First Coast Varsity Weekly: Mallory Forrester's final Middleburg month one to remember

The last month for Middleburg's Mallory Forrester: unhittable.

The senior delivered an end-of-season performance to rank among the greatest in Northeast Florida softball history while leading the Broncos to an unexpected Class 5A championship at Legends Way Ball Fields in Clermont.

With a near-zero margin for error — Middleburg got no-hit in the semifinal against Naples and mustered only one hit, a Belle Mincey home run, in the final against South Lake — Forrester delivered every step of the way.

In 39 innings of playoff softball, she limited opponents to 13 hits and two runs — an earned run average of 0.36 against some of the best teams the Sunshine State has to offer — all while striking out 66 batters in her final games before heading to Flagler College.

Middleburg also achieved an unusual statistical feat as only the sixth team in FHSAA history to win both a semifinal and a final by 1-0 scores.

It's a club that also includes Bartram Trail, which defeated Auburndale and Venice 1-0 on the way to the Class 5A championship in 2009 on a string of ace performances by Bears pitcher Kalyn Loverich. 

Both not only pitched shutouts in the semifinal and final but also went to extras (11 innings for Loverich against Niceville in 2009, 13 for Forrester against Tallahassee Lincoln in 2022) in third-round victories.

The other teams with 1-0 victories in both a semifinal and the ensuing final are St. Thomas Aquinas (2002, 6A and 2013, 7A), Palm Harbor University (2005, 5A) and Oviedo Hagerty (2018, 8A).

As a bonus, Mincey achieved another first: She's now the first Northeast Florida player to hit a homer for the deciding run in an FHSAA fast-pitch softball championship.

The timing of the final — Friday night's championship technically came after the end of the last day of school in Clay County — meant Middleburg's players haven't gone through a traditional celebration routine at school. That changes Thursday, when the athletic department has scheduled a celebration for the returning Broncos team at 7:30 p.m. at Alan Powers Field.

Rodgers wins NAIA track title

From Fleming Island to a national title.

Former Fleming Island hurdler Glenn Rodgers won his first national championship on the track at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics meet at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Rodgers, in his junior year at Southeastern, ran 13.83 to win the NAIA championship in the men's 110-meter hurdles.

The NAIA recorded his victory as the first national track title ever for Southeastern.

In 2019, Rodgers won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A title in 14.20 seconds at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

Former Fletcher runner Kayley DeLay won the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA East Preliminary for track and field in Bloomington, Ind., qualifying for the national championships scheduled from June 8-11 in Eugene, Ore.

DeLay broke Yale's school record, running 9:41.56 and rocketing into the top 40 in the World Athletics rankings. She enters next week's NCAA championships as the top overall seed.

Also qualifying for the NCAA meet are Tennessee State's R'Lazon Brumfield (Bishop Kenny) in the men's triple jump; Stanford's Charles Hicks (Bolles) in the men's 10,000; Florida's Dedrick Vanover (Fort White) in the men's 100; and UCF's Asherah Collins (Columbia) in the women's triple jump.

Ciara Holback (Atlantic Coast) and Ka'Tia Seymour (Palatka) qualified to race on relay teams for UCF and Florida State, respectively.

Ways named best in 4A track

Double state champion Cyrus Ways is earning more accolades in Florida track.

The Nease senior was named Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A boys track and field athlete of the year Tuesday, after winning both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the FHSAA state meet last month.

Ways, who ranks third among United States high schoolers this year in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles, enters the statewide voting for the Mr. Track honor.

He has committed to run in college at Penn State.

Bolles track coach Mike Rivera won the Class 2A girls track coach of the year award, following the Bulldogs' state title last week in Gainesville.

Mustang McMahon makes world swimming field

Kensey McMahon is on the road to the world championships in the water.

McMahon placed 15th at Saturday's 10-kilometer women's open water race at the FINA Marathon Swim World Series in Setubal, Portugal, finishing in 2:06:02 with the fourth-fastest time among Americans. That qualified her for the FINA World Championships later this month in Hungary and the 25-kilometer race, a punishing competition that typically lasts more than five hours.

The former Mandarin athlete, the Times-Union's All-First Coast girls swimmer of the year in 2017, graduated this spring from Alabama after winning All-American recognition five times in distance events. McMahon placed in the top 10 in the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle at last year's U.S. Olympic Trials.

The 22-year-old is the third Jacksonville-area swimmer confirmed on the team for Budapest, following multiple Olympic gold medalists Caeleb Dressel (Clay) and Ryan Murphy (Bolles). Dressel is slated to swim the 50 and 100-meter free and 50 and 100 butterfly in Hungary, while Murphy is set to race the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Dressel set records by winning seven gold medals at the 2017 world championships in Hungary, followed by eight medals (six of them gold) at the 2019 meet in South Korea.

Seven locals among FACA softball picks

The Florida Athletic Coaches Association's last two All-Star Classics are scheduled for the coming week: Softball begins this weekend at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, and baseball will be Monday and Tuesday at Tigertown in Lakeland.

The North softball squad takes on the West at 8 p.m. Friday, and will play the South at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Scheduled to compete in softball are Atlantic Coast's Jennifer Thames, Bolles' Annabella McClerren and Emily Rohan, Clay's Sydney Davis, Nease's Leah Oberkehr, Oakleaf's Khloe Banks and Yulee's Annelisa Winebarger. Fleming Island's Jennifer Bucklew was selected for the coaching staff.

The baseball rosters are scheduled for release later in the week.

Around the area

Oakleaf guard David Compere committed to Covenant College (Ga.) men's basketball. ... Jackson basketball center James Morrow committed to attend Fork Union Military Academy for 2022-23. ... Trinity Christian volleyball coach Crystal Dow is shifting to a director of operations role with the program, with assistant Emma Roberson stepping into the head coaching position. ... Former Clay baseball coach Rob Thompson retired from the school after 35 years, including 26 seasons as head coach until the summer of 2014. ... Davie Western swept the statewide Florida Dairy Farmers awards for flag football, with quarterback Sydney Ford winning Miss Flag Football and James O'Brien named coach of the year. ... Winter Park's Ryan Peluso won the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Volleyball award and Winter Park's Jesse Day was selected as boys volleyball coach of the year.

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: Mallory Forrester near perfect in softball finish