SPORTS BRIEFS

+ Lakewood Ranch relay sets new school record
The Lakewood girls 3,200-meter relay team set a new record with a time of 9:31.24 at the Wally Keller Invitational April 15 at Charlotte High.

The team of Kristin Zarrella, Olivia Ortiz, Devin McDermott and Natalie Novak dropped two seconds off of its previous school record.

+ Braden River Rage win Junior Showcase
The Braden River Rage U10 boys soccer team went undefeated to win the Everton/Pasco County’s Junior Showcase April 16-17.

Braden River opened the tournament with a 7-2 victory over FC Lutz. The Rage then went on to face Everton Pasco, which the team hadn’t beaten in three years. With the game tied 2-2, Joshua Hayes scored the go-ahead goal. The Rage defeated Everton Pasco 6-2.

Braden River posted a 7-0 victory over Tampa FC in the semifinals to earn a spot in the championship.
In the championship game, the Rage faced Clearwater Galactics FC — the only other undefeated team in the tournament. With the game once again tied 2-2, Hunter Stroble saved the ball from going out of bounds and sent in into the top right corner of the goal, breaking the tie. The Rage scored three more goals on their way to a 6-2 victory.

“Like I told the boys, we’ve been the best team over the past two seasons but didn’t get the right breaks,” coach Tim Stroble said. “But ending the season playing unreal, up a level in U/11 region C and winning this tournament was amazing.”

Championship players include: Hunter Stroble, Nathan Bettger, Brandon Boynes, Anthony Hroncich, Ryan Freeman, Dillon Bezet, Travis Freeman and Joshua Hayes.

+ Out-of-Door Academy baseball sets record for wins
The Out-of-Door Academy baseball team set a new school record for wins during the regular season with an 8-5 victory over Lemon Bay April 20.

With the win, the Thunder recorded its 14th win of the season.

ODA also set a new record for the most wins in district play, capturing their sixth district win of the season with a 15-8 victory over Bradenton Christian April 19.

+ Ranch High defender signs with Sand Sharks
Lakewood’s Kristen Voight became the third Lady Mustang soccer player to commit to play at the next level.

On April 15 in front of family and friends, the Lady Mustang defender signed a national letter-of-intent to play soccer for the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
Voight, who plans to major in education, chose USCB over a handful of other schools in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Voight began playing soccer when she was 4 years old after trying a variety of sports. She ultimately ended up sticking with soccer and spent four years playing for Lakewood.

Now, Voight will spend the next few months playing for the Braden River Rage U18 team before heading up to South Carolina in early August to begin training with the Sand Sharks.

“I’m looking forward to getting a new team because I love teammates and stuff,” Voight said. “The coach said I would probably start if I go up with a good attitude. I’m going to have to be open to trying new things and working hard. It’s going to be tough.”