Community Sports Your Neighborhood Sports Source
Wiregrass Ranch soccer team still undefeated By Michael Murillo mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
Sunlake High School is considered a powerhouse boys soccer program in Pasco County. And for good reason:The Seahawks have a long track record of success, a winning coach, and they’re undefeated so far this season. But they’re not the only ones. Wiregrass Ranch High School has had five straight winning seasons, and the sixth already is in the bag after just 13 regular season games. The Bulls are 13-0, including 5-0 in Class 4A-District 8.They’ve scored 62 goals compared to just five against, with nine shutouts.Their closest opponent in the district standings, Mitchell High School, lost 2-0 to Wiregrass Ranch last week. And according to coach David Wilson, they don’t need to be micromanaged to succeed. “They’ll run the first 25 minutes of practice without me having to do anything,” he said.“I say one thing to them, and they’ll be gone.They go on their run, they come out and stretch, they do their preliminary practice stuff and their preparation stuff. “There’s expectations that we’ve set and these kids know what to do when they come in.” Part of knowing what to do comes from playing at the local club level, Wilson said. Including the junior varsity team — which also undefeated — around 90 percent of their players participate in club soccer. While the Bulls are dominating offensively and defensively, the coach said their strength lies in their depth. Injuries, sickness and club soccer commitments have required the team to dig deep into the roster frequently, and their bench players are able and ready to perform at a high level when called to the pitch. “There’s not a drop-off when we have to go to the bench,”Wilson said.“You can wear teams down if you can go to your 20th player and have the kid not drop off too much from your No. 11 player.” There isn’t any drop-off when they switch goalkeepers, either. While the shutouts and low goals against are impressive, it doesn’t come from one standout player.The Bulls actually rotate dominating goalkeepers, including Wilson’s son, Payton. They have another goalie getting work at the junior varsity level, so an area that causes some teams to struggle is a very deep position at Wiregrass Ranch. Wilson hopes that depth helps the team go farther than they did last year, even though it was a successful season. They reached the regional semifinals before falling to district rival Mitchell, 5-1. That loss — at home, no less — stung some of the players. Providing a little payback with a 2-0 victory on Dec. 9 was an
MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO
Brendan Duran and his soccer teammates at Wiregrass Ranch High School are off to a perfect start.
important win for them. “That felt great. It was sweet revenge,” said Brendan Duran, the team’s assist leader. After not playing their best in their final game last year, he said it’s important to start out this year strong and keep expectations high so they can advance farther. But expectations alone won’t get it done, and Duran believes the team has the skill to reach the state finals. But even skill isn’t enough, and he knows what else is required to reach their potential.
“It’s going to have to take dedication,” Duran said.“And definitely hard work.” His coach agrees that the team has the ability to compete for a state title, but he won’t be running around on the sidelines and screaming at his team to get there. Wilson isn’t that kind of coach, preferring to keep things in perspective and build strong foundations that aren’t swayed by the emotions of one game. But he’s proud of the program, noting that alumni frequently come to games or
PREP SPORTS BOARD CHECK
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10 Boys Soccer Pasco 4, Gulf 0 Sunlake 4, Mitchell 0 Girls Soccer Land O’ Lakes 8, Wesley Chapel 0 THURSDAY, DEC. 11 Boys Basketball Freedom 76, Steinbrenner 52 Girls Basketball Freedom 60, Steinbrenner 31 Boys Soccer East Lake 2, Steinbrenner 0 Girls Soccer East Lake 1, Steinbrenner 0
FRIDAY, DEC. 12 Boys Basketball Strawberry Crest 77, Steinbrenner 54 Boys Soccer Wiregrass Ranch 5, Chamberlain 0 King 4, Steinbrenner 3 River Ridge 1, Pasco 1 Leto 3, Freedom 1 Girls Soccer Land O’ Lakes 7, Sunlake 0 Steinbrenner 5, King 0 WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17 Girls Basketball Land O’ Lakes at Pasco, 7:30 p.m. Boys Soccer Ridgewood at Pasco, 7:30 p.m. Sunlake at Land O’ Lakes, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY, DEC. 18 Boys Basketball Mitchell at Wesley Chapel, 7:30 p.m. Steinbrenner at Sickles, 8 p.m. Girls Basketball Steinbrenner at Sickles, 6:30 p.m.
14A
December 17, 2014
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
Wesley Chapel at Fivay, 7:30 p.m. Zephyrhills at Land O’ Lakes, 7:30 p.m. Boys Soccer Wesley Chapel at Wiregrass Ranch, 7:30 p.m. Girls Soccer Academy of Holy Names at Land O’ Lakes, 6 p.m. Wiregrass Ranch at Wesley Chapel, 7:45 p.m. FRIDAY, DEC. 19 Boys Basketball Land O’ Lakes at Dunedin, 7 p.m. Central at Wesley Chapel, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Dunedin at Land O’ Lakes, 7 p.m. Wesley Chapel at Central, 7:30 p.m. MONDAY, JAN. 5 Girls Basketball Land O’ Lakes at Tarpon Springs, 7 p.m. Boys Soccer Pasco at Sunlake, 7 p.m. Land O’ Lakes at River Ridge, 7:30 p.m. Wesley Chapel at Zephyrhills, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY, JAN. 6 Boys Basketball Tarpon Springs at Land O’ Lakes, 7 p.m. Zephyrhills at Wesley Chapel, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay Tech at Steinbrenner, 8 p.m. Girls Basketball Tampa Bay tech at Steinbrenner, 6:30 p.m. Wesley Chapel at Zephyrhills, 7:30 p.m. Boys Soccer Wiregrass Ranch at Sunlake, 7:30 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Steinbrenner, 8 p.m. Girls Soccer Land O’ Lakes at Fivay, 6 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Steinbrenner, 6 p.m. Wesley Chapel at Ridgewood, 6 p.m.
Source: MaxPreps.com, various
www.LakerLutzNews.com
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SEND SPORTS NEWS TO MMURILLO@LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
THIS OUT
TAMPA MUSTANGS ARE STATE SOFTBALL CHAMPS The Tampa Mustangs Boynton team, a U18 softball club, won the Amateur Softball Association of America Florida Fall Championship in Dunedin last month. The team is based out of the Northside Little League & City Park, 2650 N. Lakeview Drive in Tampa. After an early loss in the tournament, the Mustangs had to win seven games in one day to earn the title, including defeating the Windermere Wildfire twice at the end of their run. With 11-1 and 5-3 victories, they finished their final tournament day with a 7-0 record and the state championship.
AVAST GOLF TOURNEY MARCH 14
The Amputee Veterans of America Support Team will host its seventh annual golf tournament March 14 at Cheval Golf and Country Club, 4312 Cheval Blvd., in Lutz. The event begins with registration at 11 a.m., opening ceremonies with a color guard at noon, and a shotgun start at 1:15 p.m. Sponsorships are available, including sign, individual and team sponsorships. For information, visit AvastOnline.org, or e-mail avastvetstampafl@yahoo.com.
practices to support the current players and reminisce with him about previous seasons. Wilson, who also coaches tennis and is the school’s athletic director, has been coaching soccer for 26 years. But if other schools are hoping he might hang it up soon and give them a chance to topple Wiregrass Ranch, they’ll probably have a long wait. “There’s really nothing else I want to do,” Wilson said.“I still really enjoy it.”
LOL LITTLE LEAGUE REGISTRATION Land O’ Lakes Little League currently is holding softball and baseball registration for the Spring 2015 season through Dec. 31. The league welcomes boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18, and is now offering a new division of Intermediate 50/70 baseball foe ages 11 to 13. To register, visit eTeamz.com/lollittleleague.
SPORT ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE FOR SENIORS
Senior Sports is seeking players older than 60 for a number of regular co-ed sporting events, including Slo-Pitch softball for fall and winter competition. Senior Sports has participants who play golf every Wednesday and bowling every Thursday. It also has added tennis and indoor volleyball. For information, call Walt Bockmiller at (813) 527-8211.
FLAPJACK 5K
The 21st Annual Flapjack 5K & Family Fun Walk will be held Dec. 21 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. The 5kilometer run begins at 8 a.m., with the fun run beginning at 8:45 a.m.A flapjack breakfast will be served after each race. The run costs $22 for adults and $15 for students.The fun run costs $15. For information, visit online at CentralPascoChamber.com.