- April 25, 2024
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In the past, having success in high school girls soccer didn't translate into a college scholarship, or even guarantee a tryout with a college program.
That might be changing, at least a bit.
For the first time in school history, the Lakewood Ranch girls soccer team is sending its entire senior class to college programs.
Seniors Danielle Wilson (Emory University), Nicole Wurster (Gardner-Webb), Julia Ortiz (Saint Leo) and Conli Schwarz (Belmont Abbey College) have earned the right to take their game to the next level. All will sign Letters of Intent on Feb. 3.
Lakewood Ranch has had its fair share of players play at the next level, Lindsay Thompson (Florida), Sarah Miller (USF) and Alex Latham (Northwestern State) to name a few, but landing opportunities for all the seniors is impressive.
“I think there are more opportunities for women’s soccer now than they were in the past,” Ortiz said. “With everything surrounding the Women’s World Cup, it’s making women’s soccer more popular. which is great.”
That's big news for Lakewood Ranch, which should be helping lots more players earn scholarships in the future. Is it big to the current seniors?
“This is our life,” Wurster said.
It is another positive for a program that has earned a tradition of excellence.
The Mustangs are arguably the school's most storied athletic program. The numbers speak for themselves, 12 district titles, 15 consecutive regional tournament berths and three Final Four appearances.
A level of responsibility comes with playing for Lakewood Ranch. A standard has been set and the girls recognize from the first day of practice in early October until the final goal is achieved, sometime between the third week of January and the first week of February, that it’s up to them to challenge one another and live up to the tradition.
“People assume our tradition is winning, but it’s more than that,” senior goalkeeper Danielle Wilson said. “It’s playing to the best of our ability all of the time. It’s a duty and a privilege.”
A transfer this season from Arizona, Schwarz was well versed on the Mustangs' history by the time she joined the team.
“The first thing I heard about Lakewood Ranch was that it has won a lot and that (girls soccer) is one of the biggest sports teams at the school,” Schwarz said. “I’m enjoying it.”
Whether you're a seasoned veteran like Wilson and fellow seniors Wurster or Julia Ortiz or a newcomer such as Schwarz, there's a sense of pride that comes with being a Mustang.
The girls want to come to practice. They want to win. They want to make a name for themselves.
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Lakewood Ranch senior wrestler Dylan Cameron made school history, winning his 159th match and breaking the record of 158 wins held by 2012 graduate Evan Dipsiner.
That record was set when Cameron went 5-0 to win the 132-pound weight class at the 2016 Mustang Duals at the Ranch Jan. 16 and extend his win total to 162.
Cameron followed his performance with an 8-1 mark at The Gene Gorman Duals Jan. 23, at Charlotte High, so he stands at 170 and counting.
Braden River junior Chance Sharbono also etched his name into his school's record books, posting his 150th career win Jan. 23 at the Massung Duals at McKeel Academy. The 132-pounder went 5-0 with four pins to win the 132-pound weight class and extend his win total to 154. Sharbono is now 154-20 with 92 wins coming by pin.
Sharbono set a goal during his freshman year at Sarasota to be the school leader in wins. After transferring to Braden River this season, Sharbono already holds the Pirates' school record for wins and is on pace to reach 200 wins by the time he graduates.
His resume includes back-to-back state tournament appearances.
"He's humble and takes it in stride," said Cezar Sharbono, Chance's father, who coached him for two years at Sarasota. "You never hear him brag about his record. He is still the kind of shy kid who keeps everything to himself. Without his varsity jacket on or his platinum blonde hair and cauliflower ear, you wouldn't know he is a wrestler."
