- December 4, 2025
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Each year there are high school sporting events that fans won’t want to miss.
Sarasota sports has it all, from area rivalries to heated district games and matchups that feature some of the best talent the area has to offer, and the regular season begins Aug. 18.
I’ve combed through the schedules, matchups and districts to put together a list of the top fall sports games fans will want to mark on their calendars.
Some standout teams to watch this season include Cardinal Mooney and Booker football, which both finished last season one game short of playing for a state championship, and Cardinal Mooney volleyball, which went 22-5 and made it to a regional championship match.
But that doesn’t mean those teams have the only games worth watching.
These are the top high school games to watch this fall in Sarasota:
Fans will have their first look at the Class 2A Cougars football team in the regular season at home against Class 1A True North Classical Academy out of Miami.
The Titans finished last season 8-4 and made it to the regional semifinal round. They feature junior quarterback Zac Katz, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound three-star prospect who threw for 2,412 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024.
Though this game doesn’t hold any weight in the district, every game will be important for regional seeding and this game could give a good indication of Cardinal Mooney's talent.
Cardinal Mooney finished with a 22-5 record and a run to the Class 3A regional final round.
However, the Cougars have lost four of their top seniors from last year, and this early-season matchup against Class 7A Venice — another top team in southwest Florida — should test this new-look team and give a peek at their ability to replicate last season’s success.
In a matchup of two teams who made it to the state semifinal round last season, Class 3A Booker will host Class 4A Naples in one of the best matchups of the year.
The run-heavy Golden Eagles graduated star running back Shawn Simeon, who ran for 2,079 yards and scored 21 touchdowns last year, but have replaced him with Sam Sparacio, an Army commit who has averaged 6.4 yards per carry across three seasons with First Baptist Academy.
Booker has a lighter schedule this year due to what appears to be a down-year for the district, which means this game could carry a lot of weight in its regional ranking at season’s end — potentially giving them home field advantage in the playoffs.
This is a Class 7A-District 8 matchup, but when both teams play in a district with Venice, this game might not mean much for the championship.
However, area matchups are always fun and this should draw a packed house.
Though the Rams should be favored in this one, the Sailors have added some talented players this offseason and will have Division-I quarterback prospect Hudson West leading the offense in his sophomore season.
Whoever wins this game could have a chance to challenge Venice for the district title.
Cardinal Mooney and Class 7A Riverview were the two best volleyball teams in Sarasota last season, and that should be the case again this year.
Though this game doesn’t matter for district standings, it gives both teams a chance to lay claim to bragging rights as the best team in Sarasota this season, and a chance for the Rams to avenge their 3-0 loss to the Cougars last year.
The Cougars play in a three-team district this season with St. Petersburg Lakewood and Tarpon Springs, and this game is their first of two district games — and their only district game at home.
If Cardinal Mooney can beat Lakewood, it will set up a de-facto district championship game at Tarpon Springs, which makes this game a must-win.
Lakewood went 6-6 last season, but lost several playmakers including 1,000-yard rusher Tayshawn Bell and two of its top receivers, Keontae Byas and Derrion McNeal, to graduation.
One of the Tornadoes’ best matchups of the year comes at a great time — a regular season finale at home on Halloween.
Seminole (Seminole) is a traditionally successful program that finished 10-2 in 2024 and made it to the Class 7A-Region 1 championship before losing to Lake Mary, which lost to Venice in the state championship.
Playing four classes up, Booker should be challenged in a playoff priming game against a team that allowed 19.5 points per game last season facing a stiff schedule.
