- December 23, 2024
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As the calendar turns to 2024, the local sports scene is filled with athletes doing great things in their respective sports.
Among all those athletes, here is a look at 10 who have positioned themselves to have special results in the new year:
On the way to Cardinal Mooney High football’s Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S state championship win in 2023, no one shined brighter than junior Chris McCorkle.
McCorkle, a four-star player and the No. 38 cornerback in the national class of 2025 per the 247Sports Composite, was a lockdown defender on the outside. He snagged eight interceptions, returning them for 80 yards, and had 18 passes defended and a forced fumble.
McCorkle did not limit his impact to defense, despite where his future at the college level lies. He also caught 13 passes for 366 yards and seven touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown from senior quarterback Michael Valentino with less than a minute remaining in the state title game against Trinity Catholic.
With cornerback Teddy Foster off to the University of Florida and wide receiver Zy’marion Lang off to the University of Toledo next season, McCorkle will garner more attention at both positions in 2024. He has the talent to overcome whatever opponents throw at him.
In a world where many high school athletes specialize in one sport, Riverview High senior Susan Lowther is proving herself to be a triple threat.
In 2023, Lowther — a University of Clemson signee — finished with 112 goals for the Rams girls lacrosse team, good for 25th in the U.S. according to MaxPreps data. It was an even better season than the raw goal totals let on: Lowther's goals per game average of 5.6 was higher than five players ahead of her.
That was just the start of Lowther’s dominance. In May, Lowther finished second in the Class 4A discus with a throw of 41.86 meters, 0.25 meters behind winner Lydia Kentis, a junior from Goleman High. This winter sports season, Lowther has proven her talents on the basketball court, as she’s averaging 15.8 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game as of Dec. 19.
No matter what sport she plays, Lowther finds a way to excel.
Rams junior track and field athlete Luis Castaneda ended the 2023 season with a silver medal.
Castaneda finished second in the FHSAA Class 4A boys discus with a throw of 50.12 meters, 1.22 meters behind winner Terrance Powe, a junior from Niceville High. It was an improvement from his sophomore season, when Castaneda finished 12th overall (43.06 meters).
He’ll be looking to improve further to secure gold in 2024.
With two-time Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year Jordyn Byrd gone to the University of Texas, Cardinal Mooney volleyball needed someone else in their program to step up and become a threat at the net.
Enter Riley Greene.
Greene, who committed to Long Island University on Dec. 10, led the Cougars with 284 kills (3.6 kills per set) and 77 blocks. She also contributed 55 serving aces. Her play helped the Cougars to a 21-8 record.
She’ll look to keep up that level of play as a senior in 2024 — but first she’ll take her talents to the beach, as Mooney looks to repeat as Sunshine State Athletic Association beach volleyball champs this spring.
With the arrival of offensive coordinator Brody Wiseman, the Riverview High football team’s ground game took a leap forward.
While the team’s offensive line was a big part of that success, it was junior running back DJ Johnson who became the biggest individual beneficiary. Johnson ran for 661 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. In 2023, after combining Wiseman’s scheme, the line’s blocking and Johnson’s natural talent with the ball in his hands, he ran for 1,660 yards (7.1 yards per attempt) and 23 touchdowns. He did so with consistency, rushing for 100 yards or more in nine of the team’s 13 games.
Those numbers came in combination with sophomore running back Isaiah Belt putting up impressive numbers of his own (1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns).
Both backs will seek to repeat their big numbers in 2024, but it is Johnson who should be the lead runner as a senior.
The Booker High defense allowed just 19.8 points per game on its way to a 9-5 record and an appearance in the Class 2S state semifinals. Sophomore defensive tackle Kevontay Hugan was a large part of the unit’s success.
Hugan, who holds offers from the universities of Miami, Maryland and South Florida among other schools, had 46 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries in 2023. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery and moonlighted as a goal-line running back, scoring four touchdowns late in the year.
As the Cardinal Mooney High girls basketball team attempts to get back to the FHSAA Class 3A Final Four for the fourth year in a row, it will lean on junior Kali Barrett for offensive output.
Barrett leads Mooney at 13.8 points per game as of Dec. 19, and also gives the team 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. The 6-foot-2 forward said in December that she has been working on improving her consistency this season. She’s shown that on the court.
Booker High girls basketball senior Jakai Peterson has taken her game to a new level in 2023-2024.
As the Tornadoes start their quest to return to the Class 4A Final Four for the third year in a row, Peterson has been forced to carry more of the scoring load, as the Tornadoes lost three of their top four scorers to graduation. Peterson has responded: As of Dec. 19, Peterson is averaging 16.1 points per game and has shown the capacity to score much more than that. In a 77-23 win over Fort Myers High on Dec. 15, Peterson scored 31 points on 15-of-22 shooting.
She’s also averaging 4.3 steals per game to go along with her elite offense.
In the Sarasota High softball team’s 2023 surge to a 21-5 record, the Sailors found a reliable leadoff hitter and center fielder.
Sommer Speers, then a sophomore, hit .420 with three doubles and three triples. She also led the Sailors with 16 walks, good for a .514 on-base percentage, and stole a team-high 19 bases. Her work at the plate successfully set the table for power hitters like juniors Brooke Bendel (37 RBIs) and Abbey Johns (29 RBIs).
Speers also played solid defense in the outfield, holding a .962 fielding percentage.
Booker High boys basketball is still attempting to find its footing under second-year Head Coach Carl Williams, but senior guard Jovan Palavra is working to change that.
Palavra averaged 17 points, five rebounds, five steals and 2.5 assists per game in 2022-2023. He has upped his game this season; as of Dec. 19, Palavra is averaging 18.7 points per game, with several standout performances, like scoring 23 points in a 66-57 win over Avon Park High on Dec. 8.
