First Coast Varsity Weekly: Mandarin spikes way to long-awaited Gateway volleyball title

Alani Salas-Garcia had been waiting her whole high school career to make the moment a reality.

Mandarin, finally, atop Duval County's public school volleyball world.

"Oh, it's so sweet, such a sweet victory," Salas-Garcia said. "Honestly, I couldn't have been more proud of my girls and I know that they really stepped it up today."

Playing in front of an enthusiastic home gym, Mandarin held off Fletcher 26-24, 13-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-7 to win Thursday's Gateway Conference girls volleyball championship.

Sophomore Macy DuBois sparked a fifth-set surge for the Mustangs to hold off a dogged challenge from the Senators, winners of the previous seven Gateway trophies. She finished with a career-high 16 kills and tallied 31 for the three-round tournament overall, after Mandarin swept Paxon in the quarterfinal and Sandalwood in the semifinal.

Mandarin's depth of attacking options — in addition to DuBois, Paola Aviles Morales blasted 22 kills and Salas-Garcia added 15 — made the difference down the stretch. Senior Mia Watson also collected 22 digs on defense.

DuBois scored four times to spark a 5-0 run, snapping a 3-all tie in the fifth, and Kylie Spraggins delivered the clinching kill to end the 19-year wait.

The Gateway title was the third for the Mustangs, following past titles in 1996 and 2003, but the first in nearly two decades. During that span, the Mustangs had finished as runner-up in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

"We were very close last year and that started out our feeling that we really wanted it," Mandarin head coach Daniel Magnusson said. "We talked about that a lot, and I think finding a way to play together and our amazing leadership with Alani on the court deciding what to do, this was really nice."

For Fletcher, Katie Issendorf had 16 kills and Iman Wright added 12, while Traci Schrock had 36 digs and both Elizabeth Parks (27 digs, 27 assists) and Lauren Rom (10 digs, 13 assists) picked up double-doubles.

The victory gives Mandarin an early push in the Mustangs' quest for the Gateway Conference All-Sports trophy, which the school has dominated over the past decade. Mandarin has won the Gateway girls All-Sports award for 12 of the past 14 years.

The Mustangs' volleyball future also looks bright. In addition to DuBois, in her first year with the varsity squad, sophomore Paige Wind provided 46 assists and freshman Rayna Joquin defended the net with four blocks.

"It's just amazing that I was able to help people who've been here playing longer to get to see this goal accomplished," DuBois said.

Court is in session: 2022 district tournament volleyball previews

Ribault recognizes new hall class

After the interruption of the coronavirus pandemic, Ribault's athletic tradition returned right on schedule Saturday to honor the school's sports giants.

The Ribault Athletic Hall of Fame added 10 members at a Saturday ceremony, including the Class of 2021 whose induction had been delayed by complications stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Headlining the list of inductees were former Florida State wide receiver and NFL Pro Bowler Laveranues Coles, who spent 11 years in the league with Washington, Cincinnati and the New York Jets, as well as Shelia Seymore-Pennick, who coached Ribault's girls basketball dynasty to four state titles and a national championship between 2013 and 2017.

Also inducted were Diana Butler (girls track and field), Anthony Flynn (coach), Charles Helm (coach), Clifford Johnson (boys basketball), Dana Poole (boys track and field), Yolanda Small (girls track and field), Dionne Turner-Williams (girls track and field) and Erica White (girls basketball).

Ribault also recognized the football lineup known as "The Posse" from the early 1990s, made up of quarterback Cedric Redden as well as Ben Flemming, David Herring, MacArthur Johnson and Damian Swain.

Vote here: Northeast Florida high school Athlete of the Week poll for Oct. 10-15

Bolles cross country nets district sweep

Ella Mickler and Jillian Candelino began their postseason by crossing the finish line practically side-by-side Monday.

For the Bolles seniors, two-time defending Florida High School Athletic Association state champions, district championships are just the first part of the journey.

"It's definitely exciting," said Candelino, the reigning Class 2A individual champion. "We're really excited to not even just go to states, but then go to Nike Regionals for the South and compete against the best of the best."

Bolles brought home both the boys and girls team and individual championships to open the cross country postseason with Monday's District 2-2A meet at Bishop Kenny High School.

The Bulldogs weren't the only area runners celebrating Monday. Led by Garrett Hudson and Aryana Patel, first-year program Beachside finished seventh in the boys race and eighth in the girls race, good for the first regional qualification in any sport in the school's short history.

Bolles' qualification was never in doubt, with the top eight teams advancing to next week's regionals.

Mickler placed eight-hundredths of a second ahead of Candelino for the individual title as the Bolles girls won with 17 points, ahead of Episcopal and Bishop Kenny. Elizabeth Csikai and Estella Bruneau placed third and fourth in a 1-2-3-4 finish.

In the boys race, senior Aidan Ryan brought another Bolles victory in 16:12, coming ahead of Bishop Kenny's Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima. Bulldogs Chris Joost, Parker Adams, Andrew McGraw, Matthew Thomas, Will Morales and Julian Barre all placed in the top 10 for a 22-point score.

For Ryan, the challenge ahead of Bolles means more than just adding a seventh FHSAA boys state trophy to the cabinet — it's also surpassing the times from the 2021 champion squad.

"We have really high standards," he said. "The goal when you come to districts is the perfect score and to beat as many runners as possible."

By now, they've already tested themselves against the Atlantic Coast's best. Earlier this month, Bolles traveled to New York to race the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx, facing off against elite high school runners across the nation.

"Having those really elite girls push me along instead of having to pace myself was really fun," Candelino said.

Ready to run: Northeast Florida 2022 district cross country meet previews

Scott, Lester named top recruits

The national spotlight is starting to shine on Eris Lester.

It's still shining as brightly as ever on Taliah Scott.

Scott, who averaged 31.5 points during a sensational junior year at St. Johns Country Day, topped all Florida recruits and ranked No. 11 among national prospects in the ESPN HoopGurlz Super 100 recruiting rankings for the 2023 class.

Committed to Arkansas, Scott has tallied 1,829 career points in three seasons, winning the All-First Coast player of the year award last season.

Orange Park junior guard Lester, meanwhile, checked in at No. 36 on the Super 60 for the 2024 class. Lester is among three Florida selections on the list, along with Lake Highland Prep's Alexandra Blue (No. 30) and Montverde Academy's Vivian Iwuchukwu (No. 34).

As a sophomore, Lester averaged 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, recording 1,042 points in her first two high school seasons.

Washington tops 1K for Sharks

Add another member to Northeast Florida's 1,000-kill club.

Ponte Vedra's Zeta Washington achieved the milestone Saturday during the Sharks' doubleheader against state powers Alachua Santa Fe and Merritt Island, her last week of regular season high school volleyball.

The Cincinnati-committed senior and two-time state champion isn't just racking up huge kill numbers — she's doing it with accuracy (.602 hitting percentage) against a brutally tough schedule that also included the Geico Invitational in Nebraska earlier this month.

The Sharks ended their regular season with a Saturday split to enter the district tournament at 12-6. Ponte Vedra lost in five sets to Santa Fe, which got 33 kills from senior Jalyn Stout, before the Sharks' sweep of Merritt Island.

Howard, Robinson named to Butkus list

It's a good year for linebackers when Northeast Florida has a candidate for high school football's Butkus Award.

How about two?

That's the reality this week across the area, after Jackson's Grayson Howard and Columbia's Jaden Robinson both made the initial watch list for the top award for linebackers in high school football.

Howard, committed to South Carolina, and Robinson, on course for Florida, are both off to superb starts through the first two-thirds of the season.

Howard leads Northeast Florida in tackles, amassing 109 through the first six weeks, and after Friday's 6-2 win over Riverside, the Tigers' defense has yet to allow more than 10 points to any Florida opponent this year. Jackson topped Riverside for the first time since 2010 in the 95-year-old series, and the Generals' only points came on a safety from an errant exchange.

Robinson and the Tigers are also surging, clinching the District 3-3S championship last week against Middleburg.

Stingrays capture Gateway golf

Atlantic Coast's boys team is bringing home its first Gateway Conference trophy on the golf course.

The Stingrays shot a 12-over-par 300 at Jacksonville Beach Golf Club to edge Fletcher by six strokes, followed by Stanton, Wolfson and Sandalwood. Atlantic Coast had placed third at the 2021 edition.

John Miniotas shot 69, good for second place overall, joining Atlantic Coast teammates Dylan Gilreath (75) and Chris Reason (77) on the All-Gateway team. Sandalwood's Jackson Sullivan earned medalist honors with a 68, and additional All-Gateway selections were Keller Gray and Jackson Runquist (both Fletcher) and Alex Lymus (Stanton).

Scores across the board trended upward from the previous year's championship at the same course, which was highlighted by a 61 from Wolfson's Sam Davis and a 62 from Fletcher's Jayden Diaz.

Pirates tops in Nassau swimming

Fernandina Beach isn't budging from atop the Nassau County swimming scene.

The Pirates repeated as county swimming champions last week, overcoming Yulee, West Nassau and Hilliard in the annual quad-meet and continuing their steady rise in the pool over the past two years.

Top scorers for Fernandina Beach were a quartet of quadruple champions: Logan Cook (boys 200-yard individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay), Cora Foxwell-Jones (girls 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay), Neriah Giedrys (girls 50 free, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay) and Hampton Walker (boys 50 free, 100 free, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay).

Broncos honor V-ball coach Prewitt

After more than three decades in charge in Middleburg, the celebration was on for Monday night.

The Broncos held Carrie Prewitt Appreciation Night to recognize their longtime volleyball coach, set to retire following the 2022-23 school year to wrap up a 38-year career at the school. Two weeks earlier, the school had welcomed dozens of alumni back to honor the longtime coach.

The night was a winner: Connor Rahn tallied 13 kills, Kendyl Wahl got 21 assists and Brooke Forkum led the defense with 12 digs as the Broncos swept county rival Keystone Heights.

Prewitt won her 600th match in September 2021, becoming only the third Northeast Florida coach (Elise Bush at Bolles and Karen Caron at Fletcher are the others) to enter the 600-win club. She entered this week's district tournament with 628 victories.

There's still a possibility that Prewitt could have more home volleyball this month. Depending on the outcome of this week's district tournament, the Broncos could land a home assignment at some point during the FHSAA playoffs, although district champions are no longer guaranteed a first-round home match.

Around the area

Episcopal junior guard Kent Jackson committed to Mercer men's basketball. ... Bartram Trail goalie Maddie Stevens committed to Colgate women's lacrosse, after helping the Bears to their second state championship in May. ... West Nassau infielder Reese Green committed to Troy softball. ... Trinity Christian football cracked the MaxPreps Top 100 national rankings this week, entering at No. 98. ... Old Plank Christian won the First Coast Division of Sunshine State Athletic Conference 8-man football. ... The annual High School 9:12 Basketball Media Day comes 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Winston Family YMCA in Riverside. ... Oakleaf's Sierra Barrera ran 18:55 at the Run Matanzas Invitational, the fastest 5K girls cross country time on record for the school. ... Former Creekside defender Brenna Robinson made her first college soccer start for the University of North Florida. ... Harvest Community and Providence will now play each other in football this Friday in an adjustment to the original schedule. ... Beachside and St. Joseph have scheduled a football game for Thursday, Oct. 27. ... FHSAA girls basketball opens practice on Monday, Oct. 24. ... Nominations for the FHSAA's Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts and Spirit of Sport awards are now open and remain open through Jan. 18, 2023.

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: Mandarin High School volleyball wins Gateway