Top sports moments from East County's 2017-2018 school year

From state championships to shocking improvement, the 2017-18 school year featured several outstanding memories.

While it was hard to pick just five, these stood tall when it comes to memories that will last.

5 — Lakewood Ranch boys soccer wins sixth-straight district title

It came on a night when the Lakewood Ranch boys soccer team felt it didn’t play to its standards, but it came nonetheless.

The Mustangs won their sixth-straight Class 5A District 8 title on Feb. 2, a 3-2 victory over Riverview High. The program is the first in Lakewood Ranch history to accomplish the six-peat.

In a "grind-it-out" game, the Mustangs did enough to survive, getting a first half goal from junior midfielder Josh Hays and second half goals from sophomore defender Cade Schwarz and senior midfielder Aystin Martinez. Hays also recorded two assists.

Mustangs coach Vito Bavaro said the sixth district title feels just as good as the first, and if anyone says different, “they’re lying.”

4 — Braden River girls basketball collects first-ever district crown

The Braden River High girls basketball team was graced with an ace class of newcomers in 2017-2018, and those freshman (and one sophomore) helped the Pirates do something the program had never done.

Win a district title.

The Pirates defeated Sarasota High 89-58 on Feb. 9 to take the Class 8A District 11 crown. The win led to the Pirates’ first appearance in the regional tournament, where their season ended in a 76-72 home loss to North Port High on Feb. 16.

Braden River finished the year 20-7 after winning seven games over the previous three seasons combined. The Pirates were sparked by three newcomers, freshman guards O’Mariah Gordon and Cheyenne Stubbs and sophomore wing Julia Rodriguez, a transfer from Riverview High. All three girls play for the same AAU team, the Florida Future, and brought with them an innate chemistry.

Pirates coach Kristen Fulmer stepped down from her position on April 3. It remains to be seen if the Pirates can repeat their success without her (no replacement has been hired), but with their dynamic trio returning, anything is possible.

3 — ODA dominates Class 1A tennis scene

The Out-of-Door Academy boys tennis put its stamp on history on May 1, winning the Class 1A state title 4-0 over Tampa Prep.

Twin ninth graders Jake and Connor Krug took charge for the Thunder, with Jake downing Omar Hamzah (6-1, 6-1) in his matchup and Connor beating Rory Kemm (6-3, 6-0). They also won the boys doubles title (6-1, 6-2) over Kemm and Bryce Guenther.

The Thunder had beaten the Miami Country Day School 5-0 earlier in the day. ODA lost in the first round of the tournament in 2017 and 2016, but this year reached the summit.

On the girls side, the Thunder's Ava Krug and Sydney Sforzo won the Class 1A girls doubles individual bracket, beating Trinity Prep's Samantha DeMaio and Sammy Miller 6-7 (5), 6-4, 10-7.

The titles are the school’s first tennis titles since Maria Ross won the girls individual and doubles (with Mary Ann Rompf) titles in 2014. It is the first team title in school history. 

2 — Braden River senior wins school’s first wrestling title

Braden River High senior wrestler Brendan Bengtsson (44-4) had seven days to get right before the March 3 state wrestling tournament at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.

Seven days to get over his loss to North Fort Myers High's Adolphus Taylor in the Class 2A, 285-pound regional final. Seven days to rewire his mental game and train harder than he ever has. Seven days before he attempted to claim Braden River's first-ever state wrestling title.

He made them count, and it showed at states.

Bengtsson toppled every challenge in his way, culminating with an 8-0 major decision over finals opponent Carter Harris of Harmony High. Bengtsson almost had Harris pinned, but he wriggled free. He laughed about it after the match, saying that heavyweights aren’t easy to pin, and that Harris is a “tank.”

Once the match was decided, Bengtsson scrambled to the coach’s area and hoisted assistant coach Christian Sharbono in the air. He then gave head coach Nick Balde a bone-rattling embrace.

After finishing second in 2017, Bengtsson was finally a champion.

1 — Area athletes bring home three golds at track and field championships

May 5 was a special day for three East County athletes, who each took home a gold medal from the FHSAA Track and Field Championships in Jacksonville.

Although the Class 4A girls pole vault wasn't technically over, Lyvers knew it was all but finished after she cleared 11 feet, 9 inches. A few minutes later, she was proven correct when Winter Park High junior Elizabeth Nix failed to clear it. Lyvers was the champion.

She wasn't done, though. Continuing against herself, Lyvers cleared 12 feet, 4 inches, tying her personal record, before being bested by the 12 foot, 9 inch bar.

It was a day Lyvers, who started pole vaulting last season, has been anticipating since the beginning of the year. Before the state championships, she held the top individual jump in the state (12 feet, 4 inches), regardless of classification, set at the regional meet. Nothing about her own performance surprised her.

That didn't make it any less sweet.

On the track, The Out-of-Door Academy freshman Saraiah Walkes blazed through the competition in the Class 1A girls 100-meter dash (12.18 seconds). It wasn't the easiest season for Walkes. An ankle injury suffered in February sidelined Walkes for a month, causing her to miss the IMG Academy Invitational on March 17, one of the biggest "tune-up" races of the season. A groin injury has persisted all season, not keeping her out of races but slowing her down. It flared again after the 100-meter race on Saturday, limited her effectiveness in the 200- and 400-meter races.

Considering the circumstances, Walkes was pleased with how her day went.

Also happy was Lakewood Ranch junior James Rivera, who made up for a seventh-place finish in the Class 4A 110-meter hurdles with a win in the 300-meter hurdles (37.14) from the outside lane.

Rivera becomes the second member of his family to win gold at the state championships, following his brother John Rivera Jr., who won the 4A boys 800 and the 4A 4x800 relay for the Mustangs in 2017.  James Rivera said he did not talk to his brother before the day began, but that he knew he was watching the events online, and that he'd be James' first phone call once given time to soak in the victory.