Girls Soccer Preview: Another Banner Year Expected

The Wesley Chapel girls soccer team. (Photos from Twitter)

Wesley Chapel High’s Mark Leonard coaches one of the top girls soccer programs in Pasco County, but he jokes — kind of — that no one seems to agree, at least until the season is over.

In the preseason, though, it always seems that mum’s the word.

“For a few years, it was Pasco High and Nature Coast that were talked about as the best teams, now it’s Cypress Creek and River Ridge,” Leonard says. “But, that’s okay.”

The Wildcats, 13-8-1 last year, have won district titles four of the last five seasons, including last year when, as the No. 3 seed, they knocked off No. 2 Cypress Creek and No. 1 River Ridge in the District 5A-6 tournament to advance to the State playoffs. The ‘Cats are in District 5A-7 this year.

There are many secrets to the Wildcats’ success. They have an elite goal scorer in junior forward Tatum Moore, who has seven of the Wildcats’ 13 goals (after scoring 30 last year to go with 12 assists). They also have veterans like seniors Emily Doonan (F), Nemsis Arroyo (MF), Alyssa Roberts (F/MF) and Kiera McFeron (F/MF), who combined for 32 goals and 21 assists last year. 

Senior captain Lexi Mangione is a steadying force in the middle, and fellow captains Marianna Portillo and Kacey Snead help anchor the defense. 

When teams effectively mark Moore, who has verbally committed to Division-I Coastal Carolina, youngsters like freshman forward Jessenia Joseph, who already has three goals, and sophomore midfielder Ali Goines already have stepped up offensively.

So, despite having a talent like Moore on the roster, Leonard says the biggest secret to the Wildcats’ success is turning in a total team effort.

“They are completely unselfish and there is no sense of entitlement with this group,” Leonard says. “Everyone contributes.”

The Wildcats are only off to a 3-3-1 start, but history tells us they will be a force to be reckoned with by the end of the season. Last year, the Wildcats went 4-1 in their last five games. The year before that, after a 5-8-1 start, they finished 5-1 in their last six games.

In 2019-20, they finished 9-1 and in 2018-19 they finished 8-1.

“Right around midseason every year, we really start to click,” Leonard says.

Coyotes Look To Improve

Cypress Creek, a 3-2 loser to Wesley Chapel in last year’s Class 5A, District 6  final, would like to reverse that trend.

The Coyotes, 4-2 this season, return one of the county’s top 1-2 tandems in junior forwards Ashley Souers and Ashley Olds. The duo has seven goals each and have assisted on four others already, after combining for 34 goals and 11 assists in 2020-21 when they led the Coyotes to an 11-7-1 record. 

Senior Abigail Pittman, who scored four goals last year, and the Fulop sisters — senior Hannah, junior Jordan and freshman Lindsay – are all expected to be key contributors, and sophomore Avery Blevins has scored four times. Keeper Alex Capocy, who had 81 saves and a 1.72 goals against average in 2021-22, is expected to post similar numbers in 2022-23.

Are The Bulls Charging Back?

The top team in Wesley Chapel the past few years has been Wiregrass Ranch High, and while they did suffer some losses on their vaunted defense — allowing only 10 goals while going 15-3-2 last season — the Bulls are poised to contend for the playoffs again.

It has been feast or famine for the Bulls, who are 3-2 and have scored eight goals in each of their wins, but been shut out in both losses. Isabella Maldonado has nine goals after scoring just three all of last season. In fact, last year’s leading scorer only had 10, a mark the senior midfielder seems poised to eclipse.

Senior Siena Booth has four goals, and junior Sydney Spitzer already has matched her season total of a year ago with three goals. Seven different Bulls have scored, many on assists from Aixa Barrera and Kennedy Bequette, who each have four.

Defense has been the Bulls’ calling card in past seasons, having yielded only 53 goals in their last 89 matches dating back to 2018.

Speedy senior defender Ashtyn Warner, one of the team’s captains, heads up the defense this season, and is also dangerous on the counter attack.

“She is not only an incredible athlete, but an amazing soccer player,” says coach Chloe Marie Mercado. “(Ashtyn) is such a versatile player that can move to different positions and continue to do such a great job on the field. She is able to attack and get forward which is something not a lot of defensive players are capable of doing, so that is fun to watch.”

If freshman Caitlynn Figueroa can mind the nets effectively, the Bulls appear equipped to make a run at a fifth straight district title.

Boys High School Soccer Preview: Wiregrass Ranch Rebuilding

Midfielder Jeremy Caruso, who had 27 assists for Wiregrass Ranch High last year, as well as five goals, works on his shot at a recent practice. (Photo: Charmaine George) 

In just about every year of its existence, the Wiregrass Ranch High boys soccer program has been able to reload.

This year, for the first time in a long time, it is rebuilding.

“We haven’t had to do this since, well, our first year,” says head coach Dave Wilson.

However, as the 2022-23 soccer season kicks off, Wilson finds himself dealing with a significant amount of newcomers as he tries to keep the Bulls atop the local boys soccer scene.

Wiregrass Ranch lost 13 of last year’s 19 players to graduation, and 10 of the 17 players on his roster this year are either freshmen or sophomores.

And yet, that hasn’t stopped the Bulls from getting off to a 7-2 start.

“It’s a rebuilding year that we hope to turn into a reloading year,” Wilson says. “It’s basically a whole new team. But, we have the tradition here, that bar has been raised and it makes the guys know what is expected.”

What is expected is a ninth straight Sunshine Athletic Conference East title, a Class 6A, District 9 title and maybe a playoff win or two.

The Bulls have the talent, with seniors Cole Turner (MF/D), Jeremy Caruso (MF) and Briggs Bent (D/F) leading the way.

Wiregrass Ranch also has been bolstered by the addition of senior forward Alex Rodriguez, playing his first season for the Bulls after playing in the U.S. Academy program the past three years. He scored four goals in the first three games, and leads the team with eight goals in seven matches. Sophomore forward Alexei Leon, who scored nine times last year as a freshman, is second on the team with five goals.

Caruso led the Bulls with 27 assists and already has nine early on this season.   

Wilson also expects big things from sophomore twins Malachi and Mykall Lewis, whose brothers Malcom and Maurice are former Bulls standouts. 

“I think we always expect to be in the hunt for the district title,” Wilson says. “This group is just going to keep on getting better and better.”

‘Cats Look For Repeat

Wesley Chapel, 17-6-1 and District 5A-6 champs last year, must replace its leading scorer, but senior forward Josh Lindo (12 goals, 5 assists last season) and senior midfielder Lucas Herrera (11 goals, 15 assists) are up for the challenge. Lindo (five goals so far) and sophomore striker Cameron Brunner (three goals) are leading the way for WCH so far, as the Wildcats have started out 3-1-1.

Coyotes Contending Again

The Cypress Creek High Coyotes are coming off an 11-6-2 season where they finished as the District 5A-6 runners-up behind Wesley Chapel.

At 4-2 so far with losses to undefeated Sunlake and Wesley Chapel, the Coyotes return a wealth of talent and should contend for the district title again.

The two players who combined to scored 30 of the team’s 53 goals return — junior striker Jackson Stump and sophomore striker Chase Lasasso.

Stump had 22 goals and four assists last year, and has five goals in the season-opening win against Gulf and leads the team with eight this season. Lasasso had eight goals last year and has four this season.

Midfielders Nicolas Cifuentes (6), Max Laframboise (8) and Jose Pacheco (3) lead the Coyotes in assists so far and keeper Dylan Lolley, who had 142 saves and 2.12 goals-against average in 2021-22, is back in net. Lolley has 27 saves and a 0.90 GAA this season.

Spotlight On: Bounty Hunters Basketball!

The Bounty Hunters, a local AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) competitive basketball program, is hosting tryouts for its girls travel teams on Sunday, October 23, and invites girls in grades 5-11 in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel to try out for the squad. 

Coach Max Guevara (photo, with assistant coach Jess Cumba), who played AAU ball when he was a kid (“Which probably saved my life,” he says, since he grew up in one of the worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia) and in various adult leagues, played an assistant coach role with other organizations and the feedback he received from other parents was always overwhelmingly positive. 

“When you hear; ‘You should have your own team’ enough times, you start to consider it,” Guevara says. “It frustrated me seeing my own daughter go from program to program being told what to do but not being shown how to do it. About a year ago, I contacted the AAU to see what it would take to start my own club.”

Guevara sought corporate sponsorship for 6 months, but says he was told by corporate CEOs and general managers that, “‘No one cares about girls’ basketball’ and that they failed to see the return on their investment. So, I funded the Bounty Hunters out of my own pocket.  We ran our first camp this past summer and it sold out in less than 2 weeks.”

The Bounty Hunters is a year-round program, but from March to August, Guevara says his Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity teams will travel in and out of the state, participating in tournaments against the best their age group has to offer.  “We also teach these kids to be productive members of the community through volunteering and teaching them respect, communication skills, self-esteem and even money management,” he says. 

The Bounty Hunters JV team is for girls in grades 5-8, and the Varsity team is for girls in grades 9-11. A total of 13 players per travel team will be selected, although the program also offers a Developmental Team. 

The tryouts to be held on Oct. 23 will be free of charge. “As a nonprofit organization, we must rely of the generosity of the community to survive,” Guevara says. “You can help us keep this going by making a contribution on our website (BountyHunterBasketball.com).” For more details, please email info@bountyhunterbasketball.com. 

Florida’s Sports Coast To Host 2022-24 Florida Senior Games

The Wesley Chapel area already is host to some of the largest youth sports tournaments in the Tampa Bay area and will now expand its reach to a new demographic — seniors.

The Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s sports promotion and development organization, and Florida’s Sports Coast (Pasco County’s sports tourism arm) will team up to be the primary host of Florida Senior Games for the next three years, starting in December of this year.

“It’s definitely a different demographic than what we tend to go after,” said Adam Thomas, the director of Florida’s Sports Coast. “Out of all of our sports, 95% of them are youth sports. This will be a new audience to tap into.”

The Florida Senior Games is an Olympic-style sports festival, for athletes over the age of 50 (and there is even a 100+ age group). The 31st annual Games in December will consist of 22 sports — half of which will be staged in Wesley Chapel — and will be held December 3-11. The event is a qualifier for the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, PA.

The county has hosted various Senior Games events in the past. The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County hosted bag toss, basketball shooting, 3-on-3 basketball and volleyball in December 2020, while pickleball was played at the Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills. 

This year, however, will mark the county’s first time as the primary host of the entire event.

And, because of the growth of sports venues in Wesley Chapel over the past decade, many of the events will take place here.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus will host archery, basketball shooting and 3-on-3 basketball (Dec. 3), and volleyball (Dec. 10-11), while Saddlebrook Resort will host foot golf Dec. 10.

SVB will host almost every racquet sport, including padel (which will be played for the first time in the Senior Games Dec. 9-11), tennis (Dec. 3-8) and pickleball (Dec. 8-11).

Cypress Creek High and its rubber track will be home for many of the running events. Track & field is scheduled for Dec. 9-11, with a 1,500-meter power walk and 1,500-meter race walk set for Dec. 11.

Events like bowling and shuffleboard (Zephyrhills), golf (Trinity), and even power lifting (Land O’Lakes) will be held across the county.

“We’ve always been involved with the Senior Games in some form or fashion,” Thomas says, “but landing the actual games as the host destination, that will bring in close to 2,000 (hotel) rooms for a week-long event, and it will bring up to 3,000 athletes and their families here for that same time period. So we’re looking at total visitors per day of 4,000.”

Thomas says that, according to Florida’s Sports Coast’s projections, the Senior Games will have an economic impact of $1.2 million per day throughout Pasco County. And, because the event is a national qualifier, Thomas is hoping the Florida games can put Florida’s Sports Coast in line to host the national event at some point down the road.

“This opens the door for us,” Thomas says. “We’ve definitely got our eyes on that.”

For more information about the 2022 Florida Senior Games, visit FloridaSeniorGames.com or follow FloridaSeniorGames on Facebook. For more information about Florida’s Sports Coast, visit FLSportsCoast.com.

The Volleyball Wildcats Are Loaded & Eyeing A State Title

Chloe Danielson goes up for one of her school-record 375 kills during last season’s region championship game. (Photos: Mike Bitting)

When Wesley Chapel High (WCH) volleyball coach Brittany Collison looks at this season’s roster, it’s hard not to dream big. 

Not only did the Wildcats put together their best record, 19-5, in the school’s history last year, they won their first District title in 20 years, won two Regional playoff games for the first time ever and fell just one victory short of a trip to the State Final Four.

And this year’s roster? Well, it looks mighty familiar.

“I only lost three seniors from last year, so really the bulk of my team is still here,” says Collison. “It’s going to be a good year. There are high expectations, not only for me but the girls really want it. They’re all really excited.”

Eight of the 12 players return from last year’s squad, including arguably the best player in school history in senior outside hitter Chloe Danielson. The 6-foot Danielson had a school-record 375 kills in 2021, and was named Pasco County’s Player of the Year. 

She had plenty of help, however. 

(L.-r.) Brooke Ashkenase (2021 leader in digs), Chloe Danielson (kills) and Jenna Ly (assists) all return this season for Wesley Chapel High, a Region finalist last year. (Photo: Mike Bitting)

Juniors Lizzy Ekechi and Grace Korta each had more than 100 kills, and sophomore Emily Teets had 72. Senior Jenna Ly led the team in service aces and assists and junior Brooke Ashkenase led in digs and serves received.

The Wildcats have added some new firepower as well. Transfer Emma Letourneau, a 5-foot-11 junior, will make the WCH attack that much more explosive, after leading Pasco High with 198 kills last season.

“Last year, I think we did rely on Chloe a ton,” Collison says. “We are going to have a lot more options this year.”

In prepping for 2022, Collison says she has seen a lot of good signs that the Wildcats could make more history. The taste of coming so close last year has lingered throughout the offseason.

Collison said Korta and Ekechi have both grown as players, and Teets, Ly and Ashkenase have both markedly improved.

“When we came back for open gym this summer, and I saw how everyone had improved, I was like, ‘Wow, we’re going to be good,’” the coach said.

The Wildcats were traditionally one of the worst teams in Pasco County until Collison was hired in 2017. Before that, WCH had cycled through six different coaches the previous eight years.

However, Collison didn’t have immediate success. Her first two seasons at Wesley Chapel, her teams were 10-32.

Gradually, the ‘Cats started getting some standout players, starting with Jordan and Chloe Danielson. The sisters’ first season together was 2019-20, and they led WCH to a 14-11 season, the first time the program had ever registered double-digit wins. The following season, the Wildcats were 17-6 and went to the Regional playoffs for the first time since 2003, as the sisters combined for 400 kills.

Even though Jordan graduated in 2021, Collison was able to continue building her team around Chloe, thanks in part to the growth of club volleyball, which provides playing and training year-round. She says everyone on her team is a member of a club somewhere and competes year-round.

Collison has beefed up the schedule as well this year, with two high-level tournaments, in the hopes that if her team reaches the Region final again, it will be more battle-tested than it was in 2021.

“The majority of the team are kids that are go-getters, that want to get better,” she says. “They want to prove this year that this hasn’t just been a lucky two years in a row. Our goal is to win Districts first, but because we came so close last year, we are definitely looking at the State final four this season.”

Meanwhile, Cypress Creek High (CCH) also is looking for another good season. Last year, the Coyotes went 17-6, with half of those losses to Wesley Chapel. CCH made it to last year’s Class 5A, District 5 final before falling to the Wildcats, but as runner-up, still advanced to the Region quarterfinals. 

Unlike WCH, however, almost half of the Coyotes’ roster has graduated, including most of their statistical leaders. The top returners are expected to be kills and blocks leader Sadie Walker, a junior, and setter and libero Laney Brinson.

At Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), the Bulls are coming off a 9-10 season but have one of the best all-around players in Pasco County in junior outside hitter Haley Strawser.

Strawser had 191 kills and 54 aces to lead the team in 2021, and was second in blocks and digs and third in assists.

Gianna Ginesin, Victoria Vizciano and Delaney Moran all played key roles for the Bulls last season and are expected to return this season.

Volleyball season tips off tonight, when WCH plays at Zephyrhills (7:30 p.m. start) and Cypress Creek plays at Pasco High at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23.

Wiregrass Ranch hosts Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 24.

For schedules and stats, visit MaxPreps.com and search for each school.