- June 15, 2025
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The spring prep sports season has come to a close, which means it’s time to note several outstanding players in East County who overcame adversity and helped their teams go on deep postseason runs.
The most unifying trait that the best players had this year was determination.
These are the spring prep sports players of the year for East County:
The Braden River baseball team went on its deepest postseason run in program history this spring, and Curbelo was a driving force behind that success.
The senior outfielder and right-handed pitcher dealt with injuries to his elbow and knee this year, but didn’t miss much action.
He finished with a .405 batting average and 34 hits in 30 games, along with 18 runs and 12 RBIs. He did it on the mound, too, where he was 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Meneely was one of just two remaining players (Olivia Shephard) from Lakewood Ranch’s last softball state championship.
She used those experiences to lead a young Mustangs team this season on and off the field. Despite a 1-4 start to the season, Meneely helped rally Lakewood Ranch to a 13-12 record.
Facing Parrish, a back-to-back state champion team, in the district tournament, Meneely allowed two runs over 6 ⅔ innings to keep her team in the game in an eventual 2-1 loss.
She ended her senior year with a .348 batting average, 12 runs, 14 RBIs and nine doubles, along with a 6-1 record in the pitcher’s circle that was backed up by a 2.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 67 innings.
Lakewood Ranch had one of the best beach volleyball programs in the area this year. The Mustangs went 11-5, won a district championship and were ranked as the No. 44 overall team (out of 257 teams) to end the season.
Yanes was the team’s “best all-around player, hitter and blocker and one of the best defensive players,” according to coach Dallas Adam.
Zeitler quit cheerleading to fully devote herself to flag football and it paid off.
The senior was a do-it-all dynamo for a Mustangs team that went 12-4. Zeitler finished with 424 rushing yards (10.1 yards per rush) with five rushing touchdowns, 27 receptions for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, Zeitler made a team-high 54 tackles, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions.
The Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse team lost over half of its scoring to graduation last year, but players like Hotaling stepped up to fill the void.
Hotaling helped lead the Mustangs to a 13-7 record and their first berth in the regional playoffs in program history.
She scored a team-high 63 goals and 36 assists in just 20 games.
The Lakewood Ranch boys lacrosse team went just 8-11 this year, but the Mustangs also played the seventh-hardest schedule in Class 2A.
Cohen powered the offense with a team-high 42 goals and 27 assists. What made Cohen’s scoring even more impressive was his efficiency — scoring on 41.5% of his total shots.
Sudhakar couldn’t have had a much better season unless he won a state championship. He was the senior leader of an ODA boys tennis team that made it to the Class 1A state semifinal round.
Sudhakar went undefeated during the regular season, won a No. 1 singles and a No. 1 district championship and proved to be essential in the regional championship when he won the deciding match in a third-set tiebreaker.
Carter was a versatile player for a young Mustangs girls tennis team. She played out of the No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles, No. 3 singles and both the No. 1 doubles and No. 2 doubles spots.
Carter amassed a 7-5 singles record, but was best at No. 2 singles, where she was 4-1. She went 8-3 in doubles play alongside doubles partner Taylor Knoll. Carter and Knoll made it to the final round of No. 2 doubles play in the district tournament before bowing out.
Carter helped Lakewood Ranch finish its season with a 12-2 record.
A distance runner for ODA, Gyurka placed first nine times in meets this track and field season.
He competed in the 1,600-meter run, the 3,200-meter run and the 4x800 relay team. Gyurka said that he didn’t live up to his expectations early in the season, but he rallied to finish strong.
Gyurka won a district championship in the 1,600-meter run and a regional championship in the 4x800 relay. He competed in both the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run at the 1A state championships, where he placed fourth and eighth, respectively.
Adams, also a soccer player at Lakewood Ranch, has always loved running. When she first got into track, she found her lane in the 800-meter run, which she excelled at this spring.
Adams placed first in meets eight times this track and field season. Her best performance came at the Manatee County Track and Field Championships, where she placed first in the 800-meter run, the 4x400 relay and the 4x800 relay.
She would go on to win district titles in both the 800-meter run and the 4x800 relay. Adams finished her season by helping that 4x800 relay team place 12th at the 4A state championships.
Dela Cruz was invited out to join the weightlifting team by a classmate in his biology class as a sophomore, and that turned out to be a big lift for the team at Braden River.
He turned himself into a district and regional champion in the 119-pound weight class of the Olympic-style lift, and went on to compete at the 2A state championships in the Olympic and traditional style lifts.
Dela Cruz finished sixth at the state championships in Olympic and eighth in traditional — the only East County athlete to place.
