'Gators Stay On Top

Three years ago, Richard Gomez watched a group of young golfers come together, forming the county's most dominant team.

Wednesday afternoon at The Heather Golf and Country Club, those players closed their middle school careers with one last achievement.

Gomez's Challenger K-8 Navigators cruised to their second straight Hernando County Middle School Athletic Conference championship.

The 'Gators, who haven't lost a regular-season match the past three seasons, combined for a 158 in the county tournament, 11 strokes in front of runner-up Powell (169).

"The hard work the kids put in, the sacrifice and dedication they showed paid off in that they got the county trophy," said Gomez, in his third year as head coach. "But what's more important is they learned the true meaning of teamwork and good sportsmanship.

"We have a strong core that started in sixth grade and now they're in eighth grade and they have shown leadership and guidance to our younger players."

Of the four Challenger players to take part in the seven-team event, three are eighth-graders. Megan Berube shot 33, Rich Wilkes added a 40 and Derek Newman a 44. Seventh-grader Chance Muscianese chipped in a 41.

"I think it's more meaningful because they know how hard they had to work," Gomez said. "I thought they really took to heart some of the things I said concerning rebounding off bad shots and keeping their cool and focus."

"I think it's great," Berube said. "We really deserved it. We worked hard all year long. I'd like to thank most of my eighth-graders. Rich actually focused in and really helped out the team. Chance also helped out the team and Derek really helped out the team, too."

J.D. Floyd finished third at 172, followed by Explorer (199), Parrott (217), West Hernando (220) and Fox Chapel (233).

Honesty prevails

Last year Berube edged J.D Floyd's Ryan Nicoll by one stroke, 39-40. This year the two eighth-graders again battled for the top spot.

The scorekeeper had originally penciled Nicoll in with a 32, but rather than accept that score he informed the officials that he actually posted a round of 33, which tied him with Berube.

That represented an even-par round for both players on the nine-hole, 1,920-yard course.

"I really thank Ryan for saying he got a 33 instead of 32," Berube said. "I'm really proud of him. That was very honest. I took that in my heart as something that definitely touched me.

"I feel great that I had a tie. That was six strokes off of last year. My goal was not to get anything higher than 39."

Nicoll did not play in the same foursome as Berube, but his coach gave him an idea of how she was doing. Still, he said he tried to remain focused on his game.

"I'm happy for it," Nicoll said. "I played good. She deserved it, too. She played well.

"...Lately I've been hitting a hook. Today I straightened it out and I was hitting really well. I made some clutch putts."

2008 HCMSAC GOLF TOURNAMENT
at The Heather G&CC
1. Challenger (158): Megan Berube 33, Rich Wilkes 40, Chance Muscianese 41, Derek Newman 44.
2. Powell (169): Josh Heckler 40, Brazon Dixon 41, Brandon Lawson 43, Ben Cash 45.
3. J.D. Floyd (172): Ryan Nicoll 33, Jans Tamayo 43, Diego Gomez 45, Tim McGrath 51.
4. Explorer (199): Nick Persico 42, Cael Shea 49, Stephanie Rodney 50, Avery Kemp 58.
5. Parrott (217): Marshall Aske 51, Paolo Ilagan 53, Justin Argoncillo 54, Jesse Ramirez 59.
6. West Hernando (220): Kyle Medina 41, Tyrone Hill 57, Autumn McCullough 59, Michael Sherman 63.
7. Fox Chapel (233): Michael Gray 48, Ty Ennis 60, Chase Spaid 62, Richard Grimaldi 63.