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Sports

The Concession Golf Club is hosting the Senior PGA Championship April 16-19.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 18, 2026
Final preparations underway for The Concession to host Senior PGA Championship

The Lakewood Ranch golf club has officially begun its one-month countdown to the tournament.

  • East County
  • Sports
Alex Bates of Riverview track and field is a reigning FHSAA regional and district champion for pole vault. Four meets into his senior season, he's already notched a pair of first-place finishes.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 17, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Alex Bates

The reigning state runner-up in FHSAA Class 4A for pole vault placed first at the Ram Invitational.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Ava DiPasquale is ranked sixth in Florida among girls age 13-14 for the 2025-26 season, as well as 67th nationally in that regard, per Swimcloud.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 17, 2026
East County Athlete of the Week: Ava DiPasquale

The 14-year-old from Mill Creek won big at the Florida Age Group Swimming state championships.

  • East County
  • Sports
Sarasota boys basketball coach BJ Ivey embraces Johnny Lackaff. The junior guard had a game-high 27 points March 14 in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship, but it wasn't enough for the Sailors.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 14, 2026
Sarasota boys basketball falls by 3 in state championship

An overtime-forcing shot from Johnny Lackaff didn't fall, leaving the Sailors just short of a title.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Johnny Lackaff, in his third season as a starter, has scored as many as 35 points in a game for Sarasota. He's done it twice — first on Nov. 21 against Braden River and again on Jan. 29 against Booker.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 13, 2026
Sarasota boys basketball reaches first state title game in program history

The Sailors exploded in the fourth quarter of the state semifinals to advance.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Blake Roulund was a defensive end/middle linebacker for Cardinal Mooney football as a junior. He committed to wrestling full-time for his senior year, forfeiting a chance to be part of a football state championship.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 12, 2026
Cardinal Mooney senior succeeds in changing sports

Blake Roulund left football behind and promptly became a state finalist in wrestling.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The Sarasota Paradise huddle before the second half against AC Boise. The team previously played in USL League Two for the past three seasons and finished first in the South Florida division for 2024 and 2025.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 11, 2026
Sarasota Paradise poised to unite soccer community

The professional soccer club plays out of Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch but should loom large in Sarasota County.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Yvette Brown directs the offense for Booker girls basketball Feb. 27 against DeSoto County in the FHSAA Class 4A-Region 3 championship. The Tornadoes outscored regional competition by an average of 31 points per game, but lost by 33 in the state semifinals.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 11, 2026
Another season ends in state semifinals for Booker girls basketball

The Tornadoes again knocked on the door of a state championship berth but, like in years past, ultimately fell short.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The Sarasota Paradise waited out a nearly two-hour weather delay before commencing their first season in USL League One. Over 2,500 fans packed the stands at Premier Sports Campus.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 11, 2026
Sarasota Paradise drop professional debut to AC Boise, 1-0

The Lakewood Ranch-based soccer club played its first match in USL League One.

  • East County
  • Sports
Senior Jaden Morales (top) controls Middleburg junior Nathan Harvey (bottom). The Pirate won their match by decision, 6-4, and ultimately placed sixth at 126 pounds.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 10, 2026
Braden River High wrestlers earn five medals at state meet

Jacob Fuentes tops the Pirates with a second-place finish at 144 pounds in 2A action.

  • East County
  • Sports
Gemma Mulhollen boasts a 4-0 record for Sarasota softball through the team's first five games of 2026. As of March 8, the junior has thrown seven times as many strikeouts as earned runs allowed.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 10, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Gemma Mulhollen

The junior has been dominant in the circle early this season for Sarasota softball.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Leighton Paul holds team-high marks for batting average, runs and hits through the first six games of the Pirates' 2026 season.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 9, 2026
East County Athlete of the Week: Leighton Paul

With red-hot hitting, the junior has been an offensive force for Braden River High softball.

  • East County
  • Sports
Coach Ty Bryant cuts down the net Feb. 27 after Booker girls basketball's FHSAA Class 4A-Region 3 championship. The Tornadoes have now reached the state semifinals in four of six seasons under his direction.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 5, 2026
Booker girls basketball rallies behind midseason turnaround

The Tornadoes struggled early in 2025-26 but corrected course and are headed to the state semifinals.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Junior Freedom McDaniel of the 215-pound weight class is one of eight Braden River wrestlers headed to the FHSAA individual state championships. He's also one of three who have won both regional and district crowns this postseason.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 4, 2026
Braden River High wrestling qualifies eight for state championships

The Pirates matched their all-time program record, which was set last season.

  • East County
  • Sports
Greg Dauer is the most productive sophomore on the Sailors' roster. Only junior guard Johnny Lackaff and senior forward David Young average more points per game than him.
    By
  • Jack Nelson
  • March 4, 2026
Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Greg Dauer

As the game's leading scorer, the sophomore guard powered Sarasota boys basketball to a regional title.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
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Ron Cornella is among the longest-living transplant recipients in the United States, receiving his transplant at the age of 26 in 1980.
  • April 16, 2026
After 45 years, liver transplant recipient is still grateful for a second chance
2
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  • April 16, 2026
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3
Sarasota City Engineer Sage Kamiya at the Lido Beach Pavilion walkover, which will be replaced when 6-foot-high dunes are built in the area.
  • April 16, 2026
Projects will leave Lido Key with a whole new beach
4
From left, Jon Thaxton speaks to members of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association as Sarasota Capital Projects Manager Alvimarie Corales and local historian Jeff LaHurd look on.
  • April 16, 2026
Condo group panel decries outcome of Downtown Master Plan
5
Midfielder/attacker Kaitlin Carolan (right) speeds past a Saint Stephen's Episcopal player during the FHSAA Class 1A-District 10 semifinals on April 10. She's one of three sophomores who lead the Cougars in scoring this season.
  • April 16, 2026
Led by sophomores, Cardinal Mooney girls lacrosse hunts history

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