First Coast Varsity Weekly: Mandarin's Kensey McMahon makes Jacksonville swimming history

Kensey McMahon is bringing bronze back to the First Coast.

The former Mandarin swimmer made history in more ways than one with her bronze medal on Friday at the World Aquatics Short Course Championships in Australia, the first-ever FINA world championship medal at any distance on record for a swimmer from a Duval County public high school.

McMahon — in her first-ever international meet in the pool at age 23, not even competing from one of the featured heats — earned a surprise third place in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle, which consists of 60 lengths of the 25-meter short-course pool.

She swam a 15:49.15 to place first in Thursday night's last unseeded heat, cutting her seed time by more than 27 seconds in a career-best performance. Still, she had to wait several hours for the evening session to see where that time would rank in the overall standings.

But lap after lap after lap passed by, and when only two swimmers from the championship (Australia's Lani Pallister and Japan's Miyu Namba) surpassed her time in the seeded heat, McMahon found herself on the medal stand holding bronze.

She joins a short list of Jacksonville public school athletes to win medals in international competition, a list that includes the likes of Old Stanton's Ned Gourdin (track and field), Parker's Joe Dube (weightlifting) and Mandarin's Michelle Moultrie (softball).

Among swimmers, Catie Ball (from Lee) and Ken Walsh (from Fletcher) both attained Olympic championships at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, but swimming governing body FINA did not begin its world championship meet until 1973.

Meanwhile, the championship in Australia was also an all-around winner for a seasoned First Coast swimming star in Bolles graduate Ryan Murphy, who captured five gold medals and one silver at the short course meet.

Murphy swept the individual titles in the men's backstroke events and helped the United States to a pair of relay victories.

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Seven locals set for FACA All-Stars

After three seasons at running back for Baker County, and a grand total of 5,234 all-purpose yards, Cam Smith gets one more chance to take the high school gridiron.

The Baker County athlete is among seven Jacksonville-area seniors and dozens of Florida stars competing in Wednesday's 67th annual edition of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association's North/South All-Star Football Classic at The Villages.

Smith rushed for 1,653 yards this year and gained 490 as a receiver, his second consecutive year with more than 2,000 all-purpose yards as the Wildcats qualified for the Region 2-2S final last month.

Also set to represent the North team are Bartram Trail linebacker Zeke Cromwell and defensive lineman Arion Stith, Palatka defensive back Chavaris Dumas and defensive tackle Jacques Fenderson, Sandalwood guard Purnell Richardson and Suwannee defensive back Jay Smith.

The game also serves as a curtain call for longtime Bartram Trail head coach Darrell Sutherland, who will coach the North squad for the 1 p.m. Wednesday kickoff. Sutherland stepped down at the start of this month after 23 seasons at Bartram Trail.

Tickets are available at the gate for $10. The game will also be available through NFHS Network live streaming.

Mustangs still perfect after thriller

Zack Kertesz saw the ball pop loose in the box, and he knew he had only a split second to keep Mandarin's boys soccer season perfect.

Fortunately, he had plenty of practice.

"We do like a set piece or throw-in where one person goes near post and they flick it, and then everybody crashes the net," the senior center forward said. "Even though we play together well [in live-ball play], we think set pieces can add to our arsenal as well."

Kertesz's 74th-minute goal lifted the Mustangs to a 4-2 win over formerly unbeaten Fleming Island in a thriller Wednesday night in Clay County, an early candidate for game of the year in Northeast Florida that lifted Mandarin to a 9-0 season record.

While the senior tandem of Antonio Mancinotti and Adis Mesic grabs well-deserved attention — they've combined for 27 goals and 18 assists in a buzzsaw Mustang offense — Mandarin's third and fourth goals, scored just a minute apart, illustrated the skill and depth of a fast-moving and fast-striking Mustangs squad.

Moments after the opportunistic Kertesz finish, Mandarin put the game away after a determined dribble by sophomore David Garcia, who fought through several Golden Eagle attempts to clear. Fleming Island goalkeeper Peyton French parried Garcia's initial shot, but Mandarin's Resad Golic cleaned up the rebound.

Fleming Island had seized the lead just after halftime on a laser shot by Matthew Male, and after a pair of Mesic goals for Mandarin, the Golden Eagles knotted the score when Daniel Vizcarrondo poked in a loose ball after a set-play scramble.

Through nine games, the Mustangs have outscored opponents 47-7, igniting hopes that this year's Mandarin team could advance a step further than last year's visit to the Class 7A semifinal.

"We've got a real bond with the team, and our chemistry is really good this year," said Kertesz. "I think we can go far and maybe push for states."

Spartans' Pickett wins top coach honor

Nearly a quarter-century into a championship career, Mike Pickett is receiving more national acclaim.

MaxPreps recognized the longtime St. Johns Country Day coach as the top girls soccer coach in the nation last week, part of a series highlighting the most successful coaches in a multitude of sports.

Pickett, who won his 500th career game with the Spartans in February's Region 1-2A championship, is now up to 512 victories after Friday's 4-2 victory against formerly-unbeaten Bishop Moore of Orlando.

The Spartans have won 14 Florida High School Athletic Association championships under Pickett, including 11 in a row since 2012. That streak is the longest for any team ball sport in Sunshine State history.

He was one of three Florida coaches recognized as the best in their sports, along with Montverde Academy's Kevin Boyle in boys basketball and Orlando Lake Highland Prep's Chris Robinson in girls lacrosse.

Potak steps down at Menendez

After two seasons in charge of Menendez football, Matt Potak stepped down Friday as head coach.

Potak, who moved the the Falcons from the middle school ranks, led Menendez to a 10-10 record over two .500 seasons.

Menendez placed second with a 3-1 district record in District 4-3S this year along with St. Augustine, Clay, Matanzas and Gainesville, but missed out on an at-large berth in the FHSAA playoffs.

The coaching search begins again for Menendez, which has cycled through five coaches since 2017. Although Menendez has yet to qualify for a state semifinal in its 23-year history, the Falcons have been consistently competitive, recording five or more wins in 10 consecutive seasons.

Menendez joins a list of more than a half-dozen Northeast Florida schools searching for new football coaches for 2023.

Terrific Tuesday in St. Johns

It's been a week now, but St. Johns County is still catching its collective breath from a wild Tuesday in high school basketball.

A few of the highlights:

• Bartram Trail picked up one of the season's early boys hoops highlights when Landon Geren nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That gave the Bears a 65-64 victory over newly-opened Beachside in double overtime.

• A large school-small school battle tipped toward Creekside, 56-52 over a St. Joseph squad that hadn't lost a game up to that point. Sophomore Derek Rivers came through for the Knights with 17 points.

• In girls hoops, Bartram Trail edged Ponte Vedra 36-35 in a tense finish. Newcomers Miranda Campos and Lina Kouchis scored 12 points apiece to lead the young Bears.

• Another contest coming down to the last basket: Nease's girls basketball meeting with Creekside. In a grinding, defensive game, Nease prevailed 31-29 with 17 points from senior Cami Robinson.

Around the area

Fleming Island offensive lineman Ethan Williams committed to Georgia Southern football. … Fleming Island defensive end Jhace Edwards committed to Albany State football. … Bolles defensive back Kavon Miller committed to Princeton football. … White receiver Gabriel Garmon committed to Tuskegee football. … Fleming Island senior Colton Swartz signed with Florida Southern men's golf. … Middleburg outfielder Madison Wesley committed to Mississippi Valley State softball. … Senior guard Kiley Channell scored her 1,000th career point for Keystone Heights girls basketball. ... Jackson's girls basketball game against Orange Park was rescheduled to 8 p.m. Thursday. … Creekside topped the traditional standings at the St. Johns County girls weightlifting meet, while Bartram Trail won the Olympic category. … West Nassau won a nine-team girls weightlifting tournament Friday ahead of Palatka and Episcopal. ... Former Sandalwood quarterback Jeff Sims announced his plans to transfer from Georgia Tech to Nebraska. … Former Episcopal tight end Nick Elksnis announced his transfer from Florida to South Carolina. … Former Trinity Christian cornerback Fred Davis is transferring from Clemson to UCF. … Mandarin received the top seeds in both boys and girls soccer for the Gateway Conference tournaments, which begin Jan. 5. ... Fleming Island's Battle on the Island basketball tournament continues through Thursday.

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: Kensey McMahon wins world swimming bronze