Congratulations To The Top Seniors At Every Wesley Chapel High School! 


Congratulations to the graduating classes of 2025! For those in our community graduating from college, high school, or even kindergarten or preschool, it’s an exciting time to look forward and chase your dreams. At Wesley Chapel’s four public high schools, hundreds of students are anticipating tossing their caps and moving on to the next phase of life, whether it’s further education or starting their careers. This includes the first-ever graduating class at the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, which opened for the 2022-23 school year with just freshman and sophomores. We salute these top students at each of our Wesley Chapel public high schools and say congratulations to you and all of the graduates! 


Cypress Creek High 

1. Anastasia Herzek 

GPA: 4.7143 

Clubs/Activities: National Honor Society (NHS), American Sign Language Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, Clemson Summer Scholars, Game Master at Arcanum Escape Room 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Chemistry 

Best thing about high school: Making connections with friends and staff at Cypress Creek. 

2. Daniel Garcia 

GPA: 4.7000 

Clubs/Activities: Science National Honor Society, NHS, Custodial Service with Robotics team, Volunteer at pharmacy, Work at Kohls & Publix 

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Mechanical Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Being able to see my friends! 

3. Nico Gust 

GPA: 4.6780 

Clubs/Activities: NHS, McDonald’s, Raising Cane’s, Martial Arts (black belt), Model UN, Crochet Club, National Merit Scholarship Finalist 

College planning to attend: University of North Florida 

Planned major or future career: Marine Biology 

Best thing about high school: Being done! 

4. Keira Lefebvre 

GPA: 4.6885 

Clubs/Activities: Track, Cross Country, NHS, Science National Honor Society, Volunteer at AdventHealth, Insurance Marketing Associate, Crochet Club, Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Chemistry 

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with my friends. 

5. Marisa Morales 

GPA: 4.6275 

Clubs/Activities: Volunteered at Pasco County Animal shelter, Volunteer at Pasco Schools, Clemson summer scholar, NHS, NSHS, HOSA 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biochemistry 

Best thing about high school: My friends 

6. Cristina Dima 

GPA: 4.6146 

Clubs/Activities: Author & illustrator of a children’s book, Elem. school volunteer at library, Bioengineering research program (Clemson Summer Scholars), NHS, HOSA, Hillsborough State Park Halloween Event Volunteer 

College planning to Attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biological Sci. 

Best thing about high school: My friends 

7. Hannah Hershey 

GPA: 4.6019 

Clubs/Activities: Student Government, Treasurer of Spirit Club, Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy, National Honor Society, Volleyball, Job at Chicken Salad Chick & Pack Leader 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Accounting 

Best thing about high school: Meeting new people and making connections. 

8. Diana Le 

GPA: 4.5673 

Clubs/Activities: Lady Coyote Engineering, Vietnamese language tutor, part-time retail job 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Accounting 

Best thing about high school: The community. 

9. Camryn Paradise 

GPA: 4.5600 

Clubs/Activities: NHS, National English Honor Society, spirit club, Science NHS, Spanish NHS, Club volleyball, Volleyball 

College planning to attend: Clemson University 

Planned major or future career: Business; minor in Biology 

Best thing about high school: Being involved with clubs and organizations and putting events together especially (my favorite) pep rallies! 

10. Jacob Sheldon 

GPA: 4.5510 

Clubs/Activities: National English Honor Society, Book Club, Art Club, Reading/Writing, Poetry, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Weightlifting 

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Neuroscience 

Best thing about high school: The unique personalities and people that I got to know over the years. My friends mean so much to me. 

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation

1. Diana Bisekeeva 

GPA: 4.59 

Clubs/Activities: GPS Robotics (VEX & FIRST Team), Founder & Pres. of ResuPrep, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, GPS Connect Outreach Founder & Pres., R:ED Robotics Education Software Engineer Intern, Mediacube UI/UX Designer Intern, The TCK Times Founder & Editor-in-Chief, NHS President, Science NHS, Women of Tomorrow, Math Peer Tutor, Varsity Tennis 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Industrial & Systems Engineering 

Best thing about high school: The connections you build with your peers. 

2. Sarah Streeter 

GPA: 4.34 

Clubs/Activities: Editor-in-Chief of yearbook, Officer of FFA, SGA representative, Dual Enrollment Student 

College planning to attend: Georgia State University 

Planned major or future career: Neurology (pre-med) 

Best thing about high school: The opportunity to connect with your peers and enjoy your youth together in one place. 

3. Nolan Correa 

GPA: 4.46 

Clubs/Activities: Volunteer at Star Academy 

College planning to attend: Pasco Hernando State College 

Planned major or future career: Radiology 

Best thing about high school: The overall freedom that you have. 

4. Rudra Patel 

GPA: 4.40 

Clubs/Activities: Chess Club, math tutor, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation News 

College planning to attend: Florida Polytechnic University 

Planned major or future career: Computer or Cybersecurity Engineering 

Best thing about high school: The people you meet. 

5. Giovanni Ventilato

GPA: 4.40 

Clubs/Activities: Health & Fitness Club, Church activities 

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Planned major or future career: Aerospace engineering 

Best thing about high school: Having a good amount of freedom. 

6. Donovan Arteaga 

GPA: 4.55 

Clubs/Activities: National Honor Society member, Flower power club member 

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Planned major or future career: Chemical engineering 

Best thing about high school: The friends you make and the people you meet. 

7. Alexi Sanchez 

GPA: 4.49 

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Volunteer at Marine Corps League & Special Olympics, initiated a program to promote oral health to underprivileged children, participated in World Stride Educational Travel-STEM & Cultural Immersion program, dual enrollment student at Pasco Hernando State College, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biology (pre-med) 

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends. 

8. Jansen Warren 

GPA: 4.34 

Clubs/Activities: Volunteering at Kirkland Ranch K-8 

College planning to attend: Pasco Hernando State College 

Planned major or future career: Computer Science 

Best thing about high school: Spending time with friends. 

9. Camden Chase 

GPA: 4.42 

Clubs/Activities: Soccer, Student Government Vice President, NHS Officer, Health and Fitness Club Member, Dual Enrollment Student 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Finance 

Best thing about high school: Figuring out what you want to do in the future. 

10. Emersyn Mullis 

GPA: 4.46 

Clubs/Activities: Dual Enrollment student, Employed student 

College planning to attend: Pasco Hernando State College 

Planned major or future career: Business 

Best thing about high school: The ability to branch off and learn more about yourself. 

11. Dalyn Brown 

GPA: 4.54 

Clubs/Activities: Dual Enrollment Student at Pasco Hernando State College, earned Associate of Arts, Track & Field Athlete, Volunteer: AdventHealth, Employed Student, National Future Medical Leaders Conference, National Society of High Scholars 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Pre-Med/ Biomedical Sciences 

Best thing about high school: The friendships and company you keep, along with the memories you make, define your journey through these four years. 

12. Alessa Gonzalez 

GPA: 4.42 

Clubs/Activities: Dual Enrollment Student, Tennis, Soccer, Johns Hopkins Summer Program Participant, Pepin Family USF Summer Nursing Pathway Program, HERricane Summer Camp Participant, NHS Member, Navigating Our Community, Employed Student 

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biomedical science/neuroscience Pre-Health USF 

Best thing about high school: All the friends I made and the labs I participated in at KRAI’s Biomedical Science program.

13. Tessa Mast 

GPA: 3.92 (unweighted) 

Clubs/Activities: Bowling 

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Business (pre-accounting) 

Best thing about high school: Getting real-world experiences and skills through the programs at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation.  


Wesley Chapel High School 
Wesley Chapel High’s Top-10 Graduating Seniors are (l.-r.) Caique Santos-Silva, Sean Donahue, Luiza Guryeva, Maya Almodovar, Pierre-Etienne Boisvert, Erin McDermott, Filipp Ramsey, Nikki Watson and Ming Yang. Not pictured here: Luanna Mineiro De Souza. (Group photo provided by Wesley Chapel High) 

1. Sean Donahue, Valedictorian 

GPA: 4.7213 

Clubs/Activities: Eagle Scout, Debate Club Co-founder, IPPF Policy Debate, Lacrosse, SAT & Elementary Tutor, NHS Vice President, AP Capstone Diploma 

College planning to attend: Yale University 

Planned major or future career: Computer Sci. 

Best thing about high school: Away games with the lacrosse team 

2. Pierre-Etienne Boisvert, Salutatorian 

GPA: 4.71 

Clubs/Activities: Taught myself how to program and make video games, AP Capstone Diploma 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Physics 

Best thing about high school: How much I was able to test my own skills and limits, pushing myself further and further every day to accomplish goals. 

3. Luanna Mineiro De Souza 

GPA: 4.68 

Clubs/Activities: Associate of Arts degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment 

College planning to attend: Pasco Hernando State College’s Nursing Program 

Planned major/future career: Nurse Anesthetist 

Best thing about high school: Going to volleyball and football games with my friends and enjoying the school spirit! 

4. Filipp Ramsey 

GPA: 4.67 

Clubs/Activities: Programming/Game development, AP Capstone Diploma 

College planning to attend: USF 

Planned major or future career: Computer sci. 

Best thing about high school: Opportunity to learn alongside some of the smartest and hardest-working students I have met. 

5. Caique Santos-Silva 

GPA: 4.65 

Clubs/Activities: VP of WCHS Business & Finance Club, Secretary of NHS, Secretary of Science NHS, FCA Member, Varsity Lacrosse, AP Capstone Diploma, Associate of Arts degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment 

College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors 

Planned major or future career: Business Administration or Accounting 

Best thing about high school: Meeting all my friends and the staff. I continuously grew as a person, and so did those around me. I found people who pushed me to improve and held me accountable in all the things I do. I doubt that I would be who I am now without all those who kept me laughing, smiling and working hard. 

6. Maya Almodovar 

GPA: 4.63 

Clubs/Activities: Dance teacher, tutor, receptionist, barista, Rho Kappa (president), NEHS (vice president) & NEHS (member), Earned my Associate of Arts degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Civil Rights Lawyer 

Best thing about high school: Having the opportunity to attend USF my senior year. 

7. Nikki Watson 

GPA: 4.62 

Clubs/Activities: Golf (First Tee team and players club), Band, including marching band as drum major and playing flute, wind ensemble playing flute and piccolo, and concert band playing trumpet, NHS, Associate of Arts degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biology with a specialization in Biotechnology 

Best thing about high school: Finding a ‘family’ in the band and also finding who I really am through all of my experiences. Making it as drum major in my senior year, and making friends with everyone. Everyone is growing in life just like you, so you can always find people that you connect with. 

8. Ming Yang 

GPA: 4.62 

Clubs/Activities: Clean Earth Club, National Honors Society, Tennis AP Capstone Diploma 

College planning to attend: University of Pennsylvania or Brown University 

Planned major or future career: Physics 

Best Thing About High School: The amazing people I met, both peers and teachers, that made school enjoyable. 

9. Erin McDermott 

GPA: 4.608 

Clubs/Activities: Club Gymnastics, NHS, Wesley Chapel Dance Program, AP Capstone Diploma, Anne Frank Humanitarian Award 

College planning to attend: United States Air Force Academy 

Planned major or future career: Biology/Pre- Health Professions. I plan to become a Flight Surgeon. 

Best thing about high school: Meeting all of my best friends. 

10. Luiza Guryeva 

GPA: UW: 3.98/ W: 4.56 

Clubs/Activities: ResuPrep Startup Founder & CEO, Florida Founder & Executive of Active Hearts Association, GPS Robotics Business Lead for FIRST Competition, author of Comparative Case Study on Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Market Research Website & Analysis Report Creator, Founder and President of Business & Finance Club, Team Leader & Strategy Coordinator for Wharton Global Investment Competition, Calaton Systems Business Development Manager Trainee, Varsity Tennis, AP Capstone Diploma 

College planning to attend: Georgetown University 

Planned major or future career: Finance 

Best thing about high school: Hospital visits with the Active Hearts Association club. 


Wiregrass Ranch High School 
Wiregrass Ranch High’s High’s Top-16 Graduating Seniors are (l.-r.) L to R: Vedanti Patel, Sydney Ficks, Nicholas Kovacs, Vishnu Araveeti, Daniel Cheng, Rohit Naras, Tristan Pasquale, Ian Kim, Austin McCallister, Jack Flanary, Aubrey McKeon, Nicollette Watson, Brenden Brewer, Vera Zheng, Darren Lin & Hunter Paladio. (Group photo provided by Wiregrass Ranch 

1. Austin McCallister, Valedictorian 

GPA: 4.75 

Clubs/Activities: Science Olympiad 

College planning to attend: Georgia Institute of Technology 

Planned major or future career: Computer Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Mr. Cuviello’s and Mr. Cordero’s science labs. 

2. Nicholas Kovacs, Salutatorian 

GPA: 4.7302 

Clubs/Activities: Studying, focusing on academics 

College planning to attend: USF 

Planned major or future career: Mechanical Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Meeting people. If I hadn’t attended high school, I wouldn’t have met all these other bright students. I am hoping we can all stay in contact. 

3. Ian Kim 

GPA: 4.69 

Clubs/Activities: Science Fair, Science Olympiad, Orchestra, Mu Alpha Theta, FBLA, Tri-M, Science National Honor Society 

College planning to attend: California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 

Planned major or future career: Electrical Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends and Mr. Cordero in AP Physics every day. 

4. Daniel Cheng 

GPA: 4.6897 

Clubs/Activities: Future Business Leaders of America, Cybersecurity Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Piano, Volunteer at MD Oriental Market 

College Planning to Attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Computer Science or Computer Engineering 

Best Thing about High School: Collecting memories, not just homework. 

5. Vishnu Araveeti 

GPA: 4.6639 

Clubs/Activities: FBLA, Science Olympiad; I also ran a commerce business. 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Data science/ Computer Science 

Best thing about high school: Having great teachers to learn from and creating many friends. 

6. Aubrey McKeon 

GPA: 4.6591 

Clubs/Activities: Tutored for math & science honors societies, leadership in music honors society, 9 years of choir, FMEA’s All-State Chorus, member of the Science Olympiad team 

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Aerospace Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Friends and relationships you create along the way. 

7. Rohit Naras 

GPA: 4.6604 

Clubs/Activities: FBLA, Science Olympiad, Varsity Tennis, Research 

College planning to attend: Georgia Institute of Technology 

Planned major or future career: Computer engineering, hopes to start my own tech company 

Best thing about high school: Having genuine fun with my friends inside & outside of the classroom. 

8. Darren Lin 

GPA: 4.6346 

Clubs/Activities: Mu Alpha Theta, Key Club, FBLA, Asian Association &Allies, Amnesty Int’l. 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Mechanical Engineering 

Best thing about high school: It’s a great place to meet good people who share your values 

9. Vera Zheng 

GPA: 4.6296 

Clubs/Activities: Mu Alpha Theta, Key Club, FBLA, Asian Association & Allies, Amnesty Int’l. 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Computer Science 

Best thing about high school: Getting to find new friends and hanging out with them. 

10. Krish Patel 

GPA: 4.6207 

Clubs/Activities: SHNS tutoring, FBLA, HOSA & Key Club, Passion project to showcase the benefits of vegetarianism for the body & the environment, helped coordinate the first-ever fire ritual for youths to honor the largest Hindu temple outside of India. 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Microbiology and Cell Science (Medical Career) 

Best thing about high school: All the friends and memories that you can make before heading to college. 


Editor’s Note – We appreciate that all four local high schools provided us with the photos and information you see on these pages. We have no idea why some schools provided more than their top-10 graduating seniors, why some of the students’ photos were not provided nor why the students’ GPAs at Kirkland Ranch appear to be out of order. All we’ve done is provide an outlet for each school to provide their photos & information. 

Frapwell Is Pasco’s Volunteer Of The Year; WRH Senior Wins Regeneron Award! 

The Pasco County School District recently named Gretchen Frapwell, whose kids attend Veterans Elementary, the District’s Adult Volunteer of the Year. 
(Photos: Pasco School District) 

Gretchen Frapwell, a volunteer at Veterans Elementary, has been named the Adult Volunteer of the Year by the Pasco County School District. 

According to a Facebook post released by the School District, “Gretchen is the definition of a volunteer. She has been volunteering at Veterans Elementary School for five years and has logged in 220 volunteer hours so far. With two children attending Veterans, she serves on the SAC committee and is a PTA member which supports (the school’s) 91 staff members and 675 students. The PTA recently provided recess equipment for each grade level. She is there for every school event, including book fairs, school carnivals, science nights and holiday shops. Gretchen has shown her creativity by planting a pumpkin patch in the courtyard for the teachers and students to utilize. It was a great idea for learning purposes, but also brought beauty to the school. We appreciate everything she does for Veterans Elementary to improve overall morale for the teachers and students.” 

Sharon Zurita, of the Veterans Elementary PTA, says that, “Gretchen in amazing. She’s everywhere and does so many things at our school. She’s not only willing to do things we ask, but also suggests things we can do to help the school.” 

Among those things, Gretchen says, was that she “Organized closets, planted gardens, ran a carnival last year…Trunk or Treat event, where we handed out actual ice cream, book fairs…anything and everything. My kids are only going to be this young for so long, so I show them, by taking time off from my job, how important their school is. I guarantee that once you (volunteer) for an hour, you’ll want to do more. The kids are just awesome.” 

Other Volunteer winners this year are Ann Birch, Gulfside Elementary (Senior Volunteer) and Avery Hoskins, Anclote High & Gulfside Elementary (Youth Volunteer). 

Congratulations, Meghna! 
Wiregrass Ranch High senior Meghna Manjith was named a Regeneron STS Scholar for her project, winning $4,000. 

Our sincere congratulations go out to Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) senior Meghna Manjith, who has been named a Scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) for 2024. She received a $2,000 award for herself and $2,000 for WRHS for her project, “Preventing Surgical Site Infections: Designing a Novel Post-Surgical Treatment Using Silver Nitrate & Ayurvedic Extracts in Combination with DNA Sequence Analysis.” Amazing! 

According to SocietyforScience.org, “Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students. Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse STS, Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers our nation’s most promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.” 

Only 300 Scholars were selected from more than 2,000 entrants nationwide, with only 40 finalists selected for an opportunity to win the $250,000 top award, which was scheduled to be announced on Mar. 12. 

What an accomplishment, Meghna!

Wiregrass Ranch High Senior Named National SADD President

Wiregrass Ranch High senior Shaina Finkel is the SADD National Student President for the 2021-22 school year.

Shaina Finkel was only four years old when she started going to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) events and campaigns with her father. 

Now 16, the Wiregrass Ranch High senior will represent all 7,500 SADD chapters as the organization’s national student president for the 2021-22 school year. 

In this position, Shaina will be expected to be a spokesperson for SADD nation, oversee the Student Leadership Council and advise the SADD national Board of Directors, which is comprised of adults.

Above all, she says she is focused on improving the mental health of students across the nation. 

“I’m just really looking forward to being able to bring my ideas and the things my chapter has worked on to a bigger stage,” Shaina says. 

Shaina is the first person ever from Florida to serve in this position, and SADD CEO Rick Birt says her passion is what made her stand out. 

“Shaina is truly the embodiment of the word passion,” Birt says. “In everything she does and in every interaction you have, you see that she is truly the embodiment of this word and we are so honored and excited to have her (serving) in this role.”

Shaina has been president of Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD club since her sophomore year. She said the club opens students’ eyes to the dangers of making destructive decisions, especially driving under the influence, and the need to maintain good mental health. 

“We have English, we have history, but we don’t have a class about how to save your life,” Shaina says. “So, the fact that we have a club for that or a chapter for that, and we as peers are able to help our own peers, that’s just honestly the most beautiful thing.” 

Shaina’s father, Gregory Finkel, is the advisor of Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD club and also the school’s driving teacher. He said he can’t wait to see where her role as national student president takes his daughter.

“I’m super excited for everybody that’s going to see her, because she’s going to make a huge difference,” Gregory Finkel says. “As long as everybody listens, they will see that she’s got a true heart.”

Finkel’s mother Jessica couldn’t stop smiling when she heard the news that her daughter would be the next SADD national student president. She says Shaina is always so excited when it comes to SADD-related topics and is constantly participating in a variety of SADD events. 

“I’m so proud of her for accepting it and taking on the challenge,” Jessica says. “I’m not concerned. I know she can do all of this. She always takes on a lot, and she’s very successful at everything she takes on.”

Shaina says that SADD is already a big part — and will continue to be a big part — of her life. She is excited to represent her community on a national level and uphold the mission and vision of what SADD stands for. 

“Not only does this position give me a voice, I think it gives Wiregrass SADD a voice,” Shaina says. “It gives Wesley Chapel a voice, and it gives Florida a voice.” 

For more information about the national Students Against Destructive Decisions organization, visit SADD.org. 

Wesley Chapel Spring Football Recap

Bulls Fall Short In Spring  Game 
It was a tale of two halves for the Wiregrass Ranch High football team in their 36-28 spring game loss to Berkeley Prep on May 20.

In the first half, Iowa State University commitment Rocco Becht completed four touchdowns to three different receivers as the Bulls jumped all over the Bucs.

Rocco Becht threw four touchdown passes in the spring game loss to Berkeley Prep. (Photo: Charmaine George)

In the second half, the Bulls were outscored 20-0. Head coach Mark Kantor, however, didn’t care as much about the score as he did about having a spring game, which no one played last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“For me, it was about getting back to being competitive, and we accomplished that this spring,” Kantor said. “I don’t care if we win or lose a spring game. I saw some good things from the guys and they definitely competed; now we need to work on closing the deal.”

As is usually the case, Kantor spent the spring looking for depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Offensively, he has rising senior tackles Logan Ridolph (6-4, 275) and Christian Loaiza (6-5, 315) protecting Becht, and hopes to strengthen the other spots on the line. Defensively, he is searching for another interior lineman to pair up with rising junior Thomas Pehek (6-2, 210), especially after Berkeley Prep had success running the ball in the spring game.

Kantor is excited about the scoring potential of his 2021 Bulls. Becht threw for more than 200 yards and, of his four TDs, two were to rising senior transfer Malachi McLaughlin and one each went to rising junior running back Kenny Walker and rising senior Abram Breer.

Kantor says rising sophomore Izaiah Williams and rising junior Elijah Westbrooks, both WR/DBs, had outstanding springs.

“We’re excited about the fall,” Kantor said. “It’s going to be fun getting back in front of 1,200-1,300 fans at the Ranch cheering us on again.”

Back To Basics For Coyotes

After a 3-7 season in which games were cancelled and/or rescheduled and consistency was unattainable due to Covid-19, Cypress Creek High coach Mike Johnson eagerly welcomed the 2021 spring campaign.

“We just wanted to get back to basics,” Johnson said. “Last season was like a mish-mash of pickup games. You’d lose a game, pick up a game, it was just hard to get anything established.”

This spring, the Coyotes were able to put in 90 percent of their offensive and defensive schemes, and hope to refine them by the start of the 2021 season.

Rising junior linebacker Logan Falk closes in on a Land O’Lakes ball carrier in the spring game. (Photo: Charmine George)

In their spring game on May 19, they tied Land O’ Lakes 21-21 on a last-second field goal by rising senior placekicker Colton Corrao.

Operating in a different offense this year, promising rising senior quarterback Owen Walls completed 19 of 31 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also threw three interceptions.

Walls did engineer two scoring drives in the final six minutes to earn the tie. He found rising senior Merrick Simmons for a TD with just over a minute remaining and, after a defensive stand by the Coyotes, the offense was able to get in position for Corrao’s FG.

Johnson said the spring allowed him to find some depth on the offensive line, where he has 9-10 players to choose from. 

He says rising junior Niko Huitz, who transferred in from New Mexico, was a spring revelation. He had an exceptional spring game and “was all over the field,” Johnson says, and rising sophomore Jaelen Collins impressed enough that Johnson expects big things from him this season.

“We have the guys, now we just have to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Johnson says.

Wildcats Split Halves In Spring Clashes
The All-Conference football teams in Pasco County aren’t announced until after each season, but Wesley Chapel High football coach Tony Egan feels confident that he can fill in the linebacker positions on those teams right now.

That’s how impressed he was this spring with the play of rising junior Jorden McCaslin (photo) and rising seniors Ayden Roysdon and Josh Poleon. Egan feels that all three linebackers have not just All-Conference high school talent, but Division I-A or I-AA college talent as well.

“I have to say the linebackers impressed me every day,” Egan says. “Every day, one of them did something that jumped out at you. It’s a really good group.”

The trio will anchor a defense that Egan says should be pretty good in the fall. The Wildcats surrendered 14 points in a one-half 14-7 loss to Dixie Hollins on broken plays in the spring jamboree, and then just one TD in a 28-8 win over Fivay in the other half.

While the Wildcats return their quarterback, top rusher and a bevy of talented receivers, Egan is concerned about the offensive line. He returns four starters, but they are young. “The offensive line will make us or break us,” Egan said.

Athletically, Egan thinks this is the best team he’s had since taking over in 2016. Even the offensive line is the biggest he’s had. He believes the 2021 team has the potential to be his best yet.

“The toughness and accountability is lacking,” says Egan, as the Wildcats head into an important summer of training. “But, if we get those things right, we’re going to be really good.” 

Wiregrass Ranch Valedictorian: Timothy Kovacs

WRH’s Kovacs Takes A Well-Rounded Approach To School

Timothy Kovacs’ love of reading and writing — and hard work — led him to become the Wiregrass Ranch High Class of 2021 valedictorian. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Timothy Kovacs says he hasn’t begun preparing the speech he will give to the Class of 2021 at graduation, but the Wiregrass Ranch High valedictorian isn’t too worried. After all, he took a public speaking class as a requirement for his Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC) and passed his toughest test — singing the “Baby Shark” song while dancing in front of a class of 30 students.

He says it was terrible, and he lost coordination midway through the dance, but he is no longer leery of public speaking.

And he got an A, for effort.

“So, if I can do that,” he says, “I hope I can present a speech in front of my classmates.”

Getting As is no problem for Kovacs, so it would be a surprise if he didn’t nail his speech. The Bulls’ senior finished his high school career with a 4.71 weighted grade point average, and picked the University of Central Florida in Orlando over the University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill for college.

It wasn’t easy, he says. He moved to Wesley Chapel from Orlando, where he attended Hagerty High as a freshman. There, he was No. 14 in a school of 4,000 students, and when he got to the smaller Wiregrass Ranch, he started his sophomore year in the top 3. While he says it hadn’t crossed his mind before, it was at that point Kovacs decided to try to become his class valedictorian.

“I’ve always found competition among my classmates ever since I was in the third grade,” Kovacs says. “I always wanted to get the highest grade, and when I didn’t, I just studied harder.”

At Wiregrass Ranch, that entailed giving up every class (other than those that were graduation requirements) that wasn’t an honors or AP course. 

Last semester, he took nine classes, most of those at PHSC, sprinting across the academic finish line. His toughest challenge was the havoc caused by Covid.

“It really mucked up my AP exams,” he says, especially in classes like AP Chemistry that aren’t best suited for online study. Reviewing for exams was more difficult, and chemistry was not one of his better subjects. 

“When chemistry went virtual…that put me in a more precarious spot than I’ve been in,” he added.

However, Kovacs, also a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, says it was just a matter of finding a way through the new challenges, and finding the positive in Covid’s disruptions by “turning lead into gold.”

Kovacs, who says his favorite class was AP computer science and whose hardest were chemistry and biology, is happy to be valedictorian, although he says it doesn’t make him any smarter than anyone else. In fact, he says there are plenty of students who easily could have become valedictorian, but they chose to pursue music, sports or technology and didn’t have as much time to put into school as he did.

Not that Kovacs is a one-dimensional bookworm. In fact, he’s something of a Renaissance man, who has dabbled in fencing, loves playing the guitar, is a devoted writer and published author who works for two magazines and has a deep interest in politics.

When he wants to relax, he plays his favorite songs from his childhood on his guitar — although he really wishes he had learned the piano as well — and had a story about the pandemic published in the literary magazine Unlimited Literature last summer.

Politics, though, is his passion. 

“I love to read about how countries interact with each other, and why the world is the way that is,” he says. “It’s always such an interesting field to see how the decisions of government officials affect us in daily life. And, the results of diplomacy are fascinating. It’s incredibly cool and I always have a blast learning about it.”

Now that the “Baby Shark” song has prepped Kovacs for his speech, he will tell his fellow classmates at graduation that after years of traveling the same road together, a million different paths now await them. It’s a brave new world, and it doesn’t matter where you are going as long as you are doing what you want to be doing.

Kovacs will be doing just that in college, where he will double major in computer science and political science at UCF. Where that leads him he doesn’t know. He has multiple dreams — becoming a politician, an author or a software engineer are all among them — and is eager to see where his road takes him.

“My goal right now is to go with the flow,” he says, “and make the most of whatever opportunities come my way.”

The Wiregrass Ranch High graduation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 3, 7 p.m., at the school’s football stadium.