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Is he 'most athletic'?

By MIKE CAMUNAS
Published March 22, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - There's no doubt senior Jon Heiser is going to grace the eighth edition of Wesley Chapel's yearbook. The four-sport athlete will most likely be tagged as "most athletic."

"Well, I hope that's me," said Heiser, who accepted a scholarship to Averett University in Virginia to play Division III football. "I've been playing three sports since I was a sophomore and soccer since I was a freshman - feels like something I earned."

Heiser is the kicker for the football team, plays forward and sometimes goalie for the soccer team and competes in the 4x100-meter relay, 100-meter dash, pole vault and high jump for the track team.

But this spring, Heiser decided to try tennis and has been fairly successful. He has a 5-2 record and the No. 5 seed, and coach Gerald Savoy has been impressed.

"Jon's got a cool head," Savoy said. "He does what you expect from someone who's been playing (tennis) for a long time."

Savoy said playing soccer benefits Heiser's footwork on the court, but Heiser said his endurance from soccer has helped, too.

"The footwork does help out a lot since I use it a lot in soccer, but I have that advantage of having a lot of endurance because I've played soccer for so long," Heiser said.

Football coach John Castelamare said that although Heiser excels at kicking, he could probably play any sport.

"Punting, kicking, playing sports - it's all that he loves, and he loves to compete," Castelamare said. "He's obviously very athletic ... and for all the sports he plays, I'm proud of him."

Track coach Brian Colding, however, wonders what Heiser's potential could be if he focused on just one sport.

"Just imagine the tennis player he could be if he played just that," Colding said. "Or what he could do if he was just doing track. ... But he's a talented kid, he's a competitor and wants to try as many things as he possibly can, and that's where he gets his focus and motivation."

Heiser said sports help him focus on his grades, but playing sports "is a way to take my mind off worrying about class." Heiser's focus helped him kick a 51-yard field goal, score numerous goals and clear 10 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. However, he decided to pick up tennis because he was "a little bored at track" and "wanted to try tennis."

Savoy figures he's lucky with what his No. 5 seed can accomplish.

"He's a dedicated, disciplined athlete," Savoy said. "He wants to do well, and he demonstrates that through his actions. He's still learning the game, and he's doing well for the amount of experience he has.

"But we're glad to have him."

Fast Facts:

Wesley Chapel (5-1) at River Ridge (6-1)

With the No. 1 singles match a near-certain win for Wesley Chapel sophomore Tyler Brown, whose opponent, Lucas Loman, will be happy to score a few points (Brown has allowed three all season) here are three key matchups that will determine the outcome of today's match:

No. 2 J.R. Nicolas vs. Dylan Douglas: Douglas is undefeated except for the first two matches of the season, which he split. Nicolas teams with Brown as one of the toughest doubles teams in the county. Look for this to be a close match.

No. 3 Yuya Burkhart vs. Matt Perry: Perry is a scrambler. According to Royal Knights coach Paul Scolaro, "No matter what, he'll hit the ball back." Perry is going to need all the speed he can get against Burkhart, who can place the ball anywhere on the court.

No. 4 Chris Bird vs. Justin Delgado: Bird is coming off a tough loss at Land O'Lakes. Delgado has a reputation for coming back, as he did against Hudson. Tied 6-2, 2-6, Delgado stormed back to win the third set 6-2. This should be a close but drawn-out match.

[Last modified March 22, 2007, 00:16:52]