Dixie Hollins recently had three football players sign letters of intent.

Linebacker Zac Gardenhouse signed with Adrian College, a Division III school in Michigan. Running back Kabriel Jackson and defensive tackle Andre Matthews signed with Dean College, a two-year school in Franklin, Mass.

Gardenhouse played in only three games as a senior due to injury, but still recorded 32 tackles. Jackson came back from a season-ending knee injury as a junior and gained 545 yards and four touchdowns. Matthews played in nine games and had 26 tackles and one sack.

The Tampa Bay area has brought home at least one softball state championship each of the past four seasons. The quest for a fifth resumes today, as 16 high school teams across all four counties battle in the region semifinals. As a primer for the second round of the playoffs, here are some of the top hitters, pitchers, matchups and story lines for the teams still dreaming of a trip to Vero Beach:

Top pitchers
Noelle Dietrich, Plant City: The junior’s gotten hot near the close of a strong season (1.10 ERA). Dietrich threw a perfect game in an abbreviated win over Hillsborough and allowed only two hits and one run in last week’s playoff win over Gaither.

Sloan Hammons, Durant: The freshman struggled in her playoff debut but has had a strong rookie season (2.20 ERA, 131 strikeouts). She enters a rematch against Plant City with momentum and confidence after throwing five shutout, two-hit innings in a district championship victory over the Raiders.

Makenzie Goluba, River Ridge: With her win last week over Nature Coast, Goluba became the school’s all-time leader with 55 — and she’s only a junior. Goluba is now 23-3 with a 0.31 ERA, and has allowed only one run in her past seven games.

Courtney Riddle, Hernando: The senior ace, 26-1 this year, has won 66 games over 96 appearances in her Leopards’ career. And counting her days with Hernando Christian has 93 career wins. After taking Hernando to the region finals last year, she’s set season-best marks with 11 shutouts and a 0.91 ERA without allowing a home run.

Lace Smith, Bloomingdale: The junior’s 20-2 record is almost as impressive as her performance in last week’s playoff opener: a perfect game with 19 strikeouts and a seventh-inning home run to take a 1-0 victory. Coach Mandy Schuerman said Smith has improved her command since last spring, which has helped Bloomingdale advance to the region semifinals for the first time since 2009 and set up a fourth meeting with Jessica Warren and the hard-hitting Ravens.

Mariah Watts, Lakewood: Since coming back from a shoulder injury early in the season, the Wisconsin recruit has been dominant. In the past three games, she has recorded a combined 32 strikeouts and led the Spartans to their first playoff appearance and postseason win.

Kama Woodall, Canterbury: The freshman, who was the Crusaders’ primary starter during their state title run last year, has put up impressive numbers the past two weeks, allowing a combined three hits in three games and throwing a perfect game in the district final against Lakeside Christian.

Top hitters
Aliyah Andrews, East Lake: The quintessential leadoff hitter, Andrews has a .465 average despite battling a litany of injuries that limited her to 12 games this season. Now healthy, Andrews has provided a spark with a combined six hits in wins against Countryside in the district final and Braden River in the region quarterfinal.

Lauren Evans, Academy at the Lakes: The USF signee has been one of Tampa Bay’s top sluggers for her entire career, and this spring is no different. She’s batted at least .400 since eighth grade and is in the middle of the best year of her life (.702 average, .797 on-base percentage, 10 triples).

Megan Lane, Hernando: According to MaxPreps, there’s no one better in America at swiping bases than Lane, whose 60 steals lead the country. To steal, though, you have to get on base, which Lane does well: she’s hitting .564 as the Leopards’ leadoff hitter, with at least one hit in 26 of 28 games.

Kenzi Maguire, River Ridge: The Royal Knight shortstop and Arkansas commitment bats leadoff, but is no slap hitter. In fact, Maguire would be a clean-up hitter on most teams. She’s batting .613, but has an extra-base hit in 22 of 29 games: 15 doubles, 12 triples and seven home runs.

Danielle Romanello, Canterbury: The freshman catcher, who is already committed to Florida, is batting .537. She is tearing up Class 2A competition, going a combined 7-for-11 in the past three games with three homers and eight RBIs.  

Morgan Tolle, River Ridge: The senior second baseman is batting a robust .489, and delivers in clutch situations. Almost half of her 43 hits (21) are for extra bases, including seven home runs, and most amazingly, she has struck out just twice in 108 plate appearances.

Jessica Warren, Alonso: The Florida State-bound senior is batting .605 and ranks fourth in the state with 11 home runs. The most recent one was an inside-the-park shot in last week’s 4-2 win over Palm Harbor University that gave the Ravens the first playoff victory in program history.

Best rematches
Admiral Farragut at St. Petersburg Catholic: This is the fourth meeting between these teams. The Blue Jackets won both in the regular season; the Barons rebounded in the district final with an 8-7 victory. The key is whether SPC hitters can make contact against AFA pitcher Corynn Miner, who has a 0.42 ERA and 200 strikeouts.

Bloomingdale at Alonso: This tantalizing matchup pits one of the area’s top pitchers (Bloomingdale’s Smith) against one of its top hitters (Alonso’s Warren). The three previous meetings were all decided by one run, including the Ravens’ 7-6 win for the district title in a sloppy, 13-inning marathon. Houston signee Kayla Maxwell has 18 strikeouts in her past two games for Alonso.

Canterbury at Academy at the Lakes: A rematch of last year’s state semifinal, which the Crusaders won 13-3 en route to their second title in three years. Both teams are young with several freshmen, eighth- and seventh-graders taking the field. Canterbury has played a tougher schedule with eight games against teams ranked in the state poll in their respective classifications.

Chamberlain at Jefferson: The three previous meetings have had mixed results. Jefferson won twice, including 2-1 for the district title, but was blown out 16-0 in the other game. Nikki Lopez had 10 strikeouts to help the Dragons earn the program’s first playoff win last week, but Chamberlain has a loaded offense - and stranded 10 runners in scoring position last time. “I know my team,” Chiefs coach Bob Diez said. “We can play.”

River Ridge at Hernando: Hernando was the first team to beat River Ridge this season, knocking the Knights off 2-1 in eight innings of a tournament. The rematch, though, was anticlimactic and the Leopards didn’t start ace Riddle for the first time all season. The Knights won that game 8-1, but didn’t have fun doing it. The rubber match should be a dandy.

Did you know?
• Academy of the Holy Names has five players with at least 15 RBIs — and none of them are seniors. Freshman Brittany Bramwell leads the Jaguars with 26, followed by junior Sydney Coleman, sophomore Anya Muyres and freshmen Katie Hale and Alexis Miniet.

• Pasco County’s all-time leading coaches will be fielding playoff teams: Academy at the Lakes’ coach Jerry English won his 500th game earlier this month (though most of those wins were with Land O’Lakes), and River Ridge’s Ernie Beck is second with 429 wins. Beck is retiring at the end of this season.

• Canterbury has the area’s best power-hitting lineup with four players — Taylor Bump, Hailey Hopkins, Danielle Romanello and Kama Woodall — who each have at least four home runs. Hopkins, a Kent State recruit, leads the team with eight.

• Carrollwood Day has already earned its first playoff victory and set a program record for most wins in a season (14). A matchup against Lakeland Christian gives the Patriots a chance to add revenge to its list of accomplishments; the Vikings beat CDS 7-4 in last year’s region quarterfinal.

• Durant started its playoff run with a walkoff, three-run home run to cap off a remarkable comeback. Sound familiar? That’s the same way the Cardiac Cougars opened a 2012 postseason that ended with the Class 8A state championship.

• Lakewood is the only team in the bay area that has beaten Bradenton Bayshore this season. In March, the Spartans rallied with seven runs in the seventh inning for a wild 10-9 win. It also was the first loss of the season for the Bruins, who are now 21-4 and ranked sixth in Class 6A. The teams meet for the fourth time in tonight’s region semifinals.

Region semifinals
7 Tuesday unless noted
8A: Bloomingdale at Alonso
7A: Plant City at Durant
7A: Lakewood Ranch at East Lake
6A: Chamberlain at Jefferson
5A: Lakewood at Bradenton Bayshore
5A: River Ridge at Hernando
4A: Mulberry at Holy Names
3A: Lakeland Christian at Carrollwood Day (Fest Field), 4
3A: Admiral Farragut at St. Petersburg Catholic, 4
2A: Canterbury at Academy at the Lakes (Live Oak Park), 4

Compiled by staff writers Matt Baker, John C. Cotey and Bob Putnam.
 

HomeTeam Hot Shots
A spotlight on the Times’ bay area players of the week.

Female Hot Shots: Maddie Posey, Canterbury
Sport: Softball  
Skinny: The top of Canterbury’s lineup has the big hitters who grab most of the headlines. But no Crusader had more of an impact in last week’s 5-0 region quarterfinal win over Cambridge Christian than Posey, the No. 6 hitter. Posey went 2-for-3 with a bases-clearing double in the third inning that gave the Crusaders a comfortable 4-0 lead. Since the district tournament two weeks ago, Posey is batting .500 (5-for-10) and has hit her first two home runs of the season. “Maddie has a knack of coming through during the playoffs,” coach Jody Moore said. “And it’s not just at the plate. She hasn’t committed an error at third base in the past three games.”

Male Hot Shot: Will Potosky, Bishop McLaughlin
Sport: Baseball
Skinny: Potosky led Bishop McLaughlin to its fourth baseball district title last week, pitching a complete-game shutout against Tampa Prep. Before the Class 3A, District 7 title game, the 6-foot-4 junior had pitched only seven innings in five outings as a closer. “He got ahead of hitters most of the night,” coach Jeff Swymer said of Potosky’s performance. “He was able to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes, which kept them off balance.” Potosky owns a 0.46 ERA and a .323 batting average, second highest for a Bishop McLaughlin starter. The Hurricanes’ season will continue in the region quarterfinal round Wednesday against Santa Fe Catholic.

Now that the district tournaments are over and the dust has cleared, we look at the Pinellas teams left standing for region play:

1. Is there a state title team in Pinellas?
The county’s title hopes likely start and end with Clearwater Central Catholic. The Marauders (25-0) clinched their first undefeated regular season in school history. A loss now would make that a footnote.

The path through regionals  could include a fourth meeting with district rival Calvary Christian. Fort Myers Canterbury appears to be the best team in the bracket for a possible region final matchup.

Just getting to the state tournament isn’t the expectation for this year’s Marauders. They did that last season. Winning the school’s first state title since 2007 is the goal. With a pitching staff that includes David Paul, Michael Paul, Tyler Simmons and Jeff Smith, and hitters like Brenden Overton (.492, seven homers), Zuriel Collins (.373, 22 RBIs) and Andrew Murphy (.358), CCC is certainly loaded to make a run.

2. Can the aces come through on the road?
Osceola, Calvary Christian, St. Petersburg, East Lake and Boca Ciega sure hope so. All five have tough away games, but all five have aces who just might be able to pitch their teams to victory.

Osceola’s Keith Weisenberg has a 0.34 ERA and a fastball that has scouts showing up at every game. He’ll likely pitch bigger games in his career, but Thursday at Jefferson will be the biggest to date.

Calvary Christian’s Daniel Broeseker and his gaudy 98 strikeouts will be relied upon to get past Sarasota Cardinal Mooney on Wednesday. If that happens, he’ll likely go again in the region semifinal.

East Lake’s Brad Deppermann has the unenviable task of pitching at Sarasota, ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps. But Deppermann throws gas and has more than 70 strikeouts, so he could slow down the Sailors.

St. Petersburg’s David Sockol and Boca Ciega’s Tanner Watkins don’t have the big stats, but both have been crucial for their teams. Sockol, a junior, is a strike-throwing left-hander who is 6-1 with a 0.69 ERA. He’ll need his best outing to get past Plant on Thursday.  Watkins, a senior, is 7-2 with a 1.32 ERA and 85 strikeouts. Like Sockol, he’ll need his best stuff at Jesuit.

3. Is Northeast ready for prime time?
The Vikings have been the feel-good team of the season, winning 17 straight with very few superstars. Now comes the hard part.

Braden River is a .500 team from a tough district that just got thumped by Sarasota. Assuming the Vikings get past Wednesday, a likely showdown with Sarasota awaits.

“I’ve been waiting for this ever since I got here,’’ Northeast catcher Bret Maxwell said.

4. Does Pinellas have a shot vs. Hillsborough teams?
Osceola at Jefferson. St. Petersburg at Plant. Boca Ciega at Jesuit. Yikes.

Traditionally, Pinellas teams don’t play well across the bridge. And these pairings are as tough as they get. Despite the suspensions of nine players, Jesuit still won its district and has its sights set on Port St. Lucie.

Plant is 22-5 and has won 10 straight. And Jefferson is a 20-game winner that beat King 11-1 in the district final. All three Pinellas teams will be long shots to survive, but if I had to pick one it would be Osceola.

5. What about Class 2A?
Canterbury and Lakeside Christian both have a tough road. Lakeside is making its first appearance in regionals after beating Keswick Christian in the semifinals of a three-team district. Playing at Bayshore Christian may be too much to expect for a first-year playoff team. Canterbury does not have an easy draw with Cambridge Christian. The Crusaders are 12-11 and lost to Cambridge in February.

Region quarterfinals
7 p.m. unless noted
Wednesday
7A: East Lake at Sarasota
7A: Braden River at Northeast
5A: Boca Ciega at Jesuit
3A: Calvary Christian at Sarasota Cardinal Mooney, 4:30
3A: Sarasota Out-of-Door at Clearwater Central Catholic
Thursday
8A: St. Petersburg at Plant
6A: Osceola at Jefferson
2A: Cambridge Christian at Canterbury
2A: Lakeside Christian at Bayshore Christian

Region baseball quarterfinals
Class 7A
Who: Brandon (16-9) at Wiregrass Ranch (18-6)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Next up: Durant-Sickles winner
Outlook: It’s not going out very far on a limb to say this will be low scoring. Entering the 7A-8 tournament as part of a four-way tie for first, the pitching of Austin and Zach Drury — in that order — lifted the Bulls to their first title. Zach merely hurled a no-hitter in the 1-0 final victory against Sickles. They can both hit, too, and Michael Campoamor tops all the team’s major batting categories. Brandon has given up more than one run just once in its last seven games, winning all but the 1-0 district final defeat to Durant. The Eagles have three reliable options, with Austin Sullivan doubling as the team’s most consistent hitter (.342) and sophomore lefty Antonio Velez containing filthy stuff. Ryan Anderson has Brandon’s only three homers this season.  

Class 6A
Who: King (20-6) at Mitchell (17-10)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Next up: Jefferson or Osceola
Outlook: By the regular season alone, King would have been considered the heavy favorite. But the Lions lost 11-1 in the district final to a Jefferson team they had swept in the regular season. Mitchell received a huge lift when Cobi Johnson, limited to just hitting for a month due to injury, was called on to throw in the district semifinals and got the job done against Springstead. No doubt Johnson will go again Thursday, and with the 6A bracket set up so there’s a full week in between the region semis and final, Mitchell might be able to ride him for a while. Alex Mendez is hitting .333 for Mitchell, topping the team in both runs (26) and RBIs (30). Kyle Frick hits .402.

Class 5A
Who: Pasco (16-10) at Land O’Lakes (18-8)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Next up: Hernando or Sunlake
Outlook: The Gators didn’t have a true ace until Tom Guglielmello was eased onto the mound midway through the season. He’s gone 6-0 with a 0.65 ERA. Top-of-the-order trio Connor Stephens, Kyle Sheffield and Alex Reynolds are in fine form, and behemoth designated hitter Liam Heaney is the deep threat. Catcher Cam Hilgenberg is ultra-athletic and had a home run against Sunlake. When Pasco wins, it does so primarily with offense, so good thing the Pirates have plenty to go around. A.J. Rainaldi came up with two homers, including a grand slam, against Wesley Chapel in the district tournament and is batting .364. Football star Malik Johns is a menace on the base paths. Turner Imhoff is the imposing presence (.378, 29 RBIs). The staff ERA is around 3.50 with the prime culprit walks (133 issued in 181 innings). But Brian Johnson, who got the must-win start against Wesley Chapel, went the distance in that one, giving up just one run (only one walk).  Deaven Phillips logged the most starts, innings and strikeouts.

Who: Sunlake (17-9) at Hernando (23-4)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Next up: Pasco or Land O’Lakes
Outlook: The Leopards have been perennial members of the postseason fray, qualifying for their fifth straight appearance last week with a 16-6 district title victory over Pasco. Led by ace starter Kyle Kilbourne (9-1, 1.24 ERA), Hernando has won with pitching and defense. Even with the loss of first-round MLB draft pick Christian Arroyo and top pitcher Brandon Lawson to the USF rotation, the Leopards have found a core group to rally around, including Austin Treverton (.394, two home runs, 18 RBIs) and Justin Young (.348, four HRs, 30 RBIs). In the opposing dugout, the Seahawks are making their first region appearance. Although Sunlake fell 7-3 in the district title game to Land O’Lakes, the Seahawks have  plenty of talent, including six regulars hitting over .300. Omar Cala leads the Seahawks at .378 with 17 RBIs, and David Castillo (.368, 15 RBIs) and Zac Howard (.347, one HR, 18 RBIs) have also provided plenty of punch at the plate. Four hurlers have started multiple games, with Castillo leading the charge at 6-3 and a 1.78 ERA.

Class 3A
Who: Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic (18-10) at Bishop McLaughlin (17-7)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Next up: Tampa Prep or Lakeland Christian
Outlook: Last season marked the first time since 2006 that Bishop McLaughlin did not qualify for the state playoffs. It only took one year for the Hurricanes to get back. First-year coach Jeff Swymer brought together the young squad, especially late in the season, as the team is on an eight-game win streak. Even with five regulars who are freshmen or sophomores, the Hurricanes have been driven by experienced leadership. Junior Will Potosky (.323, 13 RBI) has come on to lead Bishop McLaughlin at the plate, while senior Jack Tyler (4-0, 1.83 ERA) has done more than his share on the mound. The Hawks have been here before, qualifying for the postseason for the second straight year. It is the first time Santa Fe has reached the state playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2004-07. With a team ERA of 1.63, five pitchers have the ability to come in and shut down opponents. Junior ace Bruno Dezayas (7-2, 0.53 ERA) heads up the staff.

TAMPA — After nine varsity baseball players were suspended for the season due to violating a team policy in March, Jesuit coach Richie Warren knew he had some big shoes to fill.

There was more than a month left in the regular season for a team that had started its 2014 campaign with 10 Division I commits. The Jesuit alumnus, though, knew he didn’t have to search far and wide to find replacements.

“We have a lot of quality guys in our program and a lot of guys that are on JV to start the season would be No. 1 starters anywhere in the county, top of the lineup guys anywhere else in the county,” Warren said.

On March 22, Warren went to Jesuit’s JV practice with a depleted roster. After meeting with selected players individually, he left with one fresh with the names of six Tigers who were ready to answer his call.

“I think they were excited,” Warren said, “but I also think they knew, ‘Okay. It’s time to work.’ ”

That following Monday, sophomores Steven Lugo, J.J. Niekro, Nick Perillo, Michael Sandborn, Hunter Tubbs and freshman Alex Mocny showed up for their first varsity practice. Three days later, the six made their debut in a district matchup against Robinson.

Thrust onto a new team with merely days notice, Sandborn said that first night was nerve-wracking. Lugo, who started at second base against the Knights and in every game since, simply wanted to start off on the right foot.

And in a 5-3 extra-innings win, that’s exactly what he did.

In the top of the eighth, Jesuit (20-6) scored the winning run on an RBI single from Jacob Mocny, and Lugo followed moments later with a single to leftfield, knocking in one more run for good measure.

“I was just happy to get it out of the way,” Lugo said of his hit. “If you start off and you’re not really getting hits and stuff, you tend to force a lot of things, do too much.”

Lugo, who started on the varsity team at Hillsborough last year as a freshman, continued to prove his worth. In his second game with Jesuit’s varsity team, an 11-1 win against Middleton, he went 1-for-1 with three RBIs and two sac flies.

The 6-foot sophomore will go into Wednesday’s region quarterfinal against Boca Ciega with a .357 batting average, third highest for a Jesuit starter. But Lugo’s contributions on the field, Jesuit pitcher Kasey Radke said, have been just as strong.

“He’s a good defender, and he’s a good hitter, too,” the senior left-hander said. “I’m never scared to have someone hit a ball to him. I know he’ll always make the play for me.”

Because the plays and signals are the same for both the JV and varsity squads, Warren said he had no doubt the six JV players would make a smooth transition into the big leagues of high school baseball.

That confidence was put to the test when Warren started Sandborn, a left-hander, in Friday’s Class 5A, District 7 championship game against Robinson. Sandborn pitched six innings in the Tigers’ 6-2 victory, giving up just four hits, striking out four and walking one to earn his second varsity win.

Even in the biggest game of the season to date, Warren’s midseason call-ups have come through, helping save a season riddled with adversity. And with the biggest games still to come — ones that will determine whether the Tigers will earn their fifth straight state final four berth — his confidence in them to continue to do so remains steadfast.

Warren knew exactly what he was getting when he promoted six players just more than a month ago. But the process has been a continual learning experience for Sandborn.

And he’s living the greatest lesson of all.

“Just expect to be ready whenever, because you never know what’s going to happen,” Sandborn said. “You should always be ready, always be serious, always be proud to have the name across your chest.”

Region quarterfinals
7 p.m.
Wednesday
7A: Sickles at Durant
7A: Brandon at Wiregrass Ranch
5A: Robinson at Bradenton Bayshore
5A: Boca Ciega at Jesuit
3A: Tampa Prep at Lakeland Christian
Thursday
8A: St. Petersburg at Plant
8A: Bloomingdale at Sarasota Riverview
6A: Osceola at Jefferson
6A: King at Mitchell
4A: Tampa Catholic at Avon Park
4A: Lakeland McKeel at Berkeley Prep
2A: Cambridge Christian at Canterbury
2A: Lakeside Christian at Bayshore Christian

Freedom will host a signing ceremony for a dozen student-athletes at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the school’s gym, the school announced Tuesday via email.

Among the signees are Kelly Schaller, a standout setter who averaged 6.6 assists per set last fall. She will play collegiately at George Mason University.

Four-star tennis recruit Jonathan Heidenberg will sign with SMU. He was the Class 3A, District 9 champion in No. 1 singles this spring.

Other signees are:

Anthony Grampietro: St. Pete College baseball

Maria Horvath: University of Tampa golf

Rashod Monts: Anderson University track

Ronique Olliviere: Mayville State University football

Marquis Williams: Gattaca College football

Tyruence Creary: Gattaca College football

Angel Marrero: Gattaca College football

Andre Folkes: Florida International football

Sean Hurley: Methodist University football

This track and field season has been one of defying gravity and shattering personal records in the pole vault for Osceola High School’s Carson Waters.

The senior, who has lost just once this season in his signature event, is seeded first going into Saturday’s Class 3A state meet with a mark of 15 feet, 6 inches, a foot higher than his closest competitor.

A state title is more than within reach, but Waters has loftier goals. He wants to break the state record of 16-8 set by Mike Vani of Merritt Island in 2009.

“My goal is to clear 16-9,” Waters said. “That’s what I’ve been working toward all season.”

Waters could have company on the medal stand with as many as eight area pole vaulters in contention for a top-three finish in their respective classifications at the state meets, held at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

That group includes Jesuit’s Nick Catchur and Tampa Catholic’s Nicole Carroll, the defending 2A boys and girls champions. Others, such as Osceola’s Jen Kistemaker and Dunedin’s Olivia Welsh, have broken long-standing records at regular-season meets with heights that rank among the state’s best.

“There’s no question this area has become one of the best in the state at producing champion-caliber pole vaulters,” said Dave Mason, who coaches vaulters primarily from Pinellas County as part of the 727 track club.

The boys pole vault is one of the original events at the state meet, dating to 1915. The girls event was added in 1996.

The area has had plenty of champions, but the number of place-winners has grown so much that there were at least two area boys and girls vaulters who placed in the top eight in all four classifications at last year’s meets.

The volume of elite vaulters is due in large part to the availability of coaches and track clubs devoted to teaching the sport year-round.

In the bay area there are three coaches — Mason, Bob Leidel with Florida Pole Vault Academy in Hillsborough County and Russell Jerothe with High Standards in Pasco County — who started training high-level vaulters in the past three years. Jerothe’s sons, Devon and Garrett, are both competing in the Class 3A meet Saturday. Devon (14-6) is the second seed in the event behind Waters.

“The event is so technical that the three to four months during the high school season is not nearly enough to be completely efficient,” Leidel said.

Pole vaulting is not for everyone. After all, it takes some rare quality to plant a fiberglass pole into a box while running at a sprinter’s speed, hang upside down like a vampire bat and swivel gracefully to thrust over a bar often set at heights the equivalent of an interstate overpass. On the family tree of athletes, vaulters swing from their own cracked branch.

Vaulters come from all kinds of backgrounds. Carroll was a gymnast. Catchur and Welsh played soccer.

“I came out during my freshman year after soccer season,” said Catchur, a senior. “I started as a 400 runner, then I picked up the pole vault. It wasn’t scary. But I quickly found out it wasn’t easy either.”

For some beginners, the first obstacle in pole vaulting is to get over the fear of flying through the air. The next step is to master the technical aspects. Whatever the height of the athlete, pole vaulting remains a matter of physics and geometry.

“I have a freshman vaulter who is 4-10 and 105 pounds and she performs as well as anyone because she’s so sound technically,” Leidel said. “You don’t have to be big or powerful. There’s more to it than just jumping with a stick. It’s all about technique.”

Opportunities for aspiring vaulters can be limited. The cost of maintaining standards can be costly, so much that some schools do not have adequate facilities. Poles also are expensive, with costs as high as $600. Then there’s the lack of coaching at most schools for an event that is so specialized.

“Because of the lack of equipment and coaches, many schools are more than happy to send their vaulters to me or another coach who specializes in it,” Mason said. “That’s a big reason you’ve seen such a vast amount of improvement the past few years.”

Waters will take aim at the state record on a 16-foot pole that weights 180 pounds. He started using the pole last week.

“I’m close in practice, and I feel I can get the height I want this week,” he said.

But Waters is not the only area vaulter on a record-breaking mission.

So is Catchur. In fact, Catchur could attain it first considering he vaults on Friday, a day before Waters’ meet.

“The biggest thing is winning and setting a personal record,” Catchur said. “But I would like to get the state record. I know Carson would, too. It should be fun.”

Bob Putnam can be reached at putnam@tampabay.com or on Twitter @BobbyHomeTeam.

State track
When: Class A-2A Friday; Class 3A-4A Saturday
Where: University of North Florida, Jacksonville
Schedule: Field events and running prelims start at 9 a.m. Running event finals begin at 4 p.m. with the last event (4x400 relay) expected to start at 8 p.m.

Osceola’s Jen Kistemaker was sprinting around the track, navigating the hurdles with ease until she stumbled over one and crumbled into a heap.

She already knew the diagnosis.

“I tore my ACL,” she said.

It was an injury that could have sent the junior from the peak of her track career to the abyss. But doctors told Kistemaker she could hold off on surgery to repair the 1 ½ -inch-long ribbon of tissue that stabilizes the knee.

That was the news Kistemaker wanted to hear. She gave little thought to suspending her season, especially with a potential state title in the pole vault at stake. Kistemaker has continued to catapult past the competition, winning district and region titles. She is seeded second heading into Saturday’s Class 3A state meet with a height of 11 feet, 1 inch behind Merritt Island’s Amanda Rigdon.

“The doctors said I couldn’t make the tear any worse in my knee if I continued vaulting,” said Kistemaker, who finished third at state last year. “It was more of how much pain I could handle. It hurts, but I’ve been able to manage it.”

Kistemaker comes from a family of vaulters. Her older brother and two older sisters were all state qualifiers. Kistemaker’s mother, Joyce, began coaching the event seven years ago despite never competing in it.

“My mom decided to coach because my brother didn’t have one for the pole vault in high school,” Kistemaker said. “She picked it up on the fly and now coaches it at Indian Rocks Christian. She also coaches me in the offseason.”

Kistemaker was dominant in the regular season, setting the meet record at the Ed Wells/Kiwanis Invitational with a vault of 11-1. Her injury, sustained three weeks ago, has not limited how far she can go. She won districts at 9-6 and regionals at 11-0. She likely will have to go at least 11-6 to win at state.

“Jen would have kept trying to go higher at the region meet last week, but I had to stop her,” said Dave Mason, who runs the 727 track club and coaches Kistemaker. “She’s that determined. It’s remarkable what she’s been able to do.”

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TAMPA — After steam rolling through Class 2A competition, Canterbury was supposed to hit a speed bump in Tuesday’s region semifinal against Academy at the Lakes.

Not only was it a game of teams ranked in the top four of the state poll, but a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, which the Crusaders won by 10 runs en route to a title.

For five innings, the Wildcats held Canterbury in check.

It didn’t last.

In the last two innings, the top-ranked Crusaders unleashed their offense in a 10-0 victory over No. 4 AATL.

“We were not getting the runs early, but I knew they would eventually come around,” Crusaders coach Jody Moore said.
Canterbury (19-6) has been controlled on occasion — for a few minutes, a couple of innings.

Then things seem to explode.

Balls start finding their way into the gaps. The offense becomes unhinged — No. 1 hitter, No. 9 hitter, it doesn’t matter.

Suddenly, the frenzy is on and every at-bat seemingly produces a score. It’s like an adding machine gone wild, and a tight game becomes a blowout.

That is how Tuesday’s game unfolded. AATL pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, a seventh-grader, did not starve Crusader batters. She just served them table scraps, nothing they could really smack. It was an efficient strategy against a lineup that features four hitters who each have at least four home runs this season.

Canterbury got its share of hits, but the power hitters were unable to bring them home. Still, it was hard for the Crusaders to be too flummoxed considering how well freshman Kama Woodall was pitching.

Woodall finished with a one-hit shutout and recorded 13 strikeouts. The only Wildcat batter that gave her trouble was Laura Evans, who has signed with USF. Evans drew two walks and broke up Woodall’s no-hitter with a single in the seventh inning.

In the final two innings, Canterbury got things going. The Crusaders scored three runs in the sixth before breaking the game open with seven in the seventh. Taylor Bump, who went 4-for-5, provided the big hits with a two-run double in the sixth inning and a three-run double in the seventh.

“It was a little frustrating because it took us a while to score,” Bump said. “Their pitcher was throwing around us. We just had to stay positive and wait for our pitch. Once we started getting them we knew we could cream them.”

In all, Canterbury finished with 15 hits. Kaitie Poland and Danielle Romanello each had three hits while Lindsay Graves and Miranda Posey each had two.

In nine games against 2A competition, the Crusaders have outscored opponents a combined 108-1.

Though the Wildcats (15-4) have lost each of their past two meetings against Canterbury, they can take solace in knowing they return the bulk of their lineup.

“It’s night and day how much we’ve improved,” AATL coach Jerry English said. “We played a great game until the sixth inning when we came unraveled. Hopefully, next time we can play a great game for seven innings.”

ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg Catholic starter Allison Keen had to pitch through some trouble, and a little pain, in the Barons’ 3-1 Class 3A region semifinal win over Admiral Farragut on Tuesday.

Keen got out of two bases-loaded jams and overcame a swollen knuckle on her right index finger suffered in the first inning to help SPC earn its first region final appearance.

The Barons (12-5) face Moore Haven in Friday’s region final.

“I kind of ignored (the knuckle) and tried to work through it,” Keen said. “It didn’t really slow me down. It might hurt a little later.”

After a scoreless top of the first, the Barons took advantage of an AFA error to score their first run. Anna Mixa led off with a walk and moved to second on a Caroline Carpenter bunt. Mixa then stole third base.

One pitch later, Lena Trehy struck out, but the ball was dropped by catcher Alexa Smith. Smith’s throw to first base went into rightfield, allowing Mixa to score.

Keen was up next. She swung at a Corynn Miner slider and the ball hit her right index finger. While swollen, it didn’t seem to slow her down on the mound.

Keen got into trouble in the third when she loaded the bases with one out. Maiya Fudge hit a sharp liner to first, but it was snared by Mixa for the second out. Sarah Schleich then hit a grounder into rightfield but was thrown out by a step for the third out.

“Those kids came up big with the defensive plays,” SPC coach Tom Fabian said. “They were plays we had to have.”

The Barons picked up a run each in the fourth and fifth innings. Trehy led off the fourth with a single. Paige Thiemann pinch ran, and stole second and third base. She then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

In the fifth, Trehy had an RBI single that scored Mixa.

Admiral Farragut (15-4) loaded the bases again in the top of the fifth. Fudge came up with an RBI flyout to centerfield. Schleich then hit a sharp grounder to short for the third out.

This was the fourth meeting between the teams. AFA won both regular-season games; SPC won both playoff games.

“It’s very exciting,” Keen said. “We’ve never been this far.”

Rodney Page can be reached at page@tampabay.com or on Twitter @RodneyHomeTeam.

BROOKSVILLE — Coming into the Class 5A region semifinals Tuesday night, the starting pitchers each had sub-1.00 earned-run averages. It wasn’t exactly the formula for a slugfest, but that’s what the crowd on hand saw.

Hernando, qualifying for a second straight region final, overcame six errors to beat River Ridge 6-5 at Tom Varn Park.

“We were trying to make plays before we really had the ball,” Hernando shortstop Tana McDaniel said. “We kind of let the nerves get to us.”

The Royal Knights (26-4) struck immediately, with Morgan Tolle smacking a two-run inside-the-park homer. The 2-0 lead didn’t last long as Hernando (27-2) tied in the bottom half. With Danielle Harvey on third, Courtney Riddle brought her in on a squeeze play. McDaniel then scored on a double steal when Nikki Patrick took second and McDaniel stole home.

By the fifth, River Ridge held a 5-4 lead. Knights ace Makenzie Goluba (complete game, nine strikeouts, three walks, two hit batters) struggled with control, and Riddle (complete game, four strikeouts, no walks) was hindered by defensive miscues.

After Danielle Harvey led the bottom of the fifth off with a walk, the Leopards made consecutive outs to bring up Summer Solovitch.

The second baseman laced a single over first, scoring the tying run. But when she tried to stretch it to a double, was gunned down at second.

Riddle got through the top of the sixth. Sierra Cannon laced a single to lead off the inning, but once again, the next two batters went down in order. Erika Lewis came up and drilled a ball to shortstop Kenzi Maguire. With Cannon running in front of her, she made an errant throw, allowing Cannon to come around with the go-ahead run.

Only three outs away from advancing, the Leopards found out River Ridge was not done either. A single and two errors by McDaniel — her third and fourth of the game — loaded the bases.

“I really just tried to pick myself up,” she said. “This was the most exciting game we played all year.”

Bittinger brought in the infield in hopes of stopping the tying run from scoring. Back-to-back ground balls to McDaniel at short were thrown home to maintain the one-run lead. The game ended on a ground out by Brook Schwaner to second.

Tuesday’s game was the last for River Ridge coach Ernie Beck, who is retiring at the end of the school year. He finishes with a 429-136 record after 19 seasons.

National Signing Day is almost two years away for Tampa Catholic WR Nate Craig, but the four-star recruit has already made one major decision.

Craig will participate in the 2016 Under Armour All-America Game, he announced Tuesday night.

“It's Official! I Will be accepting the Invitation to play in the 2016 Under Armour All-American Game,” he said via Twitter.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Craig is already one of the country’s top recruits for the class of 2016. He holds offers from Auburn, Ohio State and Florida State, among others, and landed an offer from Alabama earlier this week.

Craig had 12 touchdown catches in his first two high school seasons at Pasco before transferring to the Crusaders after winter break.

Craig is 247Sports’ No. 94 overall recruit in his class, while Scout considers him a five-star talent.

TAMPA — For several years now, Chamberlain’s motto has been “finish.” When the Chiefs lost the district title to Jefferson less than two weeks ago, they weren’t able to do that.

So as they prepared to take on the Dragons yet again, this time in a Class 6A region semifinal, the Chiefs knew exactly what their new mind-set would be.

“To get revenge,” Chamberlain third baseman Jenna Brownell said. “And to not give up on anything. This is why we work. We sweat too hard every single day to let it slip through our fingers.”

Brownell took matters into her own hands Tuesday, hitting a three-run homer in the first inning to give Chamberlain a lead it never relinquished on the way to a 7-3 win.

Having led Jefferson (17-7) early the last time they played, Chamberlain (22-3) coach Bobby Diez didn’t allow himself to get too excited after Brownell’s shot.

But the Chiefs, who had 13 hits, continued their big day at the plate in the fifth, scoring on a Liz Diaz sac fly. In the sixth, Chamberlain added three more runs on RBI doubles from Megan Maloney and Lauren Williams and on another sac fly from Hope Hernandez.

Jefferson, whose outfielders appeared out of position at times, struggled throughout the game on defense. For the Chiefs, fielding was a bright spot.

“I’m only a sophomore; I’m not always the strikeout kind of pitcher,” Chamberlain starting pitcher Olivia Dwyer said. “So I like that I can always trust my defense, get outs, and my defense will make them.”

After scoring its first and only run to that point on a Natali Morgado groundout in the fourth, Jefferson, down six runs, didn’t go down without a fight. The Dragons scored a pair of runs on a groundout and Chamberlain error in the sixth, then recorded back-to-back two-out singles in the final frame.

A loss to Jefferson 12 days ago gave Chamberlain a rougher road through the playoffs, but to Diez, that was no challenge his team couldn’t overcome.

“We’ve been there seven times to the final four, three times we were (district) runners-up. It doesn’t matter. You’ve just got to play,” Diez said. “You lose and you go home, so it don’t matter where you come from.”

TAMPA — Even when she was staring from the circle at a Division I recruit representing the winning run, Bloomingdale ace Lace Smith didn’t let her jitters show against Alonso.

“The whole game I was nervous,” Smith said. “Let’s be honest.”

So with a region final berth at stake, the Buffalo commit did what she had done all night and all season. Relax and throw strikes.

Smith struck out Houston-bound Kayla Maxwell on three consecutive pitches to preserve the Bulls’ 3-1 victory in Tuesday night’s Class 8A region semifinal at Alonso. The win puts Bloomingdale (24-2) in the region final for the first time since 2009 and the seventh time overall.

“This is big for us,” Smith said.

And Smith was big in helping the Bulls get there.

Six days after throwing a 19-strikeout perfect game, she dazzled again. The hard-throwing junior allowed only one hit and no walks through the first six shutout innings, and 81 of her 105 pitches were strikes.

But Maxwell was nearly as impressive for the Ravens (20-5). She allowed only two hits through the first six frames and forced Bloomingdale to strand nine runners.

“You can’t really say anything because we were hitting the ball hard,” Bulls coach Mandy Schuerman said. “You’ve got to give credit to their defense, their pitcher.”

Bloomingdale finally started the offense in the seventh, thanks to Elizabeth Jackson’s one-out double and a single by Taylor Engman. Darby Bernaldo followed with an RBI bloop single, and Smith blasted a triple off the rightfield wall to extend the Bulls’ lead to 3-0.

The Ravens answered, as they had all season in a tight rivalry that gave Alonso the district title over Bloomingdale.

Megan Wetzel led off with a single, and Smith’s only walk of the game put two runners on and no outs. A throwing error scored Wetzel and brought up Maxwell with two on and two outs.

“I was just thinking, trust myself,” Smith said. “ ‘Relax. You’ve got this.’ ”

She was right. Smith fired three straight pitches past Maxwell for the 10th strikeout of the game and the Bulls’ biggest win in five years.
 

TAMPA — Miscues and misfortune contributed to a 12-run hole Academy of the Holy Names could not climb out of in a 16-10 loss to Mulberry in the Class 4A region semifinals Tuesday night.

“We tried to chip away at the stone,” AHN coach Don Barron said. “Just couldn’t come all the way back.”

The Panthers (15-8) batted around twice in the first two innings, scoring 12 runs. Three of the Jaguars’ five errors came during that stretch. AHN shortstop and cleanup hitter Sydney Coleman injured her knee in the top of the second and did not return.

“The girl who replaced her probably had something like three at-bats all year and then she’s put into the four hole,” Barron said.

The biggest error of the night came in the top of the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, AHN’s first baseman dropped a throw from short to allow a run to score and keep the inning alive. Mulberry (13-15) went on to score five more in the inning.

“That dropped ball at first base for what would have been the third out cost us,” Barron said. “

Despite being down by a dozen, the Jaguars fought back. They scored five in the second and four in the sixth to make it 14-10. But Mulberry tacked on a pair in the top of the seventh and AHN went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to end it.

Janelle Enriquez had a pair of hits and three run for the Jaguars. Teammates Katie Hale and Victoria Valdes had two doubles apiece with four and two RBIs, respectively.
 

TARPON SPRINGS — The little things made all the difference for Lakewood Ranch.

Taking extra bases, bunting effectively and playing smart defense served the Mustangs (22-7) well as they booked their third straight trip to the Class 7A region finals with a 3-1 victory over East Lake.

The Eagles hung tough but production from the bottom of the Lakewood Ranch lineup and savvy play at the top made the difference in the crucial fifth frame.

No. 8 hitter Denali Schappacher (two hits) led off with a bunt single that looked to be spinning foul but was fielded in play. Talli Sharp’s sacrifice bunt advanced the runner and Jackie Schoff picked up her second RBI with a single to centerfield. When the throw home trickled away from the catcher, Schoff scooted to third base then hustled to score on Maddie Biggs’ grounder to shortstop.

“Jackie’s feet are magic,” Mustangs coach Tony Cummins said. “She stretches singles into doubles and doubles into triples.”

Relief pitcher Logan Newton (four innings, two hits) got two double plays behind her but met her biggest challenge in the seventh inning. Maddie Bertisch reached on a fielder’s choice, Emily Stafford beat out a single deep in the shortstop hole and both moved up 60 feet on an infield out. The left-handed fireballer dug deep and struck out East Lake’s pinch-hitter to wrap up the victory.

“One clutch hit was going to decide this game and (Lakewood Ranch) got it,” first-year Eagles coach Kristie Delk said. “I’m proud of our team. I thought we hit well, but (the Mustangs) just found a way.”

After Schoff’s RBI double put the visitors on top in the third, East Lake (15-8) answered in the bottom of the inning. No. 9 batter Nicci Palumbo laced a one-out double to the left-centerfield fence and scored on Amy Smith’s two-bagger down the leftfield line.

“I had the feeling in fall ball that we could have a solid team,” Delk said. “The kids bought into the system and really put it together at the end of the year. That was one of the reasons I wanted to coach here: the tradition of winning East Lake has built.”

5A: Lakewood ousted
After advancing to the playoffs and winning its first playoff game, Lakewood’s historic season came to an end in a 3-1 loss to host Bradenton Bayshore.

It was the third time in four meetings Lakewood (15-12) lost to the Bruins this season.

In the first inning, the Spartans scored as Sarah Snell drew a walk, stole second, advanced to third on an overthrow and came home on an error. Bayshore countered by scoring two runs off three errors in the first inning and adding a run in the third.

Lakewood had five hits but base-running miscues proved costly.

“We had a few errors in the field and on the basepaths, which was uncharacteristic of us during the playoffs,” Spartans coach Edie Shankle said. “But the big thing is we made history and it’s something we can build on.”

Plant linebacker and receiver Fletcher Barnes has accepted a preferred walk-on spot at Tulane University.

Barnes had 380 yards receiving last year and five touchdowns to go with seven tackles and a fumble recovery on defense.

Barnes will probably be best remembered for a catch he made in the playoffs. With three minutes left, Plant was trailing 17-10 and facing a 3rd-and-15 from its own 3 against Dr. Phillips. Quarterback Colby Brown threw a pass 25 yards downfield looking for a Plant receiver.

But two Dr. Phillips defenders were there, and went up for the pass. They could only deflect it, however, and Barnes, trailing the play, snatched the ball and raced for a first down. Plant went on to score on that drive, tie the score, then win it in overtime.

Dixie Hollins senior catcher Devin Reyes has committed to Hillsborough Community College.

Reyes hit .455 this season with six doubles and a home run. As a junior, Reyes hit .418 with 14 RBIs.

Hillsborough Community College was 25-22-1, 13-16 in the Suncoast Conference.

Palm Harbor University's swim team had a ceremony to announce the college signings of eight boys and girls, the largest class in school history. The Hurricanes' boys also received their rings for winning the Class 4A title.

The five boys who signed were: Manuel Barragan (Georgia Tech), Cory Connolly (Washington and Lee), Garrett Hoce (Iowa), Tristan Sanders (Michigan) and Taylor Uselis (Pennsylvania).

They helped PHU win its third state team title with 276 points, the most by any of the Hurricanes' state championship teams.

The three girls signees were: Rachel Freeman (Kentucky), Megan Kovak (Western Kentucky) and Kendall McIntosh (FSU).