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High School: Lakewood Ranch Loses Chance for State Championship… But Still Ends Up #1 in the Nation

The Lakewood Ranch High softball team of Bradenton, Florida was #1 going into the season and won eight games convincingly before the year ended.

This shoulda/coulda been the year for Lakewood Ranch High of Bradenton, Florida to win it all on the softball fields.

After losing deep in the Florida high school playoffs in 2019 to Winter Springs High, the #1 team in the final Extra Elite Eighty High School Rankings last year, the Mustangs were ready to make 2020 a championship season.

Entering this spring, all the pieces were in place.

T.J. Goelz and the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs won 38 of their last 39 games.

Few high school teams had the talent and experience that Head Coach T.J. Goelz could roll out each game as Lakewood Ranch had 10 signed seniors with nine of them going DI and five going to Power 5 colleges.

The pitching staff featured a trio of 2020’s that made it one of the best in the nation with Claire Davidson (Duke signee), Payton Kinney (UConn) and Brooklyn Lucero (North Carolina State) going a combined 25-1 in 2019. The offense and defense were similarly deep, led by Avery Goelz (Florida) at first base, Kali Reis (Florida) at shortstop, Taylor Woodring (East Carolina) in the outfield and McKenzie “Pie” Clark (Clemson) behind the plate.

Davidson and Goelz were Extra Inning Softball 1st Team All-Americans last year and, amazingly, the team had 10 players across all grad years who weren’t just All-State honorees, they were multi-year All-State honorees.

Click HERE for a more detailed preseason scouting report on Lakewood Ranch

The Mustangs had won 38 of its last 39 games and had the unique aspect of most of the players also competing for the elite Tampa Mustangs 18U team, also coached by Goelz. Seven members of the high school team had played together on the same high school and travel teams and three times finished in the Top 5 at PGF Nationals including a 3rd place at 18U Premier in 2019.

Senior third baseman Emily Anthony, who was injured last year, gets a warm reception after a home run in a win this spring. Photo: @LakewoodRanchSB.

With proven chemistry and cohesiveness, Lakewood Ranch roared out of the gate when the 2020 season in February piling up eight wins, five of them shutouts, and outscoring opponents 83 to 4. As Coach Goelz said in the preseason, “I expect this team to have the highest offensive output ever at Lakewood Ranch and possibly the state.”

He also stated a goal that would prophetically end up being true, although not in the way anyone expected.

“Quite simply, we have to win one more game,” the coach told Extra Inning Softball in January. “We won’t be focused on being undefeated, we will be focused on winning one more game than we did last year … the last one. If we do what we have been doing the last three years, and then use all that experience and hunger for a championship as a team, we will be very, very happy at the end of the season. A state and national title is our goal.”

Winning the final game did happen, but on Monday—when the FHSAA confirmed the season was officially cancelled—the chances for the state and national accomplishments vanished.

One bright spot for Lakewood Ranch High: in the last regular season rankings that came out on March 20, the Florida high school team was #1 and when the final 2020 Extra Elite Eighty High School rankings come out next week, they will be crowned the #1 team.

But, as Coach Goelz freely admits, it’s not the way he hoped it would be.

Avery Goelz was going for her fourth straight All-State season in 2020.

“This has been heartbreaking, gut wrenching and all of the feelings you can imagine,” he begins. “I have worked with many of these players since they were 8-years-old and we talked for years about having an incredible team in high school and we sure did.  Watching them grow up and become confident young ladies who played the game the right way and were good friends and teammates to each other has been incredibly rewarding and that is what I try to focus on.”

“But it’s tough, because this was a special year,” Goelz admits. “The players have broken every team and individual  record at this school and they have been ranked #1 in the country the better part of the past two years and all of this year. We are honored for that recognition and attention.”

Assistant Coach Liz Goelz, T.J.’s wife and mom to Avery, adds: “This really hurts. I feel for all our girls and it’s tough to put into words what it feels like. No one has been through anything like this so providing comfort, understanding and a shoulder (through Zoom) is what we are doing.  We really had a special year planned for this team on the field and off, but so many opportunities for memories were taken away.”

“That, as a mom of a senior and as a coach for all these seniors, makes me tear up just thinking about it.  We are still going to try and do something for them, we’re still working on a plan—T.J. is always working on a plan—but my heart goes out to all of our players, especially the seniors and their families, who deserved better.“

Claire Davidson was the Florida 8A Pitcher of the Year in 2019.

“The season ending this way is heartbreaking,” agrees senior pitcher/infielder Claire Davidson, “because it still feels like we have unfinished business that we now won’t get a chance to finish. It has made me a lot more appreciative about what I have and I am trying to make the most of every situation because you never know when things can change or end.”

With the finality of the premature ending of the season settling in, the Mustang coaches and players are looking forward to the future while appreciating the past.

“I have been managing by trying to look forward to the summer season and college in a few months to keep me focused and motivated throughout this weird time.” Davidson adds.

Fellow senior teammate Avery Goelz agrees: “While this hurts inside really bad, all I can do is remember the good times and hope for things to get better. I am so thankful for everyone that supported me throughout the years and all the memories we have made. I know the underclassmen are going to continue to keep the Mustang softball program at a high standard because hard work and 100 percent effort has been burned into our souls.”

It’s a bittersweet ending for the team’s head coach, for sure, especially as the dad of his star All-American senior infielder, Avery, who will join older sister, Kinsey, who is currently at Florida playing for the Gators.

“Being able to coach Avery in high school was an unexpected blessing,” Coach T.J says. “She has handled it beyond my expectations and put together four—or more accurately three and a third—amazing years.  I will surely miss having that super clutch anchor in our lineup, her ability to save plays at first base and her team leadership on and off the field.”

Avery Goelz is joined at home plate after hitting a home run in 2019.

“I will miss our father/daughter salute to each other on her home runs as she approaches third base and I will miss seeing her at the fields every day.  She has lots of great softball in front of her and a great future as well.  But man, I’m going to miss what we’ve been able to do together for four years.  With Liz being a big part of it all as well, it surely has been a huge part of our family’s life.”

Looking ahead, the cupboard is not bare for Lakewood Ranch High’s softball program; Goelz says that in any given game this season the Mustangs had four to five underclassmen starting on the field.

“We have some special talent that should be able to carry on the tradition this amazing 2020 class set the standard for,” Goelz says confidently.

Reflecting on the recently ended season, he admits he is proud of what his team was able to do despite the circumstances outside their control.

“I told the players that while our season was cut short, we did accomplish two of our goals: we got a win in our last game of the season and we were ranked #1 in the country at the end. Mission accomplished.”

Although the Mustangs only played eight games, they started–and finished–2020 #1 in the Extra Elite Eighty High School Rankings.

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