Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

Every team has that one standout player. 

The one who carries the team on his or her back. The one who pushes his or her teammates to greatness. 

But what happens when a team has at least three of those players?

Is it the player who scores the most points on any given night? Is it the one who electrifies the gymnasium with every slam dunk and dazzling spin move? Or is it the court general whose unwavering passion for the game has carried his team to new heights? 

If you’re Riverview High, you turn it over to area coaches and let them decide. You really can’t go wrong. All three players deserve to be recognized, but when it comes down to it, there’s one player who embodies everything you want in a Player of the Year. 

So it wasn’t that surprising when the Florida Athletic Coaches Association named senior point guard D.J. Bryant the District 16 Player of the Year for Class 8A. The Riverview captain has guided the Rams to a 26-2 record and a Sweet 16 appearance. 

Bryant will represent the area on the South team in the FACA North-South All-Star Game in mid-March. 

Of course, great play usually stems from great coaching, and the Rams are no different. Riverview coach B.J. Ivey, who has his team two wins away from reaching the Final Four, was named the Coach of the Year for Class 8A. 

Riverview swept the awards on the girls side as well, with Lindsay Edwards named Player of the Year for Class 8A. Edwards averaged 12.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while leading the Rams to the Class 8A-District 6 title. Riverview girls coach Carl Williams was named the Coach of the Year for Class 8A. 

Other local award winners include: 

Player of the Year

2A — McKenzie Lantz, Sarasota Christian 

4A — Braden Einhaus, Sarasota Military Academy

4A — Emmanuel Lambright, Cardinal Mooney 

Coach of the Year

2A — Scott Lantz, Sarasota Christian 

3A — Marcus Liberty, Out-of-Door Academy 

4A — Robert Beckmann, Sarasota Military Academy 

4A — Stefan Gates, Cardinal Mooney 

5A — Hollie Nelson, Booker 

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Parke Phillips appears to be having the time of his life, and The Out-of-Door Academy baseball team has been fortunate enough to have been along for the ride. 

Through the first three games of the season, the Thunder catcher, who has committed to play for Brown University, is 8-for-10 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, including a pair of grand slams, and three walks. 

In the words of ODA coach Tim Orlosky: "He is not human." 

Thanks in large part to Phillips, ODA is off to a 3-0 start, having outscored its opponents 36-11.

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