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.

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) –

The Wolves were outhit 14-9 in the loss as Jonathan Dydo got behind opposing batters early on before allowing four runs in the third and six hits through three innings. Travis McPherson gave up three earned runs on eight hits in relief while striking out seven over the final four innings.

2010 Timber Creek Baseball

Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Wolves had mustered just two hits before piecing together what looked to be a reversal of fortunes.

Timber Creek scored three runs on five hits in the fifth when Jason Anderson and McPherson were drove in by Eugene Vazquez and Branden Castro, respectively; and pinch-runner Emmanuel Acevedo made it home on a hit to right field by Cody Sharp.

But just as quick as the Wolves got back in the game, Flanagan loaded the bases in its next at-bat to extend the lead.

McPherson somehow got out of the sixth with minimal damage as he allowed only one run while faced with loaded bases four different times in the inning. Spencer Angelis got that run back in the bottom of the sixth though with a solo home run. Then the next three batters went down in order.

That made it 6-4 entering the seventh and final inning. And yet Flanagan was hardly done.

When McPherson returned to the mound he was hit hard to centerfield, scoring two more runs in the top of the seventh, before retiring the final two batters he faced. He could only watch from there as dreams of playing in the state title game were thwarted when Castro and Austin Moore were left stranded on base during the team’s final stab at a rally.

Angelis, McPherson and Castro each finished 2-for-3 on the night. Sharp, Anderson and Moore reached base safely with one hit apiece.

While Flanagan – ranked among the nation’s Top-25 by publications such as Baseball America – stranded 10 runners in the win, the Wolves had a tough time at the plate against one of the best teams in the country.

At one point Timber Creek batters were retired seven-straight times early in the game as big plays in the field robbed them of base hits, most notably in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The Wolves stranded five runners in the loss.

Timber Creek finishes it’s best season in program history with a 24-8 mark.

–– Road To State Final Four ––

– end of Regular Season

– win over Hagerty

– win over Freedom

– win over Mandarin

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

Somehow that seems so long ago.

Jonathan Dydo (Photo by Mike Dydo)

Thanks to a stellar pitching performance from Jonathan Dydo and some patience at the plate, the Wolves advanced in the tournament with a 4-1 win at Jacksonville Mandarin on Friday in the FHSAA Region 1 final.

Held hitless through four innings, Timber Creek (24-7) lit the scoreboard first when in the top of the fifth Jason Anderson homered and Eugene Vazquez drove in a run on a single.

Dydo, who TCHS Coach Scott Grove credited for using both sides of the plate and pounding the strike zone, allowed a run in the bottom half of the inning but finished with nine strikeouts in just over six innings of work.

Timber Creek tacked on two more runs in the sixth when Spencer Angelis drove in a run and Anderson advanced on a passed ball. Tyler Marincov also scored a run.

“Hats off to Mandarin,” Grove told the Florida Times-Union afterwards. “But that was typical of our kids to keep it up. We knew we would face some tough pitching, and we just feel fortunate to leave their field with a win.”

The Wolves take on Flanagan (Pembroke Pines) at Digital Domain Park (formerly Tradition Field) in Port St. Lucie on Friday at 8 p.m. in the state semifinals. Alonso (Tampa) and American (Hialeah) meet up in the other semifinal on Friday at 1 p.m. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Lake Brantley captured a 6A state title for Seminole County in 2008.

– When It Matters Most –

Following nine seasons of baseball, Timber Creek is finally finding ways to win when it matters most – in the postseason.

Scott Grove

And it may have a lot to do with the new approach of the lead guy in the dugout.

As the Wolves prepared for a third trip to regionals in the short history of the program, Grove took a step back, looked over Timber Creek’s body of work over the years and came away hoping to avoid any repeat of the past.

He figured there must be some explanation for the way the floor has fallen out from under his teams each postseason after completing such successful regular season runs. This, despite averaging more than 20 wins each year and finishing near the top of their district standings.

“I just thought ‘what could we do to make things different’,” said Grove.

Turns out the answer happened to be much closer than he imagined.

Grove began to temper his emotions as opposed to wearing any frustration on his sleeve whenever the game strayed from the picture-perfect production he’d envisioned going in. He proceeded to encourage his team to play through their miscues instead of reminding players of them each time through facial expressions.

Jason Anderson (Photo by Mike Dydo)

It paid off at Hagerty in the opening round, just one game after losing in the district finals. That’s when while trailing by a run, and maintaining a level of calmness, he gathered the troops and reminded them to keep competing until the very end. The Wolves responded with two runs in the sixth inning and solid play in the field to come away with the win.

“I think with me being so uptight and not wanting things to go wrong, that it’s affected them during games,” explains Grove. “They would see it in my face when things went wrong and that carried over into their attitudes.”

So he set out to change his own attitude.

Trailing by a run in the sixth inning? No problem. You’re No. 2 pitcher in a rematch with the big hitters that handed you a district championship game loss? No problem.

“We’ve been playing extremely relaxed,” said Grove.

No more worrying about mistakes on the spot because the Wolves already have their minds set on making the next play. No better way to play this game, one could argue. A game that could come down to a bad hop of the ball just as easily as it could a bad throw.

“I’m a perfectionist,” said Grove. “I want everything to go a certain way. But everybody makes mistakes.”

And in this year’s postseason everybody is getting a chance at redemption. For the errors, the strikeouts, the premature ending of season’s past. Including Grove, who is just as focused on reaching the pinnacle of this journey (after coming so close a decade ago) as his young team is.

“Baseball is a lot like life,” he said. “It’s about the way you respond to adversity when things don’t go your way.”

– It’s Been A Long Time –

To imply that Grove has somehow had it wrong all these years as a high school baseball coach would be like assuming every individual kid is wired in the same way. In fact, Grove has been consistent in both the win-loss column and in the impressive number of student-athletes he sends on to collegiate programs.

Tyler Marincov is safe at home on Friday in Jacksonville. (Photo by Mike Dydo)

This type of change is more about coming to grips with how best to manage the personnel you’ve got at your disposal, or rather on your roster.

Back in 2000, Grove led Colonial High School to a state runner-up finish behind fiery pep talks, which he said led to that group “rising to the occasion.”

That was certainly a slice of Grove’s personality which he carried over from his days of touring the minor leagues ranks as a pitcher for the Braves, Blue Jays and Brewers organizations.

And that might help shed light on what drives someone to become so demanding of others after spending their entire lives immersed in a game of skill, detail, chance, and the inevitable physical wear and tear that takes place over time. Grove has a shoulder that knows a ballplayer’s fate all too well.

But he sounds more like a parent today then he does a coach when talking about the kind of student-athletes he has on this year’s team at Timber Creek. He says they’ve truly bought into the system and that they’re all “really great kids with a lot of ability.”

They don’t appear to lack for effort, either.

“Nobody is sweating harder than us,” said Grove over the weekend. “Nobody is working harder than us.”

Proving that a coach can make all the personal changes they desire, but that there’s nothing as tried-and-true in sports as continuing to bust your tails in practice.

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

On Friday night, Class 6A Coach of the Year Scott Grove leads the Wolves into the regional finals at Jacksonville Mandarin.

(Photo by Mike Dydo)

It was a 4-2 win at Freedom (26-5) last week, in a rematch of the District 4 title game won by the Patriots, which moved Timber Creek (23-7) along in the bracket.

With a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh inning senior Travis McPherson had held Freedom to just two hits on the night. The first against him came in the third inning when Alfredo D’Amelio singled. The second came in the sixth when Orlando Rivera singled to left field.

Grove stayed with McPherson in the seventh, though, even after he allowed singles to Jordan Scott, Jason Holland and D’Amelio to load the bases with two outs in the final frame.

Jay Gonzalez proceeded to drive in two runs on a pop-up to left field, which put the winning run at the plate. But McPherson held tough, getting Rivera to groundout to second for the final play of the game.

Then the dugout emptied in celebration.

McPherson struck out five in what became win No. 200 for Grove at Timber Creek. It marked the 15th win in the past 17 games for the Wolves.

The Wolves scored two runs in both the third and fifth innings while spending much of the night taking what they could get at the plate, against Freedom pitcher Michael Clark, and making the routine plays in the field to back up McPherson.

Three errors by the Patriots assisted the Timber Creek offense.

In the third, Tyler Marincov singled to right field and Spencer Angelis got on base with a grounder past third. Jason Anderson helped them reach home plate with a hit up the middle to centerfield, which was misplayed on a bounce, and gave TCHS an early advantage.

In the fifth, Marincov doubled on a grounder past shortstop then scored on a bad throw to the plate after Angelis hit a shot to right field. McPherson followed with a double to right field to plate Angelis and give the Wolves a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.

Timber Creek finished with nine hits in the game as both Marincov and Angelis got things started with bunts in the first inning. Freshman Eugene Vazquez singled on a line drive up the middle in the second and Branden Castro singled through a hole between shortstop and third base in the fourth.

Despite the setback for the Patriots, several big plays were made in the field.

Ronald Schreurs snagged a hart-hit line drive for an out along the first-base line and Scott laid-out to make a catch in right field for an out in the fifth. In the top of the seventh, Jeffrey Orvis fielded a grounder at third and fired a throw to second, where Rivera charged in to make the catch while all in one motion planting a foot on the base for a force-out. Orvis caught a liner on the very next play.

The Class 6A State Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, May 21 at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie with the championship game to follow on Saturday, May 22.

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

Timber Creek (22-7) used two runs in the top of the sixth inning and a gem of a pitching performance from Jonathan Dydo to ruin the postseason debut for Hagerty High School (17-11) on Tuesday night. TCHS overcame a one-run deficit on the road to pull out a 2-1 win over the Class 6A, District 3 champs.

Dydo, a Savannah State College commit, struck out seven and allowed just two hits over seven innings while Hagerty’s Brandon Bixler, bound for Florida Gulf Coast University, also struck out seven and gave up seven hits while going the distance.

It was a tough sixth inning for Bixler that benefited Timber Creek and proved to be the difference.

Trailing 1-0 with one out and runners at first and third for the Wolves, senior Tyler Marincov chopped the first pitch his way over the head of the third baseman to score pinch-runner Milton Alvira and knot the game at 1-all.

Branden Castro started the big inning with a single to left field before Cody Sharp moved him over to second base on a bunt. Alvira took over the base running duties from there and proceeded to third on a single by Austin Moore, who would soon advance to third base himself and tag up on a pop-up to right field by Spencer Angelis during the next at-bat to score the winning run.

That sets up a District 4 rematch on Friday between the Wolves and Freedom (26-4), who took the district title last week in a close game at Winter Park. Freedom ousted Oviedo from postseason play on Tuesday.

The Huskies got on the scoreboard first when in the bottom of the fourth inning Bixler logged Hagerty’s first hit of the game to right field, then made way for pinch runner Sergio Almarez to make his way around the bases.

With Jeff Driskel at the plate, Almarez stole second and third before making it home on a pop-up to centerfield.

Dydo looked to be in trouble from that point on as he then walked a batter and was charged with a balk, which moved runners to second and third with just one out. But then he struck out a batter on a full-count pitch and got out of the inning with a routine groundout to shortstop.

He would dominate from that point on, striking out four of the last nine batters he faced in the final three innings of play.

Marincov and Travis McPherson each finished with two hits while Eugene Vazquez added a single in the seventh for Timber Creek. Marincov also stole a base in the fourth.

Keeping the game close early on for Hagerty was Alex Greene, who turned in some big plays in the field for the Huskies in the loss.

In the third inning the second baseman made a nice catch to his left on a line drive before topping that play with a diving stop of a grounder to the same side, which he turned into the third out of the inning on a throw to first from his knees.

Greene then threw out a runner in the fourth and made a diving stop of a hart-hit grounder to his right side to hold up the hitter at first base. He later did the same thing in the top of the sixth, but the Wolves would do all the damage they would need in the frame for the win.

Earlier this week Timber Creek (21-6 overall, 6-2 in District 4) began postseason play in a 6-5 opening-round win over rival University then got past Boone in the semifinals 3-2 to qualify for the state tournament.

If the pleasant surprise on the year was a pitching staff that routinely threw strikes and got ahead of hitters, the blessing in disguise was being forced to acclimate players into new positions.

“We finally got everyone fully healthy after patching things together early in the season,” said head coach Scott Grove.

First there was the need to slowly ease in senior Tyler Marincov, a huge contributor at the plate and on the mound over the years during his time at TCHS, who suffered a broken hand just before Christmas.

Then came an ankle injury to sophomore Branden Castro and a torn anterior cruciate ligament to junior Ray Guzman, among other bumps, bruises and unforeseen circumstances along the way.

While players were moved around to new positions in order to help fill the void at different times, the Wolves’ pitching staff entered the final week of the season holding teams to a .199 batting average while allowing just 2.24 runs per game.

Leading the way on the mound were senior Jonathan Dydo (6-1 record, 1.60 ERA and 33 strikeouts), junior Johnny Rivera (6-3 record, 2.24 ERA and 50 strikeouts) and senior Travis McPherson (2-2 record, 3.00 ERA and 56 strikeouts).

At the plate, Timber Creek was averaging .394 with senior Jason Anderson (.487 on 37 hits with 27 RBI and 5 home runs), junior Spencer Angelis (.485 on 33 hits with 21 RBI and 5 doubles), McPherson (.472 on 25 hits with 14 RBI and 4 doubles) and Marincov (.438 on 32 hits with 26 RBI and 6 home runs) doing the most damage with their bats.

Also making an impact were two youngsters who figure to be huge contributors over the next few years – following the departure of eight seniors this spring – in sophomore Cody Sharp (.403 on 27 hits with 24 RBI and 4 home runs) and freshman Eugene Vazquez, who is already catching the attention of Division I state schools.

And the momentum gained from regrouping over the second half of the season has carried over into tournament time.

Against University, the young Vazquez hit a two-run homer while the experienced Anderson drove in two runs. Then against Boone, Angelis and Castro each drove in runs to put the Wolves in Friday night’s District 4 title game at Winter Park.

The good news for the Wolves moving forward this season, as single elimination loomed, has been the way they’ve seemed to hit their stride at just the right time.

“These kids have a good chance (to advance), just like any other year,” said Grove before the start of district play last week. “But anybody can beat anybody in our district.”

Since suffering a two-run district loss to Cypress Creek on March 24 the Wolves have won 13 of their last 14 games (and 17 of their last 19), which included winning a tournament title over Spring Break in Sanford.

Their lone loss in that stretch was a 4-3 decision that went the way of Spruce Creek.

Looking back, that four-game tournament stretch at the end of March seemed to serve as the team’s coming of age.

“Those tournaments can work for you, or against you,” said Grove. “If you’re struggling at that time it’s tough to gather yourself before the end of the season.”

But for Timber Creek, who took the title with a 6-4 win over Coral Gables, it seemed as though the season was just beginning to take shape.

Wounds were being healed. Players molded into well-rounded contributors both in the field and from top to bottom in the batting order.

“We saw some great pitching from some of those private schools (in the tournament) and it kind of made us realize we can play with anyone,” said Grove.

Because of that, they entered the postseason expecting a little more from the teams they might be matched up with based on the kind of competition they’d already faced.

And should that confidence carry them deep into regional play, beginning May 4, then this team could be a few bounces of the ball away from putting those trying times behind them for good.

The Wildcats had trouble coming up with possessions with each shot on goal that the Wolves were unable to capitalize on. But it didn’t take long before momentum shifted in favor of Winter Park for good en route to a dominating 16-7 effort to stay alive in the postseason.

On Tuesday the Wildcats – 14-4 overall after being hit with three forfeits – travel to Vero Beach for an opening round play-in game.

Despite the forfeitures earlier in the season, because of the use of two ineligible players, the Wildcats have lost just once on the field this season when back on Feb. 17 Jacksonville Bolles came away with a 12-11 win.

Head coach Andy Sinclair says that if his team continues to get possessions by way of face-offs and ground balls, much in the same fashion they managed to do in the second half against Timber Creek, it should make for quite a compliment to the team’s stingy defensive efforts.

“It really comes down to heart, and I think the score shows how much better we got at facing-off as the game went on,” he said.

Sinclair credited Andrew Dwyer for his play in the final two quarter against Timber Creek (12-3) as he continued to earn the possessions that allowed the Wildcats to continue attacking the net.

“He did what seniors are supposed to do and stepped up and won the majority of face-offs he took for us in the second half,” said Sinclair.

“That was key because I don’t know that we would have bounced back in the third the way we did.”

– The Details –

Winter Park tallied a near two-to-one advantage in chasing down loose balls and rallied from a three-goal deficit late in the first half to run away with the district.

After winning the opening face-off against Timber Creek (12-3) and getting an immediate goal from Erik Groninger – his first of five on the night – the Wolves would answer by putting Winter Park on its heels over the ensuing seven minutes.

But multiple shots on goal by Timber Creek got them nothing. They finally struck pay dirt when Ryan Fennell got a steal and went one-on-one to tie the game. It wasn’t until 4:45 remained in the quarter that Winter Park regained the lead when Garret Manno put back a missed shot.

Timber Creek then tied the game off a Trey Gordon goal and took the lead 3-2 when Max Bush scored with 1:31 to go in the first.

The Wolves took that momentum and ran with it for much of the second quarter as Steven Tilmon scored twice, Bush scored again and Blake Gwizdalski added another goal in between two Winter Park scores from Graham Macnab.

The 7-4 lead for Timber Creek was in jeopardy, though. And hardly anyone even saw the shift in power coming.

Two face-off wins led to two Winter Park goals from Max Chomic and Nicco Vella in the final two minutes of the second quarter, which began an unanswered 12-goal scoring spree for the Wildcats.

Vella scored with seven minutes to go in the third to tie the game at 7-7, followed by three goals in the period from Groninger to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead after three.

Six more goals in the fourth quarter padded stats for Mark Bergquist (two goals), Groninger, Matthew Williams, Macnab and Ray Mazzie.

Malcolm

Making a trip to the opening round of March Madness this week are Winthrop sophomore Chris Malcolm (Timber Creek), Florida junior Chandler Parsons (Lake Howell), Purdue senior Keaton Grant (Gateway) and Wofford senior Corey Godzinski (East Ridge).

Below is a look at the seasons each local product put together in 2009-10 and info on their respective opening round games…

– No. 16 Winthrop vs. No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Malcolm played just four minutes in the Big South Conference Tournament, grabbing one rebound for a team that last advanced to the Big Dance in his redshirt season of 2008. The 2007 Timber Creek graduate made one start in 29 games this season at Winthrop (19-13). In 6.7 minutes per game he averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds on the year. The winner of tonight’s play-in game takes on No. 1 Duke in the South Region on Friday at 7:25 p.m.

Parsons

– No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 BYU, Thursday at 12:20 p.m.

Parsons played most of the way in each of Florida’s two Southeastern Conference Tournament games and scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out three assists and nabbed two steals in the split. The 2007 Lake Howell graduate started 17 of 33 games this season for the Gators (21-12). In 30.5 minutes of action he averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds on the year with 82 assists and 37 steals to his credit. The winner of Thursday’s game takes on either Kansas State or North Texas in the West Region on Saturday.

Grant

– No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 Siena, Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Grant played a combined 45 minutes in two Big Ten Tournament games but went just 1-for-10 from the field for five points in the split for the Boilermakers. He also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 2005 Kissimmee Gateway graduate started 22 of 32 games this season at Purdue (27-5), who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen a year ago. In 22.1 minutes of action he averaged 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, and drained 27 3-pointers on the year. The winner of Friday’s game takes on either Texas A&M or Utah State on Sunday.

Godzinski

– No. 13 Wofford vs. No 4 Wisconsin, Friday at 2:50 p.m.

Godzinski played just 15 minutes in the Southern Conference Tournament, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds for a program making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 2006 East Ridge graduate started 15 of 31 games this season at Wofford (26-8). In 13.1 minutes of action he’s averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game on the year. The winner of Friday’s game takes on either Temple or Cornell in the East Region on Sunday.