, 29-22
2017: East wins, 17-14
2016: West wins, 27-21
2015: East wins, 14-2

Published November 17, 2021

Hiking — it’s a fine way to enjoy the great outdoors

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Anybody ever tell you to take a hike?

Well, it’s not a bad idea, and this time of year is a great time to do it, especially since the sixth annual Hillsborough County Hiking Spree has begun.

Lettuce Lake Conservation Park is included in Hillsborough County’s 2022 Hiking Spree. It is one of 22 locations people are encouraged to visit throughout fall and winter. 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. (File)

This annual event offers residents an adventure challenge to explore different types of trails at local parks and preserves.

This year’s Hiking Spree features 26 trails at 22 locations spread throughout the county, encompassing neighborhood parks and recreation centers, conservation parks, nature preserves and state parks.

Here’s how it works: Complete at least eight trails between November and the end of March, and you will earn a patch, a medallion for a walking stick, or a pet bandana.

Participants can choose one hike that’s not on the listed locations.

Participants may go hiking solo, or along with a friends and family. Hikers can bring along dogs, too, as long as the canines are kept on a leash.

Hikers may repeat any trail twice for credit, as long as the hikes occur on different dates.

The Hiking Spree is designed to offer something for everyone, from hiking rookies to seasoned outdoor enthusiasts.

Trails are rated from easy to moderate to strenuous.

Lengths range from less than a mile to over 5 miles, such as the 5.36-mile Snaggy Run trail at Bell Creek Nature Preserve in Riverview.

Five of the 2022 Hiking Spree parks and preserves fall within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. They are: Northdale Park, Ed Radice Sports Complex, Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, Lake Conservation Park, Lake Frances Nature Preserve, respectively.

While many of the 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.

Hillsborough County’s 2022 Hiking Spree encourages people to exercise, explore the outdoors, and experience nature through numerous parks and preserves. If you complete at least eight trails at designated parks and preserves between November and March 31, you will receive a patch, a medallion for a walking stick, or a dog bandana.

Another darling is the 1.25-mile Singing Bluffs Trail at Edward Medard Conservation Park, 6140 Turkey Creek Road, in Plant City.

The trail is revered for unique elevation changes due to some old phosphate mines, alongside plenty of wildlife to admire from afar.

Making the list for the first time this year is the 2.5-mile Tidal Walk preserve Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach.

Hillsborough County’s hiking extravaganza — which draws thousands of participants annually — began in 2016 to encourage people to exercise, explore the outdoors, and experience nature through numerous parks and preserves.

It was modeled on successful programs elsewhere, most notably Summit Metro Parks’ community hiking event throughout Akron, Ohio.

More than 5,500 people registered for last year’s Hiking Spree, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

Parks officials 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. Additionally, most trails at neighborhood parks are ADA-accessible.

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.

Participants are encouraged to post photos from their hikes using the hashtag #TakeAHikeHC.

For more information and to register, visit HCFLGov.net/HikingSpree.

Here is the list of parks and trails for the 2022 Hiking Spree:

Neighborhood Parks — short, paved trails with water facilities

  • Stephen J. Wortham Park, Riverview: Bluestem Trail: 1.4 miles
  • Northdale Park, Tampa: Owl Fitness Trail: 0.5 miles
  • Ed Radice Sports Complex, Odessa: Radice Fitness Park: 1.25 miles
  • All People’s Life Center, Tampa: All People’s Fitness Trail: 0.45 miles
  • Rodney Colson Park, Seffner: Cougar Fitness Trail: 0.5 miles
  • Boyette Springs Park, Riverview: Blackbird Fitness Trail: 0.75 miles
  • Bertha and Tony Saladino Park, Brandon: Sandhill Fitness Trail: 0.5 miles

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

  • Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, Tampa: Hammock Run: 1.25 miles; Boardwalk: 0.75 miles
  • Edward Medard Conservation Park, Plant City: Singing Bluffs: 1.25 miles; Levee Trail: 2.6 miles
  • Lake Conservation Park, Lutz: Lake Vista Trail: 1.5 miles
  • Alderman’s Ford Conservation Park, Plant City: Picnic Trail: 1.9 miles
  • Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park, Tampa: Bobcat Trail: 0.4 miles, Otter Trail: 0.6 miles, Eagle Trail: 0.25 miles

Nature Preserves — no facilities, subject to daily conditions

  • Lower Green Swamp Nature Preserve, Plant City: Longleaf Loop: 5 miles
  • Alafia River Corridor South Preserve, Lithia: Horseshoe Trail: 3 miles
  • Bell Creek Nature Preserve, Riverview: Snaggy Run: 5.36 miles
  • Bahia Beach Nature Preserve, Ruskin: Wetland Walk: 1.4 miles
  • Lake Frances Nature Preserve, Odessa: Pasture Pass: 4.5 miles
  • Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve, Plant City: Creekview Trail: 4.36 miles

Florida State Parks

  • Alafia River State Park, Lithia: Old Agrico Hiking Trail: 1 mile
  • Little Manatee River State Park, Wimauma: North Hiking Trail: 2.9 miles
  • Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach: Tidal Walk: 2.5 miles
  • Hillsborough River State Park, Thonotosassa: Wetland Trail: 3.5 miles

Come prepared, and pace yourself

When hiking, remember to bring these items:

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

Published November 10, 2021