- December 4, 2025
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Football fever is rampant in Sarasota at this time of year. The sport has reached full swing, giving locals something to root for wherever their fandom lies.
Every now and then, one or two high school teams capture their attention, reaching the upper echelon of competition in the state.
Four are on fire.
The programs of Riverview, Booker, Cardinal Mooney and Sarasota are a combined 14-3-1. None of the teams has lost more than one game entering Week 6 of the season.
With the FHSAA released its first 2025 football rankings Tuesday, the time is right to dissect early successes across the county.
The Rams are miles ahead of where they stood at this time last year.
Already having matched their 2024 win total, they seem on pace for one of the greatest season-to-season turnarounds in program history.
All of it is happening under first-year coach Mark Cristiani. His first big decision was to hand senior Parker Nippert the keys to the offense after a prolonged quarterback battle in training camp.
Nippert hasn’t disappointed, posting 857 passing yards and seven touchdowns on a 72.7% completion rate. He’s joined in the backfield by a two-headed dragon in the form of senior Isaiah Belt and junior Toryeon James, accounting for 944 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns combined.
Out wide, senior Noah Chieffo (337 receiving yards), senior Anthony Miller (332) and junior Trenton Huffman (246) each average at least 17.5 yards per catch.
“It's a group that's led by a bunch of seniors who really care a lot. So I would say the resiliency is probably the most impressive thing,” Cristiani said. “We've had some blowouts, stayed ahead of people and kind of been able to keep our foot on the gas.”
Riverview isn’t just rolling — it’s getting better. The squad enters Friday’s rivalry bout with Sarasota on the heels of its most points scored and least points allowed all season.
That 4-6 finish and first-round postseason exit are comfortably behind them now.
Carlos Woods knew well before spring ball that something special was in store. He saw it with his own eyes when Booker lost to Raines by one score in the 2024 Class 3A state semifinals.
Thus far in 2025, the first-year coach and former defensive coordinator has seen his vision come to life.
“We're extremely hard on those guys. It's just because we want them to succeed in all phases and in everything they do,” Woods said. “They've done it. They've taken it and tried. Ever since we got back from Alabama, they've just been really, really focused in on the task at hand.”
The Tornadoes have remained in the win column following their season-opening defeat up North. They haven’t pummeled opponents like with last season’s nine victories by 30-plus points, but they’ve played winning football regardless.
Senior wide receiver/safety Tyren Wortham is a game-breaker. The Michigan State commit has racked up 502 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 27 receptions this season, allowing Booker to get whatever it wants in the passing game.
Joel Morris, though, has stormed onto the scene.
After sitting behind Cornell’s Ryan Downes as a junior, Morris — a three-star recruit — has become a true architect under center as a senior. Thriving in Woods’ quarterback-friendly scheme, he’s tallied 1,226 passing yards and 13 touchdowns without a pick to his name.
He was instrumental in Booker’s statement shutout of defending 4A state semifinalist Naples, a victory that turned some heads.
Chances are some more will turn before the playoffs roll around.
Rarely is there rebuilding for these Cougars. They just know how to reload.
That wasn’t hard after last season with a plethora of Division I talent returning on both sides of the ball. They’re right back in the fold as a premier title contender in Class 2A.
Only three years ago, the Cougars went 4-7 and failed to notch a postseason win. Coach Jared Clark hasn’t forgotten that.
“It’s turned into a program that a lot of people want to come be a part of,” Clark said. “The program is growing. There’s more people in our program than ever before. We’re talented at every level now.”
In 2025, defensive end Elijah Golden and safety/cornerback Macaiden Brown — bound for Notre Dame and Liberty, respectively — are a pair of senior anchors. Golden boasts a team-high 10 TFLs midway through the campaign, while Brown’s 18 solo tackles are the most of any Cougar.
That unit has tightened up as of late, allowing 13 points across Weeks 3 and 4 compared to 38 through the two weeks prior, trusting the guidance of defensive coordinator Jon Haskins.
There’s also been a changing of the guard. Junior quarterback Davin Davidson has taken up the mantle from Stanford commit Devin Mignery after an injury-riddled offseason for the latter.
As a three-star recruit in his own right, Davidson has completed 66.7% of his passes for 668 yards and seven scores. He’s got senior wide receiver Kymistrii Young — a Purdue commit — and junior running back Connail Jackson to work with.
Cardinal Mooney has more talent than most, and so far, has shown it knows how to apply it.
Bad memories will enter Sailors’ minds as the calendar nears October. It was around this time last year when things went very wrong, very fast.
Five consecutive losses wiped their 3-2 start out to end the season, abruptly halting playoff aspirations. That spurred a tough learning lesson for coach Anthony Campbell and crew.
“(It starts) in the weight room, finishing lifts throughout the season, where we keep our strength,” Campbell said. “Being able to create mismatches and make sure our kids understand the overall structure of what we’re trying to accomplish, but also too, know your opponent. Now, I think our kids are a little bit better in doing their homework.”
This season’s early success — and upcoming effort to avoid a late slide — begins with sophomore sensation Hudson West. The quarterback received six Div. I offers after his freshman campaign.
He’s played elite-level, error-free football, and sans one Bayshore touchdown, would have Sarasota undefeated entering Week 6. West has 945 passing yards and 11 scores to his name, all without surrendering an interception.
Sophomore Evan Larrick (320 yards on 18 catches) and junior Jayden Rivers (289 yards on 22 catches) have become his favorite targets, establishing a core composed entirely of non-seniors.
Four Sailors have registered 30 or more total tackles. Senior linebacker Kyle Burggraff leads the bunch with 37 alone, and is followed by junior middle/outside linebacker Cooper Buck (36), junior safety/wide receiver Chase Fritz (32) and senior linebacker/safety Danny Perry (31).
This doesn't appear to be the Sarasota of yesteryear.
