Prep notebook

Soccer team doubles take for Brandon championships

BRANDON -- It will be a day remembered for a long time for Brandon High sports fans. In a certain first for the school and a first as far as anyone with the Florida High School Activities Association could tell, Saturday marked the first time a school has won state championships in two different sports on the same day.

The Eagles' boys soccer team's 3-1 win against St. Augustine Nease in the Class 2A final in Tampa was followed a few hours later by the wrestling team taking the Class 2A championship in Lakeland.

The soccer team, ranked 20th in the SchoolSports.com national poll, actually trailed in their match 1-0. But a Derek Goforth goal evened things up before the half. The Eagles took the lead on a score off a header from David Zettel with 7:34 left in the contest. And the Eagles had plenty of cushion when Andy Skiffington scored his late goal. The Eagles end their championship season with a 23-1-1 mark.

The wrestling team, meanwhile, displayed its season-long dominance in winning its third straight state championship and 14th overall in school history.

BOYS BASKETBALL: R.L. Bond scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds but it wasn't enough as Durant fell 45-38 in the Class 5A region semifinals at Lake Howell Tuesday. Although the contest was close most of the way as the teams exchanged leads five times, Lake Howell went on an 11-0 run late in the third period to take control. The Cougars end the year at 20-12.

GIRLS SOCCER: Durant missed out on a chance to play for the state championship, falling in the state semifinals 5-1 to defending state champ Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. The Cougars, who ended the year 22-4, took the lead 27 minutes into the game on a goal from freshman Gabi Rivera. But a barrage of offense from St. Thomas Aquinas followed to end the Cougars season two wins shy of a state title.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Cougars didn't fare much better on the basketball court Saturday, falling in the Class 5A region semifinals 65-42 at Deltona Pine Ridge. Courtney Chasten scored 16 points and Shay Mackey added 12 to lead Durant, which couldn't overcome poor defense in the second half. With Durant trailing just 36-32, Pine Ridge closed out the third period with a 7-0 run. Then the Cougars were outscored 22-10 in the final period as Pine Ridge pulled away for the win. Durant ends the season 26-4.

BASEBALL: Down to his potential last pitch, Ryan Carnley delivered. The Durant sophomore shortstop hit a two-run single with a full count in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Cougars to a 10-9 win against Wharton on Tuesday.

Carnley had two hits, knocked in four runs and stole home in the fourth inning. The win was the first in three games for 4-2 Durant, which had began the season 3-0.

In other Tuesday action, senior Josh Boyer pitched a six-hit, complete game as Armwood trounced Tampa Bay Tech 13-4. Scott Slein hit a double and Kevin Clark had a triple for the Hawks. Brandon, meanwhile, produced 13 hits, including a home run from junior outfielder Angel Sustache in a 12-1 win against Jefferson. And Riverview defeated Sarasota Riverview 9-4.

In games scheduled for today, Armwood hosts Jefferson, Bloomingdale is at Gaither, Brandon is at Plant, Durant hosts Lakeland, Durant is at Plant City and Tampa Bay Tech hosts Blake.