A roundup of Sarasota and Manatee County high school events for the week of Dec. 22-27, 2025.
SATURDAY
Wrestling
NORTH PORT – Venice High successfully defended its Class 3A-District 8 Duals Wrestling championship by sweeping all of five of its opponents at The Cage on the campus of North Port High.
Venice got it rolling with a 51-24 victory over Lakewood Ranch before topping the Palmetto Tigers, 51-26, and Fort Myers Gateway, 57-13. Venice kept its slate clean with a 48-30 win over Riverview and finished the long day on the mat by defeating the host Bobcats, 53-18.
Venice claimed the crown in 2024 in the same fashion by foiling all five of its foes.
“It’s good to see all the hard work put in during the offseason pay off and come into light when it matters the most,” Venice head coach Jeremie Cook said. “The kids worked extremely hard for a long time.”
Seasoned seniors like Massimiliano Pellicano at 150 pounds and Kase Hopper at 144 pounds won all of their matches on Saturday to lead the way for Venice.
“The seniors that we have on this team are definitely special,” Cook said. “They were in there when it wasn’t necessarily the best that freshman year.
“But they saw the possibility of their ability. They have led the pack when it comes to the work ethic and dedication. They have set a great tone for the rest of the team.”
Venice will move on to the Class 3A-Region 2 Duals tournament on Thursday, Jan. 15. The site has yet to be determined.
Determining Saturday’s Class 3A-District 8 Duals runner-up wasn’t as clear as crowning an undefeated champion. Riverview, Lakewood Ranch, and North Port finished in a three-way tie for second place with 3-2 records. Palmetto was 1-4 and Gateway was 0-5.
Based on the tiebreaker criteria of total points, Riverview snared the runner-up spot. That was important for the Rams because the runner-up team also advances to the region competition.
“It was a whole team effort,” Rams head coach Brian Sebaaly said. “We have over 40 guys on the team, the most we’ve ever had at Riverview.
“It’s also the first year for us to have a girls team. It’s been an exciting year at Riverview.”
North Port junior Owen Nappi, wrestling at 165 pounds, also reached a personal milestone on Saturday, winning his 100th match. He did it in the process of winning all five of his matches, three by pins, one by technical fall, and the other by decision.
“I’m happy with how we did today with our very young team,” North Port head coach Channin Williams said. “They wrestled their butts off today. I’m very proud of them.”
The FHSAA Duals Wrestling State Championships are scheduled for Jan. 23-24 at Osceola High in Kissimmee.
—Jim Brockman
Boys Basketball
Cardinal Mooney 70, St. Anne’s Belfield (Va.): Mooney improved to 10-0 led by Jamaal George’s 24 points. Elijah Price added 15, and Jakyrin Smith 10.
Venice 39, Newsome 36: Malakai Strauss scored 11 to lead the Indians to a win at the Ram Jam Tournament. Peter Palao added 9.
Booker 47, Tampa Gaither 45
TUESDAY
Sarasota 67, Garfield Heights (OH.) 47: Sarasota guard Johnny Lackaff capped a dominant weekend behind a 23-point effort, leading the Sailors to the program’s first City of Palms Classic win in a challenge round game.
“All these teams in this tournament are extremely good and can give us confidence going into and throughout the rest of the break, but as well as our state tournament,” Lackaff said. “We wanted to load up our schedule to play against the best and have the opportunity to play against some of these to prepare ourselves for March.”
Lackaff presence was felt immediately with a steal and score for a layup and-1 opportunity. Combine his effort with the paint presence of forward David Young, and the duo ended the first half with 19 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
Both players were the fuel behind the Sailors’ 17-2 scoring run in the second quarter. It helped that Garfield Heights shot 1-of-12 from the field during this period, as Sarasota also stuffed the paint defensively.
“It means a lot to perform like this, but I go back on the preparation, the work I put in, so I’m not surprised,” Lackaff said.
With a 15-point lead to start the second half, Sarasota didn’t falter as Lackaff continued his statement performance with a 12-point effort in the latter two quarters. He ended the game 7-of-11 for 23 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
“[Lackaff] works incredibly hard,” Sarasota coach B.J. Ivey said. “We had practice the other day, and he wanted me to work him out before practice. He’s in the gym at 6 a.m. every morning, like, he just works and works and works and works. And I think that has propelled him to the level that he’s at.”
This win marked the first time in 20 years, since Riverview won two games in 2005, that a Sarasota County team won a game in the tournament bracket of the City of Palms. This was only the second appearance for the Sailors in the COP, but the first since it became a national tournament. In 1985, Sarasota went 1-2 in the still local event.
“Obviously, it’s a win to be celebrated,” Ivey said. “I think it’s a win that reinforces kind of what we’re doing in our program, as far as focusing on trying to get better every single day. I mean, that was our goal to come down here, to try to win at least one game. Most local teams don’t [win] when you get invited to play in the main bracket. It’s very hard to catch a win.”
— Jeffrey Hrunka
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Venice pins down wrestling district duals title
Reporting by Ed Reed, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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