High School Sports

TCPalm Summer Celebration Vote

School is out for summer. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to move on from the year that was.As our Spring All-Area teams continue to be revealed this week, the 2024-25 athletic calendar remains the subject of TCPalm’s Summer Celebration series, a weekly poll to vote on who are the area’s best programs, athletes, traditions […]

Published

1 month ago

June 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Last week, we wanted to see who was the area’s best boys athlete from the 2024-25 high school calendar. Vero Beach junior pitcher Sebastian Dimitroff won the poll with 47.47% of the vote.

This week, we ask the same question, this time with the girls. The poll is set to close at 12 p.m. Friday.

Without further ado, it’s time to punch in the votes and continue enjoying the summer.

Hailey Brereton, St. Lucie West Centennial soccer and softball

Centennial’s Hailey Brereton (23) pitches against Vero during a high school District 7-7A softball final, May 1, 2025, in Port St. Lucie. St. Lucie West Centennial won 6-0.

Year: Senior

Brereton was the backup goalkeeper for an Eagles soccer team that finished with a 10-7 record. However, she’s a nominee because of her work on the softball field. The Murray State signee paced all local pitchers with 227 strikeouts and an .144 opponents batting average. while boisting a record of an 11-4 record and a 1.74 ERA.

What helped Brereton win TCPalm’s Softball Player of the Year was her strong pitching campaign combined with her work at the plate. After hitting just two home runs through her first three seasons, the senior went deep four times. She added six doubles, two triples, 24 RBIs, batted .429 and compiled a 1.392 OPS.

Emerson Brinn, South Fork cross country and track and field

South Fork's Emerson Brinn competes in the Region 4-3A Cross Country Championships at South Fork High School on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023.

Year: Junior

Brinn started her junior season by being named TCPalm’s Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year after she claimed eighth in the Class 3A state championship meet with a personal-best time of 18:43.8. She ended her year with an All-Area First Team selection in track and field thanks to winning a district title and third-place state finish in the 1,600-meter run.

Ivy Cooper, Fort Pierce Central volleyball

Fort Pierce Central's Ivy Cooper (14) passes the ball against Okeechobee in a high school volleyball match, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, at Okeechobee High School. Okeechobee won in five sets.

Year: Senior

Cooper was not only viewed as the area’s best prospect but her talent has caught the attention of plenty across the state and country. The senior captain was named an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, which recognizes her as one of the top 250 players in the United States. The Virginia Tech signee put up 355 digs, 75 assists, 39 kills and 39 service aces during the 2024-25 season.

Kha’Lyah Delva, Fort Pierce Central wrestling

Fort Pierce Central senior Kha'Lyah Delva (third from the left) stands on the podium after placing second at the 145-pound weight class during the FHSAA Girls state championships on Saturday, March 8, 2025 from Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.

Year: Senior

The Cobras senior capped her career with back-to-back state runner up finishes. Delva started the season at 155 pounds before making the switch to 145 at the start of the calendar year. The change didn’t slow her down as she claimed district and regional titles en route to a 40-2 record.

Valerie Gomez, Jensen Beach tennis

Jensen Beach’s Valerie Gomez serves in a high school tennis Region 7-3A semifinal against Lincoln Park Academy on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Jensen Beach.

Year: Senior

When you suffer your first singles defeat at the final match of the season, you’ve had an exemplary campaign. Gomez was comfortably the area’s best player as her performance propelled the Falcons to the Class 3A state championship match. There, she lost to Nease No. 1 Kylie Kochis in straight sets to wrap up her singles season at 14-1.

Gomez had similar success at doubles competition alongside sophomore Domenica Ayleen Monserrate. The duo went 11-1 together, winning their first 10 matches after taking a loss against St. Thomas Aquinas’ top pairing in the state semifinals. She was a state qualifier in both singles and doubles competition after winning District 14-3A titles. Gomez will play collegiate in Pensacola at the University of West Florida.

Ella Gravlee, Vero Beach volleyball

Vero Beach outside hitter Ella Gravlee attempts a kill against Fort Pierce Central during a high school volleyball match on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 in Vero Beach.

Year: Sophomore

With Cooper off to Virginia Tech, this rising junior will likely talent over the mantle as the area’s best volleyball prospect. Blasting shots from the middle of the floor or any area at the net, the 6-foot-3 Gravlee and her powerful, precise swings made her the area’s most intimidating presence. She used her power and shot variety to lead all local players with 336 kills. Gravlee had six matches of 20 or more kills, including a 23-kill effort during the team’s regional semifinal win over Olympia.

Jada Mosley, Vero Beach weightlifting

Vero Beach senior Jada Mosley celebrates after winning the Olympic title at the 199-pound weight class during the Class 3A state championships on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 from the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

Year: Senior

Mosley was yet another dominant lifter to come out of Vero, becoming the eighth champion in program history after claiming the Olympic title at the 199-pound weight class in the Class 3A state meet. The senior won the crown with total lifts of 385 pounds. She later backed that up with a runner-up state finish in traditional competition. Prior to state, Mosley swept through districts and regionals.

Taylor-Nicole Overton, Vero Beach track and field

Vero Beach’s Taylor-Nicole Overton (left) competes in the 100m during the 29th annual Bill Wilson Invitational on Saturday, Mar. 8, 2025, at Sebastian River High School.

Year: Sophomore

Overton concluded her first season in Vero by doing something the program hasn’t seen in 23 years. The sophomore became the program’s first track state champion, winning the 400-meter dash in a personal-record time of 53.19 seconds at the Class 4A state meet. She outpaced Fletcher’s Zyaire Thomas by 0.05 seconds.

Overton wasn’t done as she placed second in the 200 (23.99), 10th in the 100 (12.22) and helped Vero’s 1,600-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish. She swept the four events at districts and regionals.

Adrienne Rivera, Fort Pierce Central flag football

Fort Pierce Central’s Adrienne Rivera (5) scores a touchdown against Seminole Ridge in a high school flag football game, Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025, in Fort Pierce.

Year: Senior

For the third consecutive season, this Cobras quarterback is TCPalm’s Flag Football Offensive Player of the Year. It’s hard to argue that anyone else was more deserving as Rivera set career highs in completion percentage (68%) and quarterback rating (122.8) while tying her career best of 60 touchdown passes and throwing for a career-low 16 interceptions.

She led the area with 4,524 passing yards while adding 595 yards and 15 more scores through the running game. Following a legendary prep career, Rivera has signed to play collegiately at Keiser.

Ellie Smith, Vero Beach volleyball

Vero Beach setter Ellie Smith keeps the ball alive against Fort Pierce Central during a high school volleyball match on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 in Vero Beach.

Year: Senior

Starting all four years of her varsity career, Smith saved her finest campaign for her last en route to being named TCPalm’s Volleyball Player of the Year.

The captain and leader of the Treasure Coast’s best team, the 5-foot-7 setter topped the area with 708 assists and averaged 9.8 assists per set. She also added 135 digs, 24 aces and 15 blocks. Smith will play collegiately at Northern Illinois.

Savannah Tatum, South Fork flag football and soccer

Game action as South Fork hosts Martin County for their Region 2-3A Final at South Fork’s football field on April 23 in Tropical Farms. Martin Couty wins 7-6.

Year: Senior

Tatum was a star for both on a Bulldogs soccer team that captured a district title and a Bulldogs flag football team that enjoyed an eight-game improvement.

On the pitch, she recorded an assist in 14 games to lead the area with 25 assists while pouring in 13 goals. Tatum was even better on the football field as the senior threw for 2,152 yards, 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while rushing for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Giovanna Waksman, Pine soccer

Pine’s (30) Giovanna Waksman holds up a heart to the crowd after scoring goal during the FHSAA tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in DeLand.

Year: Sophomore

It wasn’t simply that she ran circles around opponents or that she smashed the Knights’ all-time record books while facing constant double and triple teams, Waksman’s production was elite even by national standards. According to MaxPreps, the sophomore led the country with a whopping 87 goals and 188 points. She appeared in every match, averaging 4.6 goals and 9.9 points per game to lead the program to its first state title game appearance.

Her success directly impacted whether or not Pine went home victorious or in defeat as the Knights were 16-0-1 in matches where Waksman scored and 0-2 in matches she didn’t. Beyond uncanny dribbling skills and tremendous ability to send missiles off either foot, the Brazilian star is a particularly intelligent player willing to deliver beautiful balls to a teammate making a run. The sophomore had a team-best 14 assists.

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Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

High School Sports

2025 Home Run Derby Highlights

MLB All-Star festivities continued Monday evening with the 2025 Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta. Raleigh, 28, is the first Mariners player to win the derby since Ken Griffey Jr. won it back-to-back in 1998-99. Live Coverage for this has ended 10:53p ET Finals 10:29p ET Semifinals 9:55p ET First Round 8:16p ET […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MLB All-Star festivities continued Monday evening with the 2025 Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Raleigh, 28, is the first Mariners player to win the derby since Ken Griffey Jr. won it back-to-back in 1998-99.

Live Coverage for this has ended

10:53p ET

Finals

10:29p ET

Semifinals

9:55p ET

First Round

8:16p ET

Participants and odds

6:55p ET

A family affair for Cal Raleigh

Live Coverage for this began on 10:56p ET

High School Sports

Big guys revel in their chance to shine in the sun

Zack Jacobs got up, moved out from underneath comfort of the shade tent, stood in the sunlight and looked around. What Jacobs saw brought a big smile to his face. Everywhere the offensive line coach for the Tigard High School football team looked, he saw linemen. And those linemen were running, jumping, lifting, flipping tires […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Big guys revel in their chance to shine in the sun

Zack Jacobs got up, moved out from underneath comfort of the shade tent, stood in the sunlight and looked around.

What Jacobs saw brought a big smile to his face.

Everywhere the offensive line coach for the Tigard High School football team looked, he saw linemen. And those linemen were running, jumping, lifting, flipping tires and more.

It was all a part of the Metro Area Lineman Challenge, held Saturday under warm, sunny skies at Hare Field in Hillsboro.

“Honestly, it’s for linemen, by linemen,” Jacobs said. “Coach (Ian) Reynoso has a lot of experience doing this, and it’s the one thing that gets the big boys together. I know our guys love it, I love it, all these teams love it. It’s just a day to come out here and compete, not necessarily worrying about football.”

The event featured such events as the 40-yard dash, the shuttle run, vertical jump, standing broad jump, bench press, farmer’s carry, tractor tire flip, two-man blocking sled relay and the team tug of war.

“Oh, it’s awesome,” Sherwood senior-to-be Isaac Bean said. “I love coming out here and being able to compete. It’s a lot more fun than 7-on-7, in my opinion. It gives the big boys a chance to show their athleticism, and, also, in some ways, their physicality, with the strength events.”

Sprague claimed the team championship at the lineman challenge.

“It really shows that linemen are appreciated,” said Sprague junior-to-be Ayden McVey.

This year’s event marked the 15th year for the Metro Area Lineman Challenge, which was started by, and run by, Reynoso, who also is the head football coach at Glencoe. And, like in previous years, this year’s competition seemed to be one of the highlights of the summer for many of the high school linemen who were at the event.

“It’s definitely a big part of our culture at Tigard,” said Tiger senior-to-be Mason Gilliland, who took first place in the heavyweight division in Saturday’s competition. “We really love this challenge. Our linemen, all we do is talk about it until it happens. We love it.”

Jacobs is probably a big reason for that. The 2016 Tigard graduate, who went on to play on the offensive line at Linfield University, fondly recalls his days competing as a Tiger at the Metro Area Lineman Challenge.

“I remember beating (Tigard teammates) Conner (Crist) and Derek (McMurray), those big guys, I beat them in the farmer’s carry,” Jacobs said. “I remember that it was such a fun day. It was great being out here with your best friends, competing and hyping each other up. That’s why I love it. Now, I get to relive it.”

While Jacobs wasn’t out there seeing how many time he could bench press 185 pounds, or how fast he could run the 40-yard dash on Saturday, he did seem to revel in his chance to coach the Tigers at the competition that he once shined in.

“It’s definitely different, but it’s the same thrill,” Jacobs said. “Obviously, my time is done, and I’d give anything to be in these kids’ shoes. But it is so awesome to transfer what I’ve learned, and the experience and the fun I’ve had, and give it back to these kids, who are going through it for the first or second time.”

Looking around the sun-drenched Hare Field turf on Saturday, there certainly didn’t seem to be any lack of fun.

“This is my second year, and I love it,” Lake Oswego junior-to-be Dylan Marquez said. “This shows some love for the linemen, and you get to see everybody compete. It’s good to see your friends from other schools, and get to hang out with your team.”

There’s also plenty of camaraderie to go with all of that fun.

“For sure, there’s a brotherhood,” McVey said. “Teams are teams, and, obviously, you want to beat the guy across from you, but as a whole, we’re linemen, we’re unappreciated, and we need to stick together.”

“The unique thing about linemen is that it’s such a niche group, and that there’s love for everyone,” Jacobs said. “You’re six inches from a kid’s face every play. It’s some kid you don’t know, then you come out here on days like this and you get to know the guys. You work hard, they work hard and it’s a good bonding experience.”

But, don’t get the linemen wrong. Even with all of that camaraderie and brotherhood, the competition on Saturday was very much present.

“We just want to compete,” Marquez said. “We love being out here, we love seeing other teams’ linemen, but we want to win.”

“We’re all rooting for everybody to do well, to do their best,” said Bean, who claimed the lightweight championship. “But we want to do our best, and do it better than all of them.”

When it came to team competition, it was Sprague that did it better than all the rest. The Olympians took the title with a score of 60 points, edging second-place Sunset by just one point.

“This was awesome, it couldn’t have been better,” McVey said.

Senior-to-be Bohdi Jones helped the Olympians claim the team crown, as he finished in fourth place, individually, in the lightweight standings. Sprague junior-to-be Emmett Hunsaker finished in a tie for first place in the heavyweight tire flip event with 12 flips.

Flynn Collins of Jesuit, Braden Krizan of Tigard, Glencoe’s Brock Sahlfeld and Tripp Johansen of Willamette also tied for first place in the heavyweight tire flip competition, each also with 12 flips.

Also in the heavyweight division, Sunset’s Alex Esuk had the fastest 40-yard dash with his time of 5.11 seconds. Esuk also triumphed in the farmer’s carry with a distance of 120 yards. Nelson’s Porter Maciag and Tony Cumberland of Willamette tied for first place in the shuttle run, each with a time of 4.49. Lake Oswego’s Josh Christensen had the top mark in the vertical jump with a leap of 31 inches. Sahlfeld topped the field in the standing broad jump with a distance of 101.5 inches, and he tied Jesuit’s Cooper Wright and Sunset’s Tony Semchuk in the bench press, each lifting 185 pounds 26 times.

In the lightweight division, Sunset’s Justin Duchek had the fastest 40-yard dash with his time of 4.98. Glencoe’s Alex Flores triumphed in the shuttle run with a mark of 4.51. Sherwood’s Charlie Moore had the day’s top vertical jump at 34 inches, and he tied teammate Andres Hernandez for the top mark in the tire flip, each with 12. Nelson’s Eli Escobar had the top distance in the standing broad jump with 109 inches. Eli Escobar was victorious in the bench press with 25 lifts and, in the farmer’s carry, Glencoe’s Porter Braun and Hernandez tied for the top spot, each with 105 yards.

In the team events, Sprague took first place in the two-man blocking sled relay race in a time of 1:12.

Jesuit turned in an impressive performance in winning the team tug of war title, topping Willamette in the bracketed finals.

Rounding out the top 10 team scores in the 27-team,18-school event, Sherwood finished in third place with 48 points, Lake Oswego was fourth with 45, Jesuit was fifth with 42, Willamette was sixth with 29, Sandy was seventh with 21, Oregon City was eighth with 19, Liberty was ninth with 16 and Tigard finished in 10th place with 14 points.

And, at the end, as the competitors were munching on hamburgers while sitting in the shaded grandstands at Hare Field, there were plenty of smiles, and looks of accomplishment, to be seen.

“This day was absolutely the best,” Jones said. “It was amazing.”

“This is really fun,” Gilliland said. “It’s fun to compete. It’s great to be out there with everyone. And there’s just love in the end.”

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High School Sports

Ntekpere Selected Second Team Academic All

Story Links AUSTIN, Texas – Central Washington University sophomore track and field athlete and three-time national champion Emy Ntekpere has been named Second Team Academic All-American selected by the College Sports Communicators, recognizing her exceptional achievements both on the track and in the classroom. “A mentor of mine used to say that these two awards (All-American, […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Ntekpere Selected Second Team Academic All

AUSTIN, Texas – Central Washington University sophomore track and field athlete and three-time national champion Emy Ntekpere has been named Second Team Academic All-American selected by the College Sports Communicators, recognizing her exceptional achievements both on the track and in the classroom.

“A mentor of mine used to say that these two awards (All-American, Academic All-American) are what we should all pursue,” CWU Head Track & Field Coach Jonathan Hill said. “These are the highest recognitions of our job as a coach. Great students, great athletes, great people. These awards represent excellence. To be the top of her field in athletics and academics is a tremendous accomplishment. Special people do special things and Emy is as special as they come. She works hard to achieve her goals and it’s wonderful to see her recognized for her efforts.”

Ntekpere, a sophomore from Vancouver, Washington, owns a 3.55 GPA in Biochemistry. She’s had a season for the ages during 2024-25 earning three national championships: indoor triple jump, outdoor high jump, and outdoor triple jump, becoming the first woman in GNAC history to win multiple national championships in field events. She earned four First Team All-Americans and won six GNAC Championship events this year on top of beign named the GNAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships Athlete of the Year and the GNAC Female Athlete of the Year.

View the full CSC Academic All-American teams HERE

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High School Sports

WNBA 2025 Highlights

July 15, 2025 07:59 AM Catch up on all the best moments from Monday’s WNBA games, where the Mercury fended off the hungry Valkyries down to the wire, and Napheesa Collier’s 29 points lifted the Lynx over the Sky. 1

Published

5 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

July 15, 2025 07:59 AM

Catch up on all the best moments from Monday’s WNBA games, where the Mercury fended off the hungry Valkyries down to the wire, and Napheesa Collier’s 29 points lifted the Lynx over the Sky.

High School Sports

Highlight

July 15, 2025 11:19 AM On the strength of Ava Stryker’s six goals, the U.S. women’s water polo team remained unbeaten through group play at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships thanks for a dominant 26-3 drubbing of Argentina. 1

Published

5 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

July 15, 2025 11:19 AM

On the strength of Ava Stryker’s six goals, the U.S. women’s water polo team remained unbeaten through group play at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships thanks for a dominant 26-3 drubbing of Argentina.

High School Sports

Looking Back

WEST MICHIGAN – After highlights from the WMC Lakes division were posted on our website here, it’s time to look back at some of the results, best games, all-conference players, and final standings from the WMC Rivers division. Final Standings North Muskegon (11-1, 6-0) Mason County Central (8-2, 4-1) Ravenna (4-5, 4-2) Hart (4-5, 2-3) […]

Published

7 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WEST MICHIGAN – After highlights from the WMC Lakes division were posted on our website here, it’s time to look back at some of the results, best games, all-conference players, and final standings from the WMC Rivers division.

Final Standings

North Muskegon (11-1, 6-0)
Mason County Central (8-2, 4-1)
Ravenna (4-5, 4-2)
Hart (4-5, 2-3)
Shelby (3-6, 2-4)
Hesperia (2-7, 0-5)

It was clear after the season, but maybe even before the season, that North Muskegon was going to run the WMC Rivers division once again. Right behind them, however, was Mason County Central which put together a respectable 8-2 season and just one conference loss.

The bottom half was run by Ravenna, who beat Hart, Shelby, and Hesperia but lost to both North Muskegon and Mason County Central.

North Muskegon defeated the Spartans in week three, 36-20, and it happened to be one of the Norse’s toughest games in the regular season.

First Team All-Conference

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

Quarterback

Bryce Colbert (North Muskegon), Jr.

Running Back

Payton Merz (Mason County Central), Sr.

Hunter Wilder (North Muskegon), Jr.

Skylar Stalbaum (Hesperia), Sr.

Blocking Back

Drake McKay (Mason County Central), Sr.

Wide Receiver

TJ Byard (North Muskegon), Sr.

Quentin Lange (Mason County Central), Sr.

Ian Fox (Hesperia), Sr.

Tight End

Drew Bartos (North Muskegon), Sr.

Tackle

Gradyn Wilson (Mason County Central), Sr.

Jaxon Bean (North Muskegon), Sr.

Guard

Kyle Peters (Mason County Central), Jr.

Henry Husmann (North Muskegon), Sr.

Center

Hollis Rockwell (Hart), Jr.

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

Defensive End

Nash Hoffman (Ravenna), Sr.

Payton Merz (Mason County Central), Sr.

Defensive Line

Gradyn Wilson (Mason County Central), Sr.

Noah Walker (Hesperia), Jr.

Isaac Korson (Ravenna), Sr.

Ethan Viterna (Shelby), Jr.

Linebackers

Derek Findlay (Ravenna), Sr.

Chuck Meyers (North Muskegon), Sr.

Alex Hicks (Hart), Sr.

Defensive Backs

Cullen Bartos (North Muskegon), So.

Kyle Greiner (Hart), Jr.

Jaden Villalpando (North Muskegon), Sr.

Venlan Garcia, Sr.

FIRST-TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

Owen Booth (North Muskegon), Sr.

Punter

Blake Sayer (Hesperia), Sr.

Kick Return Specialist

Landen Grimm (North Muskegon), Sr.

FIRST-TEAM AT-LARGE

Eman Hertzler (Hart), Sr.

For the full all-conference selections, including honorable mentions, click this link 2024 All-Conference Football Team WMC Rivers Division – CatchMark Sports

Games of the Year

North Muskegon 23, Menominee 0

Mason County Central 50, Ludington 43

Shelby 30, Hesperia 25

Rivalries

Hart 30, Shelby 6

Oakridge 24, Ravenna 0

Pewamo-Westphalia 8, North Muskegon 7

Playoff Teams

North Muskegon – 56-7 win over Evart, 27-7 win over McBain, 23-0 win over Menominee, 35-28 loss to Millington

Mason County Central – 50-32 loss to Standish-Sterling

If you are interested in more of our content, head to our website at catchmarksports.com, our YouTube, or our Facebook page!

Myles Welch joined CatchMark in February 2024 as a CatchMark SportsNet Intern. He would like to become a sports broadcaster or analyst. He currently attends Whitehall High School and will graduate in 2025.