PREP ROUNDUP: Riverview girls fall to Sickles in lacrosse quarterfinals
SARASOTA – All throughout her team’s game against visiting Tampa Sickles, Riverview High School girls lacrosse coach Ashley McLeod told her players to avoid the stick of Gryphon goalie Emma Zimmerman.
If the Rams listened to her advice, they were unable to execute it.
Despite peppering Zimmerman with shots, Riverview was unable to capitalize on many of them and lost 6-5 to Sickles on Friday night in a Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal at the Ram Bowl.
While the Rams, who won their first lacrosse district title in the seven-year history of the program, saw their season end at 12-8, Sickles (16-4) moves on to face Lithia Newsome, a 12-4 winner over Manatee, in Tuesday’s regional semifinal.
The Rams got three goals from sophomore Susan Lowther, her third putting Riverview up 5-4 with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
But Sickles tied it at 5-all two minutes later, then took a 6-5 lead with 1:54 left on a goal off a free shot by Elena Hangen, who whipped one past Ram goalie Mia Rey for her third goal of the game.
The Gryphons then got control of the ball and managed to run out the clock for the one-goal victory. The playoff win, the first in program history, triggered a celebration on the Sickles’ sideline.
On the Ram side of the field, there was only disappointment following last week’s district-clinching win over Manatee. If only, McLeod said, her players’ shots had been able to find more than Zimmerman’s stick.
“Our shots were particularly not on point,” she said, “and so it was unfortunate that our attack . . . couldn’t get anywhere but her stick. Every single shot. I think our defense played (great) and our goalie had amazing saves.
“We just couldn’t get our goals in. We practice that and we prepared just for this type of game. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t there. We also lost a bunch of players right before from injuries. One of my players had to leave in the middle of the game to go to the airport.”
Sickles, which was forced on the road after losing the district title to Plant, was the sixth seed coming into the game. The Rams were seeded third.
“We were huge underdogs,” Gryphon head coach Mark Hangen said. “We were the six seed, the underdogs, and we took that role seriously. We gave it a good week of practice and slayed the dragon.”
As for Zimmerman, he said, “our goalie is a stud. A tiny little girl, but she plays like a beast. She’s really amazing.”
As for the game-winning goal which eluded Rey, McLeod called it a “beautiful shot.” “Mia had some amazing saves before that. I tell her all the time, ‘you can’t save them all,’ even though she tries. If it wasn’t for her, they would have had a ton more goals.
“It’s hard not to go out on a high note, but we just have to remember all the work we put in the entire year. It’s hard because we’re (losing) a lot of seniors.”
SOFTBALL
Venice 6, Charlotte 2
VENICE — Steve Constantino has known Layne Preece for a long time.
The Venice High softball coach has seen Preece grow during the years.
But Preece’s growth spurt during the past three months, not only has been impressive, but also has contributed to Venice’s torrid start.
Preece pitched shutout ball over the final 3 ⅓ innings preserving Venice’s 6-2 victory over Charlotte on Friday night.
“She works hard,” Constantino said. “We hoped this would be Layne this year. Coming in as a young player, there’s a lot of pressure knowing losing all those seniors from last year puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of anybody stepping in.”
Taking over for left-handed starter Karsyn Rutherford with runners on first and second and two outs after the Tarpons had closed the deficit to 3-2, Preece recorded a strikeout to get out of the jam.
The sophomore right-hander allowed two base runners and one hit – a two-out single in the seventh – while striking out three.
“Layne has changed so much in the last three months mentally,” Constantino said. “How she reacts to adversity in the game. That’s a big deal.
“I would like to say Layne would be this great. We knew she would be, but we didn’t know it would be right away this year.”
Ahead 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, another big deal was a three-run uprising that gave Venice a 6-2 cushion heading into the seventh.
Rutherford opened the sixth with a single and Micaela Hartman followed with a walk. Kenna Tippman’s fly ball to right-center field dropped for a two-run double.
“I wish I could say it was the first time it’s happened this year, but it’s not,” Charlotte coach Dave Anthony said. “One was calling it, the other was saying ‘You, you, you.’ And there was some confusion and they didn’t catch the ball.”
Zoey Lynn then had a run-scoring single to make it 6-2 Venice.
“It doesn’t hurt us in the end,” Anthony said. “But it’s easier to play the last inning down one run instead of playing for three or four. It takes some of our options away.”
In stretching its winning streak to six games, Venice (18-1) used three walks and a two-run single by Tippman to grab a 2-0 lead in the first inning. A run-scoring single by Lynn in the third made it 3-0.
Charlotte (12-10) got two runs in the fourth. Lex Fitzgerald singled and crossed on Faith Wharton’s double. Mia Flores sacrificed pinch-runner Jaiden Halvorsen to third. Alex Vega followed with another bunt that produced Halvorsen with the second run. Josalin Abel singled before Constantino made the pitching change.
“Layne is taller than Karsyn. She throws different pitches than Karsyn. And she throws from the other side,” Constantino said. “The combination of the two is pretty deadly right now.”
Charlotte takeaways
• Anthony opened with Amber Chumley in the circle. Chumley was sidelined earlier in the season with a labrum injury. After Chumley’s fourth walk of the game opened the second inning, Anthony turned to Flores. “I’ve worked Flores to death this year,” Anthony said. “What we talked about last week, we need Chumley to produce for us to do what we want to do by the end of the year. We have to have her three or four innings to get by the good teams. She was just a little bit off and walked a few. Three walks in the first inning, seven total, it’s going to be hard to beat that team. We have to have her to get where we want to go. She’s getting back in the groove. Once she finds her groove, she’s pretty good.”
• During the final five innings, Flores gave up nine hits and four runs, one before the misplay in the outfield. “Mia always keeps us in the game,” Anthony said. “She doesn’t strike out a bunch of girls. When you have a contact pitcher like Mia, your defense has to make 20, 21 outs a game.”
• Anthony credited Preece for keeping the ball away from Charlotte’s right-handed hitters and forcing them to hit into a stiff wind blowing to left field. “She used the wind really well to her advantage,” Anthony said. “She stayed away and forced us to hit against the wind.”
• Anthony felt good after five innings when his Tarpons trailed 3-2 knowing he would have the top of his lineup coming up in the seventh inning. Venice’s three-run uprising spoiled his vibe. “I thought we would win the game, and it slipped away from us. Not the first time it’s happened this year,” Anthony said, as six of Charlotte’s nine losses are by one run or in extra innings.
Venice takeaways
• Lately, Constantino has stressed pitch selection at the plate for Venice hitters. “We didn’t chase one bad pitch all night,” he said. “We even let pitches go by tonight. We talked this week about just because you can hit a pitch doesn’t mean you should hit a pitch.”
• Two players who have not been in the lineup produced for Venice. Making her first start of the season, freshman Kinley Rutherford drew two walks, reached base three times and scored a run. Lynn, a sophomore who has not started the past five or six games, knocked in four runs. “We’ve got some depth,” Constantino said. “And they are underclassmen. Pretty impressive.”
• An area of concern was leaving runners on base. Venice stranded 11 runners, at least one in each inning, including three in the third. Eight of the runners were in scoring position. “It’s a problem,” Constantino said. “We said in the fourth inning if we don’t start getting some of these runners in, we’re going to be in trouble against a team like Charlotte.”
• Venice has learned there are no style points in victories. “You don’t have to win beautiful, you just have to win,” Constantino said. “We found a way to win a lot of close games. Nobody said you had to win by a lot.”
BASEBALL
Venice 7, Palmetto 1
AT: Palmetto
TOP PLAYERS: V, Marek Houston (1-3, 2 runs, RBI), John Whitney (1-2, 2B, run), Jon Embury (1-2, RBI)
PITCHING: John Whitney (6.1 IP, 10 Ks), Marek Houston (.2 IP, 2 walks, run, 0 earned runs, K)
OF NOTE: John Whitney and Marek Houston combined on a no-hitter.
Lakewood Ranch 4, Riverview 2
AT: Lakewood Ranch
TOP PLAYERS: LR, Luis Flores (1-3, 2B, 3 RBI), Mason Wozniak (1-3, 2B); R, Chris Barr (2-3, 3B, run, RBI)
PITCHING: LR, Lochlan Radloff (4 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 7 Ks), Ryan Combs (3 IP, hit, walk, 7 Ks)
OF NOTE: Lakewood Ranch scored three runs in the sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit.
BOYS WEIGHTLIFTING
FHSAA Class 2A State Championships
Traditional
Team scoring: 1. Charlotte 29, 2. Suwannee 19
119: 6. Rylan Tolliver, Charlotte 365
129: 2. John Breaux, Charlotte 450
139: 1. Zachary Anderson, Charlotte 510
154: 1. Nathaniel Smith, Charlotte 525
169: 6. Ryan Petersen, Charlotte 550
199: 1. Christian Kreegel, Charlotte 665
219: 3. Charles Vanamburg, Port Charlotte 635 (tied for second, third on body weight)
238: 8. Tyler Dampier, Charlotte 605
Unl.: 6. Brendan Chavarria, Charlotte 665
OF NOTE: Charlotte won the team championship for the second straight year.
Snatch
129: 4. John Breaux, Charlotte 150 (tied for second, fourth on body weight), 5. Troi’Quawn McClary 145
199: 5. Christian Kreegel, Charlotte 205 (tied for third, fifth on body weight)
219: 1. Charles Vanamburg, Port Charlotte 240
238: 4. Nikko Frattarelli, Charlotte 210 (tied for second, fourth on body weight), 8. Tyler Dampier 200 (tied for seventh, eighth on body weight)
Unl.: 5. Jayce Marcum, Port Charlotte 230
FHSAA Class 3A State Championships
Snatch
169: 1. Kale Bunce, Palmetto 240
238: 2. Rylee Jackson, Palmetto 225 (tied for first, second on body weight)
Traditional
219: 2. Max Kollar 660
238: 4. George Philip, Venice 650
Unl.: 6. Jonathan Petty, Riverview 685
FHSAA Tennis Championships
WHERE: Seminole County (Sanlando Park, Red Bug Lake Park and Sylvan Lake Park)
Class 1A Red Bug Lake Park (teams) / Sylvan Lake Park (individuals) 8 a.m. Monday to Wednesday
Class 2A Red Bug Lake Park (teams) / Sylvan Lake Park (individuals) 8 a.m. Wednesday to Friday
Class 3A Sanlando Park 8 a.m. Monday to Wednesday
Class 4A Sanlando Park 8 a.m. Wednesday to Friday
AREA TEAMS
Venice girls (4A)
SINGLES — Nicole Cierniak, Mikayla Faure, Nika DeLong, Christine Wu, Adela Piskor
DOUBLES — Cierniak / Faure*, DeLong / Wu
Lemon Bay boys (2A)
SINGLES — Stevie Ethier*, Hunter Andres, Billy Rand, Gray Lowder, Caleb Hutcherson
DOUBLES — Ethier / Andres*, Rand / Lowder
Saint Stephen’s boys (1A)
SINGLES — Jake Pettingell*, Max Pettingell, Tomas Martins, Ricardo Perazzolo, Meng Zhao
DOUBLES — Jake Pettingell / Max Pettingell*, Tomas Martins / Ricardo Perazzolo
AREA INDIVIDUALS
SINGLES — Odessa Eisch, Parrish Community (2A), Troy Dozeman, Manatee (4A)
DOUBLES — Ella Dalzell / Maria Petroca, Saint Stephen’s (1A), Jordan Shirley / Marie L’Abbe, Lemon Bay (2A), Charlie Siddons / Seth Neitich, Venice (4A)
*-also qualified by winning No. 1 singles and/or doubles
Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: PREP ROUNDUP: Riverview girls fall to Sickles in lacrosse quarterfinals
