Lake Nona’s Kyle Herrera booted a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the East a 20-17 come-from-behind win. Herrera also kicked a 32-yarder to close out the first half.

“I was already real nervous coming into it, then they tried to ice me twice,” Herrera said afterward. “I just threw my career on the line and put everything I had into it.”

East seniors watch as the ball clears the uprights. (Photo by Tim Citek)

Despite outgaining the West in total yards (326-207) the East seniors were forced to overcome six turnovers and a 17-7 deficit late in the second quarter before eventually pulling out the win.

The West built its lead by turning three of those turnovers into scores.

While trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis forced a fumble, which put the West in position to tie the game. It wasn’t long before Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro tucked the football and took off on a 30-yard touchdown run.

West Orange’s Marcus Isom went on to recover a fumble on a bad snap once the East regained possession, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Wekiva’s Kyle McGee. The West extended its lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter when Wekiva’s Josh West jumped on a loose ball in the end zone following yet another fumble.

But while the West relied on the mistakes of its opponent, the East continued dusting itself off and feeding the ball to Lake Nona’s Jarius Pace and Winter Park’s Brandon Brown-Dukes out of the backfield.

The duo combined for eight carries of more than 10 yards on the night. When they weren’t fighting for extra yardage by making defenders miss by way of shifty moves, they were finding extra room to run thanks to an aggressive offensive line.

“It’s been a long time since I was able to get back in my groove and I felt like I was able to do that tonight,” said Pace, who missed much of the regular season due to injury. “God came through for me. The team came through. I’d like to give all the credit to the o-line for the outstanding blocking they did.”

Pace brushed off two fumbles to finish with 126 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries. He also had a 45-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. Brown-Dukes took 12 carries for 61 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown in the win.

The celebration gets underway for the East seniors. (Photo by Tim Citek)

“It’s a great experience to play with and against all these guys from throughout Orange County, because some of these guys we’ve never had the chance to play against (during the regular season),” said Brown-Dukes.

It was his catch-and-run for a touchdown with 8:31 to go in the third quarter that tied the game at 17-17. Following a 31-yard reception by Winter Park’s Lee Dunnam, on a throw from East River quarterback Josh Jones, Brown-Dukes hauled in a pass while alone in the flat and reached the end zone on a 22-yard gain after sidestepping a defender inside the five-yard line.

“When I turned my head and looked up it was wide open,” Brown-Dukes said. “It’s all natural instinct from there. I just decided to take a jab-step inside and come back out.”

Pace scored the opening points of the night when he took a handoff up the middle and went four yards for the touchdown with 1:18 to go in the first quarter.

He got the scoring drive started on a pitch-out to the right, where he stiff-armed a defender and raced 52 yards down the West sideline. Positive gains by Brown-Dukes, Central Florida Christian Academy’s Karl Bourne and East River’s Michael Elder continued to move the chains before Pace punched it in for the score.

– More Orange County Senior Bowl Highlights –

– Lake Nona’s Chris Compton caught a 23-yard pass from University’s Kyle Sellers with 24 seconds left in the second quarter… Sellers and Josh Jones combined to go 9-of-21 for 139 yards passing for the East.

– Edgewater’s Kelvin Gunning and Wekiva’s Demarius Daniels each intercepted a pass… Olympia’s Josh Cunningham got to the quarterback for a sack during the final seconds of the first half… West Orange’s Diego Quintanar recovered a fumble with two minutes left in the game, but the West replied by going three-and-out.

– Gunning, Ocoee’s Darien Oliver and Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis were among those breaking up passes while West Orange’s Kellen Williams made multiple timely tackles.

– Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro led the West in rushing with 65 yards on four carries… Calabro, Wekiva’s Greg Arnheim and Evans quarterback Dominique Tarver combined to go 7-of-20 for 63 yards passing… Ocoee’s Robenson Roche caught three passes for 18 yards.

– University’s Shane Berry made a clutch interception near the sideline on a pass inside the 10-yard line with a minute left in the second quarter… Winter Park’s Dominique Albert and Timber Creek’s Lavon Moten recorded sacks for the East.

– Stepping up to make big tackles for the East were Winter Park’s Matthew Moody, Lake Nona’s Alex Scott, Timber Creek’s Brandon Tyras, Freedom’s Colin Burke and Kavaris Green, and Colonial’s Larry McNeil and Chad Tajudeen… Colonial’s Ricky Gordon, Freedom’s David Gadson and Cypress Creek’s Nick Gonzalez broke up passes.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

In case you missed it, the Tuskers lost the UFL title game against the Las Vegas Locomotives 23-20 while the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-18 for the CFL title.

Former UCF football player Keith Shologan finished out his season with Saskatchewan at defensive tackle, making 30 tackles and recording three sacks. Former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson and former Florida quarterback Chris Leak saw playing time this season for Montreal.

– Rollins Soccer Caught In Snowstorm –

The most surprising thing about the Rollins College men’s soccer team playing in the Division II National Championship game this past Saturday was not that they qualified in the first place, but rather the weather conditions they were forced to play in. If you’ve yet to see it, check out the video highlights at NCAA. The Tars lost 3-2 to Northern Kentucky in weather more suitable for a football game, of the American kind.

The Rollins College roster featured several local high school alumni, including seniors Chris Cummings (Ocala St. John Lutheran), Stephen Wright (Winter Park), Bradley Welch (Cypress Creek) and Blade Zych (Lake Brantley). Plenty of local talent returns for next season. View the Tars roster at Rollins Sports.

– High School Football Finals Take Shape –

The high school football state finals begin this weekend at the Citrus Bowl with four games taking place between teams in the lower classifications.

Friday’s finals include Warner Christian Academy vs. Glades Day in Class 1B at 1 p.m., and Trinity Christian Academy vs. American Heritage in Class 1A at 7 p.m. On Saturday it’s Trinity Catholic vs. University School of NSU in Class 2B at 1 p.m., and Cocoa vs. Glades Central in Class 2A at 7 p.m.

The marquee prep football game of the weekend, though, is the Class 6A semifinal between favored Dr. Phillips at Seminole on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The state title games for classes 3A-6A take place Dec. 17-18.

A complete lineup is available at FHSAA.

– College Football Bowl Games Announced –

On Sunday the NCAA announced this season’s bowl game matchups, including the opponent for UCF at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. and the matchups for both contests in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

UCF (10-3) is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and will take on Georgia (6-6) on Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. The Knights faced the Bulldogs just once before, losing 24-23 in Athens during a regular season game in 1999. UCF Coach George O’Leary previously faced Georgia on seven different occasions as head coach at Georgia Tech. UCF lost its only trip to the Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State 10-3 following the 2007 season.

Florida Citrus Sports chose to pair West Virginia (9-3) against N.C. State (8-4) in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28 at 6:30 p.m., and Alabama (9-3) against Michigan State (11-1) in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

Check back for plenty more coverage of the upcoming bowl season.

– Magic’s Dwight Howard Best In November –

You see where Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November?

He finished fifth in the Conference in scoring (21.8 points per game) and third in the league with a .594 shooting percentage. Howard also ranked fourth in the league in rebounds (12.1) while helping get the Magic off to a 13-4 start. It’s the fifth time in Howard’s career that he’s earned the league’s Eastern Conference monthly honor, also doing do in April 2006, November 2006, November 2007 and December 2007.

Among the highlights for Howard last month were:

Nov. 3 vs. Minnesota: Recorded 18 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks in a 128-86 win over the Timberwolves.

Nov. 5 vs. New Jersey: Tallied 30 points and 16 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Nets.

Nov. 24 vs. Miami: Registered 24 points to go along with 18 rebounds in a 111-100 victory over the Heat.

Nov. 27 @ Washington: Compiled a season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and hit the game-winning  shot to defeat the Wizards by a score of 100-99.

– UCF Men’s Basketball Out To Fast Start –

The UCF men’s basketball team is out to a 7-0 start for the first time at the Division I level, meaning the Knights have yet to lose under new head coach Donnie Jones. For their efforts, UCF has received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls for the first time since 2006.

On Saturday, following the football team’s Conference USA championship win, the hoops team did away with Southeastern Louisiana 74-49.

Sophomore Keith Clanton tied the school record for blocks in a game when he turned away eight shots in the win. Clanton also finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds, which ties his career high. Tony Davis also blocked eight shots on Dec. 1, 2007 against USF. John Friday blocked seven shots in a game twice in January 1987.

The Knights play again on Saturday, Dec. 11 at UCF Arena against Bethune-Cookman at 5 p.m.

– Edgewater & Timber Creek Alumni In D-II Title Game –

Edgewater High School alum Kaleigh Cunningham finished her collegiate volleyball career as an outside hitter with Tampa in the Division II National Championship on Saturday in Louisville.

Tampa (31-4), who went 15-1 in the Sunshine State Conference, dropped the title match 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-10 to four-time defending champion Concordia-St. Paul (32-4). (See footage at NCAA)

Cunningham finished the season with 313 kills, 220 digs and 12 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Yingling (Timber Creek) finished with 266 kills, 369 digs, 25 aces and 24 blocks for Tampa.

– Former UCF Women’s Soccer Player In D-III Title Game –

Former UCF women’s soccer player Alex Brandt finished her sophomore season at Messiah College with an appearance in the Division III National Championship.

Messiah (24-1) lost 2-1 to Hardin-Simmons (24-0-1). Brandt was credited with her 13th assist on the season with 15 minutes to play, when she set up Alicia Frey just outside the box for a goal. (See footage at NCAA)

Brandt, who was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2009, started in all 25 games this season and scored eight goals as a midfielder. She started 23 games for UCF while finishing the year with two goals and three assists.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Oak Ridge (8-3) is at Dr. Phillips (11-0), Winter Park (11-0) is at Seminole (9-2), and DeLand (9-2) is at Orange Park (7-4) in Class 6A games. Oviedo defeated Osceola 10-0 in Class 5A and hosts this week against Lakeland, who beat Hagerty 56-35. Bishop Moore (9-2) hosts two-time defending Class 2A champion Cocoa. Lake Highland Prep (9-2) defeated Fort Meyers Dunbar 20-6 in Class 2B and will host Island Coast.

Last week the season ended for a couple local teams. East River lost 27-7 on the road against Lakeland Lake Gibson in 5A and Jones lost to Cocoa 14-9.

In other action… South Daytona Warner Christian (11-0) defeated Orangewood Christian 60-6 in Class 1B. Daytona Beach Mainland lost to Orange Park 29-28 in Class 6A. The First Academy lost 42-20 against Jacksonville Trinity Christian in 2A.

All second round games begin at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with all the action at Varsity Sports, WFTV Channel 9 and Bright House Sports Network.

Below is a look back at last week’s first round involving state-ranked teams, with a little help from those that covered each game for the Orlando Sentinel.

– Class 6A –

Dr. Phillips 52, Olympia 3

The Panthers defeated Olympia for the fourth time over the past two seasons by building a 24-3 lead at halftime…

Wrote Kyle Hightower:

“Running back Demetrius Hart rushed for 118 yards and accounted for three touchdowns – two rushing, one receiving – to lead the Panthers… Quarterback Nick Patti was also spot-on, connecting on 5-of-8 passes for 181 yards and three scores. He also ran in another.”

Oak Ridge 34, Apopka 14

The Pioneers won their first playoff game since 1977 by getting out to a 28-7 lead at halftime…

Wrote Joe Williams:

“Dominating may not be a strong enough word to describe Oak Ridge in the first half. Oak Ridge had 286 yards of total offense to Apopka’s 53… Only a lapse on special teams allowed Apopka to score.”

Winter Park 35, Lake Brantley 21

Wildcats’ quarterback Sam Richardson got banged late in the first quarter while his team trailed by a touchdown, but returned to lead Winter Park to the win…

Wrote Buddy Collings:

“Winter Park again had difficulty holding a big fourth-quarter lead against Lake Brantley on Friday. But again the Wildcats were able to respond at crunch time. Undefeated Winter Park marched 80 yards to seal a 35-21 victory over the Patriots with an 8-yard touchdown run by Brandon Brown-Dukes with 1:44 remaining.”

Seminole 46, Timber Creek 14

The Seminoles took control late in the first half as T.J. Thompson passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns…

Wrote Carlos Pineda:

“The Seminoles broke away with 4 minutes, 37 seconds left in the second quarter when Ronnie Moore scored on a 53-yard run to give them a 17-7 lead.”

DeLand 6, Jacksonville Sandalwood 0

A touchdown run by Jo Jo Kemp in the first quarter, set up by a big interception return by De’Ante Saunders, held up for DeLand…

Wrote Craig Castille:

“LB Joe Herndon’s goalline interception on fourth down with 20 seconds remaining sealed a 6-0 victory for DeLand.”

– Class 4A –

Lakeland Kathleen 27, Edgewater 24

Edgewater could not hang on to a 23-12 lead at home with eight minutes remaining…

Wrote Bill Gronvold:

“A 92-yard pass play… with 1 minute, 12 seconds left Friday night lifted Lakeland Kathleen past host Edgewater. Aaron Baysdon caught the ball around midfield, broke two tackles and then ran the rest of the way for the score.”

– Class 2A –

Bishop Moore 25, Astronaut 7

The Hornets get the two-time defending state champs from Cocoa at home this week after getting out to a 25-0 lead on Friday…

Wrote Jeff Gardenour:

“Senior QB Mike Calabro passed for a TD and ran for another score, and Bishop Moore’s defense forced four turnovers in beating visiting Titusville Astronaut.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

On Friday a number of top-ranked teams from the Orlando area open the first round of the playoffs. With so much talent entered into the field, some intriguing matchups will get the postseason in motion.

– In Class 6A there are five local teams ranked in the state’s Top 10, led by No. 2 Dr. Phillips (10-0). No. 4 Winter Park (10-0), No. 5 Apopka (9-1), No. 9 East Ridge (8-2) and No. 10 Olympia (7-3) round out the list. East Ridge did not advance out of District 5.

This week Dr. Phillips hosts Olympia; Winter Park hosts No. 14 Lake Brantley (7-2); Apopka hosts Oak Ridge (7-3); No. 11 DeLand (8-2) hosts Jacksonville Sandalwood; and No. 13 Seminole (8-2) hosts Timber Creek (4-6).

– In Class 4A, No. 12 Edgewater (7-3) hosts Lakeland Kathleen. The Eagles won District 7 over second-year East River (9-1), who will be on the road against Lakeland Lake Gibson.

– In Class 2A, No. 5 Jones (9-1) is on the road against Cocoa while No. 6 Bishop Moore (8-2) hosts Titusville Astronaut. Bishop Moore won District 4 with a one-point win over the Tigers.

All games begin at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with all the action at Varsity Sports, WFTV Channel 9 and Bright House Sports Network.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Timber Creek senior Justin Mandell knows that all too well. Entering the high school bowling state tournament as the top-seed in individual bracket play, one of his better efforts was not quite good enough to advance to the finals.

Timber Creek senior Justin Mandell (middle with district title trophy) took third in the state tournament.

In the semifinals against Nickalaus Speanburg of Jupiter on Wednesday he lost the first game in a best-of-three series 279-278 and was unable to recover from there. He went on to take third overall after taking care of Arturo Perez of Boca Raton St. Andrews.

The state tournament was hosted at Boardwalk Bowl in East Orlando, Timber Creek’s home alley, for the seventh-straight year.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the way I performed,” Mandell said afterwards. “The carry wasn’t as good as what my opponent was, but I did the best I could to finish third.”

He helped lead the Wolves to an unbeaten season and finish as both District 7 and Metro East champs. Timber Creek lost to Lincoln Park Academy as a team in five games in the first round then defeated Cocoa before being eliminated by Nature Coast Tech.

“Bowling is luck. If you can’t carry it’s basically over because it’s all about striking and stringing the strikes,” said Mandell.

Daytona Seabreeze teammates Jordan Knowles and Allie Perham met up in the girls individual consolation match after suffering losses in the semifinals. Knowles won 195-169 and 196-181 to come away with the bronze medal.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Class 2A Boys Golf –

It’s only fitting that the top two boys golf teams in Orange County were forced to qualify for next week’s state tournament with a regional title at stake.

A young Timber Creek team – featuring a freshman, three sophomores and just one senior – dethroned the reigning regional champs from Olympia High School on Tuesday in the 2010 Class 2A, Region 3 meet at Windermere Country Club.

The Class 2A boys golf tournament will be held Nov. 2-3 at Juliette Falls in Dunnellon.

The Wolves had four golfers finish in the top six spots at regionals with Ryan Daigle taking runner-up with a 2-over par score of 74. Senior Felipe Quiroga took fifth (+3) following a tiebreaker decision over teammates Connor Atkinson and freshman Jack Panagos.

Timber Creek won by a slim 299-303 margin in the team standings.

Olympia senior Joey Petronio won the individual title as the only participant to finish par, while senior teammate Mike Hauer (+4) came in ninth overall. The Titans also relied on the cards of senior Davis Hall (+5) and sophomore Matt Chamberlin (+6).

Advancing to the Class 2A state finals as individuals is third place finisher Jordan Santiago (+2) of West Orange and senior Steve Lanpros (+3) out of Lake Brantley. Lanpros placed seventh.

The chance to defend its 2009 2A state title fell short for the boys golf team at Lake Mary. The Spruce Creek and Bartram Trail boys teams each advanced this time around out of Region 2 while the Rams finished third. Lake Mary’s Nick Spencer finished fifth overall and qualified for the state finals as an individual by shooting a 72, one stroke off of the leader.

– Class 2A Girls Golf –

The girls golf team at Olympia High School ran away with the Class 2A, Region 3 title on Monday at Orange Tree Golf Course to earn a spot in the 2010 state tournament.

Madison Lellyo won the individual title with a 6-over par score of 78 to help lead the Titans to an overall score of 334. Edgewater took runners-up with a 362 total and also advance to next week’s state finals.

The Class 2A girls tournament will be held Nov. 2-3 at Golden Hills Golf & Turf Club in Ocala.

Alyx Carrasquel finished fourth (83) and Mia Semaan (84) finished fifth for Olympia while teammate Elizabeth Schmidt (89) came in at No. 10 to round out the scoring.

Edgewater was led by a third-place individual effort from Mia Campbell (82), while Arita Harris (87) and Sydney Woolfolk (89) took eighth and 11th, respectively.

Also advancing to the Class 2A state finals as individuals are Timber Creek’s Paige Lyle (81) and Bartow’s Markie McCann (85). Lyle finished runner-up at regionals.

The Lake Mary girls golf team will not have a chance to defend its 2009 Class 2A title as Spruce Creek and Fleming Island will represent Region 2 this time around. Lake Mary sophomore Allesandra Kutz missed the cut for the state finals as an individual by two strokes.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Quiroga, typically the first one out at practice and the last one to leave, has been impressed with the short-game of his teammates and has not had to spend much time showing the youngsters their way around the golf course.

“I’m trying to be more of a leader,” said Quiroga. “But we are already a hard-working team.”

Not to mention a pretty good one at that.

Gone are four graduates from a squad that underperformed in the regional tournament in 2009, just as they did in 2008. The Wolves came up three shots short of states last season after coming away two shots short the year before.

Yet even without that experience returning, Timber Creek Coach Tim Crawford says his team is already shooting better than they had in the past.

“We’ve got some grinders out there,” said Crawford. “There is no letting up. Our mental toughness is as high as it’s ever been.”

That showed last week in a match against Olympia, where TCHS tied the state-qualifying Titans over nine holes in a neck-to-neck battle at Stoneybrook East. There was plenty of excitement to go around as Jack Panagos (even-par round of 36), Connor Atkinson (38), Lorenzo Bolivar (37), Ryan Daigle (39) and Greg Franklin (41) got their first true taste of a big-time contest at the high school level. The Wolves were awarded the win on a tie-breaker that compares the cards of the No. 5 finishers on each team.

“It was a shock to the system,” said Quiroga of the tight matchup. “To see (my teammates) keep up with Olympia the way they did was great.”

Quiroga shot a 35 as both teams finished a 2-over par 146. Crawford eventually expects freshmen Michael Keymont and Travis Ismir to also contribute for the Wolves.

Just how good this group of underclassmen becomes before they themselves are leading the Wolves into tournament play down the road may depend on how much they take away from being around their captain this season. Quiroga is well aware of the feeling of disappointment that comes on the heels of unrealized potential.

Over the summer he competed in his first national event at the Junior PGA Championship in Fort Wayne, Ind. and admittedly didn’t play so well on such a grand stage. But he’s anxious to do to again. Preferably after taking swings at the state tournament at season’s end.

“To fall so short of states was disappointing,” Quiroga recalls of the past couple years.

He’s just fortunate he gets one more chance to erase those memories once and for all.

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

Last November, the Timber Creek High School boys bowling team took the long way around the state tournament before eventually reaching the finals against Daytona Mainland, where they could only come away as runners-up.

It’s the closest the Wolves have gotten to hoisting the trophy since capturing the school’s first-ever state championship in any sport in 2006, the same day the girls bowling team accomplished that same feat.

What stung most in the aftermath, though, was the reality that the Wolves underperformed at the most crucial part of the year.

“We just hit a wall at that point where everything and anything we needed to fall did not fall for us,” said Timber Creek Coach Deb Scherr. “It was a wake-up call for us.”

Following a regular season of dominance, it seemed as though the Wolves would have few challengers between them and their ultimate goal. But then the first roadblock of the year came along, as they opened up the first day of competition against Apopka and were sent packing for the consolation bracket.

From there, TCHS fought its way back against a number of top-seeded teams, doing away with their next six opponents until they were right where they figured they’d be all along – in the state finals.

But Mainland came away with the win in five games. In 2008, the Wolves lost in the consolation finals to eventual state champion Martin County.

Despite the loss of two starters from last year’s team, Scherr feels confident that enough talent returns. Back for the Wolves are the team’s top two bowlers in Dallas Aldridge and Kyle Greene, as well as last year’s anchor at the state tournament, lefthander Justin Mandell.

“We picked up a couple kids from JV that should help us out and fit right into the starting lineup,” said Scherr. “We’re hoping to get right back to where we were a year ago.”

It all starts for area teams next week as the regular season gets underway.

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

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.