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Hampton makes All-Star team: After signing a record $121 million, eight-year contract, Homosassa native and Crystal River graduate Mike Hampton, a left-handed pitcher, quickly made an impact with the National League's Colorado Rockies.

He opened with a 9-2 record and was picked to play in the All-Star Game for the second time in his career. Hampton struggled during the second half of the season but finished 14-13. On the down side, his 5.41 ERA was a career worst.

At the plate, Hampton tied the NL record for a pitcher by slugging seven home runs. And in the field, he was errorless.

Hampton enters 2002 one victory shy of 100 for his career.

Baseball gets big at Crystal River: The year before Brent Hall took over the program, the Pirates went a miserable 7-21. In his first season, they were 25-6 and earned their first trip to the state playoffs in five years.

The surge was directed by Hall, whose positive attitude trickled down to his players. An early-season victory over area power Dunnellon was the turning point, Hall later said, because it proved to Crystal River that it could beat a quality club.

Behind the arm of Times All-Citrus/Hernando Player of the Year Clayton Trenary and the bats of shortstop Jonathan Runnels and outfielder Will Bleakley, the Pirates captured the GCAC title with an 11-1 mark and were the 3A-6 regular-season champions.

Wheeler is area's top track standout: Lecanto junior Kate Wheeler (now a senior) had a spring to remember.

She completed the 2001 season in fashion, advancing to the Class 2A state meet in the high jump, triple jump, 300-meter hurdles and 4x400. She placed second in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and was sixth in the triple jump (35-07) to earn 11 of her team's 17.50 points. If not for a false start at regionals in the 100 hurdles, her best event, Wheeler would have qualified in five events.

The performance at state of Wheeler's teammate, Kylene Colasanti, also is worth noting. She was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles, eighth in the high jump and 10th in the 4x400.

Baseball star switches schools: Lecanto's Jimmy Metz went just 2-7 on the mound as a junior, but he might have been the area's top pitcher.

Metz did all he could do, posting a 1.56 ERA and finishing with an area-best 80 strikeouts and 7 complete games. But because his team couldn't score runs, he rarely won.

During the summer, Metz, a Times All-Citrus/Hernando selection, transferred to Crystal River, saying the move was made to nurture his academic, not baseball, career. Metz likely will be Crystal River's top pitcher in 2002, which should help make the Pirates a state title contender. Two local athletes come close to winning state titles: Lecanto two-sport standout Harold Skidmore and Citrus weightlifter Jordan Darga spent the early part of 2001 going for gold.

Skidmore went 38-1 on the wrestling mat during the regular season, then reached the final in the 130-pound weight class. There, he led Ivan Enriquez of Miami Belen Jesuit 10-7 with 11 seconds left, but Enriquez scored an escape and a takedown to tie it at 10 and send the match into overtime. Enriquez scored a two-point takedown with 1:17 left to win it 12-10.

Skidmore closed his prep career with a sixth-place showing in the 139-pound weight class at the state weightlifting meet.

Darga, the state weightlifting champion at 169 pounds as a junior, made a serious run at a second consecutive title. At state, he bench pressed 325 pounds and posted a 265-pound clean-and-jerk, but finished second by 10 pounds to Chindra Stephens of Williston.

Pirates dominate area again: There was no drop-off for Crystal River's football team in 2001. The Pirates followed up one 10-2 season with another.

Along the way, they claimed their sixth consecutive county title. Crystal River beat Lecanto 56-18 in Week 5, then whipped Citrus 62-0 four weeks later.

The Citrus game never was close. Lecanto trailed Crystal River just 21-12 at the half, but then things got out of hand. Behind Ryan McNally's 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Crystal River rolled.

Two runners distance themselves from the pack: Amanda Howard and Tony Lyons were the 2001 Times All-Citrus/Hernando Runners of the Year.

Picking them was easy.

Howard, slowed by injuries in 2000, won nearly every regular-season meet, then took second at districts, third at regionals and 35th at state. Two weeks later, she was third in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Meet in Tallahassee. Behind Howard, Lecanto won conference, district and regional titles and was ninth at state.

Lyons, sixth at state, helped lead Citrus to a seventh-place showing. He finished the 3-mile course in 15 minutes, 51 seconds. Lyons was the district champion and placed second at regionals.

Citrus soccer standout is area's best: For the second time in as many years, midfielder Amber Presnick earned Times All-Citrus/Hernando Player-of-the-Year honors.

Presnick won the award because of her versatility. She was second on the team in goals (29) and first in assists (18). The Hurricanes went 21-2-3 and reached the second round of the state playoffs.

As we speak, Presnick is having another banner year for the 10-1 'Canes and could be on the verge of becoming a three-time player of the year.

Panthers come up big in state tennis tournament: The Lecanto girls were the area's most successful team in 2001.

The Panthers went unbeaten during the regular season, won a regional title, then finished in a tie for third at the Class 2A state meet. Lecanto's top player was Jessie Roberts, who advanced to the second round at state. The Panthers also got strong play from Mujiba Ansari, Ashley Campbell, Jennifer Rimes and Nisha Shah. Lecanto's Joan Roberts was the area's coach of the year.

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