First Coast Varsity Weekly: 4-star Bishop Kenny QB James Resar wins FHSAA district 100
With every stride toward the finish line, James Resar is sending the message again: He's more than just a passer.
The Iowa-committed sprinting quarterback showed off his speed once more, and helped Bishop Kenny to the Florida High School Athletic Association District 4-2A boys track and field championship in the process during Thursday's meet at Raines' Earl S. Kitchings Stadium.
Running side-by-side with Amos Oruamabo of Ribault through the 100-meter dash, Resar crossed the line in 11.16, three-thousandths of a second ahead.
On a warm and windy day, Resar didn't approach his personal best (10.67 from the FSU Relays in Tallahassee) and didn't need to, with a top-four finish good enough to advance to next week's regionals at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium, which will also be the site of the state finals.
The 6-4, 199-pound junior averaged 7.6 yards per carry last year for Crusaders football, where 247Sports rates him as a top-20 quarterback in the 2024 class.
Bishop Kenny left no questions in the boys standings, earning 143 points for a comfortable 36-point edge on runner-up Ribault.
Resar was far from the only winner for the BK boys: Sophomore Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima won the 3,200 and helped the Crusaders to the 4x800 title, Jayden Harris cleared a personal-best 6-5 1/2 in the high jump, Camden Thornton won the javelin and Steven Jolly captured the pole vault.
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One point makes difference for Eagles
The Battle of Atlantic Boulevard has rarely ended closer.
Episcopal girls track: 142 points. Bishop Kenny: 141. That's all that stood between the neighboring schools in the District 4-2A track and field meet at Raines.
Top scorers for the Episcopal girls were 200-meter dash champion Skyler Watts, 1,600 winner Hannah Kowkabany, long jumper Chloe Selmer and pole vaulter Layla Guy, together with the quartet of Audrey Brice, Kate Brice, Stella Krueger and Brooke McCoy that came from behind to win the 4x800 relay.
That was enough to overtake a Crusaders team led by senior Ka'Myya Haywood, who captured 30 points in the 400, the 800 and the 4x400. Haywood edged Watts in a blistering 400, in which four runners (including Bishop Kenny's Gabrielle Johnson and Jackson's Kaitlynn Webbe) ran 55.60 or faster.
Some additional feats of note from the week's track districts:
Bolles won both the boys and girls team titles in District 3-2A at Tocoi Creek, including one of the top individual performances of the season from Presley Wolfe. The junior topped the girls pole vault at 12 feet, 1 1/2 inches, and won the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, 7 inches. Both marks rank in Florida's top four for 2023.
Bolles senior Kavon Miller turned in a personal best 21.52 to win the boys 200, while adding a 400 title and a second place in the 100.
Union County senior Leah Clark, already a softball leader for the Fightin' Tigers, won both the girls 100 and 200 in District 3-2A.
Wolfson's Andrew Marello chopped nearly four seconds from his personal best to win the District 3-2A boys 1,600 in 4:24.97.
Freshman Jahzara Fields led the Palatka girls on the Panthers' home track in District 5-2A, running 47.44 to win the 400.
In District 2-3A at Tallahassee Rickards, Columbia's Seth Stockton stayed on course with an easy triple jump victory of 47 feet, 4 inches.
Bulldogs' Boswell wins 500th
Mike Boswell is Florida's newest member of the 500-win club.
The longtime Bolles baseball coach earned his 500th win Tuesday in the Bulldogs' 5-2 victory against Ponte Vedra, joining a select group of 500-game winners in Northeast Florida baseball history.
Boswell holds a career record of 500-167, spending 18 of those seasons as head coach at Bolles after previous tenures at Paxon and Englewood. A three-time champion head coach, he has won FHSAA championships at Englewood (1999) as well as at Bolles (2016 and 2017).
Even at 500 wins, Boswell likely is more than a decade away from the top of Northeast Florida's victory count. Howard May racked up 724 wins while leading Parker from 1971 to 2002, followed by Fernandina Beach's Ken Roland with 667 and University Christian's John Brown with 645.
Starting this week, Boswell's coaching tree is spreading beyond the diamond. Kevin Johnson, who lined up in the outfield under Boswell on Englewood's 1999 state champions, was appointed Friday as the head football coach ahead of the Rams' May 1 spring practice opening.
There's not much time for celebration for Boswell and Bolles, with district action on deck. The Bulldogs next week open a punishing District 3-3A tournament, which will include Fernandina Beach — winner of 17 in a row — as well as perennial power Providence and Gateway Conference runner-up Wolfson.
Epic pitchers' duel for Sandalwood, Ponte Vedra
Northeast Florida's pitchers' duel of the year? It'll be hard to top.
Sandalwood's Kaci Links and Ponte Vedra's Sarah Wicker faced off in a 14-inning softball battle to remember Monday night, an epic where the score — 2-1 for Sandalwood — doesn't begin to tell the story.
After 13 scoreless innings, the Sharks' Kate Mikle broke through with a solo homer in the top of the 14th. But Sandalwood, which had only mustered one hit through the first 13 frames, rallied in the bottom of the inning and won it on Abbie Anson's two-out, two-RBI single.
Sharks starter Wicker struck out 26 in the three-hitter, allowing only three walks, while the Saints' Links finished with 15 strikeouts, three walks, seven hits allowed. The two combined for 395 pitches.
Bears trio named All-Americans
Reigning state champion Bartram Trail is racking up the All-American selections.
Attacker Ryann Frechette, midfielder Adri Ferrara and goaltender Maddie Stevens all received All-American honors from the North Florida section of USA Lacrosse.
Also selected were Ponte Vedra goalie Ava LaManna and attacker Lily Toole, Episcopal attacker Maeve O'Neil and St. Augustine midfielder Skylar St. John.
Bartram Trail midfielder Peyton Morris received the USA Lacrosse Jackie Pitts award, and Episcopal's Krista Crittenden was chosen as coach of the year. Frechette, Morris and Stevens also earned All-Academic honors, along with Episcopal's Hannah Bittner and Kate Burhyte and St. Augustine's Kendal Weber.
Blue Devils head Clay baseball list
Plenty of All-County honors are on their way to Green Cove Springs.
Clay earned an area-leading four first-team picks on Clay County's All-County baseball squad voted by coaches, including pitcher (Easton McMahan), catcher (Chase Haggard), third base (Parker Lowrance) and outfield (Cole Carnell).
The first team also includes one from Fleming Island (pitcher Cayden Robinson), three from Oakleaf (first baseman Devin Outlaw, shortstop J.P. Espinosa and outfielder Nolan Cameron) and three from Ridgeview (second baseman Xavier Harris, outfielder Alfredo Jimenez and utility player Billy Girgis).
Second-teamers are utility player Josh Rouw, from Clay; outfielder Josh Murray, from Fleming Island; third baseman Jacob Baxley, from Middleburg; pitcher Landon McDonald, catcher Noah Johnson, second baseman Antonio Diaz and outfielder Steven Farina, all from Oakleaf; shortstop Josh Taylor and outfielder Robert Barnett, both from Orange Park; and pitcher Connor Howell and first baseman Cody Holland, both from Ridgeview.
Homer leader Clarida named All-County
Northeast Florida home run leader Kerra Clarida and Mika Wesley represent 2022 state champion Middleburg on Clay County's All-County softball roster, announced Monday.
Clarida has slugged 10 home runs to tie for fourth in the state for the Broncos, while sophomore teammate Wesley has a .412 batting average.
Clay pitcher Gabrielle Ellis also made the first team, with Fleming Island's Alexis Bucklew, Keystone Heights' Kiley Channell, Oakleaf's Charlotte Maddox and Mariyah Sanchez, Orange Park's McKenna Bejarano and Zoe Pascoe, and Ridgeview's Mary Girgis and Haylee McCrea.
On the second-team softball list are Clay's Kendyll Mann and Bailey Parker; Fleming Island's Ella Morris and Olivia Sikes; Keystone Heights' Alaina Kinsall; Oakleaf's Meshayla Pettaway and Ciara Gibson; Orange Park's Regan Barnett and Addison Toledo; and Ridgeview's KK Watts and Kyiera Torrence.
Fleming Island tops Clay tennis list
Six first-team selections from Fleming Island, four boys and two girls, led the pack in Clay County's All-County tennis team.
Tolen Ayres, Kesl Cumpstone, Phoenix Cumpstone and Anthony Williams represented the Golden Eagles on the boys first team, joining Middleburg's Collin Pirner and Ridgeview's Andres Alvarado.
Second-teamers were William Lambert of Clay, Javier Bendana of Middleburg, Drew Ammon, Ilya Cherkashyn and Jagger Windesheim of Oakleaf and Jadon Jackson of Ridgeview. The award completes an uncommon All-County trifecta for Ammon, also recognized as quarterback for Oakleaf football and center forward for the Knights' soccer squad.
Fleming Island also placed a pair of players on the girls tennis first team, Sarah Jenson and Tessa Wilson. Oakleaf's Althea Tabora and Lauren Cugno joined them on the first team, as well as Ridgeview's Mariah Bostic-Jones and Alaynah Denson.
Clay County girls second-team selections were Courtney Klingenberg of Fleming Island, Tara Tarvit of Keystone Heights, Sophia Cherkashyna, Haley Euwema and Allison Capuzzo of Oakleaf and Ailey Williams of Orange Park.
Bolles' Brigman crowned U.S. junior champion
Bolles freshman Dillon Brigman is coming back to the First Coast as a national champion.
He took first place at Saturday's USA Swimming men's 5K junior open water national championship, held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.
Brigman completed the course in 59 minutes and one second. Creekside's Rylan Sepulveda, like Brigman a member of the Bolles Sharks club, placed fifth in 1:01:05.
Former Mandarin swimmer Kensey McMahon placed fourth in the women's 5K event (58:51) and sixth in the women's 10K (1:59:09), both won by Olympian Katie Grimes. Bolles graduate Leah DeGeorge came in eighth in the latter event.
Around the area
Bartram Trail linebacker Zeke Cromwell committed to West Georgia football. … Orange Park lineman Darius Catron committed to Peru State football. … Ponte Vedra guard Nathan Bunkosky committed to St. Cloud State men's basketball. … Ponte Vedra corner infielder Ethan Yesensky committed to FSCJ baseball. … Nease's David Nebus signed with Savannah College of Art and Design men's lacrosse. … Ten Bolles athletes signed with colleges: Lachlan Andrew (Navy, men's swimming), Madison Balaskiewicz (Daytona State College, women's golf), Sophie Benkusky (East Carolina, women's swimming), Matthew Berry (DePauw, football), Drew Bowen (LaSalle, men's swimming), Katie Ford (Wyoming, women's swimming), Drew Heck (Pittsburgh, men's swimming), Ella Neskora (Penn, women's track), Porawat Rommaneekochchakorn (Denison, men's swimming) and Vivian Stovall (North Carolina, women's track). ... Multiple area football graduates announced plans to transfer from their current colleges: UCF quarterback Thomas Castellanos (Ware County), USF defensive back Dequan Stanley (St. Augustine), Wake Forest lineman Hampton Tanner (Fernandina Beach) and Duke running back Eric Weatherly (Bartram Trail). ... Former Sandalwood outfielder Brett Wisely collected his first Major League Baseball hit for the San Francisco Giants. … Volleyball Magazine selected Ponte Vedra senior middle blocker Zeta Washington to its national Fab 50 list. … Although no announcement has occurred regarding football's Border Classic, which held its inaugural edition in Glynn County last season, three Florida vs. Georgia high school games are tentatively scheduled in the MaxPreps listing for the weekend of Sept. 8-9: Bolles vs. Coffee, Creekside vs. Richmond Hill and St. Augustine vs. Brunswick. … Savannah Green (Clay), Anders Chadwell, Darion Domineck and Gehrig Van De Water (Fleming Island), Kori Jennings (Keystone Heights), Wyatt Underwood (Middleburg) and Cathleen Kivett Smith and Lucas Richards (Ridgeview) were named as recipients of the 2023 Wes Whiddon Scholarships.
Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bishop Kenny QB James Resar wins FHSAA district sprint championship
