Second round of high school soccer playoffs arrive
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The second round of the high school soccer playoffs are Friday and Saturday. A total of 18 area teams are still alive in the postseason, including all five girls teams that played for state titles last year (Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Ponte Vedra and St. Johns Country Day). A glance at the schedule for those games:Regional semifinalsFriday (all matches at 7 p.m. unless indicated)Region 1-7ABartram Trail (15-2) at Spruce Creek (10-3-3)Region 1-6ACreekside (7-7-2) at Fleming Island (16-2-1)Region 1-5APonte Vedra (10-3-5) at Daytona Beach Seabreeze (9-3-2)Menendez (7-6-1) at Bishop Kenny (13-3-1), postponed until Saturday, 4 p.m. Region 1-3ABolles (9-6-1) at Gainesville P.K. Yonge (15-0-2)Region 1-2AAdSt. Joseph (5-10) at St. Johns Country Day (14-0)Regional semifinalsSaturday (all games at 7 p.m.)Mandarin (16-3-1) at Lake Mary (19-2-1)Region 1-6AFletcher (14-3-2) at Lake Howell (11-5)Region 1-5AFort Walton Beach (10-5-1) at Stanton (11-1-5)Region 1-4AMenendez (14-2) at Bishop Kenny (12-3-5)Region 1-3AEpiscopal (6-8-3) at Bolles (6-4-5)Region 1-2ASt. Joseph (12-5-2) at St. Johns Country Day (13-2-1)
Menendez hires Matt Potak, fills areaโs final football coaching vacancy
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Matt Potak has coached football on the middle school level for years. Next up: A chance to rebuild a program on the high school level at a school that heโs very familiar with. Potak was hired as the head coach at Menendez High School on Thursday, filling the last vacancy in the News4Jax Florida coverage area. Potak posted news of the job on the Gamble Rogers Middle School football page. Itโs Potakโs first high school head coaching job, but heโs far from a newcomer to the landscape.
Palatka hires Menendez athletic director as its new football coach
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ In what has been a slow offseason for high school football coaching movement, Palatka made the first hire of the new year on Wednesday. Turner heads to Putnam County from his athletic director role at Menendez, although he has a football background. Turner coached Menendez for five seasons from 2013-17, going 31-24 and reaching the state playoffs three times. Turner coached for three seasons in North Carolina prior to his arrival at Menendez and went 14-19. Turner will replace Willie Fells, a Palatka alum who went 6-24 in his three seasons there.
COVID-19 concerns scrap Menendez-St. Augustine rivalry game
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The Menendez football teamโs game at rival St. Augustine Friday night has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns as several players and coaches became ill. Later Wednesday, the Clay County District Schools announced that Keystone Heights would have its football team shelved through Oct. 9 due to possible exposure to COVID-19 cases. It marks the second time in as many weeks that an area football team has been forced to cancel a game due to coronavirus quarantine measures or concerns. Clay High had to cancel last weekโs game at Palatka due to players having to quarantine. Eagleโs View was also looking for an opponent after losing its game to Ocala St. John Lutheran this week, too.
Kenny Sanchez out at Menendez after just 2 games
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Menendez won its football game and lost its head coach. The Falcons parted ways with Kenny Sanchez on Friday, an abrupt end to one of the biggest coaching hires of the offseason. Sanchez led Menendez (1-1) to a 28-3 win at Gainesville Eastside Thursday night. Menendez won its first district title in its 20-year history last season under coach Kyle Skipper. If the move to hire him was surprising, Sanchezโs dismissal after just two games โ and following a victory โ was just as surprising.
High school football 2020: Team-by-team schedules, results from around the area
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ After a long delay to start the season due to a global pandemic, high school football season kicks off on Sept. 4 around Florida and Georgia. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced quite a few adjustments to schedules in 2020 and many teams have yet to finalize their schedules. Teams that donโt have opponents for a certain date or their schedules have not been provided are marked with a TBA. FLORIDAAll games start at 7 p.m. unless indicated. There will be no district champions declared in 2020, so district games are not identified.
Menendez hires former Bishop Gorman football coach Kenny Sanchez
The Falcons, who begin their 21st season of play this year, announced Kenny Sanchez as their new coach on Thursday night. Sanchez comes to Menendez from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, one of the most successful programs in high school football history. In Sanchez, they are adding a coach who averaged 13 victories a year and won four state championships in five seasons. Gorman had won 10 consecutive state titles prior to an overtime loss in the region final last November. Kenny Sanchez took over the head coaching spot at Gorman after his brother, Tony, took the head coaching job at UNLV.
2019 high school football: Week-by-week schedules, results
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The 2019 high school football season continues early November and beyond for some. Here are the schedules for each week of the regular season. All games at 7 p.m. unless indicated. District/region games schedule with *. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
St. Johns County golfers grab team, individual championships
It was a good day for area boys golfers in the state tournament, especially for those from St. Johns County. Ponte Vedra carded rounds of 298 and 306 in the event. The Sharks have won state titles in 2013, '15 and 17-19. Justin Ortiguera of Ponte Vedra had a 73-75 for a 148 to finish in a tie for fourth. For the girls, Ponte Vedra took fourth with a 665, 22 strokes behind winner Archbishop McCarthy.
Super 6 volleyball: New No. 1 team for first time this season
JACKSONVILLE, FLA - The News4Jax Super 6 volleyball poll will be published each Wednesday through the end of the regular season. (3) Creekside (12-5), Class 6ANotable wins: Bartram Trail (twice), Bolles, Christ's Church, Mandarin, Menendez, Nease, New Smyrna Beach, Oakleaf, Ridgeview. (NR) Ridgeview (14-4), Class 5ANotable wins: Bolles, Father Lopez, Fletcher, Hilton Head Christian (South Carolina), Mandarin, Middleburg, Oakleaf (twice), St. Augustine, Yulee. The Panthers make their Super 6 debut on the strength of a seven-match winning streak, which includes wins over Lopez, Fletcher and Yulee. They've got a big one against Fletcher on Thursday that will likely be a Super 6 berth to the winner.
Super 6 volleyball: Bartram moves in, Creekside moves up
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The News4Jax Super 6 volleyball poll will be published each Wednesday through the end of the regular season. A 2-0 week for the Sharks, who swept Clay and topped Bishop Kenny (3-1) since our last Super 6. (5) Creekside (10-4), Class 6ANotable wins: Bartram Trail, Christ's Church, Mandarin, Menendez, Nease, New Smyrna Beach, Oakleaf, Ridgeview. (NR) Bartram Trail (8-4), Class 7ANotable wins: Jensen Beach, Mandarin, Oakleaf, Ransom Everglades, Riviera Prep, St. Augustine. 4 Mandarin 3-1 and followed with a 4-for-5 effort at the Chaminade Madonna tournament last weekend.
Super 6 volleyball: Fletcher makes debut in rankings
The News4Jax Super 6 volleyball poll will be published each Wednesday through the end of the regular season. (1) Ponte Vedra (5-0), Class 5ANotable wins: Fletcher, Menendez, Middleburg, Nease, Providence. The Mustangs have a tough one against Providence on Saturday at the JJVA Fall Classic, Fletcher on Sept. 17, Creekside the 18th and Bartram Trail the 19th. (NR) Fletcher (6-1), Class 6ANotable win: Trinity ChristianThe Senators make their Super 6 debut following a string of four victories, all 3-0s. Two big ones on tap, Wednesday against Bartram Trail and Nov. 17 at Mandarin.
Super 6 volleyball: Creekside, Mandarin move into poll in Week 3
Ponte Vedra is atop the News4Jax Super 6 volleyball poll for the third straight week. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The News4Jax Super 6 volleyball poll will be published each Wednesday through the end of the regular season. (NR) Mandarin (6-0), Class 7ANotable wins: Christ's Church, RidgeviewThe Mustangs make their Super 6 debut following an unbeaten start, with a 3-1 win over previously ranked Christ's Church on Aug. 31 as their headliner. They stay in the Super 6 this week over Christ's Church. Dropped out: Christ's Church (3-1, Class 2A), Middleburg (1-3, Class 5A).