Team Planet Stone teen champions

As the kids on the Island get older, juggling academics, school extracurricular activities and social activities becomes increasingly demanding. For many of them who grew up on the Island, finding time to come back to the Island’s community center is on the list of priorities.

The Center is common ground, a place of comfort, bringing back good memories and forging new memories to carry on with them into the future.

Long-time Center youth Ava and Josie Alderson, Travis Bates, Tyler Brewer, David Daigle, Thomas Heckler, Bryce Higgins, Tres Maddox, Tuna McCracken and Michael Pears, most of which have played sports at the center since kindergarten, returned to The Center each week during the past three months to play soccer, as they have done for so many years.

Many of them are quickly approaching high school, but the passion for the game, enjoyment of playing with and against friends and the love of competition continues to bring the Island area youth to the participate in community center sports.

Last week, the playoff games of the season found 18 teens on the field in the 11- to 14-year-old youth soccer league at The Center. Team Planet Stone lead the season with the strong leg of Chris Snyder and field skills of Nicholas Cavalluzzi.

It came down to two games before the champions were crowned on Nov. 29 at the island pitch.

Going into the semi-final game, Team Tyler’s Ice Cream and Team Progressive Cabinetry tied three games during the regular season, making the playoff match-up much anticipated. Progressive Cabinetry was able to get goals by the league's most formidable goalie, Thomas Heckler, and stop the team’s powerhouse, Tyler Brewer, winning the semi-final game last Monday night.

The victory pitted Progressive Cabinetry against the team that had the most unanswered goals in the season. As the clear underdog, Progressive Cabinetry’s performance in the championship game showed the team’s true soccer talent and heart.

Showing their love of the sport and commitment to their team, three of the players sprinted onto the field having just completed a middle school game in Sarasota. Daigle, Cavalluzzi and Jack Barnes, eighth-graders at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, came into the Island game after a school victory against Sarasota Christian School. With tired and tight legs, the three boys went from teammates to adversaries and then friends again in less than an hour.

Outsized, with Planet Stone’s noticeable height and size advantage on the field, Progressive Cabinetry’s sixth- and seventh-grade players stepped up their games and proved that size does not matter when the desire to win is there. Newcomers to the Island’s field, Christian and Nicholas DeWitt and Sadie Johnson, made critical stops and strong passes to help keep their team well in the game the entire 40 minutes of play.

Striking quick and striking hard, Snyder nailed the first goal after less than two minutes of play. The 1-0 lead could have set a defeatist tone to the game for Team Progressive Cabinetry, but the squad would not quit.

With Barnes in the goal for Planet Stone, friend and classmate Daigle took the shot to tie the game. Barnes stopped the goal preserving his team’s lead early in the game.

Snyder scored again five minutes into the game, with a diving save attempt by Connor Ludwig. New to the goalkeeping position, Ludwig saved the bullet shot by Cavalluzzi.

Making key saves, Ludwig stopped the shot by Higgin,s who was forced to change field direction and shoot a more difficult shot due to the tenacious defensive play of Johnson.

Taking the soccer ball down the field, dribbling past Higgins and Pears, Daigle hit his first goal of the night for Progressive Cabinetry. With Cavalluzzi in the goal, C. DeWitt took a shot that woke up the defense of Team Planet Stone, after good offensive play by his team.

With two minutes left on the clock, Snyder hit his third goal of the game, taking back the two-point lead in the game. Quickly answering back, Daigle took the corner kick directly hitting C. DeWitt, who took the shot. The shot bounced back to Daigle, who made the critical pass to McCracken. Taking the shot and scoring, Team Progressive Cabinetry went into the second half with only a one-point deficit.

After huge defeats during the regular season, Progressive Cabinetry started the second half of play with spark and positive energy.

McCracken and Higgins started in goal for their teams with 20 minutes left to play in the championship game.

Snyder made a run with the ball with Johnson hot on his heals, forcing the shot that went wide to the left of the goal.

N. DeWitt showed his offensive strength beating Snyder down the field for the tying goal. Despite Snyder’s substantial height advantage on DeWitt, the Progressive Cabinetry hustler would not give up his position on the pitch.

Cavalluzzi back on the field took a shot on McCracken, but could not find the net.

Showing their team’s diversity and natural athletic talent, Ludwig and the DeWitts passed the soccer ball down the field finally finding the feet of Ludwig who took the shot and scored the go ahead goal.

As the excitement grew at The Center with the championship for both teams to win, each team stepped up its game with 15 minutes on the scoreboard clock.

Team Planet Stone took the ball down field with passes from Cavalluzzi to Barnes. Snyder hit his fourth and final goal of the game after the cross-field pass by Barnes.

With the game tied, Cavalluzzi took two back-to-back shots on McCracken in the 30th and 31st minutes of the game. Marking five saves in the game, McCracken denied both scoring opportunities, but could not stop the third scoring attempt by Higgins, moving his team ahead 5-4.

Progressive Cabinetry moved Ludwig back into the goal, hoping to use McCracken’s offensive and defensive skills to tie up the game in the final minutes of the on field battle.

Off a corner kick by Cavalluzzi, the ball went off of the hands of goalkeeper Ludwig scoring an own goal, giving Planet Stone a two-point lead. Ludwig finished the game with four critical saves.

Daigle pushed his team forward with a strong drive down the field scoring with four minutes ticking down, taking the score to 6-5.

Team Progressive Cabinetry fought hard to tie the game hoping to win the game in regulation time or force a shoot out. After shooting a ball that hit hard off the crossbar, Daigle received a yellow card for arguing that the referee had not been calling fouls on Team Planet Stone for shoving and pushing from behind throughout the game.

Despite its impassioned effort, Progressive Cabinetry could not find the net for the tying shot, but its efforts proved it was a team with fight, playing hard to the very last second.

Sun Scoreboard

Monday, Nov. 28

Youth Soccer: 8- to 10-Year-Old League – Semi-Final Game

Bins Be Clean 6
Cloud Pest Control 2

Mason Martin Builders 3
Gulf Bay Realty 5

Youth Soccer: 11- to 14-Year-Old League – Semi-Final Game

Progressive Cabinetry 6
Tyler’s Ice Cream 3

Tuesday, Nov. 29

Youth Soccer: 8- to 10-Year-Old League – Championship Game

Bins Be Clean 2
Gulf Bay Realty 0

Youth Soccer: 11- to 14-Year-Old League – Championship Game

Progressive Cabinetry 5
Planet Stone 6

Adult Basketball

Harry’s Grill 67
Blake Medical 40

Mike Walter & Associates 53
Beach To Bay 50

Intechgrate Systems BYE

Thursday, Dec. 1

Adult Co-Ed Soccer

Ross Built Construction 5
Slim’s Place 4

Wash Family Construction 5
Eason Builders Group 1

Mason Martin 8
Acqua Aveda 2

Anna Maria CrossFit 6
Jiffy Lube 2