THE YEAR IN SPORTS: Time to Shine

As the final days sail off the calendar and another year officially comes to a close, we’d like to take this space to remember all the talented teams and defining moments that garnered attention in 2010.

In this past year, East County squads have defied expectations, made school history and found the strength to overcome adversity. We saw district and regional champions crowned, scholarships signed and miracle seasons come to a close.

In the following pages, we celebrate our choices for the top five moments and teams in East County sports for 2010. And although you may not agree with them completely, we hope you will take a few minutes to look back and enjoy the historic seasons and monumental moments achieved by our talented athletes.

MOMENTS OF 2010
1. Record-Setter
Lakewood Ranch sophomore Olivia Ortiz only started running cross country two years ago as a way to get in shape for soccer season. Since then, Ortiz has become one of the leaders of the Lakewood girls cross country team. After posting a 19:03 at the Hagerty Invitational to start off the season, Ortiz continued to shine. Over the next few weeks, Ortiz dropped 36 seconds off her time on her way to posting two new school records.

On Oct. 1, Ortiz recorded her first break out record-setting performance, posting an 18:27 at the Flrunners.com Race of Champions on her way to breaking teammate Kristin Zarrella’s previous school record of 18:44. Ortiz followed up her record-setting performance two weeks later when she broke her own school record, finishing in 18:15 at the Pre-State Invitational.

After winning individual Manatee County and district titles, Ortiz helped power the Lady Mustangs to a second-place finish at the Class 3A State Cross Country Meet Nov. 20.

2. Historic Kick
Early on, Lakewood Ranch girls soccer coach Guy Virgilio had some reservations about midfielder Kaitlyn Kerrigan, who was one of the last to make the team as a freshman and had to continually battle her way into the starting lineup.

But what a difference four years can make.

Kerrigan quickly became one of Lakewood’s undisputed leaders, and on a night when the team needed her most, the senior captain provided the offensive spark Virgilio sought. With the game on the line, Kerrigan converted her second penalty kick of the night, propelling Lakewood past Barron Collier 2-1 (PK, 4-3) in the Class 4A-Region 3 finals Feb. 6 and into the state semifinals for the first time.

Following her game-winning kick, Kerrigan’s teammates and Lakewood fans surrounded her to celebrate the Lady Mustangs historic accomplishment.

3. Mustangs Top Pirates
After losing to its East County rival each of the past three seasons, the Lakewood Ranch football team finally found itself on the winning end in 2010.

In front of a raucous home crowd, the Mustangs scored 21 unanswered points on their way to a 21-7 victory over Braden River. Backup quarterback Jeren Kowalewski connected with Daniel Clifford late in the third quarter for the Mustangs first touchdown of the 2010 season. Taryn Laws and Kowalewski added a pair of rushing touchdowns to seal the victory for Lakewood. The Mustangs went on to finish the season 6-4 while Braden River (4-7) finished as the district runner-up and advanced to the regional quarterfinals.

4. Milestone
When she was in the fifth grade, Braden River senior Caitlyn Benedetto wrote down a list of goals she wanted to accomplish when she was older. One of those was to score 1,000 points.

But it wasn’t until the she walked into the gymnasium for the Lady Pirates game against Venice and saw a countdown posted on the bleachers that Benedetto realized just how close she was to achieving her goal.  On Dec. 9, Benedetto made school history when she scored her 1,000th point in a Lady Pirates uniform. Benedetto, who needed just nine points to reach the milestone, scored 30 points on the night.

“I was in total shock,” Benedetto said. “When I scored my final point on a free throw, not only did I see my teammates cheering but when I turned around and saw the whole stands holding up signs with ‘1,000 points Go Caitlyn!’ on them, I cried. I never felt more loved in my life.”

5. Overcoming Adversity
They often sit in opposing dugouts, but this past spring, Braden River’s Jerrod Leinhauser and Lakewood Ranch’s Reggie Lindsey both found themselves staring adversity squarely in the face.

On separate occasions this past spring, the two baseball players suffered potential career-ending injuries. Lindsey was knocked out by a fastball in the first game of the season against Seminole Osceola, resulting in a maxillary blowout fracture of his cheekbone and a blowout fracture of his left eye. The following month, Leinhauser was on the mound for the Pirates when a line drive off a Manatee player’s bat hit him squarely in the face, knocking him out and causing an orbital blowout.

Both players required surgery, and there was doubt as to whether or not they would be able to return. Lindsey recovered enough to return late in the season before turning his attention to football. Leinhauser also made a full recovery and returned to the diamond over the summer. On Nov. 12, Leinhauser’s hard work paid off when he signed a national letter-of-intent to play baseball for the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

TEAMS OF 2010
1. Lakewood Ranch Boys Golf
Led by freshmen Danny Walker and Ramsey Touchberry and three-year starters Connor Baldwin and Kyle Benson, the Lakewood Ranch boys golf team made school history this fall, capturing county, district and regional championships in the same season.

The Mustangs followed up their titles with a trip to the Class 2A FHSAA Finals Nov. 2-3 in Dunnellon, where Lakewood finished as the state runner-up, shooting a combined 594 to finish eight strokes behind state champion Spruce Creek.

2. Lakewood Ranch Girls Cross Country
For the second consecutive season, the Lakewood Ranch girls cross country team proved why they were considered by many as the team to beat. Led by sophomores Olivia Ortiz and Kristin Zarrella and junior Devin McDermott, the Lady Mustangs opened their season victorious at the North Port Invitational.

By season’s end, Lakewood had captured five invitational titles, including the Manatee County Championships, as well as district and regional titles. The Lady Mustangs wrapped up their season with a second-place finish at the Class 3A FHSAA Finals Nov. 20 in Dade City.

3. Lakewood Ranch Girls Soccer
Last winter, the Lakewood Ranch girls soccer team made school history, advancing to the state semifinals for the first time.

After completing a near-perfect regular season, which included 12 perfect games, in which they didn’t allow a goal, and a perfect district season, which culminated with a district championship, the Lady Mustangs powered their way through the regional tournament, capturing the Class 4A-Region 3 title with a 2-1 (PK, 4-3) victory over Barron Collier.

On Feb. 10, Lakewood saw its miracle season come to an end with a 2-1 (PK, 5-3) loss to St. John’s Bartram Trail in the state semifinals.

4. Braden River Volleyball
For the second consecutive season, the Braden River High volleyball team etched its way into the record books.

This fall, the Lady Pirates made history, setting the mark for most wins in a season with 27. Braden River also finished with another perfect season and district championship.

After opening the regional tournament with victories over Strawberry Crest and George Steinbrenner, the Lady Pirates saw their season come to an end with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-11 loss to Fort Myers in the Class 4A-Region 3 finals Nov. 13.

5. Lakewood Ranch Boys Tennis
After narrowly missing the Class 3A state finals in 2009, the Lakewood Ranch High boys tennis team wanted to make a statement this spring.

The Mustangs were able to do just that.

Following their 29-match winning streak, Lakewood captured district and regional titles. On April 29, the Mustangs scored eight points to finish second at the Class 3A state finals in Orlando. Arnav Mohanty captured the No. 3 individual singles title with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Hillsborough’s Alexander Peckham. Mohanty also finished as the state runner-up in Nov. 1 doubles with Cooper Maxwell.

HONORABLE MENTION
Lakewood Ranch Softball
Lakewood Ranch Swimming
Lakewood Ranch Baseball
ODA Boys Cross Country
Braden River Football
ODA Footbal