ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Solid Rock Construction (SRC) ended the second week of adult co-ed flag football at the top of the ranks along with Moss Builders. In the first game of the night, WTBL kept the action packed against SRC.
Dominick Otteni and Jaret Rojas shared the passing credits in the game for WTBL. Rojas threw for two TDs. Otteni had one of his own.
On the other end of the pass was Brandon Kull, with two scoring receptions and Anthony McCance scoring six points. Kull is also credited with an extra point conversion.
WTBL’s defense made a key play with the Otteni interception, but it just was not enough to earn their first win of the season.
Anthony Mannino worked hard on both sides of the football with an interception and two passing touchdowns. Helping to keep SRC undefeated, Mannino put 12 points on the scoreboard by running the ball into the endzone.
Peggy Smith, one of the top players in the league, made two catches for TDs and had three receptions in the game.
Solid Rock’s biggest rival yet this season, Moss Builders, closed out the night with their second win to keep them undefeated. In another close one, Ryan Moss threw for four touchdowns.
The hot hands of JB Shuck caught two of the TD passes. Moss Builders teammates Jesse Griffin and Jordan Demers each had a scoring catch.
Demers, Griffin and Shuck each made a point after conversion, adding three points to the final score. Game stats give Shuck nine catches in the night-ending game for the win.
Moss Builders and SRC, both with a 2-0 record, face off in week three action. Only one team will remain undefeated.
ANNA MARIA – Week one of the youth flag football season kicked off with the 8- to 10-year-old league’s match-up between team Progressive Cabinetry and team Moss Builders. Scoring by Lexi Baugher, with an exhilarating rushing touchdown and an interception by teammate Gunnar Maize, fell short of victory for Progressive Cabinetry.
In the end, the passing game of Moss Builders proved to be enough to give the team a win. Mason Moss made a rushing touchdown in the closely paired battle. His single reception and interception helped his team earn the W.
Moss’ teammates worked the field for two halves of play, including the Guess brothers scoring connection. The throw by Austin was caught by Aiden for a touchdown.
Moss Builders faces team Shady Lady at 5:45 p.m. in week three game play on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Progressive Cabinetry’s third-week opponent is Bradenton Beach Parasailing in the 7:15 p.m. game.
Prosper Bradenton took on and defeated team Mac Parkman Foundation 12-6, with rushing touchdowns by Kyle Mims and Ava Gitt. Grady Sandhoff and Mims both had critical catches in the game.
Owen Purcell threw a touchdown pass to Colin Bankert to put six points on the scoreboard for the Mac Parkman Foundation. To help advance the Parkman Foundation offense, Kyle Castagna had a single reception in the teams’ first game of the season.
The third game of the night had the season’s second pick six of the night by Wade Kasten for the Beach Bums team. The first interception taken to the endzone was by HSH’s Jack Mattick in the 11- to 13-year-old league. Kasten also scored a big rushing touchdown in his team’s victorious game.
Quarterback Brandon Sato threw two passing TDs for the win. Sato’s targets of the night included older brother Dylan Sato, with a touchdown catch and extra point.
Beau Sanson was Brandon’s other go-to player for a scoring reception. B. Sato also found the hands of teammate Kellen Reed for an all-important catch.
In the 31-20 loss, the Shady Lady team showed their talents as well with rushing touchdowns by Preston LaPensee and Holston Sebastian. LaPensee also threw for a score, with Jesse Zaccagnino making the reception.
Penny Payne scored the point after a Shady Lady touchdown, keeping the team even closer in the season-launching game.
Despite not scoring in the last game of the night for the league, Bradenton Beach Parasailing looks to have a promising season. Solid Rock Construction handily won the game with the final score 22-0 to end the night.
ANNA MARIA – The adult co-ed soccer season started on Oct. 7, with team Sato Real Estate playing the first game of the night against team Sandbar. On paper, the Sato squad looked formidable with the likes of Danny Anderson and Josh Sato topping the list as dominant players.
Ryan Hogan, Hogan’s fiancée, Amy Ivin, Greg Ross and Ben Sato provide consistency and solid play to the team. Add in the powerhouse that is Will Kretzmann and the team was predicted to undoubtedly have a winning season.
Teammates Thomas Mangotic, Shawn Markham and Hugo Santos all but guaranteed the championship starting in game 1 of the season.
Going into the final game of the season, The Gitt Team appeared to stand a fighting chance against Sato Real Estate. The underdogs needed a full squad to pull off the big win, and it just was not in the cards. The Gitt Team started the most important game of the season without their goalkeeper and key field players.
Taking advantage of the underpowered opponent, Sato Real Estate put up three points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Anderson, Kretzmann and Markham scored, with assists by Ivin and J. Sato.
Kretzmann scored his second of three goals in the game with 10:50 left in the first half of play, advancing the score to 4-0.
Anderson took a shot near The Gitt Team goal, inadvertently hitting a teammate. Mangotic attempted to score with a header, followed by a Markham strike between the legs of The Gitt Team keeper with less than 28 minutes left to play in the game.
With the score 4-0, Keith Mahoney took a long shot near midfield that landed just left of the post.
Sato Real Estate scored its fifth goal of the night before the close of the half. Leaving the field with a 5-0 deficit, The Gitt Team hit the sideline to talk strategy.
Starting the final 22 minutes of play with good energy, Tim Hurst nearly scored for The Gitt Team.
Second-half scoring for Sato Real Estate started with the sixth goal of the night and a hefty lead for the top-ranked team.
With the much-needed players on the field, The Gitt Team continued to work hard, looking for its first goal.
Gitt Team goalies Alex Monzon, Tim Hurst and Daniel Hampton finished the game with nine total saves, including one at the 33rd minute of the championship game.
Before the final whistle, Sato Real Estate scored three more goals, finishing out the game with the score 9-0. Kretzmann got his hat trick in the second half of play, with additional goals by both Anderson and Markham.
Ivin finished the game with two goals, showing why she is one of the most sought-after players in the league.
Will the dominance of team Sato Real Estate continue into the next season or will the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup winners find themselves on new teams the next time The Center pitch sees adult soccer action? Let the draft room drama begin.
ANNA MARIA – Every other month, Research Data Services’ Anne Wittine addresses the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) to update them on the state of tourism not only for the Island, but Manatee County as a whole. At last week’s TDC meeting, held at The Center of Anna Maria Island, there was plenty of good news.
During the time Canada, Europe and many northern states were on strict COVID-19 travel restrictions, Wittine credits the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) for transitioning their efforts to local “drive” markets. These are markets in the state of Florida and nearby southern states with people likely to drive to this area for a vacation. The efforts paid off, as Island visitors actually increased in most categories during the worst of the pandemic.
While U.S. air travel has not recovered at the rate expected by many experts, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) was up 148% for the month of October as compared to October 2020. More surprising is that during the same time period, SRQ was up 78% from 2019, which was pre-COVID, the highest number of any airport in Florida. While the numbers vary from month to month, SRQ has been the state’s top-performing airport for most of 2021.
The October visitation numbers are up from last year as well. The total number of visitors was up 13.9%, room nights were up 14.1% and economic impact was up 29.1%.
“Last year we were attracting people from that local drive radius, and they came for shorter stays and spent less money,” said Wittine. “What we’re seeing now is people coming from farther away and staying longer. A pivot back to people from the Midwest and Northeast coming down and spending money.”
Visitors from the Northeast have risen from October 2020 to October 2021 from 5,450 to 10,090, an increase of 85.1%. The Midwest was the second-largest increased visitor origin for the same time period with a 44.5% increase to 10,910. Wittine also reports that October will be the last report not to include Europe and Canada, since those countries now allow travel to the U.S.
Wittine always includes a travel sentiment survey in her reports. This data gives the TDC an idea of how people feel about travel, how likely they are to visit the area and any concerns about health and safety. When asked to describe their feelings about travel in general using only one word, some of the most popular sentiments included cautious, hopeful, ready, hesitant and optimistic.
ANNA MARIA – A new concert series has kicked off at The Center of Anna Maria Island just in time for the holidays.
The first show in the five-part series featured the Grammy-nominated reggae group The Wailers. Led by Aston Barrett Jr., the group took to the Island stage on Dec. 11 as a part of their 2021 One World Tour.
Aston Barrett Jr. leads The Wailers as the reggae group takes the stage at The Center for their One World Tour show on Dec. 11. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Performing to a packed crowd on the field, the group played the hits of the original Wailers, led by the legendary Bob Marley and featuring Barrett’s father, Aston “Family man” Barrett, as well as some of their own original songs. A standout of the performance was “One World, One Prayer,” the first single off The Wailers 2020 album of the same name.
The next show taking The Center’s stage will be Lou Gramm, former lead singer of award-winning rock band Foreigner on Saturday, Jan. 22, followed by Don Felder on Sunday, Feb. 20, Richard Marx on Wednesday, March 23 and Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals on Saturday, April 2. Tickets for all shows are on sale at www.centerami.org/events.
The Bradenton Gulf Islands Concert Series at The Center is presented by Bradenton Area Arts & Culture, the Sandbar restaurant and Cedar Cove Resort and Cottages.
ANNA MARIA – After weeks of regular season play, the co-ed adult soccer league season comes down to one game to be played this week at The Center. Four teams took to the pitch last Thursday night and only two move on to play in Thursday night’s Paul “Ace” Hayward Championship Cup game.
In the first game of semifinal play, Servis First Bank could not get on the scoreboard despite a huge effort by the members of the solid team. The Gitt Team defense fought hard, with four saves by Raul Loera in goal.
Keith Mahoney put a single point up for the winning team, while teammate Daniel Aden scored the other two points for The Gitt Team in the 3-0 victory against Servis First Bank.
Team Emily Moss Designs started off the season slow, only to find themselves against the number one ranked team in the league in the second semifinal game of the night.
The seven saves by Ryan Moss and solo goal by cousin Greg Moss just was not enough against the dominant Sato Real Estate squad.
Primary goalkeeper Ben Sato made three official stops in the night to help solidify his team’s place in the finale. Three Sato Real Estate strikers, Danny Anderson, Amy Ivin and Shawn Markham all had goals in the all-important game.
The powerful play by Will Kretzmann, along with teammates Josh Sato, Ryan Hogan, Hugo Santos, Thomas Mangotic and Greg Ross, all made the undefeated season possible.
Going into the final game, will the curse of the undefeated team rear its ugly head or will Sato Real Estate earn their way back onto the Hayward Cup?
ANNA MARIA – It’s worked for nearly two decades, and the 19th Annual Lester Family Fun Day at The Center of Anna Maria Island did not disappoint.
Holmes Beach residents Joey and Chuck Lester sponsored the all-ages event on Saturday, Dec. 4 with plenty of activities for everyone.
Higher than a two story building, this slide was not for the faint of heart. Jason Schaffer | Sun
“I love how there’s things for any age. The drum line, the dance-off, things for the younger kids, cookies and then the raffles and stuff for the grown-ups,” said Lara Malone, who works for The Center.
Inside, there were activities such as cookie decorating, balloon tying, crafts and more. Outside, there were pony rides, a rock-climbing wall and an inflatable slide that was taller than The Center. Adults enjoyed the 50/50 golf ball raffle. A standard golf hole cut in the grass at The Center was the target for a helicopter that seemed to come out of nowhere, hover over the hole and drop the balls. The closest ball (which turned out to be lucky number 14) won the jackpot.
Cookie decorating is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Jason Schaffer | Sun
In keeping with the theme of “old fashioned fun at old fashioned prices,” admission was free and tickets for activities were only 25 cents each.
Burgers from Duffy’s and ice cream from Small Town Creamery were also on hand to keep appetites satisfied.
ANNA MARIA – The adult co-ed soccer league played the last regular season games last week. Team Sato Real Estate is at the top of the rankings going into the first week of playoffs. As predicted, the Sato squad finished undefeated, beating team Slim’s Place 8-3 in the second game of the night.
Will Kretzmann’s hat trick, in addition to a single by Amy Ivin, helped Sato Real Estate win their seventh game. Shawn Markham and Greg Ross each put two into the net for the victorious team.
In addition to the eight goals scored on goalkeeper Tuna McCracken, the Sato offense took 17 shots that were saved by the Slim’s goalie. Points were scored for Slim’s Place by Race Arande and Connor Bystrom.
Slim’s Place started the season off strong, but injuries challenged the team. Finishing in the middle of the pack with Blalock Walters, Slim’s Place played Josh Sato’s team without substitutes – missing Jessica Williams and PJ Smargisso.
Each with a 3-3-1 record, Blalock Walters and Slim’s Place tied when they faced each other in week 4 action. It may come down to which team wants to win the championship the most, as facing each other in the playoffs looks to be inevitable.
Blalock Walters played the last game of the night last week against Servis First Bank. With the win, Servis clinched the second place spot going into the quarter final playoff games.
Both goalies, Robb Marshall and Osvaldo Cabello, were kept busy with five and six saves, respectively, but Marshall just could not stop the firing power of Servis First Bank.
Chris Klotz topped his team’s scoring ranks with three goals. Servis teammates Ugur Durmaz and Olaf Krause each had two points, while Yuri Pereira and Blair Schlossberg had solo goals.
The usual solid scoring Blalock Walters team only managed one point by Matthew Staggs. Had they been able to pull off the win, Blalock would have finished the regular season in third. Instead, the slow starting Emily Moss Designs earned their spot among the top three teams in the league.
Hopeful, the Sandbar team went into the first game of the night knowing their fate in the first playoff matchup to be played Thursday, Dec. 2. Finishing in the bottom seed, Sandbar faces Sato Real Estate in the first round of post season play.
The team’s 8-1 loss to Emily Moss Designs was not without moments of solid play. The solo goal by Tim Holly ignited the Sandbar team in the second half of the game, but the spark came too late in the game.
Connor Haughey led the Emily Moss Designs squad in the scoring category with five goals. Lindsey Styka put two soccer balls past the line for goals, with an assist to her name. Also with an assist, one of Kevin Roman’s strikes went past Sandbar goalie Jessica Ruekberg.
In the sixth and seventh positions in the league ranking, Beach Bums and The Gitt Team took to the pitch. A win would have given The Gitt Team the same regular season record as the Beach Bums squad.
Beach Bums’ offense was just too much for The Gitt Team defense and keepers Raul Loera and Edd Monzon. Monzon and Keith Mahoney each contributed to The Gitt Team’s scoring against goalkeeper Mark Long.
Long’s Beach Bums teammates solidly defeated their opponents with a hat trick by Miguel Ajoy, and three individual goals by Robert Fellowes, Selena Gonzalez and Cemal Duzgun.
Post-Thanksgiving play will resume with four of the eight teams moving on to the semifinals, each team taking the field with the eye on the prize to be claimed after the final game of the season on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. – the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup.
ANNA MARIA – After starting the season off strong with two wins, Slim’s Place’s tie against Blalock Walters and its loss in week five put the team in second place, under undefeated Sato Real Estate. Week six action keeps the team in second place, just ahead of Servis First Bank with a 4-2-0 record thanks to a big win against Sandbar.
The first game of the night was action-packed and close, as The Gitt Team gave the Slim’s Place team a run for their money. Keeping goalkeeper Tuna McCracken busy, The Gitt Team offense put two points up with goals by Keith Mahoney and Daniel Aden.
Mahoney had two saves in the game while playing keeper. Teammate Raul Loera was credited with an assist and three saves for The Gitt Team.
McCracken’s 12 saves and single assist were accompanied by a Kali Richardson goal, as well as a hat trick by Jessica Williams. William’s final two goals gave Slim’s Place the all-important win to keep them in the league’s number two position.
With the three goals, Williams climbed up to the charts to be in third for top scorer going into week seven, along with Daniel Anderson, with seven goals in the season. Ugur Durmaz remains the leader with 14 points.
Durmaz had five goals for Servis First Bank against the Sandbar squad. Only one week remains in the regular season of co-ed adult soccer at The Center. Can team Sandbar get their first win against Emily Moss Design?
The Center of Anna Maria Island has long been a valuable resource for the citizens and visitors to the Island. In 2019, under the leadership of the Center’s executive director, Chris Culhane, and the director of development, Jim McDaniel, the Center officially added an environmental dimension to its mission in response to the 18-month red tide that devastated the Island’s marine resources and local businesses.
In 2019, after a conversation with Island entrepreneur and Manatee County environmental leader Ed Chiles, The Center began a relationship with Ocean Habitats Inc., the designer and builder of Mini Reefs. To date, almost 200 units have been distributed and are annually filtering more than two billion gallons of water and helping provide habitat for the new growth of an estimated 54,000 fish and 36,000 crabs.
The Center branded its annual fund that year as “Go Green” and hosted Philippe Cousteau, son of the legendary marine explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, as its campaign kick-off speaker. Cousteau develops relationships with The Center and its patrons at Beach Bistro.
In 2020, the Center’s crop of Mini Reefs grew to more than 150 units. Philippe Cousteau came back that year to introduce the Center’s “Go Green 2” campaign keynote speakers from Clearwater Marine Research Institute, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell and Dr. Ann Mari Alvarez. Third-grader Addy Du Toit interviewed Cousteau before his introduction and shares her passion to protect the environment by having students in local schools trade in their plastic toothbrushes for bamboo brushes. Cousteau fell in love with Addy, as has the community. Addy has also put up recycling receptacles in The Center and spoken to children in the Beyond The Classroom afterschool program. That same year Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria participated in Mini Reef installations at the Bradenton Beach Pier and AMI Historical Society docks.
In 2021, the Center continued growing its initiative in a newly designated lab space. Grants are awarded to the Center to support the initiative from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Manatee Community Foundation, the AMI Chamber of Commerce and private donors. The initiative also partnered with the Blue Waters Coalition, an organization that includes citizen-science groups from the Siesta Key Association and the city of Venice. The Center coordinates visits from these groups and schedules them on data gathering outings and training sessions with the support of Eckerd College’s marine science program, its students and teacher Dr. Jorge Angulo.
Each group has installed Mini Reefs and is developing data gathering with the same data points and methods for future collaboration between sites in a group study to be developed in 2022-23. The Center has events planned between Nov. 21 and Jan. 14 that have members of the community engaged in supporting their environment such as:
Citizen-science participation in Bimini Bay Initiative
Center beach cleanups on the first Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. Volunteers gather at the Center.
A community scavenger hunt
Holiday turtle painting decoration
The Center has an ambitious plan for the future and has programs for all Island residents. Stay tuned for more environmentally focused advocacy, and join the initiative at www.centerami.org.
Championship game energy filled the air at The Center last week as the adult basketball and youth soccer leagues came to an end with the final games of the season. Three games, three champions.
Last Monday night. the action started with hardcourt play as top-ranked Moss Builders faced the number two team, Paddy Wagon. Both teams came into the game with a 5-1 record, but it was clear from the start that the Moss Builders’ squad would have to play their best basketball to win.
With less than two minutes left in the first half play, Paddy Wagon had a 13-point lead with the score 28-15. Missed free throws and missed opportunities kept the Moss team from closing the gap before the first buzzer sounded.
Starting the last half of play down by 11, Moss Builders started on defense only to have Jeremi King tip in a basket for the team’s 30th point. King took the basketball away from Jordan DeMers for a layup, increasing his teams lead to 15 points.
DeMers found his groove at the free-throw line for Moss Builders making both baskets, taking the score to 32-19.
Missed free throws by Ryan Moss and another basket by King gave Paddy Wagon 34 points, but the Moss Builders team would not quit. A layup by DeMers and three-pointer by King advanced the score to 37-22.
Jay Terry added two points to the Paddy Wagon score, followed by another basket by King to give the team a 19-point lead. The increasing deficit forced Moss Builders to call a timeout to regroup with 15 minutes left in the game.
Taking the court after the huddle, Zack Long scored a much-needed Moss Builder’s basket under the net after a Jon Moss pass.
Shutting out their opponent, Miz & Hiz Biz won the championship game to close out the season for the 11- to 14-year-old league at The Center. Pictured from left are William Pakbaz, Jackson Pakbaz, Stephen Wilson, Ava Harlan, Liam Nunez, Chad Nunez, Konnor Oelfke, Cecelia Kroth and Coach Emily Nunez. – Monica Simpson | Sun
Down by 17 and with new-found energy, Moss Builders played to win. After being fouled by Long, King went to the line, but missed all three shots.
Moments later, J.B. Shuck found himself on the free-throw line for Moss Builders, making the first two baskets and missing the last; the score was 41-26.
Paddy Wagon’s Thomas Gish answered back with a 3-pointer. Teammate Trey Yarn made a goal, giving his team a 20-point lead.
With the score 46-26, Long finally put the basketball in the hoop after several attempts. Moss Builders’ Karri Stephens made a nice layup, giving his team their 30th point in the game.
After two Paddy Wagon baskets, Luca Vecchio was called for reaching against the Moss ball handler, putting DeMers on the line with 7:05 on the scoreboard clock. DeMers’ miss left the score at 50-30.
Long hit a three and DeMers made two much-needed free-throws, narrowing Paddy Wagon’s lead to 50-35, with a little more than five minutes left in the championship game.
Yarn’s successful three-point shot and missed three-pointer by DeMers left the score at 53-35.
In the game-ending shootout, 8- to 10-year-old league champions Moss Builders won it all at The Center. Pictured from left are Oliver Barr, Asher Patel, Assistant Coach Michael Bolognone, Landon Sinphay, Miles Moss, MaryTess Bolognone, Assistant Coach Ed Moss, Oliver Morrison-Tirpak, Mason Moss, Coach Ryan Moss and Callin Westfall. – Monica Simpson | Sun
Despite a foul by J. Moss, Terry could not capitalize at the free-throw line, missing both shots. Terry’s second shot was rebounded by James Roadman who inadvertently put the ball in the Paddy Wagon basket, giving the opponent two points.
Terry’s follow-up layup and missed free throw by Stephens lead to the three-pointer by Long, ending the scoring at 57-38. Paddy Wagon handily won the big game by 19 points, giving them the title of champions in the adult basketball league.
Tuesday night’s play started with youth soccer action in the 8- to 10-year-old league. After one half of action, the score was 0-0. Freekicks after penalties put points on the scoreboard for each team.
Moss Builders and Solid Rock Construction took it to the last second of regulation play with the score 1-1. Goals by Solid Rock’s Nixon Conner and Moss Builders Mason Moss, put the game into overtime.
Solid Rock’s Isaac Roadman is credited with four saves in the big game, while goalkeeper Asher Patel helped his team in the win with two critical stops for Moss Builders.
After three additional minutes of scoreless play, both teams put their best players on the line for a shootout. Moss’ final goal in post-regulation play was the winning goal, giving his team the championship title.
Closing out the playoff action for the week, Miz & Hiz Biz blew out the Blalock Walters team in the 11- to 14-year-old league, earning the team win and the championship. All four goals for the Miz & Biz squad came off the foot of Jackson Pakbaz.
Keeping the game scoreless for Blalock Walters was the defense of Miz & Hiz and the goalie talents of Konnor Oelfke. In the other goal, Mason Moss and Cale Rudacille had two and three saves, respectively.
Another exciting season of adult basketball and youth soccer came to an end last week, making adult co-ed soccer the main attraction going into the holiday season. Can the undefeated Sato Real Estate crew take it all again? Will the Sandbar team find its first win?
Halfway through the season, and playoffs in sight, the Paul “Ace” Hayward cup and championship is anyone’s to claim.
ANNA MARIA – Dramatic finishes and two shootouts later, the youth recreational soccer league solidified the two championship game matchups last Tuesday night at The Center.
Right out of the shoot, it came down to a shootout after finishing in a tie with the expiration of regulation time in the matchup between Moss Builders and Beach Bums. Vying for the first spot in the big game, Moss Builders came out shooting, keeping Beach Bums keeper, Kason Davis, very busy. Davis finished the game with 12 recorded saves in the game.
Dylan Sato, of Beach Bums, scored the solo goal of the game. On the other side of the field, Callin Westfall put in Moss Builders’ lone goal in regulation play.
Finding the net when it really counted, Mason Moss scored the winning goal for Moss Builders. Asher Patel protected the net to help ensure the victory with two saves for his team.
In the final playoff game of the night for the 8- to 10-year-old league, Solid Rock Construction struck hard against The Gitt Team goalkeepers Braelyn Curtis with four saves and Adelaide McGraw with a single.
Gitt’s Colin Bankert had the lone goal for his team, while the solid foot of Nixon Conner scored all five points for Solid Rock. Helping to capture the win, Isaac Roadman stopped four of The Gitt Team’s shots. Teammate Andre Hardwood made two critical stops.
Solid Rock moved on to the championship game to play against Moss Builders in the youngest competitive recreational league on the Island.
Both of the 6:45 p.m. games ended in nail-biting shootouts. On the big field in the 11- to 14-year-old league, the Blalock Walters team came out on top over HSH in the first semifinal game for the Island area’s older youth.
Scoring for HSH was veteran player Frankie Coleman with a single goal in the game. Jack Zaccagnino made five big stops in the game to help keep his team in the game, despite the loss.
During regulation play, Andrew Graham scored the goal for Blalock Walters. During the shootout, Graham put the soccer ball past the goalie along with teammate Mason Moss, who played in both age group leagues.
Cale Rudacille made two important stops for Blalock Walters to help put his team in the final game of the season.
Jackson Pakbaz lit up the field with five goals and one assist in Miz & Hiz Biz’s big win against Anna Maria Island Wines. In addition to Pakbaz’s points, Cecelia Kroth scored two against goalie Cyrus Ryan in the 7-2 win.
Ryan stopped the score five times in the game against the hot shots of Miz & Hiz. Up front for his team, Victor Albrecht and Briahna Robertson both scored against Konnor Oelfke. Oelfke made three great stops of his own helping the team secure the final place in the league’s championship game.
Miz & Hiz Biz and Blalock Walters made their place in the stat books in the season’s finale.
Sun Scoreboard
Monday, Oct. 18 – Round 2 Playoffs – Semifinals
Adult Co-Ed Basketball
Paddy Wagon 57
Beach Bums 52
Moss Builders 42
Solid Rock Construction 39
Tuesday, Oct. 19
Youth Soccer
8- to 10-Year-Old League – Semifinal Playoff Games
ANNA MARIA – The Center of Anna Maria Island recreational sports filled the field with youth and adult soccer spirit and adult basketball hoopla last week. As the youth soccer season and adult basketball seasons quickly come to an end in the coming weeks, adult soccer season is taking off with the second week of play.
In the first round of basketball playoffs, Moss Builders, the top-seeded team ending the regular season, joined by Paddy Wagon, Solid Rock Construction and Beach Bums, advanced to the next week of play. Hitting the hard court this past Monday night, Paddy Wagon went up against Beach Bums and Solid Rock Construction faced Moss Builders.
After six weeks of regular season play, Moss Builders’ J.B. Shuck was the team’s top scorer and finished ninth in the league with 67 points. For Solid Rock Construction, Dom Otteni and J.J. Friszman, scored 94 and 78 points, ranking second and fifth in the league for scoring, respectively.
Andy Shown, for Paddy Wagon, had 82 points in the regular season, placing him at the number four spot in points scored. Beach Bums’ Austin Young topped the scoring charts with 105 points, while teammate Carlton Bennett scored 74 points of his own, putting him in the sixth top scoring position in the community center league.
Each of the semifinal teams is looking toward the basketball championship game scheduled for Monday, Oct. 25.
The youth soccer league’s championship games are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 26. Getting one step closer to the big game, Miz & Hiz Biz’s Cecelia Kroth scored three goals in last Tuesday’s game against Blalock Walters. Teammates Jackson Pakbaz and Stephen Wilson a total of three goals get the important win.
Moss Builders’ Mason Moss and Callin Westfall both scored two goals to give their team a 4-1 victory against Solid Rock Construction, as both teams had a bye week. Nixon Conner scored the lone goal for Solid Rock.
In the game that was won by The Gitt Team in a shootout, Colin Bankert scored the single goal for the winning team. Tomas Bartos had a solo goal for Shady Lady, giving the team an opportunity for the win. The Gitt Team’s win can be credited to Matthew Winsper and Bankert, each getting one past the Shady Lady goalkeeper for the win.
The last game Tuesday night was a close one pairing Beach Bums and Tidy MD with the final score of 4-3 and Beach Bums the winners. The Sato brothers, Brandon and Dylan, did all the scoring for the squad. Jesse Zaccagnino had two goals for Tidy MD, along with a single by Kirra Quinby.
In week two of adult co-ed soccer play, Slim’s Place dominated the scoring against Emily Moss Designs in an 8-2 win. Scoring for Slim’s Place was spread throughout the roster, with singles by Tyler Brewer, Kali Richardson and Connor Bystrom. Jessica Williams put in two shots, while teammate Race Arande had a hat trick.
On the other side of the field, Connor Haughey and Ed Moss each had a goal in the game for Emily Moss Designs.
With three points in the statistic books, Daniel Hampton helped The Gitt Team win against Sandbar. Brent Laudicina, returning to the league after a long stint away, scored one of two points for the team. Tim Holly had the other goal to help keep his team in the game, despite the loss.
Josh Sato and the Sato Real Estate squad showed once again why they are dominant both on paper and on the field. Two of the Sato Real Estate players, Ryan Hogan and Danny Anderson had three goals in the game, with a single by Hugo Santos.
The Servis First Bank team fought hard to stay in it, but the lone goal by Ugur Durmaz just was not enough to overcome the seven goals by their opponents.
In the final game of the week, Blalock Walters beat Beach Bums by two goals, keeping them undefeated. With only a single goal for Beach Bums in the game, the three goals by Chris Scott, Matt Staggs and Kaan Erdem were enough for the win.
Soccer and basketball action continues next week with championship games and more adult soccer.
ANNA MARIA – Two weeks into fall, Thursday nights came alive once again for another adult co-ed soccer season at The Center. In an updated shade of purple jersey, the familiar face of team Sato Real Estate, Josh Sato, took to the field with brother Ben.
To look at the Sato Real Estate roster on paper, the team appeared to be solid with some unfamiliar names. Watching the 10-man squad on the field, even without powerhouse Will Kretzmann, it is clear Sato Real Estate is the team to beat.
Sato Real Estate easily beat the Sandbar team on the hottest day of the week. To their credit, Sandbar played with nobody on the bench.
Starting the scoring in the first game of the season was Shawn Markham for Sato Real Estate.
Keeping goalkeeper Steve Oelfke busy all night, the Sato offense made shots against Sandbar defenders or had wide-open shots. At the five-minute mark, Oelfke made a great stop, keeping the score at 1-0.
The game continued with great action on both sides of midfield despite no goals by either team. With 11 minutes on the clock for the first half of play, Hugo Santos connected with the soccer ball for Sato Real Estate’s second goal.
Up by two points and less than six minutes later, J. Sato was left alone with a direct shot to the goal. The near-guaranteed goal put the score to 3-0.
Once again joining the Sato Real Estate team, Amy Ivin was just getting warmed up when her shot hit the far post, only to be followed up by teammate Greg Ross, whose shot hit the same post.
Not to be denied too long, Sato Real Estate’s Thomas Mangotic scored the fourth goal for his team and of the night.
Returning to the Island’s recreational league, Sandbar’s Teddy Louloudes scored the team’s first goal with authority. After several changes of possession, the game went into halftime with the score 4-1. Just a couple of minutes into the second half, Sandbar’s keeper made another impressive stop. Ivin quickly took advantage following with a goal.
Four points ahead, the Sandbar team did not give up. The tired but determined team worked hard, as the heat and no substitute players started to take a toll.
Trying to keep the team in the game, Tim Holly scored Sandbar’s second goal with nine minutes left on the clock, advancing the score to 5-2.
Santos found himself in scoring position, with Oelfke on the ground, giving Sato Real Estate a four-point lead. Oelfke ended the game with 13 saves in the game.
With one minute left on the scoreboard clock, Sato Real Estate put the final nail in the game, pushing the final score to 7-2.
BRADENTON BEACH – The Annie Silver Community Center board met last week for the first time since Oct. 19, 2020, when COVID-19 put a stop to board meetings.
The Sept. 27 meeting would be the last with Linda Yarger as president. Yarger decided to step down, making her official last day Sept. 30. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss who may want to take over as president of the center, a 501(c)3 non-profit overseen by a board consisting of a president (currently vacant), vice-president (Jim Hassett), treasurer (Dianne Coates) and secretary (Judy Pruitt). Although the center is in need of a new president as soon as possible, since no willing candidate was in attendance, a vote was delayed until at least the next board meeting, which will take place Monday, Nov. 15.
Kaye Bell, Peg Miller and members of Senior Adventures were also on hand to discuss upcoming outings for the group. Annie Silver Community Center works directly with The Center of Anna Maria Island, which provides vans and drivers to assist in getting Senior Adventures members to and from activities. The relationship between the two centers is made possible in large part due to the work of Christopher Culhane, executive director of The Center.
“They’ve gone on trips up to Tampa, Sarasota and Siesta Key; they do a lot of really great stuff,” said Culhane, speaking of Senior Adventures. “Whatever we can do to help facilitate senior programming, we’re here.”
Annie Silver Community Center has served the Bradenton Beach community for more than 65 years and is named for its founder, Annie Silver, whose life and accomplishments adorn the walls of the center in honor of her many contributions to the Island and its residents.
The center can be rented out for just about any event free of charge, although a charitable donation is requested to offset operating costs. Wedding receptions, youth activities and a meeting spot for the AMI Privateers are common at the center.
Island residents will also be happy to hear that bingo will be returning to the center in mid-January. Bingo is not only a favorite pastime in Bradenton Beach, but it is the primary source of income for Annie Silver Community Center. Due to COVID-19, there hasn’t been any bingo for more than a year. More details on exact dates and times will be determined at future meetings.
