First Coast Varsity Weekly: New keeper, defense help Bolles soccer coach Jim Lieb win 400th

Milestone time arrived at Bolles.

Longtime Bolles boys soccer coach Jim Lieb earned his 400th career win Tuesday against Englewood, with a little help from a new goalkeeper and a young defensive unit that's growing up fast.

Senior attacking midfielder Sanders Dunn netted goals in each half for the Bulldogs, coming off a trip to the Class 3A state semifinals last February.

Lieb has led the Bulldogs since 1999, including Florida High School Athletic Association state championships in 2009 and 2013 as well as 15 district championships and three state runner-up finishes.

On a defense that graduated a trio of All-First Coast standouts, goalkeeper Lincoln Hunt and defenders Sean Breuer and Will Moore, Lieb has had to build a new Bolles back line quickly.

"We've had guys in the pipeline that were ready to step in and start... it's been nice that it hasn't been a problem," Lieb said.

So far, it's working out, with a lineup anchored by three-year starter senior Donald Downer and newcomers that are adapting fast, including freshman Andre Tarrance and sophomore Luke Stenson.

Meanwhile, for goalkeeper John Marinatos, a busy fall is in full swing with playoff football on Friday nights and soccer on some other days of the week. He's splitting time between his role on the football team, where he contributes on special teams, and his role as starting soccer goalkeeper as Bolles competes on two athletic fronts in the late stages of November.

Most often, he's training with the football squad as the Bulldogs continue their march through the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 2M playoffs. Bolles takes on Raines for the regional championship on the gridiron Friday night at Skinner-Barco Stadium.

A second-generation goalkeeper — his uncle, Derek Marinatos, won All-First Coast honors at Bolles in 1994 and just completed his 12th season as University of North Florida head coach — Marinatos has been spending some afternoons with two-hour football practices, then plunging directly into game-night soccer action.

The junior wrapped up a pair of shutouts last week, 2-0 over Englewood and 1-0 over Sandalwood.

Marinatos isn't the only recent football athlete to get a crash course in high school varsity soccer with a Jacksonville school that's proficient in both sports. Last fall, Mandarin found itself in need of a goalkeeper at the season's start, and found one in Brayden Knox, a junior football cornerback without any previous experience on the soccer field. Knox eventually helped Mandarin win the Gateway Conference tournament and qualify for the FHSAA Class 7A state semifinals.

Lieb credited support from the school's administration and parents, the work of his coaching staff and the dedication of nearly a quarter-century of Bulldog athletes.

"It's a testament to the players, the legions of young men who have come through the system and have been willing to buy in, work hard and sacrifice for something bigger than yourself," Lieb said.

Tigers' Robinson a turnover magnet

Football honor season is in full swing, and just in time for the big games, Columbia's Jaden Robinson is transforming into an EF5 tornado for the Tigers and staking a claim for the title of top defensive player in the postseason in the Sunshine State.

After receiving his selection to the U.S. Army Bowl on Thursday, Robinson turned in a performance to rank among the most all-around dominant of the season in Northeast Florida.

He recorded two sacks, forced a fumble, picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, scooped up a blocked punt and returned it inside the 15 to set up a key field goal and helped deny a potential game-tying two-point conversion as the Tigers upset Escambia 17-15 in the Panhandle.

That came one week after he recovered two fumbles in Columbia's opening-round win against Tallahassee Lincoln.

Robinson is among a pack of prominent 2023 Florida commits still going strong in the FHSAA playoffs, including Bartram Trail cornerback Sharif Denson and Trinity Christian running back Treyaun Webb. 

The Tigers, who have won their last six games, face Choctawhatchee on home turf Friday night.

Montemayor out at Atlantic Coast

The coaching carousel is spinning again in high school football.

Two years after leading Atlantic Coast to its first win in a regional playoff game, Mike Montemayor exited as the Stingrays' head football coach. The athletic department listed the vacancy for the position during the past week.

The fourth head coach in program history, he finished with a 12-30 record after an 0-10 record in 2022. Montemayor's four-year tenure will hold a special place in Atlantic Coast's history books because of the Stingrays' debut playoff qualification in 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, he led Atlantic Coast into the Region 1-7A tournament for the first time, defeating Fletcher 47-21 in the play-in round and then upsetting Tallahassee Lincoln in a come-from-behind 17-9 triumph.

Also looking for a new coach is Oakleaf. The head coaching position officially opened after Week 11 once athletic director Marcus Miller completed his interim stint in charge of the football program.

Woo Pig Sooie: Special guest for Scott signing

The moment became official for Taliah Scott, complete with a hog in the house.

The St. Johns Country Day senior signed her letter of intent to play college basketball at Arkansas, the latest step in the record-chasing career of the Spartans' state scoring champion.

More on Taliah Scott: St. Johns Country Day star wins All-First Coast player of the year

Among those in attendance for the signing: an authentic live pig, a preview of the hoops star's future in Razorback country.

Scott averaged 31 points per game during her junior year, and now stands within about 100 points of the 2,000 career mark. Ranked in the top 15 among recruits nationwide, Scott is the area's first SEC women's basketball signee since Sandalwood's Caitlin McGee with Ole Miss in the 2020 class.

Scott, who scored 23 points along with teammate Mary Kate Kent in the Spartans' season-opening victory, is already on the preseason watch list for the Naismith Award.

Seventh-grader Cooper stands tall

While the Spartans' Scott is racking up nationwide girls basketball accolades, there's also a rising star grabbing boys hoops attention at St. Johns Country Day.

Maybe, when you've just averaged 16.6 points per game as a sixth-grader — that's right, a sixth-grader against 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds in high school — it's inevitable.

But for Spartans rising seventh-grader Cam Cooper, already netting NCAA Division I college offers for the class of 2028, the focus is on the game, not the age of the opposition.

"It's really the same feeling, like playing against any grade," he said.

Last year, Cooper was an on-fire scorer for the Spartans, and added 2.6 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals per game and 1.4 assists per game as well.

Listed at 6-1, 125 pounds, he's considerably taller than the average middle schooler, but also smaller than most of the players he faced on the high school court.

"It was kind of tough because they were bigger, but my teammates helped me out," Cooper said. "They really helped me out with the physical side."

Bolles grad Hicks wins NCAA title

Charles Hicks is adding a national championship to his trophy cabinet.

The former Bolles runner won the NCAA men's individual cross country championship Saturday at Oklahoma State University, setting a course record of 28:43.6. Hicks pulled away from the Northern Arizona pair of Nico Young and Drew Bosley in the finishing stages of the 10-kilometer race.

Now in his senior year at Stanford, he won back-to-back FHSAA cross country titles at Class 2A for Bolles and also won championships on the track in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Hicks, who spent most of his early years in London before arriving at Bolles in middle school, previously won the European Under-23 championship last December in Ireland.

XFL drafts half-dozen locals

The XFL is on its way back, and a half-dozen athletes from Northeast Florida high schools are on their way to the league's third edition.

The Houston Roughnecks drafted cornerback Kevin Toliver (Trinity Christian), the Orlando Guardians selected cornerback Javaris Davis (White) and linebacker Terrance Plummer (Orange Park), the Seattle Sea Dragons selected cornerbacks Roger Cray (Columbia) and Chris Jones (Sandalwood) and the St. Louis BattleHawks selected linebacker Willie Harvey (Menendez).

In addition, former Jacksonville University quarterback Calvin Turner Jr. is finding a new football home with the San Antonio Brahmas.

The new XFL season is scheduled to kick off in February.

Around the area

Former Bartram Trail receiver Xavier Hutchinson, now at Iowa State, was named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award for college football's leading wide receiver. ... Stanton's Madison Mina committed to Milwaukee School of Engineering volleyball. ... Wolfson's Kaili Wery committed to William Jewell women's lacrosse. ... Trinity Christian's Brady Harris, Brayden Harris and Ethan Wheeler were all named to Prep Baseball Report's top-10 prospect list for Florida in the 2026 class. ... Fleming Island girls basketball coach Mike Hayward won his 100th career game Thursday against Fletcher. ... Former Episcopal player Sierra Wolff was named an National Christian College Athletic Association first-team volleyball All-American at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia. ... Former Ponte Vedra pitcher Ricky Karcher was selected to the 40-man roster of the Cincinnati Reds. ... Former Episcopal tight end Nick Elksnis announced his plans to transfer from Florida football. ... In addition to Bolles' Class 1A swimming triumph, several other locals achieved high finishes: Bishop Snyder's T.J. Frost earned All-American consideration with third place in the boys 500-yard freestyle, Episcopal's Aubrey Finn placed third in the girls 100 butterfly, and Providence's Haley Aschenbrenner and Episcopal's Laurel Coppedge came in fourth and fifth in girls diving. ... Beachside boys soccer earned its first-ever win, edging Episcopal 1-0 on a goal by Darek Szarek. ... Former Bolles midfielder Avery Patterson assisted four goals for North Carolina women's soccer, defeating Georgia 3-1 and BYU 3-2 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. ... The Nike Cross Regionals for the Southeast are set for Saturday in Cary, N.C., with the Bolles girls currently ranked No. 25 in the national MileSplit rankings. ... FHSAA boys high school wrestling begins Monday.

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: Coaching milestone for Bolles soccer's Jim Lieb