- January 3, 2025
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Cardinal Mooney football Head Coach Jared Clark spoke to Devin Mignery’s toughness so often throughout the season, that one would think the junior quarterback was part of some kind of underground boxing ring.
Mignery earned Clark’s praise with a standout junior season, which had him lead Cardinal Mooney to a 12-1 record and the brink of a Class 2A state championship game before falling to Cocoa 21-31 in the state semifinal.
After filling in for senior quarterback Michael Valentino — and splitting time with him upon Valentino’s return in 2023 — Mignery took the starting quarterback job by the reins and never let go.
He was outstanding on the ground, averaging 92.3 rushing yards per game in the regular season, tallying up nine touchdowns. He was just as strong through the air, throwing 22 touchdowns, including a 78-yard bomb to junior wide receiver Kymistrii Young in the semifinal loss to Cocoa.
Where Mignery excelled the most, Clark said, was between the ears.
"His greatest attribute is that he's a competitor." said Clark. "The kid hates to lose. That's always been a part of who he is."
With another year in Clark’s system under his belt and on offense set to return its top players in Young and running back Connail Jackson next season, the sky is the limit for Mignery and the Cougars in 2025.
In the wake of 2023-24 leading scorer Jakai Peterson’s graduation, Booker junior guard Yvette Brown has done more than her share to fill the scoring gap.
Brown, whom Head Coach Ty Bryant has characterized as a special talent, has stuffed the stat sheets for Booker, 5-1 through Dec. 12, this season. The 5-foot-4 guard is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Tornadoes this season, good for first and second on the team, respectively.
Brown has also gotten the job done on the defensive end, averaging 3.2 steals a game in part of a backcourt of seniors Jsiyah Taylor and Brianna Behn, that all average over three steals a game.
Brown’s offensive output, combined with the vision of senior point guard Brianna Behn, give Booker reason to believe it could return to the final four of the Class 4A FHSAA state championship tournament for the third time since 2020.
Rachel Paule has been a dominant presence on the Riverview High girls soccer team since she stepped into the fold as a freshman three years ago.
The senior striker has led the team in goals for the past two seasons, scoring nine in 11 games as a sophomore and 15 in 18 games as a junior.
As Paule has matured as a player, so too has Riverview grown as a program. In 2024, the Rams beat North Port High 2-1 in the 7A District 8 championship game, the team’s first district title in 18 years.
Paule and the Rams are off to a hot start in her senior season. Through Dec. 17, Paule is second on Riverview (7-1-1) in goals with 5 and leads the team in assists with six. Paule’s maturation as a player has coincided with the emergence of players such as junior Olivia Shkorupa (4 goals) and sophomore Emily Simone (4 goals), making Riverview the most dangerous it’s ever been entering the new year.
The secret was out when the Cardinal Mooney indoor volleyball team squared off against powerhouse Berkeley Prep on Oct. 1, 2024.
Berkeley Prep Head Coach Sarah Kirkwood Reiss had warned her team to look out for senior outside hitter Izzy Russell, noting Russell's mentality as a beach player could give her the edge on the court.
Russell, who committed to play beach volleyball at Austin Peay State this fall, has brought a tenacity to both the court and the sand that has helped make Cardinal Mooney a force in both sports.
"There's a willingness to put her body on the line for her team, which makes her equally good in the front row and in the back," said Cougars indoor volleyball Head Coach Allan Knight. "It shows how special of a player she is, to have a complete, all-around game, that transfers well to the beach."
Russell, who helped propel the Cougars to a 19-3 record last spring, leads a roster with legitimate FHSAA state championship aspirations in 2025.
Of all the stars on Booker High football’s electric offense in 2024, Tyren Wortham burned the brightest.
The 6-foot-2 junior wide receiver paired with senior transfer quarterback Ryan Downes to ignite a Booker offense that averaged just over 48 points a game. It was a connection that powered Booker (10-4) to a second consecutive regional championship, before falling to Jacksonville Raines in the 3A state semifinal on Dec. 12.
Wortham hauled in 65 receptions for 1,250 yards in 2024, to pair with 18 total touchdowns on the season.
Next season, Wortham, who holds offers from Michigan State University, Florida Atlantic, UNLV and more, will look to build a similar connection with senior quarterback Joel Morris and bring Booker back to the final four of the state tournament for the third year in a row.
Cardinal Mooney softball Head Coach Lizz Chappell knew that she had something special on her hands when she met with then eighth-grader Olivia Lockhart and her parents, the year before Lockhart enrolled in Cardinal Mooney.
Lockhart, who had been playing baseball up through eighth grade, wasn’t convinced she wanted to join the softball team at Cardinal Mooney, instead thinking about possibly playing baseball for the Cougars.
Chappell is sure glad Lockhart joined her team instead. In 2024, the speedy freshman shortstop batted lead off for the Cougars, helping to propel them to a 15-5 record, a marked improvement from 4-8 the year prior.
In 19 games, Lockhart posted a slash line of .721/.743.1.525 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. Lockhart’s speed became her calling card — she stole 10 bases on the year and all 10 of her home runs were hit from inside the park.
"If it gets to the outfield, she’s going to get a triple out of it — or at least try,” said Chappell. “With her baseball background, she’s comfortable sliding head first or feet first, whatever it takes.”
Opponents beware: Number 0 is a problem.
Riverview junior Josh Harris has officially cast his ballot as one of the area’s top players in 2025. Through 10 games this season, the 6-foot-4 guard leads Riverview (5-5) in scoring, averaging a whopping 20.2 points per game.
Harris, who plays the kind of loose, fluid style of basketball that kids can only learn from growing up watching Steph Curry, has been an efficient bucket-getter for the Rams this season. The junior is shooting 55% from the floor and a team-high 43% from three, up from his marks of 46% FG and 38% as a sophomore.
Harris has scored 25 or more points three times this season, including a 32-point explosion in Riverview’s Dec. 13 95-75 win over Southeast High.
While Harris can score from all three levels, said his father and first-year head coach Jeff Harris, his growth into becoming a complete player — defending and leading his teammates — is what will take both Josh and Riverview to the next level.
The Riverview Rams won 16 games in 2024. Fourteen of those wins came with Allison Cole on the mound.
Cole, a senior pitcher, was dominant in her first year on the varsity softball team, posting a 14-5 record over 124.2 innings pitched, striking out 232 batters and holding opposing hitters to a measly .137 batting average.
Cole’s excellence on the mound, however, wasn’t the only thing that helped Riverview improve its record to 16-7 up from 4-18 in 2023. Cole, who recently committed to play at SCF-Manatee in 2026, led the team in batting average (.492), on-base percentage (.558) and slugging percentage (.584) last season.
Look for Cole to be a big reason why Riverview High is a legitimate 7A contender come this spring.
Perhaps somewhat understated in the hype surrounding Sarasota High’s 7A District title win last season is the fact that they Sailors did so on the shoulders of a freshman.
And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Johnny Lackaff, a 6-foot-2 guard, led the Sailors in scoring last season, averaging 13 points per game, while shooting 51% from the field and 42% from three. Lackaff got the job done on the defensive end of the floor as well, leading Sarasota in steals with 53.
This season, Lackaff is back for Sarasota, 8-1 through Dec 16. and bigger than ever — no literally, Lackaff gained 10-15 pounds of muscle over the off-season due to an intense weightlifting regimen.
His improvements, however, have been more than just physical, noted coach BJ Ivey.
"He's matured a lot as a vocal leader, understanding when to encourage his teammates, but also when to hold them accountable," said Ivey.
Madie Muller quickly rose to the top of the area's cross country scene this fall.
Muller won the first three meets of her high school career, finishing first at the Lemon Bay Invite (Aug.24), Lakewood Ranch XC Invite 2024 (Aug.31) and the Venice Invitational on Sep. 14.
Most notable is how Muller got better as the year went on. She ran a personal best 17:33.2 at the FHSAA Region 4A-3 meet on Nov. 9 and followed up her win with a second place finish (17:54.2) to MacKenzie Roy (17:19.5) of Port Orange’s Spruce Creek High in the Class 4A state championships on Nov. 16 in Tallahassee.
There's no telling what Muller might accomplish in 2025.
