First Coast Varsity Weekly: Providence basketball on a roll after Fortegra Invitational
A basketball tip: Never, ever, ever count out Providence boys hoops.
Not even when they begin 1-3.
That's the Stallions' message to the state after rolling to a repeat championship at the Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational, defeating Episcopal 54-36 in Saturday's final at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
"We started off really slow, but we played the toughest teams," senior guard Chris Arias said.
With Brady Patterson running the show from the backcourt, David Fonville pulling down rebounds in bunches and Jacksonville University commit Arias turning up here, there and everywhere, the Stallions pulled away from the Eagles (7-1) after the break. Providence had already overcome Paxon 63-40 and Oakleaf 61-47, both previously unbeaten, to qualify for the final.
Who's on top? Jacksonville-area high school basketball and soccer power polls, Dec. 12
The turnaround is on for Providence, which had dropped three of its first four against out-of-town powers Gateway Charter, North Broward Prep and Weston Sagemont. Now, they're winning, just in a new way.
Without transferred forward Jaylen Robinson, who helped the Stallions to the final four last year, this year's Providence is smaller, deadly from distance and adapting to new roles. Even Arias, traditionally a point guard, jumped for the opening tip.
"Each game, it gets easier and easier, and you get more and more comfortable with doing new things," Arias said.
Arias, Fonville and Patterson all made the All-Tournament team, along with Episcopal's Kent Jackson and Grady Schwartz and Ribault's Caleb Williams. The Trojans' senior guard scored 88 points in Ribault's three games, including two 33-point outings.
Stats leaders: High school girls basketball for Northeast Florida through Dec. 12
U.S. Army Bowl honors Hurley, Rourke, Padron
Next stop: Texas.
During a Wednesday ceremony, Trinity Christian quarterback Colin Hurley and Atlantic Coast athlete Gaby Rourke received jerseys for next week's U.S. Army Bowl.
Both will travel to the week's events in Frisco, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys' Ford Center Stadium. In addition to Monday's bowl game on the gridiron, including 80 senior recruits across the nation, events on the schedule include a national combine, an awards banquet and a girls flag football tournament.
Senior quarterback Hurley, committed to LSU, passed for 5,984 yards and 67 touchdowns during his Conquerors career and participated on two Florida High School Athletic Association champion teams, in 2021 as the starter.
For Rourke, who is scheduled to compete in the girls flag football event after her year kicking for the Stingrays' gridiron team, the event adds to a busy December.
She's also led the Stingrays' girls soccer team to a 6-1-1 start and participated in a training camp with the Philippines' women's national junior soccer squad.
Meanwhile, Bartram Trail kicker Liam Padron is also scheduled to participate in the events in Dallas. The senior converted nine field goals this year and averaged about 40 yards per punt as the Bears qualified for the Region 1-4S final.
Bolles grad Patterson named All-American
Avery Patterson closed her senior year of college soccer on the All-American list.
Already a first-team All-Atlantic Region selection for North Carolina, the former Bolles midfielder was named to the United Soccer Coaches third-team All-America list. Patterson scored nine goals and two assists for the Tar Heels this season.
Former Creekside midfielder Paige McSwigan, in her first year at the University of North Florida, placed third-team All-South.
Meanwhile, in NCAA Division II, West Florida defender Ahnalie Layman (Menendez) was chosen to the All-South Region first team and Embry-Riddle midfielder Lauryn Mateo (St. Johns Country Day) made the All-South second team after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
In men's soccer, former Creekside defender Zane Bubb won Division I first-team All-Southeast Region honors at UCF, and Paxon's Keegan Ancelin won Division II first-team All-South recognition at West Florida.
Jackets by the numbers
St. Augustine's 2023 football season is in the books, and it's time to tally up the numbers from a offense to rank among St. Johns County's most explosive ever.
While the Jackets came up two points short of the Class 3M football championship, denied 21-19 by Daytona Beach Mainland, they rewrote several pages of St. Johns County history. Until Mainland's defense contained St. Augustine on the turf of Tallahassee's Bragg Memorial Stadium on Thursday, the Jackets had scored at least 31 points against every opponent.
A sampling of the numbers:
The Yellow Jackets ended with 582 points, an average of 41.6 points per game. The total points would have likely topped 600 if not for Hurricane Idalia, which wiped out the scheduled Sept. 1 game against a St. Petersburg Gibbs team that ultimately finished 1-8.
Junior quarterback Locklan Hewlett passed for 2,702 yards even while missing three games, and combined with the considerable contributions of senior Dylan Cook, St. Augustine passed for 3,668 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Senior running back Devonte Lyons concluded his senior year with 1,558 yards and 27 touchdowns, and wrapped up his Jackets career with 3,857 yards.
Three receivers finished above 850 yards: junior Carl Jenkins Jr. (1,172), junior Trenton Jones (997) and senior Myles Simmons (874). Jenkins and Jones can both return for 2024, as can sophomore Somourian Wingo, who caught 29 passes for 533 yards.
The Jackets also achieved a rare feat with their first-quarter return touchdowns against Mainland, Jones on the opening kickoff and Marquice King on a blocked field goal. The most recent team to score twice on returns in a championship was Miami Central in 2021, when Trent Henry and Joshisa Trader both scored interception returns in a 49-14 win over Merritt Island.
A less happy stat for St. Johns County, though: County teams have now lost their last six FHSAA football finals. That list also includes 2006 Nease (25-21 vs. Tampa Plant), 2007 Nease (23-15 vs. Miami Booker T. Washington), 2007 St. Augustine (17-10 vs. Naples), 2016 Ponte Vedra (35-33 vs. Plantation American Heritage) and 2017 Bartram Trail (37-24 vs. Venice).
Balanced Bolles wins winter junior nationals
Sometimes, Bolles swimming is so deep that it feels like they could field two teams of identical strength.
On Saturday, it became reality -- and it brought a national championship.
The magic moment came in the boys 400-yard relay at the USA Swimming Winter Junior Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. The Bolles Sharks quartet of Seth Tolentino, Carter Lancaster, Xavier Sohovich and Andy Kravchenko touched the wall in 2:55.85. The time for teammates Anthony Whittall, Sascha Macht, Antoine Destang and Alex Meyers-Labenz? Also 2:55.85.
With both A and B teams tying for second, the Bolles Sharks picked up 66 points in the final event, enough to overtake Cavalier Aquatics-Piedmont for first place in the boys standings, 340 points to 338.
Relays excelled through the four-day meet for the Bolles Sharks, who include swimmers from Bolles as well as several other Northeast Florida schools. Bolles also won the 200 free relay, with Kravchenko, Tolentino, Lancaster and Meyers-Labenz combining to win the 200 free relay in 1:19.85.
On top of numerous excellent relay showings, Bolles Sharks swimmers also played high in multiple A finals: Kravchenko (seventh, boys 50 free, 20.12), Landon Kyser (eighth, boys 100 back, 47.94), Lancaster (seventh, boys 200 IM, 1:45.70; seventh, 200 breast, 53.81), Lila Higgo (fifth, girls 100 back, 53.22; eighth, girls 100 free, 49.25) and Neala Klein (eighth, girls 1,650 free, 16:38.66).
Nease's DeVos named top cross country coach
Nease head coach Ted DeVos won the Florida Dairy Farmers boys cross country coach of the year award after leading the Panthers to the team championship in Class 4A.
DeVos, who previously raced for Nease himself during the mid-1990s, led the Panthers to the team title for the first time.
Creekside's Alyson Johnson received top runner honors for Class 4A girls, one month after winning St. Johns County's first individual girls state title.
Also earning class-specific awards were champion coaches Mike Rivera of Bolles for Class 2A boys and Jackie Hardin of Bishop Kenny for Class 2A girls.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Providence Stallions boys basketball repeats Fortegra Invitational
