Introducing the Herald-Tribune 2024 All-Area Boys Lacrosse Team
At the end of each season, The Herald-Tribune selects All-Area teams honoring the best athletes for every sport. Coaches from Sarasota and Manatee County schools are sent nomination forms and are asked to nominate and rate their athletes as well as those from other teams. That data combined with The Herald-Tribune's research led to the selection of the All-Area teams.
FIRST TEAM
Shane Alba
School: Sarasota
Year: Senior
Highlights: As the Sailors' Long Stick Midfielder, a defensive position, the future University of South Florida player finished with 35 ground balls and 14 takeaways.
Logan Alexander
School: Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Year: Junior
Highlights: The Cougar captain and All-American nominee finished with 145 ground balls, 300 face-offs won, and a 68.8 face-off winning percentage. Was ranked in the state's top 10 among face-off, get-off players.
Lucas Anthony
School: Lakewood Ranch
Year: Senior
Highlights: Led the Mustangs with 68 goals in their 16 games. Also added a team-high 39 assists for 107 points. Pitched in 29 ground balls and 11 takeaways.
Jacob Brown
School: Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Year: Senior
Highlights: Cougar captain and All-American nominated goalie finished with a 15-6 record, 235 saves, allowed an average of 6.4 goals per game, and had a 71.5 save percentage.
Jace Craft
School: Bradenton Christian
Year: Senior
Highlights: Was the team's best defender. Finishing the season 7-10, the Panthers allowed seven goals or fewer in five games.
Joe French
School: Manatee
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: The sophomore attacker finished third on the Hurricanes with 32 goals while adding 37 assists.
Jake Morales
School: Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Year: Senior
Highlights: Cougar captain and All-American nominee finished with 11 goals, 58 caused turnovers, and 160 ground balls.
Trey Naese
School: Out-of-Door Academy
Year: Senior
Highlights: The midfielder scored 19 goals while adding 16 assists for the 8-10 Thunder. Won 75 faceoffs out of 143 for a faceoff percentage of 52. Also had 22 ground balls.
Gavin Nuzzo
School: Manatee
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: The sophomore attacker scored 42 goals, the second-highest on the team. He added 15 ground balls for the 10-7 Hurricanes.
John Ptaszek
School: Venice
Year: Senior
Highlights: The senior midfielder/attacker led Venice with 47 goals, 23 more than the second-highest scorer. In 16 games he had 26 ground balls.
Trevor Schmid
School: Lakewood Ranch
Year: Senior
Highlights: The senior defender had 32 ground balls for the 14-6 Mustangs, to go along with four ground balls, 28 takeaways, and just five turnovers.
Jack Yochim
School: Riverview
Year: Junior
Highlights: The junior attacker scored a team-high 33 goals for the 5-10 Rams while adding 19 assists. His 52 points topped the Rams.
SECOND TEAM
Owen Alford, Venice
Dylan Brown, Lakewood Ranch
Mickey Cohen, Lakewood Ranch
Liam Fernandez, Lakewood Ranch
JC Fleming, Riverview
Braden Johansen, Lakewood Ranch
Ty Nutter, Riverview
Cooper Oriol, Sarasota
Kyle Paolercio, Sarasota
Aiden Sleigher, Venice
Logan Stephens, Manatee
Josey Rubinstein, Out-of-Door Academy
HONORABLE MENTION
Bryden Cox, Bradenton Christian
Hayden Wilding, Sarasota
COACH OF THE YEAR
Derek Wagner
School: Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Highlights: Mooney's head coach since 2013, Wagner led the Cougars to a 15-6 record. The season featured Mooney's largest senior class. The team won the district and was the region's No. 1 seed for the first time in program history. Finished the season ranked fifth in the state while playing the third-hardest schedule in Class 1A. Played the Class 1A and 2A state champions.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Here is the Sarasota Herald-Tribune 2024 All-Area Boys Lacrosse Team
