- September 19, 2024
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The high school fall sports season is halfway complete.
In that half-season, several athletes have begun to make a name for themselves in their respective sports, from freshman cross-country runners to sophomore golfers to senior volleyball liberos — and, of course, a few football players.
The names on this list are not the ones that always get the most attention, but the ones who deserve it now. Here are five athletes who have performed when the lights are bright.
Muller, a freshman, could not have started her high school career any better. The Rams runner won her first-ever varsity event, the 2024 Lemon Bay Invitational, on Aug. 24, crossing the finish line in 19:12.7.
Even if that was her best result of the season, it would be a success for the freshman and a sign of bigger things to come. But Muller has not slowed her progress. On Aug. 31, Muller won the 2024 Lakewood Ranch XC Invitational at Lakewood Ranch High (19:06.1), besting her first time by approximately six seconds. Then, on Sept. 14, Muller competed at the Venice Invitational and saw her time plummet even further, winning the 5K race in 18:29.6, approximately 36 seconds faster than her second win.
To put Muller's time at the Venice Invitational in perspective, it would have placed her second in Class 4A at the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association state meet, behind Creekside High's Alyson Johnson (18:22.0). These are not one-to-one comparisons, as the state meet is held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, a track notorious for its hill called "The Wall" that can slow down even the best runners. But the state meet also has greater competition than the Venice Invitational, and runners typically perform better when they have other runners to hold off or chase.
Regardless, Muller's time makes it clear that she's a legitimate medal contender, and she should only get faster as she gets more experience.
Dues, a junior cornerback, stands at 5-foot-10 according to his MaxPreps profile, but plays bigger than that. A transfer from Hurricane High in West Virginia, Dues has made an immediate impact on the Cardinal Mooney High secondary.
In four games, Dues has two interceptions returned for 35 yards, five passes defended and 13 tackles (10 solo) playing across from senior Chris McCorkle, a University of Kansas commit. The Cougars have allowed just six points per game thus far. The team's biggest test of the season, at least so far, will come on Sept. 20, as the team takes on rival Bishop Verot High (3-1). The Cougars will need Dues and his teammates in the secondary to continue their strong play, as Bishop Verot senior quarterback Carter Smith, a University of Michigan commit, is capable of putting up a lot of points.
The Blazers are 3-2 as of Sept. 17 in their first season of Sunshine State Athletic Association 11-on-11 football, and they like to spread the ball on offense. Brock, a 5-foot-8 junior receiver, leads the team in all-purpose yards among skill position players with 601, or 120.2 yards per game.
About half of those yards (302) have been receiving yards; Brock has 22 catches and six touchdowns. He also is the team's main kick and punt returner, where the other half of his yards have come. Brock has 176 punt return yards and 112 kick return yards.
Brock's quickness makes him a threat to score every time he gets the ball in his hands, making him one of the elite weapons in the SSAA.
In volleyball, defensive-minded liberos don't often get the attention of their outside hitter counterparts. "Kills" are a more eye-caching name for a stat than "digs," after all. But a good libero is crucial to the success of top teams, and Powers is as good as liberos get at the high school level.
Through 13 matches, Powers has 156 digs and 196 serve receptions, both of which lead the Cougars. She also ranks third on the team with 26 assists and has 11 serving aces. Powers keeps the play alive for the Cougars' offense to go to work, and work it has: the team is 11-2 as of Sept. 17.
The Sailors have been one of the surprises of the 2024 high school golf season thus far. Guided by first-year head coach Barry Cheesman, Sarasota is ranked ninth in Class 3A by scoring average by iWanamaker, and seventh by iWanamaker's rating system (iWR).
Menard, a sophomore, has been leading the team's resurgence. Menard is ranked 18th in the class by iWR and is tied for 25th by scoring average (35.5). A top-15 finish at the state tournament is not out of the question if Menard's and the team's trajectory continues.
