First Coast Varsity Weekly: 'Awesome' week as Jaguars' home welcomes flag football stars

The home of the Jaguars transformed into a high school destination for one weekend.

And for hundreds of young athletes on the First Coast, it's an occasion they've come to circle on the calendar year after year.

"I can't miss out on that," Clay senior Shelby McClain said. "It's awesome stuff."

The annual Jaguars Prep Girls Flag Football Preseason Classic opened three days of youth athletics in Jacksonville, including a flag college showcase, a quarterback skills challenge and a 7-on-7 football tournament Sunday.

The early indications from flag football's preseason: Continuity counts.

For the most part, Northeast Florida's traditional powers showed they're ready to remain formidable during the Preseason Classic, which brought more than 40 schools statewide to EverBank Stadium and the indoor flex field in Jacksonville.

In addition to the on-field action, teams also got a behind-the-scenes look at the Jaguars' locker room and some other club facilities.

Among the early winners were some of the area's most established playmakers on the condensed gridiron. Stanton (Courtney Brown and Gabrielle Fajardo), Atlantic Coast (Gaby Rourke), Fletcher (Jasmine Cross) and Sandalwood (Ashley Purdy) all went 2-0 in their games.

And strong, once again, is the Clay County juggernaut that is Fleming Island. A final four qualifier in back-to-back years, the Golden Eagles showed they'll be tough to beat once more, tying 6-6 against Tallahassee Chiles and winning 19-0 against Tallahassee FAMU DRS.

"Everything around you feels so much bigger," Fleming Island running back and linebacker Gabi Musa said. "You just get a chance to be on a real field."

Raines, Ribault tie Heritage Classic

Color of the year for bragging rights at the High School Heritage Classic: the cardinal red of Raines, or the Columbia blue of Ribault?

For 2024, try purple.

The Vikings and Trojans played to a 5-5 tie in Thursday's annual preseason baseball exhibition, held for the first time at the new Bragan Baseball Complex at Fort Family Regional Park on Jacksonville's Southside.

The result: Instead of Raines Avenue or Winton Drive, the A. Philip Randolph Cup for the winner will be residing with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for the coming year, pending the result of next season's Heritage Classic.

The biggest adjustment for the players was underfoot, where they received a crash course in the drastic differences of baseball on artificial turf.

"It was really different, and the balls came a lot faster," Ribault first baseman Cor'Vontae Appleberry said. "It was hard to adjust."

The annual game also served as a history lesson: Raines and Ribault honored the diamond legacy of the Jacksonville Red Caps in baseball's Negro Leagues, with both schools wearing throwback Red Caps uniforms.

"It's always an honor to represent baseball in Jacksonville and to consider how popular the Negro Leagues were," Trojans coach Grady Foster said.

Golden Eagle wrestlers lead pack

The message from Fleming Island wrestling: They're going to be tough.

The Golden Eagles came out on top of the always-challenging District 4-2A boys tournament last week, recording 263.5 points to 246.5 for second-place Clay and 182 for host New Smyrna Beach. Winning individual titles were Calvin Wells (106 pounds), Jordan Mukaddam (120), Laird Duhaylungsod (138), Kaden Schaefer (150), Matthew Kotler (165), Christopher Chop (175) and Kevin Reyes (285).

Santiago Carrion (113) and Cole Anderson (285) helped Creekside claim top honors in District 1-3A, host Oakleaf placed first in District 3-2A, Suwannee won District 2-1A, Yulee won District 3-1A and Baker County topped District 4-1A.

In the Region 1 girls tournament, meanwhile, Middleburg and Ponte Vedra placed third and fourth behind the Flagler County duo of Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast. Middleburg's Skyla Fisher (105) and Cheyenne Cruce (190) won individual regionals, as did Ponte Vedra's Natalia Choquegonza (115), Oakleaf's Kailani Barrientos (135), Bartram Trail's Katherine Stewart (145), Westside's Karla Ortiz (155) and Columbia's Josie Raulerson (235).

Girls teams now enjoy a week off, while the boys progress to this weekend's regionals Friday and Saturday.

Only one regional takes place in the area, with Clay the host for Region 1-2A. Also on the schedule are Region 1-3A at DeLand and Region 1-1A at Wewahitchka.

Rivalry on the River sets field

Lacrosse's showcase weekend is returning next month.

The annual Rivalry on the River tournament, including reigning state girls champion Bartram Trail and perennial boys contender Ponte Vedra, comes back for its fourth edition with both local and out-of-area schools from March 22-23 at Bolles.

Beachside, Creekside, Menendez and Nease are also scheduled to take the field at Skinner-Barco Stadium.

"The girls really, really look forward to this every year," Bartram Trail girls coach Megan O'Grady said. "It's a great weekend where we really get to come out for the community."

Games March 22 will be Beachside at Bolles (girls), Creekside vs. Menendez (girls), Bartram Trail vs. Lake Norman (boys), Lake Mary vs. Lucy Beckham (boys) and Ponte Vedra vs. Lake Highland Prep (boys). On the March 23 schedule are Ponte Vedra vs. Bartram Trail (girls), Nease vs. Tallahassee Maclay (boys), Lake Mary vs. Lake Norman (boys), Atlantic Coast vs. Sandalwood (girls), Episcopal vs. Gainesville Oak Hall (boys) and Lucy Beckham at Bolles (boys).

The 2023 champion Bears girls started in top form with a 19-3 rout of Oviedo, including five goals apiece from Ryann Frechette and Emily Barnette and a four-goal, three-assist night from newcomer Esa Brenneman.

Clay's Heck, Suwannee girls lift trophies

Suwannee's girls weightlifting championship streak is going strong, and Clay lifting star Emma Heck is going out on top.

The Bulldogs extended their title run at Saturday's FHSAA Class 1A competition at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, winning both the traditional and Olympic divisions.

In the traditional lifts, Suwannee recorded 32 points, comfortably clear of Wewahitchka and Altha at 17 points apiece. Suwannee dominated the Olympic lifts even more thoroughly, earning 39 points to Wewahitchka's 23 and North Bay Haven's 22.

Suwannee's Caroline Allen swept the 101-pound division with lifts of 240 (traditional) and 230 (Olympic); Jordyn Rodriguez won both 119-pound lifts, 295 (traditional) and 280 (Olympic); Brianna McCullers captured both 169-pound lifts, 385 (traditional) and 350 (Olympic); and Kaly Cuffy won the 199-pound Olympic division with a 360-pound lift.

Clay senior Heck, already an individual champion in both 2022 and 2023, capped her high school career to enter the books among Northeast Florida's most successful weightlifters ever.

She won the Class 2A 129-pound traditional category with a 385-pound lift, then recorded a first-place 375 pounds in the Olympic lift. Clay finished sixth in the Class 2A Olympic team standings with 10 points.

No other Northeast Florida lifters won individual titles, although six others placed in the top three of an event.

Those included Lynzie Moore of Baker County (third, 2A 199 Olympic); Mikaylah Morrison of Baldwin (third, 1A unlimited traditional and Olympic); Haley Earnest of Bartram Trail (second, 3A 101 Olympic); Bradi Johnson of Fleming Island (second, 2A 119 Olympic); Ymira Passmore of Palatka (second, 1A 101 traditional and third at Olympic); and Hylan Hurst of Suwannee (third, 1A 110 Olympic).

Around the area

Bartram Trail recognized the softball signings of infielder Ciara Belanger (Rollins), Olivia Conley (Keiser) and Kiera Strub (Barry). … Ridgeview's Douglas Langley and Keegan Roach both signed with FSCJ baseball. … Baldwin infielder Jazmine Ramos-Merced was selected to Puerto Rico's 18U Olympic softball team for qualifying next month. ... Former Fletcher runner Kayley DeLay placed 11th in the women's 3,000-meter run at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships. … Former Stanton sprinter Kendal Williams finished 15th in the men's 100-meter dash at the same meet. … High School 9:12 announced plans for growth of the John Donahoo Jr. Leadership Academy, through support from the Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation. The next event is set for April 23. … Trinity Christian, Ponte Vedra and Englewood won their respective baseball groups at the Walk-Off Charities Preseason Classic, while Mandarin, Episcopal and Providence topped the softball standings. … Goalpost removal began Tuesday in preparation for artificial turf installation at Parker's Joe Hodge Stadium. … Opening-night baseball and softball included numerous no-hitters, including Beachside baseball's Zac Gwaltney, Englewood baseball's Ranses Venero (plus a Dominick Patruno grand slam), Fernandina Beach softball's Isabella Bishop, Baker County softball's Chloe Woods and a combined effort for First Coast baseball. ... Former Bishop Kenny slugger Tommy Raffo set Arkansas State's career head-coaching baseball victories record, 364. … FHSAA regular-season competition opens Thursday for track and field and Monday for beach volleyball.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars: 40 Florida girls flag football teams at stadium