Junior Robbie Barrett drove in two runs and scored two more and senior Jalen Phillips blasted a game-winning two-run home run as Baseball upset top-seeded Boone, 6-5, to earn their first District Championship since 2006. DP (13-14) struck in the first inning when Barrett’s two-run single to right center brought home Jack Flaherty and Ryan Larson. Boone (23-4) tied the game in their half inning added a run in the bottom of the third but the Panthers responded in the fourth. With Barrett on second base, Jakob Probst knocked a base hit back through the box to score Barrett to tie things up at 3-3. Jalen Phillips then launched a two-run home run over the right center field wall to give DP a 5-3 lead. In the sixth, Robbie Barrett walked and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Probst, setting the table for Dan Autiello’s RBI single through the hole into left field for a 6-3 lead. Boone threatened in the sixth inning with a runner on first and one out but a 4-6-3 double play by Billy Underwood, Jack Flaherty and Jalen Phillips slammed the door. In the seventh, the Braves cut the deficit to 6-5 after a two-run home run but Jakob Probst forced a short fly for the final out to trigger the celebration. Probst, who came on in relief in the third, pitched five strong innings, striking out four, to pick up the victory. The Panthers will now host West Orange Thursday, May 3rd, at 4:00 pm in the Regional Quarterfinals.
Top-ranked Flag Football traveled up to Apopka for round two of the State Tournament and overcame a 7-0 deficit with three unanswered touchdowns to dispatch the host Blue Darters, 20-7. DP improved to 15-0 on the season. Quarterback Hannah Schaible threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third and Daija Phillips registered eight flag pulls on defense. After a scoreless first quarter, Apopka took a 7-0 lead before DP responded with a 50-yard scoring pass from Schaible to Jade Cheek to pull within one, 7-6. At the end of the first half, the Panthers took the lead for good, 12-7, when Schaible found Rachel Lopez in the back of the end zone from six yards out. In the third quarter, Hannah Schaible’s ten-yard touchdown run and Malia Harrison’s two-point conversion catch iced the game. Jade Cheek broke the school record with her 19th touchdown reception. Schaible has now thrown 46 touchdown passes this season, four shy of tying her school-record set last year. The Panthers will host the winner of today’s game between University and Harmony Tuesday night at 7:00. The winner of Tuesday night’s game heads to Tallahassee for the State Championship Tournament Friday and Saturday.
Over at Timber Creek High School, Women’s Lacrosse staged a furious rally to come back from a 10-2 halftime deficit but came up just short in a 15-13 loss to the Wolves. The Panthers (15-3) went on a 6-1 run in the third quarter to close the gap to 11-8 and made a tremendous run in the fourth but it wasn’t to be. Leading scores for DP were Cymber Larkin(four goals, assist), Elizabeth Hales (three goals, assist), Michaela Decker (three goals),Katherine Breese (two goals) and Sarah Hamp (goal, assist). Senior Mia Emmerson closed out her final game in goal with eight saves.
Men’s Lacrosse saw their season come to a close last night up at Winter Park as the Panthers fell to the host Wildcats, 16-4, in the second round of the State Tournament. The Panthers finished their best season in program history with a record of 13-4 and their first District Championship. Six members of our Men’s Lacrosse team earned All-Metro West Conference recognition. Attack Brett Forward and defenseman Kevin Hoppey were named to the first team while goaltender Craig Jackson, attack Dexter Wiley and midfielder Ryan Totten made second team honors. Senior Timothy Le was named Academic All-Metro West Conference for posting the highest weighted GPA in the conference.
On Thursday Junior distance phenom Bridget Blake won two gold medals and freshman Teahna Daniels picked up her first Regional gold as Women’s Track and Fieldplaced fifth in the 29-team field at the Regional Championship. Blake blew away the field in the 3200m with a time of 11:15.46, nearly 13 seconds faster than the competition, and also captured gold in the 1600m with a time of 5:01.06. Her times in each event are the best in the state at the 4A level leading up to next Saturday’s State Championship in Jacksonville. Daniels’ time of 12:26 earned her the gold medal and also qualifies her for the State Championship next weekend. Junior Amber Johnson placed fifth in both the 1600m (5:12.76) and the 3200m (11:54.94). Her 1600m time was strong enough to win the gold medal in the other three regions but unfortunately, she competes in the state’s toughest region and only the top four advance to the state meet. Teahna Daniels also placed fifth in the 200m (25.73),Melissa Timot was fifth in the discus at 94’3” and Marly Joseph placed seventh in the 400m at 1:00.61. Sophomore Kira Myers placed tenth in the pole vault at 8’6” and Melissa Timot was 11th in the shot put at 29’7.75”.
Men’s Track and Field placed tenth in the 24-team field at the Regional Championship and the top place-winner was senior A.J. Cunningham, who earned fourth in the 3200m. Cunningham’s time of 9:50.42 qualified him for next Saturday’s State Championship in Jacksonville. DP had four fifth-place finishers with Aquarious Workman in the 110m hurdles (14.99) and the 300m hurdles (39.78), Reggie Glover in the 200m (22.45) and the 4 x 400m relay team of Workman, Tobias Durham, Antonio Wyatt and Glover (3:23.34). Glover had a strong preliminary time of 48.11 in the 400m, which seeded him first for the finals, but unfortunately, the junior suffered a terrible fall in the championship race and could not finish.Tobias Durham rounded out the card for the Panthers with a seventh place finish in the 300m hurdles (40.05) and a ninth place fionish in the triple jump (43’9”).
Men’s Volleyball suffered their only Metro West Conference loss of the season falling to Apopka, 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 23-25. Logan Maladecki led the Panthers (18-7) with 17 kills and four blocks, Andrew Johnson chipped in with eight kills and three blocks and Kevin Rocklein tallied three kills. JV Volleyball closed out their season with a two-game sweep of Apopka, 25-22, 25-23, to finish with a record of 10-3.
