Three Champions Proves Soccer Strength
By Lee Diekemper

Local soccer coaches have long believed Pinellas County to be a gold mine of soccer talent.
This year, it was proven.
No less than three Pinellas County high school teams finished the season with a state championship trophy held aloft in celebration. Both the Palm Harbor University High School boys and girls soccer squads came away with state championships. The Countryside High School boys team also won it all at Fort Lauderdale.
"If you measure success by how many titles were won and the success of the teams in the area, yeah, the county is easily the best," PHUH boys coach Mike Mannino said.
"You know, I don't see all the teams down in Miami or in Jacksonville, but just looking back at the Class 5A and 6A titles, Pinellas County has been well-represented the past six years in the final four," Countryside coach Dave Sica said.
In fact, nine times in the past seven seasons, a Pinellas County Athletic Conference squad could brag of being the best in Florida. Since 1999, Palm Harbor girls (three times), Palm Harbor boys (twice), Countryside boys, Clearwater boys, Seminole boys and the Tarpon Springs girls have each boasted of being the best in the Sunshine State.
While three titles won by county schools this past year were impressive, the road two of the eventual champions took to winning it all was nothing short of stunning. Both the PHUH girls and the Countryside boys had to defeat some of the nation's top teams to pull off a championship run.
Upon advancing to the Class 5A semifinals, by all accounts it appeared the Hurricanes had run into a road block. Standing in their way of a state championship game appearance was undefeated Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, a Florida powerhouse if not a national juggernaut. The Raiders had won 10 state crowns in the past 15 years.
To make the task more daunting, the two-time defending state champion Raiders were ranked No. 1 in the nation by studentsports.com and allowed a grand total of four goals in 27 games.
Oh, yeah. And the game was held in Fort Lauderdale, at Lockhart Stadium, basically the Raiders back yard.
But the Hurricanes were able to get two goals in the net. Actually, it was Courtney Whidden who was able to find the back of net twice. Her second goal with just under two minutes left in regulation put the Hurricanes in the championship game, breaking a 1-1 tie.
In an almost anticlimactic state championship game, PHUH beat Bloomingdale 4-1.
"Yeah, I guess I am still shocked that we won," Hurricanes senior Chelsea Brinkman said. "Sometimes, I have to tell myself, 'Wow, we won state.' That's cool."
The fact that few gave PHUH a chance was all the motivation Brinkman needed.
"It was amazing to go in there and having no one believe you can win but us and the coaches and maybe some parents. We were pumped up. There were so many people against you."
The Countryside boys had an equally tough task. The Cougars found themselves in the same region as the No. 4 ranked team in the nation, Gaither. The Cougars had also lost to Gaither in the regular season. But Countryside upset the Cowboys in the region final on penalty kicks, Gaither.s first loss of the season. It wouldn.t be its last.
As a result, the two teams would meet again in a Class 6A region final at Countryside. The result: a 2-0 Cougars win.
When Mike Favero scored his second goal of the first half, Gaither coach Eric Sims all but gave up hope.
"We weren't going to score two goals against Countryside, not against (Cougars keeper Jeff) Attinella," Sims said. "At that point, you hope to get the game into overtime and maybe win on penalty kicks."
Countryside.s (29-4) only losses came to teams that played in region finals (Auburndale, Gaither and East Lake).
"It was a great feeling," Attinella said of the storybook ending. "We were the only people who believed in us. To overcome those odds, it's a great feeling. We were nervous of course (before the region final). But we were the only team to hand Gaither a loss all season. We thought we could do it again."
"Winning a championship is something special," Countryside coach Dave Sica said. "A lot of things have to go your way and you have to put in a lot of hard work. And the kids did. I can't be any happier for those young men. They worked their tails off."
Of course, all the champions from the county made themselves better by playing tough competition within the county. Teams that rose to the top during PCAC play couldn't help but be the cream of the state's soccer crop.
Playing strong teams near home "helps us in the playoffs because we get to see how we measure up against each other and learn what we need to work on before regionals get under way," Attinella said.
Most coaches and players give credit to local soccer youth clubs.
"A lot of the success has to do with the grass roots effort, the club soccer in the area," Mannino said. "The player development on the club level is the key."
"I just think this is a hotbed for soccer," Sica said. "You couple that with kids who grew up in the area playing soccer giving back to the game. Guys who have played at a higher level are coming back to coach the game. It's no longer parents coaching. It.s actually players coming back and coaching and that makes a tremendous difference to bring in young blood."
"The clubs are the key," PHUH girls coach John Planamenta said. "With the clubs, soccer has become a year-round sport."
To have three state champions "says a lot about the area," Planamenta concluded.
For Brinkman, the work ethic of local athletes is the difference between Pinellas County and the rest of the state.
"Well, I think for a lot of us, we devote a lot of our time and strength and skills to soccer and we train all the time. We have really great coaches and combined with the talented players, it makes us that much better."

LARGO There hasn't been a lot of good things to happen in recent years for Pinellas Park High School's football squad. But that should change this fall...
By LEE DIEKEMPER

While new coach Matt Lance may or may not get the Patriots to a winning season, opponents better look out for the versatile Dominic Bell.

Bell, a senior, is a multi-talented player that will line up at wide receiver, occasionally at running back, and maybe - if only to try to confuse opposing defenses - take a few snaps at quarterback.

In short, Lance plans to use Bell not unlike the way Kordell Stewart was used by the Pittsburgh Steelers a decade ago where Steward logged time at virtually every offensive position not on the line. Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" for his ability to slash through defenses in various ways, literally changed NFL rules.

"I hadn't heard that, I didn't know that. Slash, huh?" Bell said with a smile as wide as a football. "I like that."

And fans of the Patriots will like what they see in Bell, who Lance touts as one of the next big-time college prospects to come out of Pinellas County.

Bell is 6-2, 180 pounds and can run like the wind. His size is almost perfect for a top-flight wide receiver or with a few pounds added in the weight room, maybe a Division I running back.

In Lance's high-powered offense, he will normally slot Bell at wide receiver. And thus far in preseason practices, Lance's belief that Bell can have a breakout year is only reinforced by Bell's ability.

"I've been impressed with him for the past two months," Lance said. "He is an athlete and an athlete with a lot of ability. He seems to have a good feel for our offense. He might need a little polish but we will build our offense around him. We'll move him around.

"He's definitely a Slash."

"I thank coach for those compliments," Bell said. "I hope I can do some things this year. A lot of things."

Bell is more excited about the upcoming season than Lance is. Once Bell got a taste of the wide-open style of offense Lance is implementing for the Patriots, Bell couldn't wait for the season to get started.

"The offense is awesome," Bell said. "Everything is opened up. It's crazy, it's incredible. It's fun because you know you will get the ball and everyone wants to get the ball. To get the ball in this offense, wow, you'll be able to do some things."

Already Bell has opened some eyes of college coaches. Among the programs that are interested in his services are West Virginia, North Carolina State, South Florida, Mississippi and Tulane. Because Lance was not hired until the summer, the first year Patriots coach believes Bell is a sleeper to most colleges as a result.

"Not having a spring practice hurt him because most coaches like to get a close up look at players then," Lance said.

The fact that Bell could be playing before sold out stadiums on national television next fall is a great motivator for the senior.

"I pray that happens," Bell said. "But first, I have to worry about schoolwork. You could be the best athlete but if you don't have the grades, you aren't going anywhere. I go home each night and study my playbook. I just imagine where I am supposed to line up in formations and imagine what I am supposed to do."

And maybe, imagine leading the Patriots to a winning season.

SAFETY HARBOR - When Whitney Roper was growing up, it almost seemed predetermined she would be an athlete. But it was her heart and desire that made her an exceptional swimmer. By LEE DIEKEMPER

Whitney, an incoming senior at Seminole High, is the daughter of Seminole football coach Sam Roper. But her father was not her lone connection to sports.

"My mom has six brothers and sisters and they were all involved in sports in some way," Whitney said. "I guess it's a family thing. I don't know who I got the [athletic] genes from."

Football was her first love, along with swimming. As a little girl she used to throw the football around with her friends and family. She wasn't too bad as a passer either. Good enough to threaten her father with trying out for the Warhawks football program some day.

"He knew I was joking," Whitney said.

Whitney attended just about every Seminole football game that didn't conflict with a swim meet. When times were tough on the football field for Sam, his daughter ribbed him that she was one of the few fans at the game.

"I bet I've seen 98 percent of his games," Whitney said of her father.

Despite not playing football, Whitney and Sam father share a special bond. The two are both into all sorts of sports. Whitney, who began swimming competitively around six-years old, admits some of her favorite quality time with here dad is just spent on the couch, both watching whatever game happens to be on the tube.

"Some sports I am not really into but he will watch basically everything. Everything but soccer," said Whitney, who admitted to watching the recently completed World Cup.

"I'm not a big soccer fan but the World Cup was exciting and entertaining." Whitney admitted she enjoyed the pageantry of the event as much as the play.

Whitney appreciates all her father's advice. Having the access to tap into knowledge from various sports coaches through the years through her father, Whitney may have had an edge in developing as one of the county's top swimmers.

At times, Sam admitted it was frustrating to watch Whitney put in so many hours at a pool training, day after day, then hitting the weight room and occasionally fall short of her goal at a meet. But he was always there for her, with a shoulder to lean on and advice just for the asking.

And he admits swimming is a whole different world than football.

"Coaching football, you know by what is going on what the outcome might be or what is developing," Sam said. "But in watching her in some big swim matches, which she has been in, once they come off the blocks it's a lot of mental determination. A little thing like not getting a good push off the wall or something like that, will determine what will win the event."

Whitney is sharp like her father and can occasionally trip him up. Sometimes, that's when Whitney has to attend, say family functions. As important as sports are in the Roper household, Sam is quick to point out faith and family comes first. Being the driven athlete Whitney is, she sometimes balks at missing a practice for a family event.

"Hey, you get upset if one of your players misses practice," Whitney has been known to tell her dad. Sam just replies, "Yeah, that's right but you have to focus on priorities God first, family second and the rest falls in order."

Sam's wise advice came in handy again in recent months when Whitney was choosing what college to attend.

"It was really helpful," Whitney admitted. "Choosing a college is stressful enough. But when he told me that if I didn't like the college, I could always leave after a year, that helped. I kept that in the back of my mind when I was choosing, that [the choice] doesn't have to be permanent."

Another helpful hint Sam had for Whitney was not to choose a college solely because of the coach, that the coach might leave for greener pastures after a year. But Whitney remembered how her dad told her that her selection wasn't permanent. So that eased her mind.

"I wasn't 100 percent positive on any of the schools I wanted to go to," Whitney said. Sam's advice "took a lot of stress off of me. Picking a school was difficult enough."

Whitney thought about attending Western Kentucky . But a trip up to the campus in September of last year, with the area experiencing an early taste of fall, was enough to convince Whitney to stay closer to home.

"I was cold and it was only September," Whitney said. "I'm a Florida girl. I know I wouldn't have lasted the winter."

Whitney eventually selected Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton . It's close enough to home, yet far enough away to be on her own.

"It's only 45 minutes by plane and a few hours drive," Whitney said. "So, yeah, it's far enough away that I can be on my own. I think I'll come back once a month."

Whether she is home once a month, twice a month or weekly, Sam is still proud enough of his daughter that sometimes he can't put into words.

"As a parent, more so than a coach, you know what sacrifices [children] make" to excel at sports, Sam said. "You watch what they do and it's all hard work."

PHU won the team title, shooting 295, and defeated runner up Largo by 5 strokes. Joining Sobel on the winning team were Tyler Corbett (75), Andrew Henning (75), and Mark Fazzini (77).

Sobel, who finished tied for 4th in the state golf tournament last year, is the defending state champion in the Florida Junior Golf Association for his age group. He began the day with two bogies, but quickly recorded 4 birdies in the next 6 holes and finished the front nine with an eagle on the ninth hole for an incredible 32. He birdied the final hole to finish with a 68.

Northeast competed in the Class 2A, District 9 Swim Meet at Northshore Pool on Friday, 10/20!

Girls Results:

1. Seminole - 472
2. Northeast - 407
3. Clearwater - 377
   

Boys Results:

1. Clearwater - 418
2. Seminole - 416
3. Northeast- 354

District Champs for Northeast High School
Girls: Megan Romano - 200 Freestyle & 100 Freestyle

Boca Ciega Girls Varsity Soccer won the Northeast High Preseason Soccer Tournament!

They defeated Gibbs High in Game 1, 10-5 and in Game 2 they defeated Northeast High
5-0!

The Northeast Vikings competed in the 2A State Meet in Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday, Nov.2nd.

The Girls placed 3rd and the Boys finished tied for 4th with Seminole! Northeast's Megan Romano won 2 state championships in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle! They also had 2 relays finish 2nd and Russell Snyder and PJ Bennett finished 3rd in the 100 Breaststroke and 1 meter diving respectively!

Congratulations to senior Katie Kastes - State Champion in the 100 Butterfly (All American) and to Rachel Burns, Katie & Kylie Kastes and Melanie Margalis ( All American) - State Champions in the 200 Freestyle Relay and Third place in the 400 Free Relay!

Melanie Margalis, a freshman, took Second Place in the 200 Individual Medley with an All American Time.  Congratulations to junior  James Taddeo , who took Second place in the 200 Freestyle with an All American Time.

In 2003, the Warriors posted an 8-2 mark which included wins over Southeast and bitter rival Seminole.

As the Warriors marched to such a strong season, a trio of freshmen watched from the sideline. At the time, outside of maybe a few of the Warriors coaches, no one would have guessed those three would be the foundation for another solid season three years in the future.

The three players, Sergio Allen, Justin Hart and Bryce Williams are the reason the Warriors are having a stellar 2006 season.

While many people in 2003 may not have had any clue what lied ahead, the three players did.

Hart played with Allen in youth football and both knew they would be headed to Osceola some day.

"We didn't know Bryce back then," Hart said after a recent practice. "Sergio and I thought we could help out the team. But neither of us knew Bryce. When we met him and played a few games with him, we looked at each other and said,'We're going to have a good team when we are seniors.'"

And Hart's premonition came true. In Osceola's Wing-T offense, Hart is the scatback, the speedy runner who often lines up in a flanker position on passing downs. Williams is the brute of the troika. His physical pounding of opposing defenders usually leaves them bruised and not looking for more.

Williams is the perfect counterpart with Hart. They are the Pinellas County version of Mr. Inside (Williams) and Mr. Outside (Hart).

Allen is a mixture of both. A gifted football player, Allen has the wheels of Hart and can take the punishment of defenses like Williams. Even better, Allen has a cannon of an arm and if he doesn't choose to play defense in college, he likely will line up behind center of Saturday afternoons in the fall.

The Osceola three-headed monster of sorts is a perfect fit for all three. Each consider themselves friends and each admits the other two makes him a better player.

"They don't know what's coming," Hart said of opposing defenses.

"We keep them guessing," Williams said.

On any given down, each player could have the ball. And defenses know this, which brings a chuckle to the players.

"I hear guys on the defense say, when I come out of the huddle and line up or go in motion,'There he is, you got him? He's going to get the ball."

Williams has a smile as wide as Ulmerton Road when he hears this.

"Yeah, I'll come out of the huddle and line up and I hear guys on defense say about me, 'He's going to get it... he's getting the ball.'

"I'm saying to myself, 'No, I'm not getting the ball. But you just keep thinking that. I hope you think I'm getting the ball all night when someone else gets it.'"

All three players are as humble as they are talented and just as smart. For example, Williams, who is interested in media studies, is being lured by the University of Missouri , among other schools. Williams is intrigued with Missouri as it seems to have its football program on the rise and its journalism school is one of the best in the country.

It's quite likely all three will be on a Division I football roster next fall.

For Osceola coach George Palmer, he's enjoying his last few weeks of coaching the threesome.
"They really are a joy to coach," Palmer said. They are unselfish and very coachable. They are smart young men too."

Largo-Clearwater Basketball Rivalry
By LEE DIEKEMPER

12/5/06 CLEARWATER - No one would be crazy enough to suggest that football is not king in Florida . But twice a year in Pinellas County , you'd be hard-pressed not to think you are somewhere in American's heartland.

In the Midwest, in particular Indiana , high school basketball is the sport of choice. In the land of endless corn and wheat fields where a professional team of any sort is hundreds of miles away and a Division-I college is nearly as far, high school basketball is not just an escape, but a passion.

Maybe because there are so many Midwestern transplants in Pinellas County or maybe it's the history between the schools, but whenever Largo and Clearwater high schools face each other in a boys basketball game, it's not unlike a scene out of the movie "Hoosiers," albeit with popular early 21 st Century haircuts and music.

Nov. 30 was a perfect example. With high school football playoffs still undecided, with college football season still in its regular season, with the page of the calendar not yet turned to December, it seemed as if it was March in a small school gym in southern Illinois.

"Here, it's basketball season," Clearwater High School principal Keith Mastorides boasted.

It wasn't quite 7 p.m. and Mastorides had already announced to the throng outside that the game was sold out. He turned to a middle-aged man at the ticket booth and said, "You're the last one."

The jayvee game was still midway through the second quarter.

But Mastorides' announcement didn't stop dozens from lining up at the front door. Clearwater police would let a fan in for every person who stated they were leaving for the evening. Few did.

One of the fans waiting outside was a woman holding a toddler in her arms. "When you see a line of fans waiting to get in for the jayvee game, you know it's a big game. You know it's Largo ," Clearwater coach Jack Coit said. "The kids don't have any trouble getting up for this game."

Mastorides claimed Jack Wilson Gymnasium held 1,100. It looked more like 800. The only people in the place that had any elbow room were the respective teams' videographers located on the tiny balcony precariously suspended from the building's ceiling.

Fans so much wanted to watch the game that a handful stood outside along the east side of the gymnasium peering through the large window panes hoping to get a brief glimpse of the game and score whenever the doors along the baseline swung open.

What makes the rivalry so special is the history of the two programs. In Pinellas County , traditionally, there are four schools that annually compete for a state tournament bid: Lakewood , Clearwater , Largo and Boca Ciega.

Like Lakewood-Boca Ciega, the Clearwater-Largo rivalry pits two district foes against each other. And usually, the team that wins the season series plays deep into the playoffs.

Last year, Largo won the series and narrowly lost to Chamberlain in the region finals, a step short of the state tournament. In the previous two years, Clearwater advanced to the state semifinal game and state championship game respectively.

"A test?" Largo coach Phil Price laughed when asked about playing Clearwater so early in the season. "You think?"

Another reason for the popularity of the series is both clubs play an exciting uptempo brand of basketball. Unless a team is trying to milk the clock in the last minute, you won't see much of a half-court offense with these two clubs.

Thursday's game a treat, a 68-64 overtime win by the host Tornadoes. Clearwater saw a 12-point halftime lead quickly become Largo 's game to lose. But two Clearwater buckets in the final 22 seconds, including a beautiful Jordan Scholl bucket when he raced in from the right baseline and teammate Luke Loucks found him and hit him with a pass inside to send the game into an extra period.

"This is a great rivalry. The fans, you can't beat it," Loucks said. "The packed house is motivating. It's not just a rivalry, but a district game. This really gets us going. To win a district game, especially against a team [like Largo ] really helps this early in the season.

"A loss to Largo early could be a real downer for the rest of the season."

"When you can beat Clearwater early in the season, you feel very confident. You feel that you can play with anybody," Largo point guard Ben O'Donnell said. "Playing Clearwater early in the season is a very good test this early in the season."

Falcons win the Jerry Mita Invitational

Date 12/11/06: Dunedin placed 11 of fourteen wrestlers to improve from last years 6th place finish to tournament champions.  It was a team effort with every wrestler contributing to the victory!

The falcons had two champions, two runner-ups, two thirds, a fourth, three fifths, and a sixth.  Champions Dante Graham (145 lbs.) and Danny miller (160 lbs) as well as runner-ups Dustin Brady (152 lbs) and Antonio Talley (171 lbs) led the charge. 

Dunedin took the lead in the first round and never relinquished it.  It was a close battle with great teams such as Largo (2nd place), Palm Harbor (3rd place), and Land O'Lakes (4th place). Dunedin will see each of these teams again in either the PCAC tournament of in the Falcon Duals in January.

Other members of the Falcon team to place include:

112  Jeremy Goodloe - 3rd

119  Ricky khemraj  - 4th

125  Jesse Brady    - 6th

130  Derek Herring  - 5th

140  John Cannizzaro- 5th

189  Joe Czop       - 5th

215  Matt Avramidis - 3rd

The Falcons will travel Wednesday (Dec. 13) to Manatee High School to compete against Manatee and Countryside, state power houses, in a tri-meet. Thursday they will meet the Eastlake Eagles at Eastlake for a dual.

Dunedin High Falcon Golf Team's Remarkable 2007 Season

Dunedin High Falcon Golf Team just finished their 2007 Season with a total of 51 wins and 5 losses overall.  In their conference, the PCAC, they were undefeated with a 15-0 record.  Though they are a very young team, they are very strong with all ninth and tenth graders, and only one eleventh grade member. They now have made a name for themselves, and deserve much recognition as the championship team they have become and earned. They have shown the highest level of golf etiquette and sportsmanship, and made many friends along the way.  Best of luck to them in their journey to many more championships.

Rough Start, But Promising Future

Despite the rough start to the Dunedin Falcons wrestling team, they anticipate a promising future. Dunedin started the year off by having to reschedule the first dual meet against Palm Harbor due to several wrestlers becoming infected with skin virus. Compound that difficulty with injuries and you have a recipe for failure. In spite of all of the challenges, the Falcons have managed to place fifth in the Eastlake Invitational, second in the Jerry Mita Invitational, and accumulate a record of five and four.

Dunedin still has high hopes for a strong season. Currently they have four wrestlers ranked at the top of the rankings ladder. Antonio Talley is the highest ranked at the number two spot. Danny Miller is just behind him at the number three spot. Jonte Graham has a number ten ranking and Jon McKellar is ranked twelfth. Other wrestlers that have experienced a great deal of success include Justin Zeedyk, and Gideon Levy.

Dunedin has added a few new wrestlers that have made an immediate impact on their season. Austin Prince, freshman and Bobby Dykes, junior, have joined the team and contributed well.

The coaches are hoping that the winter break will give the Falcons a much needed break to recover and get prepared for the upcoming PCAC tournament and the post season.