By Rod Gipson
MaxPreps.com
Countryside came in with the state ranking, Gaither was unranked.
The Cougars reached the region semifinals a season ago, Gaither didn't make it out of the district tournament. And although they split their season series, Countryside walloped Gaither 14-0 in early March.
None of that mattered when Countryside pitcher Desiree Baker was called for an illegal pitch, sending home Katie Clemente from third to hand Gaither the lead and ultimately a 4-3 victory and the Class 6A, District 7 softball championship.
Tied at three in the sixth inning, the Cowboys got two runners on base thanks to Countryside errors and advanced them, setting up the game-changing, two-out illegal pitch call, sending the eventual game-winning run home. An illegal pitch is classified as one that is delivered to the batter when the pitcher does not have their pivot foot in contact with the pitcher's plate.
Carannante Highlighted on ESPN
Clearwater senior guard Brittany Carannante was featured on ESPN's Home Video segment April 21 for two improbable shots she made during the 2006-07 season.
One was a court-long toss that went off the back board. The other was an all-net shot she made from just beyond half court.
Carannante, who is headed to Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., also was interviewed on the network about the shots by ESPN SportsCenter host Chris McKendry.
Scull Steps Down
After 22 seasons in the dugout, Tampa Bloomingdale baseball coach K.B. Scull is retiring. Scull, who coached for ten seasons at nearby Seffner Armwood before joining Bloomingdale in 1996, has racked up 325 career victories.
But he's not done yet. Bloomingdale enters this week's Class 5A, District 8 tournament as the top seed. Scull led Bloomingdale to state semifinal appearances in 2002 and 2004.
District Track and Field
The Tampa Bay area's district track and field meets saw a little new mixed with more old. Tampa schools Wharton and Sickles saw dominating performances, again, while Wesley Chapel pulled a sweep.
This is old hat for Wharton, as the schools boys team won its eighth-straight district championship. For the girls, led by Florida State University-bound Teona Rodgers, it was their seventh-straight league crown. Rodgers won the triple jump, 100 hurdles, and 200 meter events, and ran leadoff on the Wildcats' 4x400 relay team.
The Sickles girls, meanwhile, took their fourth-straight district title, winning the Class 4A, District 5 event while Wesley Chapel's boys and girls each won crowns at the Class 3A, District 7 meet. Gaither's girls won the 4A-6 event, led by distance runner Katie Quick's 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter first place finishes.
Baseball All-Stars
Three Hillsborough County players have been selected to the Florida Athletic Coaches Association District 13 All-Star team.
Tampa Alonso pitcher Tommy Toledo, Tampa Hillsborough outfielder Michael Burgess, and Tampa Middleton pitcher Nevin Griffith were chosen.
The honor also automatically gives the players spots on the West roster during the Senior Showcase May 24-26 in Sebring, Fla. The tournament features the top 80 senior players in the state, broken up into four squads.
Flag Football Tournaments
Tampa Riverview, Plant City, and Tampa Freedom are among the favorites during Hillsborough County's first flag football district tournaments. The sport is only in its second year in the county and was not sanctioned for postseason play last year by the Florida High School Activities Association.
Riverview, led by quarterback Michelle Trugillo, finished 9-0 and is the top seed in District 6. Trugillo threw for more than 1,300 yards and had 12 touchdown passes this season. Riverview outscored its opponents 307-54.
Plant City's Queet Shaw had 18 touchdown passes and another 15 on the ground and Freedom (9-0) got 20 touchdown passes this season from quarterback Sarah Cardozo.
The district tournament winners advance to the state finals May 4.
Scholarships
Land O' Lakes junior soccer player Amanda Goble has orally committed to Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla. Goble, a midfielder, scored 11 goals and had 10 assists last season.
Oldsmar Christian seniors David Minaya and Leo Liraino have signed with Tennessee Tech to play basketball. Minaya, a 6-6 forward, and Liraino, a 6-3 guard, helped lead Oldsmar Christian to the Class A state quarterfinals last season.