The Lake Nona Lions hosted the Cypress Creek Bears Friday night.

The Lions held a seven-zero lead at halftime. The third quarter started off terribly for the home team because of penalties. Bears QB Carl Bronislawski threw a pass into quadruple coverage intended for Isaac Cenescar and defensive pass interference was the call at the five-yard line. It set up a Viliami Netane touchdown plunge as the Bears marched their way into the endzone to tie things up at 7-7. But, before the third quarter was complete, Lake Nona found a groove as Tucker Israel (Fr.) hit a diving Riquerdy Miranez (Jr.) for a first down pass play to get the team past midfield. With one second remaining in the third quarter, Wadzaire Blanc (So.) took a handoff and got by the defense with some nifty moves and put the Lions back on top 14-7. Lake Nona then scored 20 fourth quarter points en route to their first game of the season. 34-14 was the final score. Israel finished the game with 260 yards passing and 5 TD’s, Ryan Sousa (So.) had over 100 receiving yards and 2 TD’s, and Tyler Arrington (Sr.) added a TD Rec of his own. The Lake Nona defense held Cypress Creek to less than 100 yards of total offense.

Next week the team travels to Eustis HS, game time is 7:00 pm.

Even though Lake Nona is only a second-year school, softball coach Julie Bouton not only thought the Lions would reach the state playoffs, she expected it.

“I knew they could do it,” said Bouton, who was an assistant coach in the Lions’ initial season. “Initially, that was my goal. The girls, honestly at the beginning of the season, didn’t believe it. They were like, ‘Coach, didn’t you see our record last year?’ ”

Lake Nona’s record last season was 5-18. The team only had three or four players who had any softball playing experience. But. Bouton also saw how the team progressed a year ago and knew that this year’s team had some potential.

It has lived up to that potential.

Lake Nona (13-13), which won the Class 3A, District 7 championship with a 10-9 victory over Lake Highland Prep, will host Melbourne Holy Trinity at 4 p.m. Tuesday in one of five region quarterfinal playoff games involving Central Florida teams.

Continue Reading: Lake Nona to make first state playoff experience Tuesday against Holy Trinity

Turning the car into this manicured corner of Orlando’s gated Lake Nona enclave, the rear-view mirror fills suddenly with the vision of a hulking white Mercedes S-Class. Out into the midday sun, resplendent in a signature get-up of two-tone shirt and designer shades, steps Ian Poulter.

He is talking animatedly on his iPhone. An audience with the Hertfordshire harlequin must wait a couple of minutes longer. He opens the garage, wedging the Poultsmobile neatly between wife Katie’s SUV — not so much a Chelsea tractor as a combine harvester — and a Ferrari California. Both the other motors are white, too.

Poulter, if you had not already noticed from his taste in golfing slacks, is partial to a bit of colour-coding.

The California is a beguiling beast: a muscular, streamlined convertible that perfectly captures its owner’s embrace of the sunshine lifestyle. By its sheer elegance, it stops short of outright ostentation. But should it not, to take the view of the Ferrari purist, be red? Not if you exhibit Poulter’s OCD-degree of fetish for white.

His furnishings, his clubs, his status symbols: all of them, it appears, must be white. Even the gleaming new driver from Cobra, which he takes to swishing about absent-mindedly like a wand, has a white grip.

Continue Reading: The Masters 2011: Ian Poulter’s search for perfection in countdown to Augusta is a major white-knuckle ride

Congratulations to Lake Nona golfers Ashley Holder and Ryan Stovash who were both selected to the 2010 Orlando Sentinel All-Central Florida Golf teams. Ashley was selected to the first-team and Ryan was selected to the second-team respectively.

Lake Nona’s winter sports have taken off with some of our teams in action last night.

Girls Basketball
Congratulations to the Lady Lion’s basketball team for their victory over Lake Gibson last night 38-30. It was a total team effort playing aggressive defense all night. Nicole Fisher led all scorers with 16 points and 4 steals. Brianna Wright had 4 steals. Rebecca Bryant led the way with rebounding. Their next game is away this Thursday night taking on Lake Wales. Our first home game is Monday, November 15 against Freedom. Come out and support Lady Lions Basketball.

Girls Soccer
Last night the Ladies Soccer team beat Evans High School 7 to 0. Sophomore Nadine Jimenez scored the second goal of the night. Sophomore Alex Vestals scored 6 goals! Double Hat trick! Great job by midfielders Courtney Bucher (freshman) and Darby Rasch (Sophomore). Next game is Thursday night at University High School. 6:00pm JV and 7:30pm Varsity

Boys Soccer
Lions won their first home game of the season on Tuesday. It was a back and forth battle the whole game. Gabino Barrera scored his first goal in a LNHS jersey on a great pass by Hannes Snorrason, Oak Ridge answered and at the half it was tied 1-1. Barrera scored his second goal in the second half on an amazing team effort lead by Augie Martinez, Tim Fusser, Brandon Rivera, and Dominick Jenkins. Oak Ridge scored bringing the game level at 2, but Christian Mendez scored a great goal on a cross by Andres Pardo. Oak Ridge tied the score again at 3-3 but with under 10 minutes to play, Andres Pardo was fouled in the box, drawing penalty kick, which was scored by Hannes Snorrason. The Lions played great team soccer, with amazing team and individual efforts across the field. It was a great start to the season. Next game for the boys is Thursday night, as they host University.

With only two holes left at the girls’ Class 1A state golf tournament last year at Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club in Ocala, Ashley Holder was 5-under par as the individual title lay within reach.

She would find trouble at the 17th hole, though, and finish in a three-way tie for third overall as a freshman at 1-under. After posting scores of 73 and 70, she was left to watch as two other competitors (who finished just one stroke better) decided the championship in a tie-breaking playoff.
The sophomore is now setting herself up for a chance to meet up with many of those state qualifiers once again, as seven of the top eight finishers at the state tourney returned to their teams this season.

“I know the competition is going to be tough,” Holder told WFTV.

To keep up with the pack, she’s been focusing on playing a smarter game while spending day after day out on the courses of both North Shore and Eagle Creek golf clubs.

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Congratulations to the Lake Nona Boys Golf team who defeated Central Florida Christian Academy on Wednesday, 180 to 234. Once again, Ryan Stovash and Bo Hyltin led the Lions with the low scores of the round. Stovash had a match low 36 and Hyltin added a 41. The win brings the boys’ overall record to 2-2.

The Girls Volleyball lost a tough one to the Harmony Longhorns. The ladies fell in a 5-game match against Harmony, 18-25, 25-15, 15-25, 25-15, 8-15.

The Lake Nona Boys bowling team won on Tuesday, defeating Freedom, 2086-2002. Leading the way for the Lions, was Ian Aikens and Ricky Mateo, who both bowled a team high 201. In the girls match, the Lions fell to Freedom, but Chelsea Quindardo led the team with a 161 in her first game.

Josh Sullivan and Matt Mendez have good reason to be looking forward to their senior season at Lake Nona High.

Lake Nona’s first year of existence was last season. This year was the first time the players were able to go through spring practices, and the familiarity they have with one another will be quite different than in 2009, when the Lions went 1-9.

“We’re very excited because no one really knew each other or knew the plays or anything,” Mendez said. “Now that all of us are coming back, we already know the plays and we are just getting right to it [snaps his fingers, snap snap snap] … it’s coming back quick.”

It’s possible he might hear some different kind of finger snaps during the season. Mendez and Sullivan do have the luxury of catching balls from the No. 2 quarterback in Central Florida.

But when Michigan commitment Kevin Sousa lets it loose, those passes are coming hard and tight. Sousa has a rifle arm and loves to drill the ball into the receivers hands.

Sometimes, that can hurt.

“It actually feels good,” Mendez said. Reasoning that if you catch it, you’re open, “so you just go.”

“At first it was difficult,” Sullivan said. “But you just have to adapt to it.”

Sullivan had a breakout season a year ago, leading the area in receiving with 53 catches, which also added up to a Central Florida-leading 903 yards. He also had six touchdowns.

“Catching 53 balls last year was like a blessing to me because as a sophomore at University, I didn’t catch no balls … none,” Sullivan said.

“So when I came up with 53 last year, it was like, ‘Whoa.’ I didn’t know I had this much talent. “Now I want to see if I can catch more than 60 balls, and just get better.”

The players might even find themselves open more often as teams have to stay honest with the addition of transfer running back Jarius Pace.

“We didn’t have a running game last year,” Sullivan said. “Now with Jarius Pace we have like an equalized offense … teams are going to have to check us now.”

Mendez (6-3, 210), along with Sousa, is at the Top Gun camp in Virginia this week and will also be going to camps at Delaware, Richmond and Towson State. Mendez had 32 catches for 560 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Neither Mendez nor Sullivan have scholarship offers to date, but they are hopeful given Sousa’s status as a top prospect.

Sullivan has been in contact with UCF coaches and something could come out of that, but given Sousa’s commitment to Michigan, it will be interesting to see if college scouts back off Lake Nona games this season.

Kids are more at risk for injury than adults for a variety of reasons. They are less coordinated, have a slower reaction time, their bones and muscles are still growing, and they are more likely to take risks. Overuse is another big problem. When kids play sports all year long, with little or no rest in between seasons, this causes more strain on their growing bodies. Less recovery time leads to a variety of injuries of varying severity.

With proper preparation by kids, coaches, and parents, a large number of sports-related injuries can be avoided. Here are some of the most common types of injuries and ways to prevent them.

Heatstroke and dehydration are big risks to kids involved in sports during the summer and early
fall months. Working out in heavy gear, running long distances, or having long practices require frequent breaks and the drinking of fluids. For most practices under an hour, water is the drink of choice. In the heat, and for practices that last more than one hour, sports drinks should be offered as well. Drinking fluids before, during, and after playing sports will help to keep kids hydrated. Also, on very hot and humid days, practices should be held either early morning or early evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day.

Acute injuries happen suddenly and are usually associated with some form of trauma. They can range in severity from scrapes, bruises, sprains and strains to broken bones, torn ligaments, eye injuries, and brain injuries. Acute injuries often occur due to a lack of proper equipment or improper use of equipment. For example, helmets should always be worn in sports like football, lacrosse, baseball and softball. They should be in good shape and fit well. Protective eyewear can prevent injuries in basketball or racquet sports. Knee and elbow pads can prevent joint injury due to falls that happen often among children.

Overuse injuries occur from repetitive motion that puts too much stress on the bones and muscles. These types of injuries are especially problematic for kids because they can affect bone growth. Common overuse injuries include damage to the knees, elbows, shoulders, shins, ankles, back, and hips, and can be diagnosed as tendonitis, stress fractures, or even growth plate issues depending on the severity of the injury.

A focus on prevention, sometimes referred to as “prehab,” can help prevent injuries. Proper warm-up, stretching, strength training, good mechanics, as well as knowing how and when to rest are all vital to overuse injury prevention.

Reinjuries take place when an athlete returns to the sport before an injury has time to heal. This
can lead to further, or permanent, damage. For example, one concussion, an injury to the brain, can be dangerous. But if a child, or adult for that matter, returns to play before being medically cleared by a doctor and has another concussion, the result can be permanent brain damage or even death.

Other things to consider:

• Pre-Screening All kids should have a physical before beginning any sport. Pre-screenings can clear kids to play and can identify any condition that could put a child at risk for injury.
• No playing through pain Kids may think they’re helping the team, but they are only hurting themselves. If a child complains of a chronic ache or pain, see a doctor right away. Additionally, if your child suffers any type of head injury, look for signs of a concussion—headache, confusion, dizziness, forgetfulness, nausea, or change in
  behavior—and seek medical attention immediately.
• Returning to play means taking proper precautions to ensure reinjury does not occur. Depending on the injury this could mean taping the affected area, new protective gear, wearing a brace, or involve a formal physical therapy/rehab plan.
• Know the rules and encourage safe play. Get to know your child’s coaches to see what their philosophy is on safety and injury prevention. Make sure your child’s coaches include proper warm-up and cool down exercises with every practice.
• Don’t push Sports should be fun and teach kids life lessons about teamwork, problem solving, and good sportsmanship. Pushing your child to excel and win-at-all-costs can cause emotional stress, overuse injuries, and burnout.

For more tips and detailed information about getting back in the game, visit KidsHealth.org.

Kevin Neal is an orthopedic surgeon in the Department of Orthopedics at Nemours.

It isn’t surprising when Eddie Rivera, the father of Lake Nona catcher Evan Rivera, says he is his son’s biggest fan. After all, almost every father thinks his child is special.

But in Evan’s case, Eddie has a right to be proud.

In an e-mail, Eddie detailed his son’s involvement as president of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and his work as an assistant coach with the 9-year-old Wolverines AAU baseball team.

A call to Eddie Rivera, though, produced these words: “There is so much more to this story.”

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