Sidelines

+ Lady Cougars notch shutout
The Cardinal Mooney High girls soccer team blanked DeSoto 8-0 in district action Dec. 12.

Rose Amato scored three goals to lead the way for the Lady Cougars, who improved to 11-3 on the season.

Anna Brusco added a pair of goals and four assists. Gabby Ojeda scored a goal and notched an assist. Hannah MacDevitt and Jasmine Rosales each scored a goal. Skylar Jungers was credited with an assist.
Goalkeepers Lexi Bardour and Brooke Peterson combined for the shutout.

+ SMA cruises to win against Booker High
Sophomore McKenna Jackson scored three goals to lead Sarasota Military Academy to an 8-0 victory over Booker Dec. 12.

Alyson Gable added a pair of goals. Blair Thompson, Katie Downer and Lauren Gable each scored a goal.

Goalkeepers Emalie Walker and Ellie Waskom each finished with two saves in the shutout.

+ Lady Sailors suffer their first district loss
The Sarasota High girls basketball team lost its first district game of the season. The Lady Sailors fell to Lakewood Ranch 46-41 Dec. 12.

Junior guard Zharia Grable finished with a team-high 26 points — 15 points above her season average.
Freshmen Madison Pack and Ja’da Bennett combined for Sarasota’s remaining 15 points. Camille Giardina recorded four assists.

+ Havener powers Rams to victory
Senior Nick Havener scored 19 points and hauled in 10 rebounds to lead the Riverview High boys basketball team to a 69-57 victory over Fort Myers Dec. 12.

A.J. Caldwell added 13 points and seven assists for the Rams.

+ Booker running back chosen for All-Star game
Booker High senior running back Marlon Mack was named to the South squad, which played the North squad in the 59th annual North South All-Star Football Classic Dec. 18 in Sebring.

The event is one of the oldest high school all-star games in the country; it began in 1949.

After a five-year hiatus, the game resumed in 2005.

KUDOS
+ Sarasota Military Academy Wrestling
The Sarasota Military Academy wrestling team finished fourth out of the 10-team field at the Big Lake Tournament Dec. 14 in Okeechobee.

Junior Connor Steinfeld finished first in the 152-pound weight class to lead the way for the Eagles. Junior Billy Sadlo (138), sophomore Anthony Salerno (113) and sophomore Dalton Burton (170) all posted second-place finishes. Freshman Matt Stern (120) and junior Parker Vastag (126) both finished fourth.

The top-four finishers in each weight class received medals.

GAME TO WATCH
Boys Basketball
Dec. 26
Cardinal Mooney vs. Southeast (6:30 p.m. at Riverview High)

STANDOUT PLAYER
Blake Morrow
Boys Basketball
Sarasota Christian

21 - The number of points Morrow scored in Sarasota Christian’s 72-63 victory over Cardinal Mooney Dec. 14.

19 - The number of points Morrow is from reaching 1,000 points for his career.

4 - The number of victories Morrow has helped lead the Blazers to so far this season.