Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

Every spring, the Ram Bowl becomes a gathering place for hurdles, starting blocks and water bottles. 

The soccer nets have long been stashed away, giving way to Riverview’s boys and girls track teams, who will roam the Ram Bowl for the next three months until the sweet sound of clanging helmets returns to the revered stadium. 

Only this spring is different. A new group of Rams has descended on the Ram Bowl — Riverview’s boys and girls lacrosse teams. 

Riverview played its first home varsity boys lacrosse game versus Sarasota Military Academy Feb. 17, and the Rams couldn’t have scripted it any better. 

In front of a sizable crowd, Riverview rolled to a 22-1 victory for its first win of the season. Spencer Brooks and Jesse Clark scored three goals apiece to lead the way for the Rams, who are the lone area public school to have a lacrosse team. Fifteen different players scored goals for Riverview with 10 adding assists. 

In its first season as FHSAA sanctioned sport, Riverview must play as an independent before being eligible for the playoffs next season. 

The Rams will return home March 11 versus Saint Stephen’s. 

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The Sarasota baseball team appears to have picked up right where it left off last season after posting three more wins last week. 

The Sailors are 4-0 on the regular season, having outscored their opponents 32-4 in four games with a pair of shutouts. 

With nine seniors on the roster, five of whom have signed to play collegiate baseball, Sarasota is in position to make another deep playoff run. 

The Sailors got their first test of district action at Manatee Feb. 23 and will host Lakewood Ranch Feb. 26 before closing out their first slate of district games at Palmetto March 1. With only four teams in Class 8A-District 8, the next two weeks will be key for Sarasota with six of its next seven games being district contests. 

Although if the first two weeks of the season are any indication, Sarasota, which is ranked No. 5 in the 2016 state rankings, should be well on its way to securing the No. 1 seed in the district tournament. 

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Sarasota resident Ronn Wyckoff added more gold to his medal haul after posting a pair of first-place finishes in basketball shooting at the Gulf Coast Senior Games Feb. 13, at Newtown Estates. 

I first met Wyckoff back in December when he was preparing for the Florida Senior Games. At the time, Wyckoff hadn’t won gold medals in both free throw shooting and spot field goal shooting at the same time. 

That is until after our practice session. I did the talking and he did the shooting. Countless free throws later, Wyckoff and I parted ways. A couple days later, I learned he had done it, capturing gold medals in both shooting competitions. 

Most recently, Wyckoff posted a perfect score, finishing 30-for-30 in free throw shooting and marking the first time he had posted back-to-back perfect scores. He also finished 14-for-15 in the spot field goal shooting competition.

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