After a breakthrough year in Oakleaf black and gold, Taliah Scott is bound for the red, white and blue.
The Oakleaf sophomore earned a selection from USA Basketball for trials for the national Under-16 team, a call that was announced during the past week.
Scott averaged 23.4 points while leading the Knights to the final four for the first time.
ESPN ranks her as a four-star prospect, No. 1 in Florida and No. 14 nationwide for the 2023 recruiting class.
Her selection that could ultimately lead to a berth on the national junior squad for the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, set for June 20-27 in Chile.
Knights lacrosse stuns Ponte Vedra
When a state-ranked lacrosse team with a 12-4 record wins its district final, it’s not necessarily an upset — normally.
But Mana Wilhelm‘s overtime goal for Creekside on Thursday sent shock waves through Northeast Florida’s boys lacrosse world.
That’s because the goal eliminated reigning state champion Ponte Vedra, ranked first in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s ranking system, and dealt the Sharks their first defeat against a Sunshine State opponent since May 11, 2018, against Bishop Moore.
Creekside’s 9-8 overtime victory turned the tables against the county rival Sharks, less than a month after Ponte Vedra won a thriller by the same score on March 27.
Now that they’re in the playoffs, though, life doesn’t necessarily get any easier for the Knights. They meet another state-ranked power in Lake Mary during this week’s regional opener.
Christian returns for UC v-ball
A champion is returning to the First Coast.
University Christian announced the hiring of Debbie Christian to lead its volleyball program, four years after she captured the Class 3A FHSAA championship at Christ’s Church.
She returns to Jacksonville after a stint coaching in the Pensacola area.
At UC, she faces the task of ending a six-year playoff drought. The Fighting Christians, 8-6 last year, haven’t reached the FHSAA postseason since 2014 and haven’t won a playoff match since defeating Williston in 1996 under the FHSAA’s old scoring system at 16-14, 16-14.
Wild rally boosts Golden Eagles
Normally, when a softball team is trailing 8-1, it loses.
When it trails 16-6 with one inning left, it loses.
When it trails 16-11 with one out remaining, it loses.
But Fleming Island survived all of those situations — and didn’t lose — in a memorable 17-16 comeback victory over Palatka in Tuesday’s St. Johns River Athletic Conference tournament.
The Golden Eagles scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, six of them with two outs, before a hit off the bat of KC Francis led to the go-ahead run. Ansley Hamilton went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
They weren’t the only team achieving an improbable last-inning comeback. On Thursday, Christ’s Church baseball rallied from 7-1 down in the final inning to beat Ponte Vedra 8-7, after a barrage of walks set up Hayden Brown‘s game-winning hit.
Bears pick up SJRAC double
SJRAC week ended in double delight for Bartram Trail.
The Bears won two St. Johns River Athletic Conference titles on Thursday night, winning the baseball and softball finals.
In the baseball final, Bartram Trail scored three in the seventh to rally past Fleming Island 7-5, with Kolt Myers tying the score and Ethan Golemo knocking in the game-winner.
Bartram Trail’s softball squad defeated Middleburg 5-4 despite getting only one hit, with Abi Lambert earning the victory.
Weekly trivia challenge
It’s time for the latest edition of the First Coast Varsity Weekly trivia section, a look back through the history of high school sports all around the area.
This week’s topic: Gateway spring champions. Answers will appear in next week’s First Coast Varsity Weekly.
1. What was the last team to win both the Gateway baseball and softball tournaments in the same year?
2. What was the last team to win the Gateway flag football tournament in consecutive years?
3. Which school totally dominated Gateway boys track from the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, winning every team title during that time except 2001?
Answer to last week’s questions
1. Ribault’s Bernard Wilkes won the 1993 Florida Dairy Farmers coach of the year award, the area’s first listed under the present format.
2. Sandalwood running back Frankie Franklin was Jacksonville’s first player to win the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football award, receiving the honor after helping the Saints to the state title game in 1995.
3. Northeast Florida’s only back-to-back Florida Dairy Farmers player of the year in a traditional major team sport is Reed Davis of Fleming Island, named Mr. Soccer in 2017 and 2018. Davis, now bound for the NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville University, scored consecutive 50-goal seasons for the Golden Eagles.
Around the area
Michigan freshman Jenna Mulligan, a Bolles graduate, was among the members of the Wolverines squad that won its first-ever NCAA women’s gymnastics championship. … Creekside junior Grace Gavin committed to Cincinnati women’s swimming. … Yulee pitcher Ian Cochran committed to FSCJ baseball. … Bishop Kenny guard Daniel Buckley committed to Catholic men’s basketball. … Former Fletcher midfielder Brian Schaefer was named to the American Athletic Conference all-rookie team after scoring two goals for USF men’s soccer. … Tocoi Creek named former University of North Florida guard and Providence assistant William Wilson as its boys basketball coach, and sele Darick Dunham as its inaugural wrestling coach. … Former Baker County standout Madison Kennedy was named ASUN softball player of the week at Jacksonville University. … Former West Nassau infielder Kacie Kelly broke Saint Leo’s career doubles record in softball. … Tampa Jesuit’s Tom Crook received the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Wrestling award, and Somerset Academy’s Joe Blasucci won Wrestling Coach of the Year.
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
