By Rod Gipson
MaxPreps.com
Boys Basketball: Tampa Prep Falls Again
Tampa Prep's attempt at a state title was ended by Port St. Joe - again.
The Terrapins were tripped up 66-63 in overtime March 1 in the Class 2A state semifinals. To make the defeat even more hurtful, it was the fourth time Tampa Prep has been eliminated by Port St. Joe in the state Final Four. The others were in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
The Terrapins, who ended the season at 24-6, where led by senior Walter Perkins, who scored 24 points. Sophomore Jake Haslam and senior Caleb Sieben each added 12 points for Tampa Prep.
Boys Basketball: St. Petersburg Lakewood Thumped in Final
St. Petersburg Lakewood had little trouble during the regular season, or throughout the playoffs for that matter.
The Spartans compiled a 29-2 record while cruising to district and regional championships. But Lakewood was outmatched in the state final, being swamped by Winter Park Lake Howell 84-42 in the most lopsided state championship game in Florida High School Activities Association history.
Lake Howell's Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons combined, who will be teammates once again next season at the University of Florida, combined for 45 points as Gator head coach Billy Donovan looked on.
Baseball: Red-hot Tampa Hillsborough Slowed Down
Pre-season favorite Hillsborough hit a bit of a speed bump March 3 against rival Middleton.
Previously unbeaten Hillsborough suffered a 6-1 setback to Middleton in a key early season Class 5A, District 10 showdown. Middleton right handed pitcher Nevin Griffith allowed six hits but struck out 12 Hillsborough batters to pick up the win. The Terriers and Tigers are tied at 4-1 in district play and the lost was the first of the season for Hillsborough, which features senior outfielder Michael Burgess in its lineup.
Burgess is projected as a first-round pick in this summer's Major League Baseball draft and was named a first-team selection on Baseball America's pre-season prep All-American team.
Softball: Tampa Chamberlain Starts Strong
Even during its back-to-back state Final Four seasons of 2005 and 2006, Chamberlain didn't begin the season this dominant.
The Chiefs have jumped out to an 8-0 start, doing so in dominant fashion. Chamberlain has scored 104 runs this season, while yielding six in eight games. That's makes for a 10 to 0.75 average margin of victory.
The run-happy Chiefs have been led by five players batting above .520 (Marissa Menendez .714, Samantha Holle .563, Mary Kate Smith .550, Jessica Mouse .545 and Kasie Hatfield .529). The team has a total of 11 home runs, while Holle is leading all Hillsborough County players with three. On the mound, Brittany Cavalli has been equally strong, off to a 4-0 start with a 0.28 ERA. She has thrown 24 innings, striking out 25 batters in the process.
Girls Soccer: PHU Close But No Cigar
Palm Harbor University's bid for back-to-back state titles came up short. The Hurricanes
played well throughout the regional playoffs but was no match for Satellite Beach Satellite.
PHU fell 3-0 in the Class 5A state championship match. PHU, which finished the season 21-2, saw its 19-match win streak end with the loss. Also, the Hurricanes almost gave up as many goals in the state title match than they had all season (five) and it was the only match all season in which they yielded more than one goal.
Track & Field: Same old Tampa Wharton
Two meets into the track and field season, the Wharton girls' squad is right on track.
The defending Class 3A, District 10 champion Wildcats, who have a state champion on their roster in 2006 100 meter hurdles winner Teona Rodgers, are off to another great start. Wharton, which placed second at the season-opening Steak `n Shake Invitational followed that up by winning the Nash Higgins Relays March 3.
The Wildcat girls won four of six running events and took the triple jump to capture their eighth-straight Nash Higgins event.
On the boys side, a showdown developed between Tampa Hillsborough and Tampa Jesuit heading into the event's final race. Behind the 3:30.9 time of Kendall Brown, John Foster, Mark Williams and Daniel Mosquera in the mile relay, Hillsborough pulled out a one-point victory against Jesuit. The Terriers also took the long jump and high jump events while Jesuit won the shot put and two-mile events.