First Coast Varsity Weekly: Jacksonville readies for huge Northwest Christmas Tournament
The biggest edition to date for a Jacksonville basketball tradition? It's close to the top of the list.
First Coast, Jackson, Raines and Ribault are all in winning mode entering the two-day Northwest Christmas Tournament set for Raines on Wednesday and Thursday. Jackson faces Ribault at 6 p.m. in Wednesday's first semifinal, followed by Raines and First Coast. On Thursday, the consolation game is 6 p.m. and the final follows at 7:30 p.m.
This year, all four teams enter on fire.
Jackson (9-3), deep and defensively intense as always, powered through the Battle on the Island tournament's Gold bracket by beating Santa Fe Catholic, Gainesville and Creekside. Ronald Durham won MVP honors and Jaylen Dopson and Octavius Lawson both made the All-Tournament team for the Jackets, who are only seven points away from an unbeaten start to the season.
For Ribault (9-3), senior guard Caleb Williams is averaging 23.5 points and 7.1 assists, including 34 points last week against Lake Wales. He won the MVP award for the Battle on the Island's Green bracket in the Trojans' wins over Lake Wales, Columbia and Bolles, with Jamian Jackson and Jaheim Robinson also on the All-Tournament list.
First Coast (8-3), which had won three straight until losing to Fletcher, is averaging 61.2 points per game on a senior-loaded lineup including Israel Gaines and Damian Mack.
And then there's Raines (10-3), a steamroller for most of the past month. The Vikings already surpassed last year's win total, with Ta'veon Dunbar, Jeremiah White and Makai Purkiss leading a fast-moving lineup that beat opponents from Virginia and Pennsylvania last week.
Jackson enters as defending champion, beating Ribault 62-58 in last year's final.
Mandarin's Jones tops Class 4A list
Tramell Jones: best in class.
That was the message of the annual Florida Dairy Farmers football awards, where the Mandarin junior quarterback was voted as the player of the year for Class 4M.
Jones now enters the balloting as a finalist for the Mr. Football award, to be announced Friday, Dec. 29.
Committed to Florida State, Jones completed 183 of 302 passes for 3,195 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the Mustangs' run to the Class 4M state final against Miami Columbus. He became the first Jacksonville quarterback to surpass 3,000 yards in a season since Mandarin graduate and current Georgia starter Carson Beck in 2018.
Mandarin dominated the voting for Class 4M. Jones led with 82 points, followed by Lake Mary sophomore quarterback Noah Grubbs (74 points) and Mandarin junior receiver Jaime Ffrench Jr. (55 points).
Other area players finishing high in their respective classes were Bartram Trail running back Laython Biddle (fourth in Class 4S), St. Augustine running back Devonte Lyons (fourth in Class 3S) and Trinity Christian quarterback Colin Hurley (third in Class 1M).
Among area coaches, Mandarin's Toby Bullock was voted second in Class 4M, St. Augustine's Brian Braddock second in Class 3S, Bradford's Jamie Rodgers second in Class 2S, Bolles' Matt Toblin third in Class 2M, Trinity Christian's Verlon Dorminey fifth in Class 1M, Fort White's Demetric Jackson fifth in Class 1R and Impact Christian's Bobby Ramsay (now at Jackson) fifth among independents.
Northeast Florida's past Mr. Football winners are Sandalwood running back Frankie Franklin (1995), Jackson running back Leon Washington (2001), Nease quarterback Tim Tebow (2005), Yulee running back Derrick Henry (2012), First Coast quarterback De'Andre Johnson (2014), Ponte Vedra quarterback Nick Tronti (2016) and Mandarin's Beck (2018).
Smith to coach Ridgeview football
Ridgeview hired veteran Clay County coach Merlin Smith on Wednesday to lead the Panthers' football team into the new season.
Smith had most recently worked as head coach of Oakleaf Junior High, where he has directed a program that's regularly among the contenders in the Northeast Florida Athletic Conference. Oakleaf Junior High has reached consecutive NEFAC championship games before losing to Baker County on both occasions.
He takes the place of Bryan Arnette, who stepped down in November after three seasons. Ridgeview has finished 1-9 in each of the last three years and four of the last five, with 2017 (6-4) and 2020 (7-4) the only winning years during the past decade.
Smith has previous head coaching experience at St. Johns Country Day, directing the Spartans from 2009 to 2011 with records of 5-5, 4-6 and 0-10. The athletic department said that he will also coach weightlifting at Ridgeview.
He becomes the most recent coaching hire for Northeast Florida's football offseason. Jackson hired 2018 state champion Ramsay from Impact Christian on Tuesday, while vacancies remain open at Sandalwood and Stanton.
Mandarin heads Class 7A soccer pack
Almost buried amid last week's FHSAA football classification hoopla: Official soccer numbers are here.
Mandarin placed first in Class 7A when the FHSAA released its first edition of its boys soccer rankings, which will eventually determine playoff seedings and at-large qualifiers when the postseason opens in just over a month.
The Mustangs, fifth among all Florida boys teams, close 2023 at 10-0-2 in a lineup organized by junior midfielder Omar Trto (five goals, five assists). The only ties have come against Beachside and Bishop Kenny, the latter at Thursday's Holiday Cup.
Also moving up to first in its region is Stanton, winner of six in a row in Region 1-4A. The Blue Devils entered the break after James Parks' goals secured a 2-0 win Thursday against an Episcopal team that's ranked second in Region 1-3A.
High-ranked boys teams in their regions include Creekside (third, Region 1-7A), Fleming Island (fourth, Region 1-6A), Beachside (third, Region 1-5A), Englewood (fourth, Region 1-5A), Fernandina Beach (fourth, Region 1-4A), Bolles (third, Region 1-3A), Harvest Community (second, Region 1-2A).
Northeast Florida teams know they're aiming to end a boys soccer state drought that's stretched for more than six years, since Fleming Island won the Class 4A trophy in 2016-17. What they don't know is their final destination.
With less than a month until district tournaments kick off Jan. 24, the FHSAA has yet to announce a host for this year's championships. DeLand's Spec Martin Stadium has held finals for the last seven seasons.
St. Johns trio pacing soccer rankings
Creekside, Bartram Trail and Ponte Vedra ranked second, third and fourth in the FHSAA's first set of girls soccer rankings, behind only Montverde Academy.
Ponte Vedra, ranked first in Class 6A, claimed one of the year's biggest wins last week by edging Bartram Trail 1-0 last Tuesday on a first-half goal by sophomore forward Natalie Brooks.
There's a potential collision course in both District 1-7A and Region 1-7A ahead for Creekside and Bartram Trail, who have combined for the last four championships at the top class and tied 0-0 on Nov. 29. Both the Knights and Bears still must travel to Ponte Vedra, Creekside on Jan. 12 and Bartram Trail on Jan. 18.
Perennial contender St. Johns Country Day leads Class 2A, topping their region ahead of Christ's Church and University Christian after their 3-1 win over Bishop Moore on Jan. 20. Sydney Schmidt leads the 14-time champion Spartans with nine goals.
Other teams near the top of their regions include Nease (fourth, Region 1-6A), Beachside (second, Region 1-5A), Clay (third, Region 1-5A), Orange Park (fourth, Region 1-5A), Bishop Kenny (second, Region 1-4A), Stanton (third, Region 1-4A) and Wolfson (fourth, Region 1-3A).
Carns, Harris net baseball honors
Baseball is in the books for 2023, with two Jacksonville players collecting some major awards outside high school.
Perfect Game selected First Coast senior catcher Hunter Carns as Player of the Year for the Class of 2024 Tourney All-American team, and Trinity Christian sophomore Brayden Harris was named Pitcher of the Year on the Class of 2026 Tourney All-American team.
Lining up against other elite seniors nationwide, Carns recorded a .316 average, nine homers, 45 RBI and a 1.082 OPS. Harris finished with a 1.98 ERA and 82 strikeouts to 18 walks in 42 innings of work.
The news capped a big week for Carns, recognized in a Wednesday ceremony on campus for signing with Florida State. Teammates Jason Collins Jr. (Barry) and Braeden McNamee (Daytona State College) also confirmed their college baseball plans at the same event.
Baylor adds Trinity grad Thomas
Keaton Thomas is heading to the Lone Star State.
The former Trinity Christian athlete, who played high school positions ranging from wide receiver to linebacker, signed with Baylor football on National Signing Day to wrap up an All-American season at the junior college level.
Thomas received first-team All-American recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association after his performance at Northeast Missisippi Community College.
He led the NJCAA with 11.9 tackles per game, finishing with 107 in all, including three games of 15 tackles or more. His season also included two interceptions, 1 1/2 sacks and a punt block.
At 6-2, 230 pounds, Thomas is ranked as a top-five junior college linebacker nationally and a three-star transfer prospect in the 247Sports composite. He helped Trinity to the 2021 state championship with seven interceptions.
Busy schedule in basketball tournaments
The basketball tournament schedule lights up like a Christmas tree at December's end, and this year is no exception.
Who's going where? Here's where several Northeast Florida teams will be traveling this week.
Providence's boys make the trip to Sun Bash Tampa for three games against Shabach Christian, Tampa Blake and Windermere.
The Episcopal boys, sinking 3-pointers in bunches, head to the Bobcat Invitational in Bluffton, S.C.
Paxon's boys team travels to Georgia for three days of action in Vidalia.
In Volusia County, St. Augustine and Wolfson play in the Mainland Christmas Tournament in Daytona Beach, while Creekside and Fleming Island take on the Barracuda Classic in New Smyrna Beach and Oakleaf goes to the Gus Gibbs Memorial in DeLand.
The Bishop Kenny and Orange Park boys motor to Marianna for the Milton H. Johnson Optimist Invitational from Wednesday through Friday.
Bishop Snyder and Impact Christian compete in the Sunshine State Explosion in Coconut Creek on Thursday and Friday.
Palatka is the host for the annual Jarvis Williams Christmas Tournament from Wednesday through Friday, including Atlantic Coast and Fletcher.
The four-day Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational in girls basketball hosts numerous area teams, including Beachside, Bolles, Menendez, Nease, North Florida Educational Institute, San Jose Prep and St. Joseph.
Bishop Kenny and undefeated Providence girls basketball both head to the Innisfree Hotels tournament in Gulf Breeze.
The Orange Park and St. Johns Country Day girls teams drive to Charleston, S.C. for the Carolina Invitational from Thursday through Saturday.
Around the area
Mandarin offensive lineman Gavin Barton committed to Anderson football. … Nease offensive lineman Demarco Blackmon committed to Warner football. … Former Orange Park forward Nia Brown, now at Daytona State College, committed to UNF women's basketball. … Middleburg infielder Kerra Clarida committed to Georgia Southern softball. … West Nassau catcher Sydney English committed to Santa Fe College softball. … Oakleaf setter Julissa Rivera committed to Florida State College at Jacksonville volleyball. … Fletcher senior Cole O'Brien signed with Colorado School of Mines wrestling. … Bolles senior Ella Chan committed to Columbia University women's swimming. … Former Fletcher running back Myles Montgomery is transferring from Cincinnati to UCF football. … Former Sandalwood quarterback Chris Calhoun is signing with Minot State on a transfer from Hutchinson Community College. … Former Mandarin wide receiver Jaylen Smith announced his transfer to Florida A&M football. … Former Bartram Trail defender Herbie Steigelman, now at North Florida, was selected to represent the Ospreys on the ASUN Conference's Winners for Life team for 2023 fall sports. … Middleburg named Laramie Bassler as head track and field coach and James Black as head flag football coach. … Raines junior defensive lineman Jyon Simon named a top 12 list of Arkansas, Auburn, UConn, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Grambling, Maryland, Rutgers, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Texas and Western Kentucky.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Northwest Christmas Tournament: Jacksonville basketball giants to meet
