Northeast Florida's Winter and Spring Athletic Awards Banquets
Diabetes No Match for Providence Tennis Player
Hitting New Heights Emily Dixon West Nassau High School
Bringing Home the State Title
IN THE
GAME NORTHEAST FLORIDA
JUNE/JULY 2018
Ponte Vedra
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Bringing Home the State Title Written by: Susannah Parmenter Photography by: Garrison Muelhausen
TPC Sawgrass,
home of The Players Championship, has hosted some of golf’s most famous players, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Ricky Fowler. On a recent Wednesday, however, the club’s rolling green fairways and iconic par 3-No. 17 “Island Green” was the training course for Ponte Vedra’s varsity boys golf team. In fact, for Ponte Vedra’s team – the 2A state title winners – the course is like a second home. 28 | itgnext.com
During the recent state championship tournament, sophomore Stewart Slayden – who grew up playing at TPC Sawgrass – took home the individual title. For Slayden and his family, TPC is a special place. Slayden’s grandfather is former president and CEO of PGA Tour Properties Kay Slayden, who instilled a love of golf in his family. “My dad always played golf growing up,” the younger Slayden said. “He played in high school
and in college. My grandpa got him into it. And I have pretty much played my whole life because of him. And I have three brothers; we all play.” After coming in second last year at state, this year Slayden and his teammates were driven to capture the win. “We all practiced and played in a lot of tournaments this summer, the qualifying for the team, and then lots of practice before the state championship and practice rounds,” Slayden said.
“We had just come off second at state last year, so we all wanted to win.” For Slayden, the team win was more important to him than his individual title. “It was awesome,” he said. “To win the individual, but also win with the team with all the guys, it’s really cool. Individual was great, but the team was more important.” Ponte Vedra varsity boys golf coach Mickey Leapley said that sense of camaraderie is important to him.
“It was awesome. To win the individual, but also win with the team with all the guys, it’s really cool. Individual was great, but the team was more important.” — Stewart Slayden
“It's one of the things what was the distance, what that I preach about being was the club, what were you a team,” he said. “Individu- thinking.” ally, you'll see their names Leapley recognizes that and see who's coming in for golf, mental training is as first and second and third. important as physical trainBut the team score is a top ing. three, three lowest scores “If you get too high and out of the five, and you to- you're too excited and haptal them up, and that's your py, walking too fast and your team score against the other heartbeats going or if you team. So have a all during bad shot, the year, you can't they're goget all ing to be upset and going to show agthese tourgression,” naments, he said. “Because and someone will next thing compete, you know, and they'll y o u r rib each mind's other, and all turned they want and twistto beat the ed, you’re other guy. thinking But at the a b o u t same time the next they all shot, so are pretty we try to "But at the same time they proud of talk about all are pretty proud of wearjust trying wearing ing the PV colors, from top the PV colto keep it to bottom, from the No. 1 ors, from steady.” top to botH e player on our team down to tom, from said the the 14th player.” the No. 1 t e a m — Mickey Leapley brought player on our team this mendown to tal toughthe 14th player.” ness to the championship Leapley moved to Pon- course at the Mission Inn te Vedra from Maryland in Resort, holding Plantation 1998 and began coaching American Heritage to win at Landrum Middle School the 2018 title. This was the before taking over the head team’s third state title in five coach position at Ponte Ve- years, but Leapley said that dra High School. Because this win was especially sweet of his long time in Ponte Ve- for him since one of his sedra schools, he has known nior players was able to many of his players since end on a high note. Andrew they were youngsters – a fac- Farraye was not able to play tor that has enabled him to with the team when they form a special relationship won state in 2016; howevwith them. er, this year the team made “These boys play golf all sure he didn’t miss out on year round. They have their the opportunity. own swing coach, so I'm not “This team was pretty necessarily teaching them cool,” Leapley said. “One how to swing. A lot of it has of our seniors, Andrew, two to do with our chemistry, years ago, he wasn't a top and sometimes when I sit five player, and he wasn't down and when I'm watch- on the team that traveled. ing them, I'll track shots, He was a senior captain this and I'll talk to them about year, and the guys were like, In The Game | 29
48 | itgnext.com
2017-18 ITG Next Northeast Florida Winter & Spring Athletic Awards Banquets
Written by: Susannah Parmenter Photography by: Garrison Muelhausen
Living life In the Game means living each day with passion, determination, and positivity. We love highlighting those who drive home these qualities and inspire us along the way. Our Athletic Awards Banquets allow us to lift up top athletes across Northeast Florida as a community and give them extra recognition for all of their achievements. At our winter banquet, athletes and their families were able to hear from the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute’s Dr. Carl Freeman as he explained the importance of athletics and how sports molded his life. We also recognized athletes who participated in winter sports, including basketball, soccer, competitive cheerleading, girls weightlifting, and wrestling. In the Game handed out several special recognitions, including the Duval Ford Scholar Athlete, the Excellence in Character Award, and the Baker's Sporting Goods Winter Coach of the Year. We also handed out a new award: Winter Adaptive Athlete. Our inaugural winner was Creekside High School's Jenna Perowski, who is a member of the Shining Knights, which pairs varsity and junior
varsity cheerleaders with students who have physical or intellectual disabilities. Our spring banquet was our final banquet of the year. We were able to highlight athletes in softball, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, boys weightlifting, and flag football. The guest speaker was Dr. Nigel Sparks from the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute. Dr. Sparks highlighted the message that while a professional sports career may be short lived or even impossible to attain for many, athletics can open doors that otherwise would stay shut. Again we recognized our special award winners, this time including the 2018 Male and Female Athletes of the Year, presented by the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute. Ryan Smenda from Fleming Island High School and Kensey McMahon from Mandarin were voted by their peers at Athletes of the Year. We had so much fun hosting all these top student-athletes and their families! As always, if you know of an athlete that you feel deserves to be recognized, please reach out to us via our social media platforms (@itgnext) and our website, itgnext.com.
Congratulations
Chase Rocker
YMCA 2017-18 Winter Excellence in Character Award
ITG Next Winter Athletic Awards Banquet
STATE CHAMPIONS Fall Sports 2A Cross Country Bolles 2A Boys Cross Country 5K Run Bolles Charles Hicks 4A Girls Diving Mandarin Keegan Fluharty 3A Boys Diving Bartram Trail Nathan Howze 4A Football Raines 2A Boys Golf Ponte Vedra High School 2A Boys Golf Ponte Vedra High School Stewart Slayden
4A Boys Swimming 200 Yd Free Relay Fleming Island Nick Hackett, Drew Heinton, Jack Neely & Jacob Thompson 3A Girls Swimming Creekside 3A Girls Swimming 200 Yd Medley Relay Creekside Abigail Ellis, Anna Gapinski, Aubrey Miller, & Taylor Thomson 3A Girls Swimming 400 Yd Free Relay Bartram Trail Lilly McCabe, Nicole Sowell, Lexi Smith & Summer Stanfield 3A Girls Swimming 100m Breast Stroke Nease Olivia Peoples
2A Boys Swimming 100 Yd Butterfly Paxon Tyler Watson 1A Girls Swimming 200m Medley Relay Bolles Katharine Baker, Faith Khoo, Adair Sand & Kate Wilkerson 1A Boys Swimming 200m Medley Relay Bolles Jake Adcock, Paul DeGrado, Ansen Meyer & Ariel Spektor 6A Girls Volleyball Ponte Vedra 3A Girls Volleyball Christ’s Church Academy
Winter Sports 1A Medium Competitive Cheerleading Creekside 2A Girls Soccer Bolles 1A Girls Soccer St. John’s Country Day 2A Girls Weightlifting Unlimited Oakleaf Lexi Buchanan 2A Girls Weightlifting 199 lbs Madarin Morgan Gersten 60 | itgnext.com
2A Girls Weightlifting 169 lbs Atlantic Coast Kylani Secor
1A Girls Weightlifting 199 lbs Union Co. Brandi McCoy
2A Girls Weightlifting 129 lbs Atlantic Coast Autumn Hutchinson
1A Girls Weightlifting 169 lbs Union Co. Mia Jackson
1A Girls Weightlifting Union Co.
1A Girls Weightlifting 139 lbs Union Co. Josie Godwin
1A Girls Weightlifting Unlimited Union Co. Kursten Bakken
1A Girls Weightlifting 119 lbs Baker Co. Ryah Davis
Winter Sports Continued 3A Wrestling 220 lbs Fleming Island Ryan Smenda
3A Wrestling 170 lbs Fleming Island Paul Detwiler
1A Wrestling 285 lbs Bishop Kenny Josiah McCallum
1A Wrestling 138 lbs Clay Co. Peyton Hughes
Spring Sports 3A Boys Tennis Bartram Trail 3A Boys Tennis Singles Bartram Trail Brandon Pham 3A Boys Tennis Doubles Bartram Trail Brandon Pham & Brian Pham 3A Girls Tennis Singles Atlantic Coast Kendall Nash 4A Boys Track & Field Triple Jump Oakleaf Melvin Briley 2A Girls Track & Field 1600m Run Bolles Cailtin Collier
2A Girls Track & Field 800m Run Bolles Cailtin Collier
2A Boys Weightlifting 199 lbs Oakleaf Jakobi Baker
2A Girls Track & Field 100m Dash Westside Aniya Harper
2A Boys Weightlifting 183 lbs Bartram Trail Tyler Nguyen
1A Girls Track & Field High Jump Bishop Snyder Semaj McGhee
2A Boys Weightlifting 154 lbs Fleming Island Tyler Nguyen
1A Girls Track & Field Long Jump Bishop Snyder Semaj McGhee
1A Boys Weightlifting Baker County High School
1A Boys Track & Field Triple Jump Bishop Snyder Jalen Chance 1A Girls Track & Field Triple Jump Bishop Snyder Semaj McGhee
1A Boys Weightlifting 169 lbs Baker Co. Dalton Simon 1A Boys Weightlifting 139 lbs Baker Co. Marcus Dialo
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