2013-14 Hernando Today All-County Boys Soccer Team
Springstead’s Frankie Fontan earned Player of the Year honors after pacing the county in scoring. Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO
Player of the Year
Frankie Fontan
Forward
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Tallied a goal as a freshman in 2010-11. . Improved to five goals and three assists as a sophomore . In a stellar junior campaign, Fontan missed a rare Triple Crown in scoring by one goal. He finished second in the local circuit in goals scored (18), tied for first in assists (13) with teammate Harry Bennett, and led all Hernando County booters with 49 points . In 2013-14, Fontan helped guide the Eagles to their 25th Hernando County championship since 1982-83 behind a perfect 8-0-0 county run . Fontan rewrote the Eagle record book with a school-record 41 goals scored and 104 total points . His 22 assists broke Devin Shaw’s previous school standard of 20 (2003-04) until teammate Harry Bennett concluded the season with 25.
QUOTES: “When you have that kind of rare combination of determination and drive – you’ll get a player like Frankie. . As a coach, when you have a guy who has a nose for the goal and is extremely gifted, then you use him as best you can. The kid can put the ball on frame. Without a guy like Frankie, we would have to go to a more possession-type approach. . His biggest asset was his ability to draw 2-3 defenders to him. And the kid wasn’t selfish, he’d get the ball to his teammates for the best shot, otherwise he’d go 1 v.1. . Another thing I enjoyed about Frankie was there was never any backtalk. . We’re going to miss how he opened up the field for everyone else and obviously his goal-scoring ability will be missed. If I had to sum him up, Frankie Fontan was a 100 percent team player.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
“First and foremost, Frankie is a respectable young man. He combines tremendous athletic ability with a good work ethic. That combination hoisted the Springstead team on his back. He’s extremely talented and put up some incredible numbers this year.”
– Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald
“Frankie is a great player. He’s super-fast and finishes his chances. He and Harry (Bennett) complemented each other real well. You could tell those two have played together for years. What Frankie and Harry displayed is something coaches can’t teach – there was great chemistry there.”
– Hernando head coach Andy Suarez
“In a word, Frankie was relentless. The last thing I wanted to see was him getting to the final third of the field with the ball at his feet. He and Bennett were so dangerous.”
– Weeki Wachee head coach Shane Tarbox
Andrew Jensen
Forward
Weeki Wachee – Senior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Tallied four goals and five assists in 2011-12 . Finished sixth in the county in scoring with 28 points in 2012-13 . Paced the defensive-minded Hornets with a school-record 13 goals in 2012-13 . Was the team’s catalyst as a senior before suffering a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in December . Led the Hornets in goals scored (12) and points scored (29), and finished second in assists (five).
QUOTES: “Andrew was a great leader, who possessed great character. Unfortunately, his senior year didn’t end up like he wanted due to injury. . He’s one of those kids that whatever we needed to do, he’d do. He helped me deliver the message that things were going to change after that first season. The mark of a great leader is when he was still on crutches he’d be cheering on his teammates from the sidelines. He was there to support them.”
– Weeki Wachee head coach Shane Tarbox
Leonardo Arvedi
Forward
Hernando Christian Academy – Senior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . In 2012-13, tiny HCA tallied 17 goals in the season . Arvedi made a huge splash as a foreign-exchange student with the Lions behind team highs of 31 goals and 17 assists for 79 points . Arvedi finished second in the local circuit in scoring to Fontan’s 104 points, and second in goals and third in assists . Arvedi was part of the resurgence of the HCA program improving to 9-6-1.
QUOTES: “Leonardo brought a sense of vision to the program. As a coach in this sport, you look for players who can finish opportunities. . What he did best was attract other defenders to him, freeing up our other players. He really became our playmaker on the pitch. He was more or less involved with every goal we scored. . He was certainly our go-to guy.”
– HCA head coach Jeremy Crawford
Habib Garcia
Forward
Hernando – Senior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . Relocated to Brooksville too late to play soccer in 2012-13 . As a first-year striker for the Leopards this winter, he served as the primary scoring option . In all, Garcia led the Purple and Gold in goals (27), assists (15) and points scored (69) . Garcia was responsible for 48 percent, or 27 of the team’s 56 goals . His offensive prowess, especially early in the season, permitted HHS to post its first winning season (13-12-0) in 28 winters.
QUOTES: “Habib had a great first half of the season. Most of the teams didn’t know what to expect until the second time around. . As a player, Habib brought vision to the field. If he couldn’t beat a defender off the ball, he’d dish to a teammate. With him graduating it’ll create a huge void.”
– Hernando head coach Andy Suarez
Tyler Wendol
Forward
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . As a junior in 2012-13, he tallied two non-descript goals . A year later, flanked by the dynamic combination of Fontan and Bennett, the 6-foot-2 Wendol flourished with 17 goals and seven assists . Wendol, who cut his teeth on headers and winning 50/50 balls in the air, finished sixth in the local circuit in scoring.
QUOTES: “The biggest difference from last year to this year is Wendol became a player. After last year, he played club ball and brought that transition with him. . He led our team in headers and you could see him improving all season long. I think he surprised everyone on our team in just how far he’s come. . He’s a tremendous student/athlete and one of the brightest kids on our team.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Harry Bennett
Midfielder
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Tallied a goal as a freshman before posting three goals and four assists during his sophomore season . His breakout junior campaign saw him finish fourth in the scoring race with 43 points behind 15 goals and a county-best 13 assists – tying for the lead with Fontan . As a senior, Bennett finished fourth in the local circuit in scoring (67 points) with a career-best 21 goals . Bennett led the county in assists with 25 . That total eclipsed the old school record of 20 held jointly by Devin Shaw (2003-04) and Bobby Colon (2000-01) . Bennett finished third all-time in assists behind Greg Emmerman’s 45 (1999-2003) and Shaw’s 43 (2000-04).
QUOTES: “I’d describe Harry as a playmaker – he creates opportunities for others. He has an uncanny sense of where the ball needs to go to. . Has worked well with Frankie (Fontan). He just needs to get more into the 18 (scoring box). . I know he’s very proud of being the school’s assist leader. . On the field, he and Frankie worked so well together. Those two knew exactly where the other would be. Harry made up half of a dynamic duo.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Tyler Toth
Midfielder
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: Multi-sport athlete .Was named All-County in football at placekicker and played free safety for the county and district champion Eagles . First-time All-County soccer selection . Tallied three assists as a sophomore and notched one assist as a junior . This season, he served the role a center-mid conductor . Finished with one goal and three assists.
QUOTES: “Was our outside right back last year. With T.A. (Tyler Arcidiacono) out for most of the year (knee), we needed someone to orchestrate the attack – that belonged to Tyler (Toth). . He’s a very smart player, who plays extremely aggressive. . He was also very disciplined. If I asked Tyler to do something, he wouldn’t vary; he’d just do it no questions asked.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Morgan Vraspir
Midfielder
Nature Coast – Sophomore
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . As a freshman in 2012-13, Vraspir tallied six goals and five assists . This past season on a team devoid of multiple scoring options, Vraspir finished tied with frosh striker Gilbert Delgado with a team-best eight goals while chipping in nine assists.
QUOTES: “More than any other year, we were more of a team this year; not just a bunch of individuals playing soccer. . Morgan led our team in shots taken, goals scored and was second in assists. . He took a big step in confidence this year. He plays year-round and next year we’re expecting him to play more of a leadership role on the team.”
– Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald
Onno Grabowski
Midfielder
Springstead – Junior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . A foreign-exchange student from Germany who totaled six goals and 10 assists . Grabowski tied for 10th in the county in scoring . He and Wendol excelled on balls in the air . Regarded as technically sound with a European flair.
QUOTES: “Onno did a great job of complementing Harry (Bennett). . He’s a very smart player and was very tricky with his feet. . Was very creative in distributing the ball. . Unlike some guys, Onno played every through ball on the ground. Opposing players had a difficult time getting the ball away from him.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Kyle Draper
Defender
Nature Coast – Senior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Made the transition from forward to defender . Was tagged as the team’s enforcer along the back line . Scored a goal as a sophomore in 2011-12 . Finished fifth in the county in scoring as a junior behind 15 goals and five assists for 35 points . As a senior this winter, he tallied three goals and three assists.
QUOTES: “Kyle came to me halfway through the year and said he’d like to help us in the back. He’s really more of an outside back. . His biggest strength is he’s so fast and he’s one of the strongest guys on the team. . He drew Frankie (Fontan) in the district semifinal win over Springstead. Fontan didn’t score except when Draper came off the pitch for five minutes to get some water. . Kyle’s got enough ability to play at the next level. To me, he’s the total package.”
– Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald
Brandon Begeny
Defender
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . Not known as an offensive threat with two goals and four assists across three seasons of varsity action . He and teammate Jubin Thomas served as back-line anchors in front of goalie Matt McDuff.
QUOTES: “Last year, Brandon suffered an ankle injury and was a little tentative even when he returned. When he came back he wore a brace, but there was a big change in his aggressiveness. . He was extremely vocal in the back and was a good, sound fullback. He’s also versatile enough to play outside left back.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Austin Lacy
Defender
Nature Coast – Junior
COMMENTS: First-time All-County selection . Didn’t score as a freshman or a sophomore, but finished third on the team in assists in 2012-13 with seven . This past winter, Lacy paced the Sharks with a team-high 11 assists while chipping in three goals . Is looked at as the team’s quarterback on the pitch.
QUOTES: “To show you how respected Austin is, he was voted our captain this year. . Never takes plays off; will run from one end of the pitch to the other flag. . He’s arguably been our best player since he got here; never gives less than 110 percent.”
– Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald
Jubin Thomas
Defender
Springstead – Senior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Helped SHS notch a county-high seven shutouts in both 2012-13 and 2013-14 . Enabled the Eagle defense to handcuff opponents to a county-low 20 goals in 20 matches as a junior and 27 goals in 22 matches this past winter.
QUOTES: “Fabulous student/athlete. He’s real smart and is a strong player. . We played the majority of our matches (18) with three in the back because of Jubin. He has good speed and recovers really well. . We’re going to miss having a tall, rangy kid who was so crucial in clearing balls from the box and in the back.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Matt McDuff
Goalkeeper
Springstead – Junior
COMMENTS: Repeat All-County selection . Was the last line of defense for a unit that has posted 14 shutouts over the past two winters as Hernando County champions . Seasonal highlights include stringing together four consecutive bagels in December 2012 against Gainesville (2-0), NCT (3-0), Central (1-0) and Gainesville (5-0) . This winter, he notched back-to-back-to-back shutouts against Crystal River (6-0), Hudson (6-0) and Tampa Catholic (6-0).
QUOTES: “Matt did a better job this year of staying on his line. . Made a lot better decisions in coming out. . Is an emotional kid and takes everything to heart. He believes no team should score on him, but he’s learning that you have to depend on your defenders. . He’s an intense player, who wants to continue and get better.”
– Springstead head coach Warren Schmidt
Coach of the Year
Jeremy Crawford
Hernando Christian Academy – 2nd Year
COMMENTS: When Coach Crawford arrived at the tiny HCA campus, the Lions were coming off back-to-back winless seasons (a combined 0-26) . In 2011-12, the year before Crawford arrived, HCA went 0-11-0 and was blanked seven times.. In Year 1 at HCA in 2012-13, Crawford’s crew dropped its final five matches to finish 4-10 . This winter, led by an influx of foreign-exchange students, the Brooksville-based booters finished 9-6-1 . Seasonal highlights included a four-match winning skein . The Lions had eight different players score a goal en route to 82 goals (only Springstead with 95 tallied more in Hernando County) . As a result, HCA outscored its opposition by 34 goals, 82-48.
QUOTES: “Being named Coach of the Year is hard to describe. It feels great when your peers are voting for you – it’s very humbling. I think COY says more about the program, especially coming from 0-26. . When I first took the job, (Athletic Director Mike) Drummond asked me if I was sure I wanted this job. I wanted to get back into coaching and I didn’t care at what level. . All I wanted to do that first year was snap the zero (in the win column). When we beat Pepin Academy (to snap the school’s 29-match losing skein), the look on my assistant coach’s face afterward was priceless. Since then the kids have taken steps toward moving in the direct direction. The ultimate goal for us is to get back to the FHSAA playoffs.”
– Crawford
“What a turnaround at HCA. He’s got the program headed in the right direction. When he first got there, he walked into a black hole. . As far as Xs and Os, he’s more of an offensive coach and coaches to his players’ strengths.”
– Hernando head coach Andy Suarez
“Saw a lot of his results in person during the Coaches Cup at Hernando against Central. He orchestrated a great run. He’s been a great leader at HCA. He has to be resilient because the kids have all bought into what he’s selling. He’s a got a good style moving forward.”
– Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald
2013-14 Hernando Today All-County Boys Soccer Team
PLAYER SCHOOL POSITION YR
Leonardo Arvedi HCA Forward 12
Habib Garcia Hernando Forward 12
Andrew Jensen Weeki Wachee Forward 12
Harry Bennett Springstead Midfield 12
Onno Grabowski Springstead Midfield 11
Morgan Vraspir NCT Midfield 10
Tyler Wendol Springstead Forward 12
Brandon Begeny Springstead Defender 12
Kyle Draper NCT Defender 12
Jubin Thomas Springstead Defender 12
Tyler Toth Springstead Midfield 12
Austin Lacy NCT Defender 11
Matt McDuff Springstead Keeper 11
Player of the Year – Frankie Fontan, Springstead
Coach of the Year – Jeremy Crawford, Hernando Christian Academy
