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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Fourth-grader wins taekwondo competition. 16A
YourObserver.com
top speed By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
Lady Mustangs set sights on history
GOLF
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
The Lakewood Ranch High volleyball team finished a perfect 5-0 in the district during the regular season and played host to Largo in a Class 6A-District 12 semifinal Oct. 25. LAKEWOOD RANCH — A championship banner hangs down from the rafters, serving as a silent reminder every time the Lakewood Ranch High volleyball team takes the court. The banner remains blank — void of any district, regional
Jen Blanco
Junior Emily Ruple and her teammates hope to win the Lakewood’s first district title.
football
or state titles. It’s a constant reminder of years of disappointment and missed opportunities. But the Lady Mustangs are hoping to change that this season after finishing a perfect 5-0 in the district during the regular season and capturing the top seed in the Class 6A-District 12 tournament. “I just want to get on that banner up there,” senior Shelby Walker said. “You look (around) and see all of the other years before us that can come back and say they won. When we’re running I look at the state championship baseball banner — I want to have my name on one of those.” Junior Mariah Robertson concurred with Walker’s sentiments. “We aren’t even up there,” Robertson said. “We want to put our names in history and become the first team to get our names up on the wall. It’s really important to all of us.
SEE VOLLEYBALL / PAGE 18A
By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
Junior Midgets squad preps for playoff run The East Manatee Bulldogs Junior Midget team defeated the Manatee Wildcats 32-16 to capture the FYD South division title Oct. 15. The team will begin its playoff run this Saturday. LAKEWOOD RANCH — When the season began, eighth-graders Brandon Chrisan and Kyle Thoma never imagined they would walk off the field hoisting a division championship trophy. At the time, thoughts of the playoffs, let alone the Pop Warner Super Bowl, were the furthest thing from their minds.
Instead, the two East Manatee Bulldogs Junior Midget teammates were focused merely on helping their team gel together. But it didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to come together. The Junior Midgets put together an impressive 3-1 record; and as the team prepared to play for a
SEE MIDGETS / PAGE 18A
Jen Blanco
Running back Kyle Thoma scored 15 touchdowns for the East Manatee Bulldogs Junior Midgets team during the regular season.
Lakewood Ranch junior Courtney Castner has been the Lady Mustangs top golfer this season.
Jen Blanco
Mustang Magic Lakewood Ranch High junior Courtney Castner shot a team-low 87 and finished third overall, propelling the Lady Mustangs to a third-place finish in the Class 2A-District 13 tournament and a spot in the Region 5 tournament Oct. 24. LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch High junior Courtney Castner carries the weight of her team on her shoulders every time she steps out onto the green. As the Lady Mustangs’ top golfer, Castner sets a higher bar for herself than for her teammates. “I think you have higher expectations,” Castner said. “If you do bad, then you’re embarrassed because you’re the No. 1 and you’re supposed to do good all of the time. Everyone has bad days (though).” Castner felt the added pressure heading into the Class 2ADistrict 13 tournament Oct. 17 at the Bradenton Country Club; but, instead of letting the pressure get to her, Castner used it as motivation. Castner shot a team-low 87,
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Results from the Region 5 tournament were unavailable as of press time Tuesday. Be sure to check YourObserver. com to see how Castner and the rest of the Lady Mustangs faired. finishing third overall and helping lead the Lady Mustangs to a surprising third-place finish behind Riverview and Venice. But even more importantly, Lakewood earned a spot in the Region 5 tournament Oct. 24 at Capri Isle in Venice. “I was pleasantly surprised,” Castner said. “We thought it was going to be Venice, Riverview and Manatee because they beat
us all season. I guess I was just surprised. “I was having a good day,” Castner said. “(At first) I wasn’t expecting to do well because I was in the sand a lot, and I’m not very good getting out of it. It makes me feel proud. I did it last year myself, so it’ll be nice to have more support.” A former softball player, Castner began playing golf three years ago after watching her sister’s former boyfriend play. “Softball was my whole life before that, so when I got burnt out from that I decided to pick up something else,” Castner said. “I thought (golf) looked cool. It was just different. I guess.” Castner joined the Lady Mustangs golf team her freshman
SEE CASTNER / PAGE 18A
EAST COUNTY Observer
YourObserver.com
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
15A
breaking records By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
Junior Samantha Underhill anchors the Lady Pirates 200-yard medley relay.
Braden River freshman Luke Morris also swims for the Lakewood Ranch Lightning.
Lakewood Ranch High swim team earns championships
Sophomore Kelsey Saalmann swam four events for Braden River.
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The Lakewood Ranch High swim team once again showed its dominance, breaking seven records and sweeping all of the relay events en route to capturing the boys and girls championships during the Manatee County swimming and diving championships Oct. 19 at the G.T. Bray Aquatic Center. The Lady Mustangs scored 615 points to finish ahead of St. Stephen’s (353.5) and Braden River (205), while the Mustangs scored
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575 points to finish ahead of Southeast (298) and Braden River (261). Lakewood set new meet records in the boys 200-yard medley relay and boys 400 freestyle relay. Will Kazokas also set records in the 100 butterfly (53.63) and 500 freestyle (4:47.24). Other Lakewood meet record-setters were Danielle Valley in the 500 freestyle (5:03.06), Luke Hanner in the 200 individual medley (2:09.39) and Kevin Berkenbusch in the 200 freestyle (1:55.80).
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Lakewood Ranch freshman Luke Hanner set a new meet record in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing in 2:09.39.
Photos by Jen Blanco
Junior Danielle Valley competed in two individual events and two relays for the Lady Mustangs.
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athlete of the week
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EAST COUNTY Observer
YourObserver.com
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
matthew hansen
Nine-year-old Matthew Hansen won a first-place trophy for forms and a bronze medal for sparring at the Taekwondo Grand Prix IV Oct. 15 at Lakewood Ranch High School. The Willis Elementary fourth-grader, who trains at the Lakewood Ranch Taekwondo Academy, won his first, first-place trophy at a multiple-school competition. Here is an inside look at this week’s Athlete of the Week.
What was your reaction when you won your trophy? I was proud because I won first place in forms. How did you get into taekwondo? I started when I was 7 years old. I was interested in taking karate. I watched a green belt class, and I decided I wanted to do it.
Do you have a favorite subject in school? Math. I like working with numbers. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be and why? Walt Disney World. They have lots of games and it’s really fun.
What do you enjoy the most about taekwondo? Breaking boards. I just like breaking boards. What’s the toughest part about taekwondo? Remembering everything. When you get to black belt, you have to do all of the forms and philosophies.
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Do you have a favorite food? Subway turkey sandwiches. What’s your favorite TV show? “America’s Funniest Videos.” They have lots of the funniest videos. Who’s your favorite superhero? Superman. He can fly and he has laser vision. If you could play one other sport for a day, what would it be? Soccer. It’s really fun and active. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have one brother, Nathan, who is 6 years old. Who is your biggest role model? My instructor, Kyle Goins. He’s very nice and kind and honest.
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EAST COUNTY Observer
YourObserver.com
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
football By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor
VOLLEYBALL/PAGE 14A “It’s been our goal to get up there,” Robertson said. “It’s blank and it shouldn’t be that way. Our goal is to change that.” After finishing with a 17-7 record and sweeping the district during the regular season, Lakewood began its quest for its first district title Oct. 25. The top-seeded Lady Mustangs played host to fourthseeded Largo in a Class 6A-District 12 semifinal. Results from Tuesday night’s match were unavailable as of press time Tuesday. Be sure to check YourObserver.com to see how the Lady Mustangs faired. The winner of the semifinal match between Lakewood and Largo will play the winner of the second semifinal between Seminole Osceola and Palmetto in the district championship at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Heading into the season, coach Perri Hankins was confident in her team’s ability. With several returning starters and players ready at every position, Hankins believed her players were capable of competing every time they stepped out onto the court. The Lady Mustangs continued to make progress through the season, finishing second in all three tournaments they played in. They also were the only team in each of the three tournaments to have beaten the eventual champion earlier in the tournament. But nothing could’ve ignited the Lady Mustangs’ confidence heading into the district tournament then their regular season finale versus rival Braden River Oct. 18. After losing the first game 20-25, Lakewood rallied, winning the next three games 25-22, 25-20, 25-16 to defeat the Lady Pirates for the first time. “I can’t even explain it,” Robertson said of beating Braden River. “It’s our rival. We hadn’t beaten them. Our school is really big on supporting us, so it was a school pride thing. You can take pride in knowing you did it. “Everyone was screaming and yelling,” Robertson said. “That is why we play vol-
Lakewood Ranch High running back McKenzie Hathaway scored on touchdown runs of 55, 35 and 15 yards in the second half, leading the Mustangs to a 35-21 win.
Mustangs remain perfect in district The Lakewood Ranch High football team scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to secure a 35-21 victory over visiting Dixie Hollins in a Class 6ADistrict 7 contest Oct. 21. With the win, the Mustangs (4-3) improve to 3-0 in the district, setting up a potential championship game against Largo Oct. 28. With the Mustangs trailing 14-0 late in the first quarter, Lakewood quarterback Jeren Kowalewski connected with wide receiver Brandon King for a 56-yard touchdown. The Mustangs
tied the game with five minutes remaining in the first half on Kowalewski’s 9-yard touchdown pass. Lakewood tied the game at 21-21 on a 55-yard touchdown run by McKenzie Hathaway. Hathaway found the end zone two more times in the fourth quarter on runs of 35 and 15 yards. Lakewood’s Nigel Edwards intercepted a Dixie Hollins pass late in the fourth quarter to set up HaPhotos by Jen Blanco thaway’s final touchdown Quarterback Jeren and secure the victory for Kowalewski threw a pair the Mustangs. of touchdowns.
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leyball — for games like that.” “We beat Braden River, which we hadn’t done before,” Hankins said. “I feel like we’re getting better and we’re peaking at the right time. We feel we can really (compete) at a positive high level, win and do well.” The victory was especially sweet for Walker, who was celebrating Senior Night with fellow seniors Quillan Toller and Kasey Szczwpanski. “It was awesome,” Walker said. “It was a really intense game. We were all nervous. I was shaking. “We haven’t ever beaten them, but this season I think we realized how far we can actually go,” Walker said. “This gives us a lot of confidence.” Over the course of the season, the Lady Mustangs have relied heavily on Walker, who is the their leading blocker, along with sophomore setter Alexandra Milbourn, who has been instrumental in running Lakewood’s offense, and Robertson, who is the team’s best all-around player. “We’ve been using pretty much every player,” Hankins said. “It’s been fun and (definitely) a team effort. Different players have stepped up in every match.” After a somewhat rough start, Lakewood began focusing on taking one match at a time. The Lady Mustangs’ hard work has paid off, as the players are in the midst of their best season in school history. The team knows it still has a long way to go before a state championship volleyball banner hangs down from the rafters, but the Lady Mustangs are two wins away from their first-ever district title — a pivotal step in their march toward an elusive state championship. “Since we were the regular season district champions, we want to be the first team up there for volleyball,” Hankins said. “We feel like we match up with any other district, so I just told them, ‘Let’s go out and see where we can end up.’ We’re just ready to face whoever is going to be there.” Contact Jen Blanco at jblanco@yourobserver.com.
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EAST COUNTY Observer
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
is in his first year coaching the Junior Midgets. “I know these kids and the hard work they’ve put in is more than all the other teams have done since 2005. “It was pretty overwhelming,” Strawderman said. “Before the game I just told them, ‘Today this is up to you. Just give back a little of what I’ve given you.’” Most recently, the team closed out its regular season with a
46-6 victory over the New Tampa Wildcats. Quarterback Nate Strawderman threw for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Thoma caught a pair of touchdowns, while Kyle Struthers and Cody Hendrickson each caught a touchdown pass. Zach Wyatt led the way defensively with a fumble recovery and an interception. With their nearly perfect regular season behind them, the Bulldogs will begin their playoff run Oct. 29. The team must win two games to take the title in the FYD conference and another two games to reach the Pop Warner Super Bowl, becoming the first Bulldogs team to reach the championship game since 2005. It’s been a whirlwind season for the Bulldogs, to say the least. When the 26 players came together Aug. 1, the majority of them had never played football before while the rest were still learning the fundamentals of the game. Elton Strawderman and the rest of the Bulldogs coaching staff began by trying to get the players to believe in one another before turning their attention to each individual game. “At the beginning of the season, the general theme was ‘Good Luck coach,’” Strawderman said. “We’ve just been instilling a system from day one of believing in each other. These
are just a bunch of average kids that play together as one. “They go into every game knowing I generally love them, and I’m going to go to war with them,” Strawderman said. “We’ve produced some pretty hefty numbers throughout the season.” The Bulldogs finished the regular season 8-1 thanks in large part to a high-school style offensive scheme. “Our diversity of plays has really helped us against other good defenses,” Thoma said. “The plays are so complicated, like in high school, and defenses can’t usually figure it out.” The Junior Midgets, who outscored their opponents 234-37 during their wins this season, will now turn to Nate Strawderman, who threw for more than 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns; Thoma, who has scored 15 touchdowns this season, and a host of other players to carry them into the postseason. “We all need to go out and not be afraid or intimidated,” Chrisan said. “If everyone has trust for each other, does the plays and executes, then I think we can win it all.” “We just need to trust each other and play like that on the field,” Thoma said. Contact Jen Blanco at jblanco@ yourobserver.com.
ner to find her swing. She began practicing every day and within a matter of months she got the hang of it. Castner helped lead the Lady Mustangs to an undefeated season and a second-place finish in the district tournament her freshman year before advancing
to the regional tournament as an individual last season. And when she’s not playing for the Lady Mustangs, Castner, who is thinking about playing collegiate golf, competes in Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association tournaments. But no matter how many tour-
naments she wins or hole-inones she sinks, Castner admits the people are what make the sport that much more enjoyable. “It’s just fun to meet new people that you wouldn’t normally meet,” Castner said. Contact Jen Blanco at jblanco@ yourobserver.com.
MIDGETS/PAGE 14A county championship, Chrisan and Thoma’s expectations began to change. “We finally saw a hint of what it’s like to win, and we wanted to win some more,” said Chrisan, who plays tailback for the Bulldogs. “We have a lot of small people, so we did not think we would do well, but there’s a lot of heart and commitment to the team.” Thoma agreed. “Last year we were just an average team,” said Thoma, who plays fullback for the Junior Midgets. “After the fourth game, we (practically) knew what we were doing more. We were more fundamentally (sound).” The Bulldogs won their next three games en route to capturing the FYD South division title with a 32-16 victory over the Manatee Wildcats. The win was especially sweet for the team, which had heard from opposing players on more than one occasion that the Wildcats were the better team on the field. “It meant a lot,” Chrisan said. “After that everyone (started) thinking we could win the whole thing. I’m excited to play more games and hopefully go to the Super Bowl.” “It was like tears of joy,” said coach Elton Strawderman, who
CASTNER/PAGE 14A year, but she admits she was by no means a natural. “It was difficult,” Castner said of her first match. “I pretty much didn’t know what I was doing at all.” But it didn’t take long for Cast-
Jen Blanco
Hunter Jernigan plays wide receiver for the Junior Midgets.
Observer Team Spotlight Q&A
EMMA ANTHONY Age: 9 Grade: Fourth-grader at Tara Elementary Position: Catcher What does it mean to you to be on the Observer softball team: It means a lot. What do you enjoy the most about softball: Being with my friends and having fun. When did you start playing softball: When I was 7 years old. Why did you decide to start playing: My cousin started playing in Indiana and asked me if I wanted to play. If you could describe the Observer softball team in one word what would it be: Fabulous.
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