Wiregrass Ranch High Highlights Spring All-Conference Awards

No. 1 singles boys tennis standout Ninad Raut led the Bulls to the Class 4A State semifinals.

There was little doubt which of Wesley Chapel’s three high school athletic programs had the best spring this year — Wiregrass Ranch High.

The Bulls dominated the Sunshine Athletic Conference (SAC) East selections, capturing three team titles, three Coaches of the Year and four Players of the Year, as well as putting 25 athletes on all-SAC first teams and another 28 on second teams. 

WRH was the only area school to have at least one All-SAC first-team performer in all 10 sports offered — baseball, softball, boys weightlifting and wrestling, and boys and girls tennis, track and field and lacrosse — during the Spring 2022 season.

Softball Player of the Year Kylee Johnson, a junior shortstop, had arguably the best season ever for an area player, batting .506 with 34 RBI, 8 home runs, 10 triples and 12 doubles for a whopping slugging percentage of 1.149.

Other Bulls Players of the Year included:

‱ Girls lacrosse standout Luna Khatib, who scored 83 goals and had 33 assists in 17 games this season in earning POY honors for a second straight year

‱ No. 1 singles boys tennis standout Ninad Raut, who led the Bulls to the Class 4A State semifinals

‱ Hurdler Catherine Fleming, who advanced to the State championships in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles as well as the 4×100 relay and, like Khatib, was a repeat POY winner. 

Coaches Craig Havermann (girls lacrosse), Dave Wilson (boys tennis) and Mark Kantor (weightlifting) were all named Coaches of the Year after leading their respective sports at WRH to SAC championships.

Other highlights for the Bulls included:

‱ Brothers Maddox (sophomore infielder) and Mason McDougal (senior outfielder), who made the All-SAC first team for baseball.

‱ Seniors Mackenzie Smith (offense) and Alessia Lloyd (defense) and junior defender Aly Allen joined Khalib on the All-SAC lacrosse team.

‱ Boys tennis players Raut, Vld Shumakov, Zak Herrmann, Belal Mansour and Leonardo Rodriguez all made the All-SAC first-team, and all are juniors, so they will return next season.

‱ Track & Field’s Ava Schmitt, a freshman, made the first team in two events – the 1600m and 3200m.

Meanwhile, Cypress Creek High produced two SAC Players of the Year — senior infielder Ethan Petry, who led the Coyotes with a .479 batting average, 33 runs and six homers at the plate and a 5-2 record and 60 strikeouts in 42 innings as a pitcher, and freshman weightlifter Jayden Cruzado, who finished third at the Class 2A State championships in the 129-pound weight class. Cruzado also made first team All-SAC in wrestling at 129 pounds

Other highlights for Cypress Creek included senior Kione Roberson making the track & field first team in the long jump and second in the high jump, and junior Tiffany Colin making first team in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprints.

Wesley Chapel High’s baseball team won the SAC title this season after going 6-2 in the conference, and the Wildcats also were represented on the All-SAC teams by girls track & field Athlete of the Year Latia Dove — a senior who advanced to the Class 2A State championships in the long jump and 4×100 relay — and 199-pound senior Jorden McCaslin, the SAC Wrestler of the Year and a competitor at the Class 2A State championships.

Other highlights for the Wildcats included McCaslin also making first team for weightlifting and second team for track (in the 4×100 relay); senior pitcher Zach Showalter (team-high .333 average, four homers, 21 RBI, 0.78 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 45 innings) making first team for baseball; and Kandace Means capping a great career (.390 batting average, 19 doubles, 15 home runs and 91 RBI in 73 games) with first-team softball honors.

Here’s all the Wesley Chapel-area choices by school:

WIREGRASS RANCH

TEAM CHAMPIONS

Weightlifting

Boys Tennis

Girls Lacrosse

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

LUNA KHALIB, GIRLS LACROSSE

NINAD RAUT, BOYS TENNIS

KYLEE JOHNSON, SOFTBALL

CATHERINE FLEMING, GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

COACHES OF THE YEAR

CRAIG HAVERMANN, GIRLS LACROSSE

DAVE WILSON, BOYS TENNIS

MARK KANTOR, BOYS WEIGHTLIFTING

FIRST TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Maddox McDougall, 10, INF; Mason McDougal, 12, OF.

SOFTBALL: Kylee Johnson, 11, INF; Brianna Baer, 12, OF.

BOYS LACROSSE: Jeremiah Loo, 12, Off.

GIRLS LACROSSE: Luna Khalib, 12, Off, Mackenzie Smith, 12, Off;  Alessia Lloyd, 12, Def; Aly Allen, 11, Def.

BOYS TENNIS: Ninad Raut, 11; Vlad Shumakov, 11; Zak Herrmann, 11; Belal Mansour, 11; Leonardo Rodriguez, 11.

GIRLS TENNIS: Sydney West, 11

BOYS TRACK: 4×400 relay (Riddyk Ayan, 11; Mason Spearin, 10; Joseph Medina, 11; Alexzay Rodriguez, 9)

GIRLS TRACK: Catherine Fleming, 12, 100m and 300m hurdles, 12; Ava Schmitt, 9, 1600m and 3200m.

WRESTLING: Dylan Dison, 11, 119 pounds.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Isaiah Fitzpatrick, 11, 154 pounds; Kenneth Walker, 11, 219; Devin Leathers, 11, 238.

SECOND TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Christopher Labraon, 12, INF.

SOFTBALL: Abigail Vyas, 12, P; Elise Eason, 12, INF; Stephanie Daly, 10. BOYS LACROSSE: Garrett Schwartz, 11, Off; Jackson Payton, 11, Def.

GIRLS LACROSSE: Bridgette Currin, 10, Def,

BOYS TENNIS: Jeremy Caruso, 11

GIRLS TENNIS: Natalie Andelova, 9; Oceane Bucaille, 12

BOYS TRACK: Izaiah Williams, 10, 200m; Riddyk Ayan, 11, Long jump; 4×800 relay (Mason Spearin, 10; Jaime Candelaria, 11; Tyler Dana, 9; Joseph Medina, 11.)

GIRLS TRACK: Maryam Khalil, 12, shot put and discus; 4×100 relay (Kenzye Gainey, 11; Amaiya Potter 11; Daylyn Brown, 9; Ashtyn Warner 11); 4×400 relay (Catherine Fleming, 12; Faith Sidwell, 12; Kenzye Gainey, 11; Amiaya Potter, 11).

WRESTLING: Kenneth Walker, 11, 219 pounds

WEIGHTLIFTING: Dylan Dison, 11, 119 pounds; Alex Cruz, 10, 139; Elijah Brown, 10, 183.

CYPRESS CREEK

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

ETHAN PETRY, BASEBALL

JAYDEN CRUZADO, WEIGHTLIFTING

FIRST TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Ethan Petry, 12, INF.

SOFTBALL: Charlie Montgomery, 12, INF; Reagan Alapa, 11, OF.

BOYS LACROSSE: Nicholas Vreeland, 12, Off.

GIRLS LACROSSE: Avery Smith, 11, Off; Mirando Garcia, 12, Def

BOYS TRACK: Kione Roberson, 12, Long jump

GIRLS TRACK: Tiffany Colin, 11, 100m, 200m, 400m.

WRESTLING: Jayden Cruzado, 9, 129 pounds

WEIGHTLIFTING: Jayden Cruzado, 9, 129 pounds; Matt Hensley, 11, 169.

SECOND TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Seamus Gallagher, 10, INF.

SOFTBALL: Miranda Schwartz, 12, INF.

BOYS LACROSSE: Ben Sheldon, 11, Off; Logan Falk, 11, Def.

GIRLS LACROSSE: Ashlynn Hunter, 10, Off; Jaidyn Davis, 11, Def

BOYS TENNIS: Kai Penalosa, 10

BOYS TRACK:  Kione Roberson, 12, High jump

WEIGHTLIFTING: Huey Wyche, 9, 129 pounds

HONORABLE MENTION

Girls tennis: Melanie Rodriguez, 10

WESLEY CHAPEL

TEAM CHAMPIONS

Baseball

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

LATIA DOVE, GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

JORDEN MCCASLIN, WRESTLING

FIRST TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Zach Showalter, 12, P.

SOFTBALL: Kadence Means, 12, INF; Ava Blakely, 10, OF.

GIRLS TRACK: 4×100 relay (Remiyah Harris,12; Valeria Farjardo, 10; Latia Dove, 12; Annalyse Rogers 12).

WRESTLING: Connor Maddox, 11, 154 pounds; Jorden McCaslin, 12, 199.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Jorden McCaslin, 12, 199 pounds

SECOND TEAM PICKS

BASEBALL: Zach Bice, 12, INF; Jacob Carrillo, 11, OF.

SOFTBALL: Madison Golka, 12, INF; Courtney Marks, 10, OF.

GIRLS LACROSSE: Briana Belcher, 11, Def.

BOYS TRACK: 4×100 relay (Jorden McCaslin, 12, Nehemiah Morgan, 12, Sebastian Gutierrez, 11, Jaylan Blake 12).

GIRLS TRACK: Alexi Benitez, 12, 100m hurdles; Valeria Farjardo, 10, 100m; Annalyse Rogers, 12, 200m; Latia Dove, 12, Long jump.

HONORABLE MENTION

LACROSSE: Anthony Iserino, 12, Off

BOYS TENNIS: Alexander Raatma, 11

GIRLS TENNIS: Piper Dunne, 10

RADDSports Charity Hosts First 5K Run & Family Festival June 18!

Runners, take your marks!

Fresh off a successful first-ever Charity Golf Tournament at Lexington Oaks Golf Club last December, RADDSports Charity — the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the company running the programs at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County — will host its first-ever 5K Run and Family Festival at the Sports Campus on Saturday, June 18.

The event — which will benefit local youth athletes who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate in RADDSports’ programs at the Sports Campus — will kick off with a chip-timed (by FITniche Events) 5K road race at 7:30 a.m., with age group awards given to the race’s top finishers.

The cost to participate in the 5K is $30 (or $25 until June 17, for those using the code “RADD5” when they register) or $35 the day of the event, and all registered runners will receive a race T-shirt (although proper sizes can not be guaranteed for all participants).  

The 5K will be followed at 8:30 a.m. by a one-mile race, where the pre-race-day cost to participate is $15 (again, using the code “RADD5”) or $20 the day of the event. Event T-shirts (while supplies last) also will be given out to one-mile race participants. 

After the two races, at 9:30 a.m., there also will be a free 1/4-mile Kids Fun Run for children ages 10 & under. 

Family Festival All Morning!  

Also kicking off at 7:30 a.m. and lasting until noon will be a Family Festival, which will be free to all runners, and $2 for all non-runners.

The Family Festival will feature a variety of vendors (including Culver’s, shown at the top of this page), some of which will be serving food and beverages for free (including Smoothie King and others that had not been finalized at our press time), as well as a variety of free family-friendly activities (including games, music and more).

“We are excited to be hosting our first-ever RADDSports Charity 5K and Family Festival at the Sports Campus,” says RADDSports president & CEO Richard Blalock. “It’s a great way for us to offer a fun community event that will benefit the young athletes in need in our community.” 

Although the runs and Festival events will be held outside the Sports Campus, the on-site registration and restrooms for the event will be held inside the 98,000-sq.-ft. AdventHealth Sports Arena, which also will be open for anyone interested in touring the facility. The arena can be configured to include 8 full-court basketball courts or 16 full-sized volleyball courts, has a world-class cheerleading area and performance training for its athletes. Indoor soccer (aka “futsal”) also is offered inside the arena.

Blalock and the entire Board of RADDSports Charity also thank the event’s Champion Sponsor — Abdoney Orthodontics, as well as all of the event’s Corporate Sponsors — Parks Motor Group, Smoothie King of Wesley Chapel, Sana Dental Studio & Spa, Topgolf Tampa, Transform Solar and the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News. Thanks also go out to the 5K Route Sponsors — Ark Softwash, Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer Community Foundation and McNamara Health & Wellness and In-Kind Sponsors Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and Pepin Distributing Co.

For more info or to pre-register for the event, visit RADDSportsCharity.org, email Charity@RADDSports.com or see the ad (right). For last-minute sponsorship/vendor opportunities, email Jannah@RADDSports.com.—GN

Saving Her Best For Last

Wharton’s Brooke Reif captured an elusive state title in her second-to-last race as a high senior. (Photo: Charmaine George)

When Palm Harbor University (PHU) distance ace Haley Thornton takes off in the 1600-meter run, few runners in Florida can go with her.

Wharton’s Brooke Reif knows that fact all too well. At last year’s Class 4A State Championships, the PHU junior ran away from the field, which included Reif.

At the District and Regional meets this season, Thornton did the same.

However, at the Florida State High School Class 4A Track & Field Championships on May 6, Thornton wasn’t able to run away. 

Reif simply wouldn’t let her.

Executing the perfect game plan, fueled by the dream of winning a State Championship in her final meet in high school and equipped with one of the best finishing kicks around, Reif ran the race of her life in the 1600, or one-mile race, on the way to that elusive State title.

“I just kept thinking that, as hard as the race was, how great it was going to feel afterwards,” said Reif. “And, it was amazing.”

Brooke Reif pulls away in the 1-mile run at state. (Photo courtesy of Brooke Reif)

Although Reif already has a handful of medals from past state meets, including a bronze from last year’s 1600, her last one, finally, is gold. She has had a stellar career at Wharton as a cross country and track runner, winning dozens of races and improving every year. Her winning mile time at the State meet was 4:53, a school record, to go along with her previously set record in the two-mile.

Thornton crossed in 5:00.

Reif is the seventh girl in Wharton history to win an individual State championship, and the first since London Enos (pole vault) in both 2009 & 2010. 

The daughter of former college runners Jim (her dad) and mom Rena (who was also the USF men’s and women’s cross country coach and assistant track and field coach for years), Reif has seemingly always been destined for running greatness.

And, she saved her best for last.

Thornton was a formidable foe and, in typical style, wasted little time running to the front in the State championship race. Reif, who will usually hang back in the middle of the pack before making her move later, decided this time she was going to stick with Thornton. “I knew if I let her get too far ahead, I wouldn’t be able to catch her,” Reif said. 

The fast pace — the opening lap was 67 seconds and, halfway through, the split was 2:20 — quickly winnowed the field to the two favorites, Reif and Thornton.

Reif stayed 2-3 steps behind Thornton. When the PHU runner tried to push out to a bigger lead, Reif pushed with her.

Because Reif was so close, she thinks that Thornton had to run at a faster pace than normal. Being unable to shake Reif, then, likely proved to be frustrating for the 2021 State champ.

“I knew if I stayed close enough, it would scare her,“ Reif said. “I felt good. I knew if I could stay that close, I was going to be able to pass her.”

With roughly 300 meters remaining, it was time. Using her vaunted kick, Reif surged past Thornton and into the lead.

For good.

“What she talked me through before the race is exactly what happened,” said Wharton girls track and field coach Andy Martin. “To see it happen just like that was amazing.”

Reif remembers when she first started running at Wharton, her goal was to be like the older girls on the team. 

She also wanted to set a school record. She wanted to earn a college scholarship. And, as she got better, she wanted to win a State championship.

When she packs up to move to run collegiately at the Division I University of Richmond (in Virginia) on June 15, she will have achieved all of her goals.

In her wake, she will leave a legacy for younger runners to strive for, and, of course, a banner with her picture on it to hang in the school gym, alongside all of the other State champions the school has produced. 

“My mom told me we have to pick out a picture for it,” Reif said. “I didn’t even know I got one of those. That’s going to be pretty cool.”

Local WC High Schools Looking For Starting QBs and more

Elijiah Brown (center) and Brendan Collela (right in the maroon jersey) are vying for the starting job at Wiregrass Ranch. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Spring football always presents a host of questions for area coaches to answer.

Who is going to start here, who is going to block there, and who is going to step up in the fall?

But, in Wesley Chapel this month, all three local high schools have at least one question in common:

Who is going to play quarterback?

The game’s most important position at Wiregrass Ranch (WRH), Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Cypress Creek (CCH) was handled by seniors Rocco Becht, Ethan Harper and Owen Walls, respectively. Together, the trio passed for more than 4,300 yards and 45 touchdowns. Their backups threw a combined five passes, completing one.

So, who will line up under center on May 19 when Cypress Creek hosts a jamboree against Pasco and St. Petersburg Catholic and Wiregrass Ranch visits Berkeley Prep at 7 p.m., or May 20 when Wesley Chapel hosts Land O’Lakes at 7 p.m.?

Good question.

Bryson Rodgers is considered one of the top prep receivers in the country.

Nowhere does the quarterback search seem more of a necessity than at WRH, where the Bulls are flush with a pair of fantastic, dare we say once-in-a-lifetime wide receivers.

Rising senior Bryson Rodgers recently committed to Ohio State  — which had two wideouts drafted in the first round of last month’s NFL Draft — and rising junior Izaiah Williams picked up a college offer from national champion Georgia last week, to go with those he has received from the likes of Florida State, Cincinnati and Michigan.

Bulls coach Mark Kantor admits it’s not ideal to have to find a new, unproven quarterback for a roster that arguably has the two best receivers in school history, but he has his fingers crossed that the answer emerges from the spring battle between last year’s backup Elijiah Brown and junior varsity starter Brendyn Collela.

“They’re even right now,” says Kantor.

While Kantor would like to see a starter emerge that can take advantage of his star receivers, who combined for 1,200 yards and 18 TDs last year, he does have the area’s top returning running back in Kenneth Walker, who scored seven TDs last year.

Quarterback aside, Kantor does have other issues. He has an offensive line to replace, though he feels good about the spring efforts so far and thinks he has found four of the five future starters, and his defense has to be better. 

Last fall, the Bulls lost four of their last five games and surrendered an average of 37 points in those losses.

He is counting on guys like rising senior Nick Johnson (LB) and Elijiah Westbrooks (CB), rising junior Jaden Bering (MLB) and rising sophomore Ola Omaloye (MLB) to pack some extra punch into the defensive unit.

“We’ve got to get back to playing physical defense,” Kantor says. “I gotta find some dudes who want to crack-a-lack.”

CCH Grooming Neimann

Meanwhile, at Cypress Creek, Walls’ departure will hurt, but coach Mike Johnson likes what he has seen in jayvee starter and rising junior Jack Neimann this offseason.

“I think we’ve got some great guys trying to fill those shoes,” Johnson says. “Jack is a guy who has been productive, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

While quarterback may be the biggest loss, the entire offense is in need of a spring overhaul. Even if Neimann can prove to be the answer at QB, he will need blockers, pass catchers and running backs and the Coyotes went into spring looking for all those things. 

Dylan Lolley, a 6-3, 225-pound tight end, is a great route runner and had 28 catches for 329 yards last year, so he’ll be counted on to replace a lot of the 1,200 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns lost to graduation. And, rising senior running back Tre Gibson is expected to take over in the backfield.

As for the offensive line, Johnson says a torn ACL, back surgery and dislocated elbow will keep three of his veteran offensive/defensive linemen sidelined this spring, but he feels good about the fall.

Defensively, it’s been a five-year battle to find a unit that can produce like Johnson wants it to. In the team’s brief history, the Coyotes have been allowing more than 30 points a game.

Can The ‘Cats Run To Wins?

While the Wildcats (6-4 last season) also need a quarterback, they don’t rely on the pass as much as their area counterparts.

Harper threw for 600 yards last season, so whoever inherits the reigns between rising senior Dillon McGinnis, junior Colin Opperman and sophomore Desmond Devore won’t be asked to do too much.

Instead, how they lead WCH’s run-first offense will be the key. 

“Whoever shows the leadership for the position will be the guy,” says coach Anthony Egan. 

Egan has rising senior bookend tackles in Max Hambrecht (6-4, 325) and Ryan Warren (6-3, 270) and tight end Conner Libby (6-5, 230) to anchor his offensive line, so look for the Wildcats to do what the coach likes best and pound the rock while controlling the clock. The loss of 1,000-yard rusher Jaylan Blake needs to be replaced, and Egan says last year’s fullback Mason Quinn could be that guy.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Josh Poleon will anchor the unit, which is in rebuilding mode. The hardest part about rebuilding, whether it’s finding one player like a quarterback or an entire defensive line, are the number of choices. At Wesley Chapel, Egan’s biggest spring battle could be finding enough players.

“We’re still struggling with numbers,” says Egan, who had about 45 kids out this spring. “It definitely presents some special challenges. We have good kids, with great skills, but we need more of them.”

It’s Official: Vanzant Will Replace Tonelli

Long-time Wharton High boys basketball coach Tommy Tonelli (left) is stepping down and former Wharton star Shawn Vanzant (pictured here with daughter Lena) is taking over.  

Shawn Vanzant is coming home.

It took a little cajoling, but the former Wharton star and 2007 graduate has officially been named as the Wildcats next boys basketball coach.

“I’m very excited,” Vanzant told the Neighborhood News. “I can’t wait to get to Wharton and get a full head of steam going. I’m excited to get back home.“

Vanzant, 33, who has coached the boys team at Bloomingdale the past four seasons, will replace Tommy Tonelli, who announced that he was retiring from coaching after Wharton advanced to the Class 6A final four this past season for just the second time in school history.

Tonelli has always praised Vanzant’s coaching acumen, long predicting that his former player would someday become one of the top high school coaches in the area if a college job didn’t come along first.

“I couldn’t be more excited and proud that he will be the basketball coach at Wharton,” said Tonelli, who will continue in his role as a guidance counselor at the school.

It was a recent dinner with Tonelli, and a phone call with a former college teammate, that eventually persuaded Vanzant to take the job after he had declined previous overtures.

“Anybody who knows me knows I don’t like anything being given to me,” Vanzant says. “I felt like I’ve been building something great here at Bloomingdale, and Wharton was really what coach Tonelli had built. I wanted to do that same thing at Bloomingdale.”

But Matt Howard, a teammate at Butler where the duo helped lead the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA championship games in 2010 and 2011, helped Vanzant look at it differently.

“He said, ‘I get what you are saying, but at the same time sustaining something that great is a big challenge,’” Vanzant said. “He helped me see the other side of it. Wharton’s never had a losing season. I’ve been a part of building that, and I know I can keep that going.”

Vanzant, who has known Tonelli since he was nine-years-old and would show up on weeknights and weekends at Wharton for pick-up games, coached Bloomingdale to a 3-21 record his first season as a head coach in 2018-19, but the team has averaged 14 wins over the last three seasons and went 17-12 — and won a District championship for the first time since 2016 — this past season.

Having played for two ultra-successful coaches in Tonelli and Butler’s Brad Stevens, Vanzant, who is married with two young daughters, says he has incorporated both men’s styles into his own.

“My coaching style is very similar,” he says. “Offense is easy, you compete and win on defense, and I expect you to compete at a very very high level. And you play for one another. It’s we over me, that’s something we always said at Butler.”

Vanzant acknowledges he has big shoes to fill.

Although no official records are kept, Tonelli is leaving the coaching ranks as the all-time wins leader for Hillsborough County public schools. Since building the program from scratch when Wharton opened in 1997, Tonelli never had a losing season and finished with 528 victories and just 137 losses in 23 seasons — for a sparkling .794 career winning percentage. 

Tonelli picked up his 500th win on Dec. 7 against Chamberlain. On Jan. 28, he won his 517th game against Vanzant’s Bloomingdale team, passing former Chamberlain legend Doug Aplin to take the “unofficial” No. 1  spot.

William Bethel, who coached at Middleton in the segregation era, was 551-88 in the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association (at the time, the FHSAA of all-black schools). The Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association annually awards the William Bethel Award to the county coach who has gotten the most out of his team, an award Tonelli has won more than once.

Tonelli, 57, says the demands of coaching have made balancing two jobs too cumbersome and overwhelming. He had been contemplating retirement since last season, worn down by the demands and difficulties during the pandemic, but wanted to let the dust settle before deciding to actually retire. 

“I didn’t want the frustration caused by Covid to be something that chased me out of coaching,” Tonelli said. 

As it turns out, it wasn’t Covid.

It was just time.

When the dust did settle, it revealed one of Tonelli’s most successful seasons ever. The Wildcats were 28-3 and won the school’s 12th District title, its second Regional title and advanced to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 6A finals, where it lost to eventual champion Stuart Martin County.

In typical Wharton fashion, the Wildcats overachieved this year and rode an opportunistic offense and gritty defense to a better finish than most expected. Tonelli called it a “dream season.” 

In perhaps Tonelli’s most impressive accomplishment, it marked the 17th straight season that the Wildcats won at least 20 games, a testament to his practice regimen and game preparation.

“Coach always had us prepared,” says forward Trevor Dyson. “We worked harder than almost everybody. We were always ready. Coach always made sure of that.”

Tonelli, a former Chicago high school star and University of South Florida point guard, says he still feels he has something to give as a coach, and said he would “never say never” to a return to the sidelines one day, if the right situation comes along.

“But right now, I’m done,” he says.