OAKLEAF - Oakleaf High senior weightlifter Noah Shevchook answered the bell when he attempted a repeat his junior season championship by adding double state titles in 2026 to lead the school's sports action.

For the girls, senior wrestler Kailani Barrientos scorched Florida, while getting the ever-improving Oakleaf wrestling program to its first championship.

Shevchook, a state champion as a junior in one of two disciplines, doubled down with titles in both Olympics and Traditional scoring. He posted decisive wins throughout the season, and he won district and region titles by wide margins - a 75 pound gap for Traditional state title and 20 pounds in Olympics.

"My whole goal was to improve my Olympics to get that second state title after last year," said Shevchook, who muscled up a weight class from his 154 pounds to 169 in his senior season. "I had better technique this year in Olympic Snatch just from working harder at it."

Shevchook's state meet also earned him a top lifter in Traditional selection with a second in the Olympics top lifter count.

With Shevchook's performance, as well as a third by David Israel at 129 in Traditional, and a fourth in Traditional from Ethan Simons at 238, the Knights (19 points) finished third overall by just one point behind historical powerhouses Pace (29) and Spruce Creek (20).

In Olympics, Oakleaf was fourth behind third-place Flagler at 21 and the Knights at 11. Israel was eighth and Simons finished third, plus Lucius Manley wound up eighth at 199.

In regions, Oakleaf finished third in Olympics and fourth in Traditional behind Spruce Creek and Flagler in what proved to be a very tough region.

Ironically, at regions, Shevchook won by beating teammate Walker Weathers, who, according to Shevchook, could be the next dominant Knights' weightlifter.

"He just walked in and started lifting big," said Shevchook, who also finished third at a USA National Championship event in Colorado Springs in July.

In wrestling, 126-pound Connor Barnes was a stealthy surprise at the Class 3A championships with his runner-up finish. He posted three wins to get to the finals, and he put on a clinic in surviving and being able to reach deep.

Barnes traveled to Kissimmee and quietly got his first wins against Fort Pierce's 14th-ranked Leonard Wilder on a third period pin, then he won 8-4 decision in an upset over second-ranked Dominic Rodriguez of Columbus (41-7). He then punched his finals' ticket with an 8-3 win over 10th-ranked Andrew Taylor of George Jenkins. Taylor upset fifth-ranked Jose Callava of South Dade in his opener.

"Connor competes with the belief that he is the best athlete out there," said wrestling coach Rory Roderick. "Connor got taken down first in his first two matches, including the quarterfinal against the No. 2 two guy, but he kept coming back."

In the finals against Florida's top-ranked and 15th nationally wrestler Jovanni Tovar of Miami Southridge, Barnes' momentum kept the match tight as Tovar built a quick 6-1 lead up to a 17-4 gap before pinning Barnes with 34 seconds.

"Connor gave it everything he had against one of the best wrestlers in the country," Roderick said. "You can't ask for more than that. He left it all out there."

One more boys outstanding effort had to go to the combination of baseball infielder Jeter Farina and first-year head coach Jonathan Shiver. They produced one of the more exciting efforts in a season chocked full of, and unfortunately, several one-run losses against top tier teams, including 1A state champion St. Johns Country Day School, 1A region semifinalist University Christian, 3A region playoff Baldwin, 5A region playoff Fleming Island, as well as a 2-0 loss to eventual 6A runner-up Buchholz in the region semifinals.

The highlight of the topsy-turvy season was a dramatic 12-2 region playoff win over Bartram Trail, a No. 2 seed, that culminated the exciting play of Farina and the Knights' dugout.

"You dream about games like this," Shiver said. "We keep preaching to take the loss and learn from losses. If you get down, you keep losing. We have grown stronger with each tough game with tonight the product of hard work and perseverance."

Barrientos harbored a chip on her shoulder after a third-place finish during her junior season, and she simply dominated her senior season to finish with the gold.

"I always go into my matches with the idea of finishing with a pin," said Barrientos at midseason. "I'm trained hard over the summer to finish matches."

Barrientos finishes her outstanding career with an astounding 180 wins against 28 losses, and a 22-1 senior season record.

"Connor Barnes is first state finalist in history of Oakleaf High for boys, and Kailani is first state wrestling champion for girls," said Roderick, who praised girls wrestling coach Paul Bess with Barrientos season. "I think the program has gone from district titles, a region title this year, a state champion and a state finalist very quickly."

One interesting dynamic in Barrientos' season was an in-county rivalry with Middleburg High senior Sarah Walsh, who was third in the same 135-pound weight class. Walsh had a semifinal loss to Miami's Eysis Estes-Brinson.

"During the season, the rivalry was, I think, good for both of us to stay sharp when we met up," said Barrientos, who defeated Walsh in dual meet action, in the region final and the district final. "She's tough and that made me better."

Senior sprinter Rayna Lawson ushered in a next-season set of legs for area track teams to watch. The University of Las Vegas-Nevada commit had her usual top finishes in the 100 and 200 at the biggest meets, while junior Timia McMillan and freshman Jasmine Silkert also blasting with season-ending performances that turned eyes around the state.

Silkert edged Lawson at the Class 4A championship 100 with her seventh-place finish, dropping an 11.69 split after a 12.11 1 at the region meet and an 11.92 at districts.

"It was a great start, and everything went according to plan," said Silkert, who edged out Lawson, who was ninth. "Rayna has been such a great mentor to me and made me better."

Lawson held court in the champions' trio with an 11.67 at the District 1-4A meet for a silver medal.

Also going big at the Class 4A championship meet was junior shot-putter Rayna Autry, who was third at 35-feet-8.75 after throwing three 37-foot-plus throws, 37-8 at the districts, 37-0.5 at the FSU Relays and winning a gold medal 37-6 at the Clay County Championships.

The boys 4 x 100 of Miles Francis, Landon Nichols, Kashe Johnson and Emmanuel Souffrant, all underclassmen, got a tough third-place finish in one of the closest races of the day. All three teams finished in less than 41 seconds - Flanagan at 40.75, Lakeland at 40.76 and Oakleaf at 40.95. Johnson exploded on his anchor leg to pass two runners at the tape.

"I felt really good on the anchor," Johnson said. "I'm telling you, we are all coming back next year."

Chester ran one of his best races in a very fast field with a ninth-place run in 1:56.07 in the 800. The winning time was 1:52.48.

In fall sports, volleyball coach Jamie Reed faced off against a tough Tocoi Creek team in her district opener, and the Knights nearly pulled off the five-game upset to end the season at 12-13. The top hitter was senior Gabrielle Humbles, who had an astounding 222 kills, with senior April Townsend punching down 44 blocks.

In cross country, Oakleaf was in among a handful of state contenders at their district meet, including Nease, Bartram Trail and Creekside. The Knights finished 14th, led by junior Jelani Chester in 33rd at 17:23.8 and junior Clayton Buettner in 36th at 17:29.5.

For the girls, freshman Kellyn Dusanic was the top runner in 80th in 23:15.6.

Boys golf was led by junior Salmon Pelayo, who was 51st at the districts. The Hawkins sisters, Angline, a junior, was 33rd at the districts, while Vanessa, a sophomore, was 42nd.

The Oakleaf football team faced a gauntlet schedule, but second year coach Chris Foy led the Knights to another region berth. In a repeat of the 2024 region final, Nease was a surprising 45-7 winner to force an early exit in last year's region opener.

The Knights had great numbers, including QB Jack McKissock (2,143 passing yards passing with 15 touchdowns), running back Fareed Coleman (1,301 yards rushing, 11 TDs, including 345 yards and five TDs in 45-41 win over Ed White) and wide receiver Trace Burney (40 catches , six TDs, including six catches and two TDs in a 31-0 win over Fleming Island).

Returning will be playmaker Michael Conner, who had 28 catches and three scores in his junior season.

Foy will be putting his team against one of the best schedules around with Raines (14-0, 3A champion), Orange Park, Fleming Island, Bolles (13-2, 2A runner-up) and Nease serving as the first five opponents.

In winter, the departure of Oakleaf's only boys basketball coach, Jason Price, will bring a new look in 2026-27. Price left a legacy of winning seasons and a ton of college-bound players. New coach Jimmy Collins will have a plethora of young underclassmen players to restart the program.

For girls hoops, coach Fred Cole keeps bringing the magic to the Lady Knights' normally under-sized roster, with Nyla Parsons (12 points a game) and Brinkley Todd (16) as the top returners, with sophomore Janiyla Owens adding 11 a game.

The Lady Knights spun off an upset win against Ribault during a midseason nine-game winning streak and a district title to get a region playoff game against region finalist Tocoi Creek.

In soccer, the boys opened with solid 3-1 win over Clay and finished at 6-7, while the girls finished at 6-8-1 with a 2-2 tie with Bolles in their opener, a 1-0 loss to Clay during the season, plus a 2-1 upset over Fleming Island in a season of spurts. The Lady Knights, led by Kendyll Banks' 11 goals, along with 115 saves from junior goalkeeper Madalyn Carlyle, were one of the more exciting teams to watch.

In swimming, seniors Delicia Coleman and Alexis Huxohl ended their careers at the state meet in the 4 x 100 free relay. Freshman Ellie Strombeck was a part of that 4 x 100 free relay, as was junior Brylee Wood.

In spring sports, softball coach Heather Han will be rebuilding from a 2-17 season behind leaders Aubrie Jordan, Ava Tolbert, Desiree Norris, Amaya Fisher and Mia Rogers, all seniors.

Oakleaf tennis finished 7-3 in the girls team stocked with freshmen and sophomores. And yet, the Lady Knights got the region semifinals against Spruce Creek, with a second to Creekside at districts.

Boys tennis finished at 8-4, also with a team of underclassmen, led by junior Shane Looney, who was 8-2.