Semifinal action in the youth soccer league at the Center of Anna Maria Island took place Oct. 19 in two age divisions.
The 11-14 division saw Blalock Walters and HSH Designs battle to a 1-1 tie in regulation before Blalock Walters prevailed 2-0 in a penalty-kick shootout.
Frankie Coleman notched the lone goal in regulation for HSH Designs, while Andrew Graham scored for Blalock Walters. Graham and Mason Moss both converted on their spot kicks to provide the winning margin for Blalock Walters.
The second 11-14 division semifinal saw Miz & Hiz Biz cruise to a 7-2 victory over Anna Maria Island Wines behind five goals and an assist from Jackson Pakbaz. Cecelia Kroth added a pair of goals and Konnor Oelfke helped preserve the victory with three saves.
Victor Albrecht and Briahna Robertson each scored a goal to lead AMI Wines, which also received five saves from Cyrus Ryan in the loss.
The first 8-10 division semifinal saw Moss Builders and Beach Bums battle to a 1-1 tie through regulation time, with Moss Builders prevailing in the penalty-kick shootout.
Dylan Sato scored for Beach Bums, while Callin Westfall notched a goal for Moss Builders. Beach Bums goalie Kason Davis made 12 saves to keep Beach Bums in the game.
In the shootout, Mason Moss converted his spot kick, taking the victory for Moss Builders along with a spot in the finals.
The second 8-10 semifinal saw Solid Rock Construction cruise to a 5-1 victory over the Gitt Team, thanks to five goals from Nixon Conner and a combined six saves from Isaac Roadman and Andre Harwood.
Colin Bankert notched the lone goal for Gitt while Braelyn Curtis made four saves in the loss.
The league championship matches are set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, for the 8-10 division and 7 p.m. for the 11-14 division.
Finalists set in adult basketball league
And then there were two — two teams remain in the adult basketball league at the center. Semifinal games were played Oct. 18, starting with No. 2 seed Paddy Wagon advancing to the finals with a 57-52 victory over No. 3 Beach Bums behind 22 points from Thomas Gish and 18 points from Jay Terry.
Carlton Bennett scored 18 points for Beach Bums, which also received 13 points from Skylar Pensyl in the loss.
The second semifinal game saw No. 1 Moss Builders topple No. 4 Solid Rock Construction 42-39 behind 17 points from JB Shuck and 6 points from Zack Long.
Ryan Mulcahy scored 13 points to lead Solid Rock, which also received 11 points from JJ Friszman.
The championship game is set for Oct. 25 after press time for The Islander, followed by the league all-star game.
Key Royale golf news
Twenty-eight Key Royale Club members traveled to Crystal River Oct. 18-20 for two golf days at the Plantation Inn & Golf Resort. The first day, they played a modified-Stableford system match that saw the team of Dale Hudson, Art McMillan, Larry Pippel and Dave Richardson tie for first place with Mike Cusato, Jim Lathrop, Hoyt Miller and Quentin Talbert on matching scores of plus-9.
The second day, the islanders played a scramble on the Plantation course that saw the team of Herb Clauhs, Dale Hudson, Dave Richardson and Jeff Ropar tie for first place with the team of Mike Cusato, Ron Huibers, Quentin Talbert and Steve Vasbinder on a score of 7-under-par 65.
The evenings were spent in a game room at the resort with a bourbon tasting and other libations and various card games.
And, as happens, details were omitted because what happens in Crystal River stays in Crystal River.
Regular golf action at the club in Holmes Beach started Oct. 18 with the weekly modified-Stableford match. Bob O’Brien and Terry Schaefer tied for first place with scores of plus-4.
The women played a nine-hole individual-low-net match in two flights Oct. 19 at KRC.
Judy Christensen fired a 4-under-par 28 to grab first in Flight A by two strokes over Helen Pollock. Jana Samuels was another shot back in third.
Jackie Gorski’s 1-over-par 33 was good for first place in Flight B. Marilyn Niewijk and Laurie Hicks tied for second at 4-over-par 36.
The week ended with a scramble Oct. 21 at KRC that saw the team of Larry Solberg, Warren Stevens and Quentin Talbert combine on a 3-under-par 29 to earn clubhouse bragging rights for the day.
Adult soccer plays on
After three weeks of action, two teams top the standings in the adult soccer league at the center. Sato Real Estate and Slim’s Place are tied with matching 3-0 records, followed by Servis First Bank and Blalock Walters at 2-1. Emily Moss Designs and the Gitt Team follow with 1-2 records, while Sandbar and Beach Bums are still searching for a victory.
Action Oct. 21 kicked off with Servis First Bank cursing to a 9-1 victory over Beach Bums behind Ugur Durmaz’s four goals and a pair of goals from Christopher Klotz and Erica Nielson.
Robert Fellowes notched the lone goal for Beach Bums in the loss.
The second match of the night saw Sato edge the Gitts by a 3-2 score. Shawn Markham, Thomas Mangotic and Josh Sato each scored goals, while Ben Sato made six saves in the victory.
Raul Loria and Daniel Aden scored a goal each to lead the Gitts, which also received 15 combined saves from Keith Mahoney and Edd Monzon in the loss.
The night’s third match saw Slim’s Place ease past Sandbar 2-1 behind a goal each from Race Arande and Connor Bystrom. Tyler Brewer made seven saves to help preserve the victory.
Jessica Ruekberg made 10 saves to help keep Sandbar in the match.
The night’s final match saw Emily Moss Designs outscore Blalock Walters by a 5-3 margin. Lindsey Styka led Moss with four goals, while Connor Haughey added a goal and two assists. Ryan Moss made five saves to preserve the victory.
Matthew Staggs scored and had two assists to lead Blalock Walters, which also received a goal each from Chris Scott and Greg DeMeuse, while Robb Marshall made seven saves in the loss.
The action continues Oct. 28 with four more matches set for the center pitch.
Record week for horseshoes
Horseshoe action Oct. 20 at the Anna Maria City Hall pits was short and sweet as Tim Sofran and Rod Bussey posted the lone 3-0 record during pool play to win the day’s proceedings. Sofran led the way throwing nine consecutive ringers in the first game to tie the island group’s record, held by Bob Palmer, who set the mark in 2015 and 2018.
Four teams advanced to the playoffs during the Oct. 23 games with matching 2-1 pool play records. Tom Farrington walked his way to the finals with an easy 23-7 victory over Jerry Disbrow and Bob Heiger, while the team of Gene Bobeldyk and Steve Doyle cruised to a 22-3 win over Tom Skoloda. Farrington strolled to the winner’s circle with an easy 22-12 win over Bobeldyk and Doyle.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.
There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.