- June 9, 2026
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Put down those pencils and toss away those old papers, or set them ablaze in a bonfire, if you so desire.
The 2025-26 academic year ended late last month. With it, high school athletics are on hiatus for summer break.
Before the countdown to August and the 2026-27 school year begins, here are the five athletes from East County who impressed most this past year:
There are good seasons and there are great seasons. Sometimes, athletes perform at an even higher level, going beyond great.
That’s what Payton Mangay-Ayam did in the final season of her high school career. She put the final touches on an unmatched legacy in Braden River girls weightlifting history.
Mangay-Ayam won individual Olympic and Traditional titles in the 129-pound weight class at the FHSAA Class 2A state championship. The Pirates rallied behind her and secured the Olympic team title — a first for the program.
She boasted four state medals entering 2025-26, which already ranked as the most of any female lifter before her. Now, she’s the only individual state champion in program history.
The now-graduate was perfect at the state meet. Mangay-Ayam hit all nine of her lifts with highs of 190 pounds in the clean and jerk, 150 in the bench press and 145 in the snatch.
At the end, she hoisted a state trophy with three gold medals draped around her neck.
For much of the 2025-26 season, Lakewood Ranch girls soccer was overshadowed. Its male counterpart accomplished the first undefeated regular season in program history.
That team, though, did not reach the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinals. The girls did — largely thanks to Avary Shirley’s work between the posts.
The rising senior goalkeeper made 183 saves against 23 goals allowed. She played in 21 of 22 games for the Mustangs, surrendering just 1.09 goals per game, and recorded seven shutouts along the way. The squad around her finished 16-3-3.
In the 6A-3 regional final against East Lake, with the game tied at 4-4 by the end of regulation, Shirley held her own for two overtime periods. She stayed steady through penalty kicks, and in the fourth round of sudden-death, made the title-clinching save.
Lakewood Ranch lost to Niceville, 4-0, in the 6A state semifinals, but it was Shirley’s effort which ensured the team’s second consecutive appearance on that stage.
Very few — if any — first-year wrestlers dominate on the mat. By year two, there can be more who make it far, but the odds are still stacked against them.
Evan Rowe joined wrestling as a junior with a background in mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu. His lack of experience, though, was no problem at all this past season.
The Braden River graduate placed third in the 165-pound weight class at the FHSAA Class 2A individual state championships as a senior. He also won gold at the 2A-3 regional and 2A-9 district meets.
Five Pirates placed at the state meet, and Rowe finished the season with the most victories among them. He went 62-4, and in his semifinal match, ran into eventual champion Kawayran Vazquez.
Jacob Fuentes deserves a nod as Braden River’s best performer at the state championships. The now-graduate won silver at 144 pounds, but considering Fuentes' 49-8 record, Rowe has the edge here with his complete body of work.
The senior class for Braden River softball wasn’t all that large this past season. With respect to size, it wasn’t much of a class at all.
Pitcher/infielder Kaydence Evans was the singular senior on the roster. As wins started to stack up for the Pirates, it became clear she was the ultimate veteran presence.
Evans posted a sparkling 1.31 ERA over a career-high 112 innings pitched as Braden River reached the state semifinals for the first time since 2016. She struck out 28.5% of batters faced and walked a mere 2.2% of them, holding opponents to a .191 batting average.
Both “ace” and “workhorse” are fitting descriptors. She kept Braden River within striking distance against Niceville in the 5A state semifinals — ultimately a 2-1 defeat — by retiring 12 consecutive batters to end the contest.
Not to be forgotten is what Evans accomplished at the plate. The State College of Florida signee batted .421 with 30 RBIs, good for second-most on the team, and had a team-high 76 at-bats.
She was the difference-maker for the Pirates as they flipped last season’s 4-19 struggle into a 23-4 triumph.
More than a few records in the annals of The Out-of-Door Academy’s athletic history belong to Kevin Gyurka. His running career is plenty decorated.
At the 2026 FHSAA Class 1A track and field state championship, he placed fourth in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs with times of 1:57.47 and 4:19.69, respectively. He also finished seventh (16:19.30) at the 1A cross country state championship.
Gyurka graduates with school records in the 800-meter (1:55.30), 3,200-meter (9:28.28), 3,200-meter relay (8:03.05) and 5K (15:48.60), per flrunners.com. His best statewide finish was third in the 3,200-meter run (9:28.28) at the 1A track and field state championship in 2024.
In cross country, his improvement from junior to senior year was considerable. He jumped 20 places at the state meet by shortening 16:41.50 to 16:19.30 — a 22.2-second difference.
Bar none, he was the area’s best male runner in 2025-26, and leaves behind a name worth remembering at ODA.
