Lakewood Ranch athletic duo commits to Hiram College for next season

Lakewood Ranch standouts Chaz Grady (basketball) and KiJana Brown (football) have committed to play for Hiram College next season.

A Division III school in Ohio, Hiram is not allowed to give athletic scholarships, but both athletes received a hefty financial aid package due in part to their high academic achievements and athletic abilities.

A 6-1 combo guard, Grady averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season chipping in with 2.5 assists and 4 steals per game. He was a Bradenton Herald first team All-Area choice as a junior.

Brown is expected to play cornerback. He was touted as one of the best defensive backs in the area because of his athleticism and speed.

Lakewood Ranch's Larson drafted by Twins now has to decide

Zach Larson called it a long three days, seemingly longer than the dream he has been carrying since he was old enough to understand the game of baseball.

But everything ended well for the Lakewood Ranch outfielder today (Wednesday) when he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 20^th round (610^th overall pick) of the Major League Baseball Draft.

“I am very excited. It has always been my dream to play major league baseball and the day is finally here,” Larson said. “I was hearing that I was going to be selected in the early round, but you never know in the draft. You never know who is interested. I wasn’t disappointed when my name wasn’t called earlier because I knew there were a lot of rounds left.”

Larson was a little surprised that he was chosen by the Twins though they called him early in the morning Wednesday and scout Billy Corrigan spoke to him at the FACA All-Star game last week in Sebring.

“The Rays, Phillies and Oakland showed the most interest. I didn’t talk to Minnesota a lot during the season,” Larson said. “Their scout (Corrigan) called after they picked me and I told him allright lets get my baseball career started. I like Billy and I like Minnesota. They are a great franchise and I am happy with them.”

Larson has signed with State College of Florida and says he is not sure which route he will take. He can play next season with SCF and put his name back in the draft next year.

“I’ve got to sit down and talk with my family,” the 18 year-old said.  “The Twins said they would call me in a few days and we will see. My family has been helping me out a lot on this. I don’t know (about the money). Whatever makes me or my family happy that is what we are going to do.”

The right handed hitting and throwing centerfielder led the state final four Mustangs in numerous categories over his 31 game season including: batting average (.426), on base pct (.516), RBIs (32), hits (43) and runs scored (41). He showed great range in the outfield and made only one error all season.

“We are excited. Zach has a huge upside and I thought he would be drafted earlier,” Lakewood Ranch head baseball coach Mike Mullen said. “With the draft you never know. A lot of it is whether a scout thinks they can sign a kid. I feel confident Zach is a top 10 round draft pick just based on his talent and upside. You look at this size (6-2, 185) and the size of his dad.

http://youtu.be/Fd9NQ1vGLQA

(watch Zach Larson take batting practice)

Lakewood Ranch's Slowik has solid year Grabiak ends career at FIU

Rachel Slowik

Former Lakewood Ranch standout Rachel Slowik had some notable achievements this past season for the FIU softball team.

The sophomore outfielder showed her ability on the base paths and in the field in leading the Panthers in stolen bases and putouts. Talk about warriors, she also topped FIU in hit by pitches getting dinged a team high five times.

Slowik stole 10 bases in 11 attempts and had 174 putouts and 217 chances, starting 45 games while finishing with a .235 batting average. She also led FIU in triples with three.

Her high school teammate Kelsey Grabiak ended her FIU career finishing the season with a .224 batting average. Grabiak was honored before the Panthers last regular season game against Florida Atlantic.

The Panthers ended their season at 28-27 losing their final game to North Texas in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

Lakewood Ranch finishes atop Class 6A overall sports standings

Lakewood Ranch finished first in the Class 6A FHSAA Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award Standings, recognizing it as the most successful sports program in its classification.

Points are awarded a school based on its finish in FHSAA State Series competition in each sport in the classification in which it has been assigned to compete.

The top 16 places are scored. In bracket sports, points are awarded as follows: 100 for the state champion, 90 for the state runner-up, 83 for the state semifinalists, 60 for 5-8th places, and 25 for 9-16th places. In non-bracket sports, points are awarded as follows: 100, 90, 85, 80, 70, 63, 56, 49, 38, 34, 30, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10. Schools get a 5-point bonus for winning a district or regional championship, and points are deducted for unsporting conduct.

Lakewood Ranch finished with 905  points soundly ahead of second place Gainesville, which had 724.

The Mustangs got off to a rousing start in the fall with the boys golf team winning a state title. They bolstered their point total this spring when its softball and baseball teams qualified for the State Tournament and its girls track team finished 8th at the 3A state meet and second at its region meet.

The Lakewood Ranch girls' athetlic program finished first overall in Class 6A and the boys were third.


CLASS 6A 1. Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton), 905 points.
2. Gainesville, 724.
3. Niceville, 528.5.
4. Barron Collier (Naples), 512.
5. Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches), 451.5
6. Fort Myers, 413.5
7. Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach), 398.
8. Belen Jesuit (Miami), 387.5
9. Winter Haven, 387.
10. Melbourne, 374.

Lakewood Ranch's Devin McDermott named to All State Academic team

Lakewood Ranch senior Devin McDermott has been named to the 2012 FHSAA Academic All State first team.

The mutli talented standout earned four varsity letters each in cross country and track and two in soccer. She has a 3.96 GPA and ranks sixth in her senior class of 388 students.

McDermott is also a member of 11 high school clubs and organizations and holds down three part-time jobs. She plans to attend the University of Florida and study broadcast journalism.

McDermott was previously named the Florida state female winner for the 2011 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award was one of 12 finalists, six male and six female, for the national award.

To be eligible for selection to the All State team, a student must be a graduating senior, have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and earned a varsity letter in at least two different sports during each of his or her junior and senior years.

The candidates were selected based on academic record, athletic participation, non-athletic activities, community service and an essay submitted to the FHSAA office. This year, 12 boys and 12 girls are being honored from the more than 200 qualified nominees from the Association’s 695 member high schools.

Each honoree will receive a $1,000 award, as well as a commemorative medallion, from the FHSAA for being selected to the team.

From the 24 recipients, two Scholar-Athletes of the Year—one boy and one girl—will be announced at the 18th Annual FHSAA Academic All-State Awards Banquet to be held Monday, June 11, at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville.

The Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the most prestigious honors conferred on an active student-athlete by the Association, will receive an additional $3,000 each, as well as a trophy.

Rosters set for PAL Manatee-Sarasota County Senior Basketball Showcase

Some of the top seniors from Manatee and Sarasota County will go against each other Saturday in the annual PAL Senior Basketball Showcase at Bayshore High.

The girls game tips off at 4:30 p.m. and the boys are scheduled to begin play at 6 p.m. Bayshore High's Jamaal Sanders will coach the Manatee County girls squad and Bruins head coach Shawn Campbell will coach the boys team.

Sarasota High girls coach Rob Jutras will coach the Sarasota County girls and Sarasota Christian head coach Phil Helmuth will coach the Sarasota County boys.

The Manatee County girls will feature Palmetto High's Blair Thomas and Lakewood Ranch's Gabriella Diaz-Granados two of the area's top scorers. Out-Of-Door-Academy's 1,000 point career scorer Mara Falahee will play for Sarasota County.

The Manatee County boys roster includes a trio from Braden River, which had the county's best record, in sharp shooting guard Tre' Bryant, Jeff Casseus and Tommy Bernhardt. The roster also includes Bradenton Christian leader scorer Joey Carolla. Out-Of-Door Academy 1,000 point scorer Maura Falahee will play for Sarasota County.

Here are the rosters:

MANATEE COUNTY:

Boys:

Bayshore: David Cruz, Vincent Scanes, Navjot Gill, Tyderian Jenkins, David Scavella, Jesus Ayvar

Bradeton Christian: Joey Carolla, Cameron Van Buren,

Braden River: Tre' Bryant, Tommy Bernhardt, Jeff Casseus, Eric Foster, Austin Lee

Lakewood Ranch: Brian Cobb, Zach Ainge, Winston Bridges

Manatee: Austin Gordon, Zach Haughy, Ryan Schroeder, Osiris Shabazz-Stephenson

Palmetto: Terreance Mann

Southeast: Cy'kobe Johnson

Girls:

Bayshore: Elissa Alvarez, Quinnia Streeter-Thurman

Lakewood Ranch: Gabriella Diaz-Granados

Palmetto: Blair Thomas, Kayla Moore

Southeast- Tiffany West

SARASOTA COUNTY:

Boys:

Booker: Jamal Gaines

Cardinal Mooney: Danny Stokes, Dylan Blakely, Nick Stallings, Cole Collins

North Port: Larry Taylor, Joe Wilber, Jeff Dormil

Out-Of-Door-Academy: Fred Porter

Riverview: Vince Cherry, Jeremy Jones, Eric Traver

Sarasota: Fernando Rivera, Jacob Carter, Alonzo Boezem, Tanner Weigand

Sarasota Christian: Logan Mayer

Venice: David Voigt, Nate Curtner, Zach Flerlage

Girls:

Booker: Breanna Browning

North Port: Keosha Harris, Ashley Mashaw

Out-Of-Door-Academy: Mara Falahee

Riverview: Brittany Mobley, Heather Horne, Lauren Wilson

Sarasota: Juliana Calvallaro, Kelly Jutras, Tarayn Burns, Mariah Williams

Venice: Laura Hackett, Hannaah Revels, Brooke Shipps,

Cobb makes Lakewood Ranch Cinderella team

The Lakewood Ranch boys basketball squad is the area's Cinderella team as we head into the district finals Friday night.

The Mustangs pulled off the upset of the year when it knocked off top seed Seminole Osceola on the road Wednesday night.

But was it really an upset?

The key for the Mustangs has been the return of double-double man, 6-6 senior Brian Cobb, who missed 22 games this season because of a torn ACL. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season.

Cobb says he is only at 70 percent, but 70 percent of Cobb is better than 100 percent of most players. He has also injected confidence in his teammates and gotten them better shots now that defense have to concentrate on him.

In two post season games, Cobb has 31 points and 25 rebounds. the Mustangs are at Palmetto Friday night in district championship game. The Tigers will be favorites, but if you include the Cobb factor have to like Mustangs chances.

Could Lakewood Ranch football team get free pass into second round of playoffs

This could be better than anything the Lakewood Ranch football team could have imagined entering practice this week.

The FHSAA is looking into whether Armwood, the Mustangs first round playoff opponent this Friday, might have used an ineligible player, according to a Tampa Tribune report.

The request for clarification on the player was initiated by the school after a televised report questioned the eligibility of a starting offensive lineman because he did not satisfy residence requirements, the report said.

If the FHSAA determines the player was ineligible Armwood could have to forfeit all its games and would be knocked out of the playoffs. At this late date, it could mean a free pass into the second round for Lakewood Ranch (5-5).

How big it this. Well undefeated Armwood is ranked second in the country and just doesn't beat teams. It pulverizes them. Armwood has outscored its opponents by a combined 410-35 and beat teams 68-0, 80-0, 54-6 and 54-6.

Dixie Hollins head coach cited in early termination of Lakewood Ranch football game

Lakewood Ranch's football game on October 21st against Dixie Hollins was terminated before its conclusion by a game official after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Dixie Hollins head coach (Mike Morey), the Florida High School Athletic Association said in a statement.

The FHSAA said the situation escalated and the official decided to end the game. Policy 41.42 of the FHSAA Handbook outlines that the premature termination of a contest by an official due to unsportsmanlike conduct will result in $250 and Dixie Hollins has been fined that amount.

Braden River sets gate record in Lakewood Ranch game

Braden River High set a school record in its game against Lakewood Ranch with gate receipts more than $18,500, according to athletic director Bob Bowling.

The paid attendance was 3,100 though Bowling and most others felt the actual crowd was significantly larger, perhaps in the 5,000 fan range.

It was still the best crowd and largest ever home gate for any sport in Braden River history. It also had the atmosphere of a college game with lines of cars waiting to get into the parking lot and student tailgaters setting up along school grounds.

Unfortunately, for the Pirates they came out on the short end of a 28-18 score against their arch rival. But it was a victory for school coffers.

Schiller named new basketball coach at Lakewood Ranch

Jeremy Schiller, who was an assistant coach at Eckerd College the past four years, has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Lakewood Ranch. He will teach physical education.

The 30-year-old was also a graduate assistant at USF in ’04-‘05 and head coach at Seminole Osceola for one year. He replaces Chris Kawcak, who resigned after last season to pursue a business venture. Schiller was a point guard at Brandon High and coached the JV team there for two years going 53-4.

“My philosophy is to outwork everybody and maximize our potential,” Schiller said. “We are going to be tough on the ball and get up and down the floor fast. I don’t want other teams to feel comfortable when they play us. I think we can be a state contender.”

Ranch's Cobb tears ACL, but hopes to return before hoops season ends

Tough news for Brian Cobb and the Lakewood Ranch High boys basketball team.

Figured to be one of the top players in Southwest Florida heading into his senior year, the 6-6, 210 pound forward received a bad break this summer when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

Cobb had surgery two weeks ago and hopes to be back for the last five or six games of the regular season, thought there are no guarantees.

Cobb was a first team Bradenton Herald All-Area selection. He topped the Mustangs in numerous categories including scoring (15.6 ppg), rebounding (9.8 rpg), and blocked shots (3.5 bpg) and averaged 2.1 steals.

He is getting most of his interest from Lynn University and Jacksonville University. Cobb said the coaches at both those schools told him to get healthy and don't worry about anything else.

"I am going to visit Lynn as soon as I am able to get up and walk around again," Cobb said. "The doctors told me it would be about six to eight months till I can play again. I am hoping to be able to play before the regular season ends."

Is Hanewich Manatee County's top baseball prospect

Is Brett Hanewich now the best high school baseball player in Manatee County?

After finishing his sophomore year at Lakewood Ranch, Hanewich has a attracted a horde of college and pro scouts this summer playing for a highly touted travel ball team out of Memphis.

Many see Hanewich as a big time pitching prospect because of his size and ability to throw the ball 90 plus miles per hour though he won't turn 17 until December.

Since school ended on June 9th, Hanewich has been on a whirlwind tour with an itinerary that would challenge even a presidential candidate.

During one stretch Hanewich was in Memphis for a four day tournament, drove to Nashville for a Showcase, flew to Fort Myers for another Showcase, then played in a tournament in Mississippi and then followed that up with another in Arkansas. Click here for full story.

Hanewich said he plans to transfer to IMG Academies Pendleton School for the next school year.

Lakewood Ranch trio will walk on at SCF baseball team

Andrew McNett, Shane Davidson and Reggie Lindsey, three promising Lakewood Ranch High baseball players, will walk-on and compete for a position on the State College of Florida baseball team next season.

Each member of this trio showed he can swing the bat and are versatile players who can fill in at a variety of positions.

A second baseman, McNett batted .453 with 23 RBIs in 33 games while earning All-Area honors. He showed some power with two homers and had a .632 slugging percentage while stealing 13 bases.

Davidson, the Mustangs third baseman, finished with a .388 batting average, had 19 runs-batted-in and a .533 on base percentage. He showed his speed and base running savvy by stealing 14 bases in 15 attempts.

Lindsey was headed into his third year as the Mustangs starting quarterback when the football season started and missed nearly the entire year with a wrist injury.

He might have been able to catch on somewhere as a receiver, but the outfielder said he wants to give baseball a serious try. He finished last season with a .303 batting average and drove in 13 runs while scoring 20.

Lakewood Ranch second in 4A state athletic programs

Olivia Ortiz had a lot to do with Lakewood Ranch's
success this past school year.

The Lakewood Ranch athletic program finished second in the Class 4A Final Sunshine Cup All Sports Awards points standings.

With 610.5 points, the Mustangs finished second to Naples Barron Collier (644) and ahead of third place Tampa Jesuit (544.5)

Points are awarded a school based on its finish in FHSAA State Series competition in each sport in the classification in which it has been assigned to compete.

The top 16 places are scored. In bracket sports, points are awarded as follows: 100 for the state champion, 90 for the state runner-up, 83 for the state semifinalists, 60 for 5-8th places, and 25 for 9-16th places. In non-bracket sports, points are awarded as follows: 100, 90, 85, 80, 70, 63, 56, 49, 38, 34, 30, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10. Schools get a 5-point bonus for winning a district or regional championship, and points are deducted for unsporting conduct.

Lakewood Ranch’s top individual performances were turned in by golfer Danny Walker, who won a state title and sophomore distance runner Olivia Ortiz, who was third in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs at state track meet and sparked the 3200 relay team that placed second.

Lakewood Ranch finished third in the 4A girls ranking with 299 points just getting edged by Lutz Steinbrenner (330.5). The Mustangs were fifth in the boys standings with 311.5 points. Tampa Jesuit won the 4A boys division with 544.5 points.

Milledge ejected from Triple A game

Playing for the Triple AAA Charlotte Knights, Lastings Milledge was ejected from a game last week after he was involved in a fight with Toledo catcher Max St. Pierre.

Both benches emptied after the brawl started, but only Milledge was ejected from the International League contest. He was hit by a pitch and then got into a confrontation with St. Pierre that escalated reports said.

Unfortunately it was the third ejection for the Lakewood Ranch graduate going back to 2007 with the New York Mets and second since December when he was involved in a bench clearing brawl while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League.

In 30 games with Charlotte (a Chicago White Sox farm team), Milledge has compiled a .222 batting average with 24 hits in 108 at-bats. The right handed hitting outfielder is batting .270 against lefties, but only .197 (14-71) against right handers.

Milledge played with Pittsburgh last season and batted .277 in 379 at-bats, but the Pirates released him after the season. He appeared in two games for the White Sox this season before they designated him for assignment.

Milledge was the 12^th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft and signed with the New York Mets. He had a very good spring with the White Sox, who awarded him with a roster spot. However they were forced to change plans after some pitching problems ensued.

At the time White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he was very upset about having to let go of Milledge because he had played so well during the spring and deserved to be on the parent club, but circumstances dictated the team go in another direction.

Hanewich earns Pac 10 honors before injury ends her season

You can't blame Corey Hanewich for feeling like her freshman season with the Stanford University softball team ended on a roller coaster ride.

The Lakewood Ranch graduate was having a stellar season for the Cardinal. The outfielder was the fourth leading hitter on the team with a .294 batting average and one of three players with a slugging percentage above .500 (.523) thanks to five homers, six doubles and two triples.

Her performance was good enough to earn Hanewich an Honorable Mention nod on the All Pac 10 team. Unfortunately her season came to a crashing halt on April 30th when she was hit by a pitch that broke her left arm. She had surgery six days later and is expected to be sideline until mid July.

The bone she broke was the ulna bone, which is the three inches up from the wrist. She had a plate installed to insure proper healing and promote quicker recovery.

Banner year for East Manatee Schools

The Braden River softball team wasn’t able to bring home a state championship, but the final out in the Pirates semifinal round loss culminated a standout year for Manatee County’s two newest public schools.

Braden River and its arch rival Lakewood Ranch arguably brought East Manatee County its best year in athletics, particularly in the traditional team sports.

Lakewood Ranch won district titles in girls’ soccer and softball and advanced to regions as district runner up in boys and girls basketball, boys soccer and baseball. Braden River won a region title in softball and district titles in volleyball and boys basketball.

Lakewood Ranch also finished in second in the state in boys golf and girls country and its boys tennis team won a region and district championship. The Braden River volleyball advanced to the region final.

The Braden River softball team seemed to be in good position to win a state titles joining Lakewood Ranch’s 2004 baseball squad as the only teams from East Manatee to win a state title.