By Kyle LoJacono
Staff Writer
WESLEY CHAPEL — It usually takes several years for a school to establish itself in athletics, and for Wiregrass Ranch High School it has taken four years.
“You sort of hope you’re on the right path during the first tough years,” said Dave Wilson, Wiregrass Ranch athletic director. “We really took our lumps early, but its great to have so many of the teams start to win regally.”
Both cross county teams won their district and regional championships and the football team set a new program record with five wins.
“It’s a tribute to perseverance and having a plan in place,” said Wiregrass Ranch football coach Jeremy Shobe. “Kids work hard and the administration and faculty are very good too.”
The football team won two games total over the previous two seasons.
“It truly is a great administration and our athletic director is great too,” Shobe continued. “They get us all the supplies we need to keep the kids safe and teach them the game properly.”
One of the teams in season on top of its district is girls basketball, which is 16-6. The Bulls final game was against Ridgewood High School Jan. 29, but stats were not available at press time.
“We have a lot of seniors this year and can run out all 11 players without losing to much,” said coach Greg Finkel. “On most teams only the starting five can keep you in the game. I’d have to say this is the deepest team I’ve ever coached.
Finkel has been the only coach at Wiregrass Ranch. He has coached for 19 years, 14 at the high school level.
Last year, the Bulls were 24-6 including playoffs, and were the Class 4A, District 8 runners-up and have clinched first place in the district this season.
“Those were probably our toughest competition and we came out on top,” Finkel said. “Four of the players have been with me for all four years, so its great to finally see this first true senior class come through.”
The four players who have been at the school all four years are co-captain Julie Gould, Brianna Bowman, Regan Knapik and Brianna Duran.
“It’s been a good year for us,” said forward Kelly McCaffrey. “One thing that has been great is the fan support. It’s easier to win when the crowd is behind you.”
McCaffrey is averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game through the Bulls’ first 22 contests. On the defensive side, center Kayla Deloach leads the team with 55 blocks and 134 rebounds.
“I love to play defense, especially blocking shots,” Deloach said. “It is kind of a relief to know the other team didn’t score and a rush at the same time.”
The players are the only people who can directly affect wins and losses, but the coaches at Wiregrass Ranch are just as important to the Bulls’ success.
“We look for coaches that want to teach and help young people grow,” Wilson said. “We don’t hire anyone that is just looking for a paycheck. We want eager coaches.”
Finkel said of the other coaches at Wiregrass, “I want to say that, without any bias, our school has a wonderful coaching staff across the board. They have all worked hard to step things up in our fourth year as a school. I’m not surprised because I see all the other coaches putting in extra hours to make their team’s better.”
Wiregrass Ranch is the site for the 4A-8 tournament this year, which began Feb. 1, and are the No. 1 seed.
“It’s great to see the team playing so well in my last year,” Gould said. “The team has come so far in four years and hopefully we can carry our momentum into districts.”
The players and coaches may be working hard on their individual sports, but it seems like the entire school is trying to make Wiregrass Ranch High known for its athletics.
“It truly is a total team effort,” Shobe said. “That includes the teachers, parents and all the people that come out and support the school. We don’t want people to think this is an easy place to play and it looks like we’re starting to do that.”
Wiregrass Ranch roster
- Player year position
- Lauren Gould Jr. G/F
- Danielle Kluender Jr. G
- Brianna Duran Sr. PG
- Jessica Diepholz Jr. F
- Amie Donohue Sr. G
- Skylar Busch Jr. C/F
- Regan Knapik Sr. G/F
- Kelly McCaffrey So. F
- Brianna Bowman Sr. F
- Jovanna White Jr. G
- Julie Gould Sr. G
- Kayla Deloach Jr. C/F
- Sara Wash Sr. G
