First Coast Varsity Weekly: Balanced Raines boys lead pack in FHSAA district track
On a team filled with athletic stars, the Raines senior class is gaining ground fast on the Sunshine State, with a little bit of everything.
Quincy Burroughs — blazing speed.
Reshawn Latimer — versatililty.
Jacolby Johnson — field-event excellence.
Harrison Robinson — king of the 3A hurdles.
Burroughs swept the sprints, Johnson took a throw title, Robinson won both hurdles and Latimer captured one first place and two second places during Saturday's Florida High School Athletic Association District 3-3A meet, helping the Vikings to the boys team championship on their home track at Earl S. Kitchings Stadium.
![Raines teammates Reshawn Latimer (left) and Harrison Robinson clear the hurdles during the boys 110-meter hurdles at the District 3-3A Florida High School Athletic Association championship on April 23, 2022. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/PaS9Kiak1EWGuVg1e5PI1w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxMw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-florida-times-union/9d85db792493eea64c95d50a404e0493)
The biggest jump in performance belonged to Latimer, who ran 14.66, eight-hundredths of a second off his personal best, to place second to reigning Raines state champion Robinson in the 110-meter hurdles. He also beat his best mark with 22 feet, 8.75 inches to win the long jump, and demolished his prior best for a second-place triple jump of 45 feet, 1/2 inch. Only Columbia's Seth Stockton, the statewide leader, could surpass that.
Cincinnati-signed receiver Burroughs won both the 100 and 200, Johnson placed first in the javelin to go along with his traditional high jump and Robinson added the 300 hurdles to his 110 title.
Raines' other titles were many: Kenton Kirkland in the 400, Tyrone Ousley in the 800, and Rashaad Hall in the discus.
More highlights from the opening week of FHSAA track and field districts across the First Coast.
• Riverside's Joy Akingbola achieved the rare throw sweep in District 3-3A. She won the girls discus, javelin and shot put, leading the Generals to the team title.
• Another three-time winner was Ponte Vedra junior Amelia Coker in District 4-3A. She won both hurdles as well as the long jump in an excellent meet for the Sharks girls: Also capturing event wins in that meet were Caroline Hughes (javelin), Katherine Kelly (pole vault) and Lindy White (800 and 1,600).
• At the District 3-2A meet, held at Alachua Santa Fe, Suwannee's Dariniya Martin went one step further. The senior captured victories in all three jumps (high jump, long jump and triple jump) as well as the girls 100-meter hurdles.
• Once again, the Ponte Vedra boys field program proved to be worth many points. The Sharks achieved a 1-2-3-4 in the pole vault (Henry Gainer, Landen Scott, Morgan Clark and Nicholas DeSanto), a 1-2-3 in the shot put (Jake Guarnera, Layne Swafford and Nathan Lebowitz), a 1-2 in the javelin (Gainer and Vincent Jackson) and Lebowitz's title in the discus. The Sharks' field prowess alone would make them a threat at next week's regionals.
Gateway champs: Raines boys, Mandarin girls repeat Gateway Conference track and field championships
First Coast Varsity Weekly: Courtney Brown leads Stanton to Gateway Conference title
Nease's Gomes nets FABC honor
Awards season isn't finished yet: Nease senior Sydney Gomes won the Class 6A girls basketball player of the year from the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches, while Panthers coach Sherri Anthony won 6A coach of the year honors.
Gomes, signed with Florida Southern, excelled as an all-around force with averages of 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 4.2 steals while leading the Panthers to the final four. She set the career scoring record for a player representing a St. Johns County school, finishing with 2,449 points at Nease to go with her 1,310 points from New Dorp (N.Y.).
Additional Northeast Florida FABC awards went to Fleming Island coach Traavis Chandler for Class 6A boys and Oakleaf coach Fred Cole for Class 7A girls.
Right on target: Outside shooters helped lead the pack in All-First Coast girls basketball
Milestone week for coaching trio
From the Southside to Green Cove Springs, a milestone week-plus for Northeast Florida coaches has entered the books.
The most recent of the breakthrough victories, and probably the wildest, went to Clay softball coach Matt Lewis, who won his 500th game in charge of the Blue Devils in Monday's 4-3 come-from-behind victory against Fleming Island.
Clay trailed 3-0 entering the final inning before Gabby Ellis drew a hit-by-pitch, Sydney Davis tripled, Bailey Parker belted a homer to left and Ema Martin dashed home with the winning run off an error.
Lewis, Clay's head coach for 26 years, won an FHSAA title with the Blue Devils in 2001.
His milestone wasn't the only one. Mandarin baseball coach Billy Bell won his 300th career game last Tuesday in the Mustangs' 2-1 victory over Stanton during the Gateway Conference tournament. And Englewood coach Lee Geiger won his 200th career baseball game, to go with numerous girls soccer victories, as the Rams defeated Atlantic Coast 4-3 on Wednesday.
For Fletcher's Michael Grillo, meanwhile, win No. 100 was only one reason for celebration. The Senators' coach reached the century mark Friday when Fletcher defeated Sandalwood 3-2 to win the Gateway baseball title.
Sports Awards Show: Greater Jacksonville High School Sports Awards to be on May 23 at the Peabody Auditorium
Wilson heads for Sharks hoops
Ponte Vedra is bringing a former state champion to the Shark Tank.
The school hired 2016 state champion Ben Wilson as its new boys basketball coach, taking over a school that came four points away from an FHSAA title in March.
He replaces Kevin Whirity, who led the Sharks to the Class 6A state final in March. Whirity, who coached Ponte Vedra for three seasons, cited a schedule conflict with business responsibilities when stepping down earlier in April.
Wilson, who played college basketball at New Orleans in the early 2000s, previously won the FHSAA title at Windermere Prep for Class 3A in 2016. He stepped down from the Windermere Prep job in the spring of 2018, working for the past four years with Orlando-based KSA Events.
Baseball squads pick Clay, Middleburg trios
Alabama-committed slugger Max Williams was among three Clay players selected to the first team for the Clay County's All-County baseball team, joining fellow Blue Devils Brandon Adams and Logan Wilson.
Williams entered the week with five home runs, leading the county's public school list.
Middleburg also received three first-team picks in pitcher Clay Hendry, outfielder Logan Padgett and third baseman Luke Padgett.
Completing the first team were Fleming Island outfielder Abram Summers; Keystone Heights utility player Dalton Hollingsworth; Oakleaf catcher Leo Diaz; Orange Park shortstop Josh Taylor; and Ridgeview shortstop Billy Girgis.
Second-team honorees were Dylan Greene and Jayden Long (Clay); Justin Corfield and Divine Valle (Fleming Island); Jaythan Arriaga, Jorden Clarke, Antonio Diaz, Devin Dizon and Devin Outlaw (Oakleaf); and Alfredo Jimenez and Jacob Rowe (Ridgeview).
Knights power onto softball selection
Oakleaf's hard-hitting lineup received three first-team selections for Clay County's All-County softball lineup, led by outfielders Khloe Banks and Ciara Gibson and infielder Mariyah Sanchez.
All three are batting .450 or better for the Knights, who entered the week with four consecutive games scoring in double figures.
More first-team selections were pitcher Gabby Ellis and infielder Bailey Parker for Clay; Jadyn Chesser for Fleming Island; catcher Emma Rogel and infielder Delia Johnson for Keystone Heights; Kaelyn Hagan and Belle Mincey for Middleburg; and infielder Kyiera Torrence for Ridgeview.
On the second team were Clay catcher Sydney Davis and infielder Ema Martin; Keystone Heights infielder Kiley Channell and outfielder Abbie Roach; Middleburg infielder Kerra Clarida and pitcher Mallory Forrester; Oakleaf infielders Andrea Alvarez and Ayianna Ward; Orange Park infielder Ashlynn Lee; and Ridgeview outfielders Hannah Crosby and Mary Girgis.
Fleming Island heads county tennis picks
Fleming Island teammates Andrew Suhrer and William Hughes highlighted Clay County's All-County boys tennis team, making the Golden Eagles the only program with multiple first-team selections.
Also picked for the first team were Orange Park's Andres Alvarado, Oakleaf's Drew Ammon, Middleburg's Collin Pirner and Ridgeview's Quade Saldana.
Second-teamers were Fleming Island's Phoenix Cumpstone, Luke Paul and Anthony Williams; Middleburg's Blake Barfield and Chris Macqueen; and Ridgeview's Aaron Jackson.
In girls tennis, Fleming Island had three first-teamers in Gabi Feliciano, Sarah Jensen and Aysha Dasilvio. Oakleaf's district champion A.J. Tabora made the first team, as did teammate Lauren Cugno and Clay's Cameron Royal.
Second-team girls tennis selections were Clay's Talia Aguglia and Brooke Hillman; Fleming Island's Victoria Duffey; Oakleaf's Veronica Ramos; and Ridgeview's Mariah Bostic-Jones and Alara Herme.
Broncos honored on flag football list
Six starters from undefeated Middleburg earned selections to Clay County's first-team all-county lineup for flag football ahead of the district tournaments.
First-teamers were Desiree Hall, Cheyenne Jenkins, Jaden Lopresti, Kayleigh McWatters, Laura Palagyi and Brooke Swenson for the Broncos, who completed the regular season at 11-0.
Also selected to the lineup were Clay's Annalee Harbison and Shelby McClain; Fleming Island's Elizabeth Edwards, MyKayla Maddox and Alesandra Martin; Keystone Heights' Kendall Gagnon; and Ridgeview's Paetyn Miller and Emma Reyes.
Weekly trivia challenge
It's time for the latest edition of the First Coast Varsity Weekly trivia section, a look back through the history of high school sports all around the area.
This week's topic: State spring awards. Answers will appear in next week's First Coast Varsity Weekly.
1. Who was the most recent Jacksonville-area player to win the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Baseball award?
2. Who was Northeast Florida's most recent Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Softball winner?
3. Who was Northeast Florida's most recent Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Track winner?
Answer to last week's questions
1. The record for most points in an FHSAA boys basketball playoff game belongs to Tampa Bayshore Christian, which defeated St. Petersburg Canterbury 134-52 in the opening round of the Class A playoffs on Feb. 22, 2001.
2. Three Jacksonville-area teams have scored more than 100 points in an FHSAA boys basketball playoff. Fletcher scored 103 points against St. Augustine in a 1993 Class 4A regional; St. Johns Country Day scored 103 points against South Daytona Warner Christian in a 1995 Class A sub-regional; and Ribault scored 102 points against Pensacola in a 2001 Region 1-4A semifinal.
3. University Christian is the only Jacksonville-area team to score more than 100 points in a girls basketball playoff, tallying 107 against Trenton in a 2008 Class 2A regional quarterfinal.
Around the area
Nease kicker Canaan Kimball committed to Lehigh football. ... Baldwin wide receiver Larry Worth committed to Jacksonville State football. ... Clay linebacker Zach Fordham committed to Monmouth College football. ... Fleming Island celebrated five signings on Tuesday: Logan Dailey (Grove City College, men's soccer), Noah Eaton (Eckerd, men's soccer), Lily Graham (Maryland, women's soccer), Madi Male (Florida Southern, women's soccer), Libby Pittman (Berry, women's soccer). ... Ponte Vedra midfielder Brendan Nace committed to Queens University men's lacrosse. ... Former Brunswick cornerback Freddy Towns, who played last year at Palmetto Prep, committed to Newberry College football. ... After helping Creekside to the Class 7A girls soccer championship, sophomore midfielder Avery Robinson completed a 10-day camp with the United States Under-16 national team at Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Ore. ... St. Johns Country Day senior outfielder Jordan Taylor surpassed 100 career hits to set the Spartans' all-time baseball record. ... Class 2A champion St. Johns Country Day placed fourth and Class 7A champion Creekside ninth in the United Soccer Coaches' end-of-season national rankings for girls soccer. ... Nease graduate Ashton Wood, now at Mercer in the Southern Conference, set conference men's lacrosse records with 603 faceoff wins and 355 ground balls. ... Longtime Middleburg coach Carrie Prewitt officially entered the USA Volleyball Florida Hall of Fame during Saturday night's regional award ceremony at the Orange County Convention Center.
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: First Coast Varsity Weekly: Raines boys track wins FHSAA district
