Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – Boys High School Basketball, 7:30 p.m. (TIP)
Blue Wave (1-0) at Hurricanes (2-0)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Brad Freeman (Color) for this city showdown from the Purple Palace. P.K. Yonge won all three games last season but by a total of just nine points.
Radio: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville and 900 AM Ocala
Thursday, Dec. 5 – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show presented by Sonic Drive-In (broadcast from Sonic Drive-In on 39th Ave. in Gainesville)
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. This is our 2019-20 high school basketball preview, featuring interviews with coaches and players from last week’s high school basketball media day.
Interviews include: Trenton girls, Hawthorne girls & boys, Santa Fe boys, Trinity Catholic boys, P.K. Yonge girls, and Eastside boys & girls basketball teams. **NOTE – over 25 teams were interviewed. All interviews aired ‘live’ and are archived on the Eastside Athletics Facebook Page.
By Alex Twist
Twitter – @A_twist561
For the past eight seasons, the Hawthorne Hornets varsity boys’ basketball team has won at least 22 games.
The Hornets are gearing up for another successful run after finishing 25-2 with an undefeated record in district play last season. Hawthorne lost to eventual 1A state champion Madison County, 53-48, in last year’s Region Final.
However, for the first time in head coach Greg Bowie’s 13 seasons, the Hornets must replace all five starters.
When asked about how good this team can be, Bowie replied, “They’re going to fly under the radar, because we don’t have the big names and we didn’t return a lot of guys. We lost nine players. I think they are up for the challenge.”
New leaders will have to step up and take on more responsibility.
Coach Bowie believes starting point guard Key’shaun Williams and starting forward Donavan Wright are going to fill those roles.
With a very inexperienced team coming in, Coach Bowie was asked about the keys for his team’s success.
“This will be a pretty big team, and if we can rebound well, and defend like normal Hawthorne teams do, then I think we’ll have a chance to be successful,” he said.
Hawthorne, which will compete in 1A-District 7, opened the season with a 49-35 win at Crescent City on Tuesday, November 26, followed by a 52-43 loss against Class 4A Crystal River at the Mighty Ike Shootout at Williston High School this past Saturday.
The Hornets (1-1) will travel to Bronson for a district game tonight and will host Williston on Thursday night in the home opener.
The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week for the week of November 18 is SYDNEY JAMES* of the West Port (Ocala) girls’ basketball team.
*James helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 2-0 week. The senior scored 37 points in a season opening 65-48 win over The Rock (Gainesville). She added 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double, as well as six steals and two blocks. The Furman signee followed that up with 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and four assists in a 67-15 rout of Dunnellon.
Nominate an Athlete of the Week each week no later than Sunday at 6 p.m. Email your nominations to mike@ThePrepZone.com
Previous 2019-20 winners:
November 11 – Wesley Hyde (West Port boys swimming)
Hyde ended his high school career with a gold medal. The senior swam an All-American time of 4:28.90, almost six seconds faster than his time in the prelims, to bring home the Class 4A state title in the 500 freestyle at the FHSAA Swimming & Diving Finals at Sailfish Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart. He also swam a 1:54.54 to finish seventh in the 200 IM.
November 4 – Lain Shahboz (P.K. Yonge girls swimming)
The University of Florida signee won a second consecutive state title in the 100-backstroke and helped lead the Lady Blue Wave to a third-place finish, their highest finish in school history. She was the lead off for the Medley Relay team which finished fourth and the anchor for the 400 Free Relay, which finished third. She also placed 3rd in the 500 Free for the 2nd year.
October 28 – Austin Montini (Oak Hall boys cross country)
The junior won his second regional title with a time of 16:24.77. He helped lead the No. 3 Oak Hall boys to the team title, beating No. 5 ranked and defending state champion Mount Dora Christian Academy.
October 21 – Alexa Schmidt (Vanguard volleyball)
After missing 20 matches with a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, the Star-Banner’s 2018 co-player-of-the-year helped lead the defending Class 7A state champion Knights to a sweep of visiting Gateway (Kissimmee) in the FHSAA Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals. The senior outside hitter made her presence known with 15 kills and seven aces as Vanguard advanced to the regional semifinals.
October 14 – Cole Gonzales (Oak Hall football)
Gonzales helped lead the Eagles to a 49-14 win on Homecoming against visiting Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville). The sophomore quarterback threw for 218 yards, rushed for 103, and accounted for five touchdowns – including a pick-6.
October 7 – Elise Bauer (Forest girls swimming)
Bauer won two events to help Forest win the Mid-Florida Conference meet out of 17 teams. The University of Florida commit won the 200 free (1:57.24) and the 500 free (5:01.73).
September 30 – Taria Liles (Bell volleyball)
The junior helped lead the Class 1A No. 1-ranked Bulldogs to a 3-0 week with wins against Taylor (Pierson), Branford, and Union County. Liles finished the week with 55 kills, 59 digs, and five aces, as Bell improved to 21-1 overall.
September 23 – Trevor McGovern (P.K. Yonge boys swimming)
McGovern won two events at the Rob Ramirez City Championships in Gainesville to help lead the boys’ team to its first city title since 2007. The senior won the 50 free with a time of 21.79. He also won the 100 back with a time of 50.83.
September 16 – Jamarian Samuel (Trinity Catholic football)
Samuel had a monster game as the Celtics crushed defending 2A state champion North Florida Christian (Tallahassee), 42-13. The junior tailback started slow, with just 12 yards on his first five carries. However, by halftime, Samuel would finish with 17 carries for 262 yards and four touchdowns. It was his fourth straight game over 100 yards, which also put him over 1,000 yards at the halfway point of the season (1,078 yards) for the Celtics (5-0).
September 9 – Deiontae Simpkins (Lake Weir football)
Simpkins completed 10-of-14 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes blew past Belleview, 48-0, in the annual War for the Oar to win their first game of the season. The senior quarterback led his team to a TD on its opening drive thanks to three straight quarterback runs, finishing the night with 127 yards rushing and a score on only 12 carries.
September 2 – No award (Hurricane Dorian)
August 26 – Trevor Holtzendorf (Union County football)
The sophomore played a big role in Union County’s come-from-behind 15-12 win at Williston. Holtzendorf recorded 14 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Union County (2-0) didn’t allow a score in the second half.
August 19 – Quan Smith (Buchholz football)
Smith helped lead the Bobcats to a 21-20 win against Eastside by rushing for 190 yards. The junior had 108 yards in the first half. However, it was his late fourth quarter 46-yard run, right after Eastside’s TD but blocked extra point, that helped seal the win. Smith had a 44-yard TD run in the first half and had Buchholz’s only score of the second half on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Jack Hevesy.
Area teams in bold (includes AP state ranking)
Class 8A
#5 Apopka 41, #10 Steinbrenner (Lutz) 15
Columbus (Miami) 28, Deerfield Beach 21
Class 7A
#6 Edgewater (Orlando) 38, #3 Armwood (Seffner) 27
#1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 42, Venice 0
Class 6A
#1 Escambia (Pensacola) 45, #7 Gaither (Tampa) 21
#4 Central (Miami) 34, #3 Palmetto 30
Class 5A
#3 Jones (Orlando) 21, #4 Wakulla (Crawfordville) 20
#2 Northwestern (Miami) 42, Jesuit (Tampa) 21
Class 4A
RV Bolles (Jacksonville) 20, RV Cocoa 14
#1 Booker T. Washington (Miami) 9, #2 Lakewood (St. Petersburg) 7
Class 3A
#2 Florida High (Tallahassee) 42, RV Lakeland Christian 10
#1 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) 28, Clearwater Central Catholic 7
Class 2A
#2 Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland) 20, University Christian (Jacksonville) 7
#4 Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah) 30, Seffner Christian 21
Class 1A
#2 Blountstown 21, #3 Baker 13
#1 Madison County 37, RV Pahokee 36
GAINESVILLE (Nov. 26) — The finalists for the 2019 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Volleyball and Girls’ Volleyball Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school volleyball coaches and prep media representatives.
Following are the finalists for the 2019 Miss Volleyball Award (area nominees in bold)
Sydney Conley, Senior, Outside Hitter, Hagerty, Class 7A Player-of-the-Year
Conley led her team to the Class 7A state title with 308 kills, 235 digs and 82 blocks and a .319 hitting percentage. The Under Armour honorable mention All-America has signed with Florida State.
Shania Cromartie, Senior, Outside Hitter, Leon, Class 6A Player-of-the-Year
Cromartie posted 394 kills with a .352 hitting percentage and added 304 digs in leading her team to the Class 6A state title. The Under Armour honorable mention All-America has signed with Mississippi State.
Skylar English, Junior, Outside Hitter/ Setter, Barron Collier, Class 5A Player-of-the-Year
English led her team to the Class 5A Final Four with 520 kills, 264 digs, 43 blocks and 70 aces.
Cierra Jenkins, Senior, Setter, Lake Highland Prep, Class 4A Player-of-the-Year
The third team Under Armour All-America led her team to the Class 4A state title with 611 assists, 198 digs, 163 kills and 46 aces. She has committed to Brown University.
Annie Cate Fitzpatrick, Senior, Outside Hitter, Trinity Catholic (Ocala), Class 3A Player-of-the-Year
Fitzpatrick led her squad to the Class 3A Final Four with 425 kills, 250 digs and a .314 hitting percentage. The first team Under Armour All-America has signed with Penn State.
Sarah Franklin, Senior, Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter, Lake Worth Christian, Class 2A Player-of-the-Year
The Under Armour honorable mention All-America led her team to the Class 2A state title with 629 kills, 185 digs, and 88 blocks. She has signed with Michigan State.
Hadley Barfield, Senior, Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist, Sneads, Class 1A Player-of-the-Year
Barfield led her team to the Class 1A state title with 268 kills, 234 digs and 31 aces.
Following are the finalists for the 2019 Girls’ Volleyball Coach of the Year:
Juanita Hitt, Hagerty, Class 7A Coach-of-the-Year
Hitt led her team to the Class 7A state championship with a 26-6 record. In six years at Hagerty she has posted a 129-33 record with another Final Four appearance in 2017.
Angie Strickland, Leon, Class 6A Coach-of-the-Year
Strickland led her team to the Class 6A state title with a 29-3 record. In 10 years at Leon she has a 184-69 record with another state title in 2011 and four other Final Four appearances (2015-18).
Robin Mignerey, Ponte Vedra, Class 5A Coach-of-the-Year
Mignerey led her squad to the Class 5A state title with a 25-6 record. In 11 years at Ponte Vedra she has a 242-72 record with another state title in 2017 and three other Final Four appearances (2015-16-18).
Katie Gallagher, Lake Highland Prep, Class 4A Coach-of-the-Year
In her second year as head coach at LHP, Gallagher led her squad to the Class 4A state title with a 26-2 record. Her two-year record is 42-7.
Chad Sutton, Cardinal Mooney, Class 3A Coach-of-the-Year
Sutton led his squad to the Class 3A state title with a 22-10 record. In four years at Cardinal Mooney he has an 80-40 record, with a state runnerup finish in 2018. He also had a 79-57 record in five years as head coach at Sarasota.
Terri Kaiser, Lake Worth Christian, Class 2A Coach-of-the-Year
Kaiser led her squad to the Class 2A state title with a 27-4 record. It was the fourth state title in Kaiser’s 32-year coaching career at LWC where she has posted 701 wins with 13 state championship final appearances.
Heather Edge, Sneads, Class 1A Coach-of-the-Year
In her second year as head coach, Edge led Sneads to its seventh consecutive Class 1A state title with a 21-10 record. Her two-year record is 45-15.
Final voting numbers by class (top three):
Class 7A
Player School Points
Sydney Conley Hagerty 112
Naomi Cabello East Ridge (Clermont) 72
Anabelle Standish Palm Beach Gardens 65
Coach School Points
Juanita Hitt Hagerty 190
Joy VanDyke Palm Beach Gardens 96
Vanja Todorovic Plant 44
Class 6A
Player School Points
Shania Cromartie Leon 141
Paris Thompson Fort Myers 82
Carter Mogridge St. Thomas Aquinas 48
Coach School Points
Angie Strickland Leon 175
Lisa Zielinski St. Thomas Aquinas 97
Brian Wheatley Venice 39
Class 5A
Player School Points
Skylar English Barron Collier 96
Zeta Washington Ponte Vedra 83
Re’na Ashley Vanguard (Ocala) 73
Coach School Points
Robin Mignerey Ponte Vedra 174
Randy Ewers Vanguard (Ocala) 93
Yami Del Valle Barron Collier 66
Class 4A
Player School Points
Cierra Jenkins Lake Highland Prep 182
Rylie Tam Santa Fe (Alachua) 98
Maddy Clark Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) 52
Coach School Points
Katie Gallagher Lake Highland Prep 168
Eric Marshall Santa Fe (Alachua) 107
Emilio Urgell St. Brendan 75
Class 3A
Player School Points
Annie Cate Fitzpatrick Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 110
Ellie McKissock The First Academy 89
Sophia Hritz Cardinal Mooney 62
Coach School Points
Chad Sutton Cardinal Mooney 167
Julie Doan Kurenuma Westminster Christian 108
Jeff Reavis Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 66
Class 2A
Player School Points
Sarah Franklin Lake Worth Christian 170
Madison Peters Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 69
Breanah Rives Seacrest 65
Coach School Points
Terri Kaiser Lake Worth Christian 177
Steve Stack Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 113
Jan Class Seacrest 62
Class 1A
Player School Points
Hadley Barfield Sneads 134
Jillian Cassube Bell 103
Grace Oelrich Newberry 48
Coach School Points
Heather Edge Sneads 159
Sherrod Moseley Newberry 78
Mendy Sikes Branford 75
JOE PINKOS POWER RATINGS
Florida High School Football
2019 PLAYOFF FORECAST – Week #4 (Area teams in bold)
Joe Pinkos’ Power Ratings are calculated by a formula based on strength of opposition and margin of victory with greater weight given to recent games. The forecasted margin of victory for each game is determined by subtracting the power rating of the lower-rated team from the power rating of its higher-rated opponent.
Game forecasts are sorted by classification of favorite and listed alphabetically. The underdog’s classification is noted for inter-classification games.
State Championship Forecast
The following match-ups and results are forecast for the 2019 Florida Football Finals:
Class 1A– Madison County over Blountstown
Class 2A– Champagnat Catholic over University Christian (Jacksonville)
Class 3A– Chaminade-Madonna over Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)
Class 4A– Cardinal Gibbons over Cocoa
Class 5A– American Heritage (Plantation) over Jones
Class 6A– Miami Central over Escambia
Class 7A– St. Thomas Aquinas over Armwood
Class 8A– Apopka over Vero Beach
CLASS 8A (State Semifinals)
North
Apopka 13 over Steinbrenner
South
Columbus 1 over Deerfield Beach
CLASS 7A (State Semifinals)
North
Armwood 8 over Edgewater
South
St. Thomas Aquinas 11 over Venice
CLASS 6A (State Semifinals)
North
Escambia 3 over Gaither
South
Miami Central 21 over Palmetto
CLASS 5A (State Semifinals)
North
Jones 4 over Wakulla
South
Northwestern 6 over Jesuit
CLASS 4A (State Semifinals)
North
Bolles (Jacksonville) 7 over Cocoa
South
Booker T. Washington 10 over Lakewood
CLASS 3A (State Semifinals)
North
Florida High 15 over Lakeland Christian
South
Chaminade-Madonna 17 over Clearwater Central Catholic
CLASS 2A (State Semifinals)
North
University Christian (Jacksonville) 1 over Victory Christian
South
Champagnat Catholic 24 over Seffner Christian
CLASS 1A (State Semifinals)
North
Blountstown 14 over Baker
South
Madison County 28 over Pahokee
Forecast Record
Last Week 26-6, 81.3%
FHSAA Playoffs 161-31, 83.9%
Season 2,351-536, 81.4%
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Tuesday, Nov. 26, was Rod Williams of the Gainesville boys’ basketball team.
Williams scored 20 points off the bench as Gainesville opened the season with a 62-60 win at Vanguard (Ocala).
The senior scored 14 points in the second half, including eight in the final quarter as the Hurricanes (1-0) extended their winning streak to five games against the Knight (0-1).
Williams converted an old-fashioned 3-point play in the final quarter and also made two free throws with 28 seconds to play as GHS outscored Vanguard 19-17 in the fourth quarter.
Gainesville is off until next week. The Hurricanes will travel to Suwannee (Live Oak) on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
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.
**OUR FIRST HOOPS RADIO BROADCAST OF 2019-20**
Tuesday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – Boys High School Basketball, 7:30 p.m. (TIP)
Gainesville at Vanguard (Ocala) – Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Mike Ridaught (Color) for this Alachua vs. Marion County showdown. Both teams have been Class 7A-District 4 rivals but now they are in different classifications.
It’s the Hurricanes and the Knights in the season opener for both teams.
RADIO: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville and 900 AM Ocala
For updates during the game online, follow us on Twitter @ThePrepZone
GAINESVILLE – A total of forty (40) girls and boys high school basketball teams attended “The Prep Zone’s” inaugural hoops media day at Eastside High School on Monday, Nov. 25.
Media outlets included the Gainesville Sun, Ocala Star-Banner, WCJB-TV20, ESPN 98.1 FM 850 AM WRUF, I Am Country 106.9 – Gainesville-Ocala, Country Legends Radio 93.1 FM & 940 AM in Chiefland/Trenton & 96.3 FM & 1240 AM in Cross City, and RAWE Recruits.
BubbaQue’s catered the event. Players and coaches were able to watch a ‘live’ stream featuring interviews with participating teams while they ate.
Here’s a look at some of Monday’s Media Day. Join us for our Media Day recap and high school basketball preview show(s) on Monday, December 2, at Sonic Drive-In (time TBA). It will feature interviews with coaches and players, as well as our first regional all-classification rankings of the season.
@ThePrepZone High School Basketball ? Media Day hosted at Eastside High School. pic.twitter.com/9Ttd1k49mz
— Eastside Athletics (@RowdyEHSRams) November 25, 2019
@gohamaaronn and @tonyjohnson_10
Of @VanguardHoops on their expectations this season!#RAWE ?@SunPreps @ThePrepZone @prephoopsfl pic.twitter.com/kKy6oKncnR— Reaching Athletes With Education (@RAWE_RECRUITS) November 25, 2019
Thanks for having us @ThePrepZone @OcalaPreps @OcalaStarBanner @RAWE_RECRUITS pic.twitter.com/xcM0SKK4jg
— Antony Smith (@coachsmith352) November 25, 2019
Big thank you to the media outlets that came out to cover basketball media day @RAWE_RECRUITS @OcalaPreps @SunPreps @GainesvilleSun @Kevin_WCJB @ESPNGainesville @ThePrepZone pic.twitter.com/8zBSwcdZtG
— Vanguard Girl’s Basketball (@VanguardGirlsBB) November 25, 2019