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Sebring Puts Baker's Dozen On AP

CHAVIS NETS HAT TRICK; GRIMALDO HURT IN WIN; Boys: Sebring 6, Avon Park 0; GIRLS: Sebring 7, Avon Park 0

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Sebring's Buck Schroeder moves the ball in position to score while Avon Park's Larken Fisemes 14 and Shan Whites 10 move to block the attempt during Tuesday's district match.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: December 18, 2008

SEBRING - Change isn't always a good thing, but for Sebring's Efrain Chavis, it was the best of things.

The junior forward took advantage of changes in the Streaks game plan to score his first career hat trick at the varsity level and in front of the home fans at Firemen's Field, as Sebring blanked rival Avon Park 6-0 in a Class 4A-District 10 match-up on Tuesday.

"I had my girlfriend in the stands so I had to do something exciting," joked Chavis. "I fought to get open and got some great passes from my teammates that I was able to put in the goal."

Chavis' minutes have diminished this season under new head coach Tim Boulay, but the junior isn't worrying about what he can't control.

"I just make the most of the minutes I'm given and hopefully this night will get me some extra minutes down the line," Chavis said. "The main thing is that we're playing good as a team and we're enjoying playing together."

After beating Avon Park 2-0 last Thursday, Boulay felt the need to mix things up in terms of his game plan and changed to a 4-3-3 formation that allowed for a stronger defense that held the Red Devils to just seven shots-on-goal.

"I thought the changes we made added a different dimension to our team and showed that our bench is extremely dangerous," Boulay said. "We switched our formation to give Avon Park a different look and we'll probably keep changing up our game plan so teams can't get a fix on what we'll bring to field from one game to another."

The 4-3-3 formation is popular among European soccer teams including Spain and The Netherlands in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Avon Park goalie Arnaud Lewis couldn't believe the play of his team as he watched from net.

"I don't know what happened," Lewis said. "I don't know how can we go from allowing just two goals against them on Thursday, to what I'm seeing right now. We're not communicating and Sebring is always first to the ball. We have to be more aggressive if we're going to win."

Avon Park's best chance at a goal came minutes into the second half when Ryan Tracy hit a crossing shot but the shot went over the net.

Sebring junior Buck Schroeder added to his scoring total by netting two goals and an assist - both goals came two minutes of each other in the first half - to give him 10 goals on the season.

Schroeder's aggressiveness helped the Streaks get on the board midway through the first half when he scored on from 20-yards out on a direct kick and then followed that up with a breakaway goal that he placed top shelf over Avon Park's Arnaud Lewis for a quick 2-0 lead.

But Avon Park's defense keyed on Schroeder and harassed him at every turn to deny him his chance at a hat trick, but the junior deferred to the play of his teammates.

"We're really starting to click as a team and it's really exciting to watch us play," Schroeder said. "I noticed Avon Park collapsing on me when I'd get the ball, but what that did was open up scoring chances for others and we were able to make them pay for double teaming me."

Chavis became the prime recipient of Schroeder's passing, as the forward banked the pass of Lewis and followed his shot for his first goal.

After scoring his second goal less than two minutes after his initial score, Chavis received a perfect pass from Elisha Klatt and hit a one-timer of the side of his right foot to give Sebring a 5-0 lead.

Chavis could be seen pointing to the stands at his family and friends in attendance, while being met by Klatt near midfield for some much-needed congratulations.

"I've been waiting for my chance all year and am glad I was able to help our team win," Chavis said. "But it feels extra special coming against Avon Park."

Junior forward Gustavio Galvan scored the Streaks final goal midway through the second half, and Washley Jean had two assists as the Streaks improved to 7-3-2 overall and 6-3-1 in the district, while the Red Devils stayed winless on the season.

Sebring is back on the field tonight when they travel to face Hardee in a district match, while Avon Park is at Palmetto.

Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS: Sebring 7, Avon Park 0

A simple turn and a twist of fate has sophomore Amanda Grimaldo's season in jeopardy.

Grimaldo turned to avoid an Avon Park defender late in Tuesday's match and immediately fell to the grass, visibly in pain as teammates raced to her side with the coaches and trainer not far behind.

After a five-minute examination, Grimaldo was carted off the field and taken to the hospital - a scene that put a damper on Sebring's 7-0 blowout of rival Avon Park in a Class 4A-District 10 match at Firemen's Field.

Midfielder Maxime Copely stood watching as her teammate lay helpless on the ground and knew something had to be wrong.

"Amanda is as tough as they come and when she didn't get up, I knew it had to be serious," Copely said. "I just hope and pray that she'll be alright and back with her team."

Senior Lisa Pryzchocki, who earned her first hat trick of her career, saw Grimaldo on the field and it harkened her back to last year when she went down in similar fashion.

"I was there with Amanda and when she told me she felt something pop I remembered that I said the same thing," said Pryzchocki, who sat out most of last year with a knee injury. "I just pray it's nothing serious."

With the possibility of playing the rest of the season without their leading scorer, Sebring coach Casey Dixon, who was subbing for out-of-town Steve Ashley as head coach of the Streaks, says that her absence would change the entire dynamic of the team.

"It's really unfortunate that Amanda went down. Your heart kind of stops beating for a minute when something like this happens. I know our prayers are with her and you really hope for the best in these situations," Dixon said. "I think we showed tonight that we have scoring options, but Amanda really was a launching pad for the offense. She could always be counted on to ignite the offense or play goalie. Whatever we needed her to do.

"We'd have to have some other plays step up in her place and lead this team toward the playoffs."

Pryzchocki and Copely accounted for five of Sebring's seven goals and each has the ability to play defense or be an offensive scoring threat when called upon.

"I think we used Amanda as a safety net. When we needed offense, then we knew we could always go to her. If we have to go on without her, we're going to have to work twice as hard to make up for what she brings to the team," Copely said.

Grimaldo and Destiny Weiss accounted for the other two Streak goals, as Sebring dominated the match with great ball movement and crisp passes that set up countless scoring chances against the rival Devils.

Sebring is back on the field tonight when they travel to face Hardee in a district match, while Avon Park is at Palmetto.

Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com.

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