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Volume 2 • Issue 19
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Windermere
Jan 11 - Jan 25 2017
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Prep Basketball
is slamming it!
Photos by Bob Gall
Featuring: Foundation Academy, Dr. Phillips, Olympia, West Orange and more...
Page 2 Florida Sporting News • 1/11/17 - 1/25/17
West Orange Boys Basketball Start Season Strong By Greyson Everidge
WINTER GARDEN – The West Orange Warriors have started the season strong for the second year in a row, holding a (7-3) record after 10 games this season. Head Coach Eric Jones has led the team to a (2-1) district record, with more games to play to secure the top seed in their district. The Warriors won three of their first four games, starting with a 73-63 win against Lake Minneola to win their opening game of the 2016-2017 season. The next game came against East Ridge, where the Warriors won comfortably by a score of 8451. The Warriors first loss of the season came at the hands of Evans, who beat the Warriors out in the fourth quarter to ultimately win 83-73. Taking weaknesses from their first loss, West Orange moved into the match against
Lake Nona where they won 68-59. Paired with the win against Lake Nona, the Warriors entered into a mini, four game winning streak which saw them
time after four quarters. At the end of the extra time, the Warriors came out on top to their district rival by a score of 95-91. Jones was beaten 48-39 and Apopka lost 59-41. Their next game was a loss which came against rivals Olympia, with the final score coming in at 59-55. Although tight, the Warriors couldn’t pull it together to come out with the win. In the Big South Shootout Tournament, the Warriors beat Washington County from Georgia by a score of 73-58.
beat out Wekiva, Jones and Apopka. The game against Wekiva was a tense one, with the two sides entering over-
West Orange’s next game will come on December 28th, against an undetermined opponent in The First Academy Varsity only tournament. After a strong ending to 2016, the Warriors look ahead to a strong ending to the season as play resumes back up after the New Year.
1/11/17 - 1/25/17 • Florida Sporting News
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Foundation Academy Boys Basketball Setting Stage For Coming Seasons By Greyson Everidge
WINTER GARDEN – The Foundation Academy Basketball team have fell short of expectations so far this season, sitting at the midpoint of this year with a (3-8) record overall and a (2-2) record in the district. After failing to impress so far, the Lions have realized they need to work harder and smarter should they have a real shot at making any strong impressions in the post season playoffs.
In the Lions next match, which ended in a win, would end up being their last win for a good period of time. In a district game against Legacy Charter, Foundation won by a narrow score of 47-43. The next four games all ended in defeat, with the first coming to a decent Orlando Prep side. Orlando Prep put up 66 points to the Lions 43.
Faith Christian beat Foundation in a The Foundation boys opening game accounted heartbreaking overtime win by a score for one of their two wins to date, with the win of 56-54, which seemed to weaken the coming against Real Life Christian Academy. Lions going into their next match. They The Lions won on the road by a score of 72-21. ended up losing to Trinity Christian on The next two games ended in defeat for Founda- the road by a score of 65-47. In the final tion, where they lost against Boone by a score of loss of the four game losing streak, the 77-40 and International Community by a score Lions lost 73-67 against Celebration. of 58-54. The Boone Braves didn’t leave much unsaid, pounding the defense to put up bug The losing streak ended with Foundations numbers. International Community barley won, 52-49 district win against The First Academy. pulling out the needed points to win in the final Although they lost their next game to Trinity minutes of the fourth quarter. Catholic 60-46, things seemed to have turned
around for Foundation, who are looking to get some more wins under their belt to improve for the playoffs. Led by their seniors, the Lions have a great chance at making a second half
comeback this season. Point guard Jamie Rivera and Jaquane Patterson have been a role model to younger players this year, including 7th and 8th graders Drew Kousaie and Matthew Richardson, which has helped set the stage for successful seasons in the coming years.
Ryan Popp Logan Beardslee Kaden Baur
Page 4 Florida Sporting News • 1/11/17 - 1/25/17
Olympia Titans Basketball Struggle in District Play by Greyson Everidge
WINDERMERE – The Olympia Titans sit just about even in their overall record, winning six and losing five of a combined 11. The disappointing fact and slightly concerning stickler is their district record, which remains winless after three games. After the winter break which ends the fourth of January, the Titans hope to win some games in district play so that they sit higher in seeding as the end of the season draws closer. Game one and two of the new season ended in wins for Olympia, capturing a 74-65 win against Colonial and a 7162 win against Lake Brantley. Their first loss came against Suncoast by a score of 46-34. The loss set the ground work for another mini two game winning streak. A 63-51 win against Royal Palm Beach and a dramatic overtime win against Apopka by a score of 51-48 helped give them some more momentum into the middle stages of the season. In another set of games, which further displayed the back and forth nature the Titans season has shown this year, they lost two more games to bring their record even. The Titans lost both games on the road to Wekiva and Freedom by scores of 73-44 and 53-52 respectively. In the loss that followed, Oak Ridge won in a district game by a score of 66-50. The Titans two most recent games ended in a win and a loss, with Lake Highland Prep being defeated 68-64 and Cypress Creek beating Olympia 46-40. Then they played rivals West Orange in their last game before the break, and beat them 5955 in a tight and intense game. The Titans next play games on December 28th, 29th and 30th against unknown opponents in The First Academy Christmas Tournament.
1/11/17 - 1/25/17 • Florida Sporting News
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Olympia Girls Basketball Three for Three in Districts by Greyson Everidge WINDERMERE – The Olympia Titans girls basketball team are off to a very strong start after eight games, sitting (6-2) overall and (3-0) in their district. Under Head Coach Robert Carmody the Titans are the exact opposite of their male counterparts in district play, capitalizing on all chances thus far to put them ahead early before seedings are released.
team comparable in terms of form and quality at the moment, are their rivals West Orange.
Although the Titans lost two of their opening three games, Olympia has moved on and learned from those mistakes to win five in a row, putting them well ahead of other teams in the area. The only other
After those losses, the Titans went on to win five in a row, the first of those coming against Timber Creek on the road by a score of 47-36. In two more away games against Freedom and Oak Ridge, they put up 62 and 67 points compared to their opponents 32 and
An opening day win against Evans, by a score of 52-38 set the stage for what seemed to be a winning season, even though it was followed by back to back defeats against Apopka and Bishop Moore on the road by scores of 65-52 and 50-36.
47 to hand them the wins. Wekiva and Dr. Phillips were not as easy to beat, although they pulled out a win. Wekiva was beaten by five for a final score of 46-41 and the Panthers fell 46-44 in a tight last second decider. The Titans take a well-deserved break over the winter holidays, as they decided not to play in any tournaments. That means that the next game for the Titans will be a game against Ocoee on January 4th, 2017 at 7pm. The game is to be played at home for the Titans, as they look to further improve upon the solid foundation that they have built so far.
Boys Basketball Wrap-Up Frankie Fabian’s leaning runner with 5 seconds left put Kissimmee Osceola ahead Saturday, and the Kowboys survived a missing runner by Jose Placer at the buzzer to beat The Master’s Academy 67-66 in the Showdown in O’Town. “I saw an opening, and I made a great play,” Fabian said of his winning shot. Brady Fernandes scored 19 points, Tevin Florent added 11, and Josh Marte put in 10 points for the Kowboys (132, No. 1 in the Sentinel Super 16). Placer had 17 points and eight assists for the Eagles (104, No. 10). Brooks Claxton added 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks, and Greg Gallon had 12 points for TMA. “You try to attack, go through what we’ve done all year. Take the best shot we can, whether it’s Jose, it’s Brooks or is Cole [Thomas, who had seven points and nine rebounds],” Master’s head coach Reggie Kohn said. “I think we did all right. A few mistakes at the end cost us.” Neither team led by more than five points the entire game. With TMA leading 51-50 entering the fourth, Claxton and Placer hit shots to put the Eagles up 55-50 with 6:40 left. The Kowboys fought to tie it 59-59 on a Fernandes putback. Thomas put back a missed shot with 1:02 left for a 66-62 TMA lead. Josh Marte’s 3 brought the Kowboys within 66-65 with 45 seconds left. The Eagles turned it over on a long pass with 23.4 seconds left. Osceola then set up Fabian for a running jumper with 5 seconds left. Placer missed a floater to give the Kowboys the win. Both coaches said tough games like this would help them the rest of the season. “It didn’t surprise me that we fought back,” Osceola coach Nathan Alexander said. “It could’ve been anyone’s possession. Whoever had the ball at the end would win it. “Our guys made big plays at the end. They finally turned a corner on winning one of these big games. Super excited for our senior guys.” Orlando Christian Prep 62, Lake Brantley 33: Host Orlando Christian Prep (11-4, No. 5 in Sentinel Super 16) made easy work of Lake Brantley, riding the 25 points of Nassir Little to a rout of the Patriots. The Warriors used a height advantage to dominate inside. The 6-foot-7 Little scored 14 points in the second quarter, as the Warriors outscored Lake Brantley 23-2. “They wanted to guard me outside, and I wanted to work on my jump shots, so they oversized me the ball and I got good looks,” Little said. That turned a 17-7 first-quarter edge into a 40-9 lead at halftime. Little also grabbed eight rebounds. “We just had to keep attacking on defense and take open shots,” Little said. C.J. Walker and DeJuan Lockett each got dunks
against the Patriots. Lake Brantley (7-8) went 1 of 11 from the field in the second quarter. Christian Nieto scored nine points – all in the third quarter – to lead the Patriots. Trinity Prep 60, Lake Howell 59: In the opener, Alec Holler hit a jumper with 4.2 seconds left to help the Trinity Prep Saints edge Lake Howell. Lake Howell used four turnovers in the fourth to take a 59-50 lead. But Jasen West scored six consecutive points to bring the Saints within 59-58. Nick Santos missed the front end of a one-and-one with 37.5 seconds left. Trinity then held on before passing to Holler underneath the basket for the winning points. West scored a game-high 24 points and dished out six assists for the Saints (6-10). Holler added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Trinity Prep.
Damien Marquez scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Silver Hawks (9-6). Evans 75, Deltona Trinity Christian 68: In Game 2, senior Ickson Masson dominated the inside, racking up a gamehigh 29 points and 19 rebounds to lead Evans (11-4, No. 4) past Deltona Trinity Christian. Masson scored 12 points in the second quarter, including the last seven of the quarter, to help the Trojans pull into a 32-32 halftime tie. The Eagles regained the lead a couple more times, the last time on a putback by Marlon Bradley with 4:04 in the game for a 61-60 lead. But Jordan Collins, who scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter, hit a 3-pointer and got a three-point play to put the Trojans up 66-61 with 3:40 left, and the Eagles got no closer than four the rest of the way. Marlon Bradley scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Eagles, who also got 19 points and nine boards from Amorie Archibald.
Page 6 Florida Sporting News • 1/11/17 - 1/25/17
Windermere Prep Basketball Having a Standout Season by Greyson Everidge WINDERMERE - Halfway through the season, Windermere Prep’s boys’ basketball have five wins and four losses, pulling off almost a half win to loss ratio. The Lakers are currently ranked 50th in the state of Florida as of today. They are scheduled to play next on the 28th at home, in Windermere. With five wins and four losses it will be interesting to see how the Lakers 2016-17 will end when the season wraps up in February, should they make it far into the post season. With nine games already played they are in a very tight situation and it will be hard for them to pull out to make a strong playoff bid. Although ten games have passed, the first game against Wekiva on November 25th ended with a loss by a score of 64-44, which wasn’t the best way to start off the season. After that game, the next day on November 26th, the Lakers played Oviedo and won 71-53. On November 29th and 30th the Lakers played Melbourne and Tampa Catholic with winning scores of 6854 and 59-58 respectfully. On December 10th, the Lakers took another loss but this time to West Oaks Academy by a score of 92-75. On December 16th and 17th the Lakers took two more losses, which put them on a three game losing streaks against Westchester and Denver East with scores of 65-43 and 72-67 respectfully. Their last two games played so far on the 19th and 20th of December both ended in wins by
scores of 69-57 and 71-68 respectfully against Desert Pines and Putnam City West. Part of the success of the Lakers team this season comes from their upperclassmen, which includes five seniors on the roster. Ryan Swoboda, Xion Golding, David Nickelberry, Will Seelmen and Peter Michell have been key men in the wins which have come for the season. Swoboda and Nickelberry stand at an impressive six-foot-ten and six-foot-seven respectively. Not to be out shadowed are the juniors of the group, who’s contributions have been just as impressive. The class of 2018 includes players such as Rahsaan Lewis and Shaquan Jules. The upperclassmen have not only had an impact on this years season, but on those to come as well. They have helped show the ropes to the underclassmen who will fill their shoes in the coming school years. The next games for the Lakers are against Lakeland, Jones, Lake Highland Prep, Edgewater, Crooms Academy, The Masters Academy, Berkeley Prep, Trinity Prep, Sennffer Christian, and The First Academy. With the end of the regular season in sight, the Lakers will look to continue to improve upon positives to ensure a strong run in the playoffs.
1/11/17 - 1/25/17 • Florida Sporting News
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Windermere Prep Girls Basketball Look to Get Back To Winning Ways
by Greyson Everidge
WINDERMERE- The Windermere Prep Lakers have had a rocky season so far with a (2-4) record overall, although they have yet to play a district match. This gives them a (0-0) record for the district as they approach their first district match coming up in early January. The Lakers have a stable record of (2-2) for home games and an unfortunate rough start to their away games with a (02) record, giving them a fairly low win percentage of 33 percent. The Lakers started their season strong with two back to back wins including matches facing Mount Dora Christian Academy with score of 34-31, and wrapping up the game against Lake Mary Prep with a score of 33-12. As the season continued, the Lakers started to struggle, beginning a losing streak of four games in which they faced teams
including Poinciana High School, St. Joseph Academy, Legacy Charter High School, and Cornerstone Charter Academy. These games finished with losing scores of 54-13, 65-20, 50-40, and 35-15 respectively. To kick off the new-year, the Lakers will soon face Lake Mary Prep once again on January 10th, hoping for similar results as their last matchup which ended in a win. As the Windermere Lakers’ season continues, you can expect exciting matchups in which the ladies will face Trinity Christian Academy, Foundation Academy, and another match against Mount Dora Christian Academy. Midway through January, The Windermere Lakers are expected to have two district matches facing Crooms Academy on 1/17 and Trinity Prep on 1/19.
Through the players, who have worked hard in the weeks leading up to the Winter Break, the Lakers should do much better. Players such as Grace Bennett, Hailey Jones, Laura Philippsen de Campos, Mary Pierce, and Rafaela Rivera have all made real contributions to the team this year, with more from not only them but other players as well to come in the near future. As their season continues, the Lakers are hoping to turn around their losing streak and achieve results similar to those found at the beginning of the season. They also hope to finish not only the month of December and subsequent 2016 year strong, but are looking to get right on the winning track in early 2017 as they start to secure their playoff bid.
BASKETBALL HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS Bishop Moore swept the boys and girls championships at its own tournament on Friday night to highlight the final busy night of high school basketball of 2017 Hunter Cattoor beats buzzer for boys win Tourney MVP Hunter Cattoor scored on a drive with 20 seconds to go and host Bishop Moore (9-3) beat previously undefeated Titusville 45-44 to win the Jim Clark Holiday Classic boys championship. Cattoor, a sophomore, finished with 20 points. Titusville was 13-0 coming into the game. Bishop Moore girls edge Boone Tournament MVP Morgan Davis scored 21 points for host Bishop Moore (12-3) as the Hornets edged Boone 45-43 to win the Jim Clark Classic girls basketball championship. UF signee Priscilla Smeenge scored 25 for Celebration (12-1) in a 54-48 win over Wiregrass Ranch in the third-place game. Osceola tops Wekiva in OT at Adidas Holiday Slam Sentinel Super 16 boys basketball No. 1 Kissimmee Osceola (11-2) won 73-65 in overtime over No. 4 Wekiva (11-4) in the fifth-place game of the Adidas Holiday Slam tournament in Miami. Jeremiah Palomino had 17 points, and Brady Fernandes and Omar Payne both added 16 for the Kowboys, who outscored the Mustangs 14-6 in OT. Josh Marte scored 15 in the win. Wekiva’s Paul Reed had 28 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Johnson added 18 points in the loss. Orlando Christian Prep (10-4) lost 70-62 vs. The Rock (12-1) of Gainesville in the championship game at Miami Florida Christian. Ronaldo “Rondo” Segu scored 19 points for OCP. Darius Days of The Rock had 24 points and 17 rebounds. More boy’s basketball Taylor Trudeau had 21 points and six assists in leading Mount Dora Christian (10-3) past Hilliard in a KSA tournament final at Disney. Apopka (8-4) beat host Vero Beach 55-49 to win the Holiday Hoopla.
Timber Creek lost 59-50 to Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola in the Gulf Shore Holiday Hoop Fest championship game in Naples. Kimar Edwards had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Poinciana (11-3) in a 63-61 win vs. Spruce Creek (8-4) for third place at the same tournament.
Oviedo (9-4) lost 51-50 to Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons on a late basket in the Battle at The Villages. The Lions took a 50-49 lead on a 3-point shot by Ivan Smith with 7.4 seconds to go. Oviedo went 0-3 with losses by 2, 10 and 1 point.
Page 8 Florida Sporting News • 1/11/17 - 1/25/17
Dr. Philips Basketball In Spot To Win Their District by Greyson Everidge DR. PHILLIPS - As of today, Dr. Phillips is currently ranked 23 in the state of Florida with eight wins and two losses. Their first game was played on November 15 against Jones High School where the Panthers took the win 40-25. Dr. Phillips then played Osceola High School on November 23, taking their first loss with a score of 69-49. The Panthers then went on a six game win streak against Leesburg, Ocoee, Cypress Creek, University, and Freedom twice with scores of 69-58, 61-53, 69-37, 73-70, 70-42, and 69-39 respectfully on November 26, November 29, December 2, December 6, December 8, and
BOYS BASKETBALL
December 9. Dr. Phillips then faced their next competitor, Oak Ridge, who beat the Panthers 85-72 on December 12. On December 21, the Panthers played De La Salle beating them by a solid score of 57-49. Halfway through the season, the Panthers sit in good standing. Eight wins and two losses places them in the top tier of High Schools in the area, giving them a very good shot at winning districts. How the rest of the season plays out will be crucial in seeing how far they will potentially go in the post season. As of right now, they have a good shot at winning the
district and securing a top seed into regional play. The upcoming games of the Panther’s 20162017 season will be played against Central Florida Christian Academy, West Orange, Olympia, Wharton, Apopka, Wekiva, Timber Creek, Apopka, Ocoee, Edgewater, Jones and Winter Park. The first game is played in tournament play on December 28, with the last against Winter Park being played February 2. Through the course of those remaining games will set the stage for how far the Panthers may go when February playoffs roll around.
LOCAL SCORES on January 11, 2017
- Oak Ridge 79, East River 41 - Buzz: Michael Devoe had 20 points for Oak Ridge (14-3). Robbin Perry added 15. - Winter Springs 51, Lake Brantley 48 - Buzz: Jelani Rawlins and Cole Duncan each scored 11 points for Winter Springs (7-11). Jalen Lee led Lake Brantley (7-9) with 12 points. GIRLS BASKETBALL - Lake Highland 50, Master’s Academy 29 - Buzz: Jiselle Havas had 21 points and 6 rebounds for Lake Highland (13-4). Rachel Jablonski added 14 and 7 rebounds. Madison Toft had 12 points for Master’s Academy (9-8). - Spruce Creek 55, Winter Park 45 - Buzz: Irelynn Davisson had 19 points for Spruce Creek. Alexis Siler had 21 points and 4 rebounds for Winter Park (12-6). - Celebration 61, St. Cloud 54 - Buzz: Gabby Suarez had 25 points for
Celebration (15-1). Priscilla Smeenge added 17. Beka Benge led St. Cloud with 23 points. - Ocoee 60, Evans 54 - Buzz: Dynasty Carter had 29 points for Ocoee (13-5). Ariel Colon added 10. Staci Miller had 17 points for Evans. - Timber Creek 45, Cypress Creek 28 - Buzz: Jasmine Smith had 15 points for Timber Creek (10-9). Jayla McClure added 12. Kelli Williams had 10 points for Cypress Creek. - West Orange 54, Olympia 51 - Buzz: Morgan Beacham had 17 points for West Orange (14-4). Kristina Kline added 14. Anjelie Tirone had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Olympia (9-6). Taylor Hair added 14 points. BOYS SOCCER - Lake Mary 9, Lake Brantley 1 - Buzz: Igor Martin scored 3 goals for Lake Mary. Ben Morand scored the goal
for Lake Brantley. - Olympia 9, Wekiva 1 - Buzz: Caleb Franke had 2 goals for Olympia (15-2-3). Marcos Couto added 2 goals. - Ocoee 8, Jones 0 - Buzz: Richard Song, Candido Worrell, Alex Rodriguez each had 2 goals for Ocoee (8-7). - Oviedo 1, Winter Springs 0 - Buzz: Drew Decker had a goal for Oviedo (3-8-4). Keeper Steven Evans posted the shutout. Winter Springs is 4-103. - West Orange 2, Dr. Phillips 0 - Buzz: Marco Ribiero and Noah Taylor scored for West Orange (7-2-4). GIRLS SOCCER - Trinity Prep 4, Winter Springs 1 - Buzz: Sophia Pisello had a goal for Trinity Prep (10-4-3). Lindsey Greenwood added a goal.
1/11/17 - 1/25/17 • Florida Sporting News
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Foundation Academy Girls Basketball Working For Wins in District WINTER GARDEN – The Foundation Academy Girls Basketball team have remained winless in the district to this point in the season, where they sit currently at (03). They have a (2-5) overall record, lagging in terms of play compared to last season. Through some readjustment after the break, the Lions hope to get back into the swing of things and pick up some wins to boost their record as playoffs loom. The first two games of the season were the only two wins for Foundation, and have since lost five in a row. The first two wins came against Life Christian Academy and Trinity Prep, where the Lions won by scores
Dr. Phillips Girl Basketball Off to Rocky Start By Greyson Everidge DR. PHILLIPS – The Dr. Phillips Girls basketball team have had a rocky start to the 2016-2017 year, with the Panthers currently holding a (3-9) overall record. Two wins and one loss put them at (2-1) in the district, a hopeful outlook in terms of potential seeding for the post season. Head Coach Anthony Jones and the team are hoping to bounce back after the break and make up for some lost ground, improving on mistakes they know they can correct. The opening portion of the season was the worst for the Panthers, with serious concerns mounting as each game passed. The first seven ended in losses, giving them a pretty impossible hole to dig themselves out of in terms of even or positive records go. The losses came against Lake Highland Prep, Jones, University, Wekiva, Ocoee, Seffner Christian and Ocoee yet again. The scores ended 59-48, 48-30, 42-36, 48-40, 69-65, 8247 and 66-44 respectively. Their first win of the season came on November 30th on the road at Boone, with the Panthers winning narrowly by a score of 39-38. Nevertheless, the first win was crucial in setting the stage for a comeback as the middle of the season rolled around. They used the momentum to propel themselves right into two more wins, winning 64-50 against Edgewater and 64-56 against Oak Ridge. The winning streak of three games ended abruptly on the road to Olympia, where they were just beaten out by a score of 44-42. Although they lost, they kept it tight right up until the end and showed promise which had been missing for the first seven games. They lost against Radnor from Pennsylvania by a score of 62-48, again keeping it within five points. The Panthers round out the 2016 year with a game against St. Augustine, to be played at Doctor Phillips on the 28th. They then hope to come out of the break stronger and rested to hit the second half of the season hard before playoffs come around in January.
by Greyson Everidge
of 58-40 and 60-39 respectively. They showed good attacking play, which is why it looked unlikely that they would drop off into the bad form they are in right now.
The first loss in the five game streak came against International Community, where the Lions lost by a sizeable margin of 5820. They failed to put anything meaningful together on attacking play, and they paid for it. While they managed to put together more attacking play in their next game against Legacy Charter, they still lost by a score of 49-34. It was also the first district loss for Foundation.
against Faith Christian, and the Lions brought the game closer than previous games. They lost 35-31, showing better defensive and attacking play. In the final game played before the year, the Lions lost to Trinity Christian by a score of 62-47.
Despite the losses, the Lions have great potential. As seen in years past and in this year’s squad, Foundation possess what is necessary to capture some wins and take the season to levels they are capable of reaching. They are led this year by their senior player and coach Christie Thompson, the Lions can win some games to put them in a good position to make a comeback after The Lions next two games were also district the break and start of the New Year as the playoffs approach in late January. losses, which places them at the (0-3) record they are at right now. The first of the Foundations next game will be played next two losses was to Orlando Christian after the New Year against Mount Dora on Prep. Similar to the other losses, Foundation January 3rd. failed to score on a consistent basis, losing 53-14. The third district loss was played
Page 10 Florida Sporting News • 1/11/17 - 1/25/17
Video Game Addiction by Dr. Chris Cortman
trend, given that teens require between 9 and 9 1/2 hours of sleep, but according to the same report, are getting only 7 to 7 1/2 hours. This makes sense when considering that many youngsters are bringing their cell phones to bed, trading “shut-eye” for Snapchats. And even allowing for their tendency to sleep like bears on weekends, because of media consumption, American teens are sleep deprived. My 12-year-old son is addicted to video games. He would play them 24 hours a day if it weren’t for his pesky parents. My five-year-old son is addicted to Pokémon Go. He can’t read yet, but he knows the names, correct pronunciations and evolutions of all 12 million characters. It’s all he wants to do and talk about. It’s like “crack” for preschoolers. And those are just my kids. I’ve seen college students drop scholarships because they lost the battle with World of Warcraft. Others have alienated family and friends and forfeited wonderful career opportunities because they could not log out of the virtual reality in their bedroom. Do you know anybody like this? The statistics point to the reality that this is not an isolated problem – it’s an epidemic. Consider the following: According to CNN.com, The average teen spends nine hours per day using media. That is more time than they spend with parents or teachers, and does not include screen time spent on schoolwork or homework. Remarkably, nine hours a day is more than the average teen is sleeping, a disturbing
But there are certainly other consequences to excessive screen time (courtesy of FitwebMD): Did you know that the teens who had the most screen time also packed on the most body fat? It’s self evident: if you are constantly in front of the screen instead of a heavy bag, you are not burning calories. Not to mention the increased exposure to commercial advertisements, which tend to feature meat lovers and cheesy fries as opposed to salmon and kale. And the shoot ‘em up games? Harmless, you say, as you’ve never shot up a shopping mall. Hardly. There is research now that suggests that immersion in violent video games contribute to emotional hardness in teens. That is, the repeated killing of people in imagery contributes to a lack of sensitivity and caring about people in real life. And there’s more. Research also indicates that there is a correlation between TV consumption and depression. Simply put, the more TV a youngster consumes the greater the chances for depression. Why? Screen time is passive, isolating and tends to present unrealistic images of life, contributing to dissatisfaction with the life of the young viewer.
So what to do about this epidemic? Here are a few suggestions designed to keep you and your team out of media rehab: First, it is highly advisable to be involved in some extra curricular activity, be it sports, music, a club, or gainful employment. Productive investment is the best deterrent against excessive media consumption. Remember what your grandma used to say – “idle hands are the devils workshop.” Grandma was right. If you aren’t in your room, you aren’t stealing autos. Set limits. The National Society of pediatrics recommends one hour per day of screen time. Unrealistic in today’s world, you ask? Maybe. But how about no screen time until all homework, practice and chores are completed? And predictable bedtimes that guarantee eight hours of sleep? Then try this: sleep in a room void of screens or any form of electronic entertainment. Finally, be honest with yourself, your friends and family. Don’t be afraid to admit that you or your child have a problem with video games, texting or tweeting. Only by admitting to the problem, can it be successfully addressed. Now, if I can just get my five-year-old a job.
1/11/17 - 1/25/17 • Florida Sporting News
Audi South Orlando
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