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Seffner Christian Soccer Scores Big

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By JARRETT GUTHRIE, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 14, 2007

Updated: 11/12/2007 10:51 pm

SEFFNER - Players from Seffner Christian Academy's fall soccer team will readily admit its players are not the biggest, fastest or most aggressive, but all will talk about one thing they have in bulk - heart.

"We had a great season," senior captain Ben Cock said. "We had a lot of heart. We are not full of skill or huge people, so it was our heart that was a big part in getting things done."

Seffner Christian is a school of 685 students ranging from preschool to 12th grade sponsored by the First Free Will Baptist Church in Seffner. The school promotes a mixture of religious values and academics, and about 20 percent of the students also are members of the church.

"I definitely think that we were blessed this year," junior Austin Parimore said. "We had great team unity and really stepped it up."

Seffner's on-field successes included winning its third district title in four years and a trip to the state semifinals. The team lost the state championship title to Lake Worth's Trinity Christian, 1-0. The Crusaders finished the season 20-4-3 and were undefeated in district play.

Seffner Christian had 23 players with only four seniors and depended heavily on its three captains: Parimore, Cock and Mark Sentovich.

Parimore, a junior midfielder, is noticeably aggressive on the field. Action follows him, and he seems involved in every scheme of the game. As the offense of the Crusaders averaged about four goals per game this season, Parimore was one of six players with at least 10 goals. Parimore's 11 goals ranked him the third leading scorer on the team.

Cock, a senior defender, is confident and a natural speaker. He may best epitomize the values the Crusaders' players are quick to point out. He is an active part of the school's church program and leads a worship group Wednesday nights.

Sentovich is the team's most imposing player. A broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3, 230 pound player, Sentovich scored 10 goals this season but was unable to play in the state semifinal game after injuring his right knee in the team's regional final win against Community School of Naples. Sentovich said the team success was a result of its competitiveness and camaraderie.

"We definitely have a love for this game," Sentovich said. "But we also have a great love for each other.

"We love to go out and play soccer, but we really also want to go out there to make each other better."

The Crusaders statistical standout was Steven Cunningham, whose 28 goals and 21 assists led the team. Steven Bush served as the team's goalkeeper as the Crusaders played eight shutouts and allowed an average of only 1.03 goals per game.

Coach Mark Canterbury said the team's faith is a strength, but he focuses on teaching his players that faith will only take you so far.

"We are going to compete hard," Canterbury said. "If you come up against us, we are going to battle you as hard as we can."

He said his team took that competitive spirit from the regular season into the playoffs. The Crusaders' 12-0 run in regular season district play continued into the four-team district tournament, where Seffner Christian entered the tournament with a 29-3 scoring advantage against the other three teams.

The Crusaders defeated Citrus Park 4-1 in the district semifinals, led by goals from Robert Bull, Parimore, Brett Witherington and David Waldy.

Seffner Christian continued to roll in the district final, defeating Bayshore Christian School 7-0 with two goals each from Bull and Parimore.

In the regional finals, the Crusaders matched up against the Community School of Naples. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and the first overtime. With time ticking away in the second overtime, Parimore crossed the ball from the left to a waiting Steven Cunningham, who scored the winning goal before the game went to a penalty kick shootout.

According to Canterbury, what makes athletics at Seffner Christian work is the commitment and support of the people throughout the school and church.

"I think if you would add up students, faculty, parents and grandparents, there are probably 3,500 people who have a close connection to this school," Canterbury said.

Canterbury has been the soccer coach for four years and also serves as the school's business administrator. He said he is proud of the example his team shows on and off of the field.

"If I had to put into words I say, 'we make a choice to honor God in everything we do," he said.

"Whether that is athletics, fine arts, in the classroom, on field trips or whatever it might be, we want to make sure they sense there is something different about Seffner Christian."

If devotion is something Canterbury is teaching his players, it shows in their thoughts about their coach.

Canterbury "is a father to everyone on this team," Sentovich said. "He is so much more than a coach.

"Even though the coaching that he does and the coaching style he has is awesome, it's not that that we play hard for. It's because of the way he cares about us and teaches us to work hard and teaches us to be men."

Canterbury said he had to put on a smile returning to school after the state semifinal loss, but he was amazed at the resiliency of his team - its heart.

"We were not the most skilled team out there," Canterbury said. "But with our heart, our determination, I would take these guys above anyone else because they have shown me year in, year out we are not going to let you down today.

"It doesn't mean we will always win, but I knew these guys were going to give it everything they had."

Jarrett Guthrie can be reached at jarrettguthrie@yahoo.com.

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