Gateway defends its OBC championship

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The Orange Belt Conference defending champ Gateway Panthers will be among the teams fighting for a post-season playoff spot in 7A District 5 along with Osceola, Poinciana, Liberty, East Ridge and Lake Minneola.

St. Cloud, Celebration and Harmony will try to dethrone Oak Ridge, a state finalist last season, in 7A-6.

New Dimensions competes in district 3A-7, while City of Life Academy is in 2A-6.

Life Academy plays an independent schedule after withdrawing from the Florida High School Athletic Association in October.

Heritage Christian seeks its third consecutive berth in the Florida Christian Conference championship game

Gateway

Coach Bob Baker, who won his 400th varsity game last season, returns at Gateway with and experienced roster.

“We should be OK even though we are a little small,” Baker said.

Sharpshooting forward Felix Gonzalez returns along with Geo Guzman, Justin Peters and Theo Belhomme. Belhomme is a senior and the others are juniors.

Gonzales scored 37 in a win against St. Cloud last week.

Newcomers include sophomore Juan Mena, and seniors Jordan Lewis and Raul Cotto.

Baker also expects seniors Dimitri Jerome, David Del Santos and Teshaun Hodges to contribute.

“We are going to be OK with our shooting ability and quickness, plus the kids are strong competitors who work very had in practice and it carries over to game situations,” Baker said.

The Panthers are 5-1.

Osceola

Nate Alexander begins his second season as the Kowboys coach with young but talented roster, he said.

Gone is four-year starting point guard Michael Sanchez, but Alexander is confident that junior Tre Perry can step in to the job.

“We are deep at the guard spot,” Alexander said. “Everyone will play and look for us to be on the gas pedal for 32  minutes straight.”

Junior Alain Allard, who started as a sophomore, returns at forward for the Kowboys.

Seniors Alex Forde, Josh Antoine and Johnathon Phillips also will play after playing for the unbeaten Kowboys football team.

Senior Aubrey Chatham, junior Jamie Morris and sophomore Cortez Edwards also will see action.

“I’m really excited about the group of kids I have this year. A lot of first-time varsity starters, and they are hungry,” Alexander said. “There is a lot of competition in practice, and that will only make us better.”

Alexander calls the schedule, which includes Winter Park, Dr. Phillips, Lake Wales and Bishop Verot, in addition to the Great Florida Shootout, one of the toughest the Kowboys have played.

“When February comes, we should be battle tested and battle approved,” he said.

OHS lost its first four regular-season games including a 53-51 setback against Celebration Tuesday.

Celebration

Coach Jeff Bean may have his most talented roster as the Storm seek a spot in the regional playoffs.

“We are returning our entire rotation plus newcomers from the JV team,” Bean said.

Romelo Banks, a senior 6-11 center, gives the Storm inside presence that few teams have. Banks signed early to the University of North Florida.

Also back are seniors Kyle Arzt and Daniel Lucas, both guards, and junior guard Jhonny Victor. Junior guard Kordell Johnson and junior point guard Fernando Lucchetti also return.

With Victor at 6-4 and Arzt at 6-5, the Storm have plenty of size.

In addition, 6-5 sophomore forward Chris Bowman is up from the JV squad, and Billy Frazil, a senior guard, transferred from Liberty.

“We have the tools, and we had a good offseason,” Bean said. “Now we need to continue to build and get to be successful. If we can get to the level we’re capable of, we can have a good run.”

The team enjoyed one of its biggest victories in years at OHS Tuesday, 53-51, as Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left.

“It was a huge win for our guys. I think we have a chance to be really good if we can cut down on the lapses,” Bean said.

Liberty

Coach Bob Lauster takes over the Chargers this season and he is encouraged by the talent he discovered at Liberty.

“We have a really good nucleus of great kids with good attitudes, and that’s a good foundation to build on,” Lauster said.

Seniors Keenan Johnson, Johnathan Maldonado, Dante Andrade and Johnathan Mercado will lead the way with Rayshawn Palmer and Rickenjee Bellevue also pegged for plenty of minutes.

“Our offense is slowly coming along and improving daily. It will take time and patience on everyone’s part for our kids to fully understand the system. My coaching staff has done a great job of helping the kids along,” Lauster said.

Harmony

Coach Steve Smith returns to the Longhorns and is optimistic that the team will enjoy a successful season.

“This should be an interesting year for us. We will be a little more athletic, which means we can do a few more things. The key for us will be rebounding and defense,” Smith said.

Colten Viscomi, Isaiah Moser and Kevin Guevara return. With the addition of newcomers Imari Hillery and Kevion Williams, Smith said the team has goo depth.

“If we can hold teams in the 50s we will be very competitive with most people,” Smith said. “Hopefully we blend this all together quickly and have a successful year. The district will be tough with Oak Ridge still good and Celebration has their best team in a few years.”

St. Cloud

After leading St. Cloud into the regional playoffs last season, Coach John Jenkins had enough bad luck in the preseason to last through the entire year.

Jenkins said four potential starters are out for the season because of injuries, academics or transfers.

Last year’s leading scorer, senior Jamal Demetrius, tore knee ligaments last summer and is out. During football, senior E.J. McKenzie, the basketball team’s second-leading scorer, suffered a similar injury.

Fortunately, senior Eddie Sanchez is back and Jenkins said he will be the key to the Bulldogs’ success.

“We will lean heavily on his play at point guard,” Jenkins, in his second season, said.

Senior Ronald Johnson returns to the lineup.

A bevy of newcomers will also see playing time: seniors Adeniis Rodriguez, Brandon Ceri-Rodriguez, James Clark and Rey DeJesus. Juniors Daniel Garrafa, Anthony Smith, Adreas Diaz Jason Flories and freshman Stone Gomez also will see action, Jenkins said.

The Bulldogs beat Agape Christian, 60-45, in their opener.

Poinciana

Coach Oliver Simmons will guide the Eagles through the post-Stefan Moody era with an inexperienced roster that includes two varsity starters. Moody, a first-team all-state selection, signed with Florida Atlantic.

Point guard JaQuan Flood and forward Dyland Jean Pierre return to lead a roster that has just two seniors.

Still, the Eagles got off to a good start by beating New Dimensions and South Sumter to open the season.

New Dimensions

Coach Ben Bartlett takes over the Tigers program this season.

Bartlett’s roster includes Jean and J.P. Cintron, Jordan Garcia, Oscar Castillo, Stone Treadwell, Terrill Williams, Jalen Reeder, Devon Pitter, Anthony Calvo, Devin Moronta, Georges Cherry, Ricardo Cruz, Dewell Puello and Roojames Belizaire.

“We are very young but extremely talented,” Bartlett said. “With the limited time that I’ve had with them, they have seemed to puck up everything that I’ve gone over so far.”

The Tigers compete in district 3A-7.

Heritage Christian

The Eagles, under Coach Jim Estrella, have been a Florida Christian Conference powerhouse over the past several years with standout scorers Maynard Rowe and Josh Newman.

The team won the FCC championship in 2011 and reached the finals last season. The team was ranked higher (No. 136) in the MaxPreps Florida standings last season than Osceola (139), and Miami Dr. Krop (138).

Estrella’s squad will try to maintain that standard with a mix of veterans and young players who will play an up-tempo style, Estrella said.

“We’re going to push the ball all the time, that’s our game,” Estrella said. “We’ve had a great off season. Our guys have put in the time and they are in great shape.”

So far, the team is playing like an experienced, veteran unit than a squad that starts two eighth graders and only one senior.

“If this is a rebuilding year, then give me a couple more years,” Estrella said. “We’ve got a young lineup, but the guys are playing great.”

On the roster are seniors Sean Greaves and Stephen Maldonado, juniors Raymond Rodriguez, Carlos Castro, Davielle Justiniano, and sophomores Alex Tirado, Dominick Maldonado, Mark Wiley and Manny Rodriguez.

Eighth graders Antonio Lloyd and Jacob Newman round out the roster.

Maldonado is averaging 24 points and Newman is scoring 17 per game early in the season, while eighth-grader Antonio Lloyd has handled the point guard position. Sophomore Andre Lloyd is a forward with big ups, Estrella said, and Greaves, the only senior starter, has the experience to keep things under control.

Estrella hopes for a third straight berth in the state championship game, but rival Southland Christian and Altamonte Christian are potential roadblocks in the FCC Eastern Division, he said.

“My coaching staff probably has about 50 years of experience total in what we are doing, and it is really paying off,” Estrella said. “Our guys are learning about discipline and about playing defense, and how that pays off.”

The team is  4-1.

Life Academy

Coach Mike Botkin, a Poinciana assistant last year, will lead the Lions this season.

The roster includes seniors Zeke Cox, Nick Rodriguez and Izic Vanegas, juniors JonPaul Gonzales, Gerry Aviles and Victor Ruiz, and sophomores Chris Vanegas, Josh Escobar and Jose Ortiz.

The Lions are 6-0 after an 89-24 win over Merritt Island Christian Thursday. Cox scored 24.

City of Life

Coach Ron Riley, in his first season at City of Life Christian Academy, is excited about his team and the season. “We have great kids who work hard, understand the game and are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful,” he said.

Led by senior Tyler Travelute, juniors Carlos Morales and Carleck Martin and sophomore Edesse (E.D.) Edouard, Riley believes a 2A-6 district championship is a possibility.

“We have good speed and quickness, our defense is improving; the players are getting better at understanding what we need to do to win games,” he said.

Seniors Pedro Gildalamadrid, Harold Gomez, Daniel Villa and David Villa; sophomore Julius Rivera and eighth grader Orlando Gonzalez also are on the roster.

The Warriors are 3-2 after a 56-10 decision over Brevard Christian Thursday. Travelute scored 12 points for the Warriors. David Villa had 11.