SW Orlando Sports News – Aug. 4, 2016

compiled by Lauren Salinero


080416sports01Madison Taberham, a rising fifth-grader at Holy Family Catholic School, travels to New York for a summer program at American Ballet Theatre.

Holy Family Catholic School rising fifth-grader Madison Taberham was accepted to summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School and Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. She chose to attend the program at American Ballet Theatre in New York, where she received unparalleled professional dance training.

Taberham began ballet training at age 3 at a dance school in England. When she moved to the U.S., she continued dancing with Orlando Ballet School under the guidance of Principal Marion Tonner and Director Dierdre Miles Burger. Taberham has successfully advanced to the Classical Ballet Pointe Division at OBS and was invited to beginning pointe, an honor at such a young age. She also attends the OBS preparatory program intended for talented, highly motivated students and has performed in the company’s The Nutcracker. Taberham dreams of one day becoming a professional ballerina.


Athletic teams at Dr. Phillips High School are not only judged by their performances on the field, but also in the classroom. Their success is measured by how well they do in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Academic Team Championship each fall, winter and spring season. For the first time since the program began, DPHS had 12 out of 13 spring sports teams qualify. Players for each sport had to have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher. Those qualifying sports teams were baseball, flag football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s water polo, men’s weightlifting and men’s volleyball.


080416sports02(Front, l. to r.) Will Saxton, Sean Hupp, Cameron Recny, Joe Cosgrove, Rodwell Munoz, Matthew Matt Rinks, Conner Scheitzach, (back, l. to r.) coach Jordan Rusk, Quinton Martinez, Garrett Stillwell, Bobby Spitulski, Jacob Shumsky, Cade Siebecker, Justin Holmes, Cameron Meehan and Zak Sousa of the Scorpions Black 17-under baseball team win the 2016 BCS Finals Tournament. Not pictured: coach Tony Mehlich.

The Scorpions Black 17-under baseball team traveled to Ft. Myers for the 2016 BCS Finals Tournament presented by Perfect Game, baseball’s most respected scouting report service. The team came home champions. Matthew Matt Rinks, a rising senior at West Orange High School, pitched 9.2 innings overall in the tournament with an ERA of 0.00. His fellow WOHS classmate, Justin Holmes, also a rising senior, contributed one hit and scored one run in the championship game. Holmes had a tournament total of four hits, one of which was a double. The team was coached by Tony Mehlich and Jordan Rusk.


NFL officials announced that they will celebrate the organization’s brightest stars of today and tomorrow with the new Pro Bowl Week festivities in 2017 in Orlando. Culminating with the 2017 Pro Bowl game at Camping World Stadium on Jan. 29, Pro Bowl Week will celebrate all levels of football — from youth to high school to the NFL’s best.

“Hosting the NFL Pro Bowl is exactly the type of opportunity we had in mind when our community pulled together to invest in the reconstruction of Camping World Stadium,” said Steve Hogan, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports. “Orlando is the top tourist destination in the country, and we look forward to providing players, staff, families and fans from all levels of football an unforgettable week.”

Starting this fall, first priority access to game tickets will go to season ticket members of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the other 29 NFL clubs and Florida Citrus Sports. The remaining tickets will be available for purchase in November.

For more information and presale opportunities, fans can register at probowl.com on the web.


In recognition of the Copa América Centenario recently being kicked off in the U.S., the first time in the tournament’s history that it was held outside of South America, WalletHub released a report on 2016’s best cities for soccer fans. On a scale of first being the best and 148th being the average, Orlando ranked first in minimum season ticket prices for a Major League Soccer game, MLS stadium capacity, National Women’s Soccer League stadium capacity, and MLS fan engagement. It came in third for minimum season ticket prices for an NWSL game and NWSL fan engagement. For performance level of an MLS team, the city ranked 10th.

For the full report, visit wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-soccer-fans/14207 on the web.


080416sports03The Dr. Phillips All Stars baseball team, including (front, l. to r.) Brandon Lohr, Blake Hidalgo, Sam Collingwood, Madden Bourst, Taylor Harris, Connor Koivu, Johnny Jenkins, Jack Waddingham, Christian Cantwell, Owen Jacob, Javier Centeno, Palmer Haynes, Garrett Lorfano, and (back, l. to r.) coaches Gary Lorfano, Joe Haynes and Bob Lohr, wins the 9- to 10-year-olds Florida District 14 championship. Not pictured: TD Cross and coach Don Duncanson.

The Dr. Phillips All Stars baseball team of 9- to 10-year-olds set a 5-1 record on its way to the District 14 championship. Each player was instrumental in the success of the team, as well as its sportsmanship and positive attitudes.

Coaches Don Duncanson, Joe Haynes, Bob Lohr and Gary Lorfano led the boys to a 6-4 victory over the Windermere American team to clinch the championship.

Congratulations to players Madden Bourst, Christian Cantwell, Javier Centeno, Sam Collingwood, TD Cross, Taylor Harris, Palmer Haynes, Owen Jacobs, Johnny Jenkins, Connor Koivu, Brandon Lohr, Garrett Lorfano, Blake Hidalgo and Jack Waddingham.


Relay for Life of Dr. Phillips representatives are seeking forward-thinking, creative and dedicated individuals from the Dr. Phillips, International Drive, MetroWest and Millennia communities to bring it to the next level of success as part of its Event Leadership Team.

The Relay for Life of Dr. Phillips is tentatively set for April 1, 2017, at Dr. Phillips High School. Organizers are looking for those with experience working in a team environment. Volunteer committee experience is preferred, but not required. The American Cancer Society provides training through webinars, roundtables and support from the community representative.

For more information, email Cindy at cardschweitz@gmail.com.


080416sports04Members at Title Boxing Club donate funds to Equality Florida for the club’s Fight for Love, Not Hate box-a-thon.

Title Boxing Club hosted a Fight for Love, Not Hate box-a-thon fundraiser to help raise money for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims and their families. Multiple Title Boxing locations participated in the event, including Hunters Creek. Attendees reserved heavy bags by giving a donation, recommended at $25, and punched their way through a power hour. The boxing and kickboxing clubs were able to raise $3,027 that was donated to Equality Florida, a civil rights organization dedicated to securing equality for Florida’s LGBT community.


Although we try to ensure that all information presented above is the most current, correct and dependable available, we do rely on others for the source of our news. Therefore, the Southwest Orlando Bulletin and Kearney Publishing Corp. cannot be held responsible for the validity of the information presented here, nor does mentioning it constitute an endorsement. Sports information is welcome and may be mailed to P.O. Box 851, Windermere, FL  34786; or emailed to Lauren@kearneypublishing.com.💓