Category: Sports

Hunter’s Green Country Club’s Tennis & Athletic Center Is Getting A Makeover

In the first six weeks of 2016, none of the 300 or so clubs under the Club Corp. of America (CCA) umbrella has grown as fast or added as many new members as Hunter’s Green Country Club, says general manager Dave Taylor.

That could just be the beginning of a great story. Taylor has revealed that HGCC’s Tennis & Athletic Center (TAC), tucked just inside the main gates of the Hunter’s Green community off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., and a few hundred yards southwest of the main clubhouse and Tom Fazio-designed golf course, is about to begin a “seven-figure renovation” that is going to do more than just put a fresh coat of paint on a facility that is starting to show its age a little bit.

“Before we’ve even done the renovations and before even any of this got out, we’ve had momentum with the club,’’ Taylor said. “We lead the entire company in member growth for the first six weeks of the year…it’s the first time Hunter’s Green has ever seen anything like that. So, that’s very good for us.”

Taylor says the TAC facelift, which follows the substantial renovations at the main clubhouse’s restaurant and bar area, known as Fazio’s Grille, will add amenities on par with some of the new housing developments (he used Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch as an example) going up in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel that offer lavish clubhouses and pools geared towards the family experience.

In addition to the 17 clay tennis courts, which aren’t included in the renovation plans, the TAC will soon boast things like a re-invented café with expanded hours and an emphasis on a quality menu, a new weight room, a new-look pool plus miniature golf and a water slide.

While you don’t have to live in Hunter’s Green to be a member of HGCC, the area within a five-mile radius continues to see growth — in much of Wesley Chapel and K-Bar Ranch in particular — thus making the market on comfort and family-friendly experiences competitive.

Taylor says the TAC’s Center Court Cafe will be completely rebuilt, with a more rustic scheme, bigger TVs, more events and better food. An outside area will be remodeled and will include a new fire pit. The pool will lose the long green awning that covers half of the deck area. They will be replaced by four individual cabanas with electricity, fans and poolside food and beverage service.

With the goal of having plenty to do for new families who can spend their weekends at the club , the kiddie pool is being replaced by a splash pad, all new furniture will line the deck and one of the highlights of the renovations — a 10-foot-high water slide with a 45-foot-long flume — will be added.

Taylor says the pool renovations should be completed by Memorial Day, where it will be unveiled for the TAC’s annual Memorial Day Bash, which he says draws the biggest crowd each year to the pool.

Next to the 25-meter junior Olympic heated pool (which is big enough that it hosts a multitude of junior and even high school swim meets), a small 6-hole miniature golf course will be built, and next to that will be an activity area with field turf for after-school campers and other on-site sports programs.

“Our membership is getting younger, and this is what they want,’’ Taylor says. “They want the splash pads and they want the water slides and they want the miniature golf. They want the ability to be able to have a café restaurant that is open with pool service so they can bring the kids and still hang out themselves.”

A former professional golfer on the PGA’s Nationwide Tour, Taylor joined Hunter’s Green in 2014 after stints as director of operations at East Lake Woodlands in Tarpon Springs and general manager at The Club at Hidden Creek in Navarre, FL. At Hidden Creek, he spearheaded the rebuilding and redesign of all 18 greens on the golf course, and at East Lake Woodlands, he helped improve service. At Hunter’s Green, he already has done similar work on the golf course and the club house.

“If you get the right employee partners, and get them happy, that carries over to the members, they start using the club more and the club is better off financially,’’ Taylor said. “If you don’t have the first two legs of the stool, the third won’t happen.”

The third leg, in this case, is the TAC.

The current café is expected to draw bigger crowds upon its completion sometime this summer. The exercise room will have all of its current equipment replaced by new more modern machines and weights. The spinning (indoor cycling) room, one of the TAC’s more popular destinations, will be re-done with all new cycles. The men’s and women’s locker rooms will get a fresh look as well, and the all-purpose room where exercise and yoga classes are held daily — the classes are included in the membership cost — also will be refinished.

Aesthetically, Taylor says the TAC will be a more welcoming facility, with a newly designed entrance, a larger pro shop and an open design with plenty to offer the family, inside and out.

“We’re providing a lifestyle,’’ says head tennis pro Allegra Campos. “It’s going to be a family-style, safe environment where everyone can get into the act.”

Taylor says he is currently going through the permitting process for the work to be done, and that he expects it all to be completed by the end of this summer.

“There’s a lot of excitement about it,’’ Taylor says. “(Some) people are still like, ‘Yeah yeah, we’ve heard it all before,’ but I tell them, ‘Look, it’s done, and it’s happening.’ We’re moving pretty quickly.”

The HGCC Tennis & Athletic Center is located at 18050 Hunters Oak Ct. For more information, visit ClubCorp.com/Clubs/Hunter-s-Green-Country-Club/Amenities/Tennis or call 973-4220. For membership information, call Ann Pereira at 973-1000, ext. 237.

Freedom Boys Basketball Faces Tough Road To Defend District Title

By Andy Warrener

Riding the wave of back-to-back District championships, the Freedom High Patriots boys basketball team finds themselves facing an uphill battle starting tonight in what is arguably the toughest district in Tampa if they hope to win another crown.

“When I got here (to Freedom) five years ago, Sickles, Chamberlain and Wiregrass Ranch were all pretty good,” Pats head coach Cedric Smith says. “But then, Wharton went up to (Class) 8A.”

This season, the Wildcats (20-4, 12-2) moved back down to Class 7A, and they have locked up the second seed in the Class 7A, District 8 tournament, where they will host the semifinals and finals.

Freedom is (19-5, 11-3) is seeded third, and will host Gaither tonight at 7 p.m.

Because the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) won’t be altering districts again until 2019, the Patriots need to get used to the stiffer opposition and tougher-to-win league titles.

“We’re excited for the competition,” Smith says. “We want to play the best teams, we want to beat the best teams.”

Freedom split the two-game regular season series with the ‘Cats and it’s almost an inevitability that the two New Tampa schools will face off in the District 7A-8 semifinals at Wharton, making for a potentially incredible evening. The previous two meetings between the schools have not disappointed, as both were close contests settled in the final quarter and with large crowds in the stands.

The No. 1-seed is Sickles, 23-2 and winners of eight straight games.

“Sickles has a good crowd and they’re playing so well right now,” Smith says. “This is the year they think they are going to get through Regionals to Lakeland.”

Smith is well aware of the task in front of him and his team.

“It’s nerve-wracking but I’m a competitive guy,” Smith says. “I want to have to play two of the best teams in the county (to advance in the District playoffs).”

Smith, being the newest of the three coaches, says he has gleaned a great deal from both coach Renaldo Garcia of Sickles and Wharton’s Tommy Tonelli.

“We try to model our success on what those guys have done,” Smith says. “I have the greatest respect for those guys as coaches and I try to model my program after them.”

Smith might be the new kid on the block compared to his district rivals but the Patriots have been red-hot, winning 11 straight until a 57-56 loss to Riverview in last week’s season finale. A Dec. 18 win against Wharton kicked off the big run.

The Pats trailed 22-9 at the half before rallying to a 54-49 victory in their own gym. Since that near loss, the Patriots added 10 more wins, all by double-digits and with an average victory margin of 21 points, including a 60-41 victory over State championship contender St. Petersburg Gibbs (20-2 at the time).

A big part of both that comeback against Wharton and the current streak has been the play of senior point guard Nasir Core.

“He (Core) has always been a big factor,” Smith says, “but this year, he’s got higher numbers and we’re asking him to do more. He brings leadership to the point guard position, and is like another coach on the floor; he’s been a big impact for us.”

Core, one of Freedom’s three co-captains, had a team-high 16 points in the game against Wharton, and he averages just under 10 points a game this season. Core also is pulling down 3.2 rebounds per game and leads the team in assists-per-game with 2.7.

“We’ve gotten to the point where Nasir is a big part of what we do,” Smith said.

Core certainly doesn’t do it alone. Forward and co-captain Sheldon Odunna is the team’s leading scorer (15.7 per game). Guards Chase Creasy and Alexander Oguinn make key contributions for the Patriots, too.

“We usually know what we’re going to get from Nasir and Sheldon,” Smith said. “When those others come on and the light bulb goes on, we’re a tough team to beat.”

The Pats will need all hands on deck as they wrap up the regular season this week and get set for a minefield of a District tournament beginning tonight.

Crawford’s Turnaround Sparking Wharton’s Boys Hoops Success

Josiah Crawford, a 6-foot-3 senior forward at Paul R. Wharton High in New Tampa, has improved his scoring average this season, and improved his rebounding totals as well.

Crawford’s numbers, however, while impressive, don’t tell the most important part of his story.

Coach Tommy Tonelli does.

Tonelli describes Crawford in glowing terms like “respectful, committed and determined” to describe a player he says has grown into “a great teammate.”

The long-time Wharton boys basketball coach has not only been impressed with Crawford’s turnaround as a basketball player, but moved by his turnaround as a person.

“In all my years of coaching, I have never seen a greater transformation,’’ says Tonelli, now in his 17th year of running Wharton’s successful hoops program, of his talented swingman.

Crawford, who can basically play every position on the floor, is a big part of the reason why the Wildcats ave notched their seventh straight 20-win season and head into tonight’s Class 7A, District 8 tournament at Wharton as the No. 2 seed and winners of seven straight. He is averaging team-highs in points (16.8) and rebounds (8.7) and has been a leader on the court.

Crawford says his journey to arrive at that court, however, required overcoming some self-inflicted obstacles.

As a freshman, Crawford decided he didn’t want to play basketball for the Wildcats, despite being a talented hoopster in AAU and at pick-up games at the nearby L.A. Fitness on County Line Rd.

“I was just messing around, I didn’t want to go to practices,” Crawford says. “I was just lazy. I would just go home and hang out.”

For some of the Wildcats, many of them his friends, that was unacceptable. They told him he needed to be on the court, that he was wasting his talent.

They told Tonelli, too. The coach, however, told his players that if Crawford wanted to come out for the team, he needed to stop by his office and ask.

When Crawford finally stopped by towards the end of his freshman year, Tonelli says, he still had a hint of an attitude problem. “I remember he walked in, and he was Mr. Cool,’’ Tonelli says. “He said, ‘You wanted to see me?’ I told him no.”

The message from Tonelli was simple — if you want to play, come earn your way onto the team.

That summer, Crawford did just that, competing in summer leagues with Wharton. “He was like a wild colt,’’ Tonelli says.

Crawford was a standout during the junior varsity summer league at Berkeley Prep in the Westshore area of Tampa, opening Tonelli’s eyes. While the coach had never seen him play prior to him coming out for the basketball team, his players told him that Crawford needed to be on the Wharton roster.

“He showed some real talent, and that carried right over into fall workouts,’’ Tonelli says.

However, during his freshman year, Crawford was not only not playing basketball, he wasn’t performing well in the classroom either. Tonelli described him as a “knucklehead.” As a result, he was ineligible for most of the basketball season his sophomore year, despite his super summer.

“I was disappointed in myself,’’ Crawford recalls. “If I would have played basketball my freshman year, coach would not have let my grades be the way they were.”

It was during this time, Tonelli surmises, that Crawford began changing, accepting responsibility, working hard and growing into the young man he is now. Even knowing he wasn’t going to be able to play, Crawford showed up every day to practice with the ‘Cats. He came to every game. He helped with water and the towels, and became a better student in the classroom.

In other words, Tonelli says, “He worked his butt off.”

Crawford regained his eligibility in time to play the final two games for Wharton’s JV team, and has never looked back since.

That summer, Crawford, who also stars in the 400- and 800-meter runs for the Wharton track team, took off. Playing on an AAU team with players from Wharton and Jesuit, his game improved every day. Last year, as a junior, he started every game for the ‘Cats and, for the first time, he actually made the honor roll in school.

This year, he has been one of the best players not only on the Wildcats but in District 7A-8, where he ranks third in scoring and second in rebounding.

“My jump shooting has gotten better, my rebounding is better,” Crawford says. “I’d just say that all around I think I’ve gotten better.’’

Two Saturdays ago, Crawford was named the game MVP in a 63-46 win against Clearwater at a tournament in Seminole. It’s been like that all year, Tonelli says. The player he describes as a one-time knucklehead continues to make every hustle play, shining both on the court and in the classroom.

“What really moves me is the way he has given appreciation and thanks for all the people who brought him along this far,’’ Tonelli says. “It’s really a nice thing to see.”

Boys Class 7A-8 District

Basketball Tourney Schedule
Feb. 2: Leto at Wharton, 7 p.m.; Gaither at Freedom, 7 p.m. (Note: Higher seed teams host first round games; the rest are played at one site.)

Feb. 3: at Wharton; District Semifinals at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: at Wharton; District Championship at 7 p.m.

Soccer playoffs right around the corner for local squads

AlishaDeschenes — Sophomore Alisha Deschenes

The Wharton Wildcats girls soccer squad is in the best position among New Tampa’s high school soccer squads heading into the new year.

The ‘Cats 8-4-3 record doesn’t drop anyone’s jaw, but they started the season 1-1-2 when goalkeeper Caroline DeLisle was still occupied with the Wharton volleyball team’s run into the Regional playoffs. Since her return, the Wildcats are 7-3-1, with a nice six-game win streak in the heart of their schedule.

DeLisle has 79 saves in 10 games, almost eight a game, which is tops in Class 5A, District 7 and second in the State in all of Class 5A. The Wildcats have been dominant, locally, with shutout wins against Wiregrass Ranch (3-0) and Freedom (4-0).

The Wharton girls, with a 3-1-1 record in District 5A-7, are in second behind perennial Pinellas powerhouse Palm Harbor University (PHU). The Wildcats lost 4-1 to the Hurricanes early in the season.

Plant will host the District playoffs, which begin Jan. 11, and the Wildcat girls are planning to make some noise. Senior Taylor Hubbard, a University of Alabama commitment, has eight goals and 14 assists so far this season. Speedy sophomore Alisha Deschenes and freshman Leanna Wunsch also have eight goals apiece.

Defender Casey Grotz is committed to North Florida University in Jacksonville and midfielder Natalie Ferrin is committed to Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. Head coach Denis Vukorep said that he expects one more college commitment in January.

UPHILL BATTLE FOR PATRIOT GIRLS: The Freedom girls squad is mired in the very tough District 4A-8, where Pasco County’s Mitchell High is 16-0 and 5-0 in the district and the Patriot girls face a tough road. They are 4-6 (1-2 in the District) and in fourth place. The Pats will have to get through no less than two of the teams seeded ahead of them to sniff the playoffs, although they will have homefield advantage for the District tourney.

WILDCAT BOYS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: The Wharton boys team has a similar problem as the Freedom girls. They are stuck in brutal District 5A-7, where four of the top six teams all have winning records. It’s so tough that the 2014-15 state semifinalists, Wiregrass Ranch, is only in third-place.

The Wildcats, winless in the district, were in last place at our press time. It will be a tremendous uphill climb for Wharton to scratch the playoffs, especially considering PHU hosts. Coach Scott Ware has his eyes turned toward the future, as five of his 11 starters are freshmen or sophomores. Only one senior starts for the ‘Cats.

“We hope that bodes well for the next year or two,” Ware says. “We’re young, we’re still trying to find our system.”

Junior forward Clifford Adjei has 10 goals on the season. In goal, the Wildcats split time between freshman Andy Ilken and senior Chris Moreno. Ilken is the one Ware appears to be grooming for the future — he had 18 saves at our press time to Moreno’s 21.

FREEDOM BOYS IN FIFTH: The Freedom boys team also is in a very tough District 4A-8, with Mitchell (11-4-1, 5-0) leading the way. The Patriots (3-6-2, 1-3-1) are in fifth in 4A-8. The Pats did post a 5-2 win over Sickles in early December.

Leto will host the District playoffs the week of Jan. 18.

Wharton’s Cross Country Success Bodes Well For 2016 Track Season

Story & Photo by Andy Warrener

(L.-r.): Bryanna Rivers, Rachel Lettiero, Mackenzie Willman, Caroline Maggi, Marin James, Alisha Deschenes and Rania Samhouri pose with their trophy after winning the Hillsborough County Cross Country Championship meet. The Wharton girls went on to finish third at States, tops in the Tampa Bay area.

A great way to forecast high school spring track season success is to evaluate a school’s success during the fall cross country season. In that regard, the members of the girls cross country team at Paul R. Wharton High on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. have put themselves in a very good position for spring track following a dominant cross country season that concluded Nov. 7 in Tallahassee.

Mired in a brutal district (District 4A-6), the Wharton cross country team had to cut its teeth by battling all season with 10-time state champion Plant and county powerhouse Newsome.

Still, they came out on top in all of Hillsborough County in nearly every instance. First, it was the Hillsborough County Championships, where the Wildcats out-distanced Plant 44-65. Next, it was at the District 4A-6 meet, where the ‘Cats clipped the Panthers 32-41.

At the 4A Region 2 meet in Lakeland, the Wharton girls had an off day but still managed third place behind Newsome, 104 to 112.

“You always know Coach (Orlando) Greene is going to field a competitive team at Plant and you know you have to be ready to roll and that you can’t count them (Newsome) out,” Wharton coach Anthony Triana said.

The Wildcat girls bounced back in a big way, however, in Tallahassee at the State championships, finishing third, the best showing for any Hillsborough County girls team, and a big jump from the previous year when Wharton was 13th.

Top cross country runners Alisha Deschenes and Rania Samhouri both placed in the top 30 individually in Tallahassee.

Deschenes was the 4A-6 District champion and set a personal best this season with a run of 19 minutes, 31 seconds at the FSU Invitational, as did Samhouri (19.44 at FSU Invitational) and Bryanna Rivers (19:50.9 at the district meet). Samhouri moved up to the No. 2 runner behind Deschenes for Wharton after starting the season at No. 5.

Samhouri used a tough finish at state track last season to fuel her cross country season, and she hopes to carry that energy from cross country into the upcoming track season. “Rania had a tough leg of the 4x800m at States, where she got passed down the final stretch,’’ Triana said, “and it’s fueled her ever since.”

Rania told Triana that the ride back from the State meet counted as her break, and she was ready for the next season. “Most kids take a couple of weeks off, Triana said. “That just shows her determination and why she did so well in cross country this season.”

Deschenes didn’t even compete for Wharton in track last season, devoting her time to the soccer pitch, but after a solid cross country campaign, she’s now slated to run for the Wildcats this coming season.

The Wharton girls started spring conditioning for track on November 23.

“Anytime you go from States to the next season, it’s all about keeping the kids hungry,” Triana said. “These girls have that. We took two weeks off from cross country States and we’re already ready to go.”

According to the FHSAA record books, no Hillsborough County girls team has ever won a team track title. The best finish by any Hillsborough County school belongs to the Wildcats in 2008, when they finished third.

It will be no picnic and certainly it will be extremely difficult to unseat 10-time and back-to-back Class 4A state champs St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, but Triana thinks cracking into the top five with eyes on the runner-up position or even better is possible.

“All last year did was give us more confidence that we can compete with anyone,” Triana said. “When that gun goes off we’re going to give it all we can and compete with those people.

“Forty or 50 points is likely to get you first or second (in Class 4A) at States. We expect to have 10-12 girls competing at the State track meet this coming season, so I’m pretty sure we can score 40 or 50 points.” Last season, the Wildcat girls finished 12th, but return most of the key contributors.

Top sprinter Aria Tate, a junior, placed sixth in the 100m hurdles at states, just missing the 200m finals by 0.08 seconds. Top middle distance runner Rivers, the school record holder in the 800m and sixth-place finisher in the event at the State meet, also is just a junior. Serena Gadson was 13th at States in the 800m and is just a sophomore. Junior Marin James returns after placing 13th in the 3200m race.

Wharton’s 4x400m relay team was dominant locally and was seventh at the 2015 State meet. The 4x800m relay was third at States, two seconds off the school record, and returns all four runners.

Field events might be the one weak spot for the 2016 Wildcats, but it’s an area of emphasis with Triana and his assistants this offseason.

“It’s part of the team that we really need to develop,” Triana said. “Long jumper Avonti Holt and high jumper Sabrena Eye will be key for us.”