Brooke is back!
CLAY COUNTY– Ridgeview High’s senior catcher Brooke Michael made a triumphant return to her spot behind home plate to orchestrate a 6-4 win over Fleming Island. Michael has been battling cancer since the summer with numerous bouts of chemotherapy and treatment.
Against Fleming Island, Michael got one hit in three at bats and a tag at home plate in the fourth inning on a bases loaded situation that ended with just one run scored for the Golden Eagles.
Twin sister Brittany Michael, on the mound for Ridgeview, struck out 14 batters. Michael struck out the first three Fleming Island batters.
Ridgeview clocked in with six runs in the first two innings off a double from K Torrence and RBI single from Ashlyn Halford and two errors to get to 3-0.
A triple by Mary Girgis and an RBI single from Brittany Michael got to 4-0 with another error and two singles scoring Michael and Torrence to 6-0.

Stotler, Casias target Trials surge
ORANGE PARK - Two stories that are slowly emerging from the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials upcoming events in Omaha (June 13-20) are one coach and one swimmer from Clay County making a first trip and another guy who could win just about all the gold medals he wants at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I’ve just been kind of lucky,” said Fleming Island High graduate and third in state butterfly specialist Kyle Casias, who now coaches up for Planet Swim Aquatics out of the Argyle Pool, and is readying Clay High graduate state champion Sara Stotler for her first U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in a week. “I have a great support team and owe a lot to Shawn Delifus and the Stroke Doctor program from a few years ago and then the coaches and athletes that have believed in me since then. I’m always doing research to be smarter and use the latest ideas to make my swimmers excel.”

Indians run table; take state title
PORT ST JOE - Caleb Moncrief was given the green light to attempt to secure a state weightlifting title from Keystone Heights High boys weightlifting coach Lantz Lowery, but only after one stipulation.
“The greatest thing about this team all season is that they all competed to make the team great,” said Lowery, after his Indians powered their way to the Class 1A team title Friday night in Port St. Joe. “Caleb was 20 pounds away from a personal best and a possible individual state title and I asked him what he wanted to do. He asked me, “Will it cost the team the title if I miss?”
Lowery, who returns 11 of his 13 state lifters next year, answered no because his Indians had already secured their second team title in school history behind two state champions; Zach Glover and Kade Sanders. Moncrief missed on that final attempt at 325.
“He went for it, but did not make his clean (on the clean and jerk), but to have a kid want to be sure that the team was okay if he did not make it was as big a moment for me as winning the title,” said Lowery. “That’s special.”
Keystone Heights, ironically, has been winning team titles at big meets all season; the Suwannee High Invitational prior to the Christmas break, the Clay County championship in their home gym, a district title and a dominant region title to propel the team to the state meet as a clear top three finisher.

Carwile smokes Viera; state final bats quiet

FORT MYERS - Fleming Island High coach Grant Bigilin got a big-time college pitching effort from his powerhouse lineup with senior Cody Carwile smoking Viera High with six strikeouts in the Golden Eagles 6-0 win in the Class 6A semifinal game on Friday in Fort Myers.
Fleming Island (25-6) lost in the Class 6A championship game 5-1 to Bloomingdale High, who won their first-ever state title. Bloomingdale, out of Valrico, had a 24-6 record and out-hit the Golden Eagles 10-5 including a decisive four-run third inning. Aidan Mastantuno hit a double for the Golden Eagles. Senior pitcher Dylan Dudones was starting pitcher and took the loss with Isaac Williams pitching two innings of relief.
“Of course, there were tears and unhappy faces, but I tried to remind them that this was the work of four years ending at the state championship game,” said Fleming Island coach Grant Bigilin, himself a region finalist player for the Golden Eagles in his playing days. “For both of us; the players and me, it was a first time to the big show. There was a lot of waiting around and kind of sitting idle, but all the teams were in the same boat. They gave me their all. We came here to be champions, but it didn’t work out.”
Against Viera, the hot bats were Drew Homitz with two doubles and Aiden Mastantuno with a third double, while Carwile limited Viera to just six singles and also induced a double play grounder in the fourth; Gavin Billingsley to Jacob Broussard to Mastantuno that snuffed a scoring threat.

Spartans’ season halted in championship game

Fort Myers - A rare two home run night against the St. Johns Country Day School pitching lineup was enough to give Out of Door Academy of Sarasota a 5-3 Class 2A championship win Thursday night in Fort Myers in the Spartans first visit to the state championship game.
“We were down 2-0 in the fourth inning from a homer against University Christian during the regions and we came back strong to win,” said St. Johns coach Tom Lucas. “They (Out of Door) had just five hits for the day with three for extra bases but the wind was crazy and those two hits got a wind and carried. That first one was big blow, but there was never doubt that we would not respond.”
St. Johns, 24-7, had advanced to the championship game with a tantalizing 3-2 win over Mount Dora Christian on Wednesday behind a two-run homer by Connor Moore; his second two-run shot in the previous two games for the Spartans. Finn Howell popped off nine strikeouts against Mount Dora Christian. Howell gave up two doubles in the sixth to make the game more interesting with one run and a passed ball in the seventh for Mount Dora’s second run on the last plays of the game.

Stephens, Maier, Joseph
push Eagles to 3A title

ST. CLOUD - An emotional finish to a topsy turvy season was the reward for persistence for Fleming Island High weightlifter Will Stephens who powered to a Class 3A title at 154 pounds then watched his upper weight teammates; Alex Maier and Rickey Joseph, add dramatic finishes to second place to give Fleming Island it’s first state team weightlifting title Saturday at St. Cloud High School.
Fleming Island pulled away in the second session; the upper weight divisions, to score 24 team points for the win with University High second at 18 and perennial contender Spruce Creek third at 16.
“We figured on paper we could get 27 points if everyone did their job,” said Fleming Island coach Damenyum Springs. “We had a few slips, but everything went almost perfect to the plan. The team executed the plan almost perfectly. Will winning the title and Alex and Rickey getting second were our big players.”
Maier, Joseph and Tim Thomas; the 238, Unlimited and 219 for Springs, figured on being in the mix at the end.
“We knew that the other teams had great lifters in the lower weights and that we would need to be the edge for the team,” said Maier, who will play football at Furman University next year after a stellar senior season for Springs. “The bonus was guys like Musthafa, Nolley and Will winning the title. Those were key points to make the second session to our advantage.”
For Stephens, a senior weightlifter, consistency was the winning formula as his two bests for the meet were 275 in both the bench press and the clean and jerk.
“Will had his mind right, his body right and he just locked in,” said Springs. “He went in thinking like a champion.”

Runs don’t show for Panthers Final Four

CLERMONT - In a season that late flurries of runs and exciting finishes were the norm, the Ridgeview High Lady Panthers softball team got silenced at the batters’ box by a 13-strikeout juggernaut pitcher as Eustis High, the top seed in the Class 4A Final Four tournament, eeked out a 2-0 state semifinal win Wednesday morning in Clermont.
“She was really good and I knew we would be in a battle,” said Ridgeview coach Casey Thompson, who theoretically, without the COVID shutdown of last year, could have been in a third straight Final Four tournament. “I credit the teams we play like Clay five times, Oakleaf a couple times, Keystone Heights and Middleburg, all right here in Clay County, with preparing us and themselves to this level of play. It’s a shout out to the entire county’s talent level. Last year’s team was just as deserving.”
Thompson capped the season with a second record-setting wins campaign with 22 wins his first year and 26 this year.
For the Panthers; Ridgeview’s Panthers as Eustis also the Panthers, the rough outing was highlighted by just four hits on the day; two from Brittany Michael, one from sister Brooke Michael and one from Ashlyn Halford, all the seniors for coach Casey Thompson as the next couple o of years will feature grizzled veterans of possible four varsity seasons.

Godfrey, Crews, Pavlisko: Locals in NCAA womens soccer tourney play

ORANGE PARK - Area womens soccer standouts have been on rosters at three NCAA Division I programs that have been playing in the NCAA championship tournament; Lia Godfrey, freshman at University of Virginia (FIHS), Payton Crews, junior at Texas Christian University (SJCDS) and Kirsten Pavlisko, sophomore at Florida State University (SJCDS).
From TCU, Sunday, May 9:
CARY, N.C. – A historic season came to an end for the No. 4-seed TCU soccer team Sunday in a 1-0 loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park.
A goal by the Cavaliers in the 60th minute of action was the difference in the game. TCU finished the season 13-2-1.
On the field were two Clay County standouts; for TCU, St. Johns Country Day School state champion and graduate Payton Crews, a junior midfielder, and, for Virginia, freshman Lia Godfrey, a Fleming Island High graduate.
Crews ends her season with 16 starts, one goal, four assists and 17 shots; five on goal.
Virginia (14-4-2) controlled the first half, getting some good looks and totaled six shots to TCU’s two. The teams played to scoreless first half.
After more scoring chances, the Cavaliers got on the board in the 60th minute with a header by Lizzy Sieracki off a corner kick by Lia Godfrey.
Lia Godfrey (Fleming Island, Fla.), a freshman on the Virginia women’s soccer team, has been named a second-team All-America selection by the United Soccer Coaches it was announced on Thursday (May 13) prior to the Cavaliers’ appearance in the College Cup.
Note: In their College Cup opener, Virginia (14-4-3) lost in a penalty kick shootout to Florida State University (14-0-1) after a 0-0 tie after five rounds regulation play (3 periods, 2 overtime periods). Godfrey had four shots; two shots on goal for Virginia. For FSU, former St. Johns Country Day School defender Kirsten Pavlisko played for the Seminoles.

Lady Broncos pick off Clay a second time; Fleming Island wins title

ORANGE PARK - Middleburg High flag football speedster Megan Bonsor put the final kaibash on a second win over Clay High with a game-sealing interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Middleburg (11-0) again beat Clay 12-0; this time for the district 4-1A title. Clay (9-2) has just two losses; both to Middleburg.
The Bronco win, under coach Jay Stilianou and assistants Zolt Takacs and Alexis Stilianou, puts Middleburg (11-0) in the region playoffs with a game against Andrew Jackson (9-2) on Wed., April 28 while also knocking Clay out of the playoffs.
Clay, with Stilianou head coach the past four years prior to the COVID shutdown, had been a perennial Final Four team with a 13-0 loss in the state semifinal in 2019 to eventual champion Tampa Robinson. Clay also lost in 2018 to Robinson 24-0 with Robinson winning the Class 1A title. Choctowhatchee beat Clay in the region finals in 2017.

Jones, Beaufort go gold as expected

PORT ST JOE - Clay High’s Isaiah Jones and Ridgeview High’s A.J. Beaufort had the momentum wave on their side heading to the Class 2A weightlifting championships with dominant totals and high-point district and region titles and both answered with decisive state championships in Saturday’s championship meet in Port St. Joe.
“There is really not much to do or say at a meet of this caliber, especially with an athlete like Isaiah,” said Clay coach Kyle Kennard. “He got great coaching from Rodney Keller before I took over last year and he has been a machine for the last four years to get here.”
Ridgeview, with 15 team points, would finish third to Pace and Charlotte, who tied at 23 team points as co-champions. Ridgeview, New Smyrna and Arnold all had 15 points with Suwannee at 14 in one of the closest top five finishes in meet history.
Jones, who won a district title by 100 pounds and a region title by 40 pounds, secured his 129 title by 20 pounds with a massive 470 pound total with Beaufort holding court at 154 by 30 pounds with an equally impressive 570 total.
Jones finished third with Beaufort fourth as the best aggregate lifters of the meet.
“I really went in focused on getting to the 470 total,” said Jones, who has had unfortunate luck with previous seasons with a COVID cancel last year and a five pound miss two years ago.”Everything this season has been according to plan.”
Beaufort hit 325 on the bench, but it was nullified by judges and he stuck at 315.
“He got to 570 and the Arnold kid took two shots at the title, but missed,” said Matt Knauss, Ridgeview High coach. “He dropped both to give A.J. the win.”


Eagles streak ends at Lake Mary

LAKE MARY - After 11 straight wins, a first-ever district championship, and a 12-7 win over Ocala Forest a week prior that moved the team from the State Regional Semi-Final to the Regional Final, the 19th-ranked Fleming Island Golden Eagles traveled to Central Florida to take on the number four ranked team in the state, the Lake Mary Rams. The Rams, riding a single loss season, came in with a few advantages which Fleming Island would have to overcome, such as a huge home team support, an uber-fast team and the one that was a difference maker; a turf-grass field that played tricks with the ball when shot off the turf and rubber surface.
“I had a rough practice yesterday and I needed to come in with more confidence,” said Fleming Island sophomore Goalie Paul Walter. “When the ball was spinning (from side-arm shots) and bouncing, it changed directions and it took the whole first quarter to adjust to it. I got more confident in the third and fourth quarter.”
Even with Walter’s seven saves and the Golden Eagle offensive onslaught of 25 shots on the Lake Mary goal, Fleming Island just could not match the speed of the Rams as the 2021 dream season came to an end, 14-4.
“They were faster than we are used to seeing and they were really accurate,” said Walter.
Fleming Island coach John Hawley, who also was without key players due to injuries, knew his task was uphill.
“They are great shooters,” said Hawley. “Very accurate and we couldn’t get enough pressure on their hands. It is something we’ll work on in the future.”