Oviedo (25-3-1) defeated Vero Beach (22-4-2) on penalty kicks 3-2 in the Class 6A title game at the University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium.

The match was as close as the final score would indicate.

Sarah Buckley was the first to connect on a penalty kick for Oviedo, but the Lions trailed 2-1 with each team down to its final two attempts.

Meagan Borger and Morgan Campbell converted for the Lions from there. But it ultimately came down to freshman goalkeeper Lindsay Preston, who dove to her left to make the final save of the game.

“She’s a great keeper,” Campbell said of Preston afterwards. “She’s been practicing those PK’s all season. She’s been diving left and right and saving them the whole time, so I believed in her.”

Oviedo trailed 1-0 when Vero Beach got a goal with 26 minutes remaining in the first half. And despite coming close to repeatedly tying things up, the Lions would not do so until just 10 minutes were left in regulation.

That’s when Campbell took possession of the ball in the left side of the box and sent a shot to the back of the far corner of the net. The goal was all the Lions would need to extend the game.

Oviedo maintained its aggressive play from there, getting five more solid shots on goal before going back on the attack in the two overtime periods.

“It was just the will to win,” Oviedo coach Scott Waisanen said. “Our girls wanted it so bad, more than anything else.”

On Friday the Lions earned a 2-1 win over Miami Palmetto to advance to the championship when Katie O’ Kennedy scored with only seconds to spare in double overtime. Campbell also scored on a free kick earlier in the match.

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Oviedo (19-3-1) hosts the region title game on Friday against Port Orange Spruce Creek, who defeated Duncan Fletcher 1-0. The winner advances to the state final four.

O’Kennedy’s goal came after she followed up on a loose ball off a free kick by Morgan Campbell that was stopped by Hagerty goalkeeper Kait Briggs. O’Kennedy gained possession in front of the goal box, spun from a defender and drove home the goal with her right foot to put the Lions ahead.

“Those two seniors have been leading us all season,” Oviedo coach Scott Waisanen said. “They did it just as we drew it up and we were lucky enough to get the rebound and find the back of the net with it.”

The late attempts by Hagerty (18-4-4) to answer went for not, despite plenty of good looks on goal. Oviedo freshman keeper Lindsay Preston was impressive throughout, finishing with 11 saves in all.

Hagerty tied the game midway through the second half on a goal by sophomore Amaya Banks. She took a pass from Darbi Filliben over the middle of the penalty box and found the open net after Preston was pulled out of position with 24 minutes left.

Oviedo took a 1-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the first half when sophomore Mary Bozzacco rushed the goal box and followed up on a save made by Briggs, who dove to her right to stop a close-range shot from the left foot of O’Kennedy.

The goal capped a furious rally for the Lions, who opened the match a bit complacent compared to a Hagerty team who kept busy by swarming the ball and controlling possession.

“They came out playing a great game and that’s what we expected, but it all comes down to heart and we had more of it,” O’Kennedy said.

The win gave Oviedo its third in four games against Hagerty this season.

– More Girls Soccer Results –

Apopka lost its first game of the season 2-1 against Vero Beach in Class 6A… Seminole defeated East Lake 2-0 and Melbourne got past Viera 2-1 in Class 5A… Harmony defeated Eustis for the third time this season 2-1 in Class 4A… Lake Highland Prep moves on with a 3-1 win over Satellite Beach in Class 3A… Master’s Academy had its season come to a close with a 4-1 loss to St. John’s Country Day and Trinity Prep defeated Lakeland Christian 4-0 in Class 2A.

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Hagerty (18-3-4) got a goal from freshman Sydney Schilling early in the extra period to defeat Timber Creek 2-1 in overtime. The Huskies will take on Oviedo on Tuesday for the fourth time this season in a Class 6A region semifinal.

Sophomore Amaya Banks scored her 21st goal of the season to give Hagerty an early lead in the first half before Timber Creek’s Carla Nazario knotted things up with a goal of her own before the break.

A stalemate ensued from there despite the aggressive play of the visiting team.

The Huskies were on the attack throughout the night as they took 23 shots in all, of which 13 were on goal.

“When we saw the problems we were having with some matchups, we made some changes and that’s what helped us hold on,” Hagerty coach Rodney Kenney said.

Hagerty began overtime in Timber Creek (13-7-2) territory and never gave the Wolves a chance to counter. Timber Creek’s goalkeeper turned away shots on goal by the Huskies, but the frantic play in the penalty area ended with the final strike of the ball by Schilling.

Oviedo (18-3-2) defeated Freedom 6-0 to set up a rematch of the District 3 title game, won by the Lions 2-0. The teams split their first two meetings of the year as Oviedo got a 3-2 win early in the season and Hagerty followed that up with a 1-0 win on the road.

Timber Creek defeated Freedom last week on a goal by Amy Planeta in double-overtime to claim back-to-back District 4 titles with a 2-1 win. It was a rematch of last year’s district championship matchup.

The Oviedo Lions have had to overcome a number of injuries this season but advance to the playoffs under coach Scott Waisanen for the fifth-straight time. Megan Heil and Lindsay Preston have shared time in goal for Oviedo while Katie O’Kennedy and Morgan Campbell lead the team offensively.

“Each game has been fairly close,” Kenney said of the matchup against Oviedo. “We’ll just need to change some things up going in.”

Hagerty now has 75 goals on the season. Sophomore Samantha Collin and junior Mikaela Renfro have each scored 14 goals.

– More Girls High School Soccer –

Regional semifinal games are scheduled to take place on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Games featuring local teams include: Apopka (20-0-2) at Vero Beach in 6A; East Lake at Seminole and Viera at Melbourne in 5A; Eustis at Harmony in 4A; Satellite Beach at Lake Highland Prep (18-4-2) in 3A; St. John’s Country Day at Master’s Academy and Trinity Prep at Lakeland Christian in 2A.

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After beginning a 40-year coaching career in Indiana, Kershner moved to Florida in 1980 where he built upon a 761-329 record during coaching stops at Kissimmee Osceola, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce Westwood. He is now 314-104 at Oviedo since taking over there in 1996.

Kershner is one of six coaches in Florida’s high school boys basketball history to win 700 games. The late Don Wallen, who won 219 games in Kentucky, retired from Stuart Martin County in 1989 with a 760-192 mark.

The record was tied last week when Oviedo defeated Bartow at the Great Florida Shootout in Kissimmee, the very tournament Kershner originated in 1981 after taking over at Osceola. He led the Kowboys to its only state title in 1983 during a 37-0 season.

In a twist of irony, the Lions had a chance to give Kershner the state record the very next day against his former team, but were bounced from the tournament by Osceola 70-59 in the consolation semifinal.

With the attention focused squarely on the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach entering the season, a relatively young Oviedo team has seemingly weathered the added pressure.

“I have never said anything about it to them,” acknowledged Kershner after tying the record. “I’m proud of them and their improvement and have been just trying to get them better.”

With Oviedo now 9-6 on the year, Kershner would prefer to quietly add to his win total from here on out.

“Everybody else talks about it but me,” he said of the milestone. “I’ve probably been asked about it 50 times. It’s just something that you’ve got to go through and I’m just blessed to be able to answer it.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Presented by the Rotary Club of Kissimmee, the four-day tournament features 16 of the top high school basketball teams from across the nation.

The lineup also features Division I recruits and teams with state tournament experience. Some of the top college and NBA recruiters are expected to be on hand to evaluate talent.

Teams taking part at the event from around the state of Florida include Plantation American Heritage, Ft. Meyers Bishop Verot, Ft. Myers High School, Bartow High School and Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy.

Among the local teams taking part are Class 6A state runners-up Dr. Phillips, Osceola High School, Oviedo, Poinciana, Wekiva and Lake Highland Prep.

Out-of-state teams scheduled to participate are Bishop McNamara of Forestville, MD; Christian County High School out of Hopkinsville, KY; Ball High School from Galveston, TX; Hoover High School from San Diego, CA; and Lexington High of Lexington, SC.

The tournament gets underway at 10 a.m. Monday with Christian County (KY) taking on Holy Trinity.

Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster and the Silver Spurs Arena Box Office.

Single day tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Kids under the age of 4 are admitted for free. Tournament packages are available for $30 for adults and $15 for students.

Visit GFLSO for a full schedule and detailed info on participating teams.

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

Despite losing four starters early in the year to a number of injuries, including a fractured wrist, a torn anterior cruciate ligament and multiple foot injuries, the Lions are out to an 11-0-1 start.

That’s even as the team also had other girls miss time due to illness. All but one of the injured is expected to return at some point.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” Oviedo Coach Scott Waisanen said.

Oviedo entered the year without half of its roster from a season ago and has since had to find ways to piece it all together on the fly with underclassman.

Just four seniors and one junior starter from 2009 returned. But it seems not even the constant shuffling of the roster has been able to slow them down.

“Our younger players have had to step up to fill some spots that they normally wouldn’t play at,” said Waisanen. “Trying to get some consistency has been the struggle.”

Twin sisters Katie and Colleen O’Kennedy are playing in their final high school seasons and have been a big part of the early success.

Katie has notched 12 goals and seven assists while Colleen has added five goals and 10 assists through 11 games. Classmate Morgan Campbell has registered seven goals and six assists for the Lions.

While the seniors take care of pushing the ball on offense, Oviedo has relied on two underclassmen at goalkeeper to combine for eight shutouts. Junior Megan Heil and freshman Lindsay Preston have allowed just six goals combined thus far.

As good as things have gone for the Lions in terms of wins and losses, we’ll soon find out just how good this team really is once at full strength.

– (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) –

Following the first region tournament win in program history last week against Oviedo, the Braves benefited from the energy of its home crowd as they won a nail-biter on Tuesday against Lake Mary in five sets.

Down 10-3 in the fifth and final game of the region semifinal, the Braves fought back to keep their season alive with a 16-14 decision.

“That’s a score you just don’t come back from,” said Boone Coach Mike Ladewski. “It was all about us keeping our composure and poise.”

That’s been nothing new for this team throughout the season, though.

“With the desire this team has to win, it doesn’t surprise me that they would come back,” he said. “But yet it’s still a surprise that they were able to do it.”

Boone won the first game 27-25 then dropped the following two 25-19 and 25-18. They then coasted in the fourth game 25-15 to set up the exciting finish. With the win the Braves improved to 20-9 on the season and have now won eight in a row. They lost to Lake Mary in three games in September and Oviedo in three games in October.

This time around, though, the Braves defeated Oviedo by pulling out another come-from-behind effort of sorts. Trailing 24-19 in the fourth game of the match, they fought back to force extra serves before eventually ending the match with a 30-28 score. Boone dropped the second game in the match 25-23 and won the first and third games by 25-19 decisions.

On Saturday they expect another tough opponent to enter their gymnasium, where another enthusiastic crowd is likely to be on hand to cheer on the home team.

Boone hosts DeLand in the region finals at 2 p.m. Also still in contention in Class 6A is Olympia, who opened the tournament with a win in three sets over Gateway then won 24-26, 25-17, 27-29, 25-7, 15-11 on the road at Vero Beach.

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

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.

In the next 24 hours, a dream will become a reality for Oviedo pitcher A.J. Cole.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this day. It’s a dream come true. You can ask my parents, when I was little I said I wanted to play professional baseball and tomorrow I find out if I get to go or not,” he said.

According to mock drafts, Cole is projected as a sure-fire Major League Baseball first-rounder. Where he goes in the first 32 picks, he said, is up in the air.

Oviedo's A.J. Cole

“Anywhere in the first round, they didn’t even narrow it down to the tenth or 20th pick,” he said. “I’m just basically guessing where I’m going and I’m not for sure about that. I’ve talked to almost all of the teams in the first 29 picks. They don’t come out and tell you they are going to pick you, they let you know that on draft day they are going to pick you.”

Although, he has not worked out for any teams, scouts covet the 6-foot, 5-inch, 190-pounder, who’s fastball is in the mid 90s and powerful curveball has good movement.

He also said they like the fact that he is “a nice and easy thrower,” and the fact that he has developed over the past two years with his pitches and command.

First round picks are nothing new to Central Florida. Last year Lake Brantley shortstop Nick Franklin was selected as the 27th overall pick by the Seattle Mariners. Cole says he has received advice from Franklin as well as former Lyman pitcher Scottie Allen.

“I’ve talked to Nick Franklin and Scottie Allen, they said it’s really tough but if you stay with it it’s a lot of fun. The minor leagues aren’t what you expect. It’s not like college, it’s harder for the players. You’re not given everything, you have to work for it,” he said.

Today marks a new page in the baseball career of A.J. Cole, a career he has lofty goals for.

“I hope I can get to the major leagues as soon as possible. Keep improving, never go backwards, just do my best and give it everything I’ve got,” Cole said.

For that lucky team that selects him on draft day, he has a message to their fans.

“I’m going to support my fans because they are supporting me. I’m going to give a 110-percent and help my team win anyway I can,” he said.

As the hours inch closer to the draft, Cole will gather with his friends and family at a former coach’s house, “waiting around by the phone.” Waiting for the phone call that will become his future.

“It’s all real exciting. Last month I was like ‘I can’t wait for this’ and tomorrow is the day. It’s gone fast. I’m pretty sure things will work out for me,” he said.

– Note: The opening round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft takes place tonight (Monday) at 7 p.m. with the coverage continuing at MLB.com Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon –

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