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Panthers dominate regatta

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By NICHOLAS J.E. MURRAY nmurray@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

TAMPA - Plant, Holy Names and Hillsborough's rowing teams took positives from solid performances at the Halloween Regatta at the Tampa Bypass Canal on Saturday.

The Panthers had their women's varsity 8 and junior varsity 8 finish 1-2 with the varsity crew of Parker Hodges, Garrison Hodges, Elisabeth Murray, Raelyn Loiselle, Taylor Aiken, Christianne Biggane, Isabel Duvall, Sophie Seidenberg and coxswain Kristen Brownlee finishing in a time of 15 minutes, 56 seconds.

The Panthers' novice 8 of Brooklyn Hetric, Sidney Kilberg, Katie Samson, Morgan Lykes, Natalie Soyster, Morgan Billig, Hannah Carr, Sylvia Bucklew and coxswain Mackenzie Welsh also took victory. Panthers coach Sky Elliott said he was impressed with the way his novice boats competed.

"They went out there and executed the best race they've had in the last month in practice on the water, and that's all we could ask them to do," Elliott said. "We're really excited about where our novices are at, and are looking forward to seeing how they can contribute to the team for the rest of the season."

The Panthers were also hoping to earn victory in the women's varsity 4, but were defeated by the Academy of the Holy Names crew of Kiersten DeHaven, Catherine Plesko, Katie Callahan, Garrison Daly and coxswain Caitlin Vaka. Jaguars coach Teresa Osborne, said she was excited for the crew.

"We were extremely pleased," Osborne said. "We've been working hard for a long time, and this is only our fifth year with the program being installed, so to come out with a win like that is our first really big win. We expect good things from them for the rest of the year."

Hillsborough found success on the men's side, with the Terriers' varsity 4 of Jon Schonwetter, Danny Ryan, Taylor Gonzalez, Eric Martin and coxswain Amber O'Connell taking victory in a time of 16:01. Using an aggressive race plan, the Terriers impressed Coach Cory Conzemius.

"They went in with a riskier race plan, going with a higher rating than our other boats, constantly going at Plant High, who were in front of them," Conzemius said. "It was a race plan I wanted to use coming into this season, but I had kind of backed away from it, so I was excited when they wanted to use it."

The Terriers' novice 4 also took victory, the crew of Robin Beekman, Alec Clark, Conor Rigsby, Alec Martin and coxswain Becca Javier finishing in a time of 18:13.

"It was really nice for them to get out on the water" Conzemius said. "I knew they were a strong group, and they really showed they'd been putting in their work in the season so far."

Win caps Flames' successful season

SAINT LEO - The Brandon Flames girls under-15 side got goals from Kourtney Rea and Nicole Naclerio to end their Region III Premier League season with a 2-0 victory against Space Coast on Saturday.

The Flames ended the season with a 7-2-2 record, putting them six points behind league champion CASL Spartan Elite from North Carolina, but Coach Randy Belli was happy with the development his side had shown this season.

Keys to the team were midfielder Jackie Simpson and center back Amber Coca, who along with midfielder Aubrey Riggins were able to control possession and the pace of the game against their Florida rivals.

"They're two special players," Belli said. "Amber Coca herself is not a fast player. If you put her on the line with any other player on the team, she's probably going to lose, but she reads the game on a different level. She's a very intelligent player; she's always in good position.

"Jackie is probably the best one-on-one defender I've ever coached, including the college level. I think her ability to track players back and win balls off them even though they're in front of her, I've never seen anybody like that. So those two have listened, gotten better and improved, and their thought process is just on a different level."

According to Belli, that improvement has been noticeable across the entire squad. Now, the team that was a finalist in the 2009 State Cup competition last spring appears on track to win a state title and reach its goal of the Southern Regionals in Baton Rouge, La.

Nicholas Murray can be reached at (813) 259-8243.

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