Jan 16,
2001 - 07:14 PM
Hudson wins regular-season district
title
It might not get respect in the rankings, but Hudson is
quickly becoming the second best team in Pasco County.
The Cobras (14-5-1, 9-1-1)
clinched the top seed in the Class 2A-District 8 tournament for the second
straight season after sweeping three district games last week. Included was a
3-1 win at Springstead Friday. The Eagles (7-4-2, 6-3-1) are ranked No. 10 in
the state in the latest Florida Athletic Coaches Association poll. Despite a
much better record, the Cobras remain unranked.
``We could beat Springstead
10 times and still not be ranked,'' quipped Hudson coach Ron Ladimir.
The Cobras cruised to an
easy 8-1 win against Mitchell on Jan. 8 and followed up with a 2-0 victory
against Zephyrhills on Wednesday before Friday's win at Springstead. Hudson had
tied the Bulldogs and lost to the Eagles earlier in the season.
``Friday was a good game,''
Ladimir said. ``Monday, when you're playing a weaker team, it was kind of
wishy-washy. But Friday was a real confidence-builder.''
Jarle Thy and Robert
Pollock each scored a goal against the Eagles. The pair are half of a quartet
of talented Hudson offensive players. Billy Boyko is second in the county with
53 points (19 goals, 15 assists) while Thy (18 goals, 14 assists) and Pollock
(15 goals, 20 assists) each have 50 points. Morton Frette ``only'' has 10 goals
and 12 assists.
The Cobras have split with
the Eagles for the third straight season. On their minds more than rankings is
avoiding a repeat of last season, when the Cobras were the top seed in the
district but upset in the final by Springstead. The Cobras, having to travel to
Citrus, lost their first playoff game while Springstead cruised to the regional
final with two home wins.
Briscoe
sidelined:Zephyrhills forward John Briscoe, Pasco County's leading scorer with
28 goals and 65 points, is out indefinitely with a knee injury he suffered
while working with his father over Christmas break. Briscoe had a doctor's
appointment Tuesday to find out the severity of the injury. Bulldogs coach
Phillip Castro may hold Briscoe out until the district playoffs.
Ho-hum, another Gator
shutout:Land O' Lakes continues to make it look easy against Pasco County
competition after blanking Gulf 3-0 Monday night. The Gators (20-2-1) are
12-0-1 against county opponents, allowing just four goals.
Greg Kline recorded his
14th shutout but did more work in scoring his third goal of the season on a
penalty kick then he did in goal. He had to make just three saves as the Gator
defense suffocated the Bucs after a slow start.
Gulf controlled the match
for the first 15 minutes but did little after that. Leading-scorer Alex Maric
had only one good scoring chance all night - a goal disallowed because he was
offsides in the 54th minute - as Land O' Lakes sweeper J.P. Rodrigues dominated
the middle of the Buc offensive zone.
``We knew they would come
out real fast in the first 15 to 20 minutes,'' Gators coach Mark Pearson said.
``They did the same thing the first time. We knew if we could hold the momentum
they'd come out fast and die. I didn't think their conditioning was as good as
ours.''
Land O' Lakes clinched the
top seed in the Class 3A-District 8 tournament and also clinched a share of the
Sunshine Athletic Conference title. By virtue of their success over the
Christmas break, the Gators also cracked the Fox Student Sports Fab 50 poll,
coming in at No. 23 last week. The Gators moved up to No. 14 yesterday.
``It's definitely an honor
for us to get into it,'' Pearson said. ``A lot had to do with the success of
the last three seasons as well as the success this season. The boys have done a
good job of carrying on the hard work of the last three teams.''
'Cats back on pitch:Wesley
Chapel played its first match since the death of midfielder Nicholas Walker
last week. The Wildcats (3-13-3) lost 11-1 to River Ridge Monday night. Getting
back in action was much more important to the team than the final score. Coach
James Hymiller said the team is dealing with the situation.
``They're fine,'' he said
of the players. ``With what could be expected after this happens.''
There was a moment of
silence before the match in Walker's honor. Hymiller said he has left it up to
the players to come up with a focal point for the rest of the season.
``I didn't say too much,''
he said. ``I let the players talk amongst themselves on how to handle
themselves the rest of the season. Nothing I could say could inspire them. It's
in their own hearts on wanting to play.''