Sickles boys soccer squad has moves up to No.6 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of American national prep poll, and to No.15 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 rankings ahead of its game against Gaither in the Class 5A-Region 3 boys soccer semifinals tonight.
The Gryphons were ranked No.10 by the NSCAA in the last set of rankings two weeks ago, and edged up one spot in the ESPN rankings from last week.
Sickles is No.2 in the State behind Melbourne in the NSCAA regional rankings, with East Lake ranked No.6 in the region. The Eagles are also ranked No.23 nationally by ESPN ahead of their game tonight with Seminole in the other Class 5A-Region 3 semifinal.
On the girls side, Palm Harbor moved up to No.8 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 after its advancement to the state final four on Saturday with a 2-1 win against Apopka. The Hurricanes didn’t break into the NSCAA Top 10, though, currently ranked No.9 in the regional rankings, behind Berkeley Prep which currently sits in the No.7 spot.
Showing posts with label East Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Lake. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Preps: South Florida beckons for four Chargers
CLEARWATER – As was the case at signing ceremonies across the area, and likely the country on Wednesday, the excitement level at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa was high.“This is just a great feeling,” Berkeley Prep’s T.J. Roehn said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a while, so it’s just awesome.”
Roehn was one of 27 Clearwater Chargers who signed with their respective colleges on Wednesday night. With another two of the clubs’ players already enrolled at the schools of their choice, it was the largest class the Chargers program has ever produced.
In amongst those were four players, including Roehn, who will continue their careers in Tampa at the University of South Florida. Joining Roehn were his Under-18 Academy teammates Ben Sweat (Palm Harbor), Javon Bostic (East Lake) and Shane Wixted (Seminole). Wixted shared Roehn’s excitement at the opportunity to continue his career as a Bull.
“It means a lot to me,” Wixted said. “I’ve worked hard for this my whole life since I was 4 years old, and now I’ve going to get to accomplish my dream.”
All of the players gave credit to the Chargers’ Academy program for helping them get this far. Other members of the team that signed on Wednesday included Tampa Prep’s Wes Sever (George Mason) and Anthony Baumann (Providence), Mitchell’s Max Rockwell (Southern Methodist) and Berkeley Prep’s Michael Attal (Columbia). Established three years ago, the elevated level of play and practice the Chargers get from the U.S. Soccer Federation Development Academy League has helped the players, as has the exposure they get from being part of the USSF Academy set-up.
“The Chargers have done so many things for me, not just as a player but as a person,” Wixted said. “Just playing-wise, I’ve become such a better player because they have great coaches there.”
South Florida recruiting local players strongly is nothing new. Wharton’s Ogi Perucica is part of the Bulls outgoing senior class, and players like goalkeeper Jeff Attinella from Countryside, who was named a First Team All-American last December, Fernando Gonzalez of Gaither and Sebastian Thuriere of Seminole have become fixtures in the Bulls starting XI.
For this many players from one club to be going to the same school together, though, is somewhat unprecedented. Chargers Academy coach Garth Pollonais said he believes the Bulls are making an even stronger effort than in the past to recruit the best of the local talent.
“I think USF realized we have a lot of talent in our own backyard,” Pollonais said. “So even though they will still get foreign players, they know there’s a crop of players in their backyard, so they took a close look at the crop of players in their backyard and realized, ‘hey, we’ve got some players who could come in and really make an impact for our program, and we don’t have to go all over the country to find them.’ So fortunately for us, they got four of them.”
Ben Sweat was the first of the quartet to commit, closely followed by Roehn and Bostic before Wixted decommitted from Providence to also become a Bull. But while players often factor in the decisions of their teammates, all the Chargers players said their teammates’ decisions weren’t that big a factor in their decision, Bostic saying he had his sights set on being a Bull from the moment he arrived from Arizona four years ago.
“I went to a summer camp there, and I just fell in love with the place,” Bostic said. “I got lots of offers, but as soon as USF offered me, I was hooked and I committed right away.”
That said, all four players are glad they will have friends on the team when they enroll with South Florida in the fall as they look forward to the chance to continue their careers together.
“It’s a really good feeling,” Sweat said. “It’s just a dream. Big East school, top 5 in the country, it’s a dream come true.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Preps: Hurricanes advance, defeat Panthers; Wolves, Buccaneers, Terrapins all into region finals
Defending Class 5A champion Palm Harbor University continued its bid for a second straight state title, this time in Class 6A, with an impressive 2-0 victory against Plant.
But, as I wrote for the Tampa Tribune this morning, the Panthers were disappointed not to have played to the level that had for the rest of the season.
Don't take anything away from the Hurricanes performance, though. Forwards Catherine Brinkman and Kelly Phipps were a constant thorn in the Panthers' side, illustrating perfectly how a side can control a game when every member of the team from the front back is committed to defending strongly, Colleen Lynch and Anja Decker also doing an excellent job in midfield.
The Hurricanes will now travel to face Apopka, which advanced to the first region final with a 3-1 victory against Palm Bay.
Newsome will again get to face Lakeland George Jenkins for a place in the Class 5A final four after the Wolves defeated district rival East Bay 3-1. Tribune girls correspondent Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this story.
Jenkins, on the other hand, got a slightly tougher game than the last time they faced Winter Haven, advancing 4-1. Friday's meeting in Lakeland will be the fourth consecutive season the Wolves and Eagles will have met in the playoffs, Newsome winning the first meeting in 2007 before the Eagles took the last two meetings, including a 1-0 overtime victory last season.
Freedom wasn't able to join Newsome in the region final, a 5-1 defeat to a powerful Venice squad ending the Patriots season. Freedom coach Chris Hinkle was highly impressed with the Indians performance, according to the St. Petersburg Times' Joey Knight.
Venice will now host another bay area team, Seminole, which had Jordyn Turner to thank for its 2-1 victory against East Lake.
In Class 4A, Steinbrenner's undefeated season came to an end at the hands of Lakewood Ranch. The Times' Eduardo A. Encina saw the 2-1 Lakewood Ranch victory.
While the Warriors' remarkable run came to an end, Hudson's continued on with a 4-3 victory against River Ridge. Tribune correspondent Mike Camunas saw the Cobras rally back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the first region final in school history.
The Cobras will now face Eustis in the region final hoping that the third time will be the charm. Eustis has eliminated Hudson from the players for the past two seasons.
Berkeley Prep advanced to face Fort Myers Bishop Verot in Class 3A, but the 4-1 final score didn't indicate how close most of the game was, according to The Times' Keith Niebuhr.
And finally, Tampa Prep advanced to the Class 2A-Region 3 final with a 3-1 victory against Bradenton St. Stephen's, fighting off some early game nerves before Isabel Dalence and Caroline Cheek found the net to send the Terrapins through to face West Palm Beach King's Academy on Friday.
But, as I wrote for the Tampa Tribune this morning, the Panthers were disappointed not to have played to the level that had for the rest of the season.
Don't take anything away from the Hurricanes performance, though. Forwards Catherine Brinkman and Kelly Phipps were a constant thorn in the Panthers' side, illustrating perfectly how a side can control a game when every member of the team from the front back is committed to defending strongly, Colleen Lynch and Anja Decker also doing an excellent job in midfield.
The Hurricanes will now travel to face Apopka, which advanced to the first region final with a 3-1 victory against Palm Bay.
Newsome will again get to face Lakeland George Jenkins for a place in the Class 5A final four after the Wolves defeated district rival East Bay 3-1. Tribune girls correspondent Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this story.
Jenkins, on the other hand, got a slightly tougher game than the last time they faced Winter Haven, advancing 4-1. Friday's meeting in Lakeland will be the fourth consecutive season the Wolves and Eagles will have met in the playoffs, Newsome winning the first meeting in 2007 before the Eagles took the last two meetings, including a 1-0 overtime victory last season.
Freedom wasn't able to join Newsome in the region final, a 5-1 defeat to a powerful Venice squad ending the Patriots season. Freedom coach Chris Hinkle was highly impressed with the Indians performance, according to the St. Petersburg Times' Joey Knight.
Venice will now host another bay area team, Seminole, which had Jordyn Turner to thank for its 2-1 victory against East Lake.
In Class 4A, Steinbrenner's undefeated season came to an end at the hands of Lakewood Ranch. The Times' Eduardo A. Encina saw the 2-1 Lakewood Ranch victory.
While the Warriors' remarkable run came to an end, Hudson's continued on with a 4-3 victory against River Ridge. Tribune correspondent Mike Camunas saw the Cobras rally back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the first region final in school history.
The Cobras will now face Eustis in the region final hoping that the third time will be the charm. Eustis has eliminated Hudson from the players for the past two seasons.
Berkeley Prep advanced to face Fort Myers Bishop Verot in Class 3A, but the 4-1 final score didn't indicate how close most of the game was, according to The Times' Keith Niebuhr.
And finally, Tampa Prep advanced to the Class 2A-Region 3 final with a 3-1 victory against Bradenton St. Stephen's, fighting off some early game nerves before Isabel Dalence and Caroline Cheek found the net to send the Terrapins through to face West Palm Beach King's Academy on Friday.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Preps: Sickles, East Lake each move up one in ESPN Poll
Sickles moved up one spot to No.16 in the latest ESPN Rise Boys Fab 50 when the new rankings were released on Tuesday afternoon.
The Gryphons host Punta Gorda Charlotte on Thursday in the Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals, and should they reach the region final could face a showdown with No.25 East Lake, which also rose one spot. The Eagles face Pinellas Park on Thursday.
In the girls poll, Palm Harbor University remained No.10 in the nation ahead of the Hurricanes match-up with Plant tonight in the Class 6A-Region 2 semifinals.
The Gryphons host Punta Gorda Charlotte on Thursday in the Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals, and should they reach the region final could face a showdown with No.25 East Lake, which also rose one spot. The Eagles face Pinellas Park on Thursday.
In the girls poll, Palm Harbor University remained No.10 in the nation ahead of the Hurricanes match-up with Plant tonight in the Class 6A-Region 2 semifinals.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Preps: Palm Harbor girls still No.10, Sickles boys up to No.17 in ESPN rankings
Palm Harbor University's girls remained ranked No.10 in the latest set of ESPN Rise Fab 50 rankings after a 4-0 victory against Countryside in the Class 6A-Disrict 8 final last Friday.
The victory gave the Hurricanes their eighth straight district title. They will face Bloomingdale on Thursday night as they begin their pursuit of a second straight state title.
On the boys side, Sickles moved up five places to No.17 after its victory at the Wharton Invitational last week. The Gryphons are the favorites to win Class 5A-District 9, and could be headed for a collision course with East Lake, now ranked No.26 and the favorite in Class 5A-District 11.
The two teams could meet in the Class 5A-Region 3 final, should each advance that far.
The victory gave the Hurricanes their eighth straight district title. They will face Bloomingdale on Thursday night as they begin their pursuit of a second straight state title.
On the boys side, Sickles moved up five places to No.17 after its victory at the Wharton Invitational last week. The Gryphons are the favorites to win Class 5A-District 9, and could be headed for a collision course with East Lake, now ranked No.26 and the favorite in Class 5A-District 11.
The two teams could meet in the Class 5A-Region 3 final, should each advance that far.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Preps: Sickles up to No.22 in ESPN rankings; Girls districts start to hit crunch tonight
Sickles move up two spots in the latest ESPN Rise Fab 50 boys soccer poll on Tuesday, sliding the Gryphons into the No.22 spot.
The Gryphons have looked impressive all season, and overcame a slow start to earn a 3-0 win against Newsome on Tuesday evening to advance to the semifinals of the Wharton Invitational tonight. Sickles has reached the knockout stages of the tournament the past two seasons but has never won the tournament, losing in the semifinals in 2008 and in the final against Durant last season.
For more on that game, and the rest of the semifinalists, here’s my story for the Tampa Tribune this morning.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/19/sp-sickles-reaches-semis/
East Lake also got a small bump up the rankings, moving up to No.29 this week. Should the Eagles come out of Class 5A-District 11, a potential match against the Gryphons could occur in the region final should both schools advance that far.
In the girls poll, Palm Harbor University has edged its way up to the No.10 spot of the poll, remaining the only bay area team in the Fab 50.
According to the St. Petersburg Times’ Bryan Burns, the Hurricanes appear set for a rematch with Countryside in the Class 6A-District 8 final.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/16/3502-pinellas-girls-soccer-district-preview/
The district tournaments start getting to the sharp end tonight in Hillsborough County, with berths in the region tournament at stake in tonight’s semifinals. Here’s a look at the county from The St. Petersburg Times’ Eduardo A. Encina and the Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/16/5129-hillsborough-girls-soccer-district-preview/
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/18/girls-soccer-district-preview/sports-prepsports/
The Gryphons have looked impressive all season, and overcame a slow start to earn a 3-0 win against Newsome on Tuesday evening to advance to the semifinals of the Wharton Invitational tonight. Sickles has reached the knockout stages of the tournament the past two seasons but has never won the tournament, losing in the semifinals in 2008 and in the final against Durant last season.
For more on that game, and the rest of the semifinalists, here’s my story for the Tampa Tribune this morning.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/19/sp-sickles-reaches-semis/
East Lake also got a small bump up the rankings, moving up to No.29 this week. Should the Eagles come out of Class 5A-District 11, a potential match against the Gryphons could occur in the region final should both schools advance that far.
In the girls poll, Palm Harbor University has edged its way up to the No.10 spot of the poll, remaining the only bay area team in the Fab 50.
According to the St. Petersburg Times’ Bryan Burns, the Hurricanes appear set for a rematch with Countryside in the Class 6A-District 8 final.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/16/3502-pinellas-girls-soccer-district-preview/
The district tournaments start getting to the sharp end tonight in Hillsborough County, with berths in the region tournament at stake in tonight’s semifinals. Here’s a look at the county from The St. Petersburg Times’ Eduardo A. Encina and the Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/16/5129-hillsborough-girls-soccer-district-preview/
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/18/girls-soccer-district-preview/sports-prepsports/
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Preps: Sickles up to No.24 in ESPN Rise poll, PHU girls reach No.12
Sickles has moved up seven spots to No.24 in the latest ESPN Rise Boys Soccer rankings after a pair of victories against Gaither and King last week completed a perfect district schedule and gained the Gryphons the No.1 seed in the Class 5A-District 9 tournament.
The Gryphons are joined by Tampa Prep, who re-entered the rankings at No.29 despite a 4-1 setback against Berkeley Prep on Saturday while missing Anthony Bauman and Travis Simmons, and East Lake, which moved up nine spots to No.32 after a 3-0 win against Clearwater last week.
On the girl's side, Palm Harbor University remains the only bay area representative, but is nearing the Top 10, moving up 13 spots to No.12 as the Hurricanes continue their undefeated season.
PHU is now 15-0-1 after a 3-0 win against Countryside and a pair of lopsided victories against Tarpon Springs and Sarasota Riverview last week.
The Gryphons are joined by Tampa Prep, who re-entered the rankings at No.29 despite a 4-1 setback against Berkeley Prep on Saturday while missing Anthony Bauman and Travis Simmons, and East Lake, which moved up nine spots to No.32 after a 3-0 win against Clearwater last week.
On the girl's side, Palm Harbor University remains the only bay area representative, but is nearing the Top 10, moving up 13 spots to No.12 as the Hurricanes continue their undefeated season.
PHU is now 15-0-1 after a 3-0 win against Countryside and a pair of lopsided victories against Tarpon Springs and Sarasota Riverview last week.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Preps: East Lake boys earns victory, Durant, Newsome fight for position
East Lake’s boys moved one step closer to a Pinellas County Athletic Conference title with a win against Seminole last night. The St. Petersburg Times’ Bryan Burns was at the game, and filed this report, which also includes round-ups from Palm Harbor and Countryside boys and girls games, and details of a good district win for Berkeley Prep’s girls.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/06/county-roundup-east-lake-closer-pcac-title/
Elsewhere on the boys side, Durant moved its winning streak to five games with a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech, all four goals coming in the second half as Billy Fanning struck twice to give him 16 goals on the season. The Cougars have the same record as Newsome in district (3-0-2), which defeated Armwood 5-0 on Tuesday, Carlos Galeano scoring twice for the Wolves. The two teams tied 3-3 when they met earlier in the season, but Newsome would appear to have the upper hand in securing the No.2 seed for the 5A-District 8 tournament as it hosts Tampa Bay Tech in its final district game, while Durant has to face current district leader Plant City on Friday.
In Class 6A-District 8, Bloomingdale and Wharton played to a 2-2 tie, opening the door for Plant to earn the No.1 seed in the district tournament. To earn it, the Panthers would need to defeat current third-placed side Alonso on Friday night.
On the girl’s side, Gaither took an impressive 2-0 win against Sickles though goals by Madison Henriquez and Ashley Acco. Bloomingdale also earned a convincing 6-0 victory against Wharton, freshman Elyse Fontecchio scoring a hat trick.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/06/county-roundup-east-lake-closer-pcac-title/
Elsewhere on the boys side, Durant moved its winning streak to five games with a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech, all four goals coming in the second half as Billy Fanning struck twice to give him 16 goals on the season. The Cougars have the same record as Newsome in district (3-0-2), which defeated Armwood 5-0 on Tuesday, Carlos Galeano scoring twice for the Wolves. The two teams tied 3-3 when they met earlier in the season, but Newsome would appear to have the upper hand in securing the No.2 seed for the 5A-District 8 tournament as it hosts Tampa Bay Tech in its final district game, while Durant has to face current district leader Plant City on Friday.
In Class 6A-District 8, Bloomingdale and Wharton played to a 2-2 tie, opening the door for Plant to earn the No.1 seed in the district tournament. To earn it, the Panthers would need to defeat current third-placed side Alonso on Friday night.
On the girl’s side, Gaither took an impressive 2-0 win against Sickles though goals by Madison Henriquez and Ashley Acco. Bloomingdale also earned a convincing 6-0 victory against Wharton, freshman Elyse Fontecchio scoring a hat trick.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Preps: Sickles boys edge up to No.31 in ESPN Rise poll
Sickles received a slight bump up to No.31 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 poll released on Tuesday afternoon ahead of its crucial game against Class 5A-District 9 rivals Gaither tonight.
The Gryphons have only lost once so far this season, that coming to No.4 New Orleans Jesuit in the High School Classic just before the holiday break. Sickles is 4-0-0 in its district, and with a win tonight would secure the No.1 seed for the district tournament in three weeks.
East Lake was the other local team to earn recognition in the boys poll, coming in at No.41 with its 10-1-2 record. The Eagles host Seminole tonight in an important Class 5A-District 11 match-up.
Palm Harbor University is the only area the girls programs to be ranked this week, coming in at No.25. The defending Class 5A champions, now in 6A, are undefeated on the season at 9-0-1. Led by Catherine Brinkman and Zoe Lombard, the Hurricanes face Countryside tonight before hosting Tarpon Springs on Thursday and travelling to Sarasota Riverview on Friday.
The Gryphons have only lost once so far this season, that coming to No.4 New Orleans Jesuit in the High School Classic just before the holiday break. Sickles is 4-0-0 in its district, and with a win tonight would secure the No.1 seed for the district tournament in three weeks.
East Lake was the other local team to earn recognition in the boys poll, coming in at No.41 with its 10-1-2 record. The Eagles host Seminole tonight in an important Class 5A-District 11 match-up.
Palm Harbor University is the only area the girls programs to be ranked this week, coming in at No.25. The defending Class 5A champions, now in 6A, are undefeated on the season at 9-0-1. Led by Catherine Brinkman and Zoe Lombard, the Hurricanes face Countryside tonight before hosting Tarpon Springs on Thursday and travelling to Sarasota Riverview on Friday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)