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Youth sports

Apollo loads up on medals in state meet

By JASON PAFUNDI
Published April 3, 2005

The Apollo School of Gymnastics boys team, led by champion Grant Brittain, won 80-plus medals in the USA Florida State Championships, March 12-13 in Winter Haven. Brittain was responsible for five of the squad's 12 gold medals and helped the Level 9 unit to a second-place finish. He was first all-around and on the pommel horse, still rings, high bar and parallel bars.

Jordan Loscalzo, Sterling Jackson, Jacob Wolf, Joey Cortese, Colton Janssen and Brittain qualified for the Southeastern USA Junior Olympic Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

In the state meet's Level 4A competition, Trey Lago posted a victory on the rings, third on vault and seventh on parallel bars. Daniel Xikis took second on pommel horse and fourth in the floor exercise and all-around.

Christopher Swan claimed sixth on parallel bars and seventh on rings. Noah Pollack was fifth all-around, including first on pommel horse and rings, third on parallel bars and fourth on vault.

Joshua Morehouse placed seventh all-around, fourth on pommel horse, sixth on vault and seventh in floor. Alex Sisco was second on parallel bars and ninth on vault.

For the Level 4B squad, Marcus Atherholt placed eighth on rings. Nicholas Kelton finished eighth all-around and was second on pommel horse, third on vault, fourth in floor and sixth on parallel bars.

Casey Beck took fifth all-around, second on high bar, fifth on pommel horse and rings and eighth in floor and on parallel bars.

Janssen, Level 5A, was seventh on vault and 10th on rings and pommel horse.

For Level 5B, Cortese was third all-around, first on high bar, second on rings, third on pommel horse and sixth on vault and parallel bars.

Phillip Pitaressi finished fourth all-around, first on rings, fourth on pommel horse, in floor exercise and on parallel bars and sixth on high bar.

For Level 8, Wolf was fifth all-around. He recorded rings and pommel horse wins, fourth on vault and fifth on parallel bars.

Jackson, Level 9, finished eighth all-around, with a sixth on pommel horse, seventh on rings, parallel bars and high bar and eighth in floor exercise. Loscalzo was fifth all-around, second in floor, third on pommel horse, vault and parallel bars and fifth on high bar and rings.

The Level 4 squad placed seventh among the large-team competition, Level 5 was ninth in small and Level 9 second in team. TURNERS: The Tampa Bay gymnastics club competed in the Level 8-10 State Meet, March 18-20 in Tallahassee. The organization captured 11 titles.

The Level 9 team finished third, sparked by Alyssa Collins. She captured second all-around, first on the vault, third on the beam and fourth in the floor exercise.

Nicole Abdo was an all-around runner-up, including second on beam and fourth in floor. Ashley Sullivan was first on vault, sixth in floor and seventh all-around.

Jaime Applefield placed third on vault and seventh in floor and on beam. Lindsay Weber claimed second in floor.

For the fifth-place Level 8 squad, Sarah Wolford was an all-around winner after producing firsts on vault and beam and in floor. Katie Harbin was first on vault and beam and second in floor and all-around.

Deni Morgan took fourth on vault and bars and in floor, third on beam and second all-around . Aramis Andreatas came in fourth all-around, second on vault and fourth on beam.

Morgan Gunning finished fifth all-around, with a first on vault and fifth on beam. Mariah Broughton was second on bars, third on vault and fifth on beam, in floor and all-around.

Stephanie McKee topped the floor competition. Elle Mixa was first on bars and third on beam and in floor. Alexia Perry claimed first on beam and third in floor.

For Level 10, Breanne Guy was fifth all-around, which included second in floor, fifth on beam and sixth on vault.

GEMINI: The gymnastics organization's Level 8 and 9 teams battled at the state meet in Tallahassee.

In Level 8 action, Lauryn Kannard won the vault and bars competition and qualified for the Region 8 Championships, Friday-April 10 in Boca Raton. Rachel Coderre was sixth all-around, including second on the bars and fourth on the vault, to receive a berth to Boca. Christina Gunther placed seventh all-around and fifth on vault, beam and in floor.

Kaleigh Dickson, Amy Ferguson and Joelle Ferguson secured spots in the Level 9 regional, April 16-17 in Nashville, Tenn.

Joelle Ferguson was sixth all-around, on bars and beam and seventh on vault. Amy Ferguson finished seventh all-around, fifth on vault, sixth on bars and seventh in floor.

Dickson was 13th all-around, ninth on vault, 12th on beam and in floor and 13th on bars.

LAFLEURS: The Largo gymnastics program competed at state.

Kristin Kelshaw will be among eight members in the Level 8 Regional Championships. To make the all-star squad, Kelshaw had to finish in the top eight all-around among 206 gymnasts. She recorded with the fifth highest score, which included a championship on the bars and in floor and fourth on vault and beam.

Also for the runner-up Level 8 squad, Sarena Bumbarger qualified for the regional after producing an all-around first, victories in the vault, beam and bars action and second in floor.

Qualifie r Danille Kazakos was second all-around, first on beam and second on vault and in floor. Caitlin Wright placed fourth all-around and on beam and fifth in floor.

The Level 9 team came in fourth and was led by region qualifiers Jenifer Voynovich, Stephanie Young, Dali Lemezan and Jenna Paul. Voynovich was second all-around, first on bars and beam and second on vault. Young finished first in floor and on beam, fourth on vault and third all-around. Lemezan was first on beam, third in floor, sixth on vault and third all-around. Paul took eighth all-around, first on vault, eighth on bars and ninth in floor.

Natalie Garcia had a floor win and posted second on beam and third on vault.

Tiffany Brodbeck, Elizabeth Herrman and Danille Carey qualified in Level 10, which finished sixth. Brodbeck was fourth all-around, third on beam, vault and in floor and sixth on bars. Herrman finished sixth all-around, including fourth on bars and fifth on vault.

Carey was fourth in floor and fifth on bars.

Lesley Valenti captured second on vault and seventh in floor.

HOCKEY: The Oldsmar Sandsharks captured the inaugural Champions Cup in the Southeast Junior Hockey League with a 9-4 victory over the host Ellenton Eels at JP Igloo. The Sandsharks have qualified for the USA National America's Cup, Thursday-April 10 in Bristol, Pa.

Oldsmar led 3-0 after receiving first-period goals from Simon Tuckey, Richard Furlong and Joe Marshall. Then captain Eric Pretto scored early in the second period.

Ellenton produced goals on its next three shots, cutting the deficit to 4-3. But the Sandsharks responded.

Furlong scored from in front of the net on the next shift, and two more second-period goals staked Oldsmar to a 7-4 advantage.

Kent Ramsey and John Nyrii scored in a penalty-filled third period, and goalie Matti Korhonen of Finland finished with 18 saves.

[Last modified April 3, 2005, 00:09:18]