St. Johns Spotlight: Comeback to remember for St. Augustine QB Locklan Hewlett
Is this the year of the quarterback for Northeast Florida football? On Friday, many of the area's top players behind center certainly played like it.
From Nassau County to Putnam County, Week 1 produced some Grade-A performances in the passing game, beginning with the come-from-behind rally directed by St. Augustine junior Locklan Hewlett in the Yellow Jackets' 43-36 win at Bolles.
After 376 yards, four touchdown passes and a comeback to remember, the Wake Forest-committed junior owns a signature game that he can carry all the way to the ACC.
"It feels amazing," Hewlett said. "Everyone was picking each other up, making sure that we're still in the game. Fourth quarter, we're down two scores and we keep pushing through."
Also rising in Week 1: Ryan Killmer at Tocoi Creek. At 6-6 entering his junior year, Killmer owns one of the most formidable QB frames in Florida high school football, and he stood tall with 213 passing yards and four touchdowns to top Beachside in the Surf 'N' Turf Bowl.
Another 100-point special for Creekside
Are you ready for some 100-point football?
For fans who like their statistics sky-high and their scoreboards scorched, Creekside football might be the best ticket around. For the fourth time in a four-year span, a Creekside game topped the 100-point mark Friday in Palm Beach Central's 55-48 win over the Knights.
Both quarterbacks produced five touchdowns: Central sophomore quarterback Caleb Butler passed for 361 yards while throwing for four scores and running for one, and Creekside's Sean Ashenfelder finished with two touchdowns passing, three rushing and 275 total yards.
Creekside's other games classified under the wildest of the wild were a 72-40 win over Episcopal, on Sept. 14, 2018; a 58-51 win over Nease on Aug. 30, 2019; and a 62-41 win over Nease on Sept. 2 of last year. And with another installment of Creekside-Nease on deck Friday, there's a chance for further fireworks.
Still intact for now, though, is the St. Johns County record for highest football score. That belongs to St. Joseph, which won 86-47 over Rocky Bayou Christian on Nov. 3, 2017.
Bishop Kenny topples Sharks from top
Bishop Kenny's 26-24, 25-18, 25-19 victory over Ponte Vedra not only signaled a possible changing of the guard atop Northeast Florida's volleyball scene, but also sent a message to everyone: This year's Crusaders are tough.
"In the history of our two schools, we've been on the non-winning side for quite a long time," Crusaders coach Suzanne Winkler said. "I think no matter how much you try and change that, there's always that little bit of doubt and it becomes a pressure moment."
Bishop Kenny isn't alone in its past struggles against the Sharks: No Northeast Florida team had defeated Ponte Vedra in best-of-5 indoor volleyball competition since Bartram Trail swept the Sharks on Oct. 13, 2016.
Senior libero Mallory Swain keyed the Crusaders' surge with a series of improbable digs, finishing with 25 in all, while Lizzy Austin and Cat Haen combined for 32 assists from setter. For Ponte Vedra, which also lost Thursday to Trinity for an unfamiliar 0-2 start, Ava Grall led with 11 kills and Tennessee commit Chelsea Sutton added 10.
Knights, Sharks strong in cross country
Creekside made a solid start to the cross country season in Friday night's season-opening Cecil Field Summer Classic at New World Golf Course.
Creekside sophomore Alyson Johnson led all Northeast Florida runners in the girls race at 18:45, which was won by Bishop Verot's Mackenzie de Lisle in 18:12. The Knights also had the fastest local in the boys elite race with Tanner Simonds at 15:59, while Jonathan Leon won in 15:38 for Oviedo Hagerty and Indian Rocks Christian topped Bolles for the team title.
In Saturday's cross country, sophomore Miles Wicks ran 16:35 to lead Ponte Vedra's boys to first place overall at the Spikes and Spurs Classic at the Flagler County Fairgrounds. In the girls race, Daisy Ross and Hilaree Vega ran 19:09 and 19:28 in a Ponte Vedra 1-2, and Satellite placed first in the team standings.
Around St. Johns
Nease faceoff specialist Conner Kunce committed to Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse. ... Creekside pitcher Kaylee Martineau committed to Daytona State College softball. … Former Creekside infielder Kendall Catherwood, now at St. Johns River State College, committed to Florida International softball. … Beachside senior pitcher/outfielder Ryan Whitaker announced his commitment to St. Johns River State College baseball. … Creekside sprinter Christian Miller selected six finalist colleges: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee. Miller, who won the 100 and 200 at July's USA Track and Field U20 championships, is the nation's top-ranked rising senior track recruit … Western Kentucky's Austin Reed (St. Augustine) was named to the watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award. ... Former Bartram Trail defender Anna Bachman recorded her first two assists for Mercer women's soccer against Mississippi Valley State, while former Bears Morgan McDonald and Olivia Bori both tallied assists in FAU's 3-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tori Grambo earned her first career Florida assist in an 8-0 win over Stetson. … Morgan Schooley (Menendez) scored for McNeese State women's soccer in a 6-0 shutout of Alcorn State. … Tamlyn Parkes (Ponte Vedra) assisted a Coastal Carolina goal in a 2-0 win against the College of Charleston.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns Spotlight: QB Locklan Hewlett shines in football opener
