USA TODAY High School Sports
The 2024-25 Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards, Presented by Halifax Health, were on Monday night at the Ocean City Center.
More than 300 athletes from across the area were honored, including Players of the Year in 27 sports and the area’s overall winners for boys athlete of the year, girls athlete of the year, boys team of the year, girls team of the year, boys coach of the year, girls coach of the year, Kayne Finley Courage Award and USA TODAY Studio IX Trailblazer Award.
Former Miami Marlins star Dee Strange-Gordon was the guest speaker.
Here’s a list of all the award winners:
Kayne Finley Courage Award, Presented by Halifax Health – Leah Stevens, Matanzas High School
For the last two seasons, Leah Stevens has been one of the best softball players in the region. The same can be said of her freshman year in 2022. But there’s a gap. The Matanzas standout missed all of the 2023 season — and initially feared she might have to walk away from softball entirely — after suffering a stroke and being diagnosed with a blood clot in her brain. But Stevens fought back. Not only did she return to the field, she dominated and signed to play collegiately at the University of Florida.
Boys Team of the Year, Presented by SMA Healthcare – Seabreeze High School bowling
The Sandcrabs were the lone Volusia-Flagler area boys team to capture a state title this school year. Their boys bowling championship was the first in school history, and the first by any local club since 2009. During the regular season, district tournament, which it won, and state tournament, Seabreeze never dropped a Baker match. It defeated defending champ Leesburg 3-2 in the state finals, snatching the deciding fifth game by the score of 204-200.
Girls Team of the Year, Presented by SMA Healthcare – New Smyrna Beach High School basketball
Fresh off their first district title in nearly a decade, the Barracudas built on their momentum under second-year coach Aisha Patrick. They spent much of the season as the state’s top-ranked team in Class 5A and backed it up once postseason time arrived. Again, they grabbed the district title. They continued on, securing the first state championship in program history by knocking off Gainesville. They saved their best ball for last, stringing together a 15-game winning streak to finish 27-5.
Boys Athlete of the Year – Colby Cronk, Flagler Palm Coast High School
Cronk was the area’s Defensive Player of the Year in football, collecting a local-best 120 tackles and 27 sacks as a senior. Then, in the spring, he repeated as a state shot put champion for the second season in a row with a throw of 19 meters, making the successful case for boys track and field athlete of the year, too. Cronk will play football for North Carolina State.
Girls Athlete of the Year – Mackenzie Roy, Spruce Creek High School
For the second consecutive year, Roy claims this award after her cross country and track and field domination. Last fall, she won the Volusia-Flagler area’s first girls cross country state championship in 25 years and was voted Gatorade Florida Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The Auburn commit finished more than 34 seconds ahead of the runner-up with a state-winning time of 17 minutes and 19 seconds. She then added some more hardware at the Class 4A track and field meet in May. She posted a PR of 4 minutes and 49 seconds in the 1,600-meter run, which clinched an individual title and also helped Spruce Creek to the first team title in program history.
USA TODAY Studio IX Trailblazer – Bridgette Gordon
Gordon is one of the best athletes to ever attend a local high school. She led DeLand to the first girls basketball state championship by a Volusia-Flagler area program in 1984. But since graduating, her resume has only gotten stronger. She went to the University of Tennessee where she became a two-time NCAA basketball champion, an NCAA Tournament MVP, a two-time All-American and the SEC Female Athlete of the Year. She represented the United States at the 1988 Olympic Games and brought home a gold medal. Gordon also played for the Sacramento Monarchs of the WBNA during the league’s first two seasons in existence in 1997 and 1998. Since the early 2000s, she has coached women’s basketball at the college level, beginning as an assistant at Stetson with subsequent stops at Tennessee, SMU, Cincinnati and other schools before rising to Florida A&M’s top role in 2023.
Boys Coach of the Year – Travis Norfolk, Atlantic High School
In only his second season as Atlantic’s boys basketball coach, Norfolk led the Sharks to a district championship and their first trip to the Class 4A region finals since 2007. They finished with a 22-8 record, the most wins by a local program this season and an eight-win improvement over Norfolk’s first campaign in charge. The Sharks were also the highest-ranked local squad in the final FHSAA poll of the year.
Girls Coach of the Year – Aisha Patrick, New Smyrna Beach High School
After New Smyrna Beach notched its first girls basketball playoff appearance since 2017 during Patrick’s first season as head coach, her Barracudas went all the way in her second season. They sprinted through the Class 5A bracket, beating Gainesville for the first state crown in program history. New Smyrna Beach tallied a record of 27-5. It ended the season on a 15-game winning streak.
Defensive football, Presented by John’s Appliances – Colby Cronk, Flagler Palm Coast High School
After committing to North Carolina State as a junior, Cronk backed up his Power Conference status with a monstrous senior year. He didn’t just lead the Volusia-Flagler area in sacks with 27 — he led the entirety of Florida’s Class 7A. He also topped the local leaderboard with 120 tackles. The Bulldogs went 9-2 and made the playoffs. Cronk is the first Power Four football signee in school history.
Offensive football, Presented by John’s Appliances – Hayden Hayes, Flagler Palm Coast High School
In just one year at Flagler Palm Coast, Hayes basically rewrote the school record book. He threw for 3,068 yards and 34 touchdowns, which each set new high marks, after transferring from Seabreeze before his senior season. He also ran for seven touchdowns. Hayes boosted the Bulldogs from a 3-7 record two years ago to 9-2 and a playoff appearance last fall. Along the way, his offense topped the 50-point threshold in five games.
Baseball, Presented by the Daytona Tortugas – Garrett Grant, Spruce Creek High School
Grant earned this award for the second year in a row. As a senior, the right-handed pitcher put up crazy numbers before heading to Florida Atlantic for the upcoming school year. He had a 13-0 record with a 0.93 earned run average. He struck out 96 batters and walked only nine in 75 innings for the region finalist Hawks.
Softball, Presented by the Daytona Tortugas – Leah Stevens, Matanzas High School
Stevens committed to the Florida Gators in January, signed in February and then backed it up on the field during the rest of her senior spring. During Matanzas’ run to the region finals, Stevens pitched 108 innings and maintained an earned run average of 0.32. She struck out 249 batters and walked just 11. At the plate, she hit .500 in 32 at-bats and drove in 12 runs with six extra-base knocks.
Boys Basketball – Cris De La Pena, Atlantic High School
De La Pena did a lot of everything for the Sharks, who stayed alive until the state’s elite eight, farther than any other local boys team this year. He led them in points, assists and steals and has an elite ability to dictate the pace of play. His junior averages: 14.7 points, 5.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.
Girls Basketball – Olivia Olson, New Smyrna Beach High School
During her lone season at New Smyrna Beach, Olson helped to deliver the program’s first state championship, dropping 30 points in the finals against Gainesville. Overall, the senior who is signed to play at Marshall University averaged 21.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Boys Soccer – Hugues Iguaran, New Smyrna Beach High School
New Smyrna Beach High School As a senior, Iguaran led the area in assists for the second straight season with 16, as the Barracudas again advanced to the region finals as the area’s last team standing. He chipped in 13 goals.
Girls Soccer – Skya Horth, New Smyrna Beach High School
Horth was at the front of New Smyrna Beach’s best season ever, when it set new program records for wins and goals. She scored 25 times and added 16 assists as a versatile center midfielder. The senior is signed to play Division I soccer at the University of North Florida.
Boys Track & Field – Colby Cronk, Flagler Palm Coast High School
Cronk worked his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and missed the start of his senior campaign. But he shook off the rust quickly, winning Five Star, district and regional titles on his way to repeating as the Class 4A shot put champion. His state-winning heave traveled 19 meters. He also placed second at regionals and states in the discus event.
Girls Track & Field – Mackenzie Roy, Spruce Creek High School
Roy recorded the fastest local times in the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs during her senior season. And after winning a state title in cross country last fall, she captured another in the 1,600-meter at the Class 4A meet, turning in a person-best time of 4 minutes and 49 seconds. The Auburn signee also finished second in the state in the 3,200-meter event, and Spruce Creek secured the first FHSAA team crown in program history.
Boys Cross Country – Blaine Vogel, Matanzas High School
Vogel was part of an elite trio of runners in Flagler County along with Flagler Palm Coast’s Jevin Luna and Braedyn Wormeck. During his junior season, Vogel peaked at the right time, putting forth the best local time of any boys competitor at the state meets. He crossed the finish line in 16 minutes and 40 seconds in the Class 3A race. Vogel also secured times under 16 minutes and 55 seconds at districts and regionals.
Girls Cross Country – Mackenzie Roy, Spruce Creek High School
Roy was the best runner in the state last fall. She earned the Gatorade Florida Girls Cross Country Runner of Year award and was named Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Cross County after her senior season. Roy captured the Volusia-Flagler area’s first individual girls cross country state championship in 25 years. She won Five Star Conference, district and regional titles along the way. Roy is committed to run track and cross country with her twin sister, Arianna, at Auburn University.
Boys Weightlifting – Isaiah McCloud, New Smyrna Beach High School
For the third straight year, Isaiah McCloud earned a state championship. He captured the traditional title at the Class 2A meet, lifting a 725 total with a 405-pound bench press and a 320-pound clean and jerk. McCloud also finished fourth in the state in the Olympic category with a 575 total.
Girls Weightlifting – Asha-Mahri Manzueta, New Smyrna Beach High School
Manzueta repeated as a double state champion, winning Class 2A gold in the Olympic and traditional categories in the 199-pound weight class. She dominated the state competition with a 545 traditional score and a 420 Olympic score.
Boys Wrestling – Jonathan Bruner, New Smyrna Beach High School
Bruner won New Smyrna Beach’s first state wrestling championship since 1998 with an overtime victory in the Class 2A, 144-pound finals. Along the way, he captured district and regional titles and finished his senior year with a 48-3 record.
Girls Wrestling – Christina Borgmann, Flagler Palm Coast High School
Borgmann did not lose a match during the final two years of her high school career. After winning a national championship in the spring of 2024, she made her senior season her best yet. She went 33-0 and claimed a state title, her second in a row, at 130 pounds.
Boys Tennis – Zane Ensminger, Spruce Creek High School
Ensminger is now a three-time Volusia-Flagler Player of the Year. He closed his high school career with a 27-1 singles record as a senior after a sprint to the finals of the Class 4A individual singles bracket. He added a 21-3 mark in doubles. In his four seasons, Ensmimger served as Spruce Creek’s No. 1 singles player for each of them and concluded each one with an appearance in the state tournament.
Girls Tennis – Giselle Adekunle, Spruce Creek High School
Now a two-time Player of the Year, Adekunle’s junior season was her second as the Hawks’ Line 1 singles ace. She finished with a 13-8 record in singles and a 19-5 record in doubles, helping the Hawks to the Class 4A state tournament as a group.
Boys Golf – Gabriel Hull, Spruce Creek High School
Hull claims his second straight Volusia-Flagler Boys Golfer of the Year award. He posted the top 9-hole and 18-hole averages in the area as a senior and won the Five Star Conference championship and a district championship. After tying for fourth in his region, Hull was the lone Volusia-Flagler representative at the Class 3A boys state tournament. He finished 23rd.
Girls Golf – Riley Fletcher, Riley Fletcher Seabreeze High School
Fletcher closed her high school career on a high note. During her senior season, she won the Five Star Conference Tournament and a district championship before tying for fourth in her region. She represented the Volusia-Flagler area at the Class 2A state tournament, where she shot a 152 during the two-day event and tied for 10th. On average, Fletcher shot a 37 during 9-hole rounds and a 76 on 18-hole rounds last fall.
Boys Swimming & Diving – Cole Conlan, Seabreeze High School
Conlan repeats as the Volusia-Flagler Boys Swimmer of the Year after also winning the award as a junior. During his senior season, he sped to the fastest local times in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. He won Five Star Conference championships in each event and added a district backstroke title. At the Class 3A state meet, he finished his butterfly race in 51 seconds and his backstroke event in 54 seconds. At regionals, he was on the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay teams.
Girls Swimming & Diving – Piper Jemison, DeLand High School
As a junior, Jemison turned in the fastest 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke times among all locals. She made it to the Class 4A state meet in each of those events and finished each race in under a minute, placing her in the top 14. Jemison won a district butterfly championship and claimed the Five Star Conference titles in the butterfly and backstroke. As a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay team, she also collected a seventh-place finish at regionals.
Boys Bowling – Dalton Boice, Seabreeze High School
Boice wrapped up Seabreeze’s state championship in the final frame of the finals against Leesburg. Needing to knock down seven pins, he bowled a strike. That’s nothing new for Boice. Across 30 games during his sophomore season, he averaged a score of 217. He rolled a 669 as the Sandcrabs won their district, and he posted a four-day total of 847 at states.
Girls Bowling – Katelyn Miller, Seabreeze High School
Miller enjoyed a standout 2024 during which she averaged a score of 182 across 37 games. At districts, she fired a 583 to qualify for the state tournament as an individual. Finally, at states, she collected a four-day total of 715 pins.
Flag Football – Chloe Waldo, Spruce Creek High School
On offense, Waldo was the area’s top receiver, racking up 111 catches for 1,425 yards and 20 touchdowns. On defense, the junior was among the best local receiver-stoppers. She grabbed an area-leading 15 interceptions for the Hawks, who finished as state runners-up.
Girls Volleyball – Alison Bierwagen, DeLand High School
As a senior, Bierwagen helped the Bulldogs to a 25-3 record and an appearance in the region finals. She served as one of the area’s most versatile players, leading all locals with 306 kills on a high percentage while also contributing nearly 400 assists and 300 digs. She is committed to study and play volleyball at Liberty University.
Beach Volleyball – Gabrielle Bissell and Bailey Jones, New Smyrna Beach High School
The Barracudas made their third run to the state finals in four years, and Bissell and Jones were right in the middle of it. During their first season as partners, they rattled off a perfect 18-0 record. Bissell, a senior, also claimed this award last year. As just a junior, Jones will have a chance to go back-to-back next year, too.
Florida Power Play Award, Presented by Florida Power & Light – Sophia Mendoza, University High School
Best Band Fan Favorite Award, Presented by Gary Yeomans Ford – University High School
Best Mascot Fan Favorite Award, Presented by Gary Yeomans Ford – University High School
Best Cheerleading Team Fan Favorite Award, Presented by Gary Yeomans Ford – DeLand High School
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