- January 4, 2025
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I'll admit it, I'm a newbie. I've only been on the Sarasota sports beat for a little over a month, but in that time I've gotten a taste of what the area's sports scene has to offer and I'm hungry for more. Here are some things that I'm looking forward to covering in 2025.
It’s not often that a professional sports franchise graduates from generational futility to championship contender in just a couple of years. And yet, the Baltimore Orioles have done just that, rattling off a 91-71 season in 2024 after establishing themselves as a bona fide powerhouse with 101-win season in 2023. While the O’s fell to the Kansas City Royals in the American League Wild Card this postseason, Baltimore will still carry a roster full of some of the most exciting, young players in all of baseball when it comes to Ed Smith stadium in February for Major League Spring Training.
Infielder Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman were both named to the AL All-Star team in 2024. Former number one overall pick Jackson Holliday, a true five-tool middle infielder, looks to establish himself as a full-time Major Leaguer in 2025. O’s top prospect third-baseman Coby Mayo, who got a taste of big league baseball in August, will try to crack the roster when playing this spring in Sarasota.
I’m excited to cover more high school basketball. On the boys’ side, Sarasota looks to repeat as district champions after posting a 24-3 record in the 2023-24 season. Cardinal Mooney also won its district in 2024, before bowing out to First Baptist Academy in the first round of the state tournament. Sarasota, Cardinal Mooney, Riverview and Booker will all be ready this season.
On the girls’ side, Cardinal Mooney will finally look to get over the state championship hump — for the last four years, the Cougars have made it to the state final game without winning. Will this be the year the Cougars can achieve state immortality?
The Booker High girls' varsity team is also a group to keep an eye on. Led by Cardinal Mooney transfer senior Brianna Behn, the Tornadoes look to build off a season following a regional finals appearance of the Class 4A state championship tournament in 2024.
The LPGA Founders Cup will touch down at the Bradenton Country Club on February 6-9. Bradenton native and world No. 1 Nelly Korda will probably be in the mix and will look to impress in front of her home fans. Later in the spring, the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic will come to the Lakewood Ranch Country Club from April 16-19.
The US Rowing Youth National Championships will return to Nathan Benderson Park from June 12-15, 2025. The event, which celebrates its 30th year, is the culmination of the high school rowing season and has grown in attendance every single year. The chance to watch some of the best rowers in the country in Sarasota’s backyard is unique — clubs from every corner of the country send their best for a chance to win gold. In 2024, local club Sarasota Crew represented the area well, with its U15 men’s 4+ finishing second in the event’s B final with a time of 07:34.95.
Also coming to Nathan Benderson are the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships / Sunshine State Invitational from March 28-30.
The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024, will return this fall on October 10-12, 2025. Last year, over 50 teams competed across two days of racing for the 2024 ABPA National and UIM World Championships. The Sarasota Powerboat P1, which takes place off Lido Key, is the second-longest running US powerboat race after the Key West championship. The course is technical, according to race organizers, with several right turns and a dog-leg left on the backstretch. Boats in the Class 1 race can reach speeds upwards of 160 mph — in 2024, Team Defalco took home first place in the Class 1 race.
Both Cardinal Mooney and Booker High fell in the semifinals of their respective state tournaments this season. With Cardinal Mooney, which won its first state championship since 1972 in 2023, a new standard has been set for the program, said Head Coach Jared Clark. Since the Cougars’ run of dominance has begun, Cardinal Mooney has become a destination for transfer talent.
Departing Mooney’s roster in 2025 are several key seniors, including three-star cornerback Chris McCorkle, middle linebacker Greg Robinson and offensive lineman Chase Polivchak, Jake Boydston and Brady Smith. I’m interested to see who will step up in Mooney’s offensive line, which is led by its massive junior left tackle Da’Ron Parks. Will Chase’s younger brother Max, a junior, and fellow junior Ethan Salata step into full-time starting roles?
What will quarterback Devin Mignery, a junior in 2024, look like for the Cougars next season? Mignery is a tough-as-nails competitor that fuels Cardinal Mooney’s offense with his legs just as much as with his arm. Will we see Mignery take another step as a passer in 2025? What will the Cougars’ offense look like with another year of Mignery paired with sophomore running back Connail Jackson? All exciting questions.
As for Booker High, the Tornadoes seem to have more questions than answers. 2024 was a flagship year for the team — in 14 games, Booker went 10-4, averaging just over 48 points a game. Although the Tornadoes fell to Jacksonville’s Raines High 28-23 in the semifinal game, one that saw Head Coach Scottie Littles ejected in the second half, Booker was dominant in nearly every game it played in 2024.
What remains to be seen, however, is if that dominance will carry over into 2025. Many of Booker’s top skill position players this season were senior transfers, including starting quarterback Ryan Downes and running back DJ Johnson. Defensively, Booker will be losing senior lineman Jordan Radkey, who totaled 10 sacks on the year and outside linebacker Dajien Walton who trailed Radkey with 9 sacks. What will Booker look like in 2025? With Littles’ penchant for recruiting transfer talent, there may be a lot of new faces on Booker’s sideline next season.
