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Plourde, Pasco perform well

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By LARRY BUGG

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 14, 2009

CRYSTAL RIVER - Pasco High's Anthony Plourde won a boys district title, and the Pasco, Anclote and Wesley Chapel boys teams all qualified for regionals at the Class 2A-District 3 cross country meet Wednesday at Crystal River High.

The Pasco and Wesley Chapel girls also qualified for the regional.
Plourde won the boys race with a time of 16:29, leading Pasco to a third-place finish. Crystal River's boys won the title with 50 points. Mount Dora was second with 62 and Pasco was third with 77. Anclote was fourth with 119, and Wesley Chapel finished fifth with 135.
Plourde loved the feeling of finishing first.

"It feels pretty good," said Plourde. "I tried to stay with the Crystal River guys. It was an average (course). It wasn't bad. I thought I had a chance (of winning the district title)."

"We planned it," said Pasco coach Barry Grayling of Plourde's race. "We knew the Crystal River boys were good runners. They know the course back and forth. I told Anthony to chuck in with them. The girls had good numbers. Katlyn (Eble) ran real well. This is the first boy I have had (who won a district cross country title). He may have made school history."

ANCLOTE BOYS HEADING FOR REGIONAL: Anclote's Spencer Guerette was 10th in the boys meet with an 18:08.

"They seemed to like the course," said Anclote boys coach Alan Parmenter. "They knew to hold back in the sugar sand and to fly when it was time to fly. The goal was to get the whole team qualified. What I told the kids all the time was that no one expects anything from us. To be up in the front like this is a surprise and shock to everyone."

Wesley Chapel's Naphlim Olwe was 22nd with an 18:51.

"Our top guys were within 65 seconds of each other," said Wildcats coach Willie Barbera. "That's what we have been stressing all year, pack running. D.J. Leto (71st, 22:10) ran today. Our top runner had knee problems. He has missed a couple of meets. He was our seventh finisher. Everybody else worked harder."

PASCO GIRLS TAKE SECOND: The Pasco High girls finished second to Crystal River, which had 35 points. Pasco had 72, and Wesley Chapel's girls were sixth with 141. Anclote did not post a team score.

Pasco's Eble took fifth with a 21:48.

"It was a difficult course," said Eble. "Most of it was uphill. The uphill parts were gravel or sugar sand. It's my best time this year. I feel pretty good. I'm excited."

Teammate Hannah Hollander was sixth in 21:52.

"First time (going to regional)," said Hollander. "Last year, I didn't get to race district. The doctor said I was having heart problems. I thought it was a great course. Not easy. We practice on sand, so I was ready for it. It feels nice out."
Anclote High freshman Michaela McCarthy was 15th with a 22:49. She is the first girl to advance to regional from the first-year school.

"I'm pretty thrilled, excited, amazed," said McCarthy. "I like (the course). It was peaceful."

"This is awesome," said Anclote coach Zach Stoudamire. "Freshman year, and she made it to regional. We are not shocked but excited. She did a great job. This is the first time we have been here. It was a PR. She knocked two minutes off her time."
Wesley Chapel High's Dana Cannon was 27th with a 24:33.

"The girls ran really well," said Wesley Chapel coach Kristen Broecker. "It was probably their best performance. They had PRs or close to PRs."

CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 3: At Crews Lake Park, Wiregrass Ranch freshman Nikita Shah just missed winning a district title by one second at the Class 3A-District 3 meet on Nov. 5 at Crews Lake Park.

Belleview's Anne-Marie Blaney won the race with a 19:32, while Shah had a 19:33.

"Second is good for me right now," Shah said. "I'm a freshman. I'm proud of myself."

"She just keeps improving as a freshman," said Wiregrass Ranch coach Don Howard. "She does all we ask her to do. Our goal was to put five in the top 20. (The girls) don't like running in the afternoon, but they did great."

Ariel Grey, the 2008 Sunshine Athletic Conference winner, was fifth with a 20:23.

Wiregrass Ranch's girls won the team title with 53 points, and Land O' Lakes was second with 80.

SENIOR SCHWARTZ TAKES TITLE: Matt Schwartz has a district title of his own in his senior year at Land O' Lakes High.

Schwartz won the Class 3A-District 3 title with a 16:32. Schwartz spent most of the past few years in Land O' Lakes star Felix Soto's shadow, but Schwartz is enjoying winning races in his final high school year.

"I broke away about the half-mile mark," Schwartz said. "It's my third-best time. But for this course, I am really happy. I am really proud of myself."

"Strategically, run very well as usual," said Land O' Lakes coach Kris Keppel. "He didn't go out too fast."

Wiregrass Ranch runners Ryan Pulsifer and Delonzo Sharp both raced for second and third, respectively. Pulsifer had a 16:44.60 and Sharp had a 16.44.95.

RESULTS

CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 3 MEET

AT CRYSTAL RIVER HIGH

GIRLS TEAM SCORES: 1. Crystal River 35; 2. Pasco 72; 3. Eustis 84; 4. Ocala Trinity 93; 5. Tavares 110; 6. Wesley Chapel 141; 7. Keystone Heights 142; 8. Williston 238; Anclote no team score; Santa Fe NTS; Interlachen NTS; Mount Dora NTS; Umatilla NTS; Brooksville Hernando NTS.

GIRLS TOP 15 INDIVIDUALS: 1. Morgan Schwall, Crystal River 20:52; 2. Megan Menton, Ocala Trinity 21:30; 3. Kristen Dunlap, Crystal River 21:42; 4. Nicole Brunetti, Trinity 21:46; 5. Katlyn Eble, Pasco 21:48; 6. Hannah Hollander, Pasco 21:52; 7. Katie Hohman, Tavares 22:04; 8. Kaitlin Deutsch, Santa Fe 22:16; 9. Emily Gilman, Crystal River 22:20; 10. Emily Schaul, Keystone Heights 22:27; 11. Hannah Hogan, Eustis 22:28; 12. Maegan McMichen, Crystal River 22:34; 13. Elizabeth Bruly, Crystal River, 22:36; 14. Harleigh Bitz, Tavares 22:47; 15. Michaela McCarthy, Anclote 22:49.

BOYS TEAM SCORES: 1. Crystal River 50; 2. Mount Dora 62; 3. Pasco 77; 4. Anclote 110; 5. Wesley Chapel 135; 6. Santa Fe 160; 7. Ocala Trinity Catholic 178; 8. Eustis 191; 9. Keystone Heights 213; 10. Tavares 283; 11. Williston 290; 12. Interlachen 323; Brooksville Hernando NTS.

BOYS TOP 15 INDIVIDUALS: 1. Anthony Plourde, Pasco 16:29; 2. Nathaniel Buchanan, Keystone Heights 16:35; 3. Brandon Kempton, Crystal River 16:48; 4. Derick Hannigan, Crystal River 17:03; 5. Geremy DeWitt, Crystal River 17:19; 6. Max DeLaRosa, Mount Dora 17:30; 7. Jesse Balogh, Hernando 17:41; 8. Sam Shinkman, Santa Fe 17:50; 9. Zach McLain, Mount Dora 17:51; 10. Spencer Guerette, Anclote 18:08; 11. Christopher Sorrick, Anclote 18:12; 12. Parker Steinkemp, Hernando 18:16; 13. Ty DeWeese, Crystal River 18:18; 14. Dillon Dunbar, Pasco; 15. Simone Yebba, Pasco 18:32.

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