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Mitchell

All-Star showcase offers lasting memory for Pasco seniors

June 23, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

For some, it might represent the final time they compete in an organized baseball or softball game.

For others, it’s a confidence-building stepping stone for the launch of their respective collegiate athletics careers.

Academy at the Lakes All-Star East catcher Josiah Bayona dives for a foul tip during game action against the West All-Stars played at Bishop McLaughlin High School. The West beat the East in extra innings. (Fred Bellet)

For all, it was a special event to cherish and remember.

The fourth annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Pasco County All-Star Baseball and Softball Game brings together the best senior players, from every school, to compete in one last game for bragging rights between the county’s east and west sides.

About 45 baseball players and 26 softball players were selected for the event, representing the following schools: Academy at the Lakes, Anclote, Bishop McLaughlin, Cypress Creek, Gulf, Fivay, Hudson, Mitchell, Land O’ Lakes, Pasco, River Ridge, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills.

Besides four designated all-star head coaches, coaches from just about every program pitch in to assist in some form or another.

The May 22 games were played simultaneously on adjacent baseball and softball fields at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, in Spring Hill.

Mitchell High School’s No. 12 Keaton Howard heads back to the dugout after slamming his second home run, ending the extra-inning game against the East.

The West All-Stars reigned supreme over the East All-Stars in both contests.

The West claimed victory in the softball game on a 10-0 mercy rule.

Baseball offered more hijinks, as the West won 11-8 on a three-run, walk-off blast from Mitchell’s Keaton Howard in the bottom of the ninth inning to break an 8-8 tie.

While winning was important, to players and coaches alike, the showcase was more about capping four years of high school and relishing the prep ballfields one final time with families, friends and teammates, in a relaxed setting.

Consider it a swan song, of sorts.

“Think about it — this’ll be the last game that these seniors play, not only for the school year, but for their whole high school career, so we’re sending them out with a big bang,” said FCA Pasco area director Bob Durham, who coordinates the all-star showcase.

Fivay High School All-Star West’s Samantha Proctor gets a hit against the All-Star East team during game action at Bishop McLaughlin High School. The West beat the East, 10-0.

“It’s the best players from every school, getting to play with each other, but against the other side of the county, so they’re pretty excited about it, and they’re ready for their summer, but they’re ready for one more game.

“We just try to make it a special experience for these kids and the parents, and the fans and the community. Every school in the county’s involved, so they try to promote it for a week or two before the game to get some attendance out here.”

Rosters were finalized midway through the regular prep season, where all-star baseball and softball coaches deliberated the best collection of players through a draft format, taking into account offense, defense, and pitching metrics, among other factors.

These coaches “sell their players” to one another, Durham said, until they can all agree upon a final roster. Usually, this exercise takes place in a physical meeting room, but this year the selections were made in a virtual setting on Zoom.

The all-star event also included an awards dinner banquet the night before, as well as a couple tranquil meetings and practices in the week leading up.

In the awards ceremony, Durham explained athletes were recognized not only for on-the-field accolades and statistics — like countywide leaders in strikeouts and RBIs — but also in exhibiting FCA’s core values of service, integrity, teamwork and overall excellence; athletes gunning for these awards submitted personal stories of how they exemplified these qualities in their day-to-day life.

Recognition was bestowed for highest GPA and character, as examples.

“We want to honor those values in kids,” said Durham, “so we make it special, not only in just a game with skill, but in virtues and character.”

Putting rivalries aside to have fun
Wiregrass Ranch varsity softball coach Yamani Vazquez said the all-star shindig is an opportunity to put school rivalries aside and celebrate together in pre-game festivities and practices.

Fivay High School’s All-Star West player Erik Scott leads off second base, in the extra-inning game.

Ironically, Vazquez’s daughter, Hailey was a standout pitcher at Cypress Creek High School — a rival of the program he coaches.

“This is the moment that everyone comes together,” said Vazquez, who’s involved in the event each year. “They were really in high spirits. It was like they knew each other and were really talking to each other. It’s good, because it brings all teams together, and that’s what it should be, you bring the best players from all the teams, to play together.”

Wesley Chapel varsity softball coach Lauren Pasquale — serving as East All-Star head softball coach — likened the event as “a fun last hurrah” and “the prom of the softball season.”

Pasquale graduated from Zephyrhills in 2011 and went on to play Division I softball at College of Charleston in South Carolina.

A decade ago, she competed in the prestigious statewide Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-Star Classic.

Pasquale didn’t know many of her fellow peers in that event, so there’s something extra special about having a county-specific sendoff for high school seniors, she said.

“Looking back, it would’ve been cool to do this,” Pasquale said, “because it was more kids that you grew up with and played with, so it would’ve been more like a community feel versus a one-in-the-number kind of feel.”

Mitchell High School’s Keaton Howard’s second home run ended the extra-inning game at the fourth annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Pasco County All-Star baseball game. Girls played in the All-Star softball game on an adjacent field.

Wiregrass Ranch varsity baseball coach Marshall McDougall, serving as East All-Star head coach, also characterized the event in a good light: “I think it’s one last time for the kids to go out and have fun, with kids they’ve grown up with, so they’re all the same age, they all play in this area.

“A lot of kids have played together at younger ages and then with different schools, so I think it’s a really good experience they get to play together again, and their parents get to see them play one last time, in a relaxed setting, there’s no stress, and just have some fun.”

A pair of mid-week practices that coaches organized wasn’t about structured drills or high-intensity workouts, but more so about positive messaging as players head off to new endeavors.

McDougal put it like this: “As coaches, you just like to think you can leave an impression on all the kids, about, ‘Hey, baseball’s supposed to be played for the love of the game, have fun with it, you learn a lot of life lessons from it, so just play baseball.'”

That was the general mindset for Cypress Creek pitcher/shortstop Zachary Buelk leading into the contest.

The 6-foot-4 Buelk — primed for college ball at Georgia’s Thomas University — steered Cypress Creek to a 20-6 mark and the 4A regional quarterfinal in early May, posting a 0.51 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched.

“We didn’t get as far as we wanted to (with Cypress Creek),” he said, “so it’s fun to come out here and have one last game, and not really have stress on it; just come out and just play baseball.”

East All-Star teammate Josiah Bayona was a super utility standout at Academy at the Lakes, leading the team in batting average (.361) and stolen bases (33) this season, among other categories.

The county all-star happening has “just been a great experience” for him.

“It’s sort of like one last high school game — a great end to how it should be, compared to the teams here who ended their seasons early, due to just the postseason (losses),” said Bayona, who’s signed with NAIA Webber International University in Babson Park.

He added: “Some of these guys I played with when I was in Little League when we were 7. You know, it’s fun seeing these guys as we’re growing up and now that we’re seniors.”

Academy at the Lakes right-handed utility Vanessa Alexander will continue her softball career at Brown University, a Division I Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island.

Getting picked for the all-star showcase is “really special,” Alexander said, though she acknowledged mixed emotions gearing up for a move some 1,300 miles north of Land O’ Lakes.

“It’s really exciting, but also kind of sad,” Alexander said, before the game. “It’s bittersweet, since this is my last high school game ever, but I’m really excited…to get together and play one last time.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic still on many minds, Alexander said, “I’m really fortunate and glad we were able to play a full season and play this all-star game, which I think is really awesome that they put on every year.”

Sunlake star outfielder Kendra Falby likewise expressed appreciation to organizers for rebooting the all-star event after it was wiped out last year amid the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Because of COVID, we haven’t really gotten to do much, so it’s been nice to come together and put something on for us, so it’s been like super special,” Falby said.

Falby has already made quite a name for herself in the sport on a widespread scale — a Division I University of Florida signee and member of the 2019 Canadian U-19 women’s national team. The 5-foot-7 lefty hitter also boasted the state’s seventh-highest batting average (.678) along with eight doubles, six triples and 29 steals, across 18 contests this past year.

Despite garnering more notable accolades elsewhere, being involved with the local showcase still holds meaning for Falby.

“It’s cool,” she said, “because working hard all season and then it paying off and being a part of a very select few, it’s an honor.”

Pasco County All-Star rosters

Baseball-East team
Head coach: Marshall McDougall, Wiregrass Ranch

Academy at the Lakes
Josiah Bayona
Palmer Bringgold
Alex Carmichael
Jacob Syversen

Bishop McLaughlin
Austin Affrunti
Tanner Boccabello
Jacob Duncan

Cypress Creek
Zach Browne
Zach Buelk
Christian Mendez-Rosado
Anthony Menendez
Peyton Petry

Pasco
Bryce Braxton
Robert Hoffman
Lane Mercer
Brian Schildt

Wesley Chapel
Austin Coultas
Tyler Sullivan
Josh Wollerman

Wiregrass Ranch
Jackson Stebleton

West team
Head coach: Howard Chittum, Mitchell

Anclote
Lucas Galati

Gulf
Ian Burchfield

Hudson
Peter Larkey
Tanner Wohlfiel

Fivay
Will Morrison
Erik Scott
Billy Young

Land O’ Lakes
Brian Holliday
Justin Pimentel
Jacob Ward
Hayden Woods

Mitchell
Anderson Adler
Ezra Brennan
James Hill
Keaton Howard

River Ridge
Nick Cotugno
Austin Erickson
Dillon Linares
Tony Luciano

Sunlake
Dylan Broderick
Kory Doerr
Kyle Doran
Giovanni Felix
Collin Robinson
Myles Vacharasin

Softball-East team
Head coach: Lauren Pasquale, Wesley Chapel

Academy at the Lakes
Vanessa Alexander

Bishop McLaughlin
Samantha Bremer

Cypress Creek
Emma Coon
Hailey Vazquez

Land O’ Lakes
Gracie Stanley

Pasco
Hailee Lethco
Ally Jender
Mackenzie Petty

Wesley Chapel
Jillian Torres

Zephyrhills
Laila Huffman
Aleah Killebrew
Gisele Navarra

West team
Head coach: Mark Williams, Gulf

Anclote
Ashley Morrell

Fivay
Samantha Proctor

Gulf
Reanna Wilson

Mitchell
Alandre Coure

River Ridge
Liberty Argudin
Brooke Blankenship
Giulia Desiderio
Katey Hauschen
Laila Mannion
Keira Wierzbowski

Sunlake
Michelle Busot
Kendra Falby
Mikayla Hoschak
Peyton Welch

Published June 23, 2021

Class 6A-District 6 up for grabs

August 7, 2013 By Jeff Odom

During the next few weeks leading up to the first game of the 2013 high school football season, The Laker/Lutz News sports staff is previewing the new districts marked up by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Our third installment in the series takes a look at Class 6A-District 6:

Meet the teams
Fivay (6-4, 5-2 in 5A-6)
Land O’ Lakes (4-6, 2-5)
Mitchell (6-4, 3-4)
Springstead (9-2, 6-1)
Sunlake (8-2, 5-2)

GATORS’ DYNAMIC DUO
Land O’ Lakes’ success in 6A-6 this season may rest on the arms of quarterbacks James Pensyl and Ethan Weilant.

Land O’ Lakes quarterback James Pensyl looked impressive in the spring game and has plenty of offensive weapons to get the Gators back into the postseason for the first time in two years. (Photo by Tim McCLain)
Land O’ Lakes quarterback James Pensyl looked impressive in the spring game and has plenty of offensive weapons to get the Gators back into the postseason for the first time in two years. (Photo by Tim McCLain)

Pensyl looked impressive at times during the Gators’ spring game loss against Pasco on May 23 finishing 8-of-17 with one touchdown and one interception. He also added 30 rushing yards. And Weilant, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, turned plenty of heads with his performance in the North Suncoast 7-on-7 summer league. He even lined up at wide receiver at times.

While Pensyl looks to be the favorite to land the starting job in Week 1 after he passed for 946 yards last season, the battle could end up down to the wire for Land O’ Lakes, which is looking to end its two-year playoff drought and get past the dark cloud of recruiting violation penalties handed down by the FHSAA in 2011.

The Gators have the offensive weapons to do just that, but their final place in the standings will depend on how they use them against the slate of tough district opponents.

SEAHAWKS HOPE TO KEEP SOARING
Sunlake has been one of the most dominant teams in Pasco County during the past three seasons, racking up back-to-back wins over rival Land O’ Lakes and 26 total wins.

However, the Seahawks didn’t have the best spring jamboree by losing to Wiregrass Ranch 7-0, but fared better in their 21-0 win against a young Wesley Chapel squad.

“We got our feet wet,” Coach Bill Browning said after the game. “At times we swam, at times we treaded water, and at times we drowned.”

Growing pains early in the season are to be expected, and projected starting quarterback Esteban LeWallen, who is Sunlake’s fourth starter in as many seasons, did not even step onto the field in the spring games due to personal reasons.

But the loss of quarterback Josh Zifer, 1,000-yard rusher Eddie Burgos and linebacker Ray Busbee to graduation might be too much to overcome, especially after the Seahawks missed the playoffs with an 8-2 record last season. And with the way the district is shaping up again, they may have to repeat that performance to earn a shot at a postseason berth.

KEEP AN EYE ON …
Ben Wood, inside linebacker, Sunlake
Wood was a key part of Browning’s defense last season by racking up 86 tackles (56 solo), seven sacks and three forced fumbles. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior also split time on offense at tight end. If Wood and company can repeat his masterful performance, expect Sunlake to be in the playoff conversation once again.

Austin McGuire, halfback, Land O’ Lakes
McGuire was impressive against a tough Pasco High defense in the Gators’ spring game, helping stage a late comeback against the Pirates by scoring a touchdown and leading multiple drives down the field. The junior, along with teammate Larenz Scroggins, could be Land O’ Lakes’ go-to-guy this season after racking up 145 yards on 10 carries last year.

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05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

The “Let’s Do Good Memorial Day Concert” is scheduled for May 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The foundation is committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. The event will include vendors, gifts, a Forget-Me-Not Garden, and more. Entertainment will be provided by Fred Chandler, Charles Goodwin, Cruz Er Mac, Mike Henderson, and Travis White. Special guests include Congressman Gus Bilirakis and State Sen. Danny Burgess. Rain date is Sept. 10. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

Munchies Natural Pet Foods, 1722 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Pet Supply Drive on May 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to benefit the Pet Peace of Mind Program at Gulfside Hospice. Gulfside team members will be on site to offer information about the program and to collect donated supplies, such as pet food, cat litter, treats, basic supplies and other items. The donations will be distributed to hospice patients, to help provide care for their pets. For information about the Peace of Mind program, visit Gulfside.org, or call 727-845-5707. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Summer Seafood Festival is scheduled for May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, between the outlets and At Home. There will be seafood, crab races, a kids zone, live bands, craft beer, a local market, a Nautical Art Show, and a crab claw-eating contest. For information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

Lexington Oaks Community Center, 26304 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Memorial Day Ceremony on May 30 from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in front of the big flag. There will be patriotic songs and readings, and the playing of "Taps."  The event is weather permitting. … [Read More...] about 05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

05/30/2022 – Memorial Day closings

The Pasco County Tax Collector’s five offices will be closed for Memorial Day on May 28 and May 30. These offices will be closed on May 30: Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources, recreation complexes and community centers; GoPasco public transportation; all Pasco County libraries; Pasco County Animal Services administration office, adoption center, intake/reclaim shelter, and field services; and the Pasco County Resource Recovery Facility. … [Read More...] about 05/30/2022 – Memorial Day closings

05/31/2022 – All about oceans

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