Preps: Sickles-Gaither rematch highlights region semifinal schedule

The first two meetings beween Sickles and Gaither have been outstanding affairs, Sickles winning the regular season meeting and edgeing out the Cowboys in a penalty shootout for the 5A-District 9 title just over a week ago.

If you're a fan of soccer, and haven't got an obligation to another school to be at their game tonight, go and see this game, Sickles High, 7 p.m. tonight.

For a look at all of the region semifinals involving Hillsborough and Pasco County teams, here is the preview I wrote for the Tampa Tribune this morning.

The St. Petersburg Times' Bryan Burns takes a look at the four games involving Pinellas County teams, including the one all-Pinellas match-up of East Lake vs. Seminole here.

Can't make it to tonight's Sickles-Gaither game? Follow the Tampa Bay Soccer Blog on twitter at twitter.com/tbsoccerblog for live updates, and other scores from select area games.

Preps: Panthers' stunning victory highlights region quarterfinals

Plant's first boys region playoff victory since 2003 likely couldn't have come in more dramatic fashion.

The Panthers scored on what was probably their final attack of the game to equalize on a header by John Fernandez before Danny Johnson scored in the 97th minute to give his side a 2-1 victory against Countryside on Thursday night, setting off crazy scene's at Dad's Stadium, writes the St. Petersburg Times' Eduardo A. Encina.

Plant has had a remarkable second season under Coach Chris Carbon, but this victory is, at least on paper, its most impressive to date. Now the Panthers will hit the road to take on a Palm Harbor side that only advanced past Bloomingdale 1-0 in a penalty shootout.

While losing in a shootout is always disappointing, Bloomingdale looks like a team on the rise. The Bulls only lose five seniors from this year's team should the rest of the roster return, and will have the highly talented Tevin Gage returning for his senior season.

Speaking of penalty shootouts, Gaither managed to squeak through against Port Charlotte after goalkeeper John Nardozzi made a save in the first round of sudden-death for a 2-1 victory, David Briggs having scored on the prior kick for what proved to be the game-winner.

The Cowboys will now get a district final rematch with Sickles, which cruised to victory against Punta Gorda Charlotte 3-0. As the Times' John C. Cotey writes, the Gryphons throw-ins, provided predominantly by Ben Wiley on Thursday thanks to Tyler Deming's absence, were crucial to their advancement to the region semifinals for the first time in school history.

There will also be rematches in the other two local 5A semifinals as Newsome routed Brooksville Central 7-1 behind Steven Gonzalez's hat trick, and Plant City edged out Ocala Forest 2-1, although someone should probably mention that the Raiders first loss came in the Wharton Invitational to Hillsborough.

East Lake and Seminole will also face off again, both sides easing through to the region semifinals as the Eagles defeated Pinellas Park 5-0 and the Warhawks blasted Northeast 7-1.

In Class 4A, the "unofficial Pasco County Championship" game, so dubbed by Mitchell coach Oscar Ubillus, is on for Tuesday night as the Mustangs will face Land O' Lakes for a place in the region final. Mitchell defeated Wiregrass Ranch 5-1 on Thursday night, while the Gators defeated Wesley Chapel 3-0.

Jesuit also moved on, but had to survive a late rally by Lakewood Ranch to hold on for a 3-2 victory. The Tigers will need to be better against a Palmetto team that romped past Steinbrenner 5-0 in Tuesday's region semifinal.

Berkeley Prep and Clearwater Central Catholic will face off again for a place in the Class 3A-Region 3 final, the Buccaneers cruising to a 5-0 victory against Frostproof, while the Marauders got two late first half goals to advance past Mulberry 2-0.

Tampa Prep will also face a rematch against Indian Rocks Christian after Anthony Baumann (four assists) and Wes Sever (four goals) allowed the Terrapins to cruise past Bradenton St. Stephen's 6-0. IRC advanced with a 3-0 victory against Out-of-Door Academy thanks to Cody Sitton's hat trick, but Seffner Christian's run came to an end with a 4-0 defeat at Florida Air.

Preps: Sickles retains top spot in final Hillsborough Poll

Sickles retained the top spot in the final Hillsborough Boys Coaches Poll of the season after its penalty shootout victory in the Class 5A-District 9 final against No.3 Gaither on Friday night.

The Gryphons will face Punta Gorda Charlotte on Thursday in the region quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament, and could face a rematch with the Cowboys in the semifinals should Gaither defeat Port Charlotte.

Jumping up five places to No.2 was Jesuit, the Class 4A-9 champions, while 5A-8 champions Newsome and 2A-9 champions Tampa Prep rounded out the top five.

Plant City dropped from the No.2 slot to No.6 after its loss to Newsome in the 5A-8 final, while Berkeley Prep re-entered the poll at No.7 and 6A-8 champion Plant earned the No.8 spot.

The full poll can be found below.

1. Sickles (21-1-3)
2. Jesuit (17-4-3)
3. Gaither (15-4-1)
4. Newsome (15-4-3)
5. Tampa Prep (14-4-2)
6. Plant City (13-2-2)
7. Berkeley Prep (10-8-3)
8. Plant (10-7-1)
9. Tampa Catholic (11-3-5)
10. East Bay (13-3-1)

Preps: Wharton Invitational title keeps Sickles on top of Coaches Poll

Sickles’ dominant performance in the Wharton Invitational kept the Gryphons on top of the Hillsborough County Coaches Boys Soccer Poll entering this week’s district championships, as the top eight teams in poll remained unmoved.

The only changes saw Tampa Prep move up one spot to No.9, and Wharton enter the poll as Berkeley Prep dropped out of the rankings.

The district tournaments could see multiple top five match-ups. Tonight sees No.2 Plant City and No.4 East Bay face off in the Class 5A-District 8 semifinals, and the winner could face No.5 Newsome in Friday’s final. No.1 Sickles and No.3 Gaither could also meet in the Class 5A-Disrict 9 final.

The full poll is listed below:

1. Sickles (19-1-2)
2. Plant City (12-1-2)
3. Gaither (13-3-1)
4. East Bay (13-3-1)
5. Newsome (12-4-3)
6. Steinbrenner (10-2-2)
7. Jesuit (14-4-3)
8. Tampa Catholic (11-4-3)
9. Tampa Prep (12-4-2)
10. Wharton (8-5-2)

Cowboys, Indians, Crusaders get bump in latest Coaches Poll

Gaither and East Bay made a jump up the rankings, and Tampa Catholic moved into the poll for the first time, when the Hillsborough County Coaches Boys Soccer Poll was released on Monday night.

Sickles and Plant City remained No.1 and No.2, with the Cowboys moving up one position to No.3 and the Indians vaulting into the No.4 slot from No.7 after a 3-0 win against Durant on Saturday.

The Crusaders, buoyed by their 3-1 win against Tampa Prep on Saturday, entered the poll at No.8. Steinbrenner also moved up to No.6, pushing Jesuit down to No.7.

On the girl’s side, the top six teams remained unchanged, with Plant remaining on top of the poll entering this week’s district playoffs.

There were two changes lower down in the top ten, as Freedom and Wharton exchanged places, the Patriots shifting up to No.7, while Hillsborough and Tampa Prep also switched positions, the Terriers garnering the No.9 position.

BOYS

1. Sickles (15-1-3)
2. Plant City (11-0-2)
3. Gaither (12-3-1)
4. East Bay (12-2-1)
5. Newsome (11-3-3)
6. Steinbrenner (9-1-1)
7. Jesuit (12-4-3)
8. Tampa Catholic (10-2-4)
9. Berkeley Prep (9-6-1)
10. Tampa Prep (10-4-2)

GIRLS

1. Plant (18-1-1)
2. Berkeley Prep (15-4-2)
3. Bloomingdale (12-4-3)
4. Newsome (12-3-4)
5. Steinbrenner (14-0-2)
6. East Bay (11-3-2)
7. Freedom (9-3-4)
8. Wharton (9-6-4)
9. Hillsborough (11-2-1)
10. Tampa Prep (13-5-4)

Preps: Plant City seals No.1 seed, Berkeley vs. Tampa Prep today

While Steinbrenner’s victory against Jesuit was probably the most eye-opening result from Friday night, another pair of teams sealed the No.1 seeds for the district tournaments.

Plant City remained undefeated with a 3-0 win against Durant to give the Raiders the No.1 seed in Class 5A-District 8, with Newsome’s 8-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech putting the Wolves in the No.2 slot. The St. Petersburg Times’ Brandon Wright was at the game, and filed this report.

http://bit.ly/4Ass3u

Plant also took the No.1 seed in Class 6A-District 8 with a 5-1 win against Alonso. According to Ravens coach Alan Turnquist, his side was without its starting goalkeeper, but he added that the outcome of the game would still likely have gone the Panthers way as they put together a performance coach Chris Carbon was very pleased with.

Elsewhere, Sickles completed a perfect run through its Class 5A-District 9 with a 1-0 win against King, Tyler Deming scoring the only goal, while Bloomingdale earned a 3-1 victory against Brandon in Class 5A-8.

On the girls side, Freedom recorded a good win against Gaither in Class 5A-District 9, Jenna Stiling picking up a goal and an assist for the Patriots as they rallied from a goal down to win. The Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this report.

http://bit.ly/7cSaOu

Today’s schedule sees Berkeley Prep and Tampa Prep face off at the Headmaster’s Challenge, with the girls game scheduled for noon and the boys for 1:45 p.m. The TBSB will be at both games, and will be providing live updates on the TBSB twitter feed – twitter.com/tbsoccerblog -- if you’re not able to get out to the games.

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.

Preps: Sickles earns victory, No.1 seed

TAMPA – Sickles earned a hard fought 2-1 victory against rival Gaither on Tuesday night, clinching the No.1 seed for the Class 5A-District 9 tournament in the process in the first victory for the Gryphons seniors against the Cowboys.

The high-paced game provided many opportunities, but it was the long throw-ins by both sides that led to goals, the game-winner coming in the 57th minute as a throw-in from the left side went into the Gaither 6-yard box. The Cowboys were unable to clear the danger, and in the ensuing scramble the ball ended up in the net.

The lack of style points on what proved to be the game-winning goal didn’t matter to the Gryphons, who had to fend off a pair of late chances to preserve their win. Sickles goalkeeper Brandon Stout first came off his line to block a shot by Josh Santos, and Gaither’s Zach Wheeler shot wide just before the final whistle.

The Gryphons bench streamed onto the field in celebration at the final whistle after finally defeating their biggest rival.

“It’s a huge momentum boost,” Sickles defender Eric Krukar said. “There was a big burden on our backs this season and for the past four years, and we finally overcame it. It’s a huge burden lifted off our shoulders.”

The game was everything you would expect from a heated district and area rivalry, with both sides having half-chances early in the game to open the scoring. Gaither’s Ryan Foerstner went close to opening the scoring, but was unable to control a flick with the outside of his right boot, sending it over the crossbar off a long throw-in by David Barrientos. Sickles also had a good opportunity when a raking ball across the field found Matt Brown on the right, but he shot over from just inside the penalty area.

Gaither then could have taken the lead five minutes before halftime, Jordan See turning his defender well before putting a low ball into the center of the penalty area to Justin Santos, but Santos could only lift his shot over the bar from eight yards out.

Sickles took advantage of the reprieve a minute later as a long throw-in from the left was flicked on at the near post and Krukar poked his shot in from close range. Long throw-ins and corners have been a major part of Sickles’ attack this season, something Krukar said comes from the coaching and work the side does in practice.

“It’s really coaching,” Krukar said. “We execute the plays our coaches tell us to run in practice, and we execute it on the field.”

The Cowboys tied the game in the 53rd minute, a long throw from the right by Barrientos going to the top of the Gryphons’ 6-yard box. A Sickles defender tried to flick the ball away to safety, but instead saw it go into the far side of the net.

That didn’t appear to deter the Gryphons, who continued to push forward even after retaking the lead four minutes later. Gaither goalkeeper John Nardozzi had to make an excellent double-save to keep the score 2-1 with just under 10 minutes to go, and Joey Ltief shot wide with just under five minute left, slamming the ground with his hand after failing to hit the target.

The missed opportunities didn’t come back to haunt the Gryphons, though, as they remained perfect in district play.

“It’s one of those game that was very well played on both sides,” Sickles coach Tony Calvo said. “Gaither has always had a great program, but I think the boys, this is a very good win for them.”

Gaither had held a 4-0-1 mark in the past three season against Sickles, but were without starters Charlie Delmar and Steffan Seibel-Cortopassi which led to a lack of control in the center of midfield. The Cowboys will need to defeat Freedom on Friday night to assure themselves of the No.2 seed in the district. Cowboys captain See said that the Gryphons’ victory will only intensify the rivalry should the two sides meet again in the district tournament.

“It’s definitely feeds the fire that we’re going to want this a lot more,” See said. “Now that they did beat us, we want to give it back the next time we play them.”

Preps: Gaither, Sickles face important district test

TAMPA – The top seed in the district tournament, and rivalry bragging rights, will be on the line on Tuesday night as Gaither plays host to Sickles in a key Class 5A-District 9 boys game.

Both the Gryphons and Cowboys enter the contest with 4-0-0 district records. With every other team in the district having at least two defeats, a victory would appear to create what would appear to be an easier path to the region playoffs three weeks from now when the district tournament begins.

Of course, with the No.6 seed Cowboys having knocked off the No.2 seed Gryphons 1-0 in last season’s district playoffs, Gaither coach Eric Sims pointed out that seeding can mean very little when it comes to predicting results. That said, he believes Tuesday night’s game is one that will help prepare his side for the postseason.

“I’ve seen Sickles play a few times, and they’re very experienced,” Sims said. “Games like this prepare you for the end of the year because of the high level. It’s exciting to play games like this.”

Gaither has held the upper hand in recent meetings between the two sides, with the Cowboys holding a 4-0-1 record against the Gryphons since the 2006-07 season. That hasn’t been lost on Sickles players, who are eager to create a different outcome this time around.

“Very big game, definitely,” Sickles goalkeeper Brandon Stout said. “We’ve always had some trouble with Gaither, but this year is completely different. We’re a lot stronger than what we were in the past couple of years, a lot more determined, more focused and we have a lot more skill.

“Gaither is a very good team, they have a very good goalie, good forwards, it’s going to be a pretty tough game.”

The critical match-up will likely involve Stout, and the Gryphons defense led by center back Gil Davis. Sickles has conceded 10 goals in 16 games this season which will provide a test for Gaither’s Jordan See, who has 13 goals, and the rest of the Cowboys attack. Sims was full of praise for Davis, who is headed to the University of Tampa’s soccer program next season.

“It’s going to be difficult for Jordan because Gil Davis is such a good defender,” Sims said. “Gil Davis is one of the best defenders in the state, by far, so that’s definitely a challenge for Jordan, and if you can get by Davis, you’ve got Stout who is on fire as well.”

Can't make tomorrow night's Gaither-Sickles game? Get live updates as they happen by following the TBSB at twitter.com/tbsoccerblog.

Preps: Land O' Lakes hopeful Senior Night opponent can be found

Land O’ Lakes boys coach Mark Pearson sent out the e-mail on Friday afternoon.

The Gators had just received word from Gulf High that it was going to have to cancel their scheduled Jan. 13 game. Not a good situation for Land O’ Lakes, since their final regular season home game of the season was meant to be Senior Night for the team. So Pearson sent out a request to numerous local high school coaches in search of a replacement.

Fortunately for the Gators, it appears as though a solution, and replacement, is going to be found.

“(Clearwater Central Catholic) are trying to see if they can move a game, as well as Gaither and possibly even Sickles,” Pearson said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that someone can come through for us and pick up that game for us.”

The common thread between the three schools Pearson mentioned and the Gators is Hillsborough County United, at which Pearson and CCC coach Jim Harte, Gaither coach Eric Sims and Sickles coach Tony Calvo all coach at outside of their high school soccer positions.

“One thing about our community is that we’re very close-knit,” Pearson said. “We’re very competitive against one other, but we’ll try to help each other out whenever we can. It’s great to know that you can send out an e-mail and get responses back like that. It’s unfortunate it came out the way it did, but we’re hoping it can get resolved.”

Preps: Sweat gives Hurricanes opening win; Gators also victorious

TAMPA – Palm Harbor’s Ben Sweat helped get his team off to a good start at the High School Soccer Classic at the Ed Radice Sports Complex as his second-half goal gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 victory against Lake Mary in an entertaining clash on Saturday evening.

Sweat scored in the 60th minute, latching onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Joshua Paul before firing home low past the goalkeeper. That it took so long for either side to score was surprising, for both teams has good opportunities to break the deadlock before Sweat finally did, but Palm Harbor coach Alex Delgado was very happy it was his side that had come out on top.

“We definitely ducked some chances on their part in the first half, and as soon as we scored, there was a great opportunity for them,” Delgado said. “But I told (my players), it seemed like they had exhausted themselves in the first half to get that first goal … They didn’t put their chances away tonight, and a great ball by Josh, our keeper, put Ben in, and he put it away.”

Land O’ Lakes also took victory in its opening game, a first half goal by Tim Falcon proving enough for the Gators to earn a 1-0 victory against Monteverde Academy. Land O’ Lakes coach Mark Pearson was very happy with his side’s performance, especially in the defensive end where the Gators only allowed three shots on goal.

“We played very well,” Pearson said. “It was a great team effort, the kids played fantastic. We knew what to look for coming into the game, and we did everything that we wanted to do. We were unfortunate not to grab another couple of goals late on the counter-attack, but we did everything right for the first game.”

The same could not be said of Gaither, who went behind in a poor first half against Orlando Bishop Moore, and were unable to break down the Hornets tight defense in falling 1-0. Cowboys coach Eris Sims said adjusting from the small high school fields his side had played on throughout this season to the more conventionally-sized pitches at the Radice Complex was an adjustment his side had struggled with.

“It was a fair result, I thought they were a good side, and they deserved to win,” Sims said. “When they play on the small fields in Hillsborough County, you don’t have to run far before the ball's going out of bounds. It was an adjustment we weren’t able to make, I just hope we play better on Monday.”

Seminole also fell, a hat trick by Melbourne’s Ryan Price in the final 20 minutes of the game giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 victory. Melbourne had started the better of the two sides, Price having a volley well saved and hitting the post with another first half effort, but as the game wore on the Warhawks began to come into the game more against the defending Class 6A champions.

In the end, though, Price’s speed and the timing of his runs to beat the Seminole offside trap proved decisive.

“He was the difference in this game, in my opinion,” Seminole coach Rick Masi said. “I thought it was a pretty good game up until that point, but as I was just telling the boys I thought after the second goal we caved in.”

Countryside also fell on a late goal to Orangewood Christian, the Rams earning a 2-1 victory, putting a place for the Cougars in the quarterfinals a long way away.

Preps: Classic success can elevate team's standing, confidence

TAMPA – The 16th High School Soccer Classic kicks off on Saturday afternoon at the Ed Radice Sports Complex with a presitigious title on the line for the 24 teams set to compete.

But while taking away a championship from a tournament that contains a number of returning Florida state champions, and numerous sides currently in the ESPN Rise Winter Fab 50 rankings, the ability to build momentum, and the chance to build confidence, entering the second half of the season is at the forefront of many coaches minds.

Last season, Berkeley Prep built off its Classic title by making a run to the Class 3A state championship. Buccaneers coach Tim Cooper said competing and defeating such a strong level of competition gave his team a big boost of confidence, and the belief they could compete with anybody.

“When you win a prestigious tournament like that, I think it gives your team some self-confidence,” Cooper said. “I think it gives your team respect from other opponents, especially for us as a smaller school, a 3A school, I thought it kind of put us on the map not just in 3A but in the bigger picture of high school soccer. For us to win that last year was a tremendous accolade.”

Gaither coach Eric Sims saw a similar effect. After his side had struggled in the first half of the 2008-09 season, the Cowboys were 0-7-1 entering last season’s tournament, a shootout win against Lake Brantley and victories against Jacksonville Bolles and Sarasota put the team into the tournament semifinals with a new belief in what their season could hold.

“It definitely springboarded us into the second half of the year realizing that we were a good team, and that we had been unlucky in a lot of results,” Sims said. “I think with us, even last year, we didn’t win the thing, but it still helped us going into the second half of the year saying we could play with anybody.”

This season Gaither opens with Orlando Bishop Moore, and then faces an all-Hillsborough County clash with Tampa Prep. With the Terrapins ranked No.17 in the latest ESPN Rise poll, and the Cowboys ranked No.50, both coaches are excited for the first meeting between the two sides in either of their tenures.

“We’ve heard a lot about Gaither, we know they have some quality players, and we’re excited about the opportunity to play them,” Tampa Prep coach Doug Smith said. “Any time you have an opponent that’s recognized nationally, regardless of where they are from, but particularly if they’re in the same city, it kind of builds up some excitement within the players. The opportunity to play a team like Gaither, that’s just going to make the tournament for us.”

For Sickles coach Tony Calvo, whose side opens against defending Class 3A champion Bolles on Monday before a game against Niceville later in the day, the tournament is a chance for the Gryphons to continue their emergence as a potential state contender. After coming close to advancing into the semifinals the past two seasons, Calvo said his side is eager to break through this season.

“I think this year, these guys are hungry for this tournament,” Calvo said. “We’re at that point right now where physically we’ve been training hard, a lot of the boys on the team have been mentally preparing for every game, and it shows. It shows at our practices, it shows at our team dinners, it shows when we walk on the field that these guys really feel that this is their year to go pretty far.”

And a run to the latter stages of the tournament could provide, as it has for others in years past, just the springboard they need to do so.

“I think if you do well in this tournament,” Smith said, “because it is so prestigious, and brings in so much good competition, I think that really provides some insight as to where your season will end up.”

Preps: Terrapins boys jump into Top 20 of ESPN Rise Poll

Tampa Prep has jumped into the top 20 of ESPN Rise’s Winter soccer rankings, the Terrapins perfect 8-0-0 start to the season landing them at No.17 in the opening regular season list.

Also appearing in the rankings are Jesuit at No.43 and Gaither at No.50. Locals absent from the rankings, though, are current Hillsborough Coaches Poll No.1 Sickles and No.5 Plant City, both of whom have also made undefeated starts to the season.

2009 Class 5A champion Palm Harbor University, who are now in Class 6A are also absent. That is despite a 9-0-1 start to the season, and the No.1 spot in the St. Petersburg Times Pinellas County rankings. Seminole (10-1-2) and Countryside (9-1-0) also missed the cut.

Everyone except for Plant City will have a chance to enhance their reputation beginning this Saturday as they compete at the High School Soccer Classic at the Ed Radice Sports Complex, Jesuit facing No.6-ranked New Orleans Jesuit, Tampa Prep facing Gaither and Seminole facing No.33 Melbourne in the opening round of pool play.

Preps: See relishing leadership role for Cowboys

What began at the end of last season with a run from district No.6 seed to the region playoffs has continued at the beginning of this season for Gaither's boys.

And it has continued thanks in large part to the same person that began it in forward Jordan See.

See has scored eight goals in five games for the Cowboys (5-0-0), including a pair in Tuesday night’s 3-1 victory against Plant. According to Gaither coach Eric Sims, See has embraced the role of leading the team.

“Last year he kind of put the team on his shoulders,” Sims said. “He was really the biggest scoring threat we had. Everything seemed to go through him, and I think he liked that role. He likes for everything to come through him, so I think he’s in a role where he wants to be the guy.”

With his ability in front of goal, Sims is expecting See to start getting extra attention from opponents. As a result, he is hoping to see others, like Zach Wheeler and Charlie Delmar, to step up and provide support.

“Zach Wheeler, he plays up front and in the center midfield, he’s definitely someone who is a scoring threat,” Sims said. “Charlie Delmar, we started him at center back, but we’ve moved him into the center of midfield, and he’s scored a couple of goals; he’s a very good player.”

Preps: New districts open opportunity for greater competition

TAMPA – Reclassification and redistricting could have a major impact on the upcoming boys soccer season, with the class 5A and 6A districts involving Hillsborough County schools looking more balanced than in recent seasons.

But despite all the movement, when the postseason comes will it be a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same?

“Every year is a new year, and over the course of 10 years you have certain teams who are just always there, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” Gaither coach Eric Sims said. “I think teams with good programs as long as their getting an influx of decent players, I think they’ll be there.”

That may be the case in some instances, with Tampa Prep in particular looking to have excellent final four credentials in Class 2A, as does Jesuit with its return to 4A, but the realigned districts in Class 5A and 6A appear as though they will offer serious competition, and maybe some surprises come district tournament time.

The Cowboys new district, Class 5A-District 9, also includes returning state runner-up Freedom, Sickles, King and Leto. Sims, though, believes Hillsborough could be a surprise team that could find its way into the postseason. The Terriers include Kofi Forkuoh, who could be poised for a breakout season. After making the playoffs twice before missing out the past two seasons, Steven Colborne believes by the time the end of the season arrives, his side will be able to compete with anyone else in their district.

“We’re going to go into it open-minded, and do our best and try to progress as the season moves on,” Colborne said. “We might be a little rusty at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the year, we’re going to be pretty competitive.”

In Class 5A-8 Durant coach Jamin Hollingsworth, whose side reached the Region Final last season, thinks East Bay is probably the favorite to win the district, which would give the Indians back-to-back trips to the postseason for the first time in the their history. Wharton, now in Class 6A-8, is likely the favorite to win its district, but the Wildcats will likely see strong competition from Alonso, Bloomingdale and even a young Plant squad.

Freedom coach Dennis Derflinger thinks the balance in the Patriots’ new district, and in Class 5A-8 and 6A-8, is going to give more teams more competitive matches over the course of the season, which will help teams build for a postseason run.

“I think it’s great, I think it’s great for soccer in general,” Derflinger said. “You don’t want to look at a district and see that you don’t have any challenges throughout your district games. In my own opinion, I want the difficult games. You want to play your guys against some competition to see what they can actually do, that way you’re prepared for the postseason stuff.

“If you don’t have that experience, you might be facing things beyond districts that you’re not used to seeing, and at least during the season it gives you a chance to correct problems that may occur against the better opposition.”