- April 26, 2025
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I’ve only been a sports reporter with the Observer Media Group for about two months now, but it’s already clear there is an abundance of special prep athletes in this area.
This spring season has included teams maintaining excellence through perseverance, breakout teams and players vying for state championships, and teams having debut seasons.
Since the spring season is wrapping up with some teams already eliminated and others moving on in the postseason, it’s about time to look back on what’s stood out.
Here are the top stories you won’t want to miss from this spring:
As I wrote in a column earlier this year, I was a little skeptical when the Cardinal Mooney baseball team was talking about winning championships this season.
The Cougars were without seven of their top players from last season, including three who transferred to Venice, but that didn’t stop them from beating Out-of-Door Academy 3-1 to win a district championship on April 17.
Cardinal Mooney features seven underclassmen and just four seniors, but that’s worked in their favor. This exceptionally tight Cougars team also defeated ODA two-games-to-none in the Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinals and will play the winner of Tampa Catholic vs. Bishop McLaughlin in the regional semifinal round on April 28.
Baseball at Sarasota is something taken seriously.
The Sailors are eight-time state champions, two-time national champions and known for winning, but that went by the wayside last season during a 9-17 campaign.
Rather than allowing that poor season to become the new standard, it now looks like it was simply an off year for an otherwise storied team.
The Sailors were 20-6-1 entering a 7A-Region 2 quarterfinal series against George Jenkins. Although they lost 12-2 in the district championship against Venice, it’s undeniable that Sarasota baseball is again a strong team.
Riverview junior Anthony Miller has done whatever he could to find success in high school sports.
He transferred from Venice to Riverview after his first semester of high school for a better path to playing time in football. When that didn’t materialize at quarterback, he shrugged that off and played receiver and backup quarterback.
In track and field, he’s tried sprinting and javelin.
The latter sport has put Miller in a spot to win a state championship.
He’s already broken the school record multiple times this year for the longest javelin throw, won the 4A-District 12 meet — besting the field by over 8 meters.
His personal-best throw of 55.81 meters has him ranked second in Class 4A, just 1.32 meters behind the top mark.
The Riverview girls lacrosse team lost one of the best players in the area, Susan Lowther, to Clemson this past season, along with a few other key contributors.
Some players returned, like this year’s leading-scorer, Caroline Steinwachs, but several underclassmen were key contributors.
Coach Ashley McLeod put those new players to the test with one of the more challenging schedules in the state, and it paid off with a district title in a 15-6 win over Lakewood Ranch on April 15.
The Rams followed with a 12-11 win over Tampa Sickles in the 2A-Region 3 quarterfinals. They’ll next play at top-seeded Tampa Plant in the regional semifinals on April 29.
This year was supposed to be Riverview’s best chance at making a postseason run and that’s about to be put to the test.
The Rams feature four high-impact seniors, Ella Trandem, Sierra Lipton, Isabelle Bain and Allison Cole, and each have lived up to the challenge.
Riverview (19-4) started the season 14-0, and even though it’s lost four games since, the Rams still rank as the No. 25 overall team in Florida — eighth in Class 7A.
Cole could be a player who takes Riverview on a run. The senior pitcher is 18-1 with a 0.32 ERA and 247 strikeouts in 131 ⅓ innings.
The Cardinal Mooney beach volleyball team has been one of the top programs in the state since it began in 2022, but had every reason to suffer a setback this past year.
Coach Chad Davis left midway through the season last year, and even though the loaded team had seven promising juniors, only Izzy Russell returned.
No matter.
The Cougars went 11-2 this season and rank as the No. 7 overall team in Florida — third in Class 1A.
The Sarasota area didn’t have any girls flag football teams last year, but that’s no longer the case.
Booker launched its flag football program this year. The team earned its first win over Lakewood Ranch Prep Academy 6-0 on April 2.
Loaded with 18 underclassmen, the Tornadoes have the chance to build themselves into a contender for the next couple of years.
