Stetson University Homecoming 2022 is just around the corner, taking place Oct. 28-30. This year’s Homecoming is all live and not virtual as in the past two years.
Many different activities will be taking place, including Joe Gatto performing as the Homecoming comedian at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in the Edmunds Center.
There will also be the Wes Berner Homecoming Classic Golf Tournament. This will take place Friday, Oct. 28, at DeBary Country Club. All proceeds will benefit all 18 Stetson sports programs.
There will also be the induction ceremony for the 2022 Hall of Fame class, which will take place the evening of Saturday, Oct. 29. The inductees will be introduced at the Homecoming football game. The members of the 2022 Hall of Fame class are baseball player Robert Crews, Class of 2011; women’s tennis player Julie Johnson Lepre ’94; softball player Amanda Lindsey ’10; indoor and beach volleyball player Kaley Melville ’14 ’17; football player Donald Payne ’16; and women’s basketball player Jama Sharp ’15.
Of course, one of the highlights will be the Homecoming football game, which will feature the Stetson Hatters hosting Drake University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand.
“By the Ancient Sea,” another one of the Lyonia Environmental Center programs for home-schooled students, will take place 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the center, 2150 Eustace Ave. in Deltona. The program is for grades one through nine. Students must register.
For more information, call 386-789-7207, ext. 21026.
Monday, Oct. 17, is a Teacher Duty Day and Student Holiday, and it marks the end of the first grading period.
Deltona High School
The School Advisory Council at Deltona High School will have its second meeting of this school year at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the Learning Center.
West Volusia high-school football
The fourth week of the regular high-school-football season has the Deltona High School Wolves as the only undefeated team in the West Volusia area. Deltona has a 4-0 mark after defeating Port Orange Atlantic, 32-13.
During the same week, Orange City University shut out Pine Ridge of Deltona, 49-0; Pierson Taylor was stopped by Bell, 35-3; and Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian downed Deltona Trinity Christian, 47-0. All scores were presented by MaxPreps.
The Friday, Sept. 30, calendar has DeLand hosting Spruce Creek, Deltona going to Seabreeze, Pierson Taylor at Crescent City, Orange City University hosting New Smyrna Beach for Homecoming, and Deltona Trinity Christian going to Jacksonville Eagle’s View. On Thursday, Sept. 29, Pine Ridge of Deltona travels to Mainland. All games are at 7 p.m.
The upcoming week’s schedule on Friday, Oct. 7, has DeLand hosting Deltona, Pine Ridge of Deltona greeting Mount Dora, Pierson Taylor hosting Interlachen for Senior Night, Orange City University at Mainland, and Deltona Trinity Christian greeting Bronson.
West Volusia high-school cross-country
Cross-country teams from DeLand, Deltona and Orange City University recently traveled to the Hagerty Invitational in Oviedo. Nineteen boys’ teams competed, with DeLand finishing ninth, Orange City University 10th and Deltona 14th.
Corey Johnson of Orange City University had the best finish for the West Volusia boys, finishing in 12th place out of 152 runners, with a 17:10.6 clocking. Carlos Cerrud of Deltona was 21st with a 17:45.9 time. DeLand’s Diego De La Vega was 38th with a time of 18:00.7.
The Orange City University girls took 11th, with DeLand finishing 13th. Morgan Harvill of Orange City University was 13th overall with a time of 20:39.5, and DeLand’s Magdalena Schricker was 25th at 21:38.3.
Volusia County middle-school cross-country
The middle schools of Volusia County had their first cross-country race of the 2022 season. Hinson Middle of Daytona Beach won the girls’ championship with 62 points. Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts in Lake Helen was second with 93 points. DeLand Middle was third; Galaxy Middle in Deltona was sixth; DeLand’s Southwestern Middle was seventh; Deltona Middle was eighth, and Heritage Middle in Deltona was ninth. River Springs Middle in Orange City didn’t have a full team.
Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts claimed the boys’ title with 46 points, and Ormond Beach Middle was second with 76 points. Southwestern was fifth; DeLand Middle, seventh; Galaxy, eighth; River Springs, ninth; and Heritage, 10th. Deltona Middle didn’t have a full team.
The winning girls’ time was 15:35, while the winning boys’ time was 12:26. The names were not available at this writing.
The next outing for this group will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Creekside Middle School in Port Orange. Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts will host a meet Saturday, Oct. 8.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School swimmers claimed first place at the recent record-breaking invitational at the Port Orange Family YMCA. This meet attracted teams from all over Central Florida. The DeLand High School girl swimmers also defeated Flagler Palm Coast, handing them their first dual-meet loss in three years.
The DeLand Lady Bulldog volleyball team ran into very tough teams, as they were stopped by Orlando Timber Creek, 3-0 (20-25, 17- 25, 15-25), and Winter Park stopped the Lady Bulldogs, 3-1 (14-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-13).
The Lady Bulldog volleyball team will compete in the Spruce Creek Pink Blast Tournament at the DME Sports Complex on Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1.
The DeLand girls’ golf team competes at Oviedo at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, and the bowling team plays at Orange City University at 3:45 p.m. that same day.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the DeLand High swimmers host Orange City University at 4 p.m., and the DeLand boys’ golf team greets Orange City University and Deltona at 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 5, places the DeLand bowling team at home against Atlantic at 3:45 p.m., the DeLand girls’ golf team greeting Mainland at 4 p.m., and DeLand’s freshman/ sophomore cross-country runners competing against Matanzas at 4 p.m. in the Volusia/Flagler Freshman/ Sophomore Championships.
On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Bulldog golf team plays host to Mainland and Oviedo at 4:30 p.m., the DeLand volleyball team greets Orange City University at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the DeLand junior-varsity football team competes against Flagler Palm Coast at 6 p.m.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University Hatter men’s golf team recently broke the school record for lowest team score over 54 holes of play. At the Allstate Streamsong Invitational, played in Bowling Green, Florida, the Hatters shot a 34 under par of 830. The old record was 841. The Hatters finished fifth overall, out of 13 teams competing. The Hatter players setting the record were Javier Calles, Matt Gauntlett, Cameron Henry, Mason Quagliata and John Houchin.
The Stetson women’s soccer team tied Liberty, 1-1, and defeated Queens, 2-1. The Lady Hatters getting goals were Kyleigh Thelen, Maggie Struble and Lea Alexander.
The Stetson men’s soccer team stopped North Florida, 2-0, with Gio Rodriguez getting both goals.
After two victories this season, the Hatter football team lost, 39-14, to Ivy League Champ Princeton.
The Lady Hatter volleyball team went, 1-2, at the USF Bulls Invitational Tournament. The Lady Hatters defeated Cornell, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-20); and South Florida stopped them, 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 25- 22, 18-25, 8-15), as did South Dakota, 3-0 (12-25, 20-25, 19-25).
The home sports calendar for Stetson has the volleyball team hosting Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and the women’s soccer squad greeting Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the Stetson men’s soccer team plays host to Georgia Southern at 7 p.m.
On Friday, Oct. 7, the Stetson volleyball team faces Austin Peay at 6 p.m. in the Edmunds Center.
College honors
Kat Blazetic, of DeLand, a first-year student majoring in business administration at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, earned more than $11 million in merit scholarships. Blazetic, a graduate of DeLand High School, earned a $21,000 President’s Scholarship based on outstanding academic achievements in high school.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
