Wednesday, April 10 – High School Softball, Santa Fe (Alachua) at Gainesville
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Dylan O’Shea (Color) & Sammie Bogue (Videographer) for this Alachua County showdown between state-ranked teams. Gainesville won the first meeting in extra innings on February 22.
Games through April 8
Area teams in bold
ALL-CLASSIFICATION
1. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch (8A) 14-0
2. Winter Springs (8A) 18-0
3. Orange Park Oakleaf (8A) 17-1
4. Estero (7A) 17-0
5. Coral Springs Charter (5A) 11-1
6. Eustis (5A) 15-1
7. Jacksonville Mandarin (9A) 12-1
8. Bartow (8A) 17-2
9. Apopka (9A) 14-1
10. Pembroke Pines Charter (7A) 16-2-1
CLASS 9A
1. Jacksonville Mandarin 15-1
2. Apopka 14-1
3. Pembroke Pines West Broward 16-2
4. Port Orange Spruce Creek 15-3
5. Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley 14-4
6. Lake Worth Park Vista 17-2
7. Palm Beach Gardens 14-5
8. Lithia Newsome 12-3
9. Palm Harbor University 14-5
10. Palmetto 15-4
Honorable mention: Orlando Timber Creek 11-3, Tampa Alonso 8-5, Orlando Dr. Phillips 13-2, Miami Coral Reef 13-7, Orlando Olympia 12-4, Orange City University 9-7.
CLASS 8A
1. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 14-0
2. Winter Springs 18-0
3. Orange Park Oakleaf 17-1
4. Bartow 17-2
5. Tarpon Springs East Lake 17-1
6. Wellington 15-1
7. Cooper City 12-3-1
8. Lakeland George Jenkins 13-4
9. Tampa Sickles 12-3
10. Plant City 12-2
Honorable mention: Clermont East Ridge 12-5, Tampa Freedom 10-1, South Plantation 13-2, Lutz Steinbrenner 11-4, Winter Park Lake Howell 12-4, St. Cloud 13-5-1, Valrico Bloomingdale 11-3.
CLASS 7A
1. Estero 17-0
2. Pembroke Pines Charter 16-2-1
3. St. Johns Bartram Trail 15-1
4. Doral Academy 12-3
5. Fort Myers 13-3
6. Niceville 12-4
7. St. Johns Creekside 13-3
8. Gainesville 14-4
9. Land O’Lakes Sunlake 12-2
10. Stuart Martin County 9-1
Honorable mention: Melbourne 15-3, Punta Gorda Charlotte 12-4, Tampa Chamberlain 12-4, Lake City Columbia 11-5, Palm Coast Matanzas 13-2, Fort Myers Riverdale 12-4, Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 14-4.
CLASS 6A
1. Sebring 15-0
2. Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee 17-0
3. Pensacola West Florida 14-2
4. Crawfordville Wakulla 13-2
5. New Port Richey River Ridge 15-3
6. Dunnellon 13-3
7. Plantation American Heritage 10-6
8. Belleview 14-4
9. Land O’Lakes 15-2
10. Lake Wales 13-7
Honorable mention: Spring Hill Springstead 14-4, Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy 14-2-1, Crystal River 11-4, Immokalee 12-3, Tampa Robinson 12-4, Rockledge 11-5, Miami Goleman 14-1.
CLASS 5A
1. Coral Springs Charter 11-1
2. Eustis 15-1
3. Mariana 14-0-1
4. Alachua Santa Fe 15-3
5. Brooksville Hernando 17-1
6. Miami Gulliver Prep 9-3
7. Glen St. Mary Baker County 15-4
8. DeFuniak Springs Walton 12-5
9. Lakeland McKeel Academy 10-5
10. Keystone Heights 11-5
Honorable mention: Callahan West Nassau 11-7, Cocoa Beach 12-3, Pierson Taylor 10-4, Starke Bradford 12-6, Bushnell South Sumter 12-6, Key West 8-6, Cocoa 12-6.
CLASS 4A
1. West Palm Beach Oxbridge Academy 15-3
2. Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy 11-5
3. Miami Westminster Academy 13-8
4. Clearwater Calvary Christian 15-2
5. Tampa Academy of Holy Names 11-5
6. Jacksonville Episcopal 7-3
7. Montverde Academy 12-5
8. Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 12-3
9. Tavernier Coral Shores 11-1
10. Tampa Catholic 12-6
Honorable mention: Tallahassee Florida High 9-6, West Palm Beach King’s Academy 9-4, Miami Florida Christian 6-2, Panama City North Bay Haven 10-6, Baldwin 8-6.
CLASS 3A
1. Jacksonville University Christian 11-2
2. Bradenton Saint Stephen’s Episcopal 14-2
3. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 8-2
4. Orange Park St. Johns Country Day 8-3
5. Lakeland Christian 7-4
6. Windermere Prep 9-2
7. Fort Myers Southwest Florida Christian 7-3
8. Orlando Faith Christian 11-4
9. Moore Haven 9-3
10. Marathon 11-5
Honorable mention: Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter Academy 8-6, Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin 9-6, Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 13-6, Oviedo Master’s Academy 6-5, St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut 11-9.
CLASS 2A
1. Naples Seacrest Country Day 15-2-1
2. Mount Dora Christian 16-2
3. Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 11-1
4. Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes 10-5
5. St. Petersburg Canterbury 11-7
6. Homestead Colonial Christian 8-4
7. Deltona Trinity Christian 9-4
8. Sarasota Christian 7-2
9. Vero Beach Master’s Academy 7-2
10. Palatka Peniel Baptist Academy 10-4
Honorable mention: Jacksonville Eagle’s View 8-6, Brooksville Hernando Christian 6-5, Kissimmee City of Life Christian 8-6, Jacksonville Christ’s Church Academy 5-6, Belle Glade Glades Day 5-6.
CLASS 1A
1. Trenton 15-0
2. Bratt Northview 11-3
3. Bell 13-3
4. Madison County 13-4
5. Eastpoint Franklin County 14-4
6. Wewahitchka 9-5
7. Jay 11-4
8. Sneads 12-4
9. Bonifay Holmes County 14-5-1
10. Chiefland 10-5
10. Liberty County 9-3
Honorable mention: Hilliard 9-6, Bethlehem 6-2, Frostproof 8-4, Paxton 9-1, Fort Meade 11-6, Milton Central 9-4.
Oakleaf (Orange Park) & Mandarin (Jacksonville) a unanimous No. 1 & No. 2
GAINESVILLE – There was little movement in the top five of The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Nationally-ranked Oakleaf (Orange Park) remained on top of the all-classification regional rankings following an undefeated week that saw them advance to the Kissimmee Klassic championship game. However, their title game against 8A #4 Bartow was moved to April 17 at Oakleaf due to weather.
The Knights (16-1) were a unanimous No. 1. They defeated 8A #8 Cooper City, 4-2, in the semifinals and crushed St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), 11-0.
Oakleaf also defeated 7A honorable mention Lake Region (Eagle Lake) to start the tournament and they beat previous receiving votes Clay (Green Cove Springs), 10-6, to begin the week.
Mandarin received all seven 2nd-place votes. The Mustangs (15-1), whose only loss was by one run at Oakleaf in extra innings, went 3-0 last week to remain second.
Last week Bartram Trail (St. Johns) and Trenton were tied for third. This week they are about as close as you can get without being tied.
Class 7A Bartram Trail (15-1) received one more voting point this week than Trenton, 122-121, to take over sole possession of third. The Bears had wins at Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 7-0, and vs. Ponte Vedra, 6-4.
Trenton (14-0) won its only game last week, sweeping the 2-game series against previous No. 16 Bell with a 6-1 win on the road this past Friday. The Class 1A state runners-up improved to 14-0 with the victory.
Rounding out the top five once again is Gainesville. The Class 7A Hurricanes went 2-2 to finish 4th in the Blue Division at the Kissimmee Klassic.
GHS (14-4) defeated 9A honorable mention Alonso (Tampa), 5-2, in their final game of the tournament on Saturday, following a 9-2 loss to 7A #2 Pembroke Pines Charter and a 4-3 win against Lake Region on Friday.
Eustis leads off the second five.
The Panthers (15-1) gave nationally-ranked Winter Springs all they could handle in a 4-3 loss. They are followed by Santa Fe (Alachua), Baker County (Glen St. Mary), Matanzas (Palm Coast), and Spruce Creek (Port Orange) in the top 10.
Creekside (St. Johns) is the newest addition to the rankings at No. 18. The Class 7A Knights (13-3) went 5-0, including a 5-4 win against 8A #9 George Jenkins (Lakeland) in eight innings, and a win against then 4A #2 Westminster Christian (Miami), 8-5, on Saturday.
Previous No. 19 Madison County dropped out. The Class 1A Cowgirls (12-3) went 1-1 last week, falling at 8A Leon (Tallahassee), 5-4, but they are still receiving votes.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is fueled by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
The Prep Zone Power Poll – 2019 Softball Poll #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through April 6, and total voting points)
1. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (7) (16-1) – 140
2. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (9A) (15-1) – 133
3. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (15-1) – 122
4. Trenton (1A) (14-0) – 121
5. Gainesville (7A) (14-4) – 105
6. Eustis (5A) (15-1) – 101
7. Santa Fe (Alachua) (5A) (15-3) – 89
8. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (15-4) – 87
9. Matanzas (Palm Coast) (7A) (14-2) – 75
10. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (9A) (15-3) – 69
11. Hernando (Brooksville) (5A) (17-1) – 62
12. East Ridge (Clermont) (8A) (10-5) – 54
13. Dunnellon (6A) (13-3) – 48
14. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (4A) (10-5) – 39
15. Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (10-5) – 38
16. Keystone Heights (5A) (12-6) – 33
17. West Nassau (Callahan) (5A) (11-8) – 29
18. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (13-3) – 24
19T. Bell (1A) (13-3) – 23
19T. Mount Dora Christian (2A) (16-2) – 23
Also receiving votes: Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (14-4) – 18; Belleview (6A) (14-4) – 13; Madison County (1A) (12-3) – 9; University (Orange City) (9A) (10-7) – 5; Episcopal (Jacksonville) (4A) (7-3) – 3; Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (10-6) – 3; Montverde Academy (4A) (12-5) – 2; Crystal River (6A) (11-4) – 1; Deltona (7A) (10-4) – 1.
Tuesday, April 9 – “The Prep Zone” radio show broadcast from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Radio: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville and 900 AM Ocala.
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Guests for this episode include Gainesville baseball coach Chris Malphurs and members of the Hurricanes’ baseball team, which has won four games in a row.
Class 9A Spruce Creek (Port Orange) moves up to No. 1 in the regional all-classification rankings
GAINESVILLE – The stay at the top didn’t last long.
Previous No. 1 Creekside (St. Johns) lost to unranked St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine), 4-2, in eight innings, and fell from the top spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Class 7A Knights (12-2) did post wins against previous No. 20 St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park), 4-0, and RV Fleming Island (Orange Park), 10-0, and only dropped two spots to third.
But the loss opened the door for Class 9A Spruce Creek (Port Orange).
A 3-0 week, including a win against previous No. 12 Buchholz (Gainesville), enabled the Hawks (12-2) to move up one spot to No. 1.
They received five of the six first-place votes, which helped them edge the next highest ranked team in the all-classification regional rankings.
Bolles (Jacksonville), which also went 3-0, moved up one spot from third to second. The defending 5A state runners-up are now 13-2 with their two losses by a combined total of two runs to #6 Clay (Green Cove Springs) & No. 14 Mandarin (Jacksonville).
The other first-place vote belongs to No. 4 Fletcher (Neptune Beach). The Class 8A Senators (16-1) leaped four spots into the top five.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (11-6-1) remained fifth despite going 1-2-1 at the Bishop Gorman Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Clay (11-4), is followed by Bartram Trail (St. Johns), Providence (Jacksonville), Springstead (Spring Hill) and Suwannee (Live Oak) in the top 10.
Following a 3-0 week, which included two wins against previous No. 4 Sandalwood (Jacksonville), Class 9A Mandarin (Jacksonville) (11-5) moved into the rankings at No. 14.
Class 6A Paxon (Jacksonville) (11-3), which also had a 3-0 week, moves into the top 20 at No. 16.
Previous No. 17 Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) fell out of the rankings following a 6-0 loss at Ridgeview (Orange Park).
St. Johns Country Day and Ponte Vedra also dropped out, but the Spartans (9-4) and Sharks (9-6) are still receiving votes.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is fueled by Anytime Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2019 BASEBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, record through April 6, and total voting points)
1. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (9A) (5) (12-2) – 115
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (13-2) – 113
3. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (12-2) – 107
4. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (8A) (1) (16-1) – 99
5. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (4A) (11-6-1) – 91
6. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (6A) (11-4) – 89
7. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (13-2) – 88
8. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (11-6) – 83
9. Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (14-2) – 64
10. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (10-3) – 61
11. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (12-5) – 52
12. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (9A) (12-4) – 50
13. Madison County (1A) (10-3) – 47
14. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (9A) (11-5) – 45
15. Trenton (1A) (12-3) – 31
16. Paxon (Jacksonville) (6A) (11-3) – 26
17. Santa Fe (Alachua) (5A) (9-4) – 25
18. Dunnellon (6A) (11-3) – 22
19. Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) (2A) (11-0) – 18
20. Buchholz (Gainesville) (8A) (9-6) – 10
Also receiving votes: St. John’s Country Day (Orange Park) (3A) (9-4) – 6; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (8-2) – 3; Williston (1A) (9-5) – 3; Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) (2A) (11-2) – 3; Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (6-8) – 3; East Ridge (Clermont) (8A) (8-5) – 2; Gainesville (7A) (7-8) – 2; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (4-6) – 1; Ponte Vedra (6A) (9-6) – 1.
Here is what is coming up this week on ThePrepZone:
Monday (TONIGHT), 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” radio show broadcast from Sonic Drive-In of Ocala (Maricamp Road location)
Radio: 900 AM Ocala and 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: http://mgmt.firststreaming.com/listen/player.php?callsign=WMOP_AM
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Ocala (Maricamp Road location). Guests for this episode include Forest (Ocala) Girls Lacrosse coach John Golden and members of the Lady Wildcasts’ lacrosse team.
Tuesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” radio show broadcast from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville
Radio: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville & 900 AM Ocala
Audio: http://mgmt.firststreaming.com/listen/player.php?callsign=WMOP_AM
‘Live’ & ‘Archived’ VIDEO (free): https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/the-prep-zone/evtefdf9e6291
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Guests for this episode include Gainesville baseball coach Chris Malphurs and members of the Hurricanes’ baseball team, which has won four games in a row.
Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Softball, 7 p.m. (First pitch)
Santa Fe (Alachua) at Gainesville
*VIDEO (Subscription only): https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/the-prep-zone/gam834568018c
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Dylan O’Shea (Color) & Sammie Bogue (Videographer) for this Alachua County showdown between state-ranked teams. Gainesville won the first meeting in extra innings on February 22.
THE PREP ZONE’S WEEKDAY COVERAGE:
**For our Gainesville audience, tune in to ThePrepZone.com Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every weekday morning between 7:50-7:55 a.m. on 106.9 FM in Gainesville. These are a little over 60 seconds in length and air Monday-Friday. Those reports are archived here if you miss a report**
**For those in the Tri-County area, tune in to ThePrepZone.com Nature Coast Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:28 a.m. and repeating at 5:28 p.m. They are two minutes in length and air on 93.1 FM & 940 AM in Chiefland/Trenton and 96.3 FM & 1240 AM in Cross City**
**Tune in to our weekly radio interviews talking high school sports on ThePrepZone.com Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union on WRUF-98.1 FM & 850 AM in Gainesville every Thursday at 4 p.m. on “The Tailgate” with Jeff Cardozo & Zach Abolverdi**
Monday, April 8 – “The Prep Zone” radio show broadcast from Sonic Drive-In of Ocala (Maricamp Road location). Radio: 900 AM Ocala and 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Ocala (Maricamp Road location). Guests for this episode include Forest (Ocala) Girls Lacrosse coach John Golden and members of the Lady Wildcasts’ lacrosse team.
For a downloadable copy of this episode, please email mike@theprepzone.com.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, April 5, is Mandy Bernstein of the Dunnellon softball team.
In a match-up of Class 6A top 10 teams, the visiting Tigers defeated Belleview, 6-5, to sweep the 2-game series.
Bernstein went 1-for-4 in the game, but the senior delivered what was ultimately the biggest hit. Her RBI double in the 6th inning drove in Liberty University signee Glory Thompson with the game-winning run.
Just about everyone in the line-up contributed for Dunnellon (13-3), which is ranked 4th in the state in Class 6A. Eight of the nine batters reached base at lease once.
Senior Maddie Gibbs finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, senior Malika Lander added two hits and was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Virginia Tech commit Cameron Fagan reached base three times and scored twice.
Belleview (14-4), which is ranked 9th in 6A, rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a 2-run homerun by freshman Savana Shelor to make it a 1-run game. However, senior Lauren Ford struck out Shelor with the tying run on base in the bottom of the 7th to end the game.
Both teams have district games coming up on Tuesday night.
Belleview will travel to Lake Weir (Ocala) for a 6A-District 5 game, while Dunnellon will play at Citrus (Inverness) for a 6A-District 6 contest.
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week for the week of March 25 is TAMARI DAVIS* of the Oak Hall (Gainesville) girls’ track & field team.
*Davis, who transferred from Gainesville to Oak Hall this season, set a Florida Relays high school record in winning the 100-meter dash in 11.27. The time was also the best in the nation and the seventh fastest time in the world. Her time lowered the previous best of 11.29, which she tied last year.
Nominate an Athlete of the Week each week no later than Sunday at 6 p.m. Email your nominations to mike@ThePrepZone.com
Previous 2018-19 winners:
March 18 – Deylynd Grant (Buchholz track & field)
Grant won two events at the Alachua County Track & Field Championships at Santa Fe High School as the Buchholz boys won the team title. The junior took first in both the 110 hurdles (14.89) and the 300 hurdles (43.14). He was the only Bobcat to win a pair of individual events for the Buchholz boys, which totaled 172 points, ahead of Oak Hall with 106 and Gainesville with 104.
March 11 – Tiffany Clark (Union County softball)
The junior had a monster week in leading the Tigers to a pair of victories. She began the week by going 3-for-6 with 6 RBI in a 27-11 win at Williston. Two nights later, Clark went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and 9 RBI in a 22-12 win against Branford. In addition to the 15 runs that she drove in, Clark also scored four times, accounting for 19 runs in the two games.
March 4 – Lawrence Smith-Jackson (Buchholz wrestling)
Smith-Jackson placed fourth at the FHSAA Class 3A state meet, the best individual area showing at state. The senior also placed second at both regionals and the 3A-District 1 tournament, and he took first at meets such as the Westside Kiwanis in Jacksonville and the Hagerty IBT in Oviedo. He was named the Gainesville Sun’s Wrestler of the Year.
February 25 – Standrea McHenry (Trenton girls basketball)
McHenry helped lead the Lady Tigers (27-3) to their first girls basketball state title since 1980. The senior just missed a triple-double in the championship game. She finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and nine steals in the 43-31 win against Holmes County in the Class 1A Final at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. She had a double-double in the 60-40 win against Port St. Joe in the state semifinals. McHenry scored 14 points and tied a game-high with 13 rebounds. She finished the season second in scoring at 14.3 points per game, just seven points total behind fellow senior Taniah Bowers, and she led the team in rebounds (7.5 per game).
February 18 – Alissa Humphrey (Gainesville softball)
The Jacksonville University commit was 2-0 with a complete-game no-hitter and an 8 inning 2-hitter. She combined for 34 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. At the plate, the junior was 3-for-8 with a double and 2 RBI, including the game-winning hit (a double with runners on 2nd and 3rd) in a 3-1 extra inning win at Santa Fe (Alachua). Humphrey struck out 18 Raiders and accounted for all but six outs.
February 11 – Darrien Jones (Columbia boys basketball)
The junior helped lead the Tigers to their first district title in 19 years by averaging 12 points, seven assists, 1.5 steals, and he was 10-of-12 from the free throw line in two games. In the 7A-District 4 semifinals, Jones scored a team-high 13 points, including seven in the final quarter, in a 61-51 win against Forest (Ocala). He added seven assists, eight rebounds, one steal, and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line. In the championship game, a 61-51 win against top-seed Gainesville, Jones scored 11 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed three rebounds, collected two steals, and he was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
February 4 – Mahailya Reeves (Union County girls weightlifting)
The 15-year-old benched a state record 360 pounds, breaking the state mark by 55 pounds, and that coupled with her 185 in the clean-and-jerk gave her a state record total of 545 pounds in the unlimited division. Reeves’ win gave the defending 1A state champions two first-place finishes, as Union County finished fourth at the FHSAA Girls Weightlifting Finals at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach.
January 28 – Jalen Speer (P.K. Yonge boys basketball)
The junior combo guard helped lead the Blue Wave to a 2-1 week. After scoring 17 points and grabbing four rebounds in a home loss to 6A No. 2 Eastside (Gainesville), Speer scored 22 points, had three assists, four rebounds and four steals in a 65-55 upset win at Class 3A No. 1 Orlando Christian Prep. But he saved his best for last. Speer scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds, and he hit the game-winning free throw with no time on the clock, in a 54-53 win at defending 1A state champion Wildwood.
January 21 – KJ Bradley (Eastside boys basketball)
Bradley helped lead the Rams to a 3-0 week. The junior guard scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 57-41 win at Williston to start the week. He followed that up with 14 points in a 41-40 win at Santa Fe (Alachua) and finished the week with 14 points in a home win against St. Francis Catholic Academy (Gainesville). Bradley, who finished the week with 11 rebounds, was the only Rams’ player in double figures in all three games.
January 14 – Sierra Millinor (Eastside girls soccer)
Less than a week after tying the school record for goals in a game (six), Millinor followed it up with seven more goals in leading the Lady Rams (12-2) to a 2-0 week. The senior scored four straight goals in a 5-0 win against Citrus (Inverness) on January 14. The following night, the Huntingdon College signee had a hat trick in a 7-0 win at Vanguard (Ocala).
January 7 – Isabella Quintana (Eastside girls soccer)
Quintana set a school record with six goals in an 8-0 win against Crystal River on January 8. Teammate Sierra Millinor would end up tying the record a couple of games later in an 8-0 win at North Marion (Citra). Quintana scored the other two goals against the Colts and added five assists. She had three goals and an assist in an 8-0 win at home against North Marion as part of a 3-0 week for the Lady Rams. The senior finished with the week with 11 goals in three games.
December 31 – Mya McGraw (P.K. Yonge girls basketball)
The sophomore helped lead the Lady Blue Wave (14-1) to a 2-0 week against state-ranked teams. She just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds in a 51-46 come-from-behind win at Class 1A #1 Trenton on Thursday, Jan. 3. She also had five blocks. The following night, McGraw scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a 77-59 win against Class 5A #3 Raines (Jacksonville).
December 24 – Byron Smith (P.K. Yonge boys basketball)
Smith helped lead the Blue Wave to a 3-1 record and a runner-up finish at the Hitchcock’s Challenge in Alachua. The senior averaged 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in four games. He scored his tournament high (18 points) in a 64-57 win in overtime against Class 7A #9 Belen Jesuit (Miami) on Day #1 of the tournament. Two nights later, Smith’s corner trey with 18 seconds left against Class 7A Gainesville gave the Blue Wave a four-point lead in a 50-47 win against the Hurricanes.
December 17 – Niyah Jackson (Williston girls basketball)
Jackson was the top performer at the SAMCO Classic Christmas Tournament at Trenton, Dec. 20-22. On Thursday, the senior scored 32 points and added nine assists, two blocks, four steals and three rebounds in a win against Newberry. On Friday, she scored 26 points and added three assists and three steals and three rebounds in a loss to host Trenton. Jackson had a monster game in an upset of Class 1A No. 1 Lafayette (Mayo), scoring 49 points, while adding three assists, five steals and two rebounds. In a loss to Trenton in the championship game on Saturday, Jackson scored 22 points, and added six assists, one block, three steals, and one rebound.
December 10 – Jesse Landis (Eastside boys soccer)
The junior helped lead the Rams to a 2-0 week. He scored a goal and added an assist in a 5-0 win at Lake Weir (Ocala). Two days later, Landis scored four goals in a 7-1 win at Belleview, which ran Eastside’s undefeated streak to nine games.
December 3 – Taniah Bowers (Trenton girls basketball)
Bowers helped lead the Lady Tigers to a 3-0 week following a triple-double and a double-double. The senior flirted with a triple-double to start the week in a 59-17 win against Cedar Key. She had 13 points, 10 steals and seven assists. She followed that up with 17 points, 12 assists and 11 steals in a 72-32 win against Dixie County (Cross City). The Class 1A Tigers defeated 7A Gainesville, 52-38, at the Andy Hart Invitational at Lafayette (Mayo) to end the week. Bowers scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, picked up nine steals, and added four assists as Trenton stayed unbeaten.
November 26 – Abbey Rivas (Santa Fe girls soccer)
The senior helped the Hawthorne football team advance to the regional championship with a 50-27 win against Crescent City in a Class 1A-Region 4 semifinal. He rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Fields gave the Hornets (11-0) a 20-7 lead in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run. He added a 1-yard TD in the third quarter that proved to be the game-winning score.
November 19 – No award due to Thanksgiving break
November 12 – Uveekie Fields (Hawthorne football)
The senior helped the Hawthorne football team advance to the regional championship with a 50-27 win against Crescent City in a Class 1A-Region 4 semifinal. He rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Fields gave the Hornets (11-0) a 20-7 lead in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run. He added a 1-yard TD in the third quarter that proved to be the game-winning score.
November 5 – Julian Hill (Buchholz boys swimming)
Hill helped lead the Bobcats to a top five finish at the FHSAA Class 4A Swimming & Diving Finals in Stuart. The Arizona State University signee won two state titles. The senior won both the 200 free (1:35.70) and the 500 free (4:22.35) as Buchholz finished in fourth place. He was also a member of the state runner-up relay teams (200 medley, 400 free).
October 29 – Lauren Jones (Oak Hall girls cross country)
The freshman helped lead the Lady Eagles to their eighth regional title in nine years. Jones finished with a time of 18:56.93 to place first and win the Class 1A-Region 2 individual title. The Oak Hall girls advanced to the program’s 18th straight state meet.
October 22 – Ella Steen (Santa Fe girls cross country)
Steen helped lead the Santa Fe girls’ cross country team to the Class 2A-District 5 title. The freshman had the Raiders’ top performance by finishing third with a time of 22:01. It was the first team title in school history for the Santa Fe girls.
October 15 – Amelia Williams (Buchholz girls golf)
The junior helped lead the Lady Bobcats to their third straight Class 3A-District 2 title. Williams shot a tournament-best 77 to help her team win by 20 strokes. It was also the sixth title in the last seven years for Buchholz, which advanced to the 3A-Region 1 tournament.
October 8 – Colby Toner (P.K. Yonge boys golf)
Toner helped lead the Blue Wave to their first Ann & John Ives Alachua County Tournament title. The junior beat his teammate, Jake Davis, in a playoff to earn the top medalist honor at the tournament. Toner, a St. Francis Catholic Academy transfer, and Davis, both shot an even-par 72. The Blue Wave finished with a team score of 308, their lowest score since 2009.
October 1 – Quinyon Mitchell (Williston football)
The senior averaged a whopping 12.6 yards per carry as the Class 1A Red Devils kept their postseason hopes alive with a 48-7 win against Class 5A Belleview on Homecoming. He carried the ball 14 times for 176 yards and two TD’s. Mitchell, a Toledo commit, leads the team with 862 yards rushing and will have a chance to eclipse 1,000 yards in his seventh game this week at Taylor County (Perry).
September 24 – Calvin Littles (St. Francis Catholic Academy football)
Littles finished with 446 yards of total offense in a 42-36 loss at rival Oak Hall on Monday, Oct. 1, a game that was postponed on Friday, Sept. 28, due to weather. The senior quarterback rushed for 249 yards on 23 carries (10.8 yards per carry) with three touchdowns. Four times during the game after an Eagles’ score, Littles answered. He finished with scoring runs of 20, 65 and 75 yards. He also threw for 197 yards and two TDs. After his 81-yard scoring toss, he ran in the 2-point conversion, his third 2-point play of the game. Littles accounted for all 36 points.
September 17 – Anthony Richardson (Eastside football)
The junior scored six touchdowns to help lead the Rams past visiting Lake Weir (Ocala) on Homecoming, 62-27. Richardson passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns. The University of Florida commit ran for an additional 157 yards and four scores, including a 49-yard scoring run and a 51-yard TD run, as Eastside (4-1) won its fourth straight game.
September 10 – Carlos Williams, Jr. (Dixie County football)
Williams had a monster game for the Bears against visiting Union County in a Class 1A-Region 3 game. The senior rushed for 308 yards on 18 carries in a 61-28 win. He finished the game with five touchdowns, including a long scoring run of 72 yards. Williams is averaging 212 yards per game through four games.
September 3 – Kylee Barry (Bell volleyball)
Barry helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 2-0 week. In a Class 1A-District 5 sweep of Madison County she had 39 assists, six aces, and seven digs. The senior finished with the week with 30 assists, seven aces, and eight digs in a district sweep of Hamilton County (Jasper).
August 27 – Madison Baynard (Newberry volleyball)
The senior middle blocker helped lead the Panthers (4-0) to a 2-0 week in 5A-District 4 action. Baynard had 10 kills, four digs and five blocks to help lead Newberry to a sweep at Interlachen. Two days later, she tied sophomore Grace Oelrich with a team-high 12 kills in a home sweep of Bradford (Starke). She finished with 22 kills, eight blocks, 20 service receptions and only one error in two games.
August 20 – Kahleil Jackson (Hawthorne football)
Jackson completed 12-of-19 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns as the Hornets (1-0) opened up the season with a 69-0 win at Interlachen. The 6’3, 185-pound senior also added a 20-yard scoring run. Jackson, the son of former Gator Willie Jackson, had a long scoring pass of 75 yards to junior Jeremiah James.
GAINESVILLE, FL (4/5/19) – The 2019, 2020 and 2021 Florida High School Football State Championships will take place at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee (Classes 1A-3A) and Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach (Classes 4A-8A), the Florida High School Athletic Association announced Friday.
“After listening to feedback from our membership, we felt having two locations stretched out over two weeks made the most sense,” FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn said. “This new schedule gives families and fans the most flexibility when it comes to supporting their student-athletes and we are thrilled both Visit Tallahassee and DME Marketing made this possible.”
2019 Florida High School Football State Championship Schedule:
Thursday, Dec. 5 Gene Cox Stadium Tallahassee TBD (1A-3A) 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 6 Gene Cox Stadium Tallahassee TBD (1A-3A) 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7 Gene Cox Stadium Tallahassee TBD (1A-3A) 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 11 Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach TBD (4A-8A) 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 12 Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach TBD (4A-8A) 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 13 Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach TBD (4A-8A) 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 14 Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach TBD (4A-8A) 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 14 Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach TBD (4A-8A) 7:00 p.m.
Daytona Stadium (capacity 10,000) has hosted the championships six times previously (1989-90, 1993-96), while Gene Cox Stadium (capacity 6,500) played host to the 1986 Class 3A State Championship Game between Tallahassee Godby and Clewiston. The last time multiple venues hosted the event was in 2005, when Dolphin Stadium in Miami featured Classes 3A-6A and FIU Community Stadium in Miami held Classes 1A-2A.
Both venues recently underwent significant renovations. Daytona’s $20 million renovation included new field turf, remodeled locker rooms, an open-air VIP club, VIP space with theater seating and a completely redesigned expansive concourse area. Gene Cox Stadium underwent an $800,000 renovation featuring installations of completely new field turf and a pair of HD video boards.
For more information on the FHSAA and the Drive to December, follow the organization on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat by searching for “FHSAA.”
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ABOUT THE FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at almost 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.