Gulf's Florey has graduated to a more competitive level

By JOEY KNIGHT

NEW PORT RICHEY - While lauding Gulf junior standout Danielle Florey's improbable victory in last year's Class 2A-Region 3 meet, Bucs girls cross country coach Dean Lofton adds a small disclaimer.

``You've got to remember that there were some people in our conference that we didn't run against at regions,'' said Lofton, who watched Florey overtake exhausted senior teammate Melissa Dattoli down the stretch. ``Those people probably would've done well there, too.''

Among those in a different region: River Ridge's Danielle Coyle, Land O' Lakes' Dani Shimer and Wesley Chapel's Stephanie Amerman.

All had placed higher than Florey - then a sophomore - in the 2003 Sunshine Athletic Conference meet, when Lofton's lithe prodigy still essentially was learning how to race.

``We kept telling her she has more in her, she has more in her, and she was just kind of jogging along through most of the season and finishing in the upper third,'' Lofton said.

Now, Coyle and Shimer have graduated. For that matter, so has Florey - to a new level.

``She is just in phenomenal shape right now,'' Lofton said.

Indeed, timing and maturity apparently have converged to thrust Florey into the area's cross country elite.

Seasoned by another year of training, and perhaps buoyed by the departures of Coyle and Shimer, Florey appears poised to pace Lofton's deep lineup in its quest for a fifth consecutive SAC title.

Sometimes, others might do the pacing. Sophomore Nicole Berkey, one of Lofton's three returning All- SAC runners, finished six places ahead of Florey at Saturday's Red Mule 5k in Brooksville. Junior Cara Carlifore gives Gulf a solid top three.

``I think we have some good talent this year,'' said Lofton, again running with his team after spending the summer practically immobilized by a fractured vertebra sustained in an April car accident.

``We've got a couple of good newcomers out here and I think we're even going to be a little stronger than we were last year; I'm hoping anyway. My returning girls put in a good summer, and Danielle is as good a runner as we've had here in a long time.''

Though a lifelong soccer and running enthusiast, Florey never competed in a race until her freshman year, when former Bucs runner Tammy Roddenberg urged her to join the team.

``I didn't have a summer. I just started running at the beginning of the [school] year,'' Florey said. ``I mean, I've run my whole life, I just never ran cross country.''

By last season, she had progressed enough to place seventh at the conference meet and third at the ensuing 2A-District 5 meet.

She started slowly at the region meet at Tampa's Ed Radice Park, but eventually overtook the two runners who had defeated her in districts, then prevailed when Dattoli collapsed in the last 150 yards.

``I think she just peaked at the right time,'' Lofton said.

If she holds off her teammates, Florey's stiffest county competition likely will come from Amerman, the runner-up at last year's SAC meet.

Now a senior, Amerman went on to finish sixth (19:12) at the 3A state meet.

``She's in the best shape of her life,'' Wildcats coach Don Howard said.

Apparently, so is Florey.

``She's the one I'm kind of tied with,'' Florey said of Amerman. ``The races we had [last season], she was usually ahead of me. But I'm in a lot better shape now.''