ORANGE PARK - St. Johns Country Day School sophomore pitchers Ethan Bissell and Madden Williams shut down St. Joseph Academy’s potent bats as St. Johns Country Day School claimed the FHSAA District 4-1A championship with a 4-1 win over the visiting Flashes on April 17. St. Johns is the defending Class 2A champion and ranked No. 1 in Class 1A.

Bissell tossed five innings, scattering five hits while striking out five. The senior-laden Flashes entered the game averaging 7.1 runs per game, but touched Bissell for just a single run. The right-hander threw mostly fastballs the first time through the St. Joseph lineup, and then relied more on off-speed pitches the second and third times through.
“Ethan Bissell was amazing tonight,” said SJCD head coach Tom Lucas. “He only walked one guy, he only missed his spot two or three times. His curveball has a really good vertical break on it, and he threw a lot of changeups to the left-handers. He did a good job of being able to throw multiple pitches for strikes.”
The return to Class 1A gives St. Johns Country Day School an opportunity to win back-to-back state titles in two different classes.
“Last year we had an elite lineup with a lot of dudes who hit the ball a long way," said Lucas. "We did not run a lot of plays, we did not have to steal, we did not bunt a lot because every one of those guys could hit it out. This team is more about execution; they have to do the little things well."
Starting on Monday, April 21 through Wednesday, April 23, St. Johns, the top seed, will host Covenant School of Jacksonville with St. Johns Paul II and North Florida Christian in the bottom end to face the Spartans in round two. All three schools are familiar with each other with the trio annually in the mix to the region final.
At the bottom of the bracket in region 1-1A, University Christian has Rocky Bayou Christian while St. Joseph Academy will have Christ's Church Academy to showcase two northeast Jacksonville programs.
In 2024, University Christian lost to St. Johns in Class 2A region semifinals with St. Johns beating North Florida Christian in the region final en route to the Class 2A title, a 4-3 win over Miami Christian.
North Florida Christian defeated St. Johns Paul II in the region opener with North Florida Christian beating St. Joseph Academy to get to St. Johns in the region final. St. Joseph's Academy beat Christ's Church Academy to advance.

Against St. Joseph's Academy, Williams took the mound for the sixth inning and got the final six outs without allowing one hit. He struck out three, overpowering the Flashes with his fastball.
On offense, the Spartans played small ball and pressured the visitors into mistakes. After a solo home run by the Flashes’ Camden Biskup gave St. Joseph a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, SJCD struck back in the bottom of the inning. T.J. Sunderhaus led off with a double to the wall in right center off of Neil Gornto, who had handcuffed the Spartans on one hit through three innings. Hunter Rodgers then laid a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line for a hit, putting runners on the corners. One out later, designated hitter Brayden Harris’ sharp grounder made its way under the glove of diving first baseman Cullen Garner, driving in Sunderhaus to tie the game. Gibby Gilliand then grounded to SJA third baseman Connor Lewis. Lewis’ throw home was wide of catcher Eli Robshaw and glanced off his glove, allowing Rodgers to score the winning run.
“That was big, to answer,” Lucas said. “We kind of preach that. Hunter is in the two hole for a reason. He will do the little things."
Rodgers saved the Spartans’ lead in the top of the fifth, with Lewis straying a bit too far off the base, with a throw to second baseman Jonas Wells that ended with Spartans third baseman Camden Brown tagged him out to end the inning.
“He sees things like that. I tell him, ‘See it, trust it,’ said Lucas.
The Spartans tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on three walks, an error and an infield hit.