- April 25, 2024
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When I say that the spring sports season is the most chaotic of the year, I mean it.
Just look at the mess of postseason goings-on that we have right now. Baseball and softball are in their district tournaments. Track and field is gearing up for regional meets. And beach volleyball, after having completed one state tournament, is preparing for a second state tournament.
The Sarasota area has teams involved in all four sports. That's a good thing. It also makes it hard to keep up with it all (as even I can attest). So, until the postseason is over in a few weeks — or, at least, as long as our teams stick around — I have decided to use this space as a playoff news vessel, bringing you exactly what you need to know to stay informed on the postseason.
The Sunshine State Athletic Conference state champion Cardinal Mooney High beach volleyball team (20-1) had a May 2 home match against The Classic Academy (9-3) in a Florida High School Athletic Association state tournament play-in game. (This designation is a bit ridiculous, in my opinion; you can just consider it the equivalent of a regional match in any other sport.)
As of this writing, the outcome of that match is unknown; the winner of the match will play either Berkeley Prep (15-1) or Calvary Christian (10-3) in the next round at 5 p.m. May 5. If Mooney is the team to advance, it will host its next match.
The winner of the May 5 match will head to Tallahassee May 12-13 for the actual state tournament. Should Mooney advance past The Classical Academy, its May 5 match will be a difficult one, Head Coach Chad Davis said, but also a great one, no matter the opponent.
All four schools had athletes score big wins at their respective district meets.
At the Class 4A District 8 meet, held April 22 at North Port High, Riverview High and Sarasota High showed off. Notable results include Sailors senior boys runner Caleb Bradley winning the 200-meter run in 22 seconds flat — as well as the 400-meter run (48.01 seconds) — and Rams junior thrower Luis Castaneda staying on track for state success by winning the discus (46.58 meters). Both teams will next compete at the Class 4A Region 2 meet on May 5 at Sumner High.
At the Class 2A District 11 meet, held April 26 at Lake Placid High, Booker High and Cardinal Mooney took home wins as well. Booker junior Jayson Evans showed off his sprinting speed by winning the boys 200-meter dash (21.74 seconds) by nearly a full second, as well as the 100-meter dash (10.92 seconds), while Tornadoes runner and jumper Terrietta Smith took home the girls 100-meter dash (12.21 seconds) and the long jump (18 feet, 3 inches).
Mooney also had a number of victories, including sophomore Rosemary Selke in the girls 800 meters (2:33.65), senior Gage Hassler in the boys 800 meters (2:05.06) and senior Marc Dalmau in the discus (142 feet, 5 inches).
Qualifying Booker and Mooney athletes will next compete at the Class 2A Region 3 meet on May 3 at Calvary Christian High.
The sport's district tournaments are ongoing. As of May 2, three area teams are still alive: Sarasota High beat Lehigh High 12-0 on May 1, Cardinal Mooney had a bye into its tournament's second round and Sarasota Christian squeaked by Gulf Coast HEAT 16-15. Booker and Riverview were eliminated from their district tournaments with May 1 losses.
All three teams still alive will be in action the rest of the week; if they win enough, district championship games will happen at 7 p.m. May 4. Sarasota High (19-7) has the best shot based on record and talent, but the Sailors also have the toughest road to get there, having to play a Venice High team that is 14-12 but has won three games in a row, then probably Lakewood Ranch High (16-7) in the district championship.
Sarasota and Cardinal Mooney remain alive as of May 2, while Booker and Riverview have been eliminated.
Like in baseball, the Sarasota softball team (18-4) has the best chance to end the week with a district title. The Sailors will host North Port High (12-10) and should they win (as expected), they will likely face the back-to-back state champion Lakewood Ranch High Mustangs in the district final at 7 p.m. May 4.
That could mean a game for the ages. The teams have played twice this season, with both games going into extra innings and each team winning one of them. You won't want to miss it.
Not all updates can be fun. The Cardinal Mooney High boys lacrosse team came close to advancing to the regional finals in the Class 1A state tournament, but dropped a heartbreaker to the Community School of Naples on April 26, 13-12. The game was tied late, but CSN's Noah Cardoza scored with 43 seconds to go, and Mooney could not respond despite a flurry of pressure around the Seahawks' net. CSN advanced to face Tampa Jesuit on April 29, when they lost 9-7.
The Cougars ended their season 12-7. They were the last area team left alive, so the 2023 area lacrosse book is now closed.
