It wasn't that the Land O' Lakes boys soccer team took home its sixth consecutive Class 4A-District 8 title Friday that made Coach Mark Pearson happy.
It was his Gators (16-3-2) not only beating Wiregrass Ranch 4-0, but also playing probably the best they had all season.
"We're coming together at the right time, where the last couple of years we've peaked at the wrong time," Pearson said. "We lost 10 seniors last year, have seven new starters, then lost our top defender and our leading goal scorer and we're still going strong. That's remarkable to me."
Despite injuries knocking out players such as defenseman Frank Villar (knee) and leading scorer Andy Garcia (broken toe), Land O' Lakes posted back-to-back shutouts in the district tournament, both by Kody Parker.
Friday, the Gators scored quickly, picking up a goal from Jon Wilkinson less than two minutes into the game. Andrew Gorgen had the assist.
Jake Frahm, who was doubtful to play after injuring his nose Wednesday, made it 2-0 late in the first half, and Zach Higgins added the third goal in the second when his shot deflected off a Bulls player. Late in the game, Frahm scored his second goal on a 25-yard shot.
Wiregrass (18-4-2), in its first district final, had a late chance to score but a Jordan Clements shot hit the crossbar.
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