Top-five 2016-2017 Sarasota high school moments

The 2016-2017 high school season has ended. As spring turns to summer, it’s time to remember the best sports moments of the school year.

5. Riverview breaks through to playoffs

The Riverview football program’s playoff drought was on the verge of becoming a teenager.

Instead, the Rams left the drought in the past, defeating Olympia 56-25 on Nov. 11. 

Senior quarterback Mike Welcer ran for 137 yards and sophomore back Ali Boyce added 88. 

A 40-yard Welcer run on the second half’s first possession acted as an exclamation point.

 The Riverview defense forced Olympia quarterback Joe Milton, a four-star Michigan commit, into three interceptions. 

The Rams lost in the next round, but the win over Olympia meant the world to the school.

4. Riverview reaches volleyball final four

It wasn’t just the Rams football team finding postseason success.

The Riverview volleyball team did, too, and with confidence. Then-Riverview volleyball coach Craig Wolfe even had T-shirts made before his team’s home district title match Oct. 20 against Newsome. A win would be the team’s first title since 2006.

The Rams’ confidence piled up over the course of the season, and this match exuded it. Riverview junior Kayla Walker had 33 assists in the 3-1 victory, and her freshman sister Riah Walker finished with 20 kills.

The volleyball team advanced as far as the state semifinals.

3. Sailors rally to reach baseball semi

The Sailors have been written about a lot, but proving doubters wrong is a big deal.

Sarasota won one-run games in both the Class 8A regional quarterfinals (1-0 against St. Petersburg) and semifinals (3-2 against East Lake, in eight innings).

Their 5-3 regional final win against Steinbrenner, the jewel of the season, was a comeback victory capped by senior Brooks Larson’s three-run homer.

A team’s coach can be crucial in tight situations like these, when poise is called for, and there’s a reason the Sailors’ Clyde Metcalf has won six state titles.

Metcalf himself would disagree with that. Asked why his team kept winning close games, he pointed to his chest:  heart.

Sarasota made some mistakes in its 7-0 state semifinal loss to Hagerty, but its magical run will likely never be forgotten.

2. Torres wins high jump state title

What’s harder than competing in the high jump state championships?

Doing it at night, in the rain.

Sarasota High junior Jaasiel Torres did just that and won his first state title, leaping 6 feet, 7 inches to clear the bar.

“I’ve jumped at night before, like once,” he said. “I’ve jumped in the rain once, but never in the rain at night. It was pretty cold when it was raining, so it was not a good combination.”

1. Riverview boys swim to 3rd title

Not one. Not two. Three.

When the Riverview boys swim team won the Class 4A state championship on Nov. 5, the program became back-to-back-to-back champions.

Seniors Keanan Dols, Austin Katz and Tyler Carmichael and sophomore Brett Riley took first place in the 200-yard medley relay (1:33), and Katz, Riley and juniors Brendan Firlie and Nicholas Hernandez-Tome also took first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:05).

Dols took second place in the 100-yard backstroke (50.28) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:49). Firlie took silver in the 200- (1:39) and 500-freestyle (4:30).

The Rams medaled in eight events.