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Sarasota | Sports

Work proceeds on the fields at 17th Street Park in northeastern Sarasota County. Completion is expected late this year
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • April 9, 2026
Multistate softball tournament coming to 17th Street Park

A high school event in 2027 joins a college tournament already planned at expanded Sarasota County facility.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Drew Smith (left) and Chase Smith (right) are a sophomore and senior, respectively, at The Out-of-Door Academy. They lost their father, Scott Smith, to esophageal cancer in October of 2023.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • April 9, 2026
Brothers fundraise in their father's memory

Chase and Drew Smith held their third annual track and field fundraiser for pediatric cancer research.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Kayleigh Bergstrom is one of three sophomores alongside Gabby Ulrich and Kaitlin Carolan to lead the Cougars in scoring this season.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • April 8, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Kayleigh Bergstrom

The sophomore midfielder is approaching 100 goals with Cardinal Mooney girls lacrosse this season.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Colin Montgomery, a two-time winner of the Senior PGA Championship, is in the 135-player field committed to play April 16-19.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • April 3, 2026
All-star field set for Senior PGA Championship

Twenty-one major winners are part of the 135-golfer lineup heading to Lakewood Ranch's The Concession.

  • East County
  • Sports
Ashlan Guengerich celebrates an out during Sarasota softball's game at Parrish Community on March 31. The senior owns a .528 batting average which ranks best among Sailors with 10 or more games played.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • April 2, 2026
Sarasota High softball eyes another deep postseason run

The Sailors are under new leadership but return major contributors from last year's state semifinalist finish.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Jacobey Mobley's speed isn't just on the track. He was Booker football's leading rusher in 2025 en route to the FHSAA Class 3A state semifinals.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 31, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Jacobey Mobley

The senior won two races at the Hurricane Invite for Booker High boys track and field.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Noah Kumar spent the 2025 season on the PGA Tour Americas, but is poised to make his Korn Ferry Tour debut April 2 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 26, 2026
Guided by a golf legend, young pro returns home

Noah Kumar, a Cardinal Mooney graduate, has channeled Arnold Palmer en route to the LECOM Suncoast Classic.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The view of the field at LECOM Park from the Section 16 grandstand. Opened in 1923, it's the oldest ballpark in the Grapefruit League and second-oldest in the minor leagues.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 25, 2026
MLB spring training under my microscope

Comparing the parking, concessions and more at three local ballparks.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Kole Ayrault leads the Sailors in batting average and hits, as of March 23, and also ranks third for RBIs and runs.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 24, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Kole Ayrault

The senior first baseman/outfielder has fueled a fiery start for Sarasota High baseball.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Junior guard/forward Isaiah Jenkins (left) looks for a pass during the FHSAA Class 7A boys basketball state championship between Sarasota and Miami Columbus. The Sailors fell, 53-50, on March 14 at Jacksonville's UNF Arena.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 18, 2026
Learning to love transformed Sarasota boys basketball

As corny as it sounds, a culture of care lifted the Sailors to historic heights.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Alex Bates of Riverview track and field is a reigning FHSAA regional and district champion for pole vault. Four meets into his senior season, he's already notched a pair of first-place finishes.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 17, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Alex Bates

The reigning state runner-up in FHSAA Class 4A for pole vault placed first at the Ram Invitational.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Sarasota boys basketball coach BJ Ivey embraces Johnny Lackaff. The junior guard had a game-high 27 points March 14 in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship, but it wasn't enough for the Sailors.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 14, 2026
Sarasota boys basketball falls by 3 in state championship

An overtime-forcing shot from Johnny Lackaff didn't fall, leaving the Sailors just short of a title.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Johnny Lackaff, in his third season as a starter, has scored as many as 35 points in a game for Sarasota. He's done it twice — first on Nov. 21 against Braden River and again on Jan. 29 against Booker.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 13, 2026
Sarasota boys basketball reaches first state title game in program history

The Sailors exploded in the fourth quarter of the state semifinals to advance.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Blake Roulund was a defensive end/middle linebacker for Cardinal Mooney football as a junior. He committed to wrestling full-time for his senior year, forfeiting a chance to be part of a football state championship.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 12, 2026
Cardinal Mooney senior succeeds in changing sports

Blake Roulund left football behind and promptly became a state finalist in wrestling.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The Sarasota Paradise huddle before the second half against AC Boise. The team previously played in USL League Two for the past three seasons and finished first in the South Florida division for 2024 and 2025.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 11, 2026
Sarasota Paradise poised to unite soccer community

The professional soccer club plays out of Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch but should loom large in Sarasota County.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
1 2 3 4 5 »
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Latest in Sarasota

1
Drugs, cash and a rifle bullet were among the items found by Sarasota Police in a search of a 31st Way home, resulting in the arrest of Demarius R. Jones, of Sarasota.
  • April 10, 2026
Sarasota man on probation arrested on drug, other charges
2
Hanami Sushi Cocktails & Grill is at 1525 Fourth St., Suite C, in Sarasota.
  • April 10, 2026
Sushi restaurant opens in Sarasota's Rosemary District
3
Work proceeds on the fields at 17th Street Park in northeastern Sarasota County. Completion is expected late this year
  • April 9, 2026
Multistate softball tournament coming to 17th Street Park
4
The expansion of McCown Towers would surround the parking structure that would include 160 public parking spaces owned by the city.
  • April 9, 2026
Senior public housing expansion remains $4 million short
5
  • April 9, 2026
Tax reform could mean 41% hit to city revenue fund

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