Created by MCC Journalism Students
Hustlers Strive to Overcome Poor Start Last Season
By Eric Johanning
Beeline Staff
In the 2015 season, the Boys’ Varsity Football Team finished with what most would say was a disappointing record of 5-6. That is not the case this year as the Hustler’s are off to a great start of 8-0 and are district champions. “Coach (Stacy) Sizemore has motivated us. He works us harder than any of us have ever worked before in the off-season. Being in good shape just sets us up for success,” said Shane Hopkins. The senior is the starting center for the Hustlers and is now a veteran of two seasons for the varsity squad. He said a big reason for the Hustlers’ success is the boost in offensive scoring. “Improvements on the offensive line have given Starting Quarterback Joaquin Collazo more time to throw. I also have to give credit to Coach (Jim) Ziarno’s ingenious playbook, ” said Hopkins.
Ziarno is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Hustlers. Two years ago Ziarno led the team to win the offensive scoring title in the state. The Hustlers find themselves in a similar spot halfway through the season as they are averaging a whopping 48.8 points per game. The defensive is also posting some impressive
Courtesy Photo
The Boys’ Varsity Football Team strives to improve last year’s record.
numbers by only allowing an average eight points per game.
The Hustlers’ have certainly surpassed expectations this year as they were ranked in the county second to last in the pre-season. Now the Hustlers are flying high as they moved their way up to sixth place in the county. “Well, like I said all summer, I want to see a ring on our fingers, and with the great guidance of Coach Sizemore, I can see it as long as we continue to work hard the rest of the season,” said Hopkins.
Despite all the negativity surrounding the team in the pre-season, the Hustlers are headed to the playoffs.
Members of the MCC Golf Teams Ecstatic for New Season
By Hunter Steele
Beeline Staff
As the golf season comes to an end, members of the golf teams were ecstatic to hit the links. The Boys’ Varsity Golf Team was looking forward to a season of rebuilding with the loss of five seniors, while the Girls’ Varsity Team successfully made a district run.
Boys’ Varsity captain, senior Chad Clarke, was ready to step up as a leader to help guide the younger members on the team. With the loss of five seniors last year and only three current seniors on the team, the season was considered to be a rebuilding year. Clarke, being no stranger to the game of golf, has been playing since seventh grade. Introducing him to golf, his father has been a role model for Clarke on the course. Placing second in districts last season his junior year, Clarke is looking forward to continuing a great career as a Hustler golfer.
The Lady Hustlers, on the other hand, got off to a fast start. Starting the season with nine straight wins, the girls were looking to win another district championship; their first since 2014. Led by sophomore Elise Boccabella, the girls had a strong chance at becoming the best team in MCC Girls’ Golf history. Looking to make the school’s first ever Girls Golf State appearance, the girls had strong supporting cast to make it happen, but fell short of their goal. Aspiring to make it to states, Boccabella was looking to either make it to states as an individual, or as a team. Leading the girls, Jim Kelly is the head coach. Inspiring the girls on and off the course, there is no better coach for this group of girls.
The members of the Boys and Girls golf team have been seen competing all over the county. The home course for the boys was Habitat Golf Course in Grant-Valkaria, while the home course for the girls was Crane Creek Reserve Golf Course in Melbourne. Staying close to the school, as the courses are located less than ten miles from it.
With large goals and aspirations, the boys and girls of the teams were looking forward to a school-changing season. Seeking to achieve a goal no other teams have done in school history, the players were ready to swing away at the season. Although the players fell short of their goals, both teams learned tremendous new amounts of information, which will serve them well in the oncoming seasons.
Photo By Hunter Steele
Chad Clarke (Left) and Elise Boccabella (Right) were excited for their seasons to get into full swing.
Hustler Volleyball Team Strived for Victory
By Ryan Silva
Beeline Staff
Our Lady Hustlers Volleyball Team were off to an extensively progressive amazing season, thanks to the leadership of 18-year-old Taylor Wood. The varsity team captain had many hopes and dreams regarding her team’s performance at districts this year. The senior started playing the sport when she was only 12 years of age and she has never doubted the it. Regarding the success of her team, the player said, “I think my team is not doing so successful as they should be; we need to work on our communication, energy, and we need to focus, my team and I plan on working hard at strengthening our weaknesses, and winning of course.”
“There are many responsibilities of being a team captain,” Wood said. “One of the biggest responsibilities of being the captain is getting the team warmed up for games and organizing what shirts they wear for games, the volleyball team practices about every weekday trying to reach their goal of making it to Districts.” The team successfully competed in Districts, but fell short of a win on the second game in late October.
Patrick Barrett, varsity volleyball coach, has been coaching for almost 25 years. When Barrett moved to Brevard county, he looked for a high-school that had an impressive volleyball program. After doing research on high-schools, he decided Melbourne Central Catholic was the high-school for him; he applied for the job and got it. Barrett's favorite part about coaching is seeing the young ladies mature and grow in the sport during their time with the team, and the relationships they develop.
“As far as performing, we have had some ups and downs this year, but we also have quite a few young players on the team. We have physically competed with every team we have played and with the hard work they are putting in during practice, we should be ready when the district tournament begins,” said the coach. He plans on working his players harder to make sure they are in shape mentally and physically for the district tournament this season. “The biggest area we need to improve on is consistency, Our individual skills are getting better and we are getting stronger, so it is a matter of applying what we have been working on during games.” said Barrett. “The team does multiple things to prepare themselves for games,” Barrett said. “In preparing for a game, we focus on what we need to do to have even more success this year.”
Courtesy Photo
Varsity Captain Taylor Wood serves the volleyball to the opponent.
Sophomore Runner Speeds Through High School
By Alyanna Tennant
Beeline Staff
While most people grudge at the idea of running, Anna Sutton, a 15-year-old from Indialantic, and has been running since her freshman year. Sutton, also known as “Kelly”, is currently on the cross country team at MCC. Sutton has been on the team for two years and plans on running until she graduates from high school. After Sutton graduates, she does not plan on running for a college team; however Sutton plans to continue running to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The sophomore is considering attending a small Catholic college, because she has been in the Catholic school system all her life. “In college I would like to study in the medical field and maybe become a missionary on the side,” Sutton says.
Every Saturday the cross country team participates in 5k meets, in which the team is required to run three miles in the path given. Sutton attended districts, but did not run that particular day and was attending to cheer the team on and show her support. “The love I have for my cross country team, we run and learn from each other, that's what makes us a family,” Sutton explains. The team is very supportive of each other and bonds together very well; they also help each other get better through motivation.
Before every meet, the 15-year- old does certain activity to get ready for her three mile run. Occasionally, Sutton takes the lead on telling her fellow teammates to exercise before the actual event. “I usually tell my teammates to get together and do five different stretches before we head to the starting line,” said the 15-year-old. Sutton makes sure she eats healthy and drinks enough water. Her maintenance of a healthy lifestyle ensure her success during meets and at practices. The longest run Sutton ever participated in was a five-mile during practice. Her constant effort and desire for success further fuels her passion for the sport, as she continues to make running a part of her life.
The most enjoyable run Anna faced so far was the three miles at Tallahassee. “I really liked the Tallahassee meet because my team and I spent the night in a hotel and we ran in the morning through an amazing path with an amazing view,” Sutton said. The Florida resident said there are three steps to be a great runner; “Be committed to the team, you have to want to get better, and you must be willing to be uncomfortable!” Sutton said
Photo by Alyanna Tennant
15-year-old sophomore runner Anna Sutton
Junior Leads Cross Country Team to the Finish Line
By Ben Callard
Beeline Staff
Corey Hymel has recently competed in the Cross Country meet at the University of Florida and Bayside High School, in which he placed first. “I did very well, and the team did very well at Wickham and at UF as well. It was a great experience and I thought that by running there I grew closer to my teammates as well,” said Hymel.
The dedicated runner was on the Junior Varsity Boy’s Cross Country team, but mid way through the season he was promoted to Varsity. “Hard-work really pays off, and I am very proud of my team and myself,” said Hymel. Hymel’s Personal Record for the 3 mile race is 22:04.48 and his 5 kilometer race Personal Record is 19:50.85.
The junior has been running for the Boys’ Cross Country Team since his freshman year, as Hymel originally joined the team through the encouragement of his brother. Hymel’s first run was seven miles from MCC to the Melbourne Causeway. Hymel enjoys talking about cross-country and the exercises he does to train. “A normal runners workout consists running very hard and long miles on and off the track on weekdays, I tend to run long distance miles on Mondays and Wednesdays. I plant to keep my training up to reach my goal of qualifying for the district meet,” said the junior.
Hymel and the rest of the team have had even more success since the Bayside High School and University of Florida meets. “Our training is crucial to the team and I, we work very hard to strive for excellence in training as well as the meets,” Hymel said. “There is a reason we are doing so well this year and that is because of our change in mentality. By coach’s motivation, we have won recent meets including Bayside High School and University of Florida; we have made an impression on college recruiters and local high schools that we are more than an average cross country team. Really we have to thank our coach in all honesty, he pushes us to do well and tells us to never give up and finish something you started,” stated Hymel.
By their recent success, the Cross Country team is expected to perform well in the District Meet in Titusville. The coaches and runners are looking forward to bringing home the District Championship, and they strive to continue their legacy of successfully running in renown running meets.
Photo by Ben Callard
Junior Corey Hymel is a leader in the Varsity Cross Country Team.