TFA girls golf wins big; Winter Park salutes 95 football seasons
Orlando area girls golf teams have racked up 20 state championships since 2010 — including 13 Class 1A titles in a row.
If last weekend’s The Classic in the Palm Beaches High School Invitational (previously the Honda High School Classic) is a fair barometer — and it usually is — that dominance will continue in this year’s FHSAA state tournaments at Mission Inn.
Reigning 1A state champ The First Academy shot rounds of 290 and 286 to decisively win the Classic with a 576 team total ahead of two-time defending 3A champ Lake Mary (296-295—590). They were followed by two more area powers: Lake Mary Prep (304-300—604) and Circle Christian (310-296—606).
TFA’s Mi Li, the 2022 individual 1A state champ, shot 66 and 67 for an 11-under 133 score and another prestigious victory. She was followed by Lake Mary’s Lauryn Finley (72-67—139) and Circle Christian’s Isabella Dovhey (69-70—139).
TFA’s boys team shot 294-291—585 to place fourth in the Classic, with sophomore Mingbo Jiang placing fourth individually at 71-70—140.
Jupiter shot 578 to win. Circle Christian placed seventh (299-304—603).
The golf postseason tees off with district tournaments next week, leading to region tourneys the following week.
No. 95 for Wildcats
Undefeated Winter Park (6-0) celebrates the 95th year of Wildcats football in conjunction with its Senior Night festivities on Friday night. Former coaches, players and team managers are asked to check in at the gate by the concession/ scoreboard area at Larry Gergley Stadium at Showalter Field before pregame festivities at 6:40 p.m.
Those alums can watch Winter Park’s 7 p.m. game vs. Colonial (1-6) from the sideline or in a designated section in the stands and will receive free concession-stand food.
The postgame itinerary includes gathering to sing the alma mater with the band and taking a group drone picture in the middle of the field.
Bowling news
It was senior day for Boone but ninth-grader Zachary Harvill was the bowler who put up big numbers with a 244 game in a 672 three-game series at Boardwalk. The Braves won the tri-match.
Hagerty (15-1) bowled 1,103 and 1,006 ten-pin games and added 226, 201 and 184 Baker System scores for a 2,780 team victory last week. Four Huskies surpassed 200 in one game and James Drehoble turned in a big 268-241–509 two-game series.
Area leader Circle Christian posted 1,076 and 1,109 scores. Top games for the Centurions were by Rohde Barber (258 and 231), Shelby Davis (256, 225) and Pancho Johnson (247).
Oviedo’s Zack Horrobin bowled 279 in a win.
Watch out for the rebuilding 2022 state champ Apopka boys team. Isaiah Jackson, the Blue Darters’ most experienced returner, bowled a 279 as his team totaled a big 3,089 tri-match victory.
Manny Vargas bowled a 462 two-game series and Jake Everson shot 451 in separate wins for Lyman (14-1).
Layla Holtzapple scored her season-best 215 for undefeated Lake Mary.
Amanda Lang led Trinity Prep with an eye-popping 651 series. She rolled 235, 203 and 213 games.
Bowling district tournaments are next week. The top two teams in each district advance to the FHSAA state tournament at Orlando’s Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
Basketball bits
Montverde Academy again stamped itself as the top boys basketball team in the nation by winning the eight-team GEICO Top Flight Invitational preseason event in Las Vegas over the weekend.
The second best might be another stacked Florida squad: two-time defending Class 7A state champ Miami Columbus.
Playing as the Florida Eagles in a sport that isn’t permitted to start official practices until Oct. 30 per FHSAA rules, the Montverde squad went 3-0 in nationally televised games and defeated the Explorers (Columbus) 83-77 in a tight final.
Two early national rankings have Montverde No. 1, Columbus and IMG Academy of Bradenton in the top 10, and Orlando power Oak Ridge in the top 10.
Columbus and Oak Ridge will vie for the 7A state title. Montverde and IMG are FHSAA members but compete nationally outside the state playoff system.
Word is that Columbus will play at Montverde in a Dec. 1 showdown.
Volleyball surprise
St. Cloud (9-17) pulled off a girls volleyball district semifinal surprise Tuesday, rallying from down two games to beat top seed Bartow (17-9) by scores of 16-25, 25-27, 25-23, 25-23, 15-8.
Four district champions in each region advance to next week along with four at-large teams selected by FHSAA power rankings.
Here are area district tournament pairings, according to the FHSAA:
CLASS 7A DISTRICT 2
Thursday final, at Spruce Creek
No. 1 seed DeLand vs. No. 2 Spruce Creek
CLASS 7A DISTRICT 3
Thursday final, at East Ridge No. 1 Lake Brantley vs. No. 2 East Ridge
CLASS 7A DISTRICT 4
Wednesday semifinals, at Hagerty
No. 1 Winter Park vs. No. 4 Colonial
No. 2 Hagerty vs. No. 3 Timber Creek Thursday final
At Hagerty, 6 p.m.
CLASS 7A DISTRICT 5
Wednesday semifinals, at Freedom
No. 1 Olympia vs. No. 4
Freedom
No. 2 Windermere vs. No. 3 Dr. Phillips Thursday final
At Freedom, 6 p.m.
CLASS 7A DISTRICT 6
Thursday final, at Lake Nona, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Osceola vs. No. 2 Lake Nona,
CLASS 6A DISTRICT 5
Thursday final, at Oviedo, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Oviedo vs. No. 2 Winter Springs
CLASS 6A DISTRICT 6
Thursday final, at Edgewater, 7
No. 1 Lake Minneola vs. No. 2 Horizon
CLASS 6A DISTRICT 7
Thursday final, 7 p.m. No. 4 St. Cloud at No. 2 Lakeland
CLASS 5A DISTRICT 6
Thursday final, 7 p.m. No. 3 Lake Wales at No. 1 Gateway
CLASS 5A DISTRICT 7
Thursday final, 7 p.m. No. 2 Tavares at No. 1 Pine Ridge
CLASS 4A DISTRICT 6
Thursday final, at Villages, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Bishop Moore vs. No. 2 Mount Dora
CLASS 3A DISTRICT 4
Wednesday semifinals No. 5 Father Lopez at No. 1 Ocala Trinity Catholic, 7 No. 3 Pierson Taylor at No. 2 Trinity Prep, 6 Thursday final at higher seed, 7 p.m.
CLASS 3A DISTRICT 5
Thursday final, 7 p.m. No. 2 The First Academy at No. 1 Lake Highland Prep
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 6
Thursday final, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Geneva School at No. 1 Orangewood Christian
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 7
Thursday final, 6 p.m.
No. 1 Legacy Charter vs. No. 3 Faith Christian