Pinellas County High School Soccer
Winter 1997-98 Preview!

• Players to watch
• District by district
• Fan info

LARGO -- After struggling through two rough years with young, inexperienced players in 1994-95, Clearwater Central Catholic grew up to win consecutive state titles in 1996-97. A similar story is now unfolding at Largo.

The Packers were dismal in 1995 and had an up-and-down year in 1996 before losing to Plant in a shootout in the district playoffs. Last year, a more seasoned Packers squad crushed Plant en route to the district title. They also compiled a 16-3 record and won the Pinellas Couny Athletic Conference Championship.

Not coincidentally, an ex-CCC player has led the young Largo team through its early lumps until now when it has a legitimate shot at the state crown. Steve Wolf, a Parade All-American player at CCC, took over the reins in 1995, and the team has learned how to play CCC-style soccer.

""We want to play an attractive brand of soccer,'' Wolf said. "Think. Attack. Defend. Work together as a team. Hopefully this will result in a state championship, but doing it with good style and form is important.''

Wolf has plenty of weapons returning. He calls striker Russell Vreeland "the best attacking player ever to come out of this area.'' Vreeland scored 20 goals last year as a junior and has a potent combination of skills and speed.

The Packers' field general is midfielder Joe Valencia. "He's really the engine of our team,'' Wolf said. ""He can score. He can defend. He's like Superman.''  Daniel Quintela is another skillful player who will complement Valencia in the midfield.

Perhaps most impressive for the Packers will be their backfield. Chris Mitchell, Bryan Black, and Steve Borkowski all return. Wolf describes the trio as "technically good at winning the ball and distributing.'' James Manfull returns in the goal as well.

Despite high expectations last year after a 12-2 regular season, the Pack suffered a disappointing loss to Sarasota in the Class 5A regional semifinals. ""Sarasota caught us off guard, but I think we learned you can't look ahead,'' Wolf said. ""You have to be ready to play every game. We'll be prepared next time.''

One thing that could help the Packers prepare for the playoffs is their regular season Distict 5A-9 competition. Now that Countryside and Seminole have dropped in classification, 5A-9 becomes one of the state's toughest districts. Countryside made it to the Class 6A state tourney last year, and Seminole returns 11 seniors.

ST. PETE RELOADS

St. Petersburg also compiled a 16-3 record last year and even got a step further than Largo--all the way to the Class 5A regional final. Like the Packers, the Green Devils lost few players to graduation.

John Oldja, who scored 28 goals as a sophomore, returns to lead the Devils offense. He is joined by strong midfield, including Harris Ambush, Vaso Arsenis, and Billy Baynard. Heady sweeper Mike Petagna anchors the defense.

Coach Mike Clayton said the team has one goal on its mind: "They want to go to states, and it's obvious to me they'll do whatever it takes to get there.''

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

GEOFF PEATTIE. SCHOOL: Countryside. YR: Sr. POS: MF. COMMENT: Stepped up as scorer to lead Countryside to 6A state tourney last year.

RUSSELL VREELAND.  SCHOOL: Largo. YR: Sr. POS: F. COMMENT: Combination of skills, speed, and fluidity. 20 goals last year. Times' All-County first team.

JOE VALENCIA. SCHOOL: Largo. YR: Sr. POS: MF. COMMENT: A versatile threat. Team captain, can attack & defend. Times' All-County first team.

MYLES MCALLISTER. SCHOOL: CCC. YR: Sr. POS: MF/F. COMMENT: Injured most of last year. Aggressive attacking player who will lead CCC offense.

KYLE DULIN. SCHOOL: CCC. YR: Sr. POS: D. Marauders used him on offense and defense last year. Stepped up to play tough D in state tourney.

MIKE SERVIS. SCHOOL: Osceola. YR: Jr. POS: F. COMMENT: Scored 20 g as frosh, moved to MF last yr, will now go back to striker. PK for football team.

TONY LAZZARA. SCHOOL: Shorecrest. YR: Sr. POS: GK. COMMENT: Chargers football star in 5th season as GK. Scored 50-yd goal on free kick last yr.

JOHN OLDJA. SCHOOL: St. Pete. YR: Jr. POS: F. COMMENT: Scored 28 g last yr, Times' All-County first team, led team to Class 5A regional final.

MIKE PETAGNA. SCHOOL: St. Pete. YR: Sr. POS: D. COMMENT: Smart defender brings toughness at sweeper. Great student also carries 4.8 GPA.

MIKE NAGEL. SCHOOL: Seminole. YR: Sr. POS: F. Good footwork and control. If coach can light a fire under him, he could be among county's best.

District by District (Pinellas teams)

1. East Lake (10-4-3) Only 6A team in Pinellas. Sweeper Josh Laws returns

1. Tarpon Springs (17-5) Lost leading scorer, but F Mike Carrion (11 g) returns

1. Largo (16-3) Packers reload with Vreeland, Valencia, and full D
2. Countryside (18-4-1) Peattie and Akim Kaba lead Cougars offense
3. Seminole (8-9-2) Bob Riley and Steve Harper solidify good MF
4. Dunedin (4-11-1) New coach Jerry Rossi heads young team
5. Clearwater (7-10-1) Made it to district final last yr, but lost key Srs.
6. Pinellas Park (3-12) Young team with MF Regis Dowd; new coach Matt Crosby

1. St. Petersburg (16-3) Devils look for state tourney berth with stocked team
2. Lakewood (14-5) F Chris Brown will score with Brenton Meese in MF
3. Northeast (8-8-1) Gave St. Pete scare in playoffs; could be tough again
4. Dixie Hollins (5-8-3) Coach Bruce Yarrington says he has a solid squad
5. Boca Ciega (4-10-1) Could be another tough year for Pirates
6. Gibbs (1-11-3) New coach Steve Gil takes the reins

1. Osceola (11-6) Could be Osceola's yr; Servis, Chris Huber will score
2. Palm Harbor U (2-13)  PHU will improve quickly under coach Mark Lange

1. CC Catholic (27-1-3)  Defending state champs will be tough again
2. SP Catholic (9-7) Matteo Petoai and Jeff Joyner lead solid team
3. Shorecrest (7-9) Lazzara will keep Chargers in many games
4. Adm Farragut (0-16)   Blue Jackets have not won in past two seasons

• ADMISSION: Most schools charge $3 for regular season games and $4 for tournaments.
• KICKOFF CLASSICS: Took place Nov. 24-25 at Seminole and Countryside.
• REGULAR SEASON: Begins Dec. 1. Teams play a maximum of 14 games, plus tournaments.
• KEY DATES: Dec 1-5--Palm Harbor U Invitational (PHU, EL, SP, SPC); Dec. 8-13--Coca-Cola Classic at Tarpon Springs (14 teams); Dec. 15--Seminole at Countryside; Dec. 16--Lakewood at St. Petersburg; Dec. 19-23--Diadora Invitational at Jesuit; Jan. 7--Seminole at Largo; Jan. 9--Countryside at Largo; Jan. 17--Jesuit at CCC; Jan. 28--Largo at East Lake; Feb. 2--CCC at Countryside, River Ridge at Tarpon Springs; Feb. 4 Berkeley at CCC; Feb. 10--Berkeley at Countryside; Feb. 11--CCC at Largo, East Lake at Tarpon Springs; Feb. 13--Jesuit at Osceola, St. Pete at Countryside; Feb. 20--PCAC Championship.
• TEAMS TO WATCH: CCC (3A state champ), Largo (returns 10 starters), St. Petersburg (also returns 10 starters), Countryside (6A state semifinalist), and Osceola (could go far in 4A).
• PLAYOFFS: The district champion and runner-up advance to the regional playoffs. The state tournament will be March 19-21.
• CLASSIFICATIONS: Schools are divided into four classifications ranging from the largest schools in Class 6A to the smallest in Class 3A.
• WHAT'S NEW: Countryside and Seminole drop down to Class 5A, making District 5A-9 much tougher.

I cover prep soccer for the St. Petersburg Times,
and I am also a contributor to the FACA/Sportswriters Poll.