JACKSONVILLE – The usual suspects like Ivory Durham III, George Webb, Derrick Jones, Caitlin McGee and Naseem Khaalid were all there but so were Kendall Nash, Patrick Wendell, Tre Guzzone, Taryn Freshwater, Kris Williams, Amanda Beane and many others. As for one night the top athletes from 22 sports were all recognized equally at the Gateway Conference All-Sports Banquet at the Moroco Shrine Auditorium.
The annual banquet recognizes the top athletes from the 17 Duval County public schools from First Coast, Ribault, Raines, Stanton, Jackson, Paxon, Lee, Baldwin, Ed White, Westside, Parker, Sandalwood, Fletcher, Englewood, Wolfson, Atlantic Coast and Mandarin.
Among the first awards given out were academic and sports medicine winners as Brooks Sports Medicine announced Caroline Medley (Paxon) and Jerron Porter (Lee) were awarded both $5,000 scholarships and GCA Sports Medicine named Kayla Fitz (Raines), Morgan Sawyer (Mandarin) and Trisha Willie (Stanton) as its $1,000 scholarship winners.
Raines Kayla Fitz honored at the Duval County Gateway Conference Banquet!
Valedictorian
4.64 G.P.A
Track&Field
Cross Country
Weight Lifting
Going to @FAMU_1887 pic.twitter.com/wx285Pegin— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
On the academic side, 1010XL named their Scholar Athlete of the Year recipients from Morgan Mills (Mandarin) and Patrick Wendell (Fletcher) who both received $2,500 checks; while Bono’s BBQ named its All-Gateway Academic Athletes and the recipients of the $1,000 scholarships Amanda Beane (Fletcher) and Drew Johnson (Stanton).
Athletes who played a varsity sport for three and four years were also recognized as well as three sports athletes such as Amanda Beane, who excelled in volleyball, basketball and softball.
Amanda Beane is the female recipient of the Bono’s All Gateway Academic Athlete Award. She attends Fletcher High School pic.twitter.com/zImNmutjIR
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 14, 2018
Mandarin @MHSsportszone Morgan Mills the @1010XL $2500 scholarship award winner! Morgan plays Soccer and Flag Football, has a 4.62 G.P.A and will be attending @UF pic.twitter.com/J2GrKwEo4y
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
After dinner catered by Bono’s, the ceremony began again as Gateway Conference announced its top awards of the night the Top Boys and Girls All-Sports Awards programs. Points are awarded in each sport for how the teams finish in the conference with the conference champion getting 17 points and the last place finisher getting 1 point.
Mandarin claimed the girls overall title with 171.5 points, ahead of runner-up Atlantic Coast who finished with 161.5 points and Stanton 154.5, Paxon 144 and Fletcher 142.5 points. The Mustangs won titles in swimming, weightlifting along with runner-up finishes in cross country, softball as well as third place finished in golf, bowling , tennis, flag football and soccer.
Mandarin wins the Gateway Conference Girls All-Sports trophy in dominating fashion. pic.twitter.com/E46i6wKjH6
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) May 15, 2018
Fletcher won a tight race in the Boys All-Sports Standings holding off Mandarin 142.5 to 138, to claim the All-Sports trophy for the third time in four years. The Senators won titles in swimming, golf, soccer and wrestling, while finishing second in baseball and football.
Fletcher wins Boys Gateway Conference All Sports Awards trophy @FHS_Hoops @FHSvball1 pic.twitter.com/lqfOnUKrjL
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) May 14, 2018
2018 Gateway Conference All Sports Final Standings pic.twitter.com/fAtqFNXBOz
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) May 15, 2018
Next up was the presentation of the Mike Houser Coaches Awards which recognized the top coach in each sport: boys basketball James Collins (Jackson), girls basketball Derell Johnson (Lee), boys soccer Ian Levine (Fletcher), girls soccer Brian Haygood (Stanton), wrestling David Harrison (Fletcher), boys track Doug Pariseau (Sandalwood), girls track Lewis James (Raines), boys tennis Blake Cline (Atlantic Coast), girls tennis D. Rodriguez-Reyes (Stanton), baseball Rudy LeCount (Raines), softball Natalia Gonzalez (Mandarin), flag football Keith Poole (Parker), girls bowling Thomas Caggiano (Sandalwood), girls golf Phong Le (Paxon), boys golf David Bennett (Fletcher), girls volleyball Mark McGiveron (Fletcher), girls swimming Mike Dingfield (Mandarin), boys swimming George Pugh (Fletcher), girls cross country Dan Holloway (Fletcher), boys cross country Mike Wachholz (Lee) and football OJ Small (Lee).
To be nominated for the award, over a three year period the coach couldn’t have had any forfeits or violations from the FHSAA or any fines from the FHSAA or within the conference and uphold the highest ideals of the athletic coaching profession as listed in the National Code of Ethics for High School Coaches.
The next award was the Bernard Wilkes Award, which honors late great legendary and FHSAA Hall of Fame Ribault boys basketball coach Bernard Wilkes; this year’s winner was First Coast Athletic Director Marty Lee.
Raines coaches were presented the Nelson C. Vinal State Champion Coaches Award for winning their second state football title back in December over state power Cocoa in Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
The State Champion Raines Vikings honored at the Gateway Conference Banquet! All Conference players Desmond Dembo, Brandon Marshall,(pic)Rob Billingsley, Dylan Schoefield, Ivory Durham IV,George Webb, and Raynell Killian @WMRaines165 @RaynellKillian @mr__Hollywood_ @_george_webb pic.twitter.com/BqUmtoncaM
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
The two hour banquet ended with all 17 sports recognizing its All-Conference teams as well as recognizing each conference sports champion.
DuvalSports was also on hand with their Press Box Sports Show airing live from the banquet on live stream as well as tape delayed. Look for the videos to be up posted on our social media pages as well as You Tube soon.
Wolfson’s Alexis Durlacher and Paxon’s Kyle Casiple Girl’s and Boy’s All Conference Swimming Athletes! Honored at the Gateway Conference Banquet pic.twitter.com/3PABfYFnyB
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
So great to see Kendall Nash once again! A former guest on our weekly sports show at Zaxbys! The Atlantic Coast @ACHSSTINGRAYS Tennis Champion is the first in 62 years from an Northeast Florida public school. She’ll be attending Kennesaw State University @KSUOwlNation pic.twitter.com/TMEmN2I0Gv
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
Lee’s Coach Ricky Hicks with All Conference wrestlers Caleb Zacceheo and Leo White @JaxLeeAthletics pic.twitter.com/B667f4TkwW
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
Stanton’s Coach Heggood with the outstanding Coaches Award for Girls Soccer, and pictured with Naja Ashman,Imani Ashman, and Alex King; All Gateway Conference honorees! @SCPBlueDevils pic.twitter.com/k0bFY4uAKJ
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2018
