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Prep roundup: Manatee boys lacrosse takes early lead before falling to Newsome in region quarters

SATURDAY

BOYS LACROSSE

Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal

Newsome 15, Manatee 5

SARASOTA - If a high-school lacrosse match were 12 minutes in duration, the Manatee Hurricane boys team would be preparing for a regional semifinal and rematch against Lakewood Ranch. After the first quarter Saturday night in their Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal against host and No. 3-seed Newsome, the No. 6-seed Hurricanes led, 3-1.

But over the next 36 minutes, it was all Wolves, who went on to score 14 goals while holding Manatee to just two in a 15-5 victory which ended the Hurricanes' season at 10-7. The Wolves now will face the No. 2-seed Mustangs, who defeated Manatee in the district final, then Venice on Friday night in their regional quarterfinal, in a semifinal match on Wednesday at 7 at The Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch

- Doug Fernandes

FRIDAY

BOYS LACROSSE

Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal

Lakewood Ranch 14, Venice 8

LAKEWOOD RANCH - Lucas Anthony freely admits he “wasn’t on his game” when his Lakewood Ranch boys lacrosse team played at Venice earlier this month.

The attacking midfielder would end up scoring a team-high 55 goals, an average of four a game. But against Venice, Anthony was less than average. In the green and white’s 7-6 victory, the senior scored just one goal. And of the nine shots he took in the game, only four were on goal.

On Friday night, in a Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal, Anthony lived up to his position. He attacked the Venice net, finishing with eight goals in the Mustangs’ 14-8 victory at The Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.

The victory will keep No. 2-seed Lakewood Ranch (14-5) at The Premier Sports Campus for Wednesday night’s regional semifinal. The Mustangs will host the winner of Saturday night’s quarterfinal between No. 3 Newsome and No. 6 Manatee. Venice, seeded seventh coming into the tournament, finished its season with a record of 11-6.

Anthony blamed his team’s woes in its first matchup with Venice on the Mustangs running the wrong offense. “It was just a team thing,” said the future collegiate lacrosse player at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.

What changed for the second meeting, this one a win-or-go-home scenario?

“(Coach Joe Nelson) gave us new plays,” Anthony said. “He had us run new offenses, new looks, and it worked. He researched the other team and made a good game plan. It’s about creating space, creating movement within the field, so there are different looks you wouldn’t normally see.”

But early on, the Mustangs’ offensive wasn’t especially offensive, as Venice assumed an early 3-1 lead. Then Anthony and Braden Johansen began to find their range, and Ranch entered halftime up 9-6.

“It could have gone either way tonight,” Venice coach Dan Crane later would say. “I thought we were well in the game.”

But the defensive-minded green and white wouldn’t have enough firepower to stay with the Mustangs. Several minutes into the third quarter, Anthony whipped his sixth goal past Venice keeper Alex Ptaszek, making it 10-6. Venice responded with a goal by John Ptaszek, who tallied four of his team’s eight goals, to again cut the Ranch lead to three goals.

But a goal by Caden Shirley, followed by another from Anthony with one minute, 18 seconds left in the third, put Ranch up 12-7. Venice’s Aiden Sleigher made it 12-8 with 6:22 left in the game, but Ranch closed it out with goals from Liam Fernandez and Anthony, his eighth.

“We played well, they played really well,” Crane said. “Kudos to them. I really hope to see them go deep in the tournament.” He was asked what made Anthony so potent offensively.

“He is patient, smart, calculating,” Crane said, “and he’s a bigger kid for his (age) and he muscles guys down. And he’s got tremendous accuracy.”

Said Nelson, “We’re getting better every day. The team that we were at the beginning of the season is definitely the team I don’t see now. The team we were two weeks ago isn’t the team I see now. These guys are progressing and getting better and we’re finally jelling into an offense that works for our personnel.”

Ask Venice. Friday night, it certainly worked for Lucas Anthony.

- Doug Fernandes

THURSDAY

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Class A-District 20 final

Cardinal Mooney 3, Venice 0

Sarasota's Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School claimed the Class A-District 20 beach volleyball championship with a 3-0 victory over Venice High School.
Sarasota's Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School claimed the Class A-District 20 beach volleyball championship with a 3-0 victory over Venice High School.

SARASOTA – Senior Helena Hebda and junior Izzy Lang provided the early spark for host Cardinal Mooney late as the Cougars claimed the Class A-District 20 beach volleyball championship with a 3-0 victory over Venice.

Playing at No. 2, Hebda and Russell cruised past freshman Addie Lariviere and sophomore Melissa Apolonio of Venice 21-3 and 21-8 in the best of three sets. The Cougar duo held a commanding 14-0 lead at one point during the second set.

Hebda is the lone senior on a team that is 17-2, as it waits to see who its opponent will be Monday when the region playoffs begin. The Cougars will host the region opener on Monday at 4 p.m.

“Our chemistry was really good today,” Hebda said. “We did not let up, not even when we got a big lead. We remained persistent and kept up with our game plan.

“We executed really well. We were able to lift each other up and communicate.”

Russell is enjoying her opportunity to pair up with Hebda, who began playing beach volleyball at age 8.

“This is only, maybe, the third or fourth game we’ve played together,” Russell said. “We’re getting used to playing together. I thought we really clicked today.

“Helena is amazing to play with. Her hustle makes me hustle more. We build on each other’s energy.”

Kelsey Fisher and Kate Montesand made it 2-0 in favor of Cardinal Mooney by defeating Ali Estis and Allison Schapley 21-10, 21-16.

Playing at No. 5 for Cardinal Mooney, Charleston Hegmann and Layla Larrick made it 3-0 and closed the door on Venice, topping Julie Westlake and Kendra Kesteloot by the score of 21-9, 21-14.

Two other matches in progress were halted because the Cougars had already decided the final outcome.

Playing at No. 1, Venice junior Brighton Ferguson and senior teammate Jaylynn Gardner held a 21-15, 14-8 lead over Cardinal Mooney’s Zoe Kirby and Sydney Sparma.

At No. 3, Hilary Hupp and Jayda Lanham of Venice won the first set 21-14 before juniors Riley Greene and Katie Powers of Cardinal Mooney came back to win the second 21-15. The third set was tied at 6-6 when play ended.

Gretchen Hand, a former professional beach volleyball player, took over as head coach of the Cougars when former coach Chad Davis resigned on March 15.

“These girls have done everything we have asked of them,” Hand said. “I look forward to watching their growth as players and good people.”

Jim Brockman

TRACK & FIELD

Class 4A-District 8

Venice High boys, girls capture district titles

NORTH PORT - For the Venice High boys and girls track and field teams, it was lather, rinse, repeat.

A week after both squads took first at the Sarasota County Track and Field Championships for the first time in school history, the green and white made Venice history again by pulling off the daily double at Thursday’s Class 4A-District 8 meet at North Port High School.

With Spencer Palmer qualifying for regionals in the four events he entered, Venice amassed 150 team points, 50 more than Lakewood Ranch in second place. And for the Venice girls, with Synaejah Williams, Atarah Robinson and Michelle Croney each qualifying for regionals in three events, Brenda Clark’s team recorded a whopping 179.5 points. In second was Riverview with 112.5.

After the 150 points by Venice’s boys came Lakewood Ranch with 100, Manatee 88, Palmetto Ridge 85, Lehigh 83, North Port 74, Riverview 54, Riverdale 44, and Sarasota with 17. On the girls side, after the Rams’ 112.5 points came Lehigh with 104, North Port 85, Lakewood Ranch 63, Sarasota 58, Manatee 39, Riverdale 23, and Palmetto Ridge 22.

The top four finishers in each event advance to regionals, set for May 7-8. The Venice boys and girls teams each will be sending 15 athletes to host school Martin County in Stuart. All three of the Venice boys relay teams qualified, two of them finishing in first place.

“Our goal all season was to try to win the district championship,” Venice boys coach Charlie Powell said. “We knew the county (meet) was a big step in that process.”

Palmer, who twisted an ankle at the end of Wednesday’s practice, qualified in the 800 meters, 1600, on Venice’s 4 x 800 relay team, and in the high jump. Despite the twisted ankle, Palmer jumped 5 feet, 11 ½ inches, good for second place. “He jumps off the other foot,” Powell said.

Matt Groves qualified in the 200 and 400 meters, finishing, respectively, third and first. He’ll also compete at regionals on Venice’s 4 x 400 relay team despite feeling ill before Thursday’s event. He was replaced on the team by Louis Montgomery, and Venice still finished in first, more than four seconds in front of second-place finisher Manatee.

And as he did at the county meet, Venice’s Chris Priede finished first in the 110 and 400 hurdles while anchoring the 4 x 400 relay team.

Meanwhile, the Venice girls, district champions last year, were in third place after the end of the field events. “I knew we were strong and deep in the running events,” head coach Brenda Clark said. “That’s key, if you have somebody in almost every event who is going to get points for you, then that’s where it’s at.”

Williams qualified for regionals in the 100 and 200 meters; Robinson in the 800, on the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400 relay teams; and Croney in the 100 and 400 hurdles, and on Venice’s 4 x 400 relay team. And in the 400 hurdles, Croney, Olivia Gonnelli, Jacey McReynolds, and Mercedes Miller finished first through fourth.

In the boys 100 and 200, North Port’s Damian Howard and Manatee’s Kei’Shawn Smith finished first and second, respectively.

- Doug Fernandes  

GIRLS LACROSSE

Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal

Riverview 22, Sickles 9

AT: Riverview

TOP PLAYERS: (RV) Susan Lowther 8 goals, 5 assists, 15 draw controls, 4 ground balls; Caroline Steinwachs 3 goals, 4 assists, 6 draw controls, 5 ground balls; CC Hackl 4 goals, 4 ground balls; Alexandra Hernandez 3 goals; Autumn Ruscoe had 4 saves and Verite Molinaro had 2

RECORDS: Riverview 11-6, Sickles 15-5

NEXT: No. 4-seed Riverview faces the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between No. 1 Plant and No. 8 Palmetto Ridge in the regional semifinal on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

BASEBALL

Imagine School at North Port 12, Gulf Coast HEAT 2

AT: Gulf Coast

TOP PLAYERS: (IS) Peyton Rassbach 1-2, run, 3 RBI, SB, SF; RJ Cooper 2-4, 2 runs, RBI, 2 SB; Joseph Standford 2-4, 2B, run, RBI; Jacob Lombard 2-3, run, 2 RBI; Cooper Boggess 3-3, HR, 2 runs, RBI, 2 SB; Shalom Carrasquillo 0-0, 2 runs, 2 BB, SB; Landon Wade 1-2, run, RBI, BB, Ben Franson 1-2, run, RBI; (WP) Nikolas Posilovich (2 inns., 0 hits, 1 run, 6 walks, 1 strikeout); (GC) Solomyn Hoinkes 0-0, RBI, 3 BB; (LP) Kevin McNulty (2.1 inns., 7 hits, 8 runs, 3 walks)

RECORDS: Imagine School 11-9, Gulf Coast HEAT 1-12

NEXT: Imagine School at Charlotte, Friday, 7 p.m.; Gulf Coast HEAT at Bradenton Christian, Monday, 7 p.m.

Palmetto 5, Lakewood Ranch 4

AT: Palmetto

TOP PLAYERS: (LR) Andrew Schroeder 3-3, 2B, HR, run, 3 RBI; Cole Wetherington 1-1, 3B, run; Carter Sprague 1-3, RBI; (LP) Ryan Kaitz (.2 inns., 2 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Palmetto 13-12, Lakewood Ranch 11-13-1

NEXT: In the Class 7A-District 8 quarterfinals on Monday, No. 2 seed Lakewood Ranch has a bye; in the Class 6A-District 11 quarterfinals on Monday, No. 2 Palmetto has a bye.

Sarasota Christian 7, Canterbury 0

AT: Sarasota Christian

TOP PLAYERS: (SC) Alex Hefti 1-3, run, SB; Evan Poznanski 1-4, 2 runs; Randall Collins 1-3, run, BB, 2 SB; Collin Lawson 1-1, run, RBI, 2 BB, SB; Will Papineau 1-3, run, 2 RBI; (WP) Justin Brock (2 inns., 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 strikeout)

RECORDS: Sarasota Christian 10-10-1, Canterbury 3-12

NEXT: Sarasota Christian hosts Saint Stephen’s, Monday, TBD

SOFTBALL

Charlotte 1, Riverview 0

AT: Charlotte

TOP PLAYERS: (RV) (LP) Allison Cole (6 inns.,  2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Riverview 16-6, Charlotte 16-8

NEXT: In the Class 7A-District 8 quarterfinals, No. 1 seed Riverview has a bye on Monday.

North Fort Myers 22, North Port 6

AT: North Port

TOP PLAYERS: (NP) Lauren Boff 2-3, 3B, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Katilin Kohlenberg 1-3, HR, run, RBI; (LP) Konstantine Belgrade (3.2 inns., 16 hits, 11 runs-7 earned, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts)

RECORDS: North Port 6-18, North Fort Myers 18-5

NEXT: No. 5-seed North Port is at No. 4-seed Lakewood Ranch on Monday at 7 p.m. in a Class 7A-District 8 quarterfinal game

Inspiration Academy 4, Sarasota 2

AT: Inspiration Academy

TOP PLAYERS: (S) Gianna Williams 1-3, run, BB; Lydia Kaskey 1-3, 2B, run, BB; Carley Ramsden 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI; (LP) Ashlan Guengerich (4 inns., 7 hits, 3 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Inspiration Academy 20-6, Sarasota 10-9

NEXT: No. 3-seed Sarasota has a bye on Monday at 7 p.m. in a Class 7A-District 8 quarterfinal game

GIRLS TENNIS

Class 2A-Region 6 final

Lemon Bay 4, Aubrey Rogers 0

AT: Aubrey Rogers in Naples

TOP PLAYERS: Singles - Parker Zautcke (LB) d. Madeline Schmieg (AR) 6-0, 6-2; Avery Shirley (LB) d. Taylor Green (AR) 0-6, 6-2, 10-7; Rosey Lowder (LB) d. Samantha Manring (AR) 6-0, 6-2; Mckenzie DeLong (LB) d. Kate Greenaway (AR) 6-1, 6-3

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 15-1, Aubrey Rogers 13-5

NEXT: Lemon Bay will face Academy of the Holy Names in a Class 2A state quarterfinal on Monday at Red Bug Lake Park Casselberry

Class 4A-Region 4 final

Venice 4, Riverview 0

AT: Venice

TOP PLAYERS: Singles - Joy Jia (V) d. Amelia Hilton (RV) 6-1, 6-3; Koreena Hickey (V) d. Kathleen Siddons (RV) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles - Weronika DeLong/Christine Wu (V) d. Julia Piotrowska/Molly Dillon (RV) 4-0, 4-2; Tess Tchorbadjiev/Faye Klutke (V) d. Hilton/Siddons (RV) 5-4 (7-0), 4-1

RECORDS: Venice 18-0, Riverview 8-3

NEXT: Venice will face Steinbrenner in a Class 4A state quarterfinal on Monday at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs

WEDNESDAY

BOYS LACROSSE

Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinal

Cardinal Mooney 15, Barron Collier 4

Cardinal Mooney Catholic High's Gio Zanoni (#2) scores a goal against Barron Collier High School during a Varsity Boys Lacrosse playoff game at Austin Smithers Stadium at John Heath Field in Sarasota. Mooney won 15-4.
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High's Gio Zanoni (#2) scores a goal against Barron Collier High School during a Varsity Boys Lacrosse playoff game at Austin Smithers Stadium at John Heath Field in Sarasota. Mooney won 15-4.

SARASOTA -  After earning a top seed in the Regional Tournament for the first time, the Cardinal Mooney boys lacrosse team made quick work of eighth seeded Barron Collier with a dominating 15-4 win in a Region 1A-3 quarterfinal Wednesday night.

Three Mooney players scored hat tricks as the Cougars from Sarasota easily dispatched the Cougars from Naples with a dominating first half performance.

Hunter Sheffield and Jamison McCusker scored on Mooney's first two shots of the game as the home team raced out to a 10-1 halftime lead.

"We had a pretty decent first half," Mooney coach Derek Wagner said. "We executed several things that we wanted to work on. Against an opponent that you should beat by a decent margin you want to make sure that you do that. That's one of your goals going into the game, and we advanced. So at this point in time, that's the name of the game is just get a win and move on."

It was 7-0 Mooney before BC got on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter with a goal from Joshua Segura. But Mooney answered with three goals in 44 seconds before the break.  McCusker and Giovani Zanoni both tallied their hat tricks before halftime, while goalie Jacob Brown was solid in the net.

"Jacob made a handful of really good saves that could have ultimately went in," Wagner said. "We played some good defense in front of him. We had a few defensive breakdowns, but that's why we have him there. He's a senior captain and we rely on him to make stops when we have those breakdowns. He played well those first three quarters."

Logan Alexander scored his hat trick in the third quarter as Mooney increased the margin to 15-2 by the end of the period.  Michael Kipley then replaced Brown in the net for the fourth quarter with a running clock.

McCusker added four assists along with his three goals. Hunter Sheffield and Carter Westendorf scored two goals apiece for Mooney, which improved to 14-5 on the season.  BC goalie Marcos Chahwan made 14 saves as Mooney fired 41 shots in his direction.

"If you look at our scoring, I think we have five or six guys that are over 20 plus points," Wagner said. "That's pretty good point distribution all across the board. We have some guys that are stepping up towards the end of the season and that's all we can ask for is everyone just give 100 percent no matter what position you're playing."

Seguar had two goals for Barron Collier, which ended its campaign with a 10-9 record.

"We ran into a tough team today," BC coach Brian Arpaia said. "They're a one seed for a reason. But we played hard. We did really well at face-offs, we had good possession time in the first half, we just weren't capitalizing on some shots. Their goalie played well, hat's off to him. And their offense is a fine-tuned machine.  They know how to run it and they run it well."

Cardinal Mooney will host Calvary Christian in the semifinals next week.

- Bruce Robins

BASEBALL

Parrish 9, Lakewood Ranch 1

AT: Parrish

TOP PLAYERS: (P) Calin Heath 3-3, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI, BB; Tyler Cripe 2-4, 2B, run; Jabrien Quiles 0-2, run, RBI, 2 BB; Elroy Serrata 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI; (WP) Troy Guthrie (5 inns., 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts); (LR) Carter Sprague 2-3, run; (LP) Lochlan Radloff (4 inns., 2 hits, 4 runs-0 earned, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Parrish 19-6, Lakewood Ranch 11-12-1

NEXT: Parrish hosts Brandon, Monday, 7p.m.; Lakewood Ranch hosts Palmetto, Thursday, 6 p.m.

SOFTBALL

North Port 8, Braden River 7

AT: Braden River

TOP PLAYERS: (NP) Cailinne Kelly 2-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Lauren Boff 2-4, run, RBI; Konstantine Belgrade 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Katilin Kohlenberg 1-4, run; Emma Baskins 1-3, run, BB; Caitlyn Paige 1-3, run; (WP) Payson Rumley (5 inns., 3 hits, run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts); (BR) Sheila Moreno 1-3, 2 runs, RBI; Kaydence Evans 1-4, 2 runs; Jada Phillips 2-3, HR, 2 runs, 4 RBI, BB; Mya Blue 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; (LP) Kaydence Evans (5.2 inns., 6 hits, 8 runs-0 earned, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts)

RECORDS: North Port 6-17, Braden River 9-11

NEXT: North Port hosts North Fort Myers, Thursday, 7 p.m.; Braden River at Manatee, Thursday, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

GIRLS LACROSSE

Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinal

Saint Stephen's 16, Canterbury 0

BRADENTON - Multiple accidents Tuesday on I-75 had the Fort Myers Canterbury girls lacrosse team arriving late for its Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinal match against Saint Stephen’s.

And when the Cougars arrived, they were run over by the high-performing Falcons.

Surprises are few whenever a No. 8 seed faces a No. 1, and there weren’t any on Saint Stephen’s home turf. Ashling Marshall and Sienna Cassella each scored six goals as the Falcons advanced to the regional semifinals with a 16-0 whitewash of Canterbury.

Staying at home, the 16-1 Falcons, winners of 10 straight after a loss to Manatee in March, will host fourth-seeded Gulf Coast, a 12-8 quarterfinal winner over St. Petersburg Catholic, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Canterbury, which won its last four games to claim the district title, finishes at 7-7.

Unlike in their 16-4 district-clinching victory over St. Petersburg Catholic, a game in which head coach Pat Cassella felt his team was less than 100-percent engaged, the Falcons displayed no such lethargy against Canterbury. By the time the match was six minutes old, a goal by Cassella, and two by Marshall, had Saint Stephen’s up 3-0.

It would continue that way for the rest of the match, one that triggered a running clock when a goal from Haley Rosa, one of four scored by the junior midfielder, put the Falcons up 10-0 midway through the second quarter.

Saint Stephen’s continually buzzed the Cougars’ side of the field. The Falcons would finish with more than 30 shorts directed at Canterbury goalie Caroline Lucas. Meanwhile, her counterpart, Annesley Flint, was forced to make just three saves.

In his pre-match talk to his team, Cassella didn’t need to remind his players of their effort against St. Pete Catholic. “I think once you get to regionals, it’s a different level,” he said. “Everybody earned their way. (The Cougars) are district champions down there, and they had a good winning streak coming in, so we felt they had momentum. But our girls came out fast and hard today. We had a lot more intensity today, and it showed.”

The Falcons’ unrelenting offensive pressure negated the Cougars’ two top offensive players, midfielder Isabel Corwen, who came in with 38 goals, and midfielder Lucy Carter, who had 35.

The Falcons’ top offensive producers faced no such resistance. Saint Stephen’s ended the first quarter up 4-0, but goals by Cassella, three by Marshall, and two by Rosa, increased the Falcon lead to 10-0, triggering the running clock for the rest of the match.

“They got great passers, they catch every ball, and their shots are pretty exceptional,” Canterbury third-year coach Liz Corrente said. “It’s hard to defend that, but I’m really proud of my defense for holding their own against them.

“The goal we had originally set out for at the beginning of the season was to win the district championship,” she said. “We did that, so everything thereafter was gravy.”

In the end, it was the Falcons’ superior speed over the Cougars that was most evident.

“Our speed is one of our major assets here, and we use that to the best of our ability,” Cassella said. “We’re going to run as much as we can, and we’ve got great skill players. We try to run them into good offensive plays.”

- Doug Fernandes

FLAG FOOTBALL

Class 1A-Region 3 semifinal

Braden River 32, Keswick Christian 7

BRADENTON – Braden River High shrugged off an early surge on Tuesday night and maintained its march to a Class 1A flag football region final.

Sparked by senior Cydnee Brooks and sophomore Natalie Davis, the host Pirates (16-1) defeated St. Petersburg Keswick Christian, 32-7, in a region semifinal game.

The victory sets up a rematch between St. Petersburg High and the Pirates at Braden River next Tuesday night. St. Petersburg (13-2) is the only team to beat Braden River this season, winning by the slim margin of 19-14 during the regular season.

“St. Pete has a great team,” Pirates head coach Amanda Porco said. “I have a lot of respect for them and their coach. They have a lot of top-notch kids. They’re killing it over there.

“We’re just looking forward. The goal is to continue to win.”

Brooks ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for two more. She completed 18 of 28 passes for 229 yards. The team’s leading passer and rusher also ran for 85 yards and scored on runs of 3 and 12 yards.

Keswick (12-3) used its opening drive to get on the board first. Quarterback Robyn Cantwell connected on a 38-yard pass to Ava Graham to set up a 2-yard scoring pass to Graham on the next play for a 7-0 lead.

But it was all Braden River all the time thereafter.

“They came out and had a really good first drive,” Porco said. “Our kids responded. They were able to step up and do what was necessary to win the game.”

Davis scored on a 19-yard interception return early in the second quarter to give the Pirates the lead for good. She also intercepted a second pass and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brooks.

“I love being able to help out my team,” Davis said. “I am glad I could contribute to the win. Now we just keep moving on to the regional finals.”

The Pirates made their way to a region final last season before coming up short against eventual state champion Tampa Robinson. Now they must avenge their lone loss of the season in order to advance to the State Final Four.

“We have a lot of stuff on the table next Tuesday,” Brooks said.

― Jim Brockman

SOFTBALL

Sarasota 11, Venice 8

AT: Sarasota

TOP PLAYERS: (V) Raionna Smith 2-4, 2B, 2 runs; Myah Purdy 1-3, RBI; Kaylin Smith 1-4, RBI; Riley Sullivan 1-4, 2 runs; Madison Schilling 1-3, 2B, RBI; Alexandria Evancho 1-1, RBI; Molly Sullivan 1-5, run; Emily Beam 2-2, run, RBI; Kinley Rutherford 2-3, RBI; Zoey Lynn 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI; (LP) Layne Preece (2.2 inns., 10 hits, 11 runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout); (S) Abbey Johns 3-4, HR, 2 runs, 7 RBI; Ashlan Guengerich 2-3, 2 runs; Carley Ramsden 1-3, 3B, 2 runs; Gia Depastino 1-2, run; Gianna Williams 2-3, 2 runs; Sommer Speers 1-3, run; (WP) Gemma Mulhollen (4.1 inns., 8 hits, 4 runs-2 earned, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Sarasota 10-8, Venice 11-10

NEXT: Sarasota hosts Inspiration Academy, Thursday, 7 p.m.; Venice hosts Bishop Verot, Thursday, 6 p.m.

BASEBALL

Bradenton Christian 5, Sarasota Christian 4

AT: Bradenton Christian

TOP PLAYERS: (BC) Brett Balais 2-3, 2B, 3 runs, BB, SB; Garrett Duquette 2-3, 2B, RBI; Landon Henderson 1-1, run, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB; Connor Henderson 1-3, 2 RBI; (WP) Garrett Duquette (1 inn., 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts); (SC) Justin Brock 1-4, RBI; Alex Hefti 1-3, run, RBI, SB; Evan Poznanski 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Connor Lundy 1-2, run, BB; (LP) Evan Poznanski (.2 inns., 2 hits, run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Bradenton Christian 13-10, Sarasota Christian 9-10-1

NEXT: Bradenton Christian hosts Bayshore, Friday, 7 p.m.; Sarasota Christian hosts Canterbury, Thursday, 6 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Class 4A-Region 6 semifinal

Venice 6, Strawberry Crest 1

AT: Venice

TOP PLAYERS: Singles - Wernonika DeLong (V) d. Tiffany Chan (SC) 6-1, 6-0; Christine Wu (V) d. Rajvi Patel 6-0, 6-3; Srikruthi Neralla (SC) d. Sandra Piskor 3-6, 6-1, 10-5; Joy Jia (V) d. Harshitha Madabhushani (SC) 6-0, 6-0; Koreena Hickey (V) d. Sahana Saiganesh (SC) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles - DeLong/Wu (V) d. Chan/Madabhushani (SC) 4-0, 4-0; Tess Tchorbadjiev/Faye Klutke (V) d, Patel/Neralla 4-0, 4-0

RECORDS: Venice 17-0, Strawberry Crest 11-3

NEXT: Venice hosts Riverview, Thursday, 3 p.m. for region title

Class 2A-Region 6 semifinals

Lemon Bay 4, Estero 3

AT: Lemon Bay

TOP PLAYERS: Singles Megan Lay (E) d. Parker Zautcke (LB) 6-1, 6-4; Gianella Salas-Gechele (E) d. Avery Shirley (LB) 6-1, 6-2l Rosey Lowder (LB) d. Sofia Vargas Passos 6-2, 6-0; Sihara Padrino (LB) d. Charlotte Snow (E) 6-0, 6-1; Mckenzie DeLong (LB) d. No. 5 Estero player 6-0, 6-0

Doubles - Meghan Lay/Gianella Salas-Gechele (E) d. Zautcke/Shirley (LB) 4-1, 4-2; Lawder/Padrino (LB) d. Passos/Snow 4-0, 4-0

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 14-1, Estero 10-3

NEXT: Lemon Bay advances to the regional final, Thursday at 3 p.m. at Aubrey Rogers High School

BOYS TENNIS

Class 2A-Region 6 semifinals

Lemon Bay 4, Estero 0

AT: Lemon Bay

TOP PLAYERS: Singles - Steven Ethier (LB) d. Bradley Donofrio (E) 6-0, 6-0; James Hitt (LB) d. Philip Walczak (E) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles - Ethier/Hunter Andres (LB) d. Donofrio/Nicholas Snow (E) 4-0, 4-0; Nils Ruhland/Logan McGinty (LB) d. Jacobi WEinberg/John Harty (E) 5-3, 4-2

RECORDS: Lemon Bay 13-3, Estero 13-3

NEXT: Lemon Bay advances to the regional final, Thursday at 3 p.m. at Aubrey Rogers High School

MONDAY

BASEBALL

Venice 5, Palmetto 0

AT: Venice

TOP PLAYERS: (V) David Debrule 1-3, 2B, run, BB; Carter Cox 2-3, 2B, run, SB; August Backman 1-2, run, SB; Brodie Whitlock 2-3, run, RBI; (WP) Simon Yochum (4.2 inns., 1 hit. 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts); (P) Jayden Peters 1-3; (LP) Trey Lawrence (4 inns., 5 hits, 3 runs-1 earned, 1 walk. 3 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Venice 19-3, Palmetto 11-11

NEXT: Venice hosts Out-of-Door Academy, Thursday, 7 p.m.; Palmetto hosts Riverview, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Parrish 2, Charlotte 1

AT: Parrish

TOP PLAYERS: (P) Will Rawls 2-3, 3B, run, 3 BB, SB; Alex Tallo 1-6, 2B, RBI; Calin Heath 1-4, run, BB; Eloy Serrata 2-3, 2 BB; Matthew Thompson 1-4, RBI; (WP) Jacob Traeger (6 inns., 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Parrish 18-6, Charlotte 12-11

NEXT: Parrish hosts Lakewood Ranch, Wednesday, 6 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Riverview 13, Southeast 0

AT: Riverview

TOP PLAYERS: (R) Isabella Thompson 3-4. 3B, 4 runs, 2 RBI; Ella Trandem 1-4, 2 runs, RBI; Allison Cole 4-4, 2B, run, 4 RBI; Nicolette Forkan 1-3, 2 RBI; K. Snider 1-1, run; Sierra Lipton 1-1, run; Izzy Bain 2-2, 2 runs; (WP) Allison Cole (2 inns., 0 hits, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts); (SE) Jocelyn Diaz 1-2; Lanette Rodriguez 1-2; (LP) Lanette Rodriguez (4 inns., 13 hits, 13 runs-8 earned, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts)

RECORDS: Riverview 16-5, Southeast 1-17

NEXT: Riverview at Charlotte, Friday, 7 p.m.; Southeast hosts Bayshore, Thursday, 6 p.m.

Riverdale 8, North Port 1

AT: North Port

TOP PLAYERS: (NP) Cailline Kelly 2-3, run; Lauren Boff 1-3, RBI; (LP) Konstantine Belgrade (3 inns., 2 hits, 7 runs-2 earned, 3 walks, 1 strikeout)

RECORDS: North Port 5-17, Riverdale 18-5

NEXT: North Port at Braden River, Thursday, 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Manatee high school sports roundup for the week of April 22-27