Prep sports: Lakewood Ranch girls win 6A all-sports award

photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Thanks in part of the work of state track champ Kristin Zarrella, Lakewood Ranch's girls won the FHSAA Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup in Class 6A.
The Mustangs totaled 430 points to breeze by second-place Naples Barron Collier (330).
Points are awarded to each school for where it finishes in all of the FHSAA's sanctioned sports, with 100 points going to state champions, 90 for runner-up, 83 for the state semifinalists, 60 for places five through eight,and 25 for places nine through 16.
Schools are also awarded five-point bonuses for winning district and regional titles.
Zarrella, a senior, took first in the 800-meter run during the Class 3A state track and field championships in Jacksonville.
(Class 3A is the second-largest classification in track).
Lakewood Ranch's softball and volleyball teams made the state final four, while the girls basketball team won the program's first district title during the winter.
The girls cross country took fifth in the Class 3A state meet over the fall.
Powered by the girls' successful season, the Mustangs finished third overall in the Class 6A Sunshine Cup standings with 613 points.
Interested in how your favorite school fared?
Click here.

Prep softball: Braden River's Mirabella finished 4th in Miss Softball balloting

photo by Grant Jefferies

Braden River fireballer Courtney Mirabella placed fourth in the balloting for the 2013 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Softball award.
Mirabella received four first-place votes and tallied 115 points.
The senior went 15-3 with a 0.15 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 138 innings for the Pirates en route to being named the Class 7A State Player of the Year. Braden River will retire her No.3 during the football team's home-opener Aug. 31.
Mirabella has signed to play at North Carolina State.
Stephanie Texeira, a senior from Gulliver Prep, was named the Miss Softball for 2013 after batting .547 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Prep football video: Manatee 41, Lincoln 2

Manatee coach Joe Kinnan and quarterback Josh Meyer speak after Friday's 41-2 win over Lincoln in a spring football game.

Prep football: Manatee's spring game with Lincoln ranked best in Florida

photo by Grant Jefferies

Joe Kinnan has scheduled the best spring football game in the state of Florida.
This is according to the folks at floridahsfootball.com, which has the Hurricanes' game with Tallahassee Lincoln atop its rankings of the top 20 spring football games.
"Look for this spring game to be like a typical Friday night game rather than just a game to figure out what is working right and what needs to be fixed.," the caption read.
Manatee spent most of last season ranked No.1 in the country by MaxPreps, USA Today and ESPN before falling to Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 7A state final.
Aquinas went on to beat Lincoln for the 7A title.
Friday's game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Hawkins Stadium.

Prep football: Palmetto's QB battle a "tight" one

photo by Grant Jefferies

Another year, another quarterback competition at Palmetto.
This time, Chris Tuten, the incumbent pictured above, is looking to keep his starting job while Jack Allison looks to take it.
"It's tight," said coach Dave Marino.
Tuten was a sophomore last season who lost out on the starting job to senior Spencer Atkins. Atkins suffered a injury during the first game of the season, however, and moved to linebacker when he returned.
Tuten threw for 1,264 yards and 17 touchdowns in helping the Tigers to a third straight playoff appearance. But the 6-foot-2 Allison, a rising sophomore, is giving Tuten a run this spring.
"Jack has made unbelievable strides," Marino said. "Right now, Chris has just a little bit better grasp of our offense. But Jack throws an accurate ball, he throws a catchable ball - he's just doing outstanding.
"It's real tight. Jack's competing very well. We're excited with the prospect he has, and the upside is just off the charts for him."
Considering neither player is a senior, whomever finishes second may be the backup for the next two seasons. Or, as he did last year when he moved Atkins to linebacker, Marino could switch either Tuten or Allison to a different position.
Each will get an equal amount of reps Thursday when the Tigers host Booker at 7 p.m.
"We've got to let them continue to compete," Marino said, "and just see who the best one is for us."

Prep football: Saint Stephen's schedule

photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Saint Stephen's has chosen to compete as an independent this season after it's appeal to move out of Class 3A-District 6 was denied.
The Falcons will play in the newly-formed Gulf Atlantic Football Conference. According to a story in the Fort Myers News-Press, the conference will consist of 10 teams, and the Falcons will be in the Gulf Division with Community School of Naples, Oasis, Fort Myers Gateway Charter and Fort Myers Canterbury.
The top two teams in each division advance to the conference playoffs.
The Falcons are still a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association, but as an independent, cannot compete for district, regional or state football titles.
Listed below is their 2013 schedule. Game times are 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

8/23 at Citrus Park Christian (Kickoff Classic) TBA
8/30 at Clearwater Calvary Christian 7:30 p.m.
9/6 FAITH BAPTIST
9/13 at Winter Park Trinity Prep, 5 p.m.
9/20 COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF NAPLES
9/27 at St. Petersburg Canterbury
10/4 OASIS
10/11 at Fort Myers Canterbury TBA
10/25 OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY
11/1 at Fort Myers Gateway Charter
11/8 Conference playoffs
11/15 Conference championship 

Prep sports: Lakewood Ranch wins 6A academic team title

Lakewood Ranch totaled 140 points to win the Class 6A Florida High School Athletic Association Academic Team title.
The Mustangs cruised past Fort Myers, second with 118 points.
Scores were totaled by how each team fared in each sport's grade-point averages, with 10 points being awarded for a first place finish.
Saint Stephen's finished fourth in Class 2A with 39 points.

Prep football: Three Palmetto players choose colleges

photo by Grant Jefferies

A pair of Palmetto defensive players and a kicker will officially announce their college choices 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the lobby of the school's gym.
Defensive end Josh Layhew and linebacker Austin Cavey are headed to Webber International University in Babson Park. The Warriors compete independently in the NAIA.
Kicker Zack Reda is off to the University of Mount Union in Ohio, one of the most successful programs in Division III.
The Purple Raiders won their 11th national championship last season and the last under coach Larry Kehres, who recently stepped down after leading Mount Union to 332 wins and 21 undefeated regular seasons in 27 years.
He was replaced by Vince Kehres, who has been on the Purple Raiders' staff for 13 years and spent the last eight as the defensive coordinator.

Prep football: IMG Academy announces schedule

The IMG Academy football team unveiled its schedule today, with the team playing its first game 7:30 p.m. against Palm Beach in a Kickoff Classic at IMG Academy Stadium.
Here is the team's schedule. IMG is an independent member of the Florida High School Athletic Association and does not compete in a district.
All games are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted, and homes games are in caps.


8/24 PALM BEACH LAKES (Kickoff Classic)
8/30 at Apopka Olympia
9/6 NORTH MIAMI BEACH
9/13 WEST PALM BEACH CARDINAL NEWMAN
9/20 at Ocala Trinity Catholic, 7 p.m.
9/27 ORLANDO FIRST ACADEMY
10/4 at Opa-locka Monsignor Edward Pace, 7 p.m.
10/11 LAKE MINNEOLA
10/18 at Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy
11/1 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC
11/8 at Naples

Prep baseball: Manatee's Sandberg ranked among nation's best

MaxPreps has listed Manatee centerfielder Cord Sandberg as one of the nation's top 10 high school outfielders entering the June draft.
"Some mock drafts have Sandberg, who quarterbacked the Manatee football team last season, going late in the compensatory rounds or somewhere in the second round," writes MaxPreps' Kevin Askeland. "Sandberg already has a scholarship to Mississippi State, where he will play football, so don't be surprised to see him slide in the draft despite his first-round talent."
Throughthefencebaseball.com has Sandberg going to the Philadelphia Phillies with the draft's 96th pick,  while minorleagebaseball.com believes the Detroit Tigers will choose him with pick No. 36.
What does it all mean?
We'll see when the draft gets underway Thursday, June 6.

Prep football: IMG announces coaching staff

IMG's football team will play under the leadership of Chris Weinke when it begins its first official season in late August.
Weinke will serve as the  head coach and quarterbacks coach when IMG makes its debut Aug. 24.
The rest of his staff was announced Thursday:
 E.G. Green, offensive coordinator/wide receivers; Joe Sturdivant, defensive coordinator/linebackers; Michael Gruttadauria, offensive line; Adam Behrends, running backs/asst. quarterbacks coach; Michael Hawthorne, defensive backs; Andrew Myers, defensive line.
IMG is an independent member of the Florida High School Athletic Association, which means it cannot compete for district, regional or state titles. The team will play its home games at IMG Academy Stadium, which is pictured above in a rendering provided by IMG.
The school also announced it will field a cross country and track and field team beginning in the fall.

Prep softball: Lakewood Ranch vs. Columbia

photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Lakewood Ranch's softball team makes its second straight trip to the Class 6A state semifinals Friday when the Mustangs meet Lake City Columbia at 4 p.m. Vero Beach Sports Village.
Here is a look at the teams.
The winner plays either Gainesville or Pembroke Pines Charter at 4:35 on Saturday for the state title.

LAKE CITY COLUMBIA
MASCOT: Tigers
COACH: Jimmy Williams
RECORD: 26-4
REGIONAL RESULTS: 2-1 over Middleburg (quarterfinal); 3-1 over Orange Park Oakleaf (semifinal); 2-1 over Lynn Haven Mosley (Region 1 final).
BATTING LEADERS:
AVG. - Kayli Kvistad, .610
HR - Kvistad, 6
RBI - Kvistad, 35
RUNS - Lacy King, 38
PITCHING LEADERS
WINS - Ashley Shoup and Erin Anderson, 13
ERA - Shoup, 1.16
STRIKEOUTS - Anderson, 76
INNINGS - Anderson, 90

LAKEWOOD RANCH
MASCOT: Mustangs
COACH: Tony Cummins
RECORD: 20-9-1
REGIONAL RESULTS: 9-1 over Tampa Sickles (quarterfinal); 5-1 over Dover Strawberry Crest (semifinal); 8-3 over New Port Richey River Ridge (Region 3 final).
BATTING LEADERS:
AVG. - Shea Fisher, .402
HR - Taylor Newton, 6
RBI - Newton, 27
RUNS - Newton, 31
PITCHING LEADERS
WINS - Amanda Rak, 14
ERA - Rak, 0.94
STRIKEOUTS - Rak, 170
INNINGS - Rak, 132 2/3

Prep baseball: Catching up with Manatee's Prime and Palmetto's Goetzman

 

Manatee alum Correlle Prime is currently in extended spring training with the Colorado Rockies after wrapping his first spring training.

"It was a  bit overwhelming to take in," Prime said last week from the Rockies' spring home in Scottsdale, Ariz. "There were a lot of different guys, and it was a bit different than instructs. But I'm handling it pretty well."

Prime was the Rockies' 12th-round pick last summer. He signed with the team a few weeks after the draft and reported right to their short-season Rookie League affiliate in Grand Junction. Consequently, this past spring was his first in camp.

The Rockies mix their big-league and minor-league camps together, so Prime often crossed paths with stars such as Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.

"The guys walk by you in the hallway, and they'll stop and say hello, help you out if you've got a  question," Prime said. "They're a great group of guys, and they made it great. As a high school kid coming in, it was a lot to handle. But I feel like I did a pretty good job."

One of the perks of extended spring is Prime gets to play everyday. Though he was Manatee's ace for two seasons, Prime is working strictly as a first baseman with the Rockies, where he played 26 of 36 games last year with Grand Junction.

"I'm getting my reps, getting my at-bats," said Prime, who hit .283 with 11 RBIs last year at Grand Junction. "That's how you go about getting better.

"This is a great organization to be in. They don't want to rush the younger guys, and they take real good care of us."

Prime is hoping to break camp with one of the Rockies' short-season affiliates.

Palmetto grad Granden Goetzman made his first full-season pro roster when the Tampa Bay Rays assigned him to their low Class-A team in Bowling Green. Goetzman was the Rays' second-round pick in 2011.

Goetzman began last season with short-season Princeton and was hitting .298 with seven stolen bases and eight RBIs through 12 games, a marked improvement after he struggled with the Rays' Gulf Coast League team in Port Charlotte the summer he was drafted.

But a back injury ended his season in early July.

"We found out I had a small stress fracture in my back and the doctor said it was something I'd had for quite a while, maybe even back to high school," Goetzman told MiLB.com in October. "It was just the daily grind of pro ball that finally made the problem totally show itself."

Goetzman is hitting  .154 in six games with the Hot Rods, who compete in the Midwest League. But he hit his first home run of the year Saturday, which was the game-winner in Bowling Green's 3-2 win over Clinton.

A promotion would be homecoming of sorts for Goetzman: The Rays' high Single-A team is in Port Charlotte.

Prep sports: FHSAA unveils final districts for five sports

The Florida High School Athletic Association released final district alignments for soccer, cross country, golf, swimming and wrestling.
Here are the ones involving are teams:

SOCCER
CLASS 5A-DISTRICT 8
Manatee
Pinellas Park (Largo)
Riverview (Sarasota)
St. Petersburg
CLASS 4A-DISTRICT 10
Clearwater
Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg)
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Osceola (Seminole)
Palmetto
Seminole (Seminole)
CLASS 4A-DISTRICT 11
Braden River
Charlotte (Punta Gorda)
Lakewood Ranch
North Port
Port Charlotte
Sarasota
Venice 
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 9
Bayshore
Southeast
Jefferson (Tampa)
Jesuit (Tampa)
Middleton (Tampa)
Robinson (Tampa)
Spoto (Riverview) 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 11
Booker (Sarasota)
Cardinal Mooney
DeSoto County (Arcadia)
Sarasota Military Academy
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 7
Bradenton Christian
Community Christian (Port Charlotte)
Imagine School (North Port)
Out-of-Door
Sarasota Christian
St. Stephen's 

CROSS COUNTRY
CLASS 4A-DISTRICT 8
Manatee
Countryside (Clearwater)
East Lake (Tarpon Springs)
Newsome (Lithia)
North Port
Palm Harbor University
Pinellas Park (Largo)
Riverview (Riverview)
Riverview (Sarasota)
Seminole (Seminole)
St. Petersburg 
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 10
Boca Ciega (Gulfport)
Braden River 
Clearwater
Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg)
Lakewood Ranch
Largo
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Osceola (Seminole)
Palmetto Sarasota
Tarpon Springs
Venice 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 10
Anclote (Holiday)
Bayshore
Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
Holy Names (Tampa) (Girls Only)
Jesuit (Tampa) (Boys Only)
Middleton (Tampa)
Tampa Catholic 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 11
Booker (Sarasota)
DeSoto County (Arcadia)
Dunedin
Gibbs (St. Petersburg)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Lakewood (St. Petersburg)
Sarasota Military Academy
Southeast
Spoto (Riverview) 
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 10
Admiral Farragut (St. Petersburg)
Canterbury (St. Petersburg)
Cardinal Mooney
Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg)
Lakeside Christian (Clearwater)
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)
Out-of-Door
Sarasota Christian
Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg)
St. Petersburg Catholic
St. Stephen's  

GOLF
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 14
Braden River
Lakewood Ranch 
Manatee 
North Port
Riverview (Sarasota)
Sarasota
Venice 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 19
Bayshore
Booker (Sarasota)
DeSoto County (Arcadia)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Palmetto
Sarasota Military Academy
Southeast
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 17
Bradenton Christian
Cardinal Mooney
Community Christian (Port Charlotte) [Boys Only]
Moore Haven [Boys Only]
Oasis (Cape Coral)
Out-of-Door (Sarasota)
St. Stephen's (Bradenton) 

SWIMMING AND DIVING
CLASS 4A-DISTRICT 6
Countryside (Clearwater)
East Lake (Tarpon Springs)
Manatee
North Port
Palm Harbor University
Pinellas Park (Largo)
Riverview (Sarasota)
Seminole (Seminole)
St. Petersburg 
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 8
Braden River
Clearwater
Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg)
Lakewood Ranch
Largo
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Osceola (Seminole)
Sarasota
Venice 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 9
Avon Park
Bayshore
Booker (Sarasota)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Lemon Bay (Englewood)
Sebring
Southeast
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 8
Admiral Farragut (St. Petersburg)
Calvary Christian (Clearwater)
Canterbury (St. Petersburg)
Cardinal Mooney
Clearwater Central Catholic
Indian Rocks Christian (Largo)
Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg)
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)
Out-of-Door
Sarasota Christian
Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg)
St. Petersburg Catholic
St. Stephen's

WRESTLING
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 8
Bloomingdale (Valrico)
Durant (Plant City)
East Bay (Gibsonton)
Manatee
Newsome (Lithia)
North Port
Riverview (Riverview)
Riverview (Sarasota) 
CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 10
Braden River 
Lakewood Ranch Lennard (Ruskin)
Palmetto
Sarasota
Sebring
Venice 
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 10
Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
Carrollwood (Tampa)
Clearwater Central Catholic
Middleton (Tampa)
Southeast
Spoto (Riverview)
Tampa Bay Christian
Tampa Prep 
CLASS 1A-DISTRICT 11
Admiral Farragut (St. Petersburg)
Bayshore
Booker (Sarasota)
Dunedin
Gibbs (St. Petersburg)
Indian Rocks Christian (Largo)
Lakewood (St. Petersburg)
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)
Sarasota Military Academy
Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg)
St. Stephen's

Prep football: Five spring questions

photo by Grant Jefferies

1. How will Manatee fare in the post-Cord era?: Cord Sandberg accounted for 9,716 yards of offense, won a state title and was a two-time Class 7A State Player of the Year. Now he's gone. Josh Meyer, who will be a junior in the fall, will probably slide under center after throwing for 186 yards and four touchdowns last season. The plus for Manatee  is Meyer will be doing so behind an athletic offensive line that lost just graduated just one starter, Thor Miller. And he'll have weapons at his disposal such as running back Trevon Walters (1,119 yards, 16 rushing TDs) and receiver Marquel Hines (a team-high 45 catches last year).
2. The area's best running back will be...: Manatee has Walters, but Southeast has Courtney Allen, who stayed away from the injury bug last season and wound up rushing for 1,334 yards and 17 TDs in leading the Seminoles to a district title. And don't sleep on Palmetto's Josh Hicks. Position changes and injuries limited Hicks, who also saw time at linebacker, to 594 yards last year. But the Rutgers commit totaled 1,410 yards a sophomore, so the rack record is there.
3. Can Elijah Freeman make a difference at Bayshore?: The former Palmetto assistant has been tabbed to turn around a program that hasn't had a winning season since 2003 and hasn't made the playoffs since '05. A Bayshore grad, Freeman's first mission is to get people excited about football again, and that includes the Bruins' student body. Winning, especially early, will help crowd up Balvanz Stadium a bit.
4. What will Curt Bradley do with a second season at Braden River?: Injuries upon injuries took their toll in the Pirates last year, who went 1-9, their worst record since they started playing a full varsity schedule in 2007. Braden River's lone win did come in during its regular-season finale, however, which could spring the Pirates forward. What the Pirates do need is Bradley to stick around - he is the program's fourth head coach. This is a team in need of stability.
5. Will any locals challenge the Hurricanes?: Manatee may have fallen short in its quest to win state and national titles last year, but there is no doubt the Canes are the area's best team. Manatee has not lost to a county rival since 2006 and triggered a running clock against all of its Sarasota and Manatee county opponents last year.