Original Article by Bob Putnam, Tampa Bay Times
The Wildcats, behind yet another gem from Lexi Kilfoyl, become the first Pasco County softball team to win back-to-back titles.
VERO BEACH — The underclassmen on the Academy at the Lakes softball team headed back to their hotel after Tuesday’s state semifinal to take an English exam. Another exam was pushed back to Friday.
The school’s administrators made those moves to clear the schedule for Wednesday’s Class 2A state championship game. That way, the team would have plenty of time to celebrate a title that already seemed a foregone conclusion.
For the past two years, the Wildcats have dominated 2A competition. Even their most impressive accomplishments have taken on an air of inevitability.
Of course, Academy at the Lakes (19-7) is the defending state champion. Of course, the Wildcats are the overwhelming favorite to win a state title.
Should anyone be surprised? Academy at the Lakes is a softball juggernaut, a program so clearly superior at its level of competition that few opponents can muster a competitive game much less the threat of victory.
On Wednesday, the Wildcats were seeking more than another championship. They were trying to cement their legacy as one of the greatest softball dynasties in the Tampa Bay area.
Academy at the Lakes accomplished that, beating Mount Dora Christian Academy 11-0 in six innings. It was the Wildcats’ 10th run-rule win of the season.
Also, Academy at the Lakes became the first Pasco County program to ever win consecutive state titles and joined Palm Harbor University (2004-05) and Canterbury (2013-14) as the area’s only back-to-back champs.