The Laker/Lutz News

Digit Murphy

Top 2019 sports moments

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Teams captured state titles and local athletes turned in outstanding performances, during a year that brought shining moments and countless lasting memories.

Here is a look at some of the top moments in sports, from across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:

Longtime Zephyrhills High boys hoops coach Alan Reed (File)

Zephyrhills High names ‘Alan Reed Court’
Little more than a year after naming its football field after legendary coach Tom Fisher, Zephyrhills High School named the school’s gymnasium floor after longtime varsity boys’ basketball coach Alan Reed.

A formal dedication ceremony for Reed was held Jan. 18 — an evening that coincided with a Bulldogs defeat of crosstown rival Pasco High, 61-34.

The 71-year-old served as Zephyrhills boys’ basketball coach for a total of 16 years, in four separate stints — 1975 to 1979; 1981 to 1986; 2006 to 2010; and, 2014 to 2016.

During that time he became — and still is — the school’s all-time winningest basketball coach.

In total, he’s been involved with Zephyrhills athletics for more than 35 years, also coaching volleyball, track, football and softball.

He remains a volunteer coach at the school, to this day.

Sunlake varsity girls weightlifting won its first state title in February. (File)

Sunlake girls weightlifting wins state title
The Sunlake High varsity girls weightlifting program, under longtime coach Denise Garcia, perennially has been among the more dominant programs in the area, wielding multiple conference and district titles over the years. And, the Seahawks took the next step forward in February, winning the 2019 FHSAA Class 2A girls weightlifting state championship, in Panama City Beach. The title marked the end of the sport’s longest-active streak of consecutive team championships held by Navarre High, who won four straight from 2015 through 2018.

The feat marked Sunlake’s second state championship among all boys or girls sports — the school’s competitive cheerleading team won a state title back in 2014.

Academy at the Lakes softball repeats at states
A year after claiming the school’s first-ever FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic) state championship, the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats did it again in May. Behind the arm and bat of two-time Gatorade Florida State Softball Player of the Year Lexi Kilfoyl, the Wildcats mowed through the Class 2A state playoffs, outscoring opponents by a combined 35-0 — including an 11-0 shutout against Mount Dora Christian Academy in the state title game.

Women’s sports museum opens in Wesley Chapel
Wesley Chapel’s AdventHealth Center Ice is widely known as the largest hockey facility in the Southeastern United States and training ground of the gold-medal winning 2018 U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

In March, it became known for another meaningful reason — the home of the first virtual museum dedicated to women’s hockey trailblazers.

Called the Women’s Sports Herstory Museum, it is the brainchild of female hockey coaching legend Digit Murphy and her friend, Jeff Novotny, a Wesley Chapel resident.

Situated in a second-floor viewing room at Center Ice, the museum features interactive wall panel displays where visitors scan QR codes to view content online in the form of videos and in-depth stories.

Poster-sized displays highlight several of hockey’s female pioneers, including Katey Stone, Katie Guay and Amanda Pelkey. The room is also filled with various sports memorabilia and equipment, including a signed jersey and signed pictures of all 23 members of the U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

Zephyrhills tennis center breaks ground
Years of talks and planning to bring a state-of-the-art tennis center to Zephyrhills finally became a reality in July, when a groundbreaking ceremony officially marked the beginning of construction on the long-awaited Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness, at 6585 Simons Road, Zephyrhills.

Situated on more than 8 acres of land, the multimillion complex when complete will feature 11 outdoor tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, four padel courts, along with an adjoining 7,400-square-foot indoor wellness center housing a fitness and rehabilitation studio, salt/sauna room, cryotherapy, pro shop, café, kids’ area and more.

Slated to open in summer 2020, the facility is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district tennis champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Land O’ Lakes Little League baseball celebrated its first state title since the early 2000s. (File)

Land O’ Lakes Little League wins state crown
It is believed to have been more than 15 years since a Land O’ Lakes Little League baseball team won a state title — until this summer.

In July, the Land O’ Lakes all-star squad composed of 14- to 16-year-olds bested seven other teams all across the state at the 2019 Little League Baseball Senior League Florida State Championships, in Bradenton.

The roster was made up of players from Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, and Cypress Creek high schools, who put aside local prep rivalries to come together as a group.

Before advancing to and winning states, the team moved through districts and sectional tournaments in Tampa, Land O’ Lakes and Plant City, respectively.

Playing in round robin, double elimination formats, Land O’ Lakes lost initial games in sectionals and states, forcing them to play from behind and win multiple games in same days to claim the respective tournaments.. They went 7-2 in all three tournaments combined, outscoring opponents by a 57-27 margin.

Wesley Chapel fishing enthusiast Keven Barber. (File)

Local fisherman featured on national television
Wesley Chapel’s Keven Barber got the fishing trip of a lifetime, when he was featured on the Union Sportsman’s Alliance “Brotherhood Outdoors” television series on the Sportsman Channel. Barber’s August saltwater fishing trip along the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana was shown to the masses on television in October.

Barber was selected for the show based on his combination of passion for the outdoors, union membership and involvement, volunteer efforts and more. When he’s not working or fishing, the father of four boys stays busy as a scout leader and director of tackle football for the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association.

Pasco High claimed victory over Zephyrhills High in this year’s 9-Mile War rivalry football game. (Courtesy of Pasco High Athletics)

Pasco High gets revenge in 9-Mile War
The year 2014 was the last time Pasco High had beaten Zephyrhills High in the annual 9-Mile War rivalry football game, in a 35-34 nail-biter.

Since then, the contests had been extremely one-sided in favor or Zephyrhills, who won the ensuing four games (2015-2018) by a combined 187-39 scoring margin.

But, in November, under first-year head coach Jason Stokes, Pasco finally unseated the Bulldogs – winning the November matchup by a decisive 27-9 mark. Even better for the Pirates, they did it on the Bulldogs home turf. The Pirates now lead the series 41-21, in a tradition that dates back to 1941.

Steinbrenner High boys’ cross-country (File)

Steinbrenner boys’ cross-country claim first state title
After finishing state runner-up the past two years, the Steinbrenner High boys’ cross-country program at last collected its first-ever state championship in the FHSAA Class 4A meet in Tallahassee in November.

The Warriors were paced by senior Josh King, who finished in sixth place overall, crossing the finish line in 15:52.32. The rest of the team’s top five runners were senior Blake Walker (19th, 16:05.88), senior Gabriel Lara (32nd, 16:19.79), junior Zachary Harrigan (45th, 16:26.18) and senior Rama Jonnalgadda (56th, 16:30.95). Steinbrenner’s 129 points in the meet were enough to edge out second-place team finisher Nease High (140)

Gaither, Steinbrenner football programs reach state semifinals
It was a banner year for the two Lutz area prep football programs, as both Steinbrenner and Gaither high schools reached the state semifinals in Classes 6A and 8A, respectively. Both programs were buoyed by top-flight senior quarterbacks— Haden Carlson for Steinbrenner, Tony Bartalo for Gaither — plus several other Division I prospects dotting their respective rosters. Moreover, both local programs went 12-2, marking the only 10-plus win seasons from teams in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Published January 01, 2020

Sports museum coming to Florida Hospital Center Ice

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Digit Murphy knows a thing or two about achieving success in the sports industry, as one of the most decorated female hockey coaches of all time.

She was the featured guest speaker during the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Wesley Chapel event on Dec. 7 at Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care, at Wiregrass Ranch. Her presentation centered on female empowerment and fostering gender equity in sports.

Digit Murphy, left, is shown with Florida Hospital Center Ice Managing Partner Gordie Zimmermann. Murphy’s nonprofit, Play It Forward Sport Foundation, has partnered with Florida Hospital Center Ice to bring a first-of-its kind women’s sports museum to the Wesley Chapel-based ice complex. The interactive museum is expected to open early next year. (Courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce)

She was in town for another announcement, also.

Murphy’s Play It Forward Sport Foundation has partnered with Florida Hospital Center Ice to bring a first-of-its-kind women’s sports museum to the Wesley Chapel-based ice complex. Expected to open early next year, the interactive museum will be situated in one of the facility’s viewing rooms, where visitors will scan a QR code to view content. The room will also feature various historic memorabilia in women’s hockey.

Murphy’s personal history includes starring as a collegiate player at Cornell University and then embarking on a 22-year coaching career at Brown University, where she compiled more than 300 career wins.

At one point, she was the winningest coach in Division I women’s hockey. (She now ranks 13th all-time in career wins in college women’s ice hockey).

In the professional ranks, Murphy spent three years with the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, becoming the first American-born coach to win two Clarkson Cup titles. She was the first coach to lead a U.S.-based team to two Cup wins.

In addition to coaching, Murphy in 2016 co-founded the United Women’s Lacrosse League, the world’s first-ever pro league for women’s lacrosse.

Murphy, 57, now serves as an advocate for gender equity in sports through United Women’s Sports and nonprofit partner Play It Forward Sport Foundation.

The Laker/Lutz News caught up with Murphy for an exclusive Q-and-A, where she opined on a number of different topics related to women, sports, and of course, hockey.

On why women need to place value on sports for their children:
“We don’t prioritize what sports can do for our kids. We should even see sports as more important than school at some level, because it develops their whole body, and, in a really great way, their mind. It’s about discipline. It’s about being on time. It’s about respect. And, I’m not saying that you don’t learn that in school, but you certainly learn that with the right coach on the field, and that’s where I really believe when (women) can make a difference, if they make sports a part of their life. It teaches you how to deal with adverse situations, and we don’t look at it (sports) like something that’s necessary, we look at it like an activity, and I really, truly believe that it can change people’s lives; sport is a great way to help empower people.”

On the need for more female coaches, especially at the youth levels:
“I think that a voice of having a woman coach, coaching boys is very important, as well as coaching girls. I believe that women can coach differently. They can become comfortable with coaching, with the right mentoring. Unfortunately, coaching is looked at as a nontraditional female (occupation). You can learn the Xs and Os, but you can’t learn the management of kids, and moms do it best. Moms have eyes in the back of their head. We see a lot, so I think we are actually perfect coaches, especially at the young ages. And, keeping it fun. Again, men make it about the Xs and Os. Women have the potential to be better at the younger ages, because they make it fun.”

On building a successful model for women’s professional sports leagues:
“Women (athletes) right now, in my opinion, can’t get off the dime professionally because they operate in silos and there’s not enough critical mass around the model to have sponsors. Like, I see women’s sports as a huge opportunity in the world, because we’re not where men’s sports is, so any visionary and business is going to see it as an option, especially if we do the model differently. Let’s make it sustainable. It doesn’t have to be as big. Make it smaller. Make it community-based. Make it regional. Take the all-stars from that and make it into a pro league. Change the rules. It’s that simple. There’s just so many different models that people aren’t thinking about, because they’re just not thinking about them, because they just accept the status quo. Why do we have to play in these huge stadiums? Maybe we can play in smaller stadiums. Maybe it can be a mother-daughter event as opposed to a daughter-father event like it always turns into.”

On why women’s professional sports leagues have struggled to become viable in the United States:
“I’ve said for years: The reason women’s professional sports doesn’t succeed is because they’re in the wrong cities. I think you need to be in cities that want you. Not just because it’s Boston, New York, Detroit — that’s where all the men (pro sports organizations) are. Go to outliers; they’ve got nothing to do. I remember when I was at Brown, one of our biggest, biggest, biggest venues to go to was Hanover, New Hampshire (to face Ivy League rival Dartmouth University), because there’s nothing else to do in New Hampshire. Same thing with Ithaca, New York (Cornell University). I think sometimes, because we’re so entrenched in the tradition, we can’t think outside the box. You’ve got to find an environment that will embrace it, that has a progressive mindset, that has a community that’s ready to pop. You need energy, you need passion, and you need that positive growth mindset. If you have that, you really can do anything.”

On the advancement of gender equity in college sports in the Title IX era:
“It’s kind of sad that there’s a long way to go. Unfortunately, Title IX’s an entitlement program because you have to have it, and whenever you have to have something, you’re not motivated to do better. And, sometimes, women’s sports are perceived as a suck on the (college) athletic department, because they have to have it, so they just throw it over there and they just do it because they have to have it. But, if women took control of it and gave back to it and nurtured it like they do other things, I think you would see a major shift in athletics. So, I think the people in charge need to change their mindset. They need to change the people that are implementing the practices, and when you start to see that, that’s when you’re going to see Title IX really take control — when you see people embrace it, instead of seeing it as a detriment. And so, I think Title IX has come a long way, but you still see it go on. The problem is we don’t have enough women in the industry. Because, the second you introduce wealth into it, you don’t see a lot of women coaches. You need to have more women leaders, role models and examples. This is what I always say: Title IX works when you see women coaches crossing over to men’s sports.”

On what she’s most proud of from her hockey playing and coaching career:
“I think the moment that I was most proud of probably was in 2015, winning the Clarkson Cup (with the Boston Blades). The way we won it was very important to me. It was a third-line player that scored the goal to win it, and it was in overtime. You know, it was empowering for me to be able to manage a bench that had a whole team playing and contributing; I think that was important. But, I also think that there’s just so many things for me, because I really was a woman that had done a lot of firsts, because there was no one else. Whatever it was, like those firsts really culminated in my life to give me what I can do, which is to give more opportunities.”

On touring the Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, the largest ice complex in the Southeast United States:
“Unbelievable. I thought I was actually walking into a Canadian rink. It’s very impressive. They thought of all the details. The whole energy that’s around sports in Tampa and Pasco County is very exciting.”

Published December 19, 2018