The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Sunlake High School

Sunlake, Zephyrhills, Pasco football teams in tiebreakers tonight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sunlake really wants state soccer title

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The Sunlake Seahawks boys soccer team went undefeated in their district last season on their way to a 29-2-1 record. And for the second straight year, they lost in the state semifinals.

Having two dominating seasons in a row would be a source of great satisfaction for any high school. But when it comes to competitive soccer, Sunlake isn’t just any school, and team members aren’t satisfied with bowing out in the final four.

If teams want to get past Sunlake’s soccer team, they’ll have to first get past star goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko, who has a habit of shutting out opponents. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
If teams want to get past Sunlake’s soccer team, they’ll have to first get past star goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko, who has a habit of shutting out opponents. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“It’s disappointing, really, to go all that way twice and not win the championship,” goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko said. “Getting to the semifinals is a good accomplishment, but I feel like we could go farther, and we should have gone farther.”

Teammate Connor Spencer agrees.

“I kind of look back on it as a negative thing because it’s two years we’ve gone back to the same spot,” he said. “We’ve finally got the school behind us and supporting us, and then we just come up short every year.”

If players feel badly about their recent playoff results, that could be bad news for Sunlake’s opponents. Even though the season hasn’t started yet, the Seahawks are focused and working on taking a serious attitude into the beginning of the schedule as they try to get over the hump and claim a state title.

They’ll also take a familiar lineup into the season as well. Eight out of 11 starters are returning to the team, and Coach Sam Koleduk said the team’s veteran leadership makes them at least as dangerous as his previous teams.

“We know what it takes now,” Koleduk said. “I think we’re just as talented, maybe even better than last year.”

Last year’s team had plenty of talent itself, with Remi Pimm leading the nation in scoring. Pimm’s status with the team is uncertain at this time, and Koleduk said they’re preparing to not have him this season.

But with scorers like Spencer — who already has more than 90 career goals — they expect to be in good shape up front. And with solid goalkeeping from Hrenko, who led the nation in shutouts last season, opponents should be challenged to put goals on the board once again.

Sunlake’s team also benefits greatly from its athletes’ participation in club play, Koleduk said. While some teams might have just a few players who participate in local club soccer, all 26 members of his varsity team — from starters to reserves — play at the club level. That gives the Seahawks a higher caliber of talent, consistent focus on the game, and the depth to overcome injuries as they occur during the season.

Chris Wilkinson, another offensive-minded player, agrees that extensive club experience gives the Seahawks an advantage over many opponents.

“At the club level, you really know what you need to do,” he said. “A lot of other schools have some kids that play (club soccer) and some kids that don’t, and they struggle to gel in that sense.”

But all teams have weaknesses, and Koleduk acknowledges that defense is an area they had to retool in the lineup. The team lost talented starters from last year, so that’s something of an unknown headed into the season. But if practice is any indicator, Spencer says the defense looks ready to provide solid support while he tries to score goals.

“From what I’ve seen from the defense, they’re good enough to where I don’t need to worry about, ‘Are they going to mess up?’ at all,” he said. “I’m confident enough in them that they’re going to do their job and they know what to do.”

Having a capable defense makes things easier for him as a scorer, since he doesn’t have to worry about converting every opportunity or be concerned that the opposing offense will have an easy time connecting when they have the ball in Sunlake territory.

While it looks like another strong season is likely for Sunlake, it won’t be good enough for them unless it ends with a state title.

“We need to win it all,” Koleduk said. “That’s how I look at it, but we’ll definitely give it our best shot for sure.”

Published October 29, 2014

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Forever the Keppel Way at Land O’ Lakes High

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The crowd was there to watch the football teams from Land O’ Lakes and Sunlake high schools take the field. But for several minutes before kickoff, they were all chanting something much different: “We love Keppel!”

Kris Keppel, who spent more than two decades as the coach of the Land O’ Lakes cross-country team, and even longer as a teacher, was given that ovation during last Friday’s game. Keppel, never one who likes to draw attention to himself, knew something was up when he was invited to the game. But he still showed up, because he knew his courage facing pancreatic cancer would continue to inspire the students and athletes at the school.

Kris Keppel along with daughters Meredith and Morgan, and wife Dar, proudly show the new sign students and visitors will see leading the way to the athletic fields of Land O’ Lakes High School. Principal Ric Mellin says this will remind everyone to take the ‘Keppel way.’ (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Kris Keppel along with daughters Meredith and Morgan, and wife Dar, proudly show the new sign students and visitors will see leading the way to the athletic fields of Land O’ Lakes High School. Principal Ric Mellin says this will remind everyone to take the ‘Keppel way.’ (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“It’s pretty easy to inspire,” Keppel told the crowd. “Inspiration is a two-way street. You all can inspire each other on a daily basis.”

School officials and his team wanted to honor Keppel for being a finalist in the Brooks Inspiring Coach of the Year contest. Although Keppel received the most votes in the nationwide competition, he was able to applaud as Renee Williams-Smith of Manhattan Beach, California, received this year’s award during a ceremony last summer in Seattle.

The initial idea was to give Keppel a large trophy, girls’ cross-country coach and close friend Karen DeHaas said. But then an idea surfaced that would allow Keppel’s work to be honored year after year, naming a new school inspirational award after him and a fellow teacher, the late Marilyn Ling, who also battled cancer.

“We have always had inspirational people that helped our students and helped our faculty,” school assistant principal Rich Batchelor said. “We would like to start a new award, the Ling Inspiring Individual Award. But we decided to rename it for the first recipient of the award. So it will now be known as the Ling Keppel Inspiring Individual Award.”

But the school wasn’t done. A small crowd walked to a spot just outside the Land O’ Lakes football stadium so a new street sign could be unveiled — renaming that stretch of Gator Lane to Keppel Way.

“What better way to have students in the future know how much he inspired us to do things the Keppel way than to actually rename the roadway that leads into the athletic facility here,” school principal Ric Mellin said. “From this point forward, every time our athletes come down the road from the parking lot into the stadiums in the back here, they are going to be doing it the Keppel Way.”

Keppel was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer more than a year ago. Despite his grueling treatment for the disease, Keppel continued to attend as many practices and meets as he could. That continued until this past school year when he was forced to retire to focus more on fighting the cancer. It meant stepping down from his longtime role as cross-country coach, too.

“He’s retired, yet he comes to all the practices, except when he has chemo on Mondays,” DeHaas said. “He’s not able to bike with the runners anymore, but having him out there has really motivated all of our runners, and they want to win for him.”

Those trips to practices and meets have become their own inspiration to Keppel.

“We’re a team, we are a partnership,” Keppel said. “They keep plugging away, and I keep plugging away.”

A recent change in his chemotherapy treatment has allowed Keppel to grow back his hair, his eyebrows, and even his trademark moustache. He has lost weight, but being able to recognize his reflection in the mirror has helped him continue to fight the cancer.

“I have good days and bad days, but today was a good day,” Keppel said, looking toward his wife Dar, standing nearby. “The last few days were good, but the beginning of the week wasn’t so hot. It is what it is, and you just take it one day at a time.”

And that couldn’t be any other way, because it is indeed the Keppel way.

Published October 22, 2014

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Sunlake wary of Land O’ Lakes ahead of rivalry game

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The Sunlake Seahawks have had a strong start to the 2014 season. They’ve given up a total of just 26 points in seven games, including four shutouts.

Their 6-1 record includes a district loss, but the team is still in good position to capture a playoff berth if they take care of business the rest of the way.

If the Gators want to take this year’s rivalry game from the Seahawks, they’ll have to find a way to stop running back Nathan Johnson. (Fred Bellett/Photo)
If the Gators want to take this year’s rivalry game from the Seahawks, they’ll have to find a way to stop running back Nathan Johnson.
(Fred Bellett/Photo)

Toward the bottom of the Class 6A-District 6 standings is Land O’ Lakes. The Gators are just 3-3, including an 0-1 district record. They have given up the second-most points in the district. In fact, in three of their contests, they’ve surrendered more points than Sunlake has given up all year.

But if you think those statistics mean the Seahawks will have an easy time when they visit the Gators on Oct. 17, you should probably keep that opinion to yourself. That’s because Sunlake head coach Bill Browning doesn’t want to hear any talk about taking games for granted.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not,” Browning said. “Land O’ Lakes has a good football team. They obviously have a very good throwing game, so we have to be able to get lined up right and be able to defend the pass against them.”

Browning recognizes there’s more to the Gators than a .500 record. Their quarterback, James Pensyl, already has thrown for more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns. They’ve scored 192 points, which is more than Sunlake and everyone else in the district. And while they’ve lost three times, two of those defeats were by a touchdown or less.

Sunlake might be catching the Gators at a bad time, too. Their running game — supposedly a weak spot of their offense — came alive for nearly 300 yards versus Hudson on Oct. 10 in a convincing 55-30 victory that snapped a two-game losing streak.

Sunlake boasts its own offensive weapons, of course. Running back Nathan Johnson paces the offense, and receiver Naejaun Jackson has been a reliable receiver for the passing game while mixing in several carries as well.

And road games haven’t been a problem for Sunlake this year: They’re a perfect 4-0 so far when playing in hostile territory.

But records don’t mean much when you’re talking about Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes, according to Browning. There’s another word that begins with an “R” that means a lot more.

“It’s a rivalry game, so you can throw the records out of the book when it’s a big rival,” he said.

The rivalry wasn’t much of a competition when it first started. Browning has been with the Seahawks since its program began in 2007, and admits his teams had a “little brother” mentality when it came to the Gators in those early years. They didn’t even score the first two times the teams played, and didn’t register a victory until their fourth meeting.

But Sunlake hasn’t lost since, and now holds a 4-3 edge over their rival.

When two schools are less than 10 miles from each other, both teams can expect fans in the stands and an opponent who is ready to play hard regardless of record. But throw in an important district contest with playoff implications on the line, and it’s easy to predict a hard-fought contest with both schools doing everything they can to come out ahead Friday night.

“All the players know each other,” Browning said. “We’re right in each other’s backyard. It makes for a great rivalry game.

“You approach it the same way as any other game, but it always means a little bit more when you face your rival … for both sides.”

Published October 15, 2014

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Sunlake volleyball collecting wins, gaining fans

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When Deann Newton took over as coach of the Sunlake High School volleyball team, the Seahawks had never had much success with the program. So if you wanted to see them play, you could sit pretty much anywhere you wanted.

Sunlake volleyball coach Deann Newton huddles with her team during a match at Land O’ Lakes High School Oct. 2. The Seahawks won the match to remain undefeated in district play. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Sunlake volleyball coach Deann Newton huddles with her team during a match at Land O’ Lakes High School Oct. 2. The Seahawks won the match to remain undefeated in district play. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“I think we maybe had five kids in the stands,” Newton said of her first games coaching. “And some of them might have been siblings.”

Now in her second year, good seats are harder to find. She estimates between 50 and 75 students go to their games, and they even had a strong turnout for a recent road contest against Land O’ Lakes High School.

The sudden interest in girls volleyball at Sunlake isn’t a coincidence. Newton has turned around a program that spent its first seven seasons in what seemed like a continuous losing streak. Their best record during that span was a 6-18 season, with multiple years where they won just one or two games. They even had a winless season.

But things changed in 2013. Under Newton, the Seahawks went 16-10, winning more games in one season than in all previous years combined. But a 5-2 record in Class 5A-District 8 wasn’t good enough for the postseason, so Sunlake had to be satisfied with a great turnaround and a bright future.

This year the team picked up where it left off, marching out to a 14-4 record so far, including a perfect 6-0 district mark. And while having four losses is no reason to be ashamed, it should be noted that all of those defeats came in tournament play, which Newton scheduled so they could get experience playing a variety of teams. The team is 11-0 outside of their tournaments.

The difference in the Seahawks before Newton came aboard and now comes down to how they approach the game from a mental standpoint.

“The attitude was like, ‘We’ll kind of try to win,’” she said of the team she inherited. “You have to go in with the (proper) mindset. It’s a very mental game.”

Now the Seahawks expect to win and focus on playing up to their capabilities.

But there were more than mental changes. The team started improving their conditioning and began working out together back in May to prepare for the upcoming season. It was a new schedule for the team, but the additional work was necessary to show that they were serious about improving on last year’s record, and becoming a stronger, fitter and more dangerous squad.

It was clear from the beginning that Newton was bringing something different to the team, said Gianna Basulto, a junior who has been on the team for three seasons.

“Before it wasn’t as serious,” she said. “But when Coach Newton showed up, it was like game on. This is how we’re going to do it.

“She was very straight-forward, and I love that about her because that’s the type of coach that I and the whole team need.”

The earlier conditioning has not only made the team more effective in long rallies, Basulto explained, but also helped the team develop important chemistry before the season even began.

That chemistry will be important as the season progresses toward the last few games of the regular season. While Newton said the team is taking things one game at a time, they haven’t forgotten their goals. They want to make the playoffs for the first time in school history, and they want to keep winning when they get there.

In order to keep getting better, Newton sets different goals for the team when they play, in addition to simply winning the match. They’ve been working on blocking and defense, for example, because the coach considers them areas where improvement is needed and will be required as they face stronger competition.

A strong mental attitude also will be required, and there’s plenty of confidence that didn’t exist a couple of years ago. As a result, if the team continues to improve, the school’s first postseason appearance could become a reality.

“I think we can go to (the district tournament) and I think we can win,” Basulto said. “Our coach is really pushing us, and we’re pushing ourselves.”

Newton, while still focused on fixing areas of weakness and getting better as a team, shares that optimism.

“Our goal is to get out of district with the one or two seed, preferably the one seed,” she said, which would qualify Sunlake for a first-ever trip to the regional tournament. “I think when we get to that point, I think good things are going to happen.”

Published October 8, 2014

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Corley’s voting message to Sunlake hits Twitter

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Brian Corley visited Sunlake High School Tuesday to talk to upperclassmen there about the importance of voting.

The Pasco County supervisor of elections emphasized local elections over the more popular presidential elections. Midterm elections, like the one coming up Nov. 4, typically have much lower voter turnout because there are no national candidates on the ballot. Yet, the local elections have far more impact to individuals living in communities, like those in Pasco.

Many of the students and faculty, including Sunlake principal Steve Williams, shared a lot of Corley’s insights on Twitter, under the hashtag of “SunlakeVotes.” Here are some of the highlights of those tweets:

In Print: Cancer struggle chronicled in unique art exhibit

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It’s on television and the movies all the time, but we don’t ever expect to experience it in real life. A doctor sitting down behind his desk, a grim look on his face, to give you bad news: You have cancer.

Jan Tucker took a unique route to chronicle her struggle with breast cancer, and that record will be on display during an art show to benefit cancer charities in October.
Jan Tucker took a unique route to chronicle her struggle with breast cancer, and that record will be on display during an art show to benefit cancer charities in October. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Jan Tucker lived that nightmare when she learned she would need a bilateral mastectomy to help battle breast cancer.

“When I picked up the phone, I hear her say, ‘I’m sorry,'” Tucker told reporter B.C. Manion about her conversation with her doctor. “I hear her voice crack. Then she starts with the doctor jargon.”

She knew it would be a difficult journey, and she didn’t want to forget it. So she turned to her brother, Paul Phillips, to help her chronicle it in an amazingly artistic way.

Tucker eventually went through the mastectomy, and later reconstructive surgery, chronicling each step in ceramic torso busts. But she never expected to ever make it public. But she was convinced to do just that, and it will be on display at the Alchemy Art Lounge and Hard Bodies Yo gallery in Tarpon Springs Oct. 9.

“There really is no better way to illustrate the story than that,” Tucker said. “I am a different person today because of this.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit cancer charities. To learn more about Tucker’s struggles with cancer, and to see the artwork that will go on display in a couple weeks, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or you can read it online for free right now by clicking here.

Every few years, swimming takes the spotlight in the sports world as we cheer on the United States in events like the Olympic games. It’s a lot of hard work, and takes tremendous skill. But it’s doubtful any of those swimmers faced the challenge of one young competitor at Zephyrhills High School.

Taylor Sanders took to the pool recently in Land O’ Lakes, and competed against Sunlake in the 50-meter freestyle. Yet, just weeks before, she spent months in a body cast following surgery to help correct some issues created by cerebral palsy.

In fact, Taylor was never even supposed to walk, let alone swim. But she never let that stop her.

“We had a No. 1 rule. The ‘C’ word was not allowed in our house, and that’s ‘can’t’ or ‘cannot,'” Taylor’s mother, Vanessa Sanders, told reporter Michael Murillo.

“I’ve always loved swimming since I was little,” Taylor said. “And I have a very competitive attitude, so competing while I’m doing something I love is just amazing.”

Fans can see Taylor in action throughout the swimming competitive season for Zephyrhills, and read more about her in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, which is now available in driveways and stores everywhere. Or you can stay at your computer and check out our free online e-edition by clicking here.

Finally, you might have driven by a bunch of construction on State Road 54 near the Suncoast Parkway and wondered what was up.

Newland Communities, the developer of popular large-scale communities like FishHawk Ranch in Brandon, unveiled details of what it is doing on the Bexley Ranch site, including new retail stores, office space, and some 1,700 homes in its first phase of development.

“We’ve got our plans in review at Pasco County right now, and we think we’ll break ground in March or April next year,” Newland vice president Tom Panaseny told a small crowd who gathered near the work site to learn more about the project. “We haven’t even announced any of the builders yet. But the builders really almost come in last, once we develop the community and figure out what type of homes that we want to build.”

But how much will homes cost there? And what can potential buyers expect from this new community, that will help get Tower Road built east and west across the county? Read reporter Michael Hinman’s story in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, or get all the details right now through our online edition by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Pasco boasts semifinalists for National Merit Scholarship

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Five local students are among eight in Pasco County who have been recognized as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, and will join hundreds of others in the state to the national semifinal round.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. recognizes high school seniors with the highest scores on the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, who met published program participation requirements. The semifinalists are now eligible to compete for one of 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $35 million.

Local students recognized include:

• Brendan Foley of Pasco High School
• Lisa Goldsworthy of Sunlake High School
• Veronica Grady of Land O’ Lakes High School
• Olivia Sunna of Wiregrass Ranch High School
• Emily Suvannasankha of Land O’ Lakes High School

Other county semifinalists were Juliana Cavallaro from Mitchell High School, and both Mackenzie Marques and Jaquelyn Nagy from Gulf High School.

“I am very proud of our students for achieving such a distinguished honor,” said Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning, in a release. “Their success is a direct result of their dedication to academic excellence and the rigorous instruction provided by our outstanding teachers.”

To be considered, students must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes their academic record throughout high school, participation in school and community activities, demonstration of leadership abilities, and honors and awards received. Students also must be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn an SAT score that confirms the earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Finalists are selected based on exceptional skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. is a not-for-profit organization established in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship program.

Business to recognize Zephyrhills swimmer

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Westcoast Brace & Limb is set to recognize one of its patients during a swim meet Wednesday night at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

Taylor Sanders, who has been treated by the Tampa-area company since first being diagnosed with monoplegic infantile cerebral palsy, is a member of the Zephyrhills High School swim team, and will join her teammates Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m. to face Sunlake High School.

The recreation complex is at 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

Sanders, a sophomore at Zephyrhills High, has faced challenges all her life, according to a release. She was originally put in a wheelchair, and told she would never be able to walk. However, Sanders taught herself how to walk, but used her tip toes, which caused a deformity in her right hip, making her less mobile.

However, since last November, Sanders has undergone two surgeries to correct her hip displacement, and to help lessen her pain and gait impairment. She had four bones cut in half, a hip rotated from her abnormal 70 degrees to the correct 15 degrees, a calf muscle cut to relieve the spasticity and throbbing constant pain, and her foot and ankle reconstructed.

She started the year on the swim team, but was not able to actually swim because she was still in her cast from surgery. She continued to show up to practice, and once she got her cast off Aug. 14 — just four weeks after surgery — she was in the pool the same day.

On Aug. 27, Sanders swam the 50-meter freestyle in 50 seconds, participating in her first meet of the season.

The recognition at Wednesday’s meet is designed to help raise awareness of cerebral palsy, and the positive effects that swim teams and high school sports have on disabled kids, according to a release.

Westcoast Brace & Limb has five locations in the greater Tampa Bay area, as well as mobile units throughout the region.

Wiregrass, Pasco high schools chart big enrollment gains

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Hordes of Wiregrass Ranch High School students head to portable classrooms each morning, as the school copes with an enrollment of 2,255.

Students stream toward their classes at Wiregrass Ranch High School, which has 30 portable classrooms to accommodate its burgeoning enrollment. The school must have four lunch periods to feed its hungry masses. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)
Students stream toward their classes at Wiregrass Ranch High School, which has 30 portable classrooms to accommodate its burgeoning enrollment. The school must have four lunch periods to feed its hungry masses.
(Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)

The school now has 30 portable classrooms, and must have four lunch periods to accommodate its swelling enrollment, said its principal, Robyn White. The high school, at 2909 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, had 165 more students this year than last, as of the 10th day of classes, according to Pasco County school district figures.

Some of that growth was anticipated because of a larger freshman class, White said. But the school picked up about 70 more students than it expected.

She attributes that growth to an increase in the construction of new homes and apartments in the area.

The school added 10 portable classrooms this year, enabling it to reduce the number of teachers floating between classrooms, White said. Last year, there were 11 teachers who floated between classrooms. This year, there are four.

Pasco High School’s enrollment grew by 182 students — the biggest increase among the district schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

As of the 10th day, Pasco’s enrollment was 1,575.

“We weren’t shocked,” said Pasco principal Karin Kadlub. “We were ready for those numbers.”

The school, at 36850 State Road 54 in Dade City, keeps a close pulse on enrollments at its feeder schools, Kadlub said. Because the number of eighth-graders was up at Pasco and Centennial middle schools last year, Kadlub knew there would be more freshmen at Pasco High this year.

She also knew that the school would pick up students from Academy at the Farm, a public charter school that doesn’t have a high school program.

Increased development in the area also is boosting Pasco High’s enrollment, Kadlub said.

John Long Middle School, at 2025 Mansfield Blvd., also experienced an uptick in its enrollment. Its 10th-day count was 1,659, up 116 students over last year at the same time.

Seven Oaks Elementary School, 27633 Mystic Oak Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, grew by 96 students, bringing its total to 1,009.

Most of the public schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area had enrollment fluctuations of fewer than 50 students, plus or minus. Some exceptions were Sand Pine Elementary School, down by 64; Centennial Middle School, down by 62; and Weightman Middle School, down by 87.

Pasco Middle School was up by 62, Watergrass Elementary School was up by 60; and Sunlake High School also was up by 60.

Published September 10, 2014

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