Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

The book is officially closed on 2015 and the New Year is in full swing. 

The second half of the winter sports season is getting underway, which in turn means the Lakewood Ranch High girls soccer team is gearing up for what it hopes will be another deep playoff run. 

The Mustangs posted a 12-1 record heading into their final two matches of the regular season against Venice Jan. 5 and Cardinal Mooney Jan. 7. 

Lakewood Ranch locked up the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A-District 8 tournament, which begins Jan. 12, with a 1-0 victory against Riverview Dec. 18. Sophomore Faith Schyck scored the lone goal of the game in the first half to secure the victory for the Mustangs. 

Winning has become commonplace for the Mustangs over the years, particularly in January. 

Lakewood Ranch has won 11 district titles under coach Guy Virgilio and has reached the regional playoffs every year since 2001. During that stretch, the Mustangs have advanced to the Final Four three times, most recently in 2014. 

The names have changed over the years, but Lakewood Ranch’s winning mentality has remained the same. It’s part of their pedigree.

The Lady Mustangs enter each season with a target on their backs. They are the team to beat and they know it. Even after moving up to Class 5A this season, Lakewood has still found itself in a familiar position. 

Now, it’s up to this year’s players, a handful who were on Lakewood Ranch’s last regional championship team, to leave their mark on the program and continue the postseason tradition their predecessors set before. 

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The Lakewood Ranch High wrestling team hit the road to close out 2015, traveling to Baton Rouge, La. for the Deep South Bayou Duals Dec. 28 and Dec. 29. 

The Mustangs wrested nine matches, against teams from Louisiana, Oklahoma and Georgia, over the two-day tournament, finishing fourth in Pool C. 

Junior Hunter Reed was the Mustangs' lone gold medalist, posting a 9-0 record. Nate Lancaster went 8-1 followed by Dylan Cameron, who was 7-2, Luis Tremblay-Vidal at 6-3 and Logan Bounds at 6-3. 

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The Braden River High boys basketball team posted a 2-1 record to finish fifth in the annual Smoothie King Classic Dec. 28 through Dec. 30 at Bradenton Christian. 

After a tough first-round loss to Cape Coral, in which the Pirates were outscored 24-14 in the final eight minutes, Braden River bounced back with a pair of victories against The Out-of-Door Academy and Dixie Hollins. 

On Dec. 29, Tyler Dyson had 12 points and a career-high 22 rebounds to lead Braden River to a 68-52 victory over ODA. Deoni Cason finished with 18 points and senior forward Parker Golemo chipped in with 10 points. 

The Pirates closed out the tournament with a 48-35 victory against Dixie Hollins in the fifth-place game. Cason, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, had 18 points to lead the way for Braden River. Dyson added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Dunbar contributed eight points and 13 rebounds. Curtis Cobb added five points and five assists.