The Prep Zone

2013 Florida Dairy Farmers Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year

Mike Stanton

-

April 9, 2013

Ely’s Melvin Randall Named 2013 Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year

GAINESVILLE (April 9) – Melvin Randall of Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach has been named the 2013 Florida Dairy Farmers Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year following a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school basketball coaches and media representatives.

Randall, the two-time Class 7A COY, guided the Tigers to a 27-1 record and their second straight state championship, Ely’s third state title in his tenure (6A, 2007) as well as the fourth state crown (3A, 1993) in the program’s history.

Randall finished with 141 points in winning this year’s award in a very tight race over runner-up Neal Goldman of Tampa Jesuit, the Class 5A COY who led his Tigers to a 31-1 record and the program’s first state title since 1984, and finished second with 132 points. Finishing third was Josh Kohn of Oviedo Hagerty, the Class 8A COY who led the Huskies to their first state championship and tallied 115 points, just edging two-time Class 6A COY Lawton Williams III of Miami Norland who was fourth with 113 points and led the Vikings to their second straight state title as well as their fourth crown in the last eight years (2006, 2008).

Rounding out the voting were Class 4A COY Jeff Turner of Orlando Lake Highland Prep (96) who led the Highlanders to their first state title, Class 3A COY Jim Martin of Jacksonville Providence (84) who guided the Stallions to their second state title (2A, 2010), Class 2A COY Joe Dawson of Boca Raton Grandview Prep (79) who led the Pride to their first state title, and Class 1A COY Poe White of Holmes County (40) who led the Blue Devils to their first state crown.

The Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers’ commitment to the state’s youth. This is the 21st year of these unique awards, and we are honoring the state’s top athletes and coaches in all 30 sanctioned and recognized FHSAA sports. The program also emphasizes to young people the importance of keeping dairy products a primary part of their diet in their overall nutrition plan.

2013 FINAL VOTING RESULTS (Note: Points awarded on a 10-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis)
Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
Melvin Randall 8 4 1 2 2 3 0 0 141
Neal Goldman 6 1 7 1 3 2 0 0 132
Josh Kohn 6 4 1 0 1 2 5 1 115
Lawton Williams III 2 4 6 3 2 1 1 1 113
Jeff Turner 1 6 3 0 4 1 3 1 96
Jim Martin 2 3 0 4 1 5 2 0 84
Joe Dawson 0 2 5 4 1 1 3 2 79
Poe White 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 10 40

Past Boys’ Basketball Coaching Winners:
1993 – Bernard Wilkes, Jacksonville Ribault
1994 – John Ellerbee, Malone
1995 – Bob Carroll, Bradenton Southeast
1996 – Wade Edmond, Pompano Beach Ely
1997 – Joey Pons, Fort Walton Beach
1998 – Bruce Rosebrock, Jacksonville Wolfson
1999 – Vernon Eppinette, Port St. Joe
2000 – Anthony Long, Gainesville
2001 – Mark Rickman, Orlando Boone
2002 – Ricky McCullough, Chipley
2003 – Mark Lieberman, Miami Pace
2004 – Mike Gaudy, Cocoa Beach
2005 – Danny Wright, Lakewood
2006 – Matt Hixenbaugh, Winter Park
2007 – Steve Kohn, Winter Park Lake Howell
2008 – Lawton Williams III, Miami Norland
2009 – Kelly Beckham, Gainesville
2010 – Eli Bryant, Tallahassee Rickards
2011 – Fred Ross, Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer
2012 – Billy Washington, Lake Wales

2013 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball.

Mike Stanton

-

April 9, 2013

0

America’s longest-running program recognizing excellence in high school athletics

Joel Berry of Lake Highland Prep Named 2013 Mr. Basketball

GAINESVILLE (April 9) – Junior guard Joel Berry of Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando has been named the 2013 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball following a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school basketball coaches and media representatives.

One year after Berry, a North Carolina verbal commitment and the 2012 Mr. Basketball, became the first sophomore to win the prestigious award, he joins a select group that includes Chris Corchiani of Hialeah Miami Lakes (1986-87), Steve Edwards of Miami Senior (1991-92), Nick Calathes of Winter Park Lake Howell (2006-07) and Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest (2009-10) as a two-time winner.

Berry, the Class 4A Player of the Year for the second straight year, averaged 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game in leading the Highlanders to a 24-5 record and their first state championship. Despite missing eight games early in the season with a knee injury – a span in which his team went 3-5 – Berry returned to the lineup and led LHP to 16 straight wins, capped by winning the state title. With him in the lineup, the Highlanders were undefeated (21-0) on the season.

Berry finished this year’s voting with 184 points, withstanding a strong challenge from Class 1A Player of the Year Chris Walker, a 6-10 senior who led Holmes County to its first state championship in school history. The Florida signee and McDonald’s All-American finished as the runner-up with 170 points in one of the closest races in the award’s storied history.

Class 8A POY RaShawn Powell, a senior guard and Memphis signee from Orlando Dr. Phillips, was third with 115 points, while junior guard Grayson Allen, the Class 3A POY from state champion Jacksonville Providence, was fourth with 102 points. Rounding out the voting were Bartow senior Chris Perry, a USF signee and Class 7A POY (69); senior Erik Thomas from Wesley Chapel, the Class 5A POY (67); senior Ivan Canete, the Class 2A POY from state champ Boca Raton Grandview Prep (56); and Class 6A POY Zachary Johnson, a junior from state champ Miami Norland (37).

The Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers’ commitment to the state’s youth. This is the 21st year of these unique awards, and we are honoring the state’s top athletes and coaches in all 30 FHSAA sanctioned and recognized sports. The program also emphasizes to young people the importance of keeping dairy products a primary part of their diet in their overall nutrition plan.

2013 FINAL VOTING RESULTS (Note: Points awarded on a 10-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis)
Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
Joel Berry 11 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 184
Chris Walker 9 6 4 2 1 0 0 0 170
RaShawn Powell 1 2 9 4 2 3 0 0 115
Grayson Allen 3 5 3 1 2 0 2 2 102
Chris Perry 0 2 1 4 2 3 6 0 69
Erik Thomas 1 0 2 1 5 5 2 1 67
Ivan Canete 0 1 3 1 1 4 3 4 56
Zachary Johnson 0 0 2 1 2 0 2 8 37

Past Mr. Basketball Winners:
1983 – Frank Ford, Kissimmee Osceola
1984 – Vernon Maxwell, Gainesville Buchholz
1985 – Toney Mack, Brandon
1986 – Chris Corchiani, Hialeah Miami Lakes
1987 – Chris Corchiani, Hialeah Miami Lakes
1988 – Johnny Walker, Quincy Shanks
1989 – Douglas Edwards, Miami Senior
1990 – Clifford Rozier, Bradenton Southeast
1991 – Steve Edwards, Miami Senior
1992 – Steve Edwards, Miami Senior
1993 – James Collins, Jacksonville Jackson
1994 – LeRon Williams, Bradenton Southeast
1995 – Vince Carter, Daytona Beach Mainland
1996 – Luke Barnes, South Miami
1997 – Jason Pryor, Fort Walton Beach
1998 – Teddy Dupay, Cape Coral Mariner
1999 – Casey Sanders, Tampa Plant
2000 – Orien Greene, Gainesville
2001 – Adrian McPherson, Bradenton Southeast
2002 – Amare Stoudemire, Orlando Cypress Creek
2003 – Chris Richard, Lakeland Kathleen
2004 – Darius Washington, Orlando Edgewater
2005 – Keith Brumbaugh, Deland
2006 – Nick Calathes, Winter Park Lake Howell
2007 – Nick Calathes, Winter Park Lake Howell
2008 – Ray Shipman, Monsignor Pace
2009 – Brandon Knight, Ft. Lauderdale Pine Crest
2010 – Brandon Knight, Ft. Lauderdale Pine Crest
2011 – Austin Rivers, Winter Park High School
2012 – Joel Berry, Lake Highland Preparatory
Note: Award was sponsored by Florida Sports News, Inc., from 1983 to 1992

Buchholz vs Forest

-

April 5, 2013

0

April 5th, 5:45 – HS Baseball – Buchholz (Gainesville) at Forest (Ocala)

Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) and Art Shendell (Color) for this Class 7A-District 1 game.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

April 2nd, 5:45 – HS Baseball – Buchholz (Gainesville) at Forest (Ocala)

Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Marty Pallman (Color) for this Class 7A-District 1 battle for first place.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN (Replay)

Final: Forest 6, Buchholz 2

Bishop Kenny at Santa Fe

Mike Stanton

-

April 4, 2013

0

April 4th, 4:15pm – HS Baseball – Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) at Santa Fe (Alachua). Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Marty Pallman (Color) for all the action.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO ONLY

Final: Bishop Kenny 10, Santa Fe 0

Prep Zone Power Poll – 2013 Baseball Poll #4

Mike Stanton

-

April 3, 2013

0

Gainesville – For the first time this season, there’s a new team on top of the baseball Prep Zone Power Poll.

Clay (Green Cove Springs) climbed two spots to No. 1 following an 18-4 win over #5 Baker County (Glen St. Mary). The Blue Devils (13-3), who have wins over three top 10 teams this season, moved up following losses by the top two teams, Spruce Creek (Port Orange) and Bolles (Jacksonville).

The Hawks (13-6) began the season ranked No. 1 in the country (Max Preps) & No. 7 in the Baseball America poll and were on top of the poll for the past three weeks. But Spruce Creek lost all three of its games last week and dropped four spots to fifth.

The Bulldogs (15-4) lost twice last week. Bolles topped previous #19 Fort White, but lost to Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) and Ravenwood (TN) at the P-Town Classic and dropped two spots from second to fourth.

Meanwhile, Forest (Ocala) was able to move up three spots to second. The Wildcats (14-2) carried a five-game winning streak into the week.

Their Class 7A-District 1 rival, Buchholz (Gainesville), also moved up three spots. The third-ranked Bobcats (13-4), who lost to Forest, 6-2, on Tuesday night, will host the ‘Cats on Friday.

Despite the loss to the top-ranked team, Baker County (Glen St. Mary) moved up two spots and is tied for fifth with Spruce Creek and Bishop Kenny. The Wildcats (16-2) also went 3-0 at the Fernandina Beach Diamond Classic.

Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (14-3), Creekside (St. Johns) (13-3) and the only unbeaten team remaining, Trenton (15-0), complete the top 10.

Fleming Island (Orange Park) (11-6) and Eagle’s View Academy (Jacksonville) (13-7) enter the poll for the first time this season.

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, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.

PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2013 BASEBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, record through March 31, first-place votes and total voting points)

1. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (13-3) (6) – 138
2. Forest (Ocala) (7A) (14-2) (1) – 127
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (13-4) – 121
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (15-4) – 114
5T Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (13-6) – 102
5T Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (13-4) – 102
5T Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (16-2) – 102
8. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (14-3) – 92
9. Creekside (St. Johns) (5A) (13-3) – 90
10. Trenton (1A) (15-0) – 84
11. Williston (4A) (12-3) – 67
12. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (14-4) – 64
13. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (11-7) – 50
14. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (4A) (12-4) – 46
15. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (12-5) – 36
16. New Smyrna Beach (7A) (10-4) – 34
17. Eustis (5A) (11-6) – 19
18. Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (5A) (13-5) – 16
19. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (11-6) – 11
20. Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) (3A) (13-7) – 10

Also receiving votes: Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (10-2) – 8; Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (13-6) – 7; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (11-4) – 6; Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (10-7) – 5; Hernando (Brooksville) (5A) (11-4) – 5; Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (9-7) – 5; First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (11-7) – 4; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (10-5) – 4; Taylor (Pierson) (1A) (12-4) – 1.

Prep Zone Power Poll – 2013 Softball Poll #4

Mike Stanton

-

April 3, 2013

0

Gainesville – There’s a new No. 1 in the softball Prep Zone Power Poll.

But the margin is so close that the previous top-ranked team, Creekside (St. Johns), is only slightly behind in the rankings.

North Marion (14-1), which was off last week, moved up one spot to #1, while the Knights (16-1), who defeated previous #4 Bartram Trail (St. Johns), dropped to second. Both teams received 136 total voting points but the Colts edged the Knights in first-place votes, 4-3, to earn top billing.

Both Class 5A teams are ranked in the top 10 of the Miracle Sports all-classification state-wide poll. The Knights are ranked fourth, while the Colts are ranked seventh.

Despite its first loss of the season, Bradford (Starke) remained third in the rankings.

The 4A Tornadoes (18-1) went 4-1, including 3-1 at the prestigious Kissimmee Classic and picked up wins against #10 8A West Orange (Winter Garden), RV 7A Winter Springs (Winter Garden) and RV 8A Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs). They suffered their first loss against #2 7A Lake Howell (Winter Park), 6-3.

Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (20-3) remained fourth. All three of the 3A Cardinals’ losses have been to ranked and higher classification teams – 5A American Heritage, 7A Harmony and 7A Bartow.

Another 5A team, Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (14-4) dropped one spot to round out the top five.

Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (17-1), which has won 17 in a row since a season-opening loss to First Coast (Jacksonville), is ranked sixth, followed by PK Yonge (Gainesville) (17-2), Belleview (13-5), Lafayette (Mayo) (13-3) and Columbia (Lake City) (15-3) in the top 10.

The Keystone Heights Indians (8-5), state semifinalists last season, were the only team to drop out of this week’s poll.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, softball and baseball 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, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.

PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2013 SOFTBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, record through March 31, first-place votes and total voting points)

1. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (14-1) (4) – 136
2. Creekside (St. Johns) (5A) (16-1) (3) – 136
3. Bradford (Starke) (4A) (18-1) – 126
4. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (3A) (20-3) – 116
5. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (15-4) – 106
6. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (17-1) – 104
7. PK Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (17-2) – 100
8. Belleview (5A) (13-5) – 96
9. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (13-3) – 75
10. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (15-3) – 73
11. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (6A) (13-4) – 69
12. Ponte Vedra (5A) (14-3) – 60
13. St. Augustine (6A) (15-4) – 57
14. Forest (Ocala) (7A) (11-4) – 55
15T The Villages (1A) (18-2) – 33
15T East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (12-4) – 33
17. Baldwin (1A) (13-3) – 29
18. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (15-3) – 23
19. Hernando (Brooksville) (5A) (15-3) – 20
20. Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (11-5) – 9

Also receiving votes: Hernando Christian (2A) (12-2) – 3; Keystone Heights (4A) (8-5) – 3; Deltona (6A) (11-1) – 2; Central (Brooksville) (6A) (14-5) – 2; Montverde Academy (3A) (14-6) – 1; Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (8-3) – 1; Mount Dora (4A) (12-3) – 1; Tavares (5A) (14-5) – 1.

Buchholz Baseball

Mike Stanton

-

April 3, 2013

0

April 3rd, 6:00pm – Join host Mike Ridaught along with special guests: Buchholz (Gainesville) baseball coach Ron Brooks along with seniors Dakota Turner, Phoenix Sanders, Sean Kamhoot, Brooks Morgan & Fowler Brown. We’ll also release the new baseball & softball Prep Zone Power Poll, recap our Sonic Player-of-the-Game and recognize our Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville.

FABC-Source Hoops Class 1A – 8A Boys Poll (Final)

Mike Stanton

-

April 3, 2013

0

April 2nd, 2013, by Cory Rollins
via: Source Hoops

Today we close the book on the 2013 high school season by releasing the final FABC-Source Hoops Class 1A – 8A Boys Poll. Most of the teams we expected to hoist the championship trophy actually did but there were a few surprises. Holmes County climbed on the shoulders of 6-foot-10 forward Chris Walker to win the Class 1A championship. Grandview Prep won the school’s first boys basketball state championship by defeating the previous top two ranked teams in Class 2A. Providence was dominating throughout the season and playoffs on its way to the Class 3A crown. Lake Highland Prep was able to bounce back from an injury to junior guard Joel Berry to win the Class 4A championship after losing in the finals last season. In Class 5A, Tampa Jesuit steam rolled the competition and captured the title. Miami Norland (Class 6A) andBlanche Ely (Class 7A) who is participating in the ESPN National High School Invitational this week won their second consecutive state titles. Hagerty claimed the 8A state championship with some thrilling playoff wins.

Here is the complete Top 10 for each classification.

CLASS 1A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Holmes county	Holmes County	20-8
2	West Gadsden	Greensboro	25-10
3	Hawthorne	Hawthorne	28-2
4	Malone	Malone	25-3
5	Chipley	Chipley	22-6
6	Union County	Lake Butler	17-13
7	Hamilton County	Jasper	15-11
8	Hilliard	Hilliard	13-10
9	Cottondale	Cottondale	14-14
10	Baldwin	Baldwin	17-10

CLASS 2A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Grandview Prep	Boca Raton	30-2
2	Orlando Christian Prep	Orlando	22-8
3	North FL Educational	Jacksonville	19-13
4	Faith Christian	Orlando	25-3
5	Westwod Christian	Miami	23-5
6	First Baptist Academy	Naples	25-3
7	Vanguard	Lake Wales	16-3
8	Tampa Bay Christian	Tampa Bay	21-2
9	Zion Lutheran	Deerfield Beach	24-8
10	Champagnat	Hialeah	20-5

CLASS 3A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Providence	Jacksonville	31-1
2	Coral Springs Christian	Coral Springs	23-9
3	Florida Air Academy	Melbourne	28-3
4	Tampa Prep	Tampa	27-3
5	Sagemont	Weston	23-6
6	Father Lopez	Daytona Beach	27-4
7	Community School	Naples	28-3
8	Cardinal Mooney	Sarasota	21-4
9	Holy Trinity	Melbourne	23-7
10	Summit Christian	West Palm Beach	19-6

CLASS 4A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Lake Highland Prep	Orlando	24-5
2	Ransom Everglades	Miami	24-3
3	St. Andrews	Boca Raton	25-4
4	Berkeley Prep	Tampa	22-9
5	East Gadsden	Havana	25-7
6	Tampa Catholic	Tampa	19-9
7	University School	Ft. Lauderdale	18-8
8	Archbishop Carroll	Miami	26-5
9	Booker T. Washington	Miami	19-8
10	Raines	Jacksonville	23-8

CLASS 5A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Jesuit	Tampa	31-1
2	American Heritage	Plantation	24-7
3	Bishop Kenny	Jacksonville	28-7
4	Lake Wales	Lake Wales	22-8
5	Auburndale	Auburndale	26-4
6	Palatka	Palatka	28-5
7	Gibbs	St. Petersburg	23-6
8	Boca Ciega	Gulfport	18-9
9	Eustis	Eustis	19-10
10	Dillard	Ft. Lauderdale	13-11

CLASS 6A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Norland	Miami	26-5
2	Pine Forest	Pensacola	29-2
3	Gainesville	Gainesville	21-10
4	Edgewater	Orlando	24-5
5	Leesburg	Leesburg	26-5
6	Pembroke Pines Charter	Pembroke Pines	19-4
7	Ridgeview	Orange Park	21-8
8	Winter Haven	Winter Haven	21-11
9	Heritage	Palm Bay	22-7
10 Tie	Wolfson	Jacksonville	27-6
10 Tie	Fort Myers	Fort Myers	25-5

CLASS 7A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Blanche Ely	Pompano Beach	27-1
2	Evans	Orlando	20-8
3	Bartow	Bartow	27-4
4	Palm Beach Lakes	West Palm Beach	23-4
5	Martin County	Stuart	26-4
6	Oak Ridge	Orlando	24-6
7	St. Thomas Aquinas	Ft. Lauderdale	18-6
8	Ed White	Jacksonville	25-6
9	Oviedo	Oviedo	19-9
10	Northeast	Oakland Park	13-10

CLASS 8A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Hagerty	Oviedo	28-5
2	South Miami	Miami	28-3
3	Deerfield Beach	Deerfield	28-5
4	Wharton	Tampa	24-5
5	Wekiva	Apopka	16-14
6	Boone	Orlando	23-7
7	Dr. Phillips	Orlando	20-8
8	Apopka	Apopka	24-4
9	Hialeah Gardens	Hialeah	23-6
10 Tie	Sandalwood	Jacksonville	23-5
10 Tie	Palmetto	Miami	18-8

FABC-Source Hoops Class 1A – 8A Girls Poll (Final)

Mike Stanton

-

April 3, 2013

0

April 2nd, 2013, by Cory Rollins
via: Source Hoops

Today we close the book on the 2013 high school season by releasing the final FABC-Source Hoops Class 1A – 8A Girls Poll. The storylines for the girl’s top teams included come from behind victories, repeat champions and the continuance of state powers. South Walton rallied in the title game to become the Class 1A champions. FAMU DRS continued its dominance of Class 2A by successfully defending the state title. Father Lopez defeated the previous top ranked team to finish #1 in Class 3A. Ribault avenged last season’s Class 4A title game defeat to win the schools ninth state championship. Dillard only needs a ring for the thumb after capturing its fourth consecutive title in winning the 5A championship. Edgewaterneeded overtime and a free throw with no time remaining to win its second consecutive Class 6A state title.Buchholz knocked off three of the previous top 5 teams on its way to the Class 7A championship. Dr. Phillips completed its quest of a three-peat with a stellar second half performance in the Class 8A state title game.

Here is the complete Top 10 for each classification.

CLASS 1A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	South Walton	Santa Rosa Beach	24-6
2	Chipley	Chipley	22-5
3	Hilliard	Hilliard	23-5
4	Ponce De Leon	Ponce De Leon	23-6
5	Villages Charter	The Villages	16-5
6	Newberry	Newberry	21-7
7	Holmes County	Bonifay	19-9
8	Hamilton County	Jasper	16-6
9	Paxton	Paxton	20-8
10	Malone	Malone	20-7

CLASS 2A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	FAMU DRS	Tallahassee	26-4
2	Grandview Prep	Boca Raton	25-3
3	Academy at the Lakes	Land O Lakes	25-5
4	All Saints Academy	Winter Haven	21-1
5	First Baptist Academy	Naples	18-12
6	Sheridan Hills Christian	Hollywood	17-13
7	Westwood Christian	Miami	12-5
8	Hebrew Academy	Miami Beach	12-1
9	St. Johns Lutheran	Ocala	19-8
10	Trinity Christian	Deltona	19-9

CLASS 3A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Father Lopez	Daytona	27-5
2	Miami Country Day	Miami	28-2
3	Seffner Christian Academy	Seffner	29-3
4	PK Yonge	Gainesville	23-7
5	Calvary Christian	Clearwater	25-3
6	Florida Air	Melbourne	23-5
7	Sagemont	Weston	20-9
8	Coral Springs Christian	Coral Springs	19-5
9	University Christian	Jacksonville	21-6
10 Tie	Maclay	Tallahassee	21-7
10 Tie	Community School	Naples	22-5

CLASS 4A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Ribault	Jacksonville	31-0
2	Dunbar	Ft. Myers	29-3
3	Coral Springs Charter	Coral Springs	24-8
4	Atlantic	Port Orange	22-7
5	Lake Highland Prep	Orlando	24-5
6	Jones	Orlando	19-7
7	Florida High	Tallahassee	22-7
8	Lincoln Park	Ft. Pierce	21-5
9	Trinity Catholic	Ocala	20-3
10	Gulliver Prep	Miami	19-10

CLASS 5A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Dillard	Ft. Lauderdale	28-2
2	American Heritage	Plantation	19-6
3	Lakewood	St. Petersburg	24-7
4	Bartram Trail	St. Johns	19-8
5	Palatka	Palatka	23-3
6	Cape Coral	Cape Coral	25-2
7	Boynton Beach	Boynton Beach	21-6
8	Boca Ciega	Gulfport	24-8
9	Southeast	Bradenton	22-4
10	Pasco	Dade City	23-2

CLASS 6A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Edgewater	Orlando	26-6
2	Choctawhatchee	Ft. Walton Beach	31-1
3	Norland	Miami	29-4
4	Pine Forest	Pensacola	22-3
5	Gainesville	Gainesville	25-2
6	Pensacola	Pensacola	18-5
7	Winter Haven	Winter Haven	22-9
8	St. Augustine	St. Augustine	25-5
9	Leesburg	Leesburg	20-8
10	Sickles	Tampa	25-5

CLASS 7A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Buchholz	Gainesville	28-4
2	Nova	Davie	22-8
3	Freedom	Tampa	25-4
4	Sebastian River	Sebastian	23-3
5	Haines City	Haines City	25-5
6	Viera	Viera	26-6
7	Bartow	Bartow	19-11
8	South Broward	Hollywood	15-5
9	Palm Beach Lakes	West Palm Beach	19-8
10	Coconut Creek	Coconut Creek	21-3

CLASS 8A
RANK	SCHOOL	CITY	RECORD
1	Dr. Phillips	Orlando	28-3
2	Miami High	Miami	22-7
3	Dwyer	Palm Beach Gardens	24-6
4	Colonial	Orlando	24-2
5	Lourdes Academy	Miami	26-2
6	Flanagan	Pembroke Pines	22-4
7	Lake Mary	Lake Mary	23-7
8	Miramar	Miramar	17-6
9	Deland	Deland	25-4
10	Treasure Coast	Port St. Lucie	23-5

Tony James Looks to Lead

Mike Stanton

-

April 1, 2013

0

GHS running back Tony James looks to lead the ‘Canes back to Orlando in 2013
By Chuck Dowling

The old adage is that speed kills.

Well if that is true, then Gainesville running back Tony James is nothing short of an assassin on the football field.

Former head coach James Thomson says of James, “He’s one of the fasted kids I’ve ever coached. It’s scary how fast and how much of a game changer he can be.”

That’s high praises from a coach that just took his undefeated Gainesville High School squad to the state championship game before stepping down in the offseason to take the head job at Deland High School.

Thompson went on to say, “he’s got more potential than any other running back I’ve been around. He’s electric and when he has the ball in his hands. The sky is the limit.”

The 4-star running back impressed scouts back in January at the Army combine.

“He’s a well-rounded running back who showed off one of the best overall bursts at the event,” said Rivals analyst Mike Farrell. “He’s got broad shoulders and gets off the line of scrimmage very well and cuts on a dime. This kid can catch the football.”

James says he loves football, that he has been playing since he was little, and that he loves the game so much that he can’t find the words to describe it. He realizes he needs to get bigger and stay healthy but recognizes his strengths are his ‘decisions, cuts, speed, and elusiveness.’

“I’m a team player,” he said. “I’m a leader and I’m coachable.”

After his sophomore season, James transferred from cross-town rival Buchholz to Gainesville. He says the transition was not real tough.

“It took some getting used to with different coaches and having more athletes at one school, but it’s been great because I knew everybody,” he added. “I played Pop Warner with a lot of them.”

The transition to GHS seems to be going well for James, and he says he takes a lot of pride in his new school.

“Everything we do as a team, I do as a team,” said James, who has been clocked with a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash. “If we do good as a team it makes me look good. If I do good, it makes the team look good. I just want to help the team in a positive aspect.”

His goals for his senior season are ‘to have another undefeated season, win state, and become a student of the game.’

Despite several scholarship offers that include in-state rivals Florida, Miami and FSU, James says he’s not leaning in any particular direction yet and is taking time to think about it.

He recently showcased his speed and elusiveness among some of the state’s best last Saturday when he attended the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour in Orlando. The speedster will get an opportunity to test his quickness in late April at the state track meet.

Then, he’ll focus on spring football, which begins on May 1.

Gainesville is coming off its first state championship game appearance in 33 years. With Ralph Webb graduating, he’ll be the feature back for the ‘Canes this season.