High school roundup (April 17-22): Mooney beach volleyball wins 2nd straight SSAC title

SATURDAY

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Cardinal Mooney 2, The Classical Academy 1; Cardinal Mooney 3, Bradenton Christian 0

SARASOTA - They came, they saw, they conquered.

Again.

For the second consecutive year, the Cardinal Mooney beach volleyball team walked away with Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC) gold.

The Cougars, ranked 12th in the state coming into the tournament, defeated 15th-ranked The Classical Academy in one semifinal match 2-1, before steamrolling fourth-ranked Bradenton Christian 3-0 for the title in matches held Saturday at the Game Point Event Center in Orlando.

The victory moved head coach Chad Davis’s team to 18-1 and will send the Cougars into the district tournament on a high note. Mooney hosts the Class 1A-District 20 tourney starting Monday.

“In the semifinals (against Classical), we got pushed to the absolute brink,” Davis said. “And then just played an outstanding match against BCS. The girls are still upset about the first result (a Panther victory on April 11) so they had something to prove, and they did it.

“We just played really, really focused volleyball. Everybody was on.”

Doug Fernandes

Cardinal Mooney 2, The Classical Academy 1

AT: Game Point Event Center in Orlando

Gracie Page/Sawyer DeYoung (CM) 21-23, 21-13, 15-11; Kate Montesano/Riley Greene (CM) 21-9, 21-9

Cardinal Mooney 3, Bradenton Christian 0

Helena Hebda/Madeline Carson (CM) 21-3, 21-16; Gracie Page/Sawyer DeYoung (CM) 21-17, 22-20; Kate Montesano/Riley Greene (CM) 21-18, 21-10

RECORD: Cardinal Mooney 18-1

NEXT: Cardinal Mooney hosts the Class 1A-District 20 tournament starting Monday. Also in the bracket and playing Monday in the quarterfinals are Riverview, Sarasota, Sarasota Christian, Venice, The Classical Academy of Sarasota, and Gulf Coast HEAT. Matches start at 3:30 p.m. (Classical vs. Sarasota); 4:30 p.m. (Venice vs. HEAT); and 5:30 p.m. (Riverview vs. Christian). With a quarterfinal bye, Mooney will face the winner of Riverview-Sarasota Christian on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in one semifinal. The winners of the other two matches will play in the other semi prior at 3:30 p.m. The district title match is Wednesday at 4 p.m.

FRIDAY

GIRLS LACROSSE

Saint Stephen's 21, Bishop Verot 0

BRADENTON − Tod Creneti did not give his Saint Stephen’s Episcopal girls lacrosse team the speech about having a bull’s eye on its back since the Falcons are undefeated and the No. 1 seed in the regional tournament.

The message is implied.

“We always need to be prepared,” Saint Stephen’s junior attacker Sienna Cassella said. “We go into every game: This is our best competition. We don’t take anyone for granted.”

The Falcons took care of business, scoring seven goals in the five 5 minutes, 34 seconds and went on to a 21-0 victory over Bishop Verot in the Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinals Friday at Moore Athletic Complex at Turner Fields.

“We just work as a team and work as hard as possible and make sure no one can beat us,” Cassella said.

So far, it has been 15 up and 15 down for the Falcons, ranked seventh in the state and 23rd nationally by MaxPreps and seventh in the state and No. 1 in Class 3A by the FHSAA power rankings.

“What we’re focusing on is what we can control,” Creneti said. “The conversations have been about this is a great team and we want to continue to play together. We’re trying not to listen to or worry about anybody else. If we play the way we are capable of, we can answer the bell.”

In winning the 100th game in program history, Saint Stephen’s ignited a running clock in the first half by storming out to a 10-0 lead before substituting freely and controlling the tempo.

Cassella, the Falcons’ leading scorer added seven goals and two assists to her log.

“We want to come out fast and hard against these teams,” Cassella said. “We always come with the expectations it would be hard. We came in with a pretty good attitude we are going to win and we want to win.”

She was not alone in the scoring column.

Freshman Ashling Marshall scored five goals and had an assist. Senior Bella Rosa tallied three goals and dished off four assists. Sophomore Haley Rose had two goals and two assists. Sophia Creneti scored in the second half.

“We shared the ball well,” Coach Creneti said. “In games like this our girls want to get other people involved. They wanted to get people who haven’t scored in a couple of games a goal.”

That is why the celebrations were louder when seniors Maddie Castelucci and Tatum Telbuescher scored second-half goals.

“We wanted to control the draw. We didn’t play a lot of defense, but when we did, we played hard on defense. This is a group of 23 girls that are a joy to coach and make this a lot of fun.”

The Falcons called out plays like waterfall, cheetah, hippo, cake and nickel throughout.

Saint Stephen’s advances to the regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against St. Petersburg Catholic, a 14-13 winner over Clearwater Calvary Christian.

“We know them. We’re familiar with them. We know their personnel,” Coach Creneti said. “They’re a good team. They score at a pretty high clip. Our goal will be to play great on defense, but we’ll focus on us.”

The loss ended a tumultuous season for Bishop Verot (9-9). The Vikings went through a coaching change with three weeks remaining in the season, as co-coaches Justin O’Hara and Brian Ray took over.

Bishop Verot had a six-game winning streak followed by a six-game losing streak during the regular season.

In the district tournament under the new regime, Bishop Verot defeated Cape Coral and Fort Myers Canterbury to win the district title and compete in the regionals for the first time in eight seasons.

“They really stepped it up in the last 21 days,” Ray said. “They improved tremendously. They’re a whole different team. Tons of heart.”

It did not help Friday junior midfielder Piper Kelleher, Bishop Verot’s top faceoff player, was injured and could not return. Nor the fact the team did not get off its first shot until late in the second half. Senior goalie Carley Gannon made five saves in the first half.

Losing six seniors and having the majority of the players returning, the Vikings look forward to better things to come.

“It’s sad we’re losing our six seniors. They played great,” Ray said. “Excellent foundation coming back.”

− Dennis Maffezzoli

BOYS LACROSSE

Cardinal Mooney 19, Saint Stephen's 6 (Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinal)

SARASOTA - Heading into his team’s Region 3 quarterfinal against Saint Stephen’s, Cardinal Mooney boys lacrosse coach Derek Wagner had to guard against something potentially more hazardous than the visiting Falcons.

Complacency. Last week, the Cougars belted the Falcons 20-9 for the district title. But early on Friday night, it became apparent that carelessness wouldn’t seep into Mooney’s game.

With Sean Laureano scoring six goals, Carter Westendorf four, and even goalie Jacob Brown getting in the scoring column, Wagner’s team once again handedly defeated the Falcons, 19-6, to advance to the Region 3 semifinals.

On Wednesday, the Cougars (12-6) travel to take on the Community School of Naples (15-3) in the region semifinals. Last month, the Seahawks beat Mooney 10-6, forcing Wagner and his team on the road.

“We did not play our game (against Naples),” Wagner said. “We have a lot of room for improvement. It’ll be a really good battle. Anytime you get a game to go to the regional final, it’s going to be a good game.”

As in their district final loss to Mooney, the Falcons (11-3) suffered on Friday from a lack of personnel.

“We still had some injured players, and we’re not a very deep team, so the results were the same,” said first-year coach Dan Rice. “We don’t have a lot of depth. We have 18 kids and two coaches and we just fight the best we can.”

Rice, who also doesn’t have a JV program at Saint Stephen’s, was asked what makes the Cougars a formidable foe.

“They are well coached,” he said. “But when the kids on varsity get all the ground balls, it’s because they did it on junior varsity, and they did it before they got here. We got 10 players that have experience, and eight who are in their first or second year.”

Up 7-3 after two quarters, the Cougars quickly increased their lead in the third. The goal by Brown, the Cougar goalie, made it 11-4 and charged up the Mooney sideline. In lacrosse, a goalie can enter the opponent’s side of the field as long as four defenders remain back.

Brown simply found a lane and raced down the field. He got within 10 feet of Nicholas Pagnotta before the junior ripped a shot past the Falcon goalie for the first goal of his career.

“They just didn’t pick him up,” Wagner said. “We’ve been telling our guys all week, ‘push, push, pressure, pressure pressure.’ I joked with him that he owed me the assist on that one because I was ready to call timeout. But he’s been on me all season about trying to get a goal.”

Up 14-6 entering the final quarter, the Cougars aimed to force a running clock. Following three straight goals by Laureano, a tally by Duke Bergstrom with seven minutes left made the score 18-6 and got the clock running. Laureano’s sixth and final goal accounted for the final score.

“We didn’t beat them like we wanted to beat them,” Wagner said. “That’s the one thing, when you play an opponent like that, which we know very well, back-to-back weeks, there’s a large factor of complacency.

“Listen, lose and you’re done. If that doesn’t motivate you to knock that complacency off, then you have more issues than we can address.”

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

AT: Sunshine State Athletic Conference state championship, Game Point Event Center, Orlando

Cardinal Mooney 3, Lake Mary 0

Helena Hebda/Madeline Carson (CM) 21-1, 21-10; Gracie Page/Sawyer DeYoung (CM) 21-5, 21-16; Kate Montesano/Riley Greene (CM) 21-6, 21-5

Cardinal Mooney 3, Bell Creek Academy 0

Helena Hebda/Madeline Carson (CM) 21-11, 21-8; Gracie Page/Sawyer DeYoung (CM) 21-7, 21-3; Kate Montesano/Riley Greene 21-7, 21-11

Cardinal Mooney 3, Hampden Dubose 0

Izzy Russell/Katie Powers (CM) 21-7, 21-4; Layla Larrick/Violet Weiser (CM) 21-2, 21-6; Madi Robinson/Piper Carson (CM) 21-7, 21-7

Cardinal Mooney 3, Indian Rocks 0

Izzy Russell/Katie Powers (CM) 21-9, 21-15; Layla Larrick/Violet Weiser (CM) 21-15, 21-13; Madi Robinson/Piper Carson (CM) 21-16, 21-11

Cardinal Mooney 3, Sarasota Christian 0

Julia Haller/Sam Kotasek (CM) 17-21, 26-24, 17-15; Ella Shuel/Zoe Kirby (CM) 16-21, 23-21, 15-9; Sophia Vance/Ashlyn Smith (CM) 21-7, 21-5

RECORD: Cardinal Mooney 16-1

NEXT: Cardinal Mooney has a semifinal match Saturday at 10 a.m. Should the Cougars win, they will have another semifinal at 11 a.m. The championship match is at noon.

BASEBALL

Sarasota 7, Mariner 0

AT: Mariner

TOP PLAYERS: S, Luke Jackson 2-4, 2 runs; Rex Smith 2-2, run, RBI; Bernard Barnes 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Rocco Depastino 2-4; Luke Jackson (WP) 6 inns., 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts

RECORDS: Sarasota 16-6, Mariner 5-16

NEXT: Sarasota at Tampa Riverview, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Manatee 10, Braden River 3

AT: Manatee

TOP PLAYERS: M, Ozzy Lonzo 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Rylan Jomisko 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Daniel Walker 2-4; Max Mullett 1-3, 5 RBI; Diego Garcia 1-1, 5 SB; Theodore DeCicco (WP) 2 inns., 2 hits, 3 runs-1 earned, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts. BR, Uriel Barrios-Stegall 1-2, run, RBI; Kyle Vaughn 1-3, RBI; Benny Hedgepeth 1-2, run; Lexman Pirela Madrez 2-4, run; Max Soodek (LP) 2/3 inns., 2 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

RECORDS: Manatee 10-14, Braden River 10-10

NEXT: Manatee at Out-of-Door Academy, Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Braden River at Bradenton Christian, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

BOYS LACROSSE

Cardinal Mooney 19, Saint Stephen’s 6

AT: Cardinal Mooney

TOP PLAYERS: CM, Sean Laureano 6 goals, 3 assists; 2 ground balls; Carter Westendorf 4 goals, 1 ground ball; Jamison Mccusker 2 goals, 2 ground balls; Hunter Sheffield 2 goals, 1 assist; Duke Bergstrom 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 ground balls; Jacob Brown 1 goal, 1 ground ball, 6 saves. SS, Joey Droge 3 goals; Matt Vara 2 goals, 1 assist; Nicholas Pagnotta 16 saves

RECORDS: Cardinal Mooney 12-6, Saint Stephen’s 11-3

NEXT: Cardinal Mooney at Community School of Naples, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Region 3 semifinals

THURSDAY

FLAG FOOTBALL

Gibbs 18, Braden River 12, OT

BRADENTON − Braden River High’s bid for its first flag football district championship came up short.

Or did it?

Visiting Gibbs High out of St. Petersburg scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime to take a 18-12 victory over the Pirates in the Class 1A-District 8 final Thursday night at Braden River High.

There was a bit of controversy surrounding the final touchdown.

It appeared the Pirates’ Ameria Smith pulled Messiah Cook’s flag before she backed into the end zone after catching a short pass from Anaya Johnson.

The referees huddled and then called both coaches to join them.

“They called a touchdown,” Pirates coach Amanda Porco said. “And that was it.”

The decision set off a celebration on the visiting sideline, while the Braden River players looked on in disbelief.

Porco gathered her players in the end zone for a post-game talk, but they still were unconsolable.

“We’re going to go back and watch film, and we’re going to make sure what we think we saw is what we actually saw,” Porco said.

The top-seeded Pirates (12-2) rallied with a fourth-quarter touchdown on a pass from Cyndee Brooks to Courtney Kawcak to tie it at 6-all.

Both teams scored in the first overtime.

Second-seeded Gibbs (13-3) got the opening possession and scored on a scramble to the left by Johnson. A fumbled snap on the PAT kept it at 12-6.

On the Pirates’ second play, Hannah Ferguson made a bobbling catch of a Brooks pass to tie it. The PAT pass failed, extending the game to the second overtime.

The Gladiators’ Tarriyah Burr made an acrobatic interception on Braden River’s possession.

A Johnson-to-Burr completion sandwiched between two interceptions set up Gibbs’ winning score on fourth down.

In extending their winning streak to five games, the Gladiators went to 7-0 on the road. Braden River, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, lost its first home game in eight tries.

Gibbs, which lost to the Pirates during the regular season, 7-0, on March 3 at home, had the only score through the first three quarters. Johnson, who completed her first eight passes and was 21-of-30 in the game, connected with Cook in the second quarter.

Brooks, who connected on her first seven passes, was 19-for-32. She connected with seven different receivers. Kawcak had a team-high six catches. Monique Schwalbach and Natalie Davis each made three receptions, two for first downs. Ferguson, Aubrey Barak and Ameria Smith, who came on late, each caught two balls.

On defense for the Pirates, freshman linebacker Maddie Baehr led the defense with 12 flags pulled, including a touchdown-saving pull late in the first half.

Liana Nesser and Kawcak each pulled five. Kawcak also had an interception. Nesser and Niley Molina broke up passes. Maddison Epperson made a key pull of the flag in the fourth quarter with Gibbs driving.

“I saw my kids play hard,” Porco said. “We’re going to go back and watch film.”

Gibbs will play at home in Wednesday’s regional quarterfinals. The Pirates, whose only other loss was to Lennard, likely will receive an at-large bid in the regionals since they were ranked second in the region entering the district final.

FLAG FOOTBALL RESULTS

Class 2A-District 8

Monday, April 17

Sumner 22, Manatee 0

Lennard 35, Sumner 0

Palmetto 13, Bloomingdale 6

Newsome 34, Lakewood Ranch 0

East Bay 13, Tampa Riverview 12

Tuesday, April 18

Lennard 28, Palmetto 0

Newsome 19, East Bay 0

Thursday, April 20

Newsome 26, Lennard 6

Class 1A-District 8

Monday, April 17

Braden River 34, Boca Ciega 0

St. Petersburg 13, Bayshore 6

Gibbs 26, Parrish Community 0

Lakewood 41, Southeast 6

Tuesday, April 18

Braden River 25, St. Petersburg 6

Gibbs 6, Lakewood 0

Thursday, April 20

Gibbs 18, Braden River 12, OT

REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

Class 1A-Region 2

Wednesday, April 26

Braden River at Tampa Catholic, 7 p.m.

BOYS TENNIS

Out-of-Door Academy 4, Saint Stephen's 3

BRADENTON - Out-of-Door Academy boys tennis coach Kieran Killegrew had mapped out the road to his team’s victory on Thursday against Saint Stephen’s.

“I was confident we could get it done with three singles and one doubles,” he said, “and it didn’t work out.”

It almost didn’t work out for the Thunder, period.

With ODA holding a 3-2 lead heading into doubles play, its No. 1 doubles team of Robert Zhang and Prithvi Sudhakar fell to Saint Stephen’s Max Pettingell and Ricardo Perazzolo, deadlocking the match and setting up the No. 2 doubles match as the decider.

Zhang and Sudhakar had been up in their match, to the point that the No. 2 doubles match had stopped play. “We thought the (No. 1) match was going to be over,” Killegrew said.

But when the ODA No. 2 doubles team of Levi Felsmann and Joaquin Garcia-Argibay lost the first set to Andrei Black and Meng Zhao, “we were kind of moping around,” Killigrew said. But Felsmann and Garcia-Argibay rallied, winning the second set 7-6, then capturing the tiebreaker 11-9, giving the Thunder a 4-3 win in the Region 6 finals at Saint Stephen’s.

The victory moves ODA into the Class 1A state quarterfinals. The Thunder will face Shorecrest Prep at 8 a.m. on Monday at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry.

The two teams had split during the season. The Thunder lost the first match 4-3, then came back to win the second 5-2. Still, Killigrew, who won a state title at ODA in 2018, was confident heading into Thursday’s rubber match “because I just felt we had the right matchups.”

The win moved ODA’s record to 11-4. The Falcons finished 5-8.

“We knew this would be very competitive and close because our teams are so evenly matched,” said Saint Stephen’s coach Scott Shields. “It came down to both the doubles matches, and both doubles matches were decided by a tie-breaker score of 11-9. It’s tougher to get closer, or more evenly matched than that. I’m very proud of them and their effort.”

Killigrew said the title he won in ‘18 was sweet, “but the kids that I have this year have made it extra special. The adversity we fought through, with all the lineup changes and not knowing if someone was going to be able to participate and play for the entire year.”

Pettingell, and the doubles team of Pettingell and Ricardo Perazzolo will be headed to the state tournament as individuals.

Meanwhile, the Saint Stephen’s girls tennis team lost to the Community School of Naples 4-0.

Doug Fernandes

Lemon Bay 7, Hardee 0 (Class 2A-Region 6 title)

AT: Lemon Bay

SINGLES: Stevie Ethier (LB) d. Aiden Thomas 6-3, 6-1; Hunter Andres (LB ) d. Ryan Albritton 6-3, 6-1; Billy Rand (LB) d. Davis Roberts 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; Gray Lowder (LB) d. Wyatt Rowland 6-1, 6-2; Caleb Hutcherson (LB) d. Brett Buzzard 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES: Ethier/Andres (LB) d. Thomas/Albritton 6-3, 6-1; Rand/Lowder (LB) d. Roberts/Rowland 6-4, 7-5

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 12-4, Hardee 12-2

NEXT: Lemon Bay advances to the Class 2A state tournament and will face Robinson High (Tampa) in the quarterfinals on April 26 at 8 a.m. at Red Bug Lake Park in Orlando.

Out-of-Door Academy 4, Saint Stephen’s 3 (Class 1A-Region 6 title)

AT: Saint Stephen’s

SINGLES: Robbie Zhang (ODA) d. Max Pettingell 6-4, 6-2; Prithvi Sudhakar (ODA) d. Ricardo Perazzolo 6-0, 6-3; William Wang (SS) d. Levi Felsman 6-4, 6-3; Andrei Black (SS) d. Joaquin Garcia-Argibay 6-0, 6-1; Cash Murphy (ODA) d. Meng Zhao 6-2, 6-0

DOUBLES: Pettingell/Perazzolo (SS) d. Zhang/Sudhakar 6-4, 3-6, 11-9; Felsmann/Garcia-Argibay (ODA) d. Black/Zhao 3-6, 7-6 (4), 11-9

RECORDS: Out-of-Door Academy 11-4, Saint Stephen’s 5-8

NEXT: Out-of-Door Academy will face Shorecrest Prep in the 1A quarterfinals, Monday at 8 a.m. at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry.

Gulf Coast 4, Venice 3 (Class 4A-Region 4 title)

AT: Gulf Coast

SINGLES: Ivan Kisic (GC) d. David Siddons 6-2, 6-3; Hudson Fry (GC) d. Josh Lim 6-2, 6-3; Seith Neitlich (V) d. Akhil Nimmagadda 6-2, 6-0; Alex Mazza (GC) d. Aravind Rajeev 6-0, 7-6 (7-3); Pranav Mayor (V) d. Paul Barrus 7-5, 6-2

DOUBLES: Siddons/Neitlich (V) d. Kisic/Fry 6-4, 6-4; Nimmagadda/Mazza (GC) d. Lim/Evan VanBuskirk 6-2, 6-3

RECORDS: Venice 19-1, Gulf Coast 18-2

GIRLS TENNIS

Estero 4, Lemon Bay 3 (Class 2A-Region 6 title)

AT: Lemon Bay

SINGLES: Megan Lay (E) d. Parker Zautcke 2-6, 6-2, 10-5; Gianella Salas Gechele (E) d. Rosey Lowder 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-8; Avery Shirley (LB) d. Kate Mackie 6-1, 6-4; Alaina Maday (LB) d. Sofia Passos 6-1, 6-3; Sydney Ramsey (E) d. Mercedes Roesler 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.

DOUBLES: Zautcke/Lowder (LB) d. Lay/Salas Gechele 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 11-9; Mackie/Ramsey (E) d. Shirley/Maday 6-3, 3-6, 10-6

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 13-4, Estero 12-1

Community School of Naples 4, Saint Stephen's 0 (Class 1A-Region 6 title)

AT: Saint Stephen's

SINGLES: Nadia Sondrini (CSN) d. McKinzie Vo 6-0, 6-0; Lily Graham (CSN) d. Lana Tran 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES: Lily Dounchis/Sophia Min (CSN) d. Ella Dalzell/Maria Petrova 6-0, 6-0; Sondrini/Graham (CSN) d. Sophia Ierulli/Vo 6-2, 6-0

RECORDS: Saint Stephen's 8-4, Community School of Naples 12-1

Venice 4, Durant 0 (Class 4A-Region 4 title)

AT: Venice High

SINGLES: Nicole Cierniak (V) d. Katarina DiNova 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 10-5; Weronika DeLong (V) d. Kieran Russell 6-1, 6-0; Christine Wu (V) d. Emilee Nevaril 6-0, 6-0; Sandra Piskor (V) by WO

RECORDS: Venice 18-1, Durant 11-3

NEXT: Venice faces Steinbrenner in a Class 4A state quarterfinal match at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs

SOFTBALL

Hardee 4, North Port 0

AT: North Port

TOP PLAYERS: NP, Cailline Kelly 1-3, Jewelie Vanderkous 1-3; Jewelie Vanderkous (LP) 7 inns., 5 hits, 4 runs-0 earned, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts

RECORDS: North Port 10-9

NEXT: North Port hosts Palmetto Ridge, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Lemon Bay 12, Bradenton Christian 1

AT: Bradenton Christian

TOP PLAYERS: LB, Madison Kinkade 4-4, 2B, run, 4 RBI; Abigail Matheny 1-4, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI; MacKenzie Vaughan 1-4, 2 runs; Zoey Mills 1-3, HR, run, 4 RBI; Mattie Couture 1-3, run; Baylee Goff 1-3, run; Taylor Jones 3-3, 2B, 3 runs, RBI; MacKenzie Vaughan (WP) 5 inns., 6 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 1 strikeout. BC, Payton Burdick 1-2, run; Sofia Puccia 1-2, 2B, RBI; Kiera Johnston (LP) 6 inns., 13 hits, 12 runs-11 earned, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 12-6, Bradenton Christian 9-4

NEXT: Lemon Bay at Riverview, Thursday, 7 p.m.; Bradenton Christian at Admiral Farragut, Monday, 4:30 p.m.

Sarasota 5, Lakewood Ranch 4

AT: Sarasota High

TOP PLAYERS: S, Sommer Speers 1-4, run; Gianna Williams 2-4, run; Abbey Johns 1-3, 2B, run, 4 RBI; Addisyn Schwied 2-4, 2 runs; Ryleigh Bennett (WP) 9 inns., 11 hits, 4 runs-3 earned, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts. LW, Natalie Crestani 1-4, run; Cassidy McLellan 4-5, run, RBI; Naomi Whiney 2-4, run, RBI; Olivia Carr (LP) 2.1 inns., 1 hit, 1 run-0 earned, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts

RECORDS: Sarasota 17-4, Lakewood Ranch 14-8

NEXT: Sarasota at Venice, Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Lakewood Ranch hosts McKeel Academy, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

BASEBALL

Jesuit 4, Venice 2

AT: Venice

TOP PLAYERS: V, Trent Adrian 2-3, 2B, run; Jackson Lucas 1-3, RBI; Carter Cox 1-2, RBI; Jackson Lucas (LP) 5 inns., 4 hits, 3 runs-2 earned, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

RECORDS: Venice 11-12, Jesuit 19-3

NEXT: Venice at Parrish, Monday, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

BASEBALL

Saint Stephen's 6, Sarasota Military Academy 5

AT: Saint Stephen's

TOP PLAYERS: SS, Gabriel Conn 2-5, RBI; Ry Jesser 1-1, 2 RBI; Cade Walters 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Jackson Riffe 2-5, run; Bryce Griggs 1-3, run, RBI; Luke Donley (WP) 3 inns., 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

RECORDS: Saint Stephen's 2-9, Sarasota Military Academy 0-8

NEXT: Saint Stephen's hosts Cambridge Christian, Monday, 4:30 p.m.; Sarasota Military Academy at IMG Academy Navy, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Parrish 13, Manatee 2

AT: Manatee

TOP PLAYERS: P, Eloy Serrata 1-2, run, RBI; JaBrien Quiles 2-3, run, RBI; Logan Maguire 1-2, run, 2 RBI; Matthew Thompson 2-4, 2 runs, RBI; Tyler Cripe 3-4, 3B, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Alex Tallo 1-2, run, RBI; Will Rawls 2-4, 3B, run, RBI; Ayden Hinkel 3-4, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Jacob Traeger (W, 6-2) 4 inns., 3 hits, 2 runs-1 earned, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts

RECORDS: Parrish 15-5, Manatee 9-14

NEXT: Parrish hosts Venice, Monday, 6 p.m.; Manatee hosts Braden River, Friday, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

GIRLS LACROSSE

Manatee 10, Newsome 9, OT

BRADENTON − After the Manatee High girls lacrosse team experienced some very anxious moments, the Hurricanes felt a sense of calmness with the ball in the stick of Grace Knowles, who had a direct shot on goal.

Manatee’s finest sniper, Knowles did what she does and helped the Hurricanes avert disaster and possibly the end of the season.

Knowles notched her fourth goal of the game on a free shot with 34.3 seconds left in the first three-minute overtime. The golden goal lifted Manatee to a 10-9 victory over Wharton High in the Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal Tuesday night at Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium.

The victory earned the third-seeded Hurricanes (12-4) a trip to Lutz to face second-seeded Steinbrenner High, a 21-0 winner over Lakewood Ranch High, at 7 p.m. Jan. 25.

MANATEE VS. NEWSOME LACROSSE Preps Girls Lacrosse Photos: Manatee Hurricanes wins the 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal

The winning goal came when Knowles was fouled and given a restart at one of the seven designated hash marks 8 meters away from the goal. The sophomore closed in and went low to beauty beat Wharton goalie Macey Clay, who had a terrific game.

“I was just trying to win for my team,” said Knowles, who raised her goal total to 75. “I had been missing high all game; I had to shoot low. We had it all set up. The coach gave us a perfect play to win the game.”

Gaining possession late in the 3-minute overtime, Manatee coach Jeff McGuigan requested a timeout to set up a play.

“When we started that play, we tried to set up an isolation for her,” McGuigan said of Knowles. “But they are so well coached, I knew she probably wasn’t going to get it. But the ball being in her hands and her driving, she ended up getting the 8 meter out of it.

“That’s no way to end the game. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to end it on an 8 meter, and I wouldn’t want them to win on an 8 meter, but I’ll take it.”

After squandering an 8-3 first-half lead, Manatee tied the game with 41 seconds left in regulation on a goal by sophomore Gabrielle Waples on a Knowles assist.

The Wolves (15-5-1) had a chance to win it in regulation but a shot by Mia Proctor, who had four goals, sailed over reserve goalie Sally Lehto and the net in the final seconds.

“I was a little nervous, but I had to have faith in my defense to back me up,” said Lehto, who replaced starter Cameron Murphy with Manatee ahead 8-6 with 15:10 left in regulation. “They shot over. Initially, I thought it went between my legs and it was a goal because they were looking behind me.”

McGuigan was confident in making the goalie switch.

“I see them every day in practice and I warm them up, so I knew she would be fine,” McGuigan said of Lehto, who made key saves in Manatee’s district championship 18-11 win over Riverview High last week. “She needed to convince herself that she is capable, and so far, so good. I like my chances with either of those goalies. That’s one of the places I feel really good about.”

“All I knew is I was ready to save balls,” Lehto said.

The Hurricanes, who lost the previous four meetings with Wharton by a combined 72-14, were looking good in the beginning. They won the coin toss to start the game and elected to shoot at the east goal with the sun setting directly in Clay’s eyes.

Manatee scored five goals in the first 8:35. Knowles had the first two goals and assisted on two others. Cara Carter, Mallory Adams and Luana Engel found the back of the net.

Penelope May, Knowles and Adams had goals to make it 8-3 for the Hurricanes.

Then, Manatee went 25 minutes, 28 seconds without scoring.

“I was aware of that,” McGuigan said.

“That was their goalie,” Knowles said. “Their goalie was great. We had so many shots. She was saving them.”

During that stretch the Wolves tallied six consecutive goals to take a 9-8 lead with 1:23 left in regulation.

“We stayed calm,” Knowles said. “We’ve seen other teams get all riled up, and we didn’t want to be like that. So we had to stay calm.”

Waples' goal on an assist from Knowles with 41 seconds left in regulation while the Hurricanes had a man advantage tied it at 9-all.

The steady play of Lehto in goal, along with the defense anchored by Abigail Clark and Knowles’ stick work helped the Hurricanes advance.

− Dennis Maffezzoli

Gulf Coast 13, Riverview 9 (Region 3 semifinals)

AT: Gulf Coast

TOP PLAYERS: R, Susan Lowther 3 goals, 4 draw controls, 1 ground ball; Emily Hazlett 2 goals, 2 assists, 1 ground ball; Chloe Hackl 2 goals, 4 draw controls, 2 ground balls; Mia Rey 9 saves

RECORDS: Riverview 12-8, Gulf Coast 13-4

TENNIS

Venice 5, Newsome 0; Venice 4, Durant 0 (Region 4 semifinals)

VENICE - Wayne Robertson had planned a pizza party with his Venice High boys and girls tennis teams.

The head coach of both finally had it after his teams’ regional semifinal matches on Tuesday against Durant and Newsome, during which Robertson’s players fed the overmatched visiting Cougars and Wolves a steady diet of bagels.

Like they had during the regular season to many of their opponents, the Venice boys and girls showed no mercy in the Region 4 semis. The boys improved to 19-0 with a 5-0 blanking of Newsome. The Venice girls moved to 18-1 after brushing aside Durant 4-0.

The Durant girls head coach brought just three of his players. Perhaps the Newsome boys head coach should have forecast the inevitable defeat and done likewise.

Has Robertson, the Venice girls coach the last eight years, the Venice boys coach since 1996, had two squads with just one loss between them this late in the season?

“No, I think they’re probably the best overall results in any single season for both teams,” he said. “Absolutely.”

Venice’s boys team won the state title in 2019, using several juniors and a sophomore. “They were just an exceptional group of guys,” Robertson said. “Super, super talented.”

But this Venice team has seniors David Siddons, Josh Lim, Seth Neitlich and Pranav Mayor, along with junior Evan VanBuskirk and sophomore Simon Ayer.

“The two teams are comparable,” Robertson said. “If those two teams played each other, it would probably be a 4-3 win, one way or the other.”

Last year, the Venice boys lost to Gulf Coast in the regional final. They’ll get their chance for revenge on Thursday in the region championship. Venice beat Gulf Coast in early March 5-2, but Robertson knows his team is in for a battle.

“It’s one thing to play them in a tournament,” he said. “But this will be a very, very tough match. Probably going to be multiple three-setters. This is no gimme. We’re going to have to play really well.”

As for the Venice girls, who lost last year to Spanish River in the state tournament, Robertson said they are similar to his boys. Players Nicole Cierniak, Tess Tchorbadjiev, Mekenzie DeLong, Weronika DeLong, Sophia Teijelo, and Christine Wu all returned from last year.

On Thursday, the Venice girls host Newsome for their regional final. The Wolves are 11-2 after beating Gulf Coast in the regional semis.

“I feel like it’s a match we should be able to compete in on our part,” Robertson said.

Doug Fernandes

TENNIS

REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

GIRLS

Class 4A-Region 4

Venice 4, Durant 0

Class 3A-Region 6

Fort Myers 5, Southeast 0

Class 2A-Region 6

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0

Estero 5, Booker 0

Class 1A-Region 6

Saint Stephen’s 6, Oasis 1

Community School of Naples 4, Cardinal Mooney 0

BOYS

Class 4A-Region 4

Venice 4, Newsome 0

Class 2A-Region 6

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0

Class 1A-Region 6

Saint Stephen’s 6, Fort Myers Canterbury 0

Out-of-Door 4, Community School of Naples 1

REGIONAL FINAL

3 p.m. Thursday

BOYS

Class 4A-Region 4

Gulf Coast at Venice

3A-6

Hardee County at Lemon Bay

1A-6

Out-of-Door at Saint Stephen’s

GIRLS

4A-4

Newsome at Venice

2A-6

Estero at Lemon Bay

1A-6

Community School of Naples at Saint Stephen’s

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Cardinal Mooney 5, Braden River 0

Helena Hebda/Madeline Carson (CM) 21-14, 21-13; Gracie Page/Sawyer DeYoung (CM) 21-15, 21-10; Kate Montesano/Riley Greene (CM) 21-9, 21-7; Izzy Russell/Katie Powers (CM) 21-2, 21-14; Layla Larrick/Violet Weiser (CM) 21-10, 21-8

RECORDS: Cardinal Mooney 14-1, Braden River 5-4

NEXT: Cardinal Mooney plays Lake Mary Prep on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Game Point Event Center in Orlando in the first round of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference Beach Volleyball Championships; Braden River at Manatee, Wednesday, 4 p.m.

BOYS TENNIS

Venice 5, Newsome 0 (Region 4 semifinal)

AT: Venice High School

SINGLES: Josh Lim (V) d. Tyler Cabrera 6-1, 6-2; Seth Neitlich (V) d. Sairaj Pulaparthi 6-2, 6-3; Pranay Mayor (V) d. Brady Dandrow 6-1, 7-5

DOUBLES: David Siddons/Neitlich (V) d. Chris Cliadakis/Pulaparthi 6-1, 6-1; Lim/Evan VanBuskirk (V) d. Cabrera/Nathan Almond 6-1, 6-2

RECORD: Venice 19-0, Newsome 11-4

NEXT: Venice hosts Gulf Coast in Region 4 championship, Thursday, 3 p.m.

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0 (Region 6 semifinal)

AT: Lemon Bay

SINGLES: Stevie Ethier (LB) d. Veershwar Gupta 6-0, 6-0; Hunter Andres (LB) d. Johan Grainger 6-0, 6-0; Gray Lowder (LB) d. Mason Burks 6-0, 6-3; Caleb Hutcherson (LB) d. Nicholas Koeth 6-1, 6-0

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 11-4, Bonita Springs 8-4

NEXT: Lemon Bay versus either Hardee or Estero in Region 6 finals, Thursday, 3 p.m., Lemon Bay High

Saint Stephen's 6, Canterbury 0 (Region 6 semifinal)

AT: Saint Stephen's

SINGLES: Max Pettingell (SS) d. Matthew Kim 6-0, 6-0; William Wang (SS) d. Joseph Cooke 6-1, 6-0; Andrei Black (LB) d. Dylan Moon 4-6, 6-4, 10-2; Meng Zhao (LB) d. Gabe Dahan 6-3, 6-0

RECORDS: Saint Stephen's 5-7, Canterbury 10-3

NEXT: Saint Stephen's versus Out-of-Door Academy in Region 6 finals, Thursday, 3 p.m., Saint Stephen's

GIRLS TENNIS

Venice 4, Durant 0 (Region 4 semifinal)

AT: Venice High

SINGLES: Nicole Cierniak (V) d. Katarina DiNova 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 10-5; Weronika DeLong (V) d. Kieran Russell 6-1, 6-0; Christine Wu (V) d. Emilee Nevaril 6-0, 6-0; Sandra Piskor (V) d. No. 4 Cougar singles in walkover

RECORDS: Venice 18-1, Durant 11-3

NEXT: Venice hosts Newsome in Region 4 championship, Thursday, 3 p.m.

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0 (Region 6 semifinal)

AT: Lemon Bay

SINGLES: Parker Zautcke (LB) d. Michelle Montufar 6-2, 6-2; Rosey Lowder (LB) d. Payton Miles 6-1, 6-0; Avery Shirley (LB) d. Cassidy Cranor 6-0, 6-4; Alaina Maday (LB) d. Emily Chesnut 6-3, 6-3

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 13-3, Bonita Springs 8-6

NEXT: Lemon Bay versus either Booker or Estero in Region 6 finals, Thursday, 3 p.m., Lemon Bay High

SOFTBALL

North Port 6, Lemon Bay 0

AT: Lemon Bay

TOP PLAYERS: NP, Cailline Kelly 3-5, run; Kaitlin Kohlenberg 1-3, run; Jewelie Vanderkous 1-3, 3B, run, 2 RBI; Konstantine Belgrade 1-4, run; Rachael Harris 2-4, 2B, run, RBI; Caitlyn Paige 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Jewelie Vanderkous (WP) 7 inns., 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts. LB, Madison Kinkade 1-3, Nyah Carson 1-3, 3B; Zoey Mills (LP) 5.1 inns., 8 hits, 4 runs-3 earned, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts

RECORDS: North Port 9-9, Lemon Bay 11-6

NEXT: North Port hosts Hardee, Thursday, 6 p.m.; Lemon Bay at Bradenton Christian, Thursday, 6 p.m.

Charlotte 5, Sarasota 4

AT: Sarasota High

TOP PLAYERS: C, Alexandria Fitzgerald 1-3, run, RBI; Amber Chumley 2-3, run, 3 RBI; Arista Turner 1-3, run; Jasmine Jones 1-4, run, RBI; Josalin Abel 1-3, run; Dava Hoffer (WP) 7 inns., 13 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts. S, Sommer Speers 1-4, run; Gianna Williams 2-4, run; Jaydan Baker 1-4, run; Carley Ramsden 2-3, run, RBI; Saremi Flores 2-2, RBI; Ashlan Guengerich 2-3, 2B, RBI; Addisyn Schwied 2-4, RBI; Ashlan Guengerich (LP) 5 inns, 5 hits, 5 runs-4 earned, 0 walks, 1 strikeout

RECORDS: Charlotte 16-6, Sarasota 16-4

NEXT: Charlotte at Fort Myers, Monday, 7 p.m.; Sarasota hosts Lakewood Ranch, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

SOFTBALL

Sarasota 6, Inspiration Academy 2

AT: Sarasota High

TOP PLAYERS: S, Sommer Speers 3-4, run; Gianna Williams 1-3, RBI; Brooke Bendel 1-3, run; Jaydan Baker 2-3, 2B, run; Carley Ramsden 1-3, RBI; Haley Howard 2-3, 2 RBI; Addisyn Schwied 1-3, 2B, run; Ryleigh Bennett (WP) 7 inns., 6 hits, 2 runs-1 earned, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts. IA, Danika Best 1-3, run; Jade Carnahan 1-3, RBI; Avery Bouquin 2-3, run; Ellie Hildreth (LP) 6 inns., 10 hits, 6 runs-4 earned, 3 walks, 1 strikeout

RECORDS: Sarasota 16-3, Inspiration Academy 12-12

NEXT: Sarasota hosts Charlotte, Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Inspiration Academy at Venice, Thursday, 7 p.m.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Palmetto 13, Bloomingdale 6

AT: Palmetto

TOP PLAYERS: P, Sanaii Rich threw two TD passes to Azareeyah Heaven

RECORDS: Palmetto 11-5, Bloomingdale 7-8

NEXT: Palmetto at Lennard in a district semifinal game, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: High school roundup (April 17-22): Mooney beach volleyball repeats