The Florida Gators, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, advanced to the field of eight for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2005. They defeated the Miami Hurricanes 4-3 in 10 Innings on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of 5,783 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville.

The Hurricanes committed seven errors in the game, including one in the top of the 10th by right fielder Chris Pelaez, who misplayed a fly ball hit by freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana, out of West Orange High School. Fontana would end up scoring the game-winning run on a RBI double by Austin Maddox.

Lake Brantley High School alum Greg Larson entered the game in the bottom of the 10th with one on base and one out. The sophomore proceeded to catch freshman Michael Broad looking on strikes and then force sophomore Rony Rodriguez to ground out to Fontana at shortstop, who fired a bullet across the diamond to Preston Tucker at first base for the final out. Larson collected his third save and was greeted by teammates as the celebration began.

The Hurricanes made nine errors in their two games of Super Regional play, which as a result denied local kids such as freshman Steve Ewing out of University High School and Ethan Bornstein from Winter Park High School a chance to make it to Omaha. The Gators opened Super Regionals with a 7-2 win on Friday night.

Fontana and Larson join sophomore Ben McMahan and senior Clint Franklin as players from the Central Florida area with spots on the Florida roster. McMahon played his high school ball at Bishop Moore while Franklin played at Timber Creek.

Joining the Gators at the World Series are the Florida State Seminoles, who are making the trip for the 20th time in program history and 14th time under head coach Mike Martin. The Seminoles defeated Vanderbilt 7-6 in the decisive Game 3 of the team’s Super Regional matchup at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

FSU, like the Gators, have four players from the Orlando area on its roster including senior outfielder Ohmed Danesh out of Dr. Phillips High School. Junior infielder Stuart Tapley and freshman Corben Madden both played baseball at Boone High School. Junior pitcher John Gast hails from Lake Brantley, where he was a teammate with Florida’s Larson from 2005-07.

For Gast, Tapley, and Danesh, this marks their second trip to Omaha in three years as FSU advanced in 2008, going 0-2 after losing to Stanford and Miami. The Seminoles open play this time around against TCU while Florida takes on No. 6 UCLA. The two state rivals could meet up early on as both are in the same bracket.

– More Local Players In College World Series –

Senior second baseman Mike Freeman out of Edgewater High School and sophomore shortstop Brad Miller from Olympia High School helped Clemson advance to the World Series. The Tigers take on No. 1 Arizona State to start the week’s final round of elimination play. Junior utility player Robert Beary out of Apopka started in 22 games for South Carolina, playing in 41 games on the year. The Gamecocks get underway against Oklahoma.

In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

Last Saturday the former Bishop Moore High School lacrosse star ended his collegiate playing career, in the NCAA Division III title game in Baltimore, Maryland, in the same sort of manner his prep career came to a close. Salisbury dropped the decisive game to Tufts by a 9-6 score.

It proved to be a tough afternoon for Von Kamecke and the Sea Gulls as they trailed 6-1 after the first quarter of play.

One game removed from helping Salisbury slip past Stevenson 14-13 in overtime in the semifinals with three goals and two assists, the senior midfielder came up empty on seven shots last week and turned the ball over four times in the loss.

Now it’s back to Winter Park, where Von Kamecke was born and raised, before returning to school in Maryland this fall to finish up his degree. While he’s back in town, Von Kamecke plans to spend time helping with local lacrosse camps throughout the area.

Each time he returns home to Florida it’s as if the local interest in the sport continues to grow by leaps and bounds in comparison to past visits.

“It blows me away seeing how the sport has grown every time I go home,” said Von Kamecke.

He is among a handful of local lacrosse players that helped pave the way for such enthusiasm, so to speak.

– Quite A Career –

Von Kemecke’s final game at Bishop Moore in 2006 ended in defeat in the state championship game under the guidance of head coach Danny Hogan. That year he finished with 89 points, of which 46 came by way of assists.

In four seasons of varsity play he helped lead the Hornets to district titles each year and an overall record of 60-15. His 288 career points from 2003-06 ranks second all-time in program history behind the 321 points compiled by Ryan Zipperly (1999-02).

After earning three All-American selections in high school, Von Kamecke landed in Salisbury as part of one of the richest lacrosse programs in D-III history. The Sea Gulls entered the championship game last week with eight titles already under its belt and an impressive 500-108 overall record.

As a freshman in 2007 Von Kamecke scored nine goals and had five assists in 23 games for a national championship team. Salisbury returned to repeat the feat in his sophomore season, when he scored 32 goals along with 21 assists in 22 games en route to being named to the All-Capital Athletic Conference Second Team.

In 2009 he was a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable Mention after having scored 27 goals with 17 assists for the Sea Gulls, who were bounced early from the postseason.

Although his senior season ended on a sour note, Von Kamecke did all he could for a team that finished 21-2.

The team captain was selected to the USILA All-American Second Team, All-CAC First Team and the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC) D-III All-Metro/South Region All-Star First Team this past season. He finished the best year of his career with 40 goals and 30 assists in 23 games.

– Growth Potential –

While growing up in Florida he witnessed firsthand how the sport of lacrosse was just beginning to catch on in terms of gaining mass appeal. It wasn’t until 2008 that the Florida High School Athletic Association began to officially recognize the sport at the high school level, making Orlando home to its state championship games.

And as great a high school lacrosse player Von Kamecke proved to be, he says it was his experience at Salisbury that taught him so much more about the game, and even himself. He says what he learned during his time in Maryland not only sharpened his game but also helped him better control himself mentally and physically out on the field.

“It’s really helped me grow as a person,” he said of the college experience. “You realize just how many different types of people there are out there to meet and how that all plays out on the lacrosse field.”

Von Kamecke was one of eight seniors at Salisbury that took the field with the Sea Gulls for the final time last weekend. Going into the game he and his teammates hoped to “go out the way it started,” referring to winning a title on the same field they did as freshman in 2007.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Still, three trips to the finals and two titles to show for it over the course of four years is nothing to hang your head about.

Now it’s back to another summer back home in Central Florida, where he can marvel at how much the sport he grew up playing has grown so much, just as he has individually while he’s been away.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Welcome to this week’s version of Orlando Sports Central Highlights…

– Local Product Leads AFL Predators –

Just two days after signing with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, former Kissimmee Osceola football and basketball standout Bobby Sippio made an immediate impact.

In the final seconds of Friday’s game, Sippio hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nick Hill to help secure a 58-54 win over the visiting Milwaukee Iron. He finished the game with 88 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

After starting the season 0-3, the Predators have won three-straight to move to 3-3 overall. They host rival Tampa Bay Storm (3-3) on Friday at 8 p.m. at Amway Arena. Orlando and Tampa currently trail Jacksonville (6-1) and Alabama (4-3) in the division.

After playing his college ball at Western Kentucky, Sippio (6’3″, 215 lbs) played arena football with the Storm, Chicago Rush, Dallas Desperados and Peoria Pirates of arenafootball2. He also got opportunities in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions as well as the United Football League’s California Redwoods and Florida Tuskers. In 2007 he led the AFL with 53 touchdown receptions while playing with the Rush.

– Former FCSL Player Gets Call To Majors –

Word out of the Florida Collegiate Summer League is that one of its own was recently called up to Major League Baseball last week.

Lucroy

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy became the first FCSL alum to crack the big leagues since the wood-bat league was founded in 2003. The Milwaukee Brewers brought up Lucroy from Triple-A Nashville on May 21 when Gregg Zaun was forced to the disabled list.

The rookie then got his first big-league hit that night in his first at-bat while on the road against the Minnesota Twins. He singled to left field in the eighth inning.

Lucroy, out of Eustis, was a standout for the Sanford River Rats and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. He ranks second all-time in FCSL batting average (.325) and slugging percentage (.500).

Considered Milwaukee’s top catching prospect, and fifth-best prospect overall, Lucroy started the season at Double-A Huntsville before moving on to Nashville after hitting .452 in 10 games. He has since registered a .238 batting average with two home runs in 31 total games on the year.

The 2010 FCSL season gets underway on Thursday, June 3 at Sanford Memorial Stadium when the River Rats host Leesburg at 7 p.m. The five-team league runs through Aug. 5 when the championship game is played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

– Bishop Moore Lax Alum In D-III Title Game –

Von Kamecke

Salisbury University senior Mike Von Kamecke has one more lacrosse game to play before his college career closes out this weekend.

On Sunday at 12 p.m. in Baltimore, Md., the former Bishop Moore standout takes the field with the Salisbury Sea Gulls (21-1) for the final time as they meet up with Tufts (19-1) for the NCAA Division III title. In a 14-13 semifinal win in overtime against Stevenson, Von Kamecke finished with three goals on five shots and was credited with two assists. It’s the fourth trip to the championship game over the past five years for Salisbury.

Von Kamecke is capping off his best season to date as he’s second on the team in assists (30), third in points (70), fourth in goals (40) and leads the team in man-up goals with nine on the year.

He closed out his high school career with the second-most points ever for a Hornet (288) between 2003-2006 while leading Bishop Moore to a state runner-up finish his senior year.

– Student-Athletes Sign With Colleges –

– University High School girls basketball player Rachel Turner signed on with Southeastern University in Lakeland last week. Turner earned four letters as a Cougar, playing a big role in the programs first two district titles following the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons and its first conference title this past year. The two-year captain finished her career with over 500 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists. She plans to study special education and would like to work as a teacher and coach.

– The number of Colonial High School football players moving on to play in college increased to five last week when defensive back Renard Allen signed with Concordia University in Chicago and quarterback Jose Castro signed with Baker University in Kansas. They join running back Jermaine Broomfield, bound for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, defensive lineman Ryan Moore (Baker University) and offensive lineman Sammy Mendoza (Defiance University in Ohio) as signees from the 2009 team.

– Last week Timber Creek High School had two student-athletes sign on with college football programs as Cameron Smith is heading to St. Olaf College in Minnesota and Matt Jones will be off to Mount Union College in Ohio.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing nf 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

1.) Football Team – UCF Knights – They were 0-22 in Top-25 games coming into the weekend but the UCF football team finally did something no other team before them could do as they handed No. 12 Houston a 37-32 setback at Bright House Networks Stadium. Quarterback Brett Hodges went 21-for-25 for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception while running back Brynn Harvey rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

2.) Spencer Shumway – Lyman Greyhounds – In the final game of the state bowling tournament last week at Boardwalk Bowl, Shumway bowled a 268 to take home the individual title for the Greyhounds. The junior helped his team wrap up conference and district titles before finishing the season atop the medal stand in East Orlando.

Chris Johnson

3.) Isaac Sosa – UCF Knights – After scoring a career-high 26 points in a season-opening 84-67 win over UMass last week the sophomore guard was named Conference USA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Sosa shot 9-of -11 from the field, made 6-of-7 shots from beyond the three-point line, pulled in four rebounds and dished out two assists in 33 minutes of work.

Jennifer George

4.) Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – The former Olympia High School star continues to put up big numbers for the resurging Titans. This past weekend against Buffalo he rushed 26 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for another 100 yards in the win. Johnson already has rushing efforts of 228, 197, 135 and 128 yards this season.

5.) Jennifer George – Florida Gators – The former Timber Creek and Bishop Moore basketball standout went 7-of-9 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line for 21 points while grabbing five offensive rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes of play during her collegiate debut, an 85-62 win over Stetson on Saturday.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/11/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

Ali Schrader (Photo by Jim Hogue)

1.) Ali Schrader – Rollins Tars – The freshman forward helped the Rollins College women’s soccer team win its first Sunshine State Conference tournament title when her goal in the 50^th minute held up in a 1-0 win over Florida Southern over the weekend. With the win, which came on their home field, the Tars (15-1-2) earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament against the winner between Florida Tech and Saint Leo on Saturday. Schrader was named SSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring her first three goals of the season at the tournament.

2.) Han Kim – Lake Mary Rams – Last week Kim dominated the field at the Class 2A Golf State Finals in Ocala as he shot a 9-under par 135 over two days at Silver Springs Shores to earn the gold medal. His day one score of 70 and day two efforts of 65 (on the Par 72 course) were six strokes better then all other competitors and helped Lake Mary win the team title by two strokes.

3.) Tom Smith – Apopka Blue Darters – The junior running back rushed for 152 yards on 11 carries, scoring four touchdowns and three two-point conversions in the first half for Apopka as they raced out to a 66-14 win on the road over Ocoee last week to claim the Class 6A, District 5 title. (Game Recap)

Mike Sims-Walker

4.) Jalen Singleton – Bishop Moore Hornets – By scoring three touchdowns in the second half and making big plays in the secondary for the Hornets, Singleton helped Bishop Moore wrap up the Class 2A, District 4 title in a 23-0 win at Jones. Singleton rushed for 162 yards on 22 carries, which included scores from 43, 5 and 5 yards out. (Game Recap)

5.) Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – The former Edgewater and UCF football standout posted the best receiving-yards effort for the Jaguars since 2000 on Sunday when he caught six passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 win against Kansas City. It was his third 100-yard game of the season.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09