Andrew “Andy” Torgeson recently was inducted into the Manatee High School Athletic Hall of Honor with Ken Bowers, who we reported on in the Oct. 25 issue of The Islander.
Torgeson was recognized posthumously for his prodigious athletic accomplishments during an Oct. 19 induction ceremony at the Seafood Shack in Cortez.
Torgeson, who died in 2017 at age 68 after a long battle with cystic fibrosis was represented by his sister, Christine Torgeson van Zandt, along with a host of family, friends and former teammates.
Torgeson shared in his family’s athletic prowess, having seen his father Earl play 15 years in Major League Baseball. He grew up on Anna Maria Island, part of a brotherhood of baseball families that lived on the island in the late 1940s and ’50s.
As a toddler, he wore a baseball uniform and attended batting practice with his dad and, when he was older, he sat in the dugout during games with some of the best of the big leaguers.
He lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track at MHS. In football, Torgeson was the punt specialist on the All-County 1965 “Dream Team” and was named to the 1966 All-County Defensive Team.
He was the fifth person to receive the coveted Tommy Paul Award and was selected by the press corps as the outstanding senior player in a 40-13 homecoming game victory over Jefferson High. He held the record for most passing yards (335 yards) and most completed passes in a single game for 40 years. As a sophomore, he was an All-Western Conference pick in basketball and named to the All-Group 12 tourney.
He was switch-hitter for Manatee baseball but hit with more power as a lefty. He had a football scholarship to FSU but decided against football.
Instead, he went to Fort Myers Edison Junior College, where his MHS Coach, Thimlar, offered him a chance to play basketball.
Torgeson later signed with the New York Yankees minor league team and was a Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees member.
He is remembered by his MHS classmates and teammates as a great competitor and one of the best all-around athletes they had ever seen.
Congratulations to the Torgesons from The Islander.
Adult soccer wraps up regular season
Moss Builders lost out on the chance for a perfect season in the adult soccer league at the Center of Anna Maria Island but they did nail down the top seed for the playoffs, which get started Nov. 2.
Moss finished the regular season at 6-1, just ahead of 5-1-1 Gulf Drive Cafe, which landed the No. 2 spot, followed by Ross Built, Sato Real Estate, Gulfview Windows & Doors, Pool America, Sandbar Restaurant and Slim’s Place.
Action Oct. 26 kicked off with Pool America cruising to a 6-2 victory over Ross Built behind two goals each from Murat Akay and Enrique Claderas. Chris Klotz and Sam Parker each added goals and Nate Welch made six saves in goal.
Ethan Hampton and Greg Ross scored a goal each for Ross Built, which also received 11 saves from goalie Max Gazzo in the loss.
The second match of the evening saw Sato outscore Sandbar behind a hat trick from James Troxler and two goals each from Amy Ivin and James Noblett. Josh Sato and Ben Sato combined to make 10 saves in goal for the victory.
Justin Fields scored two goals and Matthew Staggs added a goal for Sandbar, which also received nine saves from Robb Marshall in the loss.
Gulfview Windows edged Slim’s Place 2-1 thanks to goals from Keith Mahoney and Jesus Martinez. Chris Culhane and Raul Loera combined on 12 saves to help close out the victory.
Stephen Adair scored the lone goal for Slim’s, which also received 16 saves from goalie Steve Oelfke in the loss.
Gulf Drive Cafe handed previously unbeaten Moss Builders its first loss of the season with a 5-1 victory over the No. 1 seed thanks to a balanced offense led by Kevin Roman’s two goals. Juan Vega, Javier Rivera and Helio Gomez each added one goal and Tuna McCracken made 10 saves in the victory.
James Roadman scored the lone goal for Moss, which also received six combined saves from Ryan Moss and Karri Stephens in the loss.
Playoffs on horizon in youth soccer
The regular season of the youth soccer league at the community center came to a close Oct. 24. The playoffs will begin Nov. 7, giving the kids a night off for Halloween.
Moss Builders held an undefeated record and No. 1 seed in the 8-10 division, giving them a bye into the second round of the playoff bracket.
Solid Rock Construction finished with a 3-3 record at No. 2 seed, just ahead of Isola Bella Italian Eatery at 2-2-2; Adrian Griffin Interiors; Le Creperie; Am I Coconuts and the Porch.
Cheesecake Cutie earned the top seed in the 11-14 division with a 5-1-2 record, well ahead of second-place finisher Solid Rock Construction at 4-4; Gitt Team at 3-4-1; and HSH Designs at 2-5-1.
Action in the 8-10 division kicked off Oct. 24 with undefeated Moss Builders taking a 3-0 victory over Solid Rock Construction. Gunnar Maize scored a pair of goals and Parker Svoboda added a goal. Miles Moss held onto the victory with six saves in goal.
Carson Long helped keep Solid Rock Construction in the game with four saves in the loss.
Beau Canup scored two goals and Kason Price came through with eight saves to lead Am I Coconuts to a 2-0 victory over Le Creperie in the second game of the night.
Henry Leibfried made two saves in goal to lead Le Creperie in the loss.
The final season 8-10 match saw Adrian Griffin Interiors outscore the Porch 4-2 behind two goals each from Phoenix Harwood and Jordy Perez, who also finished with two assists. Andre Harwood finished with seven saves in the win.
Wesley Bekkerus and Luke Willing each scored a goal for the Porch, which also received 11 saves from goalie Santiago Cantero in the loss.
Action in the 11-14s kicked off with Solid Rock Construction cruising to a 4-0 victory over HSH Designs behind a hat trick from Luke Dellinger and a goal from Turner Worth. Jack Zaccagnino finished with six saves in the shutout victory.
Cyrus Ryan helped keep HSH Designs in the game with seven saves in goal.
The last game of the evening saw Gitt Team cruise to a 4-1 victory over Cheesecake Cutie thanks to two goals from Renan Kesten and a goal each from Ryk Kesten and Callin Westfall. Austin Guess finished with four saves in the victory.
Keegan McGlade scored the lone goal for Cheesecake Cutie, which also received four saves from Thomas Holly in the loss.
Key Royale news
Golf action last week at the Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach kicked off with the men’s modified-Stableford match Oct. 23. Blake Ress and Terry Tarras both carded plus-3s to finish in a tie for first place. The trio of Ken Nagengast, Rich Salzburg and Tom Solosky were each a point back in a tie for second place.
The women played a nine-hole individual-low-net match in two flights Oct. 24. Pam Lowry took first place in Flight A with a 3-under-par 29, two strokes ahead of second-place finisher Helen Pollock. Linda Dorsey and Jana Samuels tied for third place with matching even-par 32s.
Pam Alvord’s 2-over-par 34 gave her a one-stroke victory over second-place finisher Sue Christenson. Jackie Gorski, Gloria LaDue and Terry Westby finished in a three-way tie for third place at 4-over-par 36.
KRC members played a nine-hole scramble Oct. 26 to close out the week of golf. Nelson Eagle, Ken Nagengast and Al Waal matched the 3-under-par 29 carded by Jim Bailey, Joe Coyne and Tom Solosky to finish in a tie for first place.
Horseshoe news
Horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City Hall pits got started Oct. 25 with two teams advancing to the knockout stage. Steve Doyle and Norm Good won the day’s proceedings with a 23-16 victory over Bob Rowley.
Three teams advanced from pool play at the Oct. 28 games. The lucky bye went to the team of Herb Schutt and Steve Kriebel. Bill Silver and Tom Farrington eliminated Rowley and Katrina Wilson 23-0 and then made quick work of Schutt and Kriebel, cruising to a 24-2 victory and a trip to the winner’s circle.
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.