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Kuntz: Warriors playing soccer 'killing us'By KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, The Seven Rivers Christian boys have two players with sub-40 nine-hole averages, but after that the Warriors have been inconsistent. Coach Ross Kuntz thinks he knows why. "Five of my six kids also play (fall soccer)," Kuntz said. "We're such a small school that the boys have to split their time, and that's killing us. Sometimes we'll have practice when there's a soccer match that day and we'll have one person (at practice)." Leading Seven Rivers (2-2) are juniors Chris Roth (38 average) and D.J. Wheat (39), a transfer from Lecanto. Roth was second in last season's district tournament, and Wheat was an All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference pick. "Chris Roth is playing very well, but he'll have a big number sometimes," Kuntz said. "(Tuesday) he came to the final hole even par, and on a par-3 he knocked it in the water and made 7 to shoot 41. "D.J. has been pretty steady. In our last match, he chipped in twice on par-3s for birdie." Finding stability throughout the rest of the lineup is the Warriors' primary focus. "The middle of the lineup is killing me," Kuntz said. "My fourth man (sophomore Chris Rees) has been consistent at 44 or 45, but my third man (senior Shawn Allen) will have a 41 one day and a 50 the next. "If I could find one more guy to get into the 40s more often, I think we could have a really good team." UP THE MIDDLE: Despite a 1-3 record, the Citrus boys have played well. Even so, Hurricanes coach Chris Richardson would like to see more production out of his No. 4 and 5 positions. "We've got to get help down the road," Richardson said. "I'm going to have three guys come in with good scores, somewhere around 40, most of the time. I have to get a fourth guy to be competitive. "Teams like Hernando have six guys capable of shooting around 40." Senior Mike Fitzpatrick leads Citrus with a 39 average. HEY BATTER, BATTER: In Tuesday's 162-173 win against Williston, the Crystal River boys (2-0) were led by a 3-over-par 39 from Jonathan Runnels. Brian Wilkerson carded a 40, and Jimmy Metz shot 41. Runnels and Metz were 2001 Times All-Citrus/Hernando baseball selections -- Runnels as a shortstop, Metz as a pitcher. UP AND DOWN: Crystal River girls standout Morgan Owen fired a 5-over 41 in Tuesday's victory against Dunnellon at Plantation Inn. ... Two weeks ago, the Seven Rivers boys lost at Chiefland by 11. The Warriors beat the Indians by 12 on Tuesday at Citrus Hills. ... The Citrus boys are 1-1 in playoffs. They defeated Central last week and lost to Hernando on Tuesday.
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