JULINGTON CREEK – Bartram Trail (5-0) stunned visiting Oakleaf (6-1) 8-4 Friday night to end the Knights 32 game win streak. Oakleaf was ranked No. 1 in Class 8A in the latest Miracle Sports Softball Poll, while Bartram Trail was receiving votes in the Class 7A poll.
Nicole Masanko struck out nine to get the win while being helped from teammates Olivia Creamer (2-4, 5 RBI), Reedy Davenport (3-4), Emily Sikes (2-4).
The Bears who have pounded Bolles 12-0, Bishop Kenny 11-2, Englewood 15-2, Fletcher 10-2 and now Oakleaf 8-4, will travel to Providence Monday and St. Augustine on Tuesday before coming back home Thursday to play Pedro Menendez.
Oakleaf, which was ranked No. 3 in the country by USA Today http://usatodayhss.com/2018/los-alamitos-norco-start-1-2-in-super-25-softball-rankings, hosts First Coast Tuesday before taking ten days off before hosting the inaugural Tournament of Champions (see future edition).
Around the diamond (Softball)
* Columbia (6-2) is on a tear lately, last weekend the Tigers went 3-1 at the Angela Slater Invitational with wins over Lake Wales 8-5 and East Lake 11-8 on Saturday, this weekend they went 2-1 at the Santa Fe Invitational with wins over Bell 7-0 and Lafayette 10-0, while losing to Santa Fe 8-7.
* After a tough 3-2 loss to defending state champion Union County in the season opener, the Keystone Heights Indians (8-1, 6-0) have reeled off eight straight wins sweeping PK Yonge 16-1/18-2, Newberry 11-0/12-1 along with wins over Clay 2-0, Palatka 12-2, arch-rival Bradford 14-4 and Trenton 4-2.
* Speaking of Union County, the Tigers (5-1) looked poised to repeat again with wins over Hilliard 5-2, Clay 7-5 and most recently Madison County 3-2.
*Another team to keep an eye on is West Nassau (5-1), who has won four in a row since a 7-6 loss Feb 20 to Columbia including wins over potential playoff teams Hilliard 2-0 and Baker County 2-1.
* Trinity (5-1) has also reeled off four straight wins after its 2-1 loss Feb 15 to West Nassau, with wins over Nease 3-1, Bishop Kenny 10-2, Proidence 5-0 and most recently Episcopal 11-1.
* According to the Palatka Daily News Mark Bluementhal, on Tuesday Interlachen coach Ron Whitehurst tied former Palatka High coach Curt Smith (1998-2007) for most career softball wins in Putnam County history at 178 as Interlachen beat Crescent City 12-2 at home.
* Here is the latest Miracle Sport State Softball Poll, a new one will be released Monday http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/65f94d_e2037fba89c443fb832df4b2567fef91.pdf
Around the diamond (Baseball)
* Paxon (5-1, 4-0) served notice it might be the team to beat in District 3-6A sweeping nemesis Terry Parker in a span of 24 hours 11-3 and 11-0.
* University Christian (5-1) looks like a team that could be in Fort Myers as the Christians have bounced back from a 8-4 loss to Providence with wins over Christ Church 11-1, St. Joseph 4-0, Sandalwood 11-6 and Eagles View 11-0.
* Speaking of Providence, the Stallions won the Jacksonville Crown Baseball Tournament with wins over Stanton 10-0, UC 8-4 and Sandalwood 3-2, since then has knocked off Fleming Island 8-1 and Bolles 8-7.
* Trinity Christian is hosting its annual Ben Watkins Tournament of Champions Baseball Tournament this Friday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The day long triple header kicks off with Trinity and Nease playing at 11 a.m., Bolles and University Christian playing at 2 p.m. and TNXL out of Orlando playing Parkland Douglas at 5 p.m. Proceeds from the tourney go directly to the Parkland Douglas school after the school recently saw 17 students killed in the worst massive school shooting in US history. For more information on the tourney go to https://gofan.co/app/school/FL17955
And the winner is
Both Bolles and St. Johns Country Day captured their seventh and tenth overall state title a week ago, yet the accolades keep coming. The Florida Dairy Farmers released their Girls Soccer Players and Coaches of the Year for each respective classes.
Bolles sophomore Olivia Candelino and her coach Matt Tracy were named the 2A Player and Coach of the Year after Candelino tallied 28 goals and 22 assists and Tracy won his third title in four years.
St. Johns senior Abbey Newton, an LSU signee, and her coach Mike Pickett were named the Class 1A Player and Coach of the Year. Pickett has coached the Spartans to 70 straight wins and 7 consecutive state title and 10 overall state titles, while Newton tallied 35 goals and 26 assists in her final season and her seventh straight state championship of her career.
Candelino and Newton are now among the five finalists for the Miss Soccer award, while Tracy and Pickett are among five finalists for statewide Coach of the Year honors.
Going for it all
For the seventh time overall and the third straight year, Clay finished as the Class 1A state runner-ups behind state power Orlando Lake Highland Prep 333-109 yesterday in Kissimmee at the Silver Spurs Arena.
Clay, which won the 2004 state championship, has finished as runner-ups in 1999, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 and now 2018. The Devils have finished in the top five every year under Reape for the last twenty years including several third place finishes as well.
Other notable finishes include Bishop Kenny in eighth with 57.5 points, Suwannee (25th), Bolles (33rd) and Yulee (34th).
Individually, Clay’s Peyton Hughes (138) and Bishop Kenny’s Josiah McCallum (285) each won state titles. Stevie Chopek (120) and Kurt Jackson (195) both finished second for Clay as both lost to wrestlers from Lake Highland Prep.
Other top Clay finishers were third place from Connor Green (160), fifth place from Abbott Taylor (182) and sixth place from Daniel Porter (113).
Kenny’s Joey Cusick (152) took fifth while teammate Andrew Slade (152) finished sixth, as did Mason Yost from Bolles (220) and Yulee’s McKenzie Lewis (285).
Despite having three state champions from Briar Jackson (113), Paul Detwiler (170) and Ryan Smenda (220), Fleming Island still came up short in the team title for the second straight year. State power South Dade secured another Class 3A state title with 230 points, 90 points ahead of Fleming Island.
Outside of Palm Coast, which finished ninth with 60 points, Oakleaf was the only other area finisher to finish in the Top 40 with a 34th place finish, behind a fourth place finish from Ryan Rosano (120).
The stunner of the tournament was seeing Brandon’s reign of 18 straight state team titles come to an abrupt end after Lake Gibson finished on top of Class 2A with 160.5 points, 21 more than runner-up Brandon whom finished with 139.5 points.
When you find out Brandon didn't win state this weekend. pic.twitter.com/e5XfTzCmQ6
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) March 4, 2018
Matanzas, Bartram Trail, Ridgeview and Columbia finished fifteenth through eighteenth, while Orange Park and Parker finished 39th and 41st respectively.
The Pirates were led by Tyrone Jones (52-3) winning the schools inaugural state championship with a 5-4 win over Brandon’s Andreus Bond (81-5) in the 145 final.
TYRONE JONES STATE CHAMP!!! 1st ever State Champion for Matanzas High School in any sport! Shoutout to Tyrone, @MatanzasWrst and Coach White on a remarkable accomplishment! @MHSPirateNation @FlaglerSchools @ZachDeanDBNJ @PCOsports pic.twitter.com/dbFPi3Oobv
— Matanzas Pirates Athletics (@ThePiratesAD) March 4, 2018
Other area individuals that placed were Ridgeview’s Matthew Rodriquez (106), Bartram Trail’s Nicholas Vugman (120), Columbia’s Chace Curtis (126) and Creekside’s Brandon Dickman (182) who all finished third; and Parker’s Landon Dains (170) and Orange Park’s Reed Danielson (195) whom both finished sixth.
Let if fly
Several local girls flag football teams took to the Jacksonville Jaguars indoor practice field Saturday to compete in a pre-season classic jamboree. Among those in attendance were Clay, Stanton, Mandarin, Ribault, Parker, Oakleaf and Lee.
Congrats to Flag Football. They went 2-0 today with wins against Ribault and Mandarin.
Great start to the season girls. Again, thank you to @Jaguars for the awesome opportunity, the girls had a blast!@CFreemanJAX @ClayTodaySports pic.twitter.com/WkGUR2jR8V— Clay High Athletics (@Clay_Athletics) March 3, 2018
Fun times at the Flex Field for our SCP Flag Football team! What an opportunity for these young ladies! Thank you @Jaguars ! 😈🏈 #scpathletics @DuvalSchools @talleymama pic.twitter.com/Y7aUK9l1qP
— Stanton Athletics (@SCPBlueDevils) March 3, 2018
Thank you Jags for hosting a great Flag FB Tourney. Lady Braves tied Oakleaf 6-6 and Lee 13-13. @PrincipalPardue @FiveFab @talleymama pic.twitter.com/Y2HkT3YJdO
— TP BraveNation (@TPBravenation) March 3, 2018
