SHARKS END 2024 YEAR WITH IMPRESSIVE 9-3 RECORD

After a grinding week that saw the Sharks play four games in five days coach Ben Wilson’s squad has posted a fine 9-3 record, one win ahead of the pace from last year’s final four team.  PV has played close to half of their scheduled games for the 2024-25 season following their 66-59 victory over Fleming Island and now look ahead to January where the future looks good for this Shark team.

Three-year veteran David Sanchez continues to lead the Sharks in scoring with 13 ppg. and has been a model of consistency thus far. The 6’3 point guard has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games and was just one-point shy of making it a perfect 10-10 when he tallied nine points in the last game with Fleming Island. 

The junior duo of 6’5 Maddox Palmer and 6’8 Trace Westercamp have also been instrumental in the Shark’s success in the first half of the season.  Coach Wilson is hopeful of getting more consistency from his tall duo as each has shown flashes of what they can accomplish when they are playing at the top of their game.  Palmer has shown that he can fill up the stat sheet during his minutes on the floor while Westercamp has been a tower of strength on the boards.  Westercamp pulled down 16 rebounds in an earlier win over Father Lopez, second only to the single game record of 17 set by Shark legend and current professional player overseas Beau Beech. The athletic Palmer is second in scoring to Sanchez on the season with 12 plus points per contest but is prone to sometimes play a little out of control. The skies the little for Maddox as he has shown explosiveness in driving to the rim while displaying a nice pull up jump shot.  The junior has shown the ability to create his own shot, a trait not often found in a high school player.

A pleasant surprise this season has been 6’5 senior forward Paul Burkhardt.  A very athletic performer who has good leaping ability, Burkhardt  is a good ball handler who can bring the ball up the court against pressure.  A perfect role player in this system Burkhardt knows his strength – and weakness.  The senior has taken but one 3-pointer all season – which he made and has a nose for the ball demonstrated by his four steals in PV’s win over Fleming Island.

Coming on strong of late has been freshman guard Tyler Kroog who continues to receive more minutes on the floor as the season progresses. Kroog had a very good showing in the Battle of the Island tournament in Fleming Island by scoring 27 points, including a career high 13 in the finale vs. Fleming Island.  Despite his young age, the freshman has shown no fear out on the court and is not afraid of taking the big shot.  It was his pair of three pointers in the fourth quarter that gave the Sharks some much-needed separation in their victory against Fleming Island.

The smallest member of this well above average tall team, Alex Katsikas, has played a big role in the Sharks success with his ball handling and his ability to come up with some big plays on defense. The future in the back court looks secure as junior Ryan Speace has played well and has a textbook one-hand set shot that would make Bill Sharman proud. (a former Boston Celtic from the 1950s who perhaps only your aging author would remember.)  Ryan has been deadly when sent to the foul line as he has made 13 of 14 free throws for an amazing 93%.

One would be remiss if I didn’t add another player who could have a nice career with the Sharks in 6’6 sophomore Chase Cowan.  The brother of Tyler Cowan from last year’s final four team, Tyler has the potential to match or perhaps exceed his brother’s fine performance in a PV uniform. Already possessing a well-chiseled body Cowan is not afraid to mix it up with the big boys in battling for rebounds while also showing a nice touch from short range with his shooting.  How nice it is to think that PV next season could send out onto the court a front line of 6’8, 6’6 and 6’5 (and maybe even taller with a growth spurt during the next year).

There is plenty of basketball left in the coming season.  This is a talented and entertaining PV team that promises to get only better as the season rolls along.  The only disappointment has been a poor following of fellow PV students to fill up the Shark gymnasium. This group deserves better support from their fellow classmates.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

With three consecutive trips to the Final Four and four consecutive seasons where the Sharks have won 20 or more games, can this incredible success continue into the 2024-25 season?  Surely prospects look good for the coming campaign with three starters returning from last seasons team that advanced to the final four and won 22 games.  Returning starters include point guard David Sanchez-Barrara, a stat producing machine who will be the conductor of the Shark offense while juniors Maddox Palmer and Trace Westercamp also return to give the Sharks not only scoring power, but with their height and length, much-needed rebounding strength as well.

Adding more oomph to the front line will be much improved from his junior season, 6’5 senior Paul Burhhardt.  After seeing much action last season, senior Alex Katsikas and junior Ryan Speece will share time in the backcourt. Among the departures lost through the graduation route was 6’6 Tyler Cowan.  However, another Cowan will grace the Shark lineup for the upcoming season in Tyler’s younger brother 6’6 sophomore Chase Cowan.

Heading into the month of December the Sharks scored 70 or more points in their three November victories, with the only blip on the opening schedule a loss at Providence in a game that PV would just like to forget, a 56-47 loss to the Stallions in a game when there appeared to be a lid on the Shark basket.

The returning trio of Sanchez-Barrara, Palmer and Westercamp have averaged in double figures in the Sharks four games, with Palmer leading the Sharks with a 16-point average.  After a slow start for both Sanchez and Westercamp, each showed mid-season form in their last game for PV, a dominanting 74-52 rout of Father Lopez. Westercamp scored a career high 22 points and was especially impressive on the boards with 16 rebounds, nine of those caroms coming on the offensive end. The 16 rebounds for the 6’8 junior was only one rebound shy of the record of 17 set by Beau Beach in 2012.  Sanchez netted 22 points while adding a double-double to his resume with 10 rebounds while also dishing out 6 assists and recording five steals.

A productive off-season has upped Burkhardt’s game to another level.  The 6’5 senior, who missed the game with Riverside with a broken nose, has averaged just shy of 10 points a game while also performing the little things that often do not show up in the stat charts. 

After making 36% of their three pointers from last season, third year head coach Ben Wilson is hopeful as the season progresses that the Sharks will improve on their early shooting from beyond the mark that finds them currently shooting at 28%.

After a short break for the Thanksgiving Holidays, the Sharks look forward to a busy week to begin December with three ganes, highlighted by a road trip to arch-rival Nease on Friday December 8^th.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra’s 2023-24 season came to an end at the hands of a very talented Pembroke Pines Charter team 61-34 at the 6A State semifinals in Lakeland.  The Sharks clearly were not at their best against the Jaguars but much of the credit must go to their opponents.  On the Shark’s very first possession a steal by Pembroke Pines and a made layup was the first sign it was going to perhaps be a long night for the Sharks.  By the time the first period had ended the Sharks had tallied but five points to their opponents 14.  Making only four shots in their 21 attempts in the first half led to Ponte Vedra trailing 25-12 in the first half, their lowest first half scoring total during the entire season.

Pembroke Pines Charter arguably might have been the Sharks best opponent they faced since the Bolles state championship team of 2015-16.  The Jaguars dominated on the backboards with several of their points made were on put back layups from their own missed shots.

One oddity in the game was that the Sharks never attempted a single free throw in the contest.  Although it was not the ending they sought, the 2023-24 season was an overwhelming success.  Featuring three sophomores in their rotation, the youngsters blended in with the few returning veterans as the season progressed and they improved immeasurably from the start of the season. At one point in the campaign the Sharks had a record of 9-5 but kept getting better as the season wore on. Only a buzzer-beater loss to Providence kept coach Ben Wilson’s squad from winning 13 straight before their loss in the final four.

The Sharks can eagerly look ahead to next year as the cupboard is not bare of talent. Four players who figured prominently this past season will return but they will surely miss the presence from a trio of departing seniors. 

Sam Ritchie capped his career as the seventh leading scorer in the program’s history with 837 career points. 6’6 Tyler Cowans was a consistent force for PVHS all season, especially on the boards as his season total of 191 rebounds was fourth best in school history.  6’3 senior Brendan Hynes was the silent warrior who did much of the work that doesn’t often show up in the stats lines.  His work in the regional final against Wiregrass Ranch was a big reason why Ponte Vedra advanced to the final four for the third consecutive year.

The four returnees for next season who played a pivotal role in this season’s success include junior David Sanchez-Barrera and sophomores Maddox Palmer, Trace Westercamp, and Ryan Speace.  That’s a lot of talent and size coming back for the 2024-25 season. Can the Shark’s make it four straight trips to the final four?  Stay tuned.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra advances to the final four for the third straight season following a dominating 69-52 road win over Wiregrass Ranch.  Tenacious rebounding, solid defense and a deep bench paid off for the Sharks who now move to the state semi-finals in Lakeland on March 7 where they will face Pembrokes Pines Charter. Three Sharks scored in double figures but if one had to pick a co-star of the game it would go to senior warrior Brendan Hynes.  Listed at 6?4, but perhaps only 6?2, Hynes had a modest seven points, but had 15 rebounds, second in Shark program history only to Beau Beech?s 17 rebounds in 2012. Hynes also had 3 steals, 3 assists, totally lock downed his opponent with solid defense and had zero turnovers. 6?5 sophomore Maddox Palmer also shares the limelight with Hynes with a solid performance off the bench.  Palmer also filled out the stat sheet and led all scorers with 17 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds.
The Sharks quickly quieted the near capacity crowd at Wiregrass Ranch with a commanding first half.  PV led 19-11 at the first stop and continued their surge in the second quarter with a 39-22 lead at half time.  Hynes had 10 of his rebounds in the first half while six Sharks shared in the scoring department.  Ponte Vedra carried a huge 51-33 lead into the final quarter where the Sharks became a little loose with the ball and saw the Bulls close the gap to within 11 points with 4:25 left to play.  The Sharks then put up six unanswered points, four from Palmer and two from senior Sam Ritchie to put the finishing touches on the victory. Ritchie netted 14 points for the victors while Tyler Cowan had a solid game with 11 points and seven rebounds. The only concern for the Sharks was their abnormally high total of 24 turnovers for the game, many of those coming in the final period when Wiregrass Ranch put on a frantic press. The big Shark front line of 6?9 sophomore Trace Westercamp, 6?6 Cowan, 6?5 Palmer and Hynes controlled the backboards all night and were a big key to their win.

Ponte Vedra has picked the perfect time to be playing their best basketball of the season as they kept their season rolling with a convincing 58-44 victory over Gainesville to move to the Regional Finals for the third straight year.  The Sharks will not face any strangers as they will play Wiregrass Ranch for a chance to move to the final four.  The two teams met in the opening round of the regionals last year and the Sharks tromped Wiregrass Ranch 84-59. And just like last year the Sharks will travel on the road to meet the Bulls.

Gainesville got off to a torrid start as they netted three long toms to take a 17-12 lead over the host Sharks.  Coach Ben Wilson then entered sophomore guard Ryan Speace into the game and Speace sparked the Sharks with seven of the Sharks 15 second quarter points. PV also clamped down on defense and held Gainesville to a meagre five second quarter points.  A steal and a converting layup by Speace gave the Sharks a 22-21 lead and they would never trail again in the contest.

The Sharks held a six-point lead going into the final quarter where they played near flawless basketball.  The Sharks ball handling was superb in the game’s final eight minutes and pulled away to make the final score 58-44.  Sam Ritchie once again led the well-balanced offensive attack for PV with 14 points.  Tyler Cowan played a steady all-around game with 12 points and was a pest on defense with four blocked shots. David Sanchez Barera was again a master playmaker as he had eight assists to go along with nine points.  Speace had his best scoring output since early early in the season and contributed 11 points. Sophomores Maddox Palmer and Trace Westercmp also played well and although he failed to score a point, Brendan Hynes was a force on the boards and played lockdown defense.

The Sharks will have little time to celebrate as they will hit the road for the long journey to Wiregrass Ranch for a 7:00 PM tip off this Friday night.

Ponte Vedra defeated Oakleaf 79-73 to win the district championship and make amends for a one-point loss to Oakleaf from the previous season.  The win also gives the Sharks a 20-win season for the fourth season in a row.  The only other season the Sharks posted 20 wins was the 2013-14 Shark squad that also were district champions. The Sharks are playing their best ball of the season at the perfect time as a good showing was necessary against a very good Oakleaf team who entered the contest with a noteworthy 19-5 record.
With the game tied at 32-32 after a well-played first half, the Sharks exploded for 26 points in the third period to outscore the Knights 26-15. The final score was not indicative of the Sharks dominance in the second half as PV held an unsurmountable 69-50 leads with 3:30 left in the game.  The Knights put on a furious rally to cut the lead to six but time ran out and the Sharks took home the district trophy.
The Sharks received balanced scoring in the contest as five players scored in double figures led by junior point guard David Sanchez's career high 20 points. Incredibly, Sanchez scored his 20 points by making just one field goal.  The rest of his points came on free throws as for the second time in a week David broke a former record held by Jackson Johnson. Sanchez made 17 of his 20 free throw attempts to surpass the record of Johnson from 2012 when the former Tulane player made 16 free throws in 16 attempts in a game vs. Fletcher.
Ten of Sanchez made free throws came in the fourth quarter when a desperate Oakleaf team was forced to foul as the Sharks wisely kept the ball in the point guard's hands. Sam Ritchie kept up his stellar shooting from beyond the three-point arc by netting five of his eight attempts among his 19 points.  Tyler Cowan was efficient with his post play as the 6'6 senior was 6-8 from the field and tallied 15 points.  6?9 sophomore Trace Westercamp added 10 tallies while 6'5 super sixth man, sophomore Maddox Palmer, cashed in 12 points. Branden Hynes provided the Sharks with his usual steady play as he played solid defense with pulling down five rebounds.


Submitted by Jim Moyes

Fleming Island closed with two points early into the second half, but it was all Ponte Vedra the rest of the way as the Sharks advances to Saturday?s district final with a 72-52 victory over Fleming Island.  After Carson Crawford scored the first basket of the second half, Ponte Vedra?s Sam Ritchie countered with eight straight points and Fleming Island never threatened again. The Sharks and Oakleaf will again meet for the second year in a row for the district title Saturday. This contest potentially could be as tight as last year?s contest when Oakleaf nipped the Sharks by a single point. However, both teams advanced to the Regional and it was the Sharks who advanced to the state championship final game. In the game with Fleming Island the Sharks jumped out to a quick 20-9 break after the first quarter ended with the PV potent backcourt duo of David Sanchez (8) and Ritchie (7) doing much of the damage.  The Islanders bounced back with a 16-10 edge to close the gap to 30-25 at halftime.  After Crawford?s old style three-point play at the start of the second half, the Sharks poured in 24 points in the eight- minute period to lead 54-43 heading into the final quarter.  PV kept their foot on the gas and doubled the score in the fourth period to earn the impressive victory. Ritchie ended the night with 25 points, while three other Sharks were also in double figures.  Tyler Cowen and Trace Westercamp netted 12 points while Sanchez had 10 markers.  Although not in double figures, the Sharks displayed their depth and balance as Maddox Palmer had 10 rebounds, one more than Brandan Hynes.  Ritchie was also a pest on defense with five steals while Sanchez added five assists as the Sharks improve their record to 19-7.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

One can surely not expect another return to the Florida State Finals after two consecutive trips to the big game, but do not sell this 2023-24 edition of Shark’s basketball short. The current Shark team began the current season minus a trio of starters from last year’s 22-8 team; Nate Bunkosky, Israel Nuhu, and Ben Ritchie, but some talented returning vets and a pair of promising sophomores gives the Shark faithful confidence that this season’s group could still be very good.

Two starters, 6’1 senior Sam Ritchie and 6’3 senior Brendan Hynes return, while second year coach Ben Wilson also welcomes back 6’2 junior David Santos-Berrea and 6’6 senior Tyler Cowan who each saw considerable action last season.  What surely will intrigue Shark fans this year is a pair of tall and talented sophomore transfer who will play major roles.  6’5 Maddox Palmer and Trace WesterCamp, a towering 6’9 front court performer, will give Ponte Vedra their tallest team in the 15 years of Ponte Vedra basketball.

Do not be deceived with Ponte Vedra’s opening game loss to a veteran and very talented Paxon team in their season opening loss on November 21. Coach Wilson’s current team ran into a Golden Eagle team that won 20 games last season and displayed some uncanny out court shooting in their 64-50 victory over PV.   It is likely that Ponte Vedra will not play too many teams as talented as Paxon.  Although the Sharks were defeated, there was plenty to like that this observer saw in this year’s team.  Sam Ritchie is a three-year varsity veteran who will add plenty of excitement in 2023-24.  Ritchie showed what he can do on the court in last year’s semi-final victory by tossing in 34 points to lead the Shark’s to their final berth before losing to Dwyer in the state championship contest.  In the opening loss to Paxon Tyler Cowan showed that he is much improved from last year and adds a ton of physicality to the lineup.  David Santos-Berrea played fearlessly against Paxon and is a tenacious defender as well as a solid rebounder for a backcourt player.  Brendan Hynes is a steady performer who knows his role that will surely help the current Sharks.  It will be fun for Shark fans to watch how sophomores Palmer and WesterCamp develop during the course of the season.  Both sophomores showed great potential in preseason workouts and will get better as they get more comfortable with the Shark system as the season progresses.  The 6’5 Palmer got into early foul trouble in the opener with Paxon but in his limited time on the court showed that he is a ‘baller.’  It should be just a matter of time before the 6’9 WesterCamp blossoms into an outstanding player.  In his limited minutes vs. Paxon that will surely improve over time, Trace will be a valuable player for Ponte Vedra for a number of years.

Coach Wilson did not schedule a ‘cupcake’ list of opponents that Sharks will face over their 25-game regular season.  In addition to Paxon, such perennial powers as Jackson, Raines, and Providence are among the opponents while PV is also taking part in a couple of exciting in-season tournaments. Fans will be treated in the Sharks next encounter on Tuesday November 28 to see a couple of the area’s finest players when Matanzas comes to Ponte Vedra.  6’7 freshman Henry Robinson will surely be one to watch during his career. Robinson in a preseason game scored 54 points and he showed that was no fluke as he began the regular season with 39 tallies in their regular season opener with Mandarin.  Rya’sir Jefferson will be yet another player that bear’s watching as Jefferson gives the Pirates a great 1-2 punch as he tossed in 27 points in Matanzas’ easy win over St. Joseph Academy.

Although it was not the ending this group of Sharks wanted their magical season to end, but this group of Ponte Vedra hoopsters can hold their head’s high as they once again finished the season as State runner-ups.  There was a reason why Dwyer High finished 29-1 in their 51-40 title victory Saturday evening in Lakeland.  The Panthers utilized their height, length and quickness to hold the Sharks to only 40 points.

The Panthers held the Sharks to but one field goal and five points in the opening quarter and would build their lead to 17 points late in the second quarter at 29-12.  However, there was no quit in the Sharks as they refused to give in and midway through the fourth quarter the Sharks cut the deficit down to 6 points.  The Sharks had some good looks, but the shots failed to fall with much of the credit going to Dwyers’ tight defense.

Dwyer had eight offensive rebounds in the first half alone, many of those resulting in made baskets to make a Shark comeback a tall task.  Trailing by as many as 14 points with less than a minute to be played in the third quarter, senior Ben Ritchie tallied 5 quick points with three of those markers coming on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Nate Bunkosky was the lone Shark in double figures with 10 points as he concluded his outstanding career with 940 points, 5^thall-time in PVHS history.  Israel Nuhu had 8 points and 10 rebounds while the third Senior starter Ben Ritchie added 7 points.

With the departure of three senior starters, one could expect next year’s Shark five to have a lean year. However, the Sharks now have a proven winning program behind first year coach Ben Wilson and his experienced staff will just reload, not rebuild. Two starters will return for the 2023-23 season, Sam Ritchie and Brendon Hynes.  It would surprise nobody if Ritchie doesn’t post some high numbers next year in his senior season.  Hynes, who began the season as a reserve, could arguably have been the most improved performer this season from the beginning to end.  6’5 Junior Tyler Cowan has showed some flashes of talents and will be counted on to be a force in the rebounding department.  Sophomore guard David Sanchez-Barrera will attempt to fill the unenviable shoes of Bunkosky as a point guard, but he has displayed no fear in the minutes he earned on the court this year. One could also look for some help from a JV team that posted a 16-3 record.

This program has come a long way since their initial season back in 2008-09 when they went 0-25.  To play for a state championship two years in a row is a feat few teams c=have accomplished in a state with the talent that is abundant in Florida.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra is headed back to the Final Four for the second straight season thanks to their 72-61 victory over Gainesville in a Regional Final played in Ponte Vedra.  After losing four starters from last years’ state runner-up team, the Sharks reloaded as they just got better as the season progressed.  Case in point --- the Sharks were overwhelmed by Gainesville in an earlier pre-season clash by 16 points.

Setting the tone on the evening was the lone starter back from last season’s team, Nate Bunkosky. The 4-year starter and invaluable point guard ignited the Sharks victory in the opening quarter by drilling a trio of 3-pointers as the home team busted out to an early 21-12 lead.  The visiting Hurricanes bounced back to close the gap to 32-31 at the halftime break, and even took a short- lived lead in the third quarter. With some precision passing and even better shooting, the Sharks reclaimed the lead thanks to a pair of made 3-pointers from Juniors Sam Ritchie and Brendon Hynes to take a 51-43 lead into the games’ final eight minutes.

Bunkosky got the Sharks off on the right foot in the final quarter by notching a 3-pointer to pad their lead to eleven at 54-43.  The closest Gainesville would close the gap on the Sharks lead was seven points as the winners never lost their poise against the frantic pressure defense applied by the Hurricanes.  

Ponte Vedra picked the perfect night to have their best shooting performance from outcourt as they made a season high 12 3-pointers, four each from Bunkosky and Ritchie.

It was a disappointing end of the season for the large contingent of followers from Gainesville, that included a sure-fire first round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, Florida Gator quarterback Anthony Richardson. A pair of future division 1 players Theo Stephens and 6’8 Josh Hayes ended their careers with 25 and 15 points respectively. However, when Hayes fouled out late in the contest, it proved to be the final blow for Gainesville.

Sam Ritchie led the balanced PV scoring attack with 21 points.  Bunkowsky added 17 points, 6 assists and 3 steals while Israel Nuhu neutralized his counterpart Hayes in the middle with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  

The Sharks will play in the state semi-finals where their next opponent will be Wekiva (24-6), 67-64 winners in their regional final against Lakeland.  If the Sharks prevail and win against Wekiva they would face the winner of the other semi-final pitting top ranked Dwyer (27-1) vs. Wharton (24-6).  The Sharks will tip off in Lakeland at 8:00 PM.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Ponte Vedra Sharks put on a furious rally late in the game but fell just one point short in their 48-47 district championship loss to Oakleaf. “Our team showed a lot of grit in the second half,” said assistant coach Antione Connely following the exciting contest.

Nobody showed more grit than 4-year PV starter Nathan Bunkosky who seemingly single-handily almost carried the Sharks to victory over a red hot Oakleaf team who is now an amazing 23-1 on the season.  Playing with a heart as big as the center jump circle, the PV point guard left everything he had out on the court in the game’s final exciting minutes.  In the final quarter alone, Bunkosky had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist that nearly propelled the Sharks to victory. However, it was an assist that he didn’t get credit for that might have been the turning point in the ballgame.  With the Sharks trailing by a point with just over a minute left in the game, Bunkosky stole the ball and delivered a perfect pass to a teammate for an easy basket. Unfortunately for Shark followers, the pass was fumbled and Oakleaf would take over possession.

Still, the Sharks and Bunkosky were not done. After the Knight’s Sean Jones wiggled through the Shark defense to give the Knight’s a 48-45 lead with 30 seconds left, their first field goal since early in the final quarter, Bunkosky scored on one of his patented driving layups to cut the deficit to one.  The Sharks fouled with 0:09 remaining and Bunkosky, (who else?) pulled down the rebound and headed down court.  After Nate passed the ball to Israel Nuhu near midcourt, Nuhu and an opposing Knight player crashed into one another but there was no call as the ball went out of bounds.  With 0:2 on the clock the Sharks had their inbounds pass deflected and the Knights had survived.

The Sharks outscored the visiting Knight in every quarter but one, but that one quarter surely contributed to the Shark defeat.  Trailing PV 14-8 after the first quarter, the Knights came out with their guns blazing and went on a 11-0 run, with nine of their points coming on three 3-pointers. When the two-teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime the Knights had outscored the Sharks 20-6 to lead 29-20 at the break.

The Sharks played more than five minutes without top scorer Nuhu on the floor in the third quarter who had picked up his 3^rdfoul.  Nuhu would return with less than 2 second left in the quarter and would score on a set out of bounds play on a perfect pass from Bunkosky to close the gap at 42-34.  Needing a spark coach Ben Wilson inserted sophomore David Sanchez-Berrera into the lineup.  Playing with a heavy heart after the recent passing of his father, Berrera came through with three free throws, a couple of offensive rebounds and some solid defense in the second half.

Bunkosky would finish his heroics with a game high 18 points, 8 rebounds 6 assists and 5 steals. His 5 steals moved Bunkosky into a tie for first in career steals with former Shark point guard Jackson Johnson, now the current head coach of Newman Prep in Boston, Massachusetts.  

Although the Sharks did not become district champions, their season has not come to a close. Still rated as the top seed in their 6A Regional, the Sharks will go on the road next week to play a district champion from one of the 4 district winners in their regional. If the Sharks win that road contest against a team to be determined by the FHSAA early next week, they could still conceivable host a pair of games at the Shark Tank during the playoffs.  Stay Tuned!

Ponte Vedra capped their regular season with a 42-32 victory over arch-rival Nease in front of a full house of spectators at the Shark tank. If one wanted to watch a run & gun game featuring the Loyola Marymount five from 1990 then this game was not for you. However, if one likes a pitcher’s dual with Sandy Koufax opposing Juan Marichal than last night’s low scoring battle was much more to one’s liking.

With both teams coming out of the gates exhibiting a patient (or tentative) old style basketball, the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter showed Nease scoring 7 points with Ponte Vedra limited to a scant 5 tallies.  Nease took but four shots in the entire quarter but two of those buckets were three pointers, their only made 3’s for the entire contest. Coach Josh Bailen’s Panther five padded their score in the second quarter to up their lead to 17-9 before the Sharks were able to close out the first half with a 7-0 run to trail by one slim point at the halftime break.

Ponte Vedra took the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish on a Ben Ritchie 3-pointer early into the third period. Israel Nuhu than brought the home crowd to their feet with the first of his two thunderous dunks during a PV 10-0 run to give the Sharks a 27-17 lead. The Panthers, shut out for nearly the first 6 minutes of the third quarter, scored the final 4 points of the period to trail 27-21 heading into the game’s final 8 minutes.

With the Sharks attempting to just milk the clock for much of the final quarter, Nease parlayed four PV turnovers into eight points to cut the deficit to but two points, 32-30 with just over two minutes left in the contest.  It was at this point where PV’s first year head coach Ben Wilson inserted sophomore David Sanchez-Berrera into the lineup.  Hanging on to that slim 2-point lead, PV missed an ill-advised 3-pointer but Berrera made perhaps the biggest play of the game. It was Berrera who rebounded the long-range miss and was fouled. Although his second made free throw was waved off because he had his foot on the line, his first made free throw would prove to be the game winner.  After playing tentative basketball for the first 7 minutes of the final quarter, the Sharks then went into an attack mode and scored 10 points in the games final minute of action that included a 3-point play from Nuhu and two clutch free throws from Berrera.

The game was the 33^rdmeeting between the two rivals and with the win PV now holds a one game lead in the series that dates back to 2008 with 17 wins to Nease 16 victories.  So tight as this series been over the years that each team had scored exactly 1555 points before the start of this game.

Israel Nuhu added to his resume in a campaign for Player of the Year honors in St. Johns County with his 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Ben Ritchie was the only other PV player in double figures with nine while three Panthers had 7 points (Jake Larson, and Brooks and Bryson Utter) to lead Nease scorers.

Amongst the capacity crowd at the game were a number of former Nease standouts who starred for the Panthers before the current population explosion limited Ponte Vedra to but one school – Nease.  Headlining those Panthers from yesteryear was Chet Stachitas, who had a great college career at St. Joseph in Pennsylvania.

Nease will begin the FHSAA tournament play by hosting Fleming Island on Tuesday night.  As the number one seed in the 6A Regional, the Sharks received a bye and will host on Wednesday, February 8, the Tuesday night winner of the game between Orange Park and Fletcher.

In yet another epic battle in a rivalry that has produced some pulsating finishes, Ponte Vedra evened the 13-year series at 16 wins apiece with a come from behind 48-44 win over the Nease Panthers.  The Sharks trailed for nearly the entire ball game before taking their first lead at 42-40 late in the contest on a pair of free throws from sophomore David Sanchez-Berrera, his only two points tallied in the game.  

Nease evened the score at 42-42 on a pair of free by Bryson Utter and then Utter gave the Panthers a 44-42 lead with just seconds remaining.  Somehow, in the space of those few remaining seconds, the Sharks were able to tally six game winning points to earn the win. Junior guard Sam Ritchie took the inbounds pass after Utters go ahead free throws and raced nearly the entire length of the floor where he calmly tied the game at 44-44 on a short pull up jumper.

The Panthers had a good look at the basket as they hurried down the floor but when the apparent possible winning shot caromed off the rim, Ponte Vedra’s Israel Nuhu leaped high up in the air and was fouled on the rebound.  Nuhu, who had earlier missed the front end of a one and one moments earlier, more than atoned for that miss as he calmly drained in two game winning free throws.  Nease’s inbounds pass hit the back of the backboard and the Panthers then fouled Sam Ritchie.  The junior swished his two free throws to make the final score read 48-44.

Nuhu was the driving force in the Shark victory as he tallied 19 points in the low scoring affair and also grabbed 7 rebounds while connecting on 7 of his 9 free throw attempts. Veteran Panther coach Josh Balien had the perfect game plan as his Panthers used a sagging 2-3 zone and a very patient offense to take a 22-13 lead at halftime over a Shark offense that has been scoring over 60 points a contest.  Thanks to 10 points from Nuhu the Sharks outscored the Panthers 20-11 in the 3^rdquarter to even the score heading into the deciding final quarter.

With the victory the Sharks improve their season’s record to 7-1 while Nease falls to an impressive 8-2. Ponte Vedra will return to the Shark Tank on Tuesday where they will host Bishop Snyder, a team who handed last year’s state finalists one of their four losses.

Submitted by Jim Moyes    

SHARKS RELOAD FOR 2022-23 SEASON

One could be led to believe that a team that lost four seniors that advanced all the way to the state championship game would experience a sharp drop off in victories for their next season’s schedule.

However, that may not be the case for this year’s Shark squad that will just ‘Reload’ for the upcoming season.  Based on their opening game 65-61 victory over a Paxon team that returned their entire starting five from a 25-victory season, it could very well be another prosperous season for the current Sharks.

The Sharks not only lost four starters, but also their coach from last year’s team that came oh so close to winning s state title in hoops.  Kevin Whirity had to leave as the head coach to take on an advanced role in his permanent job, but he leaves the current Sharks in good hands.

Whirity’s assistant, Ben Wilson, brings a ton of experience to Ponte Vedra and from what we saw in the second half against Paxon, it once again look’s like defense will be the staple once again in 2022-23.  Just as they did a year ago, the Sharks put on a furious full court press against Paxon that paved the way to a comeback victory in the season opener.

The Sharks welcome back a rare four-year starter in point guard Nathan Bunkosky who led all Shark scorers with 21 points against Paxon.  Rated as one of the top ten-point guards in the state of Florida, Bunkosky brings not only a scorer’s mentality, but an all-around game where he excels as an assist man as well as a lock down defender on defense.  

Although not starters from last year’s best ever team in PV history, three players who played a huge role return and all three have displayed noticeable improvement during the off-season.  6’4 senior Israel Nuhu, added 19 points for the winners and could develop before season’s end as one of the top players in Northeast Florida. Nuhu has tremendous leaping ability and is especially deadly when he drives to the basket.

The Ritchie brothers Ben and Sam also have improved greatly from a year ago and played very well in the comeback victory against Paxon.  Sam brings a ball hawking mentality to compliment Bunkosky in the backcourt while Ben can hit from out court as well as slash to the basket.

Just as the Sharks were rewarded with a transfer last year in Ross Candelino who led the Sharks in scoring and is currently playing for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten, coach Wilson has welcomed to Ponte Vedra Tyler Conlan, a 6’5 transfer from California. Tyler will bring much needed size to the front court and once he adapts to the Shark system, will be a welcome addition to the current team.

Any successful team is going to need players off the bench who can contribute to a winning season and the Sharks appear to have some much-needed depth.  Sophomore David Sanchez-Berrera adds another ball hawking defender to the backcourt while Brendan Hynes will bring some relief to the front court. Sanchez scored 18 team leading points in the Sharks pre-season opener against Fleming Island.

After a road victory at Paxon, the Sharks return home where the local fans will have the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the current team with three straight home contests, beginning next Tuesday when they host Menendez.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

SHARKS END MAGICAL SEASON AS STATE RUNNER-UP

Although they came a mere 5 points from winning a state championship, the magnitude of how far this program has come in the past three years under Coach Kevin Whirty cannot be overemphasized.

The Sharks compiled a mediocre 10-16 record in the 2018-19 season before Whirity was hired to lead the Sharks to begin the 2019-20 campaign.  It appeared the Sharks were headed for yet another dismal season early into Whirity’s initial season.  Ponte Vedra began the season with a woeful 1-4 start, outscored in their four losses to their opponents by an average of 24 points per game.

The fortunes for PVHS basketball would change abruptly when Whirity made a decision to call up to the varsity three players from the JV squad (Luke Pirris, JT Kelly, and Nathan Bunkosky)  that began their season with a perfect 5-0 record.  When I asked Coach Whirity if he ever could envision the success this trio would accomplish over the next couple of seasons Whirity replied: “While I feel all competitors dream and strive for the summit, actually getting there is a completely different story. These guys amazed me daily by their work ethic, but to see them achieve this feat so quickly is absolutely remarkable. They did it as a group and they played the game the right way, as a TEAM!”

The very young squad of 2019-20 suffered a few bumps in the road but Sharks fans could surely see that a great deal of improvement had been made and the future looked much brighter for Ponte Vedra hoops.  No longer would the 2019-20 Sharks be a ‘walk in the park’ victim that their opponents could easily put into their victory column.  The Sharks would end that season with a losing record of 10-14 but would nearly break even with their three underclassmen in the lineup.

However, the improvement this team made over next two seasons seasons was surreal, as one would have to have an unrealistic vision that Ponte Vedra basketball would soon bring home a state runner-trophy.

The Sharks had a best ever record of 22-5 last season and they did not post this awesome record by merely just trying to outscore their opponents with a racehorse style of basketball. The mind set had completely changed under Whrity’s leadership, and with a starting lineup composed entirely of five players who also played football, the Sharks were winning their games with their defense.  

The youngsters called up from the JV’s the previous season were aided by a trio of seniors who played some inspirational defense.  Seniors Alex Madson, Jack Polian and Rory Mayer always played the game at 110% on the court as they raised havoc with their opponents.  They set a school record of 22 steals in their playoff game against Terry Parker and three times during the course of the year pilfered the ball 21 times.  

Their thirst for defense was passed on to this 2021-22 team who averaged better than 12 steals per contest, just one less per game than the previous season.  Coach Whirity lost some great players, and even better leaders, when graduation game at PVHS in the late spring of 2021.

Coach Whirity and the Sharks were given an early Christmas present before the start of this year’s campaign when a Ponte Vedra Beach resident chose to transfer from Bishop Kenny to play with his hometown chums for his senior year.

And what an impact Ross Candelino had with this team! As the season progressed Candelino became more and more comfortable with fitting in with his new mates.  Ross would end up the season as the team’s leading scorer at 14 ppg. but his impact was felt in more than just his scoring.  

And what a lasting impression this transfer made on his coach.  “Ross truly embraces every aspect of basketball: conditioning, weight-lifting, practice, film, scouting, team meals, bus rides, and dancing in the locker room. He leads from the front, leaves no man behind and genuinely cares about every member of the team,” lauded Whirity.  “While Ross has only been in the Program for a year, we all feel like we’ve known Ross our entire lives.  He’s a natural leader,’ said his proud coach.

The 2021-22 Sharks won their first four games before running into a bump in the road at the Fortegra tournament.  The Sharks dropped their opener on a desperation three pointer with just a few second left on the clock to Riverside.  With their ‘dobbers’ still down the Sharks ran into a buzz saw the following afternoon when Episcopal shot the lights out to hand the Sharks their second straight defeat.  

Ponte Vedra would then embark on a streak unprecedented in Shark annals as they began a run where they would emerge victorious in 23 of their next 24 games.  It was at a tournament in Naples where the Sharks opened eyes statewide when they swept four down state opponents to bring home the championship trophy.  It would be the first of three more pieces of hardware that would add to an already bulging trophy case.

Playing in a very difficult district tournament that included foes like Nease and Fletcher, the Sharks captured the district title with a hard-fought win over a very talented Fletcher five. The win earned the Sharks the number one seed in their region that gave them home court advantage throughout the regional. 

And the Sharks took every advantage of their home court by feeding off the energy from their hometown fans and fellow student who packed the Shark Tank.  After a first half that saw the Sharks take but a one-point lead into the second half, the Sharks exploded in the second half led by senior Luke Pirris’ 24 season high points in defeating a very talented Fleming Island squad.

The Sharks were not just content to make their first ever appearance in the State Final four in Lakeland. Swishing 8 of their 16 three-point attempts the Sharks made it all the way to the coveted championship contest with a 57-51 win over Winter Haven.

In the state championship contest on March 5 against Martin County, the basket seemed to have a lid on it for the Shark sharp shooters.  Many of their attempts were tantalizingly close

but unable to find the bottom of the net as the Sharks shot a season worse 2-16 behind the arc to fall 53-49 to Martin County.

Despite the defeat Whirity couldn’t have been prouder of a team that left everything they had out on the court.  Trailing by 10 points entering the final quarter, the Sharks did not give up as they played at a frenzy pace that twice had them with the ball and a chance to tie up the game, or take a lead, only to see their shots go astray.

“Proud is an understatement,” said Whirity.  I will always look back to our trip to Lakeland as nothing but a success. The credit belongs to our players playing hard inside the Lakeland arena on both Thursday and Saturday night. Our practices that week were demanding and physical, especially when I removed fouls and allowed for full physical contact. But watching the speed of our players, their level of anticipation and basketball IQ, unselfishness, passing distribution, the charges they took, and the amount of bodies diving to the floor while quickly bouncing back to their feet, if that doesn’t make you proud as a coach, parent, or fan…..” said Whirity.

The third-year mentor was quick to lavish his praise on others who played a role in this year’s team’s incredible success.  “You can only coach what you know, and no man knows it all,” began Whirity.  “I was surrounded by brilliant and unselfish coaches that always put the men and the Program first. Without their commitment and basketball knowledge our Program would not be what it is today. I can’t thank these guys enough for their countless hours and expertise: Coach Ben Wilson, Coach Kip Wellman, Coach Don Lareau, Coach Brady Hammond. In addition, our JV Coaches (Antwoin Conerly and Wil Mons) delivered yet another successful season (Only one loss) and continue to prepare our younger players for a successful transition to the Varsity ranks.”

The state championship marked the end to an outstanding career for Whirity’s departing seniors.  “All our Seniors (Luke Pirris, JT Kelly, Gus Jordheim, Charley Hynes, and Ross Candelino) have been instrumental in strengthening the foundation of this Program. Brick by brick, practice by practice they have built a winning culture and, more importantly, a Hoop Family. While our Seniors will be heading off to conquer this next challenge, their fingerprints will always be all over this Program and the Banners they achieved will hang for eternity! I will miss them but will be tracking them closely.  Some of them may say too closely….you got to love those guys.”

Although it would be unrealistic to expect another run to the state finals next season, the Sharks will return a number of underclassmen who played a huge role in contributing to this season’s success.  Nathan Bunkosky, the MVP of the Naples tournament, will return in the backcourt with sophomore Sam Ritchie, as fine a pair of backcourt hoopsters that will suit up next year along the First Coast.  6’3 Ben Ritchie played very well off the bench and will provide rebounding strength as well as a deft outside touch from behind the arc.  Israel Nuhu, with a summer season of practice and AAU games, could be the Ace in the Hole for the 2022-23 season. 

A number of players from the JV season that dropped but one contest during the entire season could also fill big roles.  “The future is bright for PV Basketball and there is definitely a lot of skill, athleticism and heart returning to the Program. I like where we are headed, and we’ll continue to strive to be 1% better each day…. Starting yesterday,” gushed Whirity.

Ponte Vedra Captures District Championship

If one was looking for offensive fireworks, they were in the wrong place at the district championship game played in front of a large crowd at Atlantic Coast’s spacious gymnasium. But, if one was looking for a game played with high energy with the intensity level off the charts, then the district finals was the right place for you.

Ponte Vedra defeated a talented Fletcher team 41-37 in a game, that for the second time in the two meetings for these pair of Beaches neighbors, was won in overtime by the Sharks.

Ponte Vedra did it the hard way in the low scoring contest using their trademark defense and a patient offense to move into the regional FHSAA playoffs next Thursday.  The Sharks found themselves deep in a hole a minute into the final quarter as they trailed 34-27.  The Sharks stepped up their defensive intensity more than a couple of notches as they shut out the Senators for the reminder of overtime and well into the overtime session to pull out the win.

The Sharks took a more than respectable 70 per cent shooting percentage into the district final but until the game's final waning moments their percentage resembled nothing like their stats prior to the contest.  The Sharks had numerous chances to safely tuck the game into the winning column in the overtime session, but they missed 4 of five free throws with 3 of those misses coming on the front end of a one and one opportunity.

Fortunately for Shark followers, after making a poor 4 of 12 free throws, a pair of veteran senior Sharks came through in prime time.  Leading by a scant point at 37-36 with less than 20 seconds to play in the contest, JT Kelly made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 39-36.  Kelly than wisely fouled the Senators Seth Allen with five seconds to go to send Allen to the free throw line and prevent a possible three-point shot by the Senators Lajae Jones from possibly tying up the game.

Allen made the first free throw to trim the lead to two.  Allen then perhaps intentionally missed the second and set the stage for perhaps the game’s defining play. Although he wasn’t one of the two Shark inside rebounders, Ross Candelino leaped high in the air like he was jumping off a trampoline to snare the hotly contested rebound and he was quickly fouled. The poised senior then cliched the game by draining both free throws to make the final score 41-37.

Another major reason for the low scoring clash was the Sharks taking full advantage of the absence of a 30-second play clock in high school basketball.  In the waning minutes in regulation as well as in the overtime session, the Sharks had five skilled ball-handlers on the court in Pirris, Candelino, Kelly, junior point guard Nathan Bunkosky and sophomore Sam Ritchie. This fivesome would often take major time off the clock while patiently waiting for an open shot or drawing a Senator foul.

The Senators Jones, possibly the premier player in NE Florida, almost single handedly kept Fletcher in close range of the Sharks with 18 points, despite being constantly hounded by Shark double team pressure throughout the contest.  

The Sharks surely didn’t have one of their better shooting nights but did prevail to insure coach Kevin Whirity’s 23-3 Sharks the top seed in next week’s regional playoffs.

Kelly led Sharks scorers with 11 points while Luke Pirris had a marvelous all-around game to overcome his subpar 2-6 shooting from the charity stripe.  Before fouling out late in the contest Big Luke tallied 10 hard earned points, to go along with a team leading eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.   

Although Candelino had a rare off night in shooting, the Senior leader played an inspired floor game. A whirling dervish on defense Candelino came up with five steals and had the game’s biggest play when he skied in the closing second to secure one of his six rebounds on the evening.

The Sharks will next return to action next Thursday, February 17, when they host Booker T Washington  at the Shark Tank.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra will carry a best-ever record of 21-3 into this week’s FHSAA playoffs following a three-game sweep over a trio of St. Johns County rivals last week.

The Sharks began their perfect week with a 74-45 thrashing of a St. Joseph academy team who entered Tuesday’s contest with an impressive record of 15-6.  After the two teams were deadlocked at 11-11 after one quarter of play, the Sharks then scored 61 points in the next 16 minutes of action, including a one quarter program record of 38 points in the third quarter to completely pull away from the Golden Flashes.

Senior Ross Candelino, who averaged 22 points per game last week, led the Sharks in scoring with 26 points and was one of a pair of Sharks who scored 20 or more points as junior point guard Nathan Bunkosky netted 20.

The Sharks then made the short jaunt over to Nease on Thursday to face their arch-rivals before a sellout crowd in the Panther gymnasium.  The Sharks captured their second straight game over Nease 62-52 after earlier edging out the Panthers 52-48 at the Shark tank back in December.

After the first period saw both teams deadlocked at 12-12, the Sharks enjoyed a 18-8 edge over Nease in the second period to take a commanding 30-20 lead at halftime.  The Panthers pulled within seven as the third period came to a close at 38-31, but that would be as close as Nease would get to the Sharks.

Midway through the final quarter the lead still remained seven points for the Sharks at 46-39 but this was when Ponte Vedra’s Bunkosky went to work.  Scoreless until this point in the contest, Bunkosky would show his value to this Shark club as he scored all 10 of his points during the games final four minutes.

Candelino continued his hot streak of late as he scored 19 points on the evening to lead Shark point makers.  Luke Pirris was close behind in scoring with 18 points as the three-year veteran filled up the stat sheet.  Pirris would notch a double-double as he pulled down 10 rebounds and was stellar on defense with 4 steals.

The game was the 31^stmeeting between the two schools in a rivalry with an astonishingly close record.  The Panthers own a 16-15 edge since the schools’ first met in the 2008-09 school year. There has been a combined total of 3013 points scored during this rivalry with the Panthers scoring but a solitary point more than the Sharks, 1507 to 1506.

And if you think that rivalry was close, following Ponte Vedra’s 71-58 victory over Bartram Trail the following night on Senior Night, the Bears and the Sharks have scored a combined 2724 points in their 25-game rivalry and each team has scored 1362 points. The victory for the Sharks gives them a slim 13-12 edge in the series.

Prior to the game the Sharks honored their five graduating seniors and Coach Kevin Whirity started the fivesome of Candelino, Pirris, JT Kelly, Gus Jordeim, and Charles Hynes, and all made major contribution towards the Shark’s 21^stvictory on the campaign.

Once again it was Candelino who led all Shark scorers with 21 points, leaving him but 10 points shy of the 1000-point barrier during a career that saw him play his first two years at Bishop Kenny, before transferring to his hometown Sharks to play his senior year. Pirris was again relentless with his play at both ends of the court as the Navy football commit scored 19 points as well as filling out the stat sheet.

Kelly was in double figures with 11 points with nine of those markers coming on three-pointers. Jordheim again played his quiet role as the unselfish senior took only two shots but aided in the victory with his adept passing and committed but one turnover during the game.  Hynes chipped in with 3 tough defensive rebounds and added a pair of assists in the triumph.

As the top seed in this week’s start to the FHSAA playoffs the Sharks received an opening round bye and will play on Wednesday evening at Atlantic Coast the winner of Tuesday’s game between St. Augustine and Atlantic Coast.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Sizzling Ponte Vedra Hoops Home for Three Games This Week

By Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra’s red hot basketball team have posted a school record 12 consecutive victories following a past week that saw the Sharks sweep all three contest , including a thrilling 52-49 overtime victory over a talented Fletcher Senators squad on Friday, January 14.

The victory over Fletcher was especially significant as it almost guarantees the Sharks of the top seed in a competitive district when the FHSAA plays begin in early February.

Following a pair of losses in December at the Fortegra Invitation the Sharks have shown remarkable improvement as they have outscored their opponents by an impressive 25 points per contest.

When asked of third year head coach Kevin Whirity what are the keys to success for this team the energetic coach replied: “It’s their dedication to team play, both offensively and defensively, and a strong desire to want to improve on a daily basis. That, combined with their natural competitiveness, toughness, and “hate to lose” mentality.” 

Following the winning of the championship in a major holiday tournament in Naples, the Sharks have returned to the area to post easy victories over Atlantic Coast, Bishop Kenny, Stanton Prep and Wolfson before Friday’s all-important matchup at Fletcher.

It was a battle of a couple of heavyweight basketball powers and the game certainly lived up to its billing. It took more than the standard four quarters to decide a winner as it took an additional four-minutes overtime session before the Sharks could pull off the victory.

The Sharks got off to a very chilly start as they converted on only one of their first nine attempts from three-point country while also missing on their first seven free throws. The Sharks regained their shooting touch in the second half behind four made three pointers from Ross Candelino to come back from a 22-17 halftime deficit to take a 34-29 lead after three quarters.

The talented Senators, with perhaps their best team in many years, refused to give in to the Sharks as they came from seven points down in the final quarter to send the game into overtime.  Much of the damage done for Fletcher was from their all-state candidate, 6’5 senior Lajae Jones, who carried a 22 point per game average into the contest.  The stingy Shark defense held Jones to but 2 points through the first three quarters before Jones caught on fire, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the game’s final minutes.

After the Sharks forced a turnover to begin the extra session, the visitors patiently worked the ball around before Gus Jordheim delivered a pass to JT Kelly who calmly drilled a three-pointer to give the Sharks the lead at 47-44.  The Senators again rallied back to knot up the contest at 49-49 with less than a minute remaining.  With the clock winding down Kelly rebounded his own missed shot and was fouled.  With but 03.9 second showing on the clock, Kelly calmly converted both of his free throw attempts.  Nathan Bunkosky then stole the long inbounds passed and made a free throw to make the final score read 52-49. 

“Fletcher was a great test in a play-off type environment” said Whirity following the contest. “it included downs, high intensity, talented opponents and strategic coaching; a great test all around and we learned a lot about our team.”

The Sharks again, as they have done throughout the season, received outstanding balanced scoring in the contest.  Bunkosky chipped in with 13 points to go along with some stellar floor play. Kelly also tallied 13 points, while Luke Pirris was a workhorse with nine rebounds and four steals while scoring eight points. Jordheim was quietly performing an effective role on the court, chipping in with 4 points and no turnovers as well as that all-important assist to Kelly’s big 3-pointer in overtime.

After a first half that saw Candelino miss fire on all four of his three-pointers, the senior transfer from Bishop Kenny showed his mettle in the second half by scoring all 14 of his team high points.  Coach Whirity has more than welcomed the 6’4 senior to the squad this season. “Ross is a natural scorer, but his most impressive attributes are reaching far outside his ability to hit the 3: rebounding, taking charges, deflections and assists, just to name a few. He’s making an impact on every aspect of the game and we know we’re just scratching the surface on what he can really do for the team. We absolutely love having Ross in the program.”

Shark fans will be able to see the Sharks in action at home this week with three games against natural rivals.  Tuesday night Creekside will attempt to stop the Sharks winning streak while St. Augustine will visit on Thursday.  The Sharks will conclude their busy week by hosting Bartram Trail on Friday night where the graduating seniors will be honored before the 7:30 scheduled start.

PONTE VEDRA CAPTURES HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT IN NAPLES

The Ponte Vedra Sharks made their long trip deep into southern Florida a remarkable success by winning the Kelleher Law Holliday Hoopfest with a 64-57 victory over Evans High School of Orlando in the 16-team tournament finale.

The Sharks earned the right to play for the title following convincing wins over Gulf Coast (59-26), Doral Academy (60-31) and Somerset Prep (62-39). Meanwhile Evans High, which welcomed back a number of their regulars who missed most of their previous games before the Naples tourney, completely overwhelmed their first three opponents by scores of 81-26, 86-72, and 67-29.

The final game between the two finalists lived up to its billing and then some but balance scoring, air tight defense, the ability to protect the ball and some deadly free throw shooting led to a Shark win and their seventh straight victory since tasting defeat earlier in the month at the Fortegra tournament.

The Shark led, but barely at every stop, and held a slim 54-52 lead with 1:21 left in the contest. It was at this juncture in the game when Evans was forced to foul as their athletic defenders were unable to steal a possession from the PVHS ball handlers. The Sharks then proceeded to make 10 clutch free throws without a miss to salt away the victory with Ross Candelino hitting all eight of his attempts with reserve Israel Nuhu netting his two trys.

The Sharks feature their own Fearsome Foursome of Luke Pirris, JT Kelly, Nathan Bunkosky, and Candelino and their talents were clearly on display in Naples.  All four Sharks scored in double figures in each of the final three games of the tournament, but their scoring was only part of the story. Their trapping defense produced on average better than 10 steals a game while on offense they only committed less than seven turnovers per contest.

Third year coach Kevin Whirty was lavish in praise of his team in a post-game TV interview following the contest.  “I thought our spacing, ball handling and moving the ball was a big improvement from day one in this tournament. We are making strides and moving in the right direction as we enter the New Year. I am very proud of our guys,” said the ebullient Whirity.

Tournament MVP Nathan Bonkosky was quick to heap praise towards his coach while holding on to his trophy following the awards presentation. “Coach Whirity did a great job in getting us prepared for every game,” gushed the Sharks do everything junior guard. “We would go out to the parking lot and go through walk throughs before every game. We would go through every one of our opponents and discuss what were their skills. We couldn’t have done it without Coach Whirity,” added Bunkosky.

Joining Bunkosky on the first team All-Tourney team was senior Luke Pirris, who’s game leading 18 points in the championship game led all scorers. Candelino was added to the second team while defensive specialist and 3-point shooting specialist JT Kelly was added to the third team.

In addition to the four all tourney selections the Sharks also received some steady play from three other players who were part of the seven-man rotation utilized by Whirity. Junior Israel Nuhu gave the Sharks a spark off the bench with his rebounding and defense while senior Gus Jordheim and sophomore Sam Ritchie chipped in with some valuable minutes.

The Sharks can now boast of an impressive overall record of 11-2 that has pushed them into a top five rating amongst all teams along the First Coast heading into their next game at Atlantic Coast on Tuesday, January fifth.  The Sharks will return home on Friday January 8^thwhen they host Bishop Kenny with a schedule start time of 7:30 PM.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Sharks Carry 7-2 record into Naples for a Holiday Tournament

Ponte Vedra's boys' basketball team will journey down to balmy Naples to compete in a 4-day tournament following a brief break for the Holidays.

The Sharks will carry a three-game winning streak when they play Gulf Coast (Naples) on Monday, December 27 at 9:00 AM at Golden Gate High School.  

Following a disappointing 1-2 record at The Fortegra Tournament the Sharks have bounced back in a big way, capped by a whopping 74-30 victory over Westside on Friday, December 17.  The Sharks came out on fire in the opening two quarters of action as they scored a school record for a half (61 points) to force a running clock in the entire second half.

The Sharks will take a commendable 7-2 record down to the Naples Hoopfest, and but for a desperation last moment 3-pointer by Riverside, the record could very easily have been an impressive 8-1.  Following their heartbreaking 57-56 loss to Riverside, a team that eliminated the Sharks from the FHSAA playoffs in overtime, the Sharks came out flat the following afternoon and were soundly defeated by a hot shooting Episcopal five.

Included among the seven victories were a pair of teams that handed the Sharks three of their five losses in their outstanding 22-5 record from last season.  The Sharks first defeated arch-rival Nease, 52-48, a team who had won two of their three meetings from last season, and then followed up with a signature program win over perennial power Providence 55-52.

Just as last season, the modus operandi for the current team is a stifling defense coupled with balanced scoring.   The Sharks have stolen the ball from their opponents more than 13 times per game, an average even slightly higher than their pace from a year ago that was an all-time PVHS best for thefts.

The Sharks have four players averaging in double figures with less than two points per game separating the foursome of Ross Cadelino, Nathan Bunkosky, JT Kelly, and Luke Pirris. Israel Nuhu and Gus Jordheim have also scored in double figures for a game which makes it tough on their opponents to try and stop just one player.

The trip to Naples will be the first road excursion for a Shark team since December of 2011 when they played in a Holiday tournament at the Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. The current Shark squad is hopeful of matching the success the Shark team from a decade earlier had in Orlando as they won all three games to capture their division championship.  The Sharks pulled off a big upset in their championship game when they defeated Oldham Co. Kentucky 70-63, a team that would advance to the Kentucky final four in the state playoffs. The PVHS duo of Beau Beech and Jackson Johnson combined for 40 points in the title game.

The Sharks did not draw a weak opponent for their opener in Naples.  Gulf Coast, also named The Sharks, have a matching 7-2 record and will be a formidable foe to begin the tournament.  Shark fans who cannot make the journey to Naples can watch the game on the NFHS network.

Sharks post 5-2 Record following Fortegra Invitational

Although it wasn’t the results they were looking for, the Sharks can still boast of a positive record of five wins against two losses against some very stiff competition following their recent appearance in the Fortegra Invitational.

In a quirk of this season’s very demanding schedule, the Sharks have already faced, in just seven games into the 2021-22 season, all four of the teams who handed the Sharks their five defeats from last year’s impressive 22-5 record.  

The Sharks have defeated two of the four teams with victories over arch-rival Nease (52-48) and a first ever win over perennial power Providence with a nearly identical 53-48 triumph.

In the opening round of the Fortegra Classic the Sharks game ever so close to avenging yet another of their previous season setbacks but lost a heartbreaking 57-56 contest to Riverside in overtime. Still reeling from their loss to Riverside, the Sharks couldn’t put the ball in the ocean just hours later in their second-round contest with Episcopal and were soundly defeated by the Sharpshooting Eagles 51-38. The Sharks shot a woeful 3- 21 from the field in the first half to dig a hole so deep that they were not able to overcome.

The Sharks did bounce back in the Invitational finale with a convincing 55-30 rout of Impact Christian. The Sharks are hoping that the win over Impact, a team that just two years ago shellacked the Sharks by more than 40 points, will provide the momentum to carry into the New Year.

It appears that third year coach Kevin Whirity is close to finding a rotation that will continue to improve with still nearly three-fourths of the season still to be played. The Sharks have shown some great balance on offense this season with four of their regulars, Seniors Ross Candelino, JT Kelly, and Luke Pirris, as well as junior point guard Nathan Buncosky all averaging near double figures in the early going.  

Coming back from an early season ankle injury, junior Israel Nuhu has displayed his vast potential by also getting into double figures in two of his last four games. Nuhu also added a team high ten rebounds in their OT loss to Riverside and put his incredible leaping ability on display with five blocked shots against Impact Christian.

Just as it was with last year’s outstanding team, the trademark for the current season also appears to be the Sharks defensive prowess on the court. Leading the stifling defense is junior all-around athlete Nate Bunkosky.  The quarterback on the Shark football team leads the team in steals with 29, including a program equaling record eight steals against Impact Christian. Nate filled up the stat sheet in the victory over Providence with 8 rebounds, 7 assists and five steals. Aiding in the huge program win for Shark basketball against the Stallions was sharpshooting senior JT Kelly as he netted six three pointers against Providence to equal his career high of 20 points.

The Sharks will begin the new week with a road trip across the St. Johns River to play Ridgeview before capping the week with a first ever program meeting with Westside at the Shark Tank.

The highly anticipated 2021-22 Ponte Vedra basketball season is under way and the Sharks have high hopes to equal, and perhaps even exceed, their outstanding record

from a year ago when they posted a PV best ever 22-5 record.

Second year head coach Kevin Whirity returns four regulars from that team and will also welcome to Ponte Vedra a pair of newcomers, 6’4 senior Ross Candelino, who averaged 14 points per game last year for Bishop Kenny, and 6’2 junior Trooper Price, who came to Ponte Vedra with his family when his father, Steve Price, took over the head coaching duties in football.  Trooper, the leading tackler for the Sharks this past season in football, will bring his athletic ability to the hardwoods where he will aid the Sharks with some strong defense and rebounding.

Returning from last year’s team are a trio of players who have been regulars for the Sharks for the last two seasons, seniors Luke Pirris and JT Kelly, and junior Nathan Bunkosky. Also returning from last year’s team is 6’4 Israel Nuhu, a junior with outstanding leaping skills who could be the missing piece of the puzzle for this season.

The Sharks opened their season on Nov 23 with an easy 60-29 road victory over an outmanned Menendez team.

The Sharks put on a shooting clinic in the second quarter when they tallied 32 points to take a commanding 48-14 lead at halftime.  When Ross Cadelino opened up the second half with a 2-pointer it made for a very quick second half as most of the final 16 minutes of action was played with a running clock.

The Sharks buried 11 three-pointers, all in the first half, with Bunkoski netting 4 of the long bombs. Bunkoski finished with 14 points while Cadelino added 12 as Whirity went to his bench early to give all his players some valuable playing time.

The Sharks played the game minus both Price and Nuhu, out with injuries, but coach Whirity is hopeful that both will return to action shortly, perhaps as soon as Tuesday’s road game at Bolles.  

This will be the ninth meeting between Bolles and PVHS with Bolles winning five of the first eight meetings. However, the Sharks won last year’s matchup and are hopeful of making it two in a row over the Bulldogs.

It’s a certainty that a couple of parents of the current Shark parents will have mixed emotions when the Sharks travel to Bolles Tuesday.

Sean Kelly, JT’s papa, had a stellar high school career during his much younger days while playing for Bolles many-many years ago.  And the newest of our Shark players, Ross Candelino, has more than a passing tie with Bolles.  Anthony Candelino, Ross’ father, was a former head coach for Bolles and was calling the shots when the Bulldogs captured the state championship in 2016.  

Sean Kelley was the co-captain of the 1988 and ‘89’ teams that was coached by legendary Bolles coach Buddy Ward. The 87-year old Ward, who led Bolles to seven final four appearances in eight years during the 1980s, will be in attendance at the PV-Bolles contest Tuesday.

Ross Candelino attended Bolles from K through 8^thgrade while JT Kelly played on the Bolles Middle School AAU team from 6^ththrough 8^thgrade.

The varsity game will be preceded by a JV contest that tips of at 6:00 PM with the varsity to follow at about 7:30.

Ponte Vedra 2020-21 Season Recap 

The number 13 certainly didn’t prove to be an unlucky number for the Ponte Vedra Sharks during the 2020-21 basketball season.  In their 13^thseason as a varsity sport, Team 13 would move to the top of the board in school history with their record of 22 wins against but 5 defeats.  Team 13 came oh so close to reaching the Regional Finals as they led Lee High for 3 quarters before falling just short in the season finale. 

The trademark for the 2020-21 Shark squad was unquestionably their tenacious defense.  The Sharks would often times just overwhelm their frustrated opponents resulting in a team record 352 combined steals, an impressive average of 13 steal per game.  When they weren’t pilfering their opponents with steals, the Sharks had no peers in the entire state with drawing charging fouls that also led to another PVHS possession. 

This author has been covering and watching Shark’s basketball in all but their initial season, and it was all too clear to me that the 2020-21 squad was clearly at the top of the ladder in defensive efficiency.   

A successful team generally needs a heavy mixture of seniors, and Team 13 surely was loaded with veteran leaders.  Logging most of the minutes for the class of 2021 were Alex Madson, Jack Polian and Rory Mayer.  They all had many ‘shining moments’ but it was their hustle and work ethic that proved contagious for their underclass teammates, a feature they hope will carry over into next season.  

Highlights were many and often during this more than bizarre season as one had to keep a lookout for one’s health, as much as one’s opponent due to COVID 19--- but let’s reflect on a few of those memorable moments.   

The Sharks got off to an amazing start to the season by racing out to a school record 10-0 record, despite the fact that many of the players had little practice time due to their commitment to football.  The Sharks proved early that they would be a force to be reckoned with in an early road win at Flagler Palm Coast, a team that had always proved troublesome in the past.

After a 57-47 home win over Bartram Trail, it was clear that the Sharks were well on their way to a most memorable season.  Luke Pirris totally dominated his 6’10 Division 1 opponent as he scored 26 points while totally shutting out the Bartram Trail center.  Pirris also set the tone, not only for the game, but for the season, when he drew 4 charging fouls.

The closest the Sharks came to a loss during their 10-game win streak was against their rivals from Nease High on December 11.  Trailing the Panthers by 3 points heading into the final quarter, the Sharks received some outstanding play from a pair of seniors to spark the comeback win. Jack Polian tallied a career high 14 points while Rory Mayer nearly had a double-double with 10 points and 9 hustle rebounds.

Even though the final score showed PV on the losing end, their toughness and grit were clearly exhibited in their first loss of the season to Nease. After a nearly 2-week period, when the entire squad was forced to remain quarantined at home, a quirk in the schedule necessitated the Sharks to play 2 games in one day without a practice. Despite this handicap, the Sharks nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback. Trailing by 13 points with but 2 minutes left to play, the Sharks put on a suffocating press that left them but 2 points short of a victory.

The Sharks put an exclamation point on their credentials with their 61-52 victory over a highly rated Bolles five.  Madson clearly outplayed his more heralded backcourt opponent, scoring a game high 20 points while missing but one shot during the contest.  A moment to remember in this game was when senior Matt Houser came off the bench late in the contest to make two pressure free throws that put the game out of reach for Bolles.

The Sharks entered the FHSAA tournament as the district’s top seed and they held serve with their ranking by breezing to their first district championship in five years with a 61-53 victory over St. Augustine.  Three days earlier Junior Luke Pirris put on a show with 35 points in a 74-51 first round tournament victory over Deltona, the second highest point total in a single game in Shark history.

A mark of a well-coached team is when a team is playing their best basketball at the end of the season. It was certainly true of the Sharks as they played perhaps their best game of the season in a first round regional 60-39 rout of Terry Parker.  

The Sharks put on a clinic on how to play defense as they completely smothered the Braves offense in the first half by coming up with 15 steals en route to a school record 22 swipes on the evening. 

The visiting Parker squad was held to but 1 single point in the first quarter and but 13 total tallies by halftime as the Sharks roared to a 28-13 lead. 

The memorable season finally came to an end, but not before coach Kevin Whirity’s Sharks gave it their all against a very talented and athletic Lee High Five.  After leading at every stop, the visitors from Lee came out on fire in the final stanza to take over the contest.  The Sharks trailed by just one point with less than 2 minutes left before Lee pulled away, ending the Sharks season with a best-ever 22-5 mark.

It was a season whereby many Sharks contributed to their sterling record.  Nine players had at least one game where they scored in double figures, with Pirris toping all scorers with 411 total tallies, 8^thhighest total in school history. 

A number of Sharks now find themselves etched into the record books with a trio of underclassmen sure to move up on the listing next season.    

Alex Madson concluded his stellar career for the Sharks as the number 10 career high scorer in PVHS annals.    Selected as one of but 20 seniors to appear in the FHSAA senior All-Star Game, Alex also is listed in the top 10 in steals and assists. Juniors Luke Pirris and JT Kelly are sure to move up the record board in 2021-22.   Luke is already all the way up to 5^thin career point totals and will probably pass his older brother JD Pirris before next season draws to a close.  Luke is also 5^thin free throws made for a career and only the all-time marks of D1 standouts Beau Beach and Jackson Johnson appear out of reach for Luke.

Kelly is a 3-point specialist who is currently tied at 8^thplace in career 3 pointers connected and will surely move up in that department. With still two years remaining as a Shark, sophomore Nathan Bunkosky is a cinch to rank among the all-time leaders in a multitude of departments.

Already the holder of the most points scored by a Freshman (18) in school history, Nathan is already listed in the top 10 in assists, steals and free throws made with plenty of games ahead for the 2-year regular.  

Although a number of talented players will return for the 2021-22 season, it will be a tough challenge to equal, or exceed this year’s record setting club.  However, with a full off-season to improve their game, the underclassmen led by Pirris, Kelly and Bunkosky are surely up for the task.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Editors Note:  This story will also appear in Thursday's Feb 25 issue of the Ponte Vedra Recorder

Lee High End Sharks Season

                                                                        BY JIM MOYES

Lee High of Jacksonville ended Ponte Vedra’s Magical season Tuesday night 53-44 in a score that was in no way indicative of how tight this contest was played.  The Sharks led at every stop before Lee outscored the hosts 21-9 to end the PVHS season with a marvelous record of 22-5.

Following a Luke Pirris 3-point play with 1:26 left on the clock the Sharks trailed the Generals by but one point 44-45.  However, that would prove to be the final points tallied by the Sharks as missed shots, a key turnover, and fouls doomed the Sharks down the stretch.

The game marked the end for 3 seniors, Alex Madson, Jack Polian and Rory Mayer who played a major role in the Sharks winning season. However, the Sharks return 3 of the 6 players who garnered all the minutes in the Lee contest, including Junior Luke Pirris who led all scorers with 21 points in the losing effort.  Sophomore Nathan Bunkosky and Junior JT Kelly who scored 13 points between them will certainly help form a solid group of returnees for the following season.

Both teams were evenly matched but one of the advantages for Lee was in their 3-point shooting as well as 3-point defense.  The Generals converted on 7 from behind the arc while the Sharks were limited to but 6 attempts and for the first time in their 27 game season, they failed to make a 3.

Even in defeat second year head coach Kevin Whirity lauded his 2020-21 squad.  “Their work ethic, unselfishness and determination was remarkable,” said Whirity.  “Never seen a group of men fight for something they love so hard.”

The Sharks earned their third-ever trip to the Regional semifinals and a date with Lee with a commanding 60-39 victory over Terry Parker on February 18.  The win helped atone for Parker’s first round overtime victory back in 2012 where Parker would then advance all the way to the State Final.

The visiting Parker squad was held to but 1 single point in the first quarter and but 13 total tallies by halftime as the Sharks roared to a 28-13 lead. 

The Sharks may have played their best overall game of the season as they received balanced scoring from all five of their starters, as well as playing tenacious defense for all 32 minutes. 

Luke Perris once again was the leading scorer for the Sharks with 16 tallies but his other starting teammates were huge contributors. 

Jack Polian ignited the Sharks in the opening quarter with 5 steals chipped in 11 points, while Nathan Bunkosky and Rory Mayer netted 10. Just missing making it unanimous for the starters to hit double figures, but playing an exceptional game, was Alex Madson. The senior guard made 4 of the 6 total shots he took on the evening count for 8 points, but he had no turnovers against the very quick Braves team. 
 

Whirity and his 2021 Sharks can be proud of the schools best ever mark of 22-5.  “They’re leaving behind a legacy that will never be forgotten and I am so proud to be a part of the PV Hoop brand. PV basketball has taken a gigantic step forward tonight with these men,” concludedthe PV mentor. 

Sharks Win District Title with 61-53 Win Over St. Augustine

By Jim Moyes

Ponte Vedra captured their first district championship in five years by defeating St. Augustine last Friday night on their home court 61-53.  The win advances the Sharks into the FHSAA regional playoffs where they host Terry Parker tonight (Thursday) with a 7 PM tip off.

The victory over the Yellow Jackets was the 2^ndwin during the week following an earlier 74-51 pasting of Deltona in a district semi-final.  The 1-2 scoring punch of Junior Luke Pirris and Senior guard Alex Madson paved the way for the Sharks as the pair combined for 91 points for their weeks work.

Pirris scored a career high 35 points in the Deltona contest and followed up with 16 in Friday’s final. After tallying 17 points in Tuesday’s win over Deltona, Madson poured in 23 tallies against St. Augustine. “Madson’s 23-point performance where he was 4 for 5 from the arc during this championship game is one for the ages,” lauded Sharks coach Kevin Whirity.

At one-point midway through the 3^rdquarter in Friday’s contest, the Sharks surged to a 20-point lead at 42-21, and it appeared they were headed to another easy victory.  However, the visiting Jackets went on a 10-0 run to cut the whopping deficit in half drawing some concern from coach Whirity.  “We learned a lot Friday (both good and bad) and we’ll be GRINDING all week long up to Thursday’s tough test against Terry Parker.”

A three-point play from Pirris stopped the run and both teams pretty much played even until the final buzzer. The closest St. Augustine came to the Sharks was 7 points at 53-46 with less than a minute remaining. However, led by baskets & free throws from Pirris and Madson, the Sharks held their lead.

So dominant were the Sharks in Tuesday’s opening round rout of Deltona that Pirris scored all 35 of his points in but 3 quarters of action as Coach Whirity emptied his bench for much of the final quarter.  

Pirris now becomes one of but three players in PVHS history to score 30 or more points in a single contest. Former UNF star Beau Beech holds the record with 45 markers in his senior season back in 2012 while Jackson Johnson poured in 31 against Fletcher, also in 2012.  

“Pound for Pound WATCH OUT,” gushes Shark Coach Whirity.  “No wonder the D1 football offers are flowing in. Pirris has the ability to score in such a variety of ways, creating many matchup challenges.  And while Luke is an exceptional athlete, his desire to win is second to none,” added the highly energetic Shark mentor. 

Ironically, it was the 2011-12 district championship Ponte Vedra team, featuring future D1 players Beech and Johnson, that would have their season come to an end in an overtime loss on the road to Terry Parker.  That contest remains as the only game played between the two schools prior to tonight’s game at the Shark Tank.  

Terry Parker will come into tonight’s game with a 15-7 record following their loss in the district finals to Lee High.  The Braves are led by a pair of seniors, 6’2 Lakese Natana and 6’4 Chris Victor. Natana brings a lofty 18 points a game average into the Shark Tank while Victor tallies about 12 points per outing. Victor will pose a problem for the Sharks on the boards as he pulls down about 12 missed shots a game.

If the Sharks come out on top, they would again play the role of a host as they would face the winner of the Lee High/St Augustine game on Tuesday February 23.

Editors Note:  This story also appeared in the Feb 18th edition of the Ponte Vedra Recorder

Editors Note:  Much of this story will also appear in the Ponte Vedra Recorder that will go on sale Jan. 28.

Sharks Head into Final Stretch with 18-2 Record

By Jim Moyes

The Ponte Vedra Sharks are heading down the home stretch with momentum on their side following their recent slate of games that improved their season record to an impressive 18 wins against but 2 setbacks. The three remaining games on the season against top notch competition should help the Sharks get battle tested for the playoffs looming just days ahead.

As this story goes to press it may be a surprise to many that the Sharks are sporting such a remarkable record, but perhaps more surprising is that they have played 20 games during this unprecedented season while dealing with the Covid pandemic.  Second year Shark head coach Kevin Whirity is quick to lay praise for seeing basketball in 2020-2021 become possible. 

Whirity first lauded the Fall coaches who proved early on that they could maintain compliance with Covid protocols and procedures.  “With that being said, I am still surprised that our season has been so ‘uninterrupted’ and am very grateful that our players, especially our Seniors, have been able to experience a full season,” said Whirity.

Ponte Vedra’s cagers were 4-1 for their last four contests. Only a hard- fought road loss to perennial power Providence prevented the Sharks from another two-week sweep without tasting defeat. The Sharks led at halftime over the host Stallions but a turnover prone third quarter turned the tide in favor of Providence.  

However, the Sharks would not suffer a letdown after their loss to Providence as they posted consecutive victories over Ridgeview, Bartram Trail, Westside and Menendez.

Unquestionably the keys for success for this year’s Shark team has been their suffocating defense. In back to back win over Ridgeview and Bartram Trail, the Sharks stole the ball 21 times in each win, a full six steals more than any other PVHS team has recorded in the schools brief 11-year history.  So stingy was the Sharks defense against Bartram Trail that the Bears failed to score a single point in the second quarter and only 20 for the entire game.

It was Senior night for the Sharks last Friday against Westside and Coach Whirity played only seniors for the first quarter of the contest that found the Sharks forced to dig out of a 21-10 hole.  The regulars then took the floor to begin the second quarter and they began to slowly chip away at the double-digit deficit.  

Although it was Senior night, when the Sharks finally took their first lead early in the fourth quarter, it was a quartet of underclassmen who put on one of the best 30 seconds of basketball ever displayed in front of the home fans.  Sophomore Israel Nuhu took a perfect pass from Junior Luke Pirris and scored on a thunderous dunk to give the Sharks a 42-41 lead. Seconds later Pirris went high to snare a rebound following a Nuhu blocked shot and quickly found sophomore Nate Bunkosky with the outlet pass.  Nate threw a crosscourt pass to Junior JT Kelly who calmly swished a three-pointer to build the lead to four.

It was then time for the Seniors to take charge on their night and it was Alex Madson and Rory Mayer who delivered in the clutch in overtime to nail down the hard-earned victory. The 65 points from the defensive minded sharks was their highest point total thus far on the season and they needed every one of those points as Westside was a blistering hot 9 for 14 on their three-point shots.

Madson, Mayer, and Jack Polian have been the heart and soul of this year’s team and will be sorely missed by Coach Whirity when next season rolls around.  “Those three have been named captains for this team for their passion, effort, leadership and so many other roles they display every day,” added Whirity.  He was also quick to  add that he is in complete denial that they won’t be back next year, and he plans to keep it that way until the season is over.

Although the above-named Seniors have played important roles during their senior season, a couple of other Sharks have had their day in the spotlite.  Aiden Frien & Will Irwin have each scored in double figures in a game while injuries have limited Dominic Latzko, Jackson Hughes and Jacob Greer to a couple of brief cameo appearances. Senior Max Houser came off the bench stone cold in a big victory over Bolles to make a couple of free throws in the games waning moments. 

“Player leadership is absolutely essential to a successful team and all of our Seniors have demonstrated that this season,” said Whirity. “They amaze me with their athletic abilities, their competitiveness on and court and in the classroom, and generosity. These guys make me laugh every day and they’re considerate and caring even when they didn’t have the best day or played their best game, They respect their parents and our school, and above all they’re humble-possibly the most humble 18-2 team that ever was – and the Seniors, as leaders of this team – set that example for their younger teammates every day. As their lowly coach, I couldn’t be more proud of these 9 young men and I look forward to following their success for a long time to come,” added the proud coach.

The Sharks begin their final games of the season against a trio of tough opponents beginning with a road contest Friday Jan 29 against a 10-6 Bishop Kenny five.  Next Tuesday the Sharks will travel to 16-4 Episcopal before returning home for a regular season Friday night finale against arch-rival Nease (13-4).

Whirity added his thoughts on playing our final three opponents: “Our remaining schedule will be very difficult, but it will be a great practice in how to make the proper adjustments which will be vital in the playoffs. While winning is nice, our focus has been, and always will be, on developing as a team. Our motto for the final stretch and into the playoffs is ‘it doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger’.”

Sharks Now 14-1 following 3 Game Sweep

Ponte Vedra’s boys’ basketball team completed yet another successful three game stretch without a setback last week, but it wasn’t easy. The three-game sweep with victories over Trinity Christian, Bolles and Fletcher stretched their record to 14 wins against but one setback, easily the best start in school history.

The Sharks began their week with a decisive 58-16 victory over Trinity Christian.  So stingy was the PVHS defense that the 16 points tallied by Trinity were the fewest points allowed by a Shark team in the 13 years of Ponte Vedra basketball.  With a tough Bolles squad on the docket to face the Sharks the following evening, Coach Kevin Whirity was able to give several of his players some much needed rest as eleven of his players dented the scoring column.

Bolles invaded the Shark Tank the following night with a highly ranked team that had only tasted defeat once during the season.  A fired-up PVHS five got off to a resounding start as they bolted out to 17-2 start against the visiting Bulldogs.  

The Bulldogs showed why they boasted an outstanding record as they chipped away at the deficit and seemingly had the Sharks on the ropes.  With the Sharks clinging to a one-point lead with about 2 minutes remaining in the hard-fought contest, senior guard Alex Madson came up with the pivotal play of the game.  Madson took an inbounds feed from JT Kelly and banked in a contested layup to give the Sharks a 53-50 lead.  Fouled on the play, Alex cashed in the free throw that ignited a closing 10-1 run by the victorious Sharks.

Madson was terrific in the 61-52 victory and drew high praise from his coach.  “Alex has been a rock for us all season,” gushed Whirity. “His ability to contribute and impact the game across so many facets is uncanny: lock down the opponent’s top scorer, grab rebounds at the rim, equal a single game steal record, be a leader in charges taken, handle defensive pressure, dish out countless assists, score 20+ if need be, and if given enough runway and the wind is just right…flush one down to ignite the crowd. The guy can flat out play, and no stage is ever too big,” added Whirity who saw Madson score 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the field while adding a trio of steals and assists.  

A perfect illustration to this year’s added team depth came late in the game.  After a double technical foul was called late in the contest with the game clearly on the line, Whirity had to send somebody off the bench to shoot a pair of free throws.  “Max Houser coming in off the bench to hit two huge free throws against Bolles was clutch,” praised Whirity.  

Two days after the big program victory over Bolles, the Sharks were dealt a rude awakening from a talented Fletcher team.  The Sharks played a poor first half against the visiting Senators that did not at all please the Sharks energetic second year mentor.  “Our guys needed a quick reminder of the game plan and that our effort level was poor,” resulting in Whirity calling on his reserves to play much of the second quarter. “Fletcher was playing as a team and was executing with much higher energy,” said Whirity.

It looked like the Sharks were doomed to defeat when they trailed by 10 points with but 6 minutes remaining.  Suddenly, after shooting seemingly nothing but blanks at the basket for much of the contest, coupled with some clutch out court shooting from Jack Polian and JT Kelly as well as a stifling defense, the Sharks roared back with a 15-2 run to keep their winning streak intact with their comeback 50-46 win.  

“We need to be more consistent from the arc,” said Whirity, “and find ways to get inside during our shooting droughts. That said, it was also great to see Jack and JT shoot it with such confidence when the game was on the line. They can get hot quickly and they did so just at the right time.”

Luke Pirris had the Shark scorers with 13 points while sophomore Nathan Buncosky had 11 tallies.  Whirity was also pleased with his teams’ depth over last weeks stretch.  Sophomore Isreal Nuhu earned some kudos from his coach after playing his best game of the season against Fletcher with a team leading 8 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.  “Israel continues to improve daily and the sky is the limit for this young man,” added Whirity. “His defensive presence, rebounding, passing, and ability to get out and run has added another dynamic piece to our playbook.”

The Sharks will take the court tonight against a traditional local, and state power, when they tip off against Providence and their legendary coach Jim Martin.  The Sharks then will return home Friday to host Ridgeview.

Editor’s Note:  Much of this story will be in Thursday’s edition of the Recorder

Ponte Vedra Boys Hoops Begin New Year with 11-1 Record

After completing their best start in school history with 11 wins against but one defeat, the Ponte Vedra Sharks are hoping the New Year will bring contined success for their program. Although the Sharks had lots of company during this unparalleled pandemic, they too were presented with many challenging obstacles.

Coach Kevin Whirity’s Sharks traveled to Creekside without 4 regulars but persevered by defeating a once beaten Creekside five 46-38.  Whirity got some welcome support from his reserves including 13 points from senior Aiden Frien who had not even tallied a single point leading up to the tilt with Creekside.  His performance was highly noted by his coach. “It’s unbelievable what this man has endured the last couple of months. He’s been sidelined with injuries and quarantine but has soaked up our strategies and rises to every challenge he’s been presented,” lauded Whirity.  “Aiden’s offensive and defensive contributions have been monumental over the past 4 games.”

Sporting a perfect 9-0 record and scheduled to appear in a holiday tournament beginning Dec 21 at Orange Park, the Sharks were forced to cancel their 3-game outing due to COVID contacting for an unknown number of players.

However, thanks to the benevolence and compassion from their friends at Clay Co, the Sharks were last minute invites to Clay County High’s own Holiday tournament.  However, one more obstacle stood in the way:  The tournament started on December 28^thand the Sharks were not cleared from their quarantine until the 29^th.  In order to pave the way for the Sharks to compete, not only would the Sharks have to play two games on Tuesday the 29^th, but so would the host Blue Devils.

“While we were physically separated for twelve days, we kept in close contact via zoom and even received words of encouragement from guest speakers such as David Diehl (2x NY Giant Super Bowl Champ) and Mayport Naval Station Helicopter Commander, Brandon Jenkins,” said the always upbeat Ponte Vedra coach.  “And the on the 12^thDay of Christmas, Clay High School graciously gave our Sharks the oportunity to reunite and jump back in the ‘water’ head-first. What a great way to get our men back in shape and see the true passion for competition come out in full force!” 

The Sharks not only went 12 days without a game, but they went 12 days without even a practice.  In their opening game of the tourney the Sharks understandably got off to a frigid start and trailed 14-6 after the first quarter. The Sharks recovered and rallied to defeat the Blue Devils 55-39 with Junior Luke Pirris scoring a career high 26 points. 

The Sharks, after defeating Clay in a noon start, returned later that night to face their arch-rivals from Nease High School.  It appeared the Sharks were in for a long night against the Panthers as they missed an unprecedented 19 consecutive attempts from 3-point land.  Nease coach Josh Bailen had a suburb game plan against the Sharks, who had defeated Nease 19 days earlier 48-41.  Clogging up the middle, to prevent patented Pirris drives to the rim, paid off huge dividends for Nease as they held the Sharks leading scorer to but a single field goal in the 43-41 win.

The Sharks trailed by 13 points with but 2 minutes remaining in the contest when Whirity then employed a desperate, but very effective, full court press against Nease. Coming up with a number of steals and finally able to convert their only three pointers on the evening, the Sharks trailed by only 2 points with still a half minute remaining in the contest. 

 “Knowing the toughness of our guys, our staff didn’t bat an eye at playing two games in one day,” added Whirity. “However, the level of grit they put on display in the last minutes of their eighth quarter of the day even shocked me, their biggest fan…that was something special,” added the proud coach.  

The Sharks had a couple of good looks during the game’s final moments but neither of their shots for the win found their mark.

Not to be deterred with the loss against Nease, the Sharks returned to the court the next day and played perhaps their best game of the season, an impressive 65-49 victory over an athletic Orange Park team. Balanced scoring was the key for the Sharks as Pirris (19), Alex Madson (16) and sophomore Nathan Bunkosky (14) all were in double figures. Aided by their newly found full court press the Sharks twice went on long runs to pull away from the Raiders. “The OP win was big,” added Whirity. “They are so well coached, athletic, can shoot it and crash the glass hard.  We learned a lot from that game.”

“While we’ve built a strong foundation, our challenges ahead will only intensify and necessitate an elevated level of play” said Whirity. “We’re looking forward to increased practice time in the second half of the season.” 

 The Sharks return to action this week with another busy 3-game schedule.  The Sharks will travel to travel to Trinity Christian on Monday night before returning home to the Shark Tank for two home games.  On Tuesday the Sharks will face perhaps their toughest challenge of the season when they welcome the once beaten Bolles Bulldogs to the Tank. Bolles only loss on the season was to one of the top ranked teams in the state, Lee High.  Thursday it will be the Battle of the Beach with Fletcher being their 3^rdand final opponent on the busy week.  

Editor Note:

Much of the following story can be viewed in Thursday's Edition of the Ponte Vedra Recorder.

Sharks 7-0 after topping Nease 48-41

Ponte Vedra kept their early season winning streak alive following a 48-41 victory over arch-rival Nease last Friday. After defeating Fleming Island (59-46) and St. Augustine St. Joseph (29-21) earlier in the week, the win over Nease marked the second straight week in which the Sharks won all three of their scheduled games.

With a suffocating defense, and a team loaded with depth, the Sharks will head to St. Augustine tomorrow night in an attempt to keep their streak intact.  Although Junior Luke Pirris is the only Shark to average in double figures (15.4 ppg.), second year head coach Kevin Whirity has seen 7 of his players score in double figures at one time or another during the early part of the season.

While Piris once again led Shark scorers with 16 points (and 9 rebounds) against Nease, the Sharks got a real spark from a pair of Seniors who stepped up to rescue their mates. Jack Polian netted a career high 14 points while Rory Mayer added a season high 10 tallies.

When asked if he was surprised at the play he got from Polian and Mayer, Whirity replied: “surprised, no… Impressed, Yes.  Mayer is simply a ‘gamer’ who scored from all depths on the court, distributed, rebounded (nine total), and locked down some great offensive weapons. He as a man on a mission and I like our chances whenever he flips ‘that switch’” said coach Whirity. “Our ‘Man in the Arena’ Jack Polian fears no challenge and he stepped up big time! Hitting four three-pointers against your arch-rival is a timeless memory for our entire PV family and one he’ll most likely be informing his grandkids about,” added the pleased coach.

Although many of the Shark shooters had an off night, certainly their defense didn’t take the day off.  Trailing 30-27 heading into the final quarter, the Sharks held the Panthers to but 2 field goals over the final 8 minutes while piling up 21 points to pull away from their rival. “Shooting comes and goes and they all found a way to contribute.  Next man up. At this day in time more so than ever, every player must be prepared and ready to embrace the challenge.  We have a big hill to climb and it will take all 17 men to get us to the top,” added Whirity. 

 “Defense is the backbone of our program and our guys take tremendous pride in working to perfect their craft. While we have a ways to go to get to where we want to be, there’s no shortage of heart and soul in these men. Their intensity and tenacity makes me feel like I’m 18 years old again….I’m one lucky guy” gushed Whirity. 

 During the entire game the Nease guards were constantly pressured by the PV athletic backcourt foursome of Alex Madson, Nathan Bunkosky, Will Irwin, and JT Kelly. Pirris blocked 3 Panther shots during the contest while Mayer, who is generously listed at 6-feet tall, pulled down 9 rebounds, three more than any of the taller Panther rebounders.

Both teams were tentative in the game’s first 4 minutes of play with only a single point displayed on the huge Nease scoreboard, a free throw from the Shark’s Luke Pirris. Shortly thereafter the Panthers Logan Ryan swished a pair of long 3 pointers and his teammate Kevin Fifield another as Nease enjoyed their biggest lead of the night at 9-1.

The Sharks battled all the way back to tie the score at 15 apiece midway through the second quarter when Polian netted the second of his four made three-point shots on the night. It was Polian again who delivered the biggest shots of the game by drilling a pair of triples in the final quarter to make a tied game at 34, now a six-point 40-34 Shark advantage, a lead they would not surrender.

“The Panthers are extremely well coached, disciplined, and compel their opponents to step up to the challenge.  I couldn’t be more proud of how our guys responded,” said Whirity.

Submitted by Jim Moyes

Sharks Open Season with Perfect 6-0 Start

What a difference a year makes! After the first 6 games to begin the 2019-20 season the Ponte Vedra Sharks were a woeful 1-5; outscored by their opponents by a whopping 103 points in their 6 losses.

The worm turned after the first five games last season with the call up to the varsity of a pair of sophomores (Luke Pirris and JT Kelly and a freshman (Nate Bunkosky).  That trio, combined with Alex Madson, Jack Polian, and Rory Mayer gave the Sharks their 6 leading performers from the previous year.

Now a veteran squad, the Sharks have exploded out of the gates by winning their first 6 contests this season, with all victories achieved by large victory margins. The first three games to open the campaign were played on the road before the Sharks returned home Friday to make Bartram Trail their fourth victim. 

After pounding Stanton Prep 58-30 in their November 24 opener, the Sharks defeated Palm Coast 51-41 on Dec 1^stand then made Menendez victim number 3 with a 47-32 conquest of the Falcons. Coach Kevin Whirity’s cagers then made last week a complete success by disposing of rival Bartram Trail 57-47 on their home court.

Although the Sharks, who averaged but 44 points per game last season, and have now improved this season’s output by 8 points each outing, it is on the defensive side of the ball where the Sharks have been most impressive.  The very athletic Sharks have slammed the door on their first four opponents by giving less than 40 points each contest.

 Each game seemingly has seen a different Shark take center stage during their current hot streak.  Displaying the added depth of this year’s squad, two players came off the bench to spark a Shark victory.  Junior JT Kelly 

 scored a career high 20 points in the Palm Coast victory, while senior Will Irwin scored 11 of his career-high 13 points in the win over Menendez.

6’4 Junior Luke Pirris, days removed from being selected as a 1^stteam All State performer on the PVHS Football team, twice as led the Sharks in scoring, with 17 in the season opener with Stanton Prep and then saved his best for an always good Bartram Trail five.  On Friday night Pirris singed the nets for a career equaling best of 26 points.  He also was a stalwart on defense as he held his 6’10 opposing center scoreless while drawing 4 charging fouls.

Sophomore Nate Bunkosky has been a steady performer in the early going and is one performer that Coach Whirity is reluctant to take off the court.  With an average of 10 points a game Nate is a lockdown defender on defense and leads the team in assists and steals.  Adding valuable depth to the Shark attack this season has been a pair of seniors, Rory Mayer and Jack Polian, who have played important roles with their rebounding and tenacious defense. Still waiting in the wings is promising Freshman, 6’5 Ethan Reinheimer, who has played well thus far in limited action and, following a week without seeing action, sophomore Israel Nuhu returned to the courts this week and played a huge role in a pair of Shark victories. 

After a pair of victories this past week, a 59-46 victory over Fleming Island, and a most bazaar conquest of a fired- up St. Joseph team the following night, the Sharks will face their toughest task on the young season Friday night when they travel just a few minutes down Nocatee Parkway to play arch-rival Nease. This game has always seen capacity crowds for all their battles over the years, but due to COVID restrictions seating will be at a premium and very limited. Fans who cannot attend can witness the game on the NFHS network with an early starting time of 6:00 PM. 

Optimism reigns supreme for the 2020-21 edition of Ponte Vedra Boys basketball despite concerns of the 

dreaded COVID pandemic and the lack of practice preparation heading into this week’s opener at Stanton Prep.

Second year head coach Kevin Whirity welcomed back his top 6 players from last year’s 10-14 team, but the second-year head coach had a long wait before he could field a full squad. The five leading scorers from last year’s youthful team also played football for the Sharks and have had only a handful of practices before the official start of this season.

“Our pre-season beginning of the season was far from ideal as we navigated COVID 19 and the end of the football season, but it’s all about perspective,” said Whirity.  “I am so grateful to be able to practice and have our season no matter the restrictions! My brother-in-law coaches an elite high school program in Chicago, and their season is ‘postponed’ until at least the Spring. 

“We are very lucky to have so many returning players,” said the energetic PVHS coach.  “Another year to develop these guys in our offensive is invaluable. We have a lot of talent in our Freshman and Sophomore classes this year and Israel Nuhu (Soph) and Ethan Reinheimer (Fr) are two great examples of that talent.  We can’t wait to develop them and use their height and agility to unlock new facets of our offense.”

The Sharks split their pre-season games last week, dropping a close game to Episcopal on Tuesday but then posted a come from behind 47-46 victory over Wolfson two days later. 

The Sharks, who were crushed by the host Episcopal team 62-38 last season, lost the nail biter despite their two leading scorers from a year ago, Alex Madson and Luke Pirris not suited up for the contest.  Three other Shark regulars from 2019-20, Jack Polian, Rory Mayer, and Nathan Buncosky, had but one practice before last Tuesday’s pre-season opener.

Pirris did return on Thursday as the Sharks, trailing by as many as 14 points, rallied in the final stanza to nip Wolfson. Madson is currently recovering from his injury and has been able to attend practice and participate, but in a limited capacity. “His full return is unknown as it depends on when he’s back to full strength” added Whirity. “I’m so proud of his commitment to the team though, he has been highly involved at practices and games so far this season; always looking to be a leader and even doing some of the scouting in his down time? Can’t wait to have him back,” said Whirity. 

In addition to the five football players, and junior JT Kelly returning to the rotation, Whirity has high hopes for a pair of newcomers who have displayed considerable promise in recent workouts.  “We have a lot of talent in our Freshman and Sophomore classes this year and 6’3 Sophomore Israel Nuhu and 6’5 Freshman Ethan Reinheimer are two of the great examples of the talent. 

Nuhu came off the bench in the Wolfson contest and filled up the stat sheet by scoring 10 points -- that included a thunderous dunk, a multitude of rebounds, 4 steals and a block shot.  Reinheimer led the Sharks in rebounding in the Wolfson contest, despite playing less than half the game as coach Whirity gave all 13 of his players playing time. Buncosky, yet another sophomore led the Sharks in scoring with 12 points, while Pirris in limited action chipped in with 8.

When asked how enthused he was for the upcoming season Whirity said: “On a scale of 1-10, I am an 11 for excitement.  I cannot stress enough what an outstanding group of young men I get the privilege to coach every day. They are intelligent, funny, dedicated, and have a ton of love for the game of basketball which is key.  The season is off to a great start in terms of camaraderie, dedication, desire to win, and fun” added Whirity.  We believe perfecting the ‘little things’ will take our program to the next level and we’ll continue to work on those fundamentals to master the game.”

Coach Whirity concluded by saying: The philosophy of our motion offense is not to rely on any 1 or 2 guys but to create a nucleaus of players that and read & react to any defensive strategy.  Our motto for the year is “Make your Bed”. Which is a nod to the beliefs of control what you can control, and do the small things right to propel you forward! Make your bed and GO SHARKS”!

The Sharks opened their season this past Tuesday with a convincing win over Stanton Prep and will welcome a full week of practice before resuming their Schedule with three games the first week of December, beginning on the 1^stwith a road game at Flagler Palm Coast.

Second year head coach Kevin Whirity and his still young Shark hoopsters have high hopes for the coming season as they return all 6 of their leading scorers from last year's 10-14 team.

The bad news is that coach Whirity has had little time to mesh five of these players into the pre-season practices as they were occupied by playing on the Ponte Vedra football team.  After but one practice, with still 2 of their leading performers from the previous season still sidelined with injuries or illness, the Sharks traveled to Episcopal for an early pre-season contest with Episcopal and nearly came away with a victory. With the game tied at 41-41 with the Sharks in possession of the ball and a chance to take the last shot, Ponte Vedra launched a 3 point attempt with too much time on the clock. An Eagle player snatched the rebound and had time to race coast to coast to make the game winning layup.

The pair of pre-season games saw coach Whirity use his entire roster in an attempt to find his best rotation of players. It appears the final quarter of the second pre-season game with Wolfson might go a long way in establishing a set lineup.  Trailing by as many as 14 points to Wolfson, a lineup comprised of senior Jack Polian, juniors JT Kelly and Luke Pirris, and a pair of sophomores in Nathan Bunkosky and Israel Nehu rallied to edge Wolfson 47-46.

Sophomores Bunkosky (12 points) and Nehu with 10 led the Shark scorers with Nehu filling up the stat sheet with 4 steals, 3 rebounds, a blocked shot and a thunderous slam dunk to ignite the PVHS comeback. After missing the opening game with Episcopal, Luke Pirris, after but one practice with his teammates, had 8 points in his brief tenure on the court.

The Sharks are hopeful that last year's second leading scorer to Pirris, senior guard Alex Madson will soon return to action after suffering an injury during the football season.  The Sharks will start the season for real Tuesday, November 24 when they travel to Stanton Prep.

Sharks host Nease Friday Night

How close has this rivalry been since Ponte Vedra became a high school back in 2008?  So close that this renowned series has seen each team win 12 games while losing 12.  The Sharks have reigned over the last dozen games winning 9 of the 12 matches after being dominated in the earlier years by the Panthers.

Nease won the first 5 games played in this series before the Sharks won at the Shark Tank 64-60 in 2012 with Beau Beech scoring a still standing single game record of 45 points.  The Sharks and Panthers would again meet for the district championship in 2012 when the dynamic duo of Beech and Jackson Johnson, the only 2 players thus far to play Division 1 basketball for the Sharks, combined for 55 of the 59 points in the 59-47 victory.

Coach Josh Beilen’s Panthers bring an impressive 10-6 record to the Shark tank Friday evening, but have dropped their last two games.  Meanwhile the Sharks, after beginning the season with a 1-4 start, have won their last two games to improve their season record to 7 wins against 8 defeats.

The two rivals split last year’s pair of games with each team winning on their home court. The Panthers, although fielding a very young team, return a number of players who were regulars last season, while the Sharks field a squad where only 2 points were scored by a returnee from last year’s team.

Both teams have a promising future as only one senior, Nease’s Payton Nordness, is a starter for Friday’s game.  The Panthers are led in scoring this year by sophomore guards Logan Ryan and Matt Guise, averaging 15.1 and 10.3 respectively.  

A large and always enthusiastic crowd will pack the Shark tank while all Ponte Vedra fans are encouraged to wear white attire.  Tip-off is scheduled for around 7:30 PM following a JV contest at 6:00 PM.

 Improved Sharks Receive Much Needed Holiday Break

Playing a rigorous schedule of 6 games in but 8 days that would put a strain on a veteran NBA team, the rejuvenated and very young Ponte Vedra team welcomed a Holiday break that will not resume until a Tuesday January 7^thgame at Fleming Island.

Only a 3-point buzzer beater on the road at Bartram Trail, coupled with a weary and sleep deprived team playing a tournament game just hours after an exhausting victory over arch-rival Creekside, prevented this vastly improved Sharks team from possibly compiling an envious 5-1 record during this demanding span.  

Opening the season with 97 per cent of their offense missing from the previous season, the Sharks began the 2019-20 campaign by losing 4 of their first 5 games, salvaging a lone victory against an outmanned St. Joseph Academy squad.  To compound the problem, first year head coach Kevin Whirity was missing a number of his better players from his earlier practices who were members of the playoff bound football team.

After a blow-out lost to an outstanding Providence team, coach Whirity pulled the trigger and called up 3 players from an undefeated JV team in hopes of stopping the bleeding. And my how that decision paid immediate dividends!

Although they lost their first game following Whirity’s bold move, the Sharks gave Paxon, one of the area’s top-rated teams a scare in a 53-46 loss.  The next day the 3 newcomers, freshman Nathan Bunkosky and sophomores Luke Pirris and JT Kelly, tallied 40 of the team’s 50 points as the Sharks nipped neighboring Fletcher 50-48.  

The Sharks did face a bunch of ‘cupcakes’ during this grueling stretch of games. Following a victory over First Coast the Sharks would travel to Bartram Trail on December 17 to face an always well coached team.  The Sharks spotted the Bears a 10-0 lead before Coach Whirity sent his newcomers into the game.  The young Sharks fought all the way back to eventually tie up the game before a desperation 3 pointer at the buzzer downed their hopes of an improbable road victory.

Two days later the Sharks upset Creekside 40-38 in a hard-fought contest. The Sharks had little time to celebrate their emotional victory over their rivals as they would return to the court just hours later for a Friday game scheduled for noon at a tournament in Fleming Island. The weary Sharks, also playing shorthanded without the services of a flu ridden JT Kelly, shot miserably from the field and committed 18 turnovers in the loss to Admiral Farragut.

Playing their 6^thgame in 8 days the Sharks couldn’t possibly have little gas left in their tank. To make matters even worse, their game with Frankfort, Kentucky would turn into a 2-overtime marathon.  Coach Whirity needed contributions from all of his players and got a much-needed boost when reserve guard Will Irwin perhaps saved the day for the Sharks when he stole the ball and sank 2 clutch free throws to send the game into overtime.  Junior guard Alex Manson then took over in the 2^ndOT to tally 7 of his 18 points has the Sharks prevailed 75-72.  Luke Pirris added a career high 21 points while the youngest Shark player, Nate Bunkosky added 15.  Also scoring in double figures, and playing a huge role down the stretch, was Junior Roy Meyer who became the fourth Shark in double figures with 10 points.

Following the road trip to Fleming Island for the first ever meeting between the two schools, the Sharks will have their first home game in the New Year on Monday, January 13 vs. Flagler Palm Coast.

d

 Sharks defeat First Coast for 2nd victory at Fortegra Invite

In a game played at a pace out of the 1940s, a patient Ponte Vedra team won their second straight game at the Fortegra Invite with a 39-36 victory over First Coast.  After scoring but 4 points in the entire 3^rdquarter, the Sharks trailed in their first ever meeting with First Coast by 7 points with 6:40 left in the game.

The Sharks then went on a 11-0 the rest of the game while holding First Coast scoreless until a meaningless tip in just a fraction before the final horn.

7 Sharks appeared in the scoring column, none of whom reached double figures in the low scoring contest.  Sophomore Luke Pirris and junior Holden Kangas netted 8 points with Pirris netting 6 of his 8 points during the Sharks pivotal closing stretch run. Freshman Nathan Bunkosky had another solid game for the Sharks with a team leading 4 assists while committing but one turnover in nearly 32 minutes of action.  The very young Sharks, with but 1 senior seeing action during the 3-game tournament, will begin a busy 3 game schedule before the Holiday break, first traveling to Bartram Trail for a Tuesday contest followed by Thursday and Saturday clashes with Creekside (home) and Fleming Island.

Sharks post 1-3 record to begin 2019-20 Season

To say that new head coach Kevin Whirity was handed an inexperienced team to begin the 2019-20 season would be a gross understatement.   Players returning who have suited up in a Shark uniform this season accounted for but 36 of the 1389 points tallied by last year’s team.

That’s more than 97% of the offense!

Not only did the entire starting five depart via graduation, but the first 3 players off the bench have been lost either by transferring or injuries. 

The leading returning scorer from last year’s team, James Kohnke, has missed the first four games of the current season but coach Whirity is hopeful that the 6’2 Kohnke will be back in action soon.

The lone win during the early stretch of the season was a 55-40 decision over St. Joseph Academy at the Shark Tank on December 3. The losses were to 3 talented opponents, Bishop Kenny, Impact Christian and Oakleaf.  

The Sharks have clearly struggled to put points on the board but in their last contest on December 6 against Oakleaf, coach Whirity had to be pleased with the Sharks fourth quarter output against Oakleaf when they tallied 27 points.  

Junior guard Ryan Madson has been a bright spot for the Sharks this season. A wide receiver on the Ponte Vedra football team, Madson has been  a consistent scorer by scoring in double figures in all 4 games.  However, only two Sharks have tallied 10 points in more in any other contest, Ryan Irwin netted 11 on the win over St. Joseph while Rory Mayer tallied an even 10 points in the recent loss to Oakleaf.

            The road to victories won’t come any easier for the Sharks as they prepare for this week’s taxing schedule with 4 games on the docket, all on the road.  Tuesday, December 10^ththe Sharks travel to Providence looking for their first win over the perennial powerhouse in school history.  From December 12 through December 14 the Sharks will play in a tournament at Episcopal with opponents and times TBA.

After staying close to a talented Palatka five for the first half, the Sharks ran into a buzzsaw in the second half as the Panthers ended the Ponte Vedra season 58-37.

With the defeat the Sharks end the season with a record of 10-16, their fewest wins since the 2009-10 season.

Much work will have to be done before the start of the 2019-20 campaign, as Ponte Vedra will be without five graduating seniors who scored 87 per cent of the points this season.  Only returning reserves James Kohnke and Caden Fordham saw extended minutes.

All five of the departing seniors did make a mark in the Ponte Vedra record book following the loss to Palatka.  

With more than 600 career points, Reese Russi stands at number 5 in all-time PVHS scoring while Ben Houser slipped into the top 10 rankings at number 7.

Luke Martin displayed expert marksmanship at the free throw stripe by nailing 60 of his 70 free throw attempts and will cap his career by making 86 of his 107 charity tosses. His 85.7% for the season and 80.3% for his 2 year career nudges him just ahead of Jackson Johnson in percentages. In fairness to Johnson, Luke’s sample size was much smaller than Jacksons. Johnson, who played D1 basketball at Tulane made his mark by attempting 458 shots, more than 4 times Martin’s 107.

Logan Conway was the defensive ace for the current Sharks.   The two-sport standout ended his career with nearly 100 steals, good for sixth all-time in Shark annals.  Johnny Corlazzoli, who capped his career by playing his finest basketball down the stretch, will see his name posted in the record books as the sixth all-time career assist leader at Ponte Vedra High.

The Sharks trailed a Palatka team that went to the final four the previous season by only 2 points, 20-18 at the halftime break, and were still within striking distance at the 3 quarter break trailing 33-26.  But then the wheels came off the Sharks in the final 8 minutes of action as Palatka outgunned the Sharks 25-11 to pull away for an outcome that was much closer than the final score.

Only Reese Russi and Johnny Corlazzoli reached double figures for the Sharks, and just barely at 10 points each.  Palatka did an outstanding job by nearly shutting out 2 of the top 3 scorers all season for PVHS.  Luke Martin had five points, but none in the second half, while the team’s leading scorer all year, Ben Houser, was held scoreless for the game.

Ponte Vedra closed out their regular season schedule on the upswing with a convincing 56-38 victory over arch rival Nease.

6’2 senior guard Reese Russi had an outstanding game for the Sharks with 19 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds and a pair of steals that resulted in 2 pointers, as the hosts won their second game in a row heading into next weeks playoffs.

The victory atoned for an earlier 57-48 loss to the Panthers earlier in the season.

It has become apparent that coach Bud Beech has settled on a seven man rotation for the upcoming playoffs with 5 veteran seniors comprising the starting five.

Johnny Corlazzoli, Luke Martin, Logan Conway, and Ben Houser joined Russi in the starting lineup and in appears that all five are now playing at the top of their game.  Houser (15 points) and Martin (10 points) were again in double figures in the scoring department to complement Russi’s 19 tallies.

Corlazzoli brought toughness and leadership to the court while notching 7 points in addition to playing a steady game as the point guard.  Although Conway was not as sharp in his shooting (18 points in Tuesday’s win over Fletcher), Logan was a defensive stopper in the victory.

After a close first quarter that saw the Sharks take a narrow 17-15 lead after the first 8 minutes of action, the Sharks pulled away to take a comfortable 35-24 lead at the halftime break.

Ponte Vedra then stretched the lead to 47-35 after 3 quarters before the Sharks nearly shutout the Panthers in the fourth period.  There was less than a minute remaining in the final quarter before the young Panthers were able to put points on the board as the Sharks outscored Nease 9-3 over the final 8 minutes of play.

Another near capacity crowd was on hand for the traditional rivalry contest, and when the final buzzer had sounder, the enthusiastic student body on hand flooded the floor to congratulate their victorious classmates.

The Sharks will return to action Monday night at the Shark Tank when they will host Menendez in the opening round of district play.

Ponte Vedra lost for the third game in a row and have now dropped 7 of their last 8 contests to fall to a disappointing overall record of 7-14 heading into the final week of the regular season.

The 86 points tallied by the victorious Bolles squad equaled the highest points given up by the Sharks in school history.

Coach Bud Beech played platoon basketball in an attempt to get the Sharks out of their slump but to no avail.  

Ponte Vedra took a brief 12-11 lead midway through the opening period but it was all Bolles the rest of the evening.  A poor second quarter doomed the Sharks as they were only able to tally 6 points to the visiting Bulldogs 17 as the hosts trailed 37-23 at the halftime break.

Playing less than half the game, 6-5 senior Luke Martin gave the Sharks a little spark in the third quarter when he led the Sharks on a 9-3 run  by scoring 8 of his ten points in a two minute span.

Ben Houser and Reese Russi scored all 21 of PV's 21 fourth quarter points but the Bolles second half total of 49 was too much for the Sharks to overcome.

Playing before their largest crowd of the 2018-19 season, all 13 players dressed for the game saw action, but only Houser (17), Russi (16) and Martin (10) were in double figures.

The Sharks will conclude their regular season beginning with a road contest at nearby St. Augustine Monday evening before returning home to the Shark Tank with home contests against Fletcher on Tuesday and ending Friday night against arch rival Nease.

Ponte Vedra welcomed back Ben Houser to the lineup with a 54-40 road victory over Menendez to snap a 4 game losing streak.

Sidelined with a sprained ankle, the Sharks dropped all 4 of their previous contest without Houser in the lineup.  Although the 6'3 senior forward was understandably rusty in his return, just having a well rounded basketball player on the court paid huge dividends for the Sharks.

Houser chipped in with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as the Sharks downed the Falcons for the second time on the season.

6'5 senior Luke Martin had an outstanding game for the victorious Sharks.  Scoring from a variety of ways, including a monster two handed driving slam dunk, Martin tallied 22 points, all in the first 3 quarters of play.  The rapidly improving Martin also pulled down 6 rebounds and led the Sharks in assists with a career high 5.

Although the Sharks were off form from beyond the 3 point arc, hitting on but 3 of their 17 attempts, they were sharp from inside the arc by making an impressive 21 shots in but 34 attempts.

The Falcons managed to keep it close, trailing 31-27 midway through the 3rd quarter, before the Sharks would pull away with Martin scoring 6 straight points to lead the charge.

The Sharks will again travel down I95 Thursday for an important district matchup with Matanzas.  A Shark victory would insure the locals of not having to play a Monday first round playoff game against Menendez next month.

Creekside handed a slumping Ponte Vedra team their third straight defeat with a 44-41 victory at the Shark Tank.  

Once again the Sharks were woeful in the offensive department but were also deficient in the rebounding department as the team was only able to pull down 12 rebounds.

Each of the home losses the last two nights came against teams that Ponte Vedra had defeated earlier in the season on their opponents floor.

The loss drops the overall season record to 6-10 with an ominous assignment looming next for the Sharks as they have a road game next Thursday, January 17 against state ranked Palatka.

Poor Second Half Dooms Sharks

In a complete reversal of trends from the first half of the season, the Sharks let a 17-point lead with less than 2 minutes to play in the first half quickly evaporate in the third quarter in their 44-35 loss at Clay Co.

In the first district game played earlier in the season in Ponte Vedra, it was the Sharks, after trailing by as many as 20 points, who mounted a second half comeback that just fell short in a 56-53 loss to Clay.

After trailing 25-11 at the half time break, a Clay 3 pointer that just beat the 3^rdquarter buzzer, capped a 18-2 third quarter rout of the Sharks that saw Clay take a 29-27 lead into the final quarter against a Shark team that left their shooting eye in their locker room at halftime.

Playing without their leading scorer on the season Ben Houser, out with an ankle injury, left the Sharks shorthanded in the offensive department. Reese Russi led Shark scorers with 13 points with Luke Martin adding 10.

It’s very likely that Clay and Ponte Vedra will meet in early February in the first round of FHSAA playoffs.

The Sharks will finish this weeks action with back-to-back home games beginning with Thursday nights rematch with Bartram Trail.  Creekside will invade the Shark Tank the next night in hopes of splitting the season series with the hosts.

Ponte Vedra will now head into the New Year with momentum on their side following their 49-41 victory at Creekside.  After dropping 6 of 7 games the Sharks have now posted back to back victories during a grueling schedule that has seen the Sharks pack 13 games into a 3 week schedule.

With both teams showing a great deal of patience on offense in the low scoring affair, the Sharks limited the host Knights to 6 points apiece in the second and third quarters with some solid defensive play.

Sophomore Caden Fordham, who missed a number of games due to a football injury, had 4 steals to lead the ball hawking Sharks in the defensive department.

Once again the Sharks were led in scoring by their offensive trio of Reese Russi, Ben Houser, and Luke Martin.  Russi and Houser netted 14 points with Martin contributing 8 as the Sharks near the break-even mark with a record of 6-7.

Ponte Vedra will now have a long holiday break before returning to the courts for a return engagement on January 8 at Clay Co.

What a difference a day makes!  After suffering their most lopsided defeat in program history, Ponte Vedra bounced back 24 hours later to overwhelm Menendez 78-54 at the Shark Tank.

The evening appeared to get off to an ominous start shortly before tip off when the public address system failed to work.  However, a negative quickly turned into a positive when Viola Barquilla, singing without a microphone, belted out her version of the National Anthem that brought the house down and quite possibly energized the Sharks.

Aided by a pair of career high scoring performances from Seniors Luke Martin and Johnny Corlazzoli, the Sharks jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the district contest.

With his game high 25 points, Martin’s scoring output has only been bettered in Shark history by PVHS icons Beau Beech, Jackson Johnson, Quinn Carey and JD Pirris.  The spirited Carlozzoli was all over the floor and chipped in 13 points to complement his fine floor play.

After committing 25 turnovers the previous evening against Providence, the Sharks limited their miscues to but 5, only 1 by a Shark starter, in their romp over the Falcons.

Coach Bud Beech was able to give his regulars plenty of rest during the contest, fully aware of the grueling 3 games in a row schedule this week for his cagers.  

Junior James Kohnke came off the bench and showed plenty of promise during his minutes on the floor.  Kohnke scored 8 points in a reserve role and pulled down an impressive 8 defensive rebounds to lead all Sharks performers in that category.

With PVHS regular Reese Russi sitting out the contest after rolling his ankle in the loss to Providence, Jacobi Meyers admirable filled in and led the Shark playmakers with 6 assists.

The Sharks are hopeful that they can continue their fine play when they take the short jaunt this evening to Creekside when they face the Knights in a 7:30 schedule tip off.

Sharks Lose tourney Opener to Espiscopal

Once again, a poor first half spelled doom for the Sharks as they dropped the playoff opener of the Fortegra 9:12 Invitational 51-47 to the host Episcopal Eagles.

The Sharks trailed 29-15 at the halftime break with Reese Russi scoring all but 4 of the Shark first half points.

The Sharks again launched a second half comeback but again fell just short as Ponte Vedra has now dropped 4 in in a row heading into today's 2^ndround game in the loser’s bracket.

The close calls just did not go their way in the game’s final hectic moments.  After Russi pulled the Sharks to within 2 points it appeared to the Shark supporters on hand that the Sharks had created a jump ball with little time remaining and the possession arrow pointing towards the Sharks.

However, the officials ruled a foul on a Shark and Episcopal was able to make 1 of 2 free throws to stretch their slim lead to 3 at 45-48.  The Sharks had a good look at a wide open 3-point shot from the side but the attempt to tie the game was off target.

Russi’s two free throws with 0:11 pulled the Shark within two when close call number failed go the Shark’s way.  The inbound pass following Russi’s made free throws bounced off a player and went out of bounds with the official awarding the ball back to Episcopal.  A pair of made free throws after the Sharks were forced to foul made the final scoreboard read 51-47.

Three Shark players accounted for all but 3 of their 47 points with Russi scoring a career high 20, followed by Luke Martin with 14 and Ben Houser 10. The Sharks will resume play at 2:30 PM this afternoon against the loser of last night’s late game between Bolles and Ribault.

Huge Shark Comeback Falls Just Short in 56-53 loss to Clay

Trailing by 20 points with less than 10 minutes to play in the game, Ponte Vedra would begin a 19-0 rally to catch the visiting Clay Blue Devils, only to see their gallant comeback fall just short in a 56-53 loss.

It appeared the Sharks were still suffering the effects from Friday’s loss to rival Nease as they played a sluggish game until they finally recovered from their listless showing late in the contest.

PV coaches Bud Beech and Tyler Martin used nearly their entire squad dressed for the district contest before inserting a charged up starting five back onto the court to begin the final quarter.

After taking a brief 13-12 lead at the end of the first stop, the Blue Devils erupted for 20 second half points to enjoy a 32-20 lead at the halftime break. 

The Blue Devils lead would eventually reach a seemingly insurmountable 20 points at 45-25, before Ben Houser would stop the bleeding by converting on an old fashion three-point play.

A fired up starting five would then begin a comeback for the ages as they began the final quarter by scoring the first 14 points of the period to pull with a point of Clay at 44-45.  Luke Martin hit a couple of 3 pointers, his only field goals of the game, and Houser added 5 points in lead the resurgent charge.

Johnny Corlazzoli then gave the Sharks their first lead since the opening quarter when he swished a three pointer from the top of the key to give the Sharks the lead 52-50.  But--- then came the real back-breaker for PV.  After Reese Russi sank 1 of his 2 free throws to give the Sharks a 53-50 lead, Brishaun Britt received a fortuitous stroke of good fortune when he banked in a 3-pointer from far out-court to even the contest with less than a minute remaining.

PV had a couple of chances to retake the lead, but a Clay blocked shot on a driving layup and a Shark turnover following a defensive rebound set up the winning shot for Clay.  

The Blue Devils Bruce Greiner, after inbounding the ball, received a pass right back and the wide-open Greiner swished a three pointer for the winning basket. There was still time for the Sharks to tie the game but they turned the ball over as the now 3-4 Sharks incurred their 3^rdstraight defeat.

The win for the 6-1 Blue Devils was their first victory over Ponte Vedra at the Shark Tank as the Sharks still hold a commanding 14-3 advantage in school history.

Ben Houser, with a career high 22 points, led the Sharks in scoring with Luke Martin also in double figures with 10 tallies.

The Sharks will have a day off before beginning a 3-game stretch at the Episcopal Invitation tournament beginning Thursday night with a schedule 6:00 PM tip off against host Episcopal.

Playing before another full house at the Nease gymnasium for their traditional ‘Battle of the Bridge’ rivalry, the host Nease Panthers stunned their visiting neighbors from Ponte Vedra High with a 57-48 win over the Sharks.

Utilizing a zone defense with man-to-man principles, a very patient offense, and some sensational shooting, including a stretch where the Panthers converted on 16 straight free throw attempts, contributed to the Nease victory.

The Sharks were far off form from their previous nights well played game with Palatka but much of the credit goes to the Panthers and their coach Joshua Bailen.  After playing 32 minutes against Palatka and their tenacious man defense, Bailen employed a zone defense that forced the Sharks to make their shots from outside the paint.

While the Panthers singed the nets at a 60 percent clip, the Sharks shot made only 6 of their 20 attempts from 3-point land and a woeful 2 of 9 at the free throw line.

Energized by a large turnout of vociferous Nease High Students, the Panthers zone defense completely befuddled Shark shooters as they took an 8-3 lead following the low scoring first quarter.  

The Sharks would rally in the second stanza to trail by only a single digit 21-20 at the halftime break, and when Luke Martin netted a 3 point shot from the corner early into the third quarter, the Sharks took their first lead in the contest.  That lead was short lived as the Panthers Kyle Baidas potted a 3 pointer to give the lead back to the hosts.

A Jacobi Myers made 3 pointer midway through the final quarter put the Sharks narrowly on top of Nease at 39-38. 6’6 senior center Corban Anderson put Nease back in front with a pair of layups.

The key play of the game came after Ben Houser’s steal and made layup brought the Sharks within a point with 2:35 showing on the clock.  The Panther’s Payton McDonald then made it a 2 possession game when he connected on a 3 pointer, the only shot attempted by McDonald in the entire game.

The Panthers then cashed in their foul shots to preserve their lead, sending their student body into hysteria.

Ben Houser and Reese Russi led the 3-3 Sharks in scoring with 16 and 14 points respectively.

Logan Conway chipped in with 8 points and 4 steals in a losing cause while point guard Johnny Corlazzoli had a game high 5 assists.

Palatka defeats Sharks in Hard Fought Contest

A pair of heavyweights in Division 5 battled on the Sharks home court last night with Palatka, a final four team from a year ago, coming out on top 70-65.

The Sharks held a slim one point lead with just a couple of seconds left in the third quarter when a key foul might have spelled doom for Ponte Vedra.  6’5 center Luke Martin picked up his fourth foul, sending Luke to the bench with the score all knotted up at 47-47 heading into the final quarter of play.

With Martin on the sidelines, Palatka then controlled the boards and raced out on a 7-0 run, a margin the Sharks would not overcome the remainder of the contest.

The never say die Sharks found themselves trailing by as many as 11 points, 65-54, before they would launch a comeback that fell just short in the remaining three minutes.  Following a Logan Conway steal that resulted in a Reese Russi layup, the Sharks pulled within 4 points of the visiting Panthers 65-61 with 1:30 left.  The Sharks had a golden opportunity to pull within two with more than a minute still to be played, but a Ponte Vedra free throw attempt on the front end of a one and one missed the mark and the Sharks were than forced to foul.

Three Sharks would eventually foul out of the contest with the first to be disqualified on fouls was Ben Houser, the game high leading scorer for the Sharks  who departed with 3 and a half minutes still left in the game.  Johnny Corlazzoli, who played yet again another stellar floor game against the Panthers tenacious man to man defense, fouled out late in the contest with Martin following Corlazzoli to the bench moments later.

So close was this contest for the first three quarters that neither team enjoyed more than a 2 point lead at the end of any period.  The Sharks trailed early 9-2 to Palatka at the game’s outset, only to go on a 9-0 run to take the lead 11-9 at the first quarter’s end.

Both teams then opened up their game offensively the rest of the way with the Sharks leading 29-28 at halftime before beginning the final quarter all square at 47-47.

Houser led a well balanced Shark attack with 18 points with Russi (14) and Martin (10) also in double figures.  Russi filled up the stat sheet by pulling down 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocked shots.  Conway was close to double figures with 9 markers and 3 steals while Corlazzoli chipped in with 7 points and 5 assists. 

Although the game will go down in the books as a loss for the 3-2 Sharks, Ponte Vedra followers can take solace that the locals displayed talent and grit against a very good Palatka team that may be even better than last year’s final four team.  Five of the eight Sharks who played in this well played game were just a short time away from turning in their football pads, and have shown vast improvement in their game from the previous week.

The Sharks will have little time to regroup as they will play again this evening in their traditional rivalry matchup with Nease High School at Nease.  A large, and as always enthusiastic crowd, is sure to be on hand at Nease in a game that has always been one of the sporting highlights of any high school season in Ponte Vedra.

Ponte Vedra opened their district schedule on a positive note with a convincing 68-54 victory over the visiting Matanzas Pirates.

Balanced scoring, as well as a double-double for 6’5 senior Luke Martin were pivotal for the Sharks as they improve their early season record to 3-1.

The Sharks spotted Matanzas 5 points to begin the contest at the Shark Tank before racing out on a 12-0 run to take a 12-5 lead.  The Pirates recovered to take a slight 18-17 lead after the first period of play but that lead would be short-lived.

After Matanzas opened the second quarter with a two pointer, the remainder of the second quarter would belong to the Sharks as the hosts outscored the visitors 19-7 to take a comfortable 36-25 lead at the halftime break.

The Sharks salted the game away with a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter and led 64-42 before head coach Bud Beech emptied his bench with less than 3 minutes remaining.

Martin scored 8 of his 14 points during the decisive run and led all players with a game high 11 rebounds.  6’3 senior Ben Houser led Shark scorers with 15 points with 6’2 senior Reese Russi adding 13.  Johnny Corlazzoli continued his fine play as a Shark playmaker with 7 assists.

Next up for the Sharks will be the Palatka Panthers, a state final four representative from last year who lost but 3 games during the entire season, with one of those losses coming at the hands of the Sharks.  Tip off for the varsity contest will be at 7:30 PM Thursday following the Junior Varsity contest between the two district rivals.

Although Bishop Kenny didn’t need a miracle mid court shot to defeat the Sharks this season, the game winning 6-foot shot by the Crusaders Jack Peeler had the same result, as the Sharks, for the second consecutive year, fell to Kenny at the final buzzer, 48-46.

Reese Russi’s 2 made free throws with 0:51 remaining gave the Sharks a 4-point lead, their biggest lead of this see-saw contest, before the host Crusader’s rallied to score 6 unanswered points to hand the Sharks their first loss of the young season.

The Sharks had a golden opportunity to win the contest, but with less than 10 seconds remaining a Shark had the ball bounce off his foot out of abounds to set up the game winning shot. After a BK lay up attempt was deflected out of bound, a couple of seconds were still showing on the clock.  On the ensuing inbounds play, a Shark defender stumbled and lost his balance, leaving Peeler wide open for his game winning heroics.

A huge turnout of spectators filled the BK gymnasium, including a Bishop Kenny student body section packed with classmates honoring the late Dominick Allmond.   Slated to be a leading performer on this year’s BK squad, Allmond, lost his life in an automobile accident this past August.

Russi led the Sharks in scoring with 15 points while Ben Houser and Luke Martin chipped in with 8 tallies.  Johnny Corlazzoli played a strong floor game for the 2-1 Sharks with 4 assists, 5 rebounds & 5 points while committing no turnovers

In a complete reversal from their season opener against Bartram Trail, it was the Sharks who jumped out to a commanding lead in their home opener in the Shark Tank.  The hot shooting hosts raced out to a commanding 20-6 lead over the visitors from Oakleaf.

However, it was Oakleaf who would mount a comeback and would begin the second half on a 13-1 run to eventually tie the game at 35-35 with 1:45 still to play in the third quarter. The Sharks did not wilt, regained their momentum and outscored Oakleaf by 4 points the rest of the way to earn their second straight victory on the young season.

Ponte Vedra welcomed back 6’5 senior Luke Martin to their lineup in the 59-55 win over Oakleaf.  Martin, returning to Ponte Vedra High where he played for the Sharks in his sophomore season, tallied 13 points and was one of three Sharks in double figures in scoring.

Reese Russi led all scorers with 19 points with Ben Houser also in double figures with 11 markers. Johnny Corlazzoli had a career high 9 points while dishing off 4 assists and Logan Conway helped lead the Sharks to victory with 5 steals. 

It was Conway who came up with a big steal and an assist on a Russi 3-pointer that gave the Sharks a 38-35 lead they would never relinquish as the Sharks defeated Oakleaf for the second straight season in their home opener.

The season opener at Bartram Trail didn’t begin well for the 2018-19 edition of Ponte Vedra basketball. Trailing 29-8 with 2 minutes left in the first half, a Shark victory looked very doubtful against the host Bears, who were playing in their first game in the refurbished Bartram Trail gym in 2 years.

After using 11 different players in the first half, veteran head coach Bud Beech used but five players in the second half, igniting an amazing comeback that culminated on a game winning three pointer from Ben Houser.

Bartram Trail jumped out to an early 12-0 start before the shell-shocked Sharks could tally their first basket on a James Kohnke layup.  Trailing 16-7 at the end of the opening quarter, the hosts went on a similar run by scoring the first 11 points in the second stanza as the dazed Sharks looked at the scoreboard and found themselves trailing 34-14 at halftime. 

With Johnny Corlazzoli, Reese Russi, Logan Conway, Jacobi Myers, and Houser playing the entire second half, the Sharks outscored the Bears 20-6 in the third quarter to trail by a more manageable 6 points entering the final period.  Reese Russi went coast-to-coast to score on a driving layup to tie up the game at 43-43 with 3:45 left in regulation.

With but two seconds left on the clock and the Sharks trailing by two points, Bartram Trail had a chance to ice the game at the free throw line. After the Bear shooter missed both free throws, Russi pulled down his 9^threbound of the game and immediately called time out.

Jacobi Myers, utilizing the skills he showed on the football field as a Shark quarterback, launched a perfect pass that hit Ben Houser in stride.  Houser took one dribble and launched a shot behind the three-point arch that swished in to give the Sharks the improbable 47-46 victory.

The Sharks traveled to Gainseville Thursday to face the Eastside Rams in the regional playoff opener. They came away empty handed as the Rams dashed the Sharks' playoff hopes with a big fourth quarter 70-59.

The Sharks opened the game with Ben Houser playing like a man on fire and putting up 9 points in the first quarter. Resse Russi and Jack Johnson would add 3 apiece as the Sharks led 15-12 going into the second quarter. The second quarter saw the Rams use a deep and talented bench to close to within 1 point at halftime as 5 of their players registered scores. James Kohnke came in to drop in 4 points in support of Russi, Houser and Will Mons for the Sharks.

The third quarter was more of the same as both teams had 5 players put up points and the Rams stretched their lead to 3 at 45-42.  Jack Johnson added 6 to his total with help from Russi, Houser and Mons. 

The fourth quarter proved to be the Sharks' undoing as the Rams found a way to get to the basket and draw foul after foul. They would shoot 21 free throws in the 4th quarter, making 14. They attempted 45 on the night, making 26. In contrast, the Sharks would attempt 17 free throws on the night making 11.

Reese Russi led Shark scoring with 18 points, Ben Houser 13, Jack Johnson 11 and Will Mons 9.

The loss ends the 2017-2018 season for the Sharks. They finished with a 14-13 overall record and were the district runners up. Congratulations to every Shark player for making it an exciting season and to all departing seniors, Good Luck!

The Sharks returned to Matanzas Friday to face Palatka for the third time this season and determine the winner of the district championship. Their efforts fell short as Palatka held off a late rally to win 58-52.

The Sharks led at the end of the first quarter 9-8 as Jack Johnson set up camp under the basket and swatted away shot after shot by Palatka. He would block 15 shots on the night  and score 4 points. The first half ended with Palatka up by two, 23-21. They would only outscore PV by 4 points in the second half.

The Sharks were led offensively by Will Mons and Logan Conway with 12 points apiece, Reese Russi with 11 and Andrew Mathis with 10. Mons would score 10 of the Sharks' 21 fourth quarter points on 4 for 4 shooting from the line and a couple of 3's and Mathis added 5 with a 3 and 2 free throws.

The loss made the Sharks district runners-up and put them on the road to Gainseville Eastside on Thursday for the first round of the Regional tournament.  

The Sharks went into Wednesday's win or go home post season game at Matanzas coming off of a roller coaster January that saw them defeat every team in their division and knock off Bolles on the road while losing 2 games that were considered tune ups and struggling at times to find a winning chemistry. They proved the naysayers wrong again with a thrilling 52-49 victory that assures them of a spot in the regional playoffs.

The Sharks and Devils would stay close on the scoreboard for the entire game as the Sharks took a 29-23 lead in at the half only to be outscored 14-6 in the third quarter and briefly relinquish the lead before taking it back for good. The fourth quarter saw the Sharks' offense reignite and outscore Clay 17-12 and seal the win. The Devils' last 2 points were uncontested at the buzzer to make the score closer than it was in reality. Reese Russi's 2 huge free throws in a 1 and 1 situation with 5 seconds remaining gave the Sharks an insurmountable 5 point lead. Reese would end the night with 11 points,5 rebounds and 4 assists in another rock solid performance.

With Jack Johnson having an "off" night, only racking up another double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, his teammates stepped up and delivered. Logan Conway rang up a team high 13 points with a couple of 3's, 3 field goals and a free throw while playing his usual swarming defense. Ben Houser put in another stellar night with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Johnny Corlazzoli pitched in 5 points and 4 assists, Will Mons added 2 points on a couple of crucial late free throws and Caden Fordham scored 2. Only 7 Sharks saw action for the night. 

The Sharks return to Matanzas on Friday at 7PM to face Palatka for the District Championship. The winner will host the opening first round game next week. 

The Sharks finished the 2017-18 regular season in winning fashion Friday night by taking down neighborhood rival and pain in the neck Nease 49-44.

The Sharks went ahead by 9 points early and never relinquished the lead to a much better Panther squad than the one the Sharks faced earlier this year. The Panthers would put up 11 points in all 4 quarters while the Sharks rode their early lead all the way to the final buzzer, outscoring Nease in only the first quarter.

Will Mons continued his mastery of the half court three pointer and free throw perfection in the 4th quarter to finish with 10 points. Jack Johnson had his hands full with Nease's talented center but still led the Sharks with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. His season record of an astounding 122 blocked shots will no doubt remain out of reach to future Sharks for generations. No other Shark broke double figures with Ben Houser and Logan Conway putting up 6 apiece and Johnny Corlazzoli and Andrew Mathis chipping in 4 points each and playing aggressive defense. Swarming late defense would indeed provide the difference as the Sharks held off a furious Nease rally to pull out the win.

The Sharks end the regular season at 13-11 overall and 6-2 in district play. They will travel to Matanzas next week to face Clay HS in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Sharks came home to the Tank on Thursday to celebrate Senior night and play their last home game of the regular season. The starting lineup recognized Will Mons, Andrew Mathis, Jack Johnson, Sebastian Gonzalez, Patrick Whitman and team manager Cordell Parkrosz as the Class of 2018. The Sharks were not going to be denied on their night and rallied in the final quarter to pull out a thrilling 67-60 victory.

The first quarter featured Sebastian Gonzalez' 2 for 2 three point shooting and Will Mons' 2 field goals but the Sharks fell behind 19-10 as the Yellow Jackets sank 4 threes and used their quickness to thwart the Sharks. The Sharks outscored S.A. in the second quarter 14-10 to close the gap at half-time to 5 points.

The third quarter saw an explosion of offense as James Kohnke (2), Caden Fordham and Will Mons all dropped 3's and Ben Houser went 4 of 4 from the line on his way to a game high 17 points.In spite of all that offense the Sharks were still outscored in the quarter 26-24.

The fourth quarter saw S.A. go quiet on offense in the face of high pressure defense from the Sharks coupled with excellent shooting from Houser, going 5-7 from the line. Will Mons bombed another long distance three and bagged 2 clutch free throws to finish with 12 points, James Kohnke hit another three on his way to a career best 13 points and Caden Fordham iced the cake with 2 for 2 late free throw shooting and ended the night with 5 points. The Sharks would outscore S.A.19-5 in the quarter to seal the win. 

The Sharks are now 12-11 and 6-2 in the district.

The Sharks took a short ride up A1A to face beaches rival Fletcher on Tuesday. They came home empty handed as the Senators won, 61-54.

Despite looking lethargic and struggling offensively, the Sharks were able to hold a 1 point lead at the end of the first quarter but were outscored 24-6 in the second and went in at the half behind by 17 points. In spite of outscoring Fletcher in the second half, the Sharks were never able to close the gap enough to pull out the win.

The bright spot on the evening was the hustling play of senior guard Andrew Mathis. He made a perfect 5 of 5 field goals, 3 of 6 three point shots and finished the night with 19 points. Senior Will Mons continued his hot shooting, racking up 13 points and 3 steals. Reese Russi was the only starter to get extensive play and finished with 13 points and impressive stats across the board. He went down late in the game with an ankle injury of unknown severity. All Shark fans are hoping it is not serious and wish him a rapid and full recovery.

The Sharks return to the Tank on Thursday for a Senior Night contest against St. Augustine, then finish the regular season the following night at Nease.

The Sharks played host on Thursday night to a Clay team that had beaten them like rented mules in their first meeting and got sweet revenge and the #2 regular season division slot in the process, 49-46.

The Sharks' Ben Houser started the game on fire with 10 first quarter points and his usual intense play. He ended the night with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Jack Johnson kept Clay from around the basket with 8 blocks and 14 rebounds. He added 14 points and 3 assists as well. The night's best overall performance was turned in by a streaking Reese Russi. He went 4-4 from the line, 2-3 from the arc and ended the night with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Only 6 Sharks saw the floor in a very physical game in which defense determined the winner. The Sharks narrowly avoided a repeat of the BK game when Clay's final 3 point shot clanged off the rim at the buzzer.

The victory completed a late season sweep of every other team in the district and left the Sharks at 11-10 overall and 6-2 in district. The Sharks will probably face Clay again at Matanzas when they enter the district tournament in 2 weeks.

They will close out their regular season next week with games away at Fletcher, home vs St. Augustine (Sr. Night) and away at Nease.

The Sharks took a long crosstown trip to Oakleaf in search of a season sweep of the Knights but left empty handed after a hard fought 65-62 loss.

The Sharks jumped out to an early 12 point lead that seemed safe until the Knights rallied to a halftime deficit of only 1 point, 36-35. The second half stayed close until the final shot with the Sharks unable to rally from a 3 point deficit in the final minutes.

Andrew Mathis continued his fine play by registering 9 points, including 5 of 6 from the line. Will Mons bombed three long 3 pointers  and finished with 11 points and Reese Russi rang up 13.

The loss drops the Sharks to .500 on the year at 10-10. They host Clay on Thursday to determine the #2 seed in upcoming district tournament play.

Coming in to the Tank on Friday, the Palatka Panthers were riding a 19-0 win streak and guaranteed #1 regular season district ranking. The Sharks came in hungry, seeking revenge for a heartbreaking 2 point loss at Palatka early in the season and fighting for the #2 seed in the district tournament. The Sharks responded in a big way, handing Palatka their first loss, 54-45 and improving their record to 10-9 overall and 5-2 in the district. They will host Clay on Thursday February 1st to finish district play and determine the #2 slot.

Senior center Jack Johnson recorded his first career triple-double on the night with 10 points,12 rebounds and an astounding 14 blocks. With his 14 blocks, he broke his own school record for the third time this season. He now has 104 blocks for the year and averages 6 per game. His presence under the basket took Palatka completely out of their normal game and sent them outside and into the teeth of an aggressive 2-3 defense that allowed few uncontested shots.

Reese Russi continues to excel at  both ends of the court. He ended the night with 15 points,6 rebounds and a blocked shot. His timely big plays were a major factor in the Sharks' success on the night. Logan Conway turned in another one of his usual solid performances, registering 10 points and 3 steals. Ben Houser showed his trademark toughness and grit notching 8 points and 5 rebounds. Will Mons made the most of his court time by dropping in 7 points. 4 of those 7 were the dagger in Palatka's heart late in the game when he went a clutch 4 of 4 from the free throw line in one and one situations.

The Sharks travel to Oakleaf next Wednesday for a non-district contest. Please note that the games will start a half-hour earlier at 5:30 and 7:00 respectively. They return home the following night to host Clay at the usual times.

The Sharks traveled to Pedro Menendez HS on Tuesday for a district match up and put together a methodical 50-39 team victory. They are now 9-9 on the season.

The Sharks starters burst out to a quick 9-0 lead after Reese Russi started the scoring with the first 5 points on a 3 pointer and steal for a layup on the ensuing inbound pass. They would end the quarter with a 20-9 lead. Every player that dressed for the game played with 12 Sharks registering points. Jack Johnson led all scorers with 8 points with less than a quarter of playing time. Jack Murrah and Reese Russi scored 7 apiece with Murrah perfect from the field and the free throw line. James Kohnke bagged 6 points with 3 assists.

The Sharks play host on Friday to an undefeated Palatka team that is already the regular season #1 seed at 7-0 in district play. The Sharks (4-2) are assured of no less than a third seed, as they have beaten Matanzas and Menendez twice each. They can move to the #2 spot with wins over Palatka this week and Clay (4-2) at home on Thursday, February 1st.

The Sharks hosted the Bartram Bears on Monday night with both teams coming off of big upset wins last week. The game  was everything a basketball fan could want, a clean well-played slugfest with Bartram pulling away in the last 2 minutes for a 61-53 win.

The Sharks came out fighting to lead the first quarter by 5 points and take a 3 point lead into the locker room at the half. Jack Johnson would ring up 10 of his 17 points in the half. He wound up with an additional 10 rebounds and 4 blocks on the night.  Reese Russi had 6, Ben Houser 16, Johnny Corlazzoli 10 and Logan Conway 4 points on the night, as the starting 5 played virtually the entire game with only 8 Sharks hitting the floor. The Sharks eliminated a lot of the sloppy ball handling and turnovers that marred previous efforts to turn in a solid team performance.

The game was eventually decided by 3 point shooting, as Bartram rang up 8 threes to the Sharks' 2. Both teams were excellent from the free throw line with the Sharks going a perfect 8 for 8 and the Bears shooting 14-18, 8 of which were late in the fourth quarter as the Sharks scrambled to get back in the lead. 

The 8-9 overall and 3-2 in-district Sharks travel Tuesday to face Menendez and come home Friday to seek revenge on an undefeated Palatka squad that beat the Sharks by 2 points earlier this year. Both games are district contests.

The Sharks hit the road for the second time this week for a non-district contest on Thursday against crosstown rival, the Bolles Bulldogs. They came away with their second win in a row and bragging rights for the year, 48-47.

The game will not make anybody's offensive highlight reel but it was exciting from start to finish. The Bulldogs went with a full court press for most of the game and forced 19 turnovers. The Sharks played their usual tenacious man on man D to answer and there was never more than a 6 point spread throughout the contest. The Sharks were only outscored in the third quarter and led by 3 at the half.

The Sharks ended the night the same way they started it, with Jack Johnson swatting away a last second layup to preserve a 48-47 Sharks win. He would set a new school record of 11 blocked shots on the night coupled with 11 rebounds and 4 points. Reese Russi put in his second strong performance of the week, scoring 13 points with 6 rebounds. He was a force at both ends of the court as well. Kyle Barker and Logan Conway tallied 7 points apiece, including a perfect 3 for 3 from the free throw line.

With 10 players sharing duty 5 at a time, the Sharks kept the Bulldogs out of their offensive game the entire night. At the Sharks end of the court, countering the press continues to be a glaring weakness. They also went a weak 11 of 35 on field goals and only 5 of 12 from the line but landed 7 of 14 three pointers. Great defense obviously saved the day with all players reprising the intensity that wrecked Matanzas 2 days ago. 

The team returns to the Tank on Monday to face Bartram, then plays 2 district games, Menendez on the road Tuesday and Palatka at home on Friday.

The Sharks came off a trouncing at Creekside in desperate need of a district win and a little self-confidence when they traveled for what seemed like a week to Matanzas on Tuesday. They got what they needed in a big way, beating the Pirates for the second time this season 68-54.

The Sharks led start to finish for the second time this year using great transition play, hustling defense and the resurrection of the three point shot.  Reese Russi had his best game of the season, scoring 16 points while shooting 6 of 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from the line and notching 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Will Mons started the game looking like Steph Curry, dropping in 3 three pointers in a row and hitting 3 of 4 free throws. He scored 11 of his 12 points in the first quarter and created a momentum that motivated the Sharks for the entire game. Jack Johnson put in another solid performance, registering 8 points but his biggest contribution on the court was his unselfish play. He blocked 5 shots, had 5 assists and hauled in 8 rebounds. Patrick Whitman and Sebastian Gonzalez notched their first points of the year with 2 and 3 respectively.

The Sharks travel to Bolles this Thursday with a 7-8 overall and 3-2 district record. Please note that the Bartram game on the 22nd will be played at the Shark Tank due to the Bears' gym being under repair.

The Sharks went to Creekside to play a non-division game against one of the best teams in the area on Friday. It didn't end well, as the Knights easily won 56-30. The loss leaves PV at 6-8 for the season and 2-2 in division play.

The Sharks kept it close at 11-8 in the first quarter before being outgunned 17-4 in the second. The Sharks matched the Knights in the third, 10-10 before being overwhelmed in the fourth 18-8.

The Sharks were led by Jack Johnson with 11 points and 4 blocked shots. No one else broke double digits, with Will Mons registering 7 points and Kyle Barker 5.

PV travels both games next week, to Matanzas for a division game on Tuesday and non-division Bolles on Thursday.

The Sharks resumed their season with a district contest at Clay with high hopes. They came away with an ugly loss and questions about every aspect of their game. They ended the night with more turnovers than field goals and seemed befuddled by Clay's speed and full court press. The only bright spot on the night was Jack Johnson's 9 blocks, tying his own school record. He would end the night with 7 rebounds and 15 points as well.

The Sharks actually led the contest 11-9 after one quarter but were outscored in the second and third by a total of 14 points. Poor shooting and turnovers made that lead insurmountable for the rest of the game.

Ben Houser was perfect from the line and impressive at both ends of the court coming off a broken finger, he finished with 10 points. Caden Fordham also had 10 points, sank 2 of 2 three pointers and hauled in 7 rebounds. 

The Sharks return home on Thursday for another district game against Menendez.

The Sharks squared off in the consolation bracket against Lincoln HS out of Tallahassee on Saturday in the Providence Christmas Tournament and limped home with a 4th place finish after losing 58-45. 

Lincoln led 10-9 after 1 quarter but pulled away to a 10 point lead at halftime and never looked back. They would outscore PV in 3 of 4 quarters. 

The Sharks were led by Logan Conway with 11, Kyle Barker with 9 and Jack Johnson with 8 points. Jack Murrah made the most of his court time by draining 2 of 4 three pointers.

The quality of competition in this annual tournament was impressive. Teams came from as far away as Miami and Tallahassee. 

The 5-6 Sharks take a well deserved break for the holidays and don't return to the court until Jan. 9 at Clay in a district contest and return home on Jan. 11 vs Pedro Menendez for another district game. 

The Sharks moved into the second game of the Providence Christmas tournament hoping to avenge an early season loss to the Crusaders. The Cinderella story was not be. Providence took a 23-17 lead in at halftime and the Sharks seemed to have a fighting chance. Providence came out in the second half and showed why they are one of the most successful programs in the area, outscoring PV 37-25.

Reese Russi was the only Shark to score in double figures with 10 points. Jack Johnson tallied 9, Caden Fordham 7 and Logan Conway 6.

The Sharks entered the Providence Christmas Tournament riding a three game win streak and faced off against The First Academy out of Orlando in their first game. The Sharks gave TFA a rude welcome by winning 62-49 with their second game in a row leading from tip off to final buzzer.

Jack Johnson led the Sharks to a 15-10 lead with 10 points in the first quarter and they never looked back, outscoring TFA in every quarter.  Jack would end the night with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks and even handed out 3 dishes for good measure.The Sharks played their usual swarming defense and had TFA taking and missing low percentage shots while Johnson kept them from attacking the basket.

Reese Russi tallied 13 points with half of those coming in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal. He also rang up a blocked shot and 5 rebounds. Johnny Corlazzoli broke out of a season long scoring slump to notch 8 points and 3 assists. Caden Fordham scored 4 but pulled down an impressive 8 boards.

The night's best unsung performance award goes to Logan Conway. He scored 9 points and handed off 6 beautiful assists. He also stole 3 while pulling down 3 rebounds.

The Sharks face off against host Providence tonight at 7pm and play again on Saturday at 4 or 7 pm, depending on the results of tonight's game.

After a dubious start to the current basketball season, with the Ponte Vedra boys 

team dropping 4 games against top notch competition, the Sharks have stormed back with three straight victories to even their season record at 4-4 as they head into the Holiday break.

And how strong were those 4 opponents who dealt a defeat on the Sharks?  Providence, Bishop Kenny, Creekside, and Palatka boast of a combined record of 25 wins against but 3 defeats through games of December 16.

Only in the Creekside game, where frigid third quarter shooting doomed the Sharks, was Ponte Vedra outclassed by an opponent.  The Sharks can only lament that with a couple of breaks, their record could easily stand at an impressive 6-2.

Trailing PVHS by 3 points with just 2 seconds showing on the clock, Bishop Kenny scored on a desperation shot from near mid-court to send the game into overtime, a game the stunned Sharks would eventually lose 64-61.  Early foul trouble, and some contentious officiating calls that sent Ponte Vedra’s senior standout Jack Johnson to the sidelines, may have been the difference in a slim 63-61 loss to Palatka.

The Sharks even hung tough against Providence, a state finalist from last season.  The Sharks pulled to as close as 4 points in the final quarter before perennial power Providence pulled away late to secure a 56-47 victory. 

Before beginning their 4 game skid, the Sharks hosted a very strong Oakleaf team in the season opener, winning a thrilling 46-45 contest against the visitors from Clay County.  Since their loss to the Sharks, Oakleaf has won 5 of their next 6 games, with their only loss coming at the hands of Creekside, arguably the areas top team.

The Sharks began their very productive week with 50-44 win over a well-coached Bartram Trail squad.  The visiting Bears had no answer for the Shark’s 6’8 Jack Johnson, as the senior center poured in 23 points and pulled down 9 rebounds to help snap the four game skid.

Playing without 3 of their starters, the Sharks defeated a very athletic Matanzas team the following night 52-46, with Johnson’s 20 points, 8 rebounds and seven blocked shots leading the way in the district contest.

The Sharks concluded their busy, but productive last week of action, by saving their best effort for last.  Before a near capacity crowd at the Shark tank on Friday, December 15, the Sharks won a decisive 56-31 victory over their Ponte Vedra neighbors from Nease.  

It marked the 20th meeting between the two local schools over the past decade. Although Nease won the first 7 contests between the pair of arch rivals, the Sharks have now won 7 of the last 9 meetings, with Friday’s convincing 56-31 the widest margin of victory by either team in the series.

Nine Shark cagers dented the well balanced scoring column with freshman Caden Fordham leading the way with 11 points and five steals.  The Sharks came out on fire to begin the third period by racing out to a 17-0 run to remove any hopes for a Nease comeback.

Reese Russi recovered from a bout with the flu to play his best game of the season. The 6’2 junior chipped in with 10 points by making 4 of his 5 shots from the field and assisted Johnson on the boards with 6 rebounds.

A vastly improved Jack Johnson has certainly been the catalyst for the recent Shark upsurge. Now in his third season on the Shark roster,  Johnson leads the Sharks in most of the statistical departments, with his 15 points and 9 rebounds per outing putting him on a near double-double pace.  However, it is his defensive prowess that clearly stands out. 

 Boasting a wing-span of an oversized albatross, Johnson has been a rim protector the likes that have rarely been seen in Shark country since the senior season of Beau Beech. Johnson has already rejected 50 of his opponents attempted shots, a stunning average of better than six blocks per game.

The Sharks have endured this current winning streak despite the absence of three players who were in the starting lineup to begin the season.  Senior Will Mons, after playing in three games has been forced to his rest his ailing knees, while Juniors Ben Houser (broken finger) and Reese Russi (flu) have also been sidelined of late.

In their absence veteran coach Bid Beech has received some solid play from a pair of underclassmen, Kyle Barker and Caden Fordham.  Barker, after being held scoreless in a couple of brief appearances, came off the bench against Palatka and recorded 18 points in the Shark’s near come from behind contest with Palatka.

With the recent onslaught of injuries, Fordham has become the first Ponte Vedra cager to start a game as a freshman since Jackson Johnson, currently playing at Tulane, moved into the starting lineup during the 2010-11 season.  Showing no fear, Fordham, a 2 sport star and the son of former NFL standout Todd Fordham,  has been clutch down the stretch in Ponte Vedra’s two most recent wins. 

Yet another player from last years 19-3 JV team has shown remarkable improvement over the off-season.  Logan Conway has settled in as a steady performer.  The junior swingman has averaged a consistent 8 points and leads the Sharks in steals with 19. 

Veteran coach Bud Beech has seen the emergence of three football players get their basketball legs in shape this past week, helping solidify the defense.  Fordham,  Barker and junior Nick Pirris have teamed up with junior guard Johnny Corlazzoli to create  havoc over their opponents with their quick hands and swiftness.

The Sharks resumed action tonight (Thursday, Dec. 22) when they begin play in the Providence Christmas Tournament.  Tip-off for the first of three guaranteed games in the tourney is set for an 8:30 PM start at the Providence gymnasium against the First Academy of Orlando.  

For the third time in a week, the Sharks won at home, this time against neighborhood arch rival Nease. After a grinding opening schedule that included 2 heartbreaking losses, the Sharks break for the holidays riding a 3 game win streak and steadily improving play. They are now 4-4 overall and 1-1 in their division.

The Sharks opened the game playing their trademark swarming defense and kept the Panthers on their heels to take a 13-5 first quarter lead. They led the contest from tip off to final buzzer for the first time this year.

After taking a snooze in the second quarter and being outscored 10-8, the Sharks went in at halftime up by 6. Caden Fordham and Jack Johnson accounted for half of the Shark points for the half and wound up with 11 and 9 points each for the night. Johnson also added 2 blocked shots and Fordham picked up 4 steals.

The second half was a different story as the Sharks went on a 19-3 tear and put the game out of reach for the cold shooting and overwhelmed Panthers. Reese Russi caught fire in the third, dropping in 8 points and ending the night with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The final period was Kyle Barker's time to shine as he scored all 7 of his points for the night and helped the defense rack up a total of 13 steals for the night.

The Sharks will play in the Providence Christmas Tournament Dec. 21-23, then break until they travel to Clay on Jan. 9, 2018. Their next home contest will be on Jan. 11 against Pedro Menendez.

In a must win home game on Tuesday, the Sharks took the lead early and never looked back against division rival Matanzas. The Sharks jumped out to an early 18-11 lead at the end of the first period and hung on against a late Pirate rally to win 52-46.

Senior center Jack Johnson again led all scorers with 20 points. He also set a new PVHS record with 9 blocked shots, beating his own previous record of 8. He fouled out of the game with 3 minutes remaining and set off a chain of events that still have Shark fans scratching their heads. When cited for his final foul, he took himself out of the game, triggering an apparent illegal substitution and technical foul. After much heated debate, Matanzas was given 3 free throws and possession of the ball while trailing by only three. Their shooters missed every shot and their fate was sealed. They then resorted to defensive fouls in an effort slow the clock and chose the wrong guy to foul. Freshman Caden Fordham went to the line 4 times without missing a single pressure packed shot in the final minutes. He would end up with 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals while going 5-6 from the line. Junior Kyle Barker broke into the starting line up and didn't disappoint. He wound up with 10 points, 3 steals and went 4-6 from the line. He also outrebounded his 6' 8" teammate, pulling down 9 to Johnson's 7.

The Sharks are now 3-4 on the year and return to the tank Friday night against their good friends and neighbors from across the way, Nease!!! We can expect a raucus crowd and a hard fought game as always. Don't forget that it is also "Ugly Sweater Night".

The Sharks began another 3 game home stand on Monday with an exciting 50-44 win over the Bartram Bears. The Bears brought a boatload of fans with them but they had little to cheer for as the Sharks took the lead in the second quarter and only gave it up briefly one time before sealing the win with solid late shooting and swarming pressure defense.

Jack Johnson led all scorers with 23 points and dominated under the boards with 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. He also dropped two 3 pointers to put an exclamation point on a great night. Andrew Mathis dropped in a clutch 11 points at crucial times and was part of a swarming defense that trapped for the entire second half. Johnny Corlazzoli and Caden Fordham scored 6 apiece and played a big part in the defensive effort. Logan Conway bagged an incredible 5 steals and led a team total of 12.

As a team, the Sharks continue to struggle at the offensive end of the court. Shark fans are confident that won't last.

The Sharks play again Tuesday at home against division rival Matanzas then play a huge game against that other Ponte Vedra school on Friday before breaking for the holidays.

They say snakes don't bite sharks out of professional courtesy but you wouldn't believe it if you had watched the last 2 Sharks games. After losing because of a fluke buzzer beater to BK the previous night, the Sharks traveled for the first time this season to Palatka to face last year's division champ and state final 4 contestant.

The Sharks came out sluggish and out of sync to fall behind 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. The home team got some help from the officials when they tagged Jack Johnson with two questionable fouls early. Palatka coupled the officials' myopia with excellent shooting from the field and flawless free throw shooting to make it look like a rout. 

The Sharks woke up, picked up the speed of their offense and caught Palatka napping at the wrong end of the court a few times, then rode Kyle Barker's 7 points and Logan Conway's 9 into a hopeful 10 point halftime deficit.

The third quarter was a virtual stalemate with Palatka cooling at the free throw line and the Sharks getting a big 3 pointer from Barker and Conway dropping in another 7. Palatka took their lead up a point to 11.

In the fourth, Palatka began to show signs of fatigue and went stone cold , making only 7 points and continuing to be erratic at the line. Barker went into overdrive and began getting fouled on practically every possession. He would go to the line 12 times in the quarter and sink 8. 

The Sharks combined Palatka turnovers and missed free throws on intentional late fouls to pull within 2 points and an inbounds with 2 seconds remaining. Coming off a timeout, the sharks got the play they wanted and had two attempted tip ins miss the mark. Barker finished with 18 points, Conway 17 and Jack Johnson with 8 points and 6 blocks in spite of foul trouble.

The loss leaves the Sharks at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the district. Their next game is at home on Monday, Dember 11 against Bartram. 

After trailing at the half 30-26, the Sharks rode the hot hands of Logan Conway and Jack Johnson in the second half to a 3 point lead with 2 seconds remaining in regulation. BK inbounded the ball and sank a half court Hail Mary 3 pointer to take it into OT.

BK scored the first 4 points in OT and held on to win 64-61. Conway was a red hot 5-6 from the arc and finished with 17 points. Jack Johnson had his usual stellar night with 19 points, 8 blocked shots and an incredible 14 rebounds. Ben Houser tallied 8 points while being perfect on field goals and free throws. Reese Russi added 8.

The Sharks fall to 1-3 after a brutal home stand against 4 of the best programs in the county. They make their first road trip of the year Wednesday to Palatka for their first district contest.

It was worth the wait for the large contingent of Ponte Vedra rooters who were on hand for the Shark season opener Tuesday night against Oakleaf.

 A traffic accident that created a monster logjam on local highways, delaying the start of the varsity contest more than a half hour, didn't sap the energy of both teams as Ponte Vedra nipped the visitors from Clay County 46-45.

 It took the Oakleaf squad three and a half hours, a trip that can normally be made in under an hour, to make the trip to the Shark Tank, forcing the cancellation of the Junior Varsity game.

Those who stayed were treated to an entertaining and fiercely fought contest from start to finish, with the game not decided until 6'8 Senior center Jack Johnson tallied a two pointer off a missed shot with 4 seconds left to seal the victory.

Johnson, who just recently committed to play college basketball at Augusta College, had a monster game for the victors.  Johnson nearly had a triple double, with a game leading 17 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocked shots to lead the way for PVHS.

Both team jumped out to good starts offensively, with the visitors taking a slim two point edge, 18-16 into the second quarter of play.  After sitting out nearly the entire 2016-17 season with a severe knee injury, Will Mons scored half of the Sharks 1st quarter points.

Oakleaf would take a slim 3 point lead at the halftime break and would stretch their margin to 4 points, 37-33 heading into the final quarter of play.

The Knights stretched their lead at one point to 6 markers over the home team before the Sharks began a fourth quarter rally.

Two made free throws by Johnson tied the contest at 38-38.  The Sharks took the lead  with 4:35 remaining in the contest on a Johnson put back.  

Oakleaf rallied and had victory seemingly in their grasp, when point guard Deote Sherwood canned a three pointer from the corner with 15 seconds left to put Oakleaf back in front 45-44.

 Another Johnson rebound, and made put back, with 4 seconds left sent the Shark fans home happy as Ponte Vedra begins a brutal early season stretch of contests against top notch competition with a hard fought victory.

 Much of the credit for the season opener conquest of Oakleaf could be attributed to some tenacious defense and rebounding.  Reese Russi, who scored 4 clutch points down the stretch came up with 7 rebounds, 5 of those on the offensive end that kept the ball away from the Knights.

 Junior forward Ben Houser was the only other Shark to join Johnson in double figures with 10 points. Mons tallied all 8 of his points in the first quarter.

It surely does not get any easier for the Sharks, as they will host perennial power Providence, a state finalist from a year ago, Thursday evening with a 7:30 tip off.

Ponte Vedra will unveil their edition of the 2017-18 basketball team on Tuesday, November 28 when they host Oakleaf at the Shark tank.

Although the Sharks lost a bundle of performers from a squad that finished 15-11 last season, long-time head coach Bud Beech is hopeful that some talented returnees, coupled with the addition of a few newcomers from last year’s successful  (19-3)  Junior Varsity team bodes well  for the coming campaign.

Local fans will not have to wait long to see some talented teams and players display their talents at the Shark tank as Ponte Vedra has a daunting 4 game home schedule on tap to jump start the upcoming season.  Following their opening contest with Oakleaf, a team that posted a winning record a year ago, the Shark will face a pair of powerhouse fives that have visions of winning a state title in February.

Thursday (Nov 30) the Sharks will host perennial power Providence, a state finalist last year, and less than 24 hours later will welcome traditional rival Creekside to the Shark tank.  The Knights have 4 returning starters back from a team that fell just 1 point short in overtime of advancing to the final four last winter.

On Tuesday, December 5, the Sharks will host yet another team that posted 20 wins a season ago in an always strong Bishop Kenny five. All the home games with follow Junior Varsity contests that begin at 6:00 PM.

For the second time in three seasons, the Sharks were a one and done in tournament play, following their 51-48 setback at the hands of a scrappy Matnzas five.

For the second game in a row the Sharks made a late fourth quarter comeback, only to once again fall just short of escaping with a victory.

Trailing 45-35 with 3:30 remaining in the contest the Sharks mounted a furious comeback to pull within one point with a minute remaining.

The Sharks even had a chance to pull out a victory with the ball in their hands with 7 seconds remaining, but a Reese Russi layup missed its mark and Matanzas now moves into the district finals.

However, it was Russi who came off the bench to energize the Sharks with his defense and a couple of clutch baskets that gave hope to Ponte Vedra.

Russi came up with a crucial block that led to a made JD Pirris 3 pointer that drew the Sharks within 7. Russi then canned a 3 pointer from the corner and now the Sharks were within 4 points of the Pirates.

Chris Tomacewski blocked what appeared to be a certain Matanzas layup that put the ball back in the hands of the Sharks.  Moments later Tomacewski hit a 3 pointer from the same spot on the court that Russi made his shot earlier to pull the Sharks within one.

Christian Harrison then hit from short range to push the Matanzas lead back to 3.  The Sharks were guilty of a charging call but a PV steal led to a JD Pirris bucket that again cut the lead to a single point.

Using a half court trapping defense the Sharks came up with a steal and Russi made a layup in heavy traffic to again make it a one point game.

However, Lady Luck was not with the Sharks down the end and Matanzas breathed a sigh of relief when Russi's heroic attempt for the game winner just missed its mark.

Once again the Sharks were unable to contain the inside presence of Matanzas junior center Greg Layne, who led all scorers with 27 points.  Christian Harrison with 11 points was also in double figures for Matanzas as the 1-2 duo made all their shots from short range.

JD Pirris ended his stellar career with a game high 19 points in the losing cause.  With a few of his key starters having sub par games, coach Bud Beech went to his bench and got some great help from a number of his underclassmen, which bodes well for the future of PVHS basketball.

As mentioned above, sophomore Reese Russi showed no fear against the very athletic Pirates. 

Another pair of sophomores also played well for the losing Sharks.  6-5 Luke Martin twice stopped a pair of long Matanzas runs with important baskets, while Ben Houser was on the floor in the game's closing moments, and although Houser didn't score, he came through with a couple of key steals and a block shot during crunch time. 

The Sharks end their season with a winning 15-11 record, but undoubtably were disappointed that they fell well short of matching last year's varsity team that advanced to the final 8.

After losing to Ponte Vedra in 2014 & 2016 as the head coach of Palatka, first year Matanzas head coach Donald Lockhart finally pulled off a well earned victory against his friendly rivals.

SHARKS AGAIN END REGULAR SEASON AT 15-10

The Ponte Vedra Sharks will end their regular season with the same record as posted a year ago following the 55-50 loss to arch rival Nease on Friday night.

With only one member of last year’s Regional Finalist team  lost through graduation (Matt Johnson), surely more was expected from this year’s veteran squad.

However, no one could have expected the rash of injuries and sickness that will now be a part of this team’s legacy. Hopefully, the next few days off, before they begin the playoffs Wednesday night, will help the Sharks heal their wounds.

The Sharks got off to a great start last week with a pair of victories against some worthy opponents before Friday’s season ending crushing overtime loss against Nease.

With only 6 healthy bodies able to play against neighboring Fletcher High School on  the last day of January, coach Bud Beech was somehow able to find the perfect band-aid in defeating an athletic Senators team 71-63.  Beech went deep into his reserves and came up with three players who delivered season highs in the victory.

Seniors Lance Kren and Dean McCarthy had their best scoring outputs of the session with 15 and 13 points respectively, with McCarthy also grabbing 11 valuable rebounds.

Playing the entire 32 minutes, Eston Hensley and Chris Tomacewski came up big with Hensley pouring in a game high 22 points and 6 steals and Tomacewski 10 points & 9 rebounds.

Andrew Matthis played by far his most minutes of the season and played very well when a number of Sharks got into foul trouble.  Matthis scored one field goal in the game, his only field goal of the entire season.

Thursday night the Sharks traveled to Baker County to play in a venue that has always proved very difficult to come away with a victory.  After the Sharks struggled in the early going, falling behind 14-4 after the first 8 minutes of action, the flu riddled Sharks battled back to shock the hosts. 

 Ponte Vedra more than welcomed the return of star guard JD Pirris, who sat out the Tuesday night game with Fletcher with an ankle sprain.  Pirris, unfazed by the raucous Baker County crowd, lit up the stat sheet. JD tallied a game high 23 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, garnered 6 assists, and swiped 4 steals.

The Sharks got another big night from Hensley who was a monster on the boards with 12 rebounds while also chipping in 17 points.  Lance Kren came up with his second consecutive double digit game with 11 points.

Less than 24 hours later the Sharks faced their arch rivals from Nease as a near capacity crowd packed the Shark Tank at the high school.

Nease played an inspired and near perfect 30 minutes of basketball against the still short handed Sharks, and apparently were on their way to a convincing victory as they led the Sharks by a commanding 44-34 margin with less than 2 minutes remaining.

The Sharks then employed a go for broke full court press on the visiting Panthers, culminating  in turnovers and made baskets for Ponte Vedra.  When JD Pirris made another one of his patented driving layups to tie up the game at 44-44 with but 7 seconds remaining, never had the noise level been higher at the PVHS gymnasium.

When an ailing Jack Shannon bravely took a charge against star Panther player Sam Guenther, it appeared all the momentum was on Ponte Vedra’s favor heading into the 4 minute overtime period.

Guenther had been a thorn in the side all game long against the Sharks by pouring in 25 points.

And when 6’6 shot blocked Aaron Cochrane joined Guenther on the bench with five fouls, it appeared bleak indeed for the large contingent of Nease followers.

After closing out the remaining moments in regulation with their stifling defense, the Sharks took the foot off the gas pedal during the overtime period.

Ironically it was a player who prepped but two season’s back at Ponte Vedra High that came to the rescue for Nease.  Senior Addison Shaw, who played on the Ponte Vedra JV team two years ago, made a huge 3 pointer 1 minute into the overtime period that gave the lead to Nease at 47-44.

Ponte Vedra, who ended the the final moments of regulation on fire, then went into a deep freeze and began hastily firing up three point shots that consistently missed their mark.

Forced to foul, the Panthers Shaw and Ethan Ilagan made the Sharks pay by calmly netting 6 consecutive free throws to seal the Shark’s fate.  A couple of late field goals by JD Pirris kept the Sharks close, but in the end, it was the jubilant Panther rooters who stormed the court, ignoring the pleas from venerable Shark PA announcer Ross Byers to “Please stay off the Court!”

The entertaining contest showcased the talents of two of the best players in St. Johns County in the Panthers Guenther and the Sharks Pirris.  Guenther tallied 25 points and his 16 points at the halftime break were more than the Sharks team total of 15.

Pirris was brilliant again in the losing cause equaling his career high of 28 points but received little help from his mates,

The Sharks clearly missed the presence of a pair of their big men against Nease but hopefully the next few days off will be beneficial in their recovery from the flu.  6’6 Jack Johnson, who has missed the last three games, was in street clothes on the bench against Nease, but looked as pale as Casper the Ghost.  

6’6 Luke Martin was also idle last week while 6’3 sophomore Ben Hauser was only healthy enough to play limited minutes Friday night.

The Sharks 15-10 record to end the regular season mirrors last season’s mark as they journey to Palatka on Wednesday night to play the winner of Monday’s matchup between Menendez and Matanzas, a pair of teams who split the pair of games earlier this season.

Unlike last season when Coach Beech only had to replace but two seniors, such will certainly not be the case when he initiates  roll call for the start of the 2017-18 school year. 

Although the cupboard will not be bare for the immediate future, what with some promising returnees from the current varsity, as well as a number of stalwarts from the Junior Varsity squad, it goes without saying that this year’s seniors will be difficult to replace.

Here is a look at your 2017 PVHS graduates who will soon be playing in their final high basketball game for the Ponte Vedra Sharks:

# 10 Noah Bunkosky

 It’s too bad Noah doesn’t have another year of eligibility remaining.  Outside of JD Pirris and Mike Nicandri, there may not be a better ball handler than Noah. Bunkosky was so unknown by this author that I went the entire year misspelling his name.

It is very common for seniors who see very little action to sulk on the sidelines at their lack of playing time but this certainly was not the case for Bunkosky.  

Coach Beech: “During tryouts, I noticed how fast Noah could play and how well he defended.  He also was very coachable and was always appreciative of the opportunity.  He increased the competitive level of our practices and I’m so glad he was a part of this year’s team.”

#23 Eston Hensley

Eston Hensley will end his career as the 5th leading scorer in PVHS history, not bad for a player who was nothing more than a reserve just two years ago on the Junior Varsity.

Hensley’s game as improved so much over the past two seasons that, if one had to name an all time Ponte Vedra basketball team, it would be hard to leave Eston’s name off that list. 

Hensley is perhaps the most athletic of all the current Shark players, with good hands, a strong body, and great leaping ability.  Although Hensley's long three pointers often take on the rotation similar  to a Hoyt Wilheam knuckerball (this writer is clearly dating himself), his long bombs have found the bottom of the net nearly 40 per cent of the time.

When this Shark season, as well as Hensley’s career comes to an end, Eston will be up in the upper echelon of Shark players in numerous categories.  One area that Eston has needed to improve his game most may have been solved of late.  During much of his two years as a varsity performer, Hensley has been hesitant to utilize his quickness, strength and well above average ball handling skills with drives to the basket.  If the talented Hensley can add this skill to his already rosy resume, there is little doubt that he can play basketball at the college level next year.

Coach Beech:  “Eston is a great example of someone that did the work required to become a very good player.  Seldom did he miss an opportunity to be in the gym!  A good athlete with an instinct to rebound and get open shots.  For this reason he is one of our leading scorers and rebounders the past two season.  I really enjoyed coaching Eston and watching him achieve the accomplishments he deserves over his career at PVHS.”

#35 Lance Kren

Lance Kren will end his career at Ponte Vedra perhaps best know as your quintessential streak shooter.  As a starter on the JV team in his first two years at Ponte Vedra, Kren was a 6’1 post player. However, Kren remained at nearly the same height for his final two years and was forced to change his game from a post player to one who could muster the most damage from out court. 

However, with the rise to stardom from teammates Jack Shannon and Eston Hensley, and the recent resurgence from 6’8 junior Jack Johnson, Lance’s playing time has diminished in his senior year.

Kren during his junior season played a role similar to that played by former Shark player Kellen Wilson.  Although undersized for a center, he was often called upon to play a similar role to Wilson as a 6’1 post player.  Lance had a number of games where he reached double figures in the scoring column, with a most memorable 22 point performance in a Shark victory over Menendez where he made 6 three pointers, tied for second in PVHS history.

Kren has graciously accepted his reduced role this year while still giving an all out effort when he appears on the court.  When called upon to deliver, one needs to look no further back then to Tuesday’s game with Fletcher when Kren came through with 15 points and a number of rebounds.

Coach Beech:  “Lance has swung the momentum in many games with his ability to knock down “3s” anywhere on the court.  Under sized for his position, he still defended and rebounded the ball due to his hustle and desire on the court.  Lance is an outstanding young man that always cared more about the team.  A joy to coach!”

# 23 Dean McCarthy: 

Dean McCarthy is Ponte Vedra’s answer to the Energy Bunny. With his motor always racing, often times over the speed limit, McCarthy has been a valuable contributor to the Shark’s good fortune during his two year varsity career.

Dean’s playing time has been set back somewhat by having to miss all of the Ponte Vedra basketball games the past two season that took place over the Holiday break.  Dean would accompany his family for their annual trip back to their native land of Ireland and it would take him some additional time to get back in his basketball groove.

McCarthy always give 110% when pressed into action by coach Beech and is always on alert to play some solid defense.  McCarthy shows no fear out on the court and is never hesitant to fire away from behind the three point arc.  Unfortunately, Dean has not been accurate with his long range shots, but has done a nice job lately of moving without the ball where his teammates have found McCarthy slashing to the basket for much easier layups.

McCarthy logged a lot of minutes in Ponte Vedra’s recent win over a very good Fletcher team and played a pivotal role in the much needed victory.  Always appearing to having a gusto attitude on the court, the 6’2 senior could play a key role down the stretch before his Shark career comes to a close.

Coach Beech: “Describing Dean as a player with high energy would be an understatement!  I don’t ever remember Dean not going full speed in a game.  We like to play fast and this is the reason we put him on the floor.  He is a quick defensive player with the ability to get to the rim on offense.  Dean is definitely another player who has been fun to coach over his high school years!

# 4 Mike Nicandri (Captain)

Mike Nicandri’s spirited high school career came to an end much sooner than he, his coach, and Shark fans would have liked when he incurred a season ending knee injury in a recent game against Bolles.

Nicandri’s role as a ball handler and team leader will be hard to replace as this season draws to a close.  His loss denies Ponte Vedra a much needed ball handler to take the pressure off JD Pirris.

However, the 5’7 dynamo will leave a lasting impression on his teammates for the role that he has filled during his two years on the varsity.  Two games especially stand out in this author's look back on the past season.

While Ponte Vedra’s football team was playing in the state championship on Friday December 9, the prospects looked gloomy for a Shark basketball victory that very same evening against perennial power Palatka.  

Playing without JD Pirris, it was up to Nicandri to step up and fill JD’s role of breaking Palatka’s smothering full court pressure defense.  The pint size senior came up big in the narrow victory with his deft ball handling and defensively coming up with 6 much needed steals.

In the Shark's come from behind victory against arch rival Nease, Nicandri was called upon by Coach Beech to come off the bench early and put the clamps on a Neese player who scored a quick 8 points before the game was but a couple of minutes old.  Nicandri shut down the Panther guard without a basket made the rest of the contest.

Coach Beech:  “Mike’s presence on the court throughout his career was quickly noticed by everyone.  Few players are capable of playing at the speed and with determination he displayed during a game.  Over the years his humor and connection with teammates and coaches have made him a team leader.  Injuries in the second half of his junior and senior year were difficult and untimely, yet, his loyalty to the team and friends continued throughout the season.”

# 1 JD Pirris (Captain)

Although JD is a long-shot to become the fourth Ponte Vedra player to surpass the 1,000 point barrier, only an often maligned FHSAA scheduling system, one that results in sports overlapping one another, could prevent this multi-sport star from accomplishing this rare feat.

However, scoring points doesn’t even begin to register the true value to Ponte Vedra basketball for JD Pirris. Although listed at 6’1, Pirris was a dominant rebounder, pulling down more then 200 rebounds in a single season in his junior season.  Pirris will rank near the top of the PVHS career leader board in a number of categories:  Steals, assists, free throws made, as well as in the aforementioned scoring and rebounding departments.

However, there his one major Pirris attribute that does not show up in any statistical category:  Ball Handling.  Coach Beech will be hard pressed to find a future Shark that can replace JD in taking care of the ball against constant pressure.

Its safe to say this proud program has never seen a player that possesses JDs skill and intense desire to take the ball to the rim.  It’s probable, at this point in his career, JD will continue his athletic career at the Division 1 level, not in basketball, but football, where Pirris had more than 1,000 career receiving yards in leading PVHS all the way to the state football finals.

Coach Beech:  “J.D. has developed into one of the best point guards in the area during his three season on Varsity.  Off the court; quiet, calm, respectful, appreciative, and during the game he’s a fierce competitor and a player that makes his teammates better.”

# 11 Jack Shannon:

From often being the last player coming off the bench on the JV team to ending his career as one of the all time top players in Shark history, Jack Shannon’s outstanding basketball career would have been inconceivable just two year’s ago.

If the powers to be ever come up with an award for the most improved player—- they could name it the Jack Shannon Most Improved Player Award.  

Shannon has played his role to near perfection this season.  When the deadly shooter gets the ball with some open space, he fires away.  And nearly 50% of the time the results are 3 points for Ponte Vedra.  When the space is not there Shannon has shown great maturity by not forcing a bad shot.  An area where Shannon has shown perhaps the most improvement this year has been his ability to put the ball on the floor and slice his way to the basket, resulting in many more foul shots.

Over the course of the 30 game season in 2016-16 Shannon only went to the free thrown line but 23 times.  During the present season, Shannon has already more than doubled that total in but 21 games where his proficiency from the free throw line has been uncanny. Such is Shannon’s shooting skills, he is currently at the top of the leader board in the entire First Coast area in free show and 3-point shooting percentage. 

Coach Beech:  “Jack went from 3^rd string on JV his sophomore year to a starter his Junior and Senior season on Varsity.  Like most players that exhibit this type of improvement, the reason is he shows up!  He took advantage of as many opportunities he could to get in the gym and improve his game and worked very hard.  Jack is an outstanding 3 point shooter, along with being a player that can now impact the game in many other ways.  It was great to have the opportunity to coach such a dedicated player.”

#13 Chris Tomacewski: 

Chris Tomacewski will cap his Shark career as one of the most popular players ever to don the Ponte Vedra uniform.  And how this athletic and tireless player loves to play on the big stage!  Fans of Nease High School will not soon forget how it was Tomacewski who was the hero in both Shark victories at Nease the past two seasons.

Chris followed up his outstanding effort in the win over Nease his junior season with an even more dramatic performance as a senior.  With 7 seconds remaining and the game all even, Tomacewski came through jn the clutch by taking a deft pass from JD Pirris and banking in a reverse layup to send the large Shark fans into a frenzy with his game winning shot.

Tomacewski has merited a number of nicknames for his dossier’ — Mr. Clutch for one, and The Panther Killer for yet another. Every team should be so fortunate to have a team oriented performer like Chris Tomacewski on one’s roster.

Coach Beech:  “Chris has been a key player on all the teams he has played for during his JV and Varsity career.  He is always one of the best defenders, along with having big offensive numbers in crucial games.  He is a great person to have on a team, always making practices and long bus rides fun and entertaining.  His athleticism will be impossible to replace.  Johnny C. coming up from JV might try to replace the entertainment part!”

Sharks Hope to Lick Their Wounds in Final Week of the Season

It was a topsy-turvy week this past week for the Ponte Vedra basketball team.  There was some good, some bad, and the week concluded with a big question mark as coach Bud Beech’s Sharks head into the final week of the regular season.

The Sharks enjoyed a rare home game played this past Wednesday when they made amends for an earlier 21 point blowout loss on the road at Bartram Trail with a well earned 74-67 win over the always competitive Bears.

However, the two games played on the road were less than rosy for the locals.  A day earlier, the Sharks played one of their poorest games of the season in a narrow two point 43-41 loss to Clay Co, the first win ever for the Blue Devils over Ponte Vedra in basketball.

It appeared that Ponte Vedra was again going to hold the whammy over the host Blue Devils when they raced out to an early 11-1 lead. The Blue Devils took control of the contest for the next two quarters as the Sharks were only able to score 3 points in the pivotal third quarter.

Shaking off his rust after missing the previous five games, Pirris kept the Sharks close to the Blue Devils by scoring 10 of his game high 16 points in the final quarter.

Despite their district loss to Clay, the Sharks will still enter the upcoming playoffs beginning February 7 in Palatka, as the districts No. 1 seed.  Ponte Vedra will open up the tourney at 6:00 PM against the winner of the February 6 game between Menendez and Matanzas.

The Sharks recovered quickly the following evening after the loss to Clay when they returned to the Shark Tank for only the second time in 14 games.  Eston Hensley lit up the scoreboard in the first quarter when he ripped the nets for 14 points as the Sharks raced out to an early lead and never looked back.

Hensley would finish the evening with a career high 25 points while Pirris was close behind with 23.  Coach Beech received a big lift from his 6’8 junior center Jack Johnson in the Bartram win with 9 points and 7 blocked shots.

Friday’s loss at Providence to the area’s top rated team was certainly not unexpected, but their poor shooting and sloppy passing were the least of their concerns in the defeat.  Three year starting guard JD Pirris, while frustrated with his driving layups that agonizingly would hang on the rim before falling into the waiting arms of a Stallion player, left the game with a sprained ankle in the third quarter leaving his status for this week, and the upcoming playoffs, up in the air.

The Shark duo, who combined for 48 points in Wednesday’s victory over Bolles, had a complete 180 reversal against Providence where they paired up to make but 2-19 of their two point shot attempts.

It was clear that many of the Sharks were either intimidated, or in awe of the tall and talented Stallions, coached by  Jim Martin,  the coach for prep basketball’s most prestigious post season game at the McDonald’s classic. Providence was led in scoring by former Menendez player Zachary ‘Scooty’ Bryant, this year’s odds on favorite to take home player of the year honors for the First Coast. 

The Sharks now will take their still impressive 13-9 overall record into this weeks final 3 regular season contests beginning with Tuesday’s home game against neighboring Fletcher High.  

Following a Thursday road trip west on Interstate 10 to play a very good Baker County five, the Sharks will play their final home game of the season Friday night, in front of what surely will be a packed and enthusiastic crowd when they host arch rival Nease.

Sharks Hoping to Peak as Regular Season End Nears

The return to the lineup of leading scorer JD Pirris will be most welcomed by the Ponte Vedra Sharks this week.

With Pirris on the court the Sharks can boast of a 8-1 record as the All-Area performer returns to action Tuesday night when Ponte Vedra travels to Clay Co.  It will be a busy week for the Sharks as they finally return to their home court for a return engagement with Bartram Trail on Wednesday, January 25.

On Friday the ‘Beech Boys’ will have the daunting task of defeating the First Coasts No. 1 ranked team when they play at perennial power Providence High.  

The return to action by Pirris can come none too soon for Ponte Vedra as only six games remain in the regular season before the PHSAA playoffs begin on February 7th in Palatka.

Although the Shark’s were shorthanded without the services of senior point guard Mike Nicandri and Pirris, coach Beech had to be pleased with the improvement shown by a number of his Shark players.

In the Shark’s loss on January 19 at always tough Bishop Kenny, Beech saw one of his three sophomores, Ben Houser, score a career high 12 points in a 83-69 loss to the Crusaders.  6’5 Sophomore center Luke Martin demonstrated that he could become a major contributor during the upcoming playoffs with a fine showing in their losing cause at Matanzas.  A very aggressive Martin tossed in 13 points while yet another promising sophomore, Reese Russi,  has played very well of late after moving into a starting guard position.

The Sharks began the week with a 61-53 district win over Menendez, avenging an earlier loss to the Falcons in early December.   The win also guarantees the Shark’s the number one seed in the upcoming playoffs.  

With the score all even at 25-25 at halftime, the Sharks outscored the hosts 19-8 in the third period and then withstood a late Menendez rally to post their 13th win of the season against but 5 defeats. Senior Eston Hensley and Russi led the charge in the third quarter by scoring 14 of the Shark's 19 tallies.

In their next game at Bishop Kenny the Sharks were unlucky to face the 2016 state finalist at the top of their game.  In the loss to BK, the Sharks gave up the most points scored against them all season.  Ponte Vedra did hold a short lived lead at 25-24 early into the second quarter, only to let their guard down as Bishop Kenny went on a decisive 13-3 run en route to a 83-69 defeat of the Sharks.

The Sharks had to be well aware that they would have tough sledding against a vastly improved Matanzas team that dropped their earlier game at the Sharks 70-64.  However, playing without the services of Pirris, who netted 23 points in that first contest, an inspired Matanzas team jumped out to an early 11-0 lead en route to the victory.

The Sharks were able to regroup, thanks to a 21-11 third quarter, to narrow the gap to 47-43 heading into the final quarter.  However, the well-coached Matanzas squad never lost their poise as they netted 14 of their 20 fourth quarter points at the free throw line to hold off the Sharks.

After playing 13 of their last 14 games away from the Shark Tank, the Sharks will welcome their return home on Wednesday when they have a return engagement with Bartram Trail.  Prior to their visit from Bartram the Sharks have high hopes of taking undisputed possession of the top seed in district play with a victory at Clay. A loss would drop the Sharks into a tie with Palatka, each with a 5-3 record.  However, the Sharks would earn the top seed as they defeated Palatka twice during the regular season.

A bright spot for the Sharks over the past few games has been the consistent play from 6’0 senior Jack Shannon.  Shannon, who languished on the bench throughout his sophomore season on the Junior Varsity, has improved his game to the point where he will soon finish among the all time leaders in Shark history.

Shannon has scored in double figures in each of his last 5 games, including a 20 point performance in the losing cause at Matanzas. Shannon has added another element to his game, complementing his outstanding shooting from 3 point land with  slashing moves to the basket that often finds him then shooting free throws. 

With Shannon playing at the top of his game, and with the improved play from his young sophomores, the Sharks have high hopes of peaking at the right time as tournament time rapidly approaches.

Shark JVs Enjoy Another Banner Season

It has now become conventional that one could expect Ponte Vedra to again experience another winning season for their Junior Varsity basketball team, but with three underclassmen playing varsity basketball, expectations  should have been lowered for this year’s squad.

However,  the 2016-17 edition of JV basketball is on pace to have the highest winning percentage in the school’s brief nine year history.

Winners  of 13 of their first 14 games is impressive, but their overwhelming margin of victory over their opponents is off the charts.  The Sharks have outscored their foes by 30 points per ball game, scoring 885 points while limiting their competitors to but 456.

The only blemish on their record came very early in the season when they were defeated by Palatka 71-68.  However, the Sharks had a legitimate excuse for this lone setback when they played without the services of two of their regulars.  Kyle Barker and Nick Pirris, two of the top three scorers on the current Shark squad, missed the first contest as they were playing in the state championship football game earlier that afternoon.

When these two teams next faced each other on Friday the 13th in Palatka, the Sharks more than made up for that blot on their record when they pummeled Palatka 63-41 with Barker and Pirris combining for 23 points.

The team is once again mentored by former University of North Florida stalwart Parker Smith.  Smith, who was the coach of the Shark JV team two years ago that won 20 games, took a sabbatical last year to play basketball professionally overseas.  And once again the former UNF sharpshooter is on pace to guide his team to another 20 win season.

Although the Sharks have tallied a more than respectable average of more than 62 points per game, it’s perhaps their stingy defense that will draw the most rave reviews.  The defense, while giving up a minuscule 30 points per contest,  has averaged a remarkable 15 steals per game.

When asked how he could briefly describe the reason for this team’s success, coach Smith quickly responded: “ By playing fast.” Smith also added “I am really proud of how unselfish this team has played this year. I never have to tell them that they should make an extra pass.”

Yet another key to this year’s team success has been their depth.  Smith, on a number of occasions has not hesitated to bring in five fresh players at a time, with the quality of play hardly skipping a beat.

Barker leads the Sharks in scoring at a modest 13 points per game, with sophomore guard Johnny Corlazzoli the only other Shark averaging in double figures by scoring at a 12 ppg. clip.

Sophomores Barker, Corlazzoli, and Pirris have been the three most productive players but Smith has received some quality play from a number of his young freshmen.  6’4 Joey DePorre is the tallest member of the Sharks and shows promise of providing future Shark varsity squads another valuable big man.  DePorre has started most of the games this season on a starting five that includes the three aforementioned sophomores and yet another 10th grader Logan Conway.

Another sophomore on the roster is Brendan Duffy, who before being sidelined for much of the season with a knee injury, started a number of games.

The rest of the roster, comprised of freshmen Matt Barnhorst, Cole Gleckler, Dylan Hess, Peyton Thompson, Sebastian Rothman, Scott Hahnemann and James Kohnke have all had outings where they have made major contributions for the Sharks.

Over the last 4 seasons the Sharks have compiled an enviable record of 65 wins as opposed to but 13 defeats.  However, one must recognize that the most important role for a JV team is to development players to perform at the varsity level. Any current player who is fighting for playing time should not be discouraged with his lack of minutes at the JV level as this does not always translate into playing time on the varsity.

One only has to look at the JV team from two seasons back to find the perfect example. Coach Smith’s 2014-15 team won the most games in school history (20) and yet none of the players who were starters on that team are current starters for this year’s varsity team.

One of the last players off the bench from that 20-4 team was Jack Shannon.  Through hard work during the off season Jack improved his game to such a degree that, when his senior career is completed,  Shannon is on track to become one of the top 8 scorers all time in PVHS history. 

Another non regular from that same JV team from two years back is Eston Hensley.  Eston has transformed his game where he too will be near the top of the career leader board in several categories and has possibly set himself up for a shot at the next level.

Yet another late bloomer from that 2014-15 team was a gangly freshman—- Jack Johnson.  Now 6-8, the junior center has become a fixture as a varsity starter and has become one of the premier shot blockers on the First Coast.

“It always intrigues me to see who improves the most from their freshmen year to their later years in high school,” said the highly respected coach Smith. “Jack (Shannon) and Eston (Hensley) are the perfect example of guys who put in the extra work in the off season to get better.”

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple of other non-starters from the 2014-15 JV squad.  Who could have ever envisioned that Parker Smith’s team from two years back could boast of a Mr. Football as well as another player who.would be be a First Team pre-season All-American after transferring to a school in Texas?  Of course, I’m referring to Nick Tronti and Ke’von Ahmaud who we will surely be watching for the next few years on National Television.

A few tough opponents still lie ahead before the current JV season comes to a close, but coach Parker Smith’s youngsters are up for the challenge. Local fans still have three home games left to watch these future Sharks in action, with the next home game set for Wednesday, January 25th when they host Bartram Trail at 6:00 PM.

Sharks win Two of Three against Strong Foes

Faced with the prospect of playing three of their toughest opponents this past week, Ponte Vedra fans had to be pleased that the Sharks emerged victorious in two of those battles.

Sandwiched between a pair of victories over Bolles and Palatka was a tightly contested loss to one of the area’s top ranked team, the Creekside Knights.  The Sharks survived the week despite losing a pair of their best players.

Senior guard Mike Nicandri suffered a knee injury during Tuesday’s victory over Bolles and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.  It was a double whammy at the guard position for the Sharks as starting guard Will Mons likewise had a season ending knee injury early into this campaign.

Leading scorer JD Pirris is scheduled to return to the lineup after this week’s trio of games and will be a most welcome addition for the injury riddled Sharks.

Overcoming these drawbacks, the Sharks were able to hold off Palatka on Friday night to improve their overall record to an impressive 11-5 and a district leading 4-1.  

The Sharks enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 11 point lead in Friday’s always interesting   road trip to Palatka.  Unlike last year, when Palatka's tenacious full court pressure defense turned into a Panther home win, such was not the case this year.

The Sharks led 46-35 heading into the final quarter before Palatka went on a furious rally.  With some questionable home cooking from the men in stripes, Palatka outscored the Sharks by 10 points, but fell one point short of overtaking the Sharks.

The Shark district win over Palatka now sets up an important rematch on Tuesday, Jan 17 when the Sharks travel to Menendez.  A PVHS victory would give the Sharks a two game lead over their closest challenger in district seedings and would atone for their only district loss incurred from an earlier meeting at the Shark Tank.

In their only home game of a quirky schedule that will find Ponte Vedra playing but one home game as opposed to 13 on the road, the Sharks surprised the defending State Champions from Bolles with a convincing 77-47 victory in front of a large crowd at the Shark Tank.

The Sharks, after leading 27-20 at halftime, played perhaps their best half of basketball on the season by exploding for 50 second half points to run way from Bolles.  Pirris led a balanced attack for the Sharks with a game high 21 points while pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists.

Eston Hensley continued his great play with 15 points while 6-8 junior center Jack Johnson chipped  in with 8 points.  Johnson also was a domineering factor on defense by blocking 4 shots and altering a number of other errant Bolles attempts.

The Sharks took the short jaunt to nearby Creekside last Thursday as huge underdogs to a Knight team with a lofty state ranking.  In the first game of the season the Sharks were man handled by Creekside 69-41, and Knight fans expected more of the same in the rematch.

However, the Sharks, playing without Mons, Nicandri, and Pirris gave the Knights a real scare before running out  of gas in the game’s final moments.  The Sharks trailed by only two points late into the third period before the Knights were finally able to put away from the shorthanded, but gritty, Sharks.  

Several of the Sharks stepped up nicely for Coach Bud Beech's crew, led by Jack Shannon with a team high 17 points. Junior center Jack Johnson continued his improved play with 11 while sophomore guard Reese Russi, forced to log a lot of minutes with the Sharks missing three of their guards, added 10 points to compliment his 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

Eston Hensley, who drew a crowd of Knights throughout the contest, was the fourth Shark to reach double figures with 10 points, all coming in the first half. 

The most important game during this week’s busy stretch of games was PV’s tight victory over Palatka.  Playing in a Panther gym, where the Sharks had but one win (2014) in school history, the 53-52 conquest of Palatka saw several Sharks make major contributions.

Jack Shannon led all Shark scorers for the second straight game with a team high 16 points and a team high 6 assists.  Sophomore Reese Russi was close behind with a career high 14 points while Jack Johnson was a dominant force on the defensive end of the court.  The still improving Johnson scored 10 points but that didn’t begin to account for his most important role. 

The 6’8 junior, with a long wingspan, blocked 8 Palatka shots to equal his own school record that he set a year earlier, also against the Panthers.

After Tuesday’s important district game with Menendez, the opposition doesn’t get any easier for ‘The Beech Boys.’ The Sharks will play Thursday against an always competitive Bishop Kenny team that were state runner-ups last season.   Less than 24 hours later PVHS will again hit the road to play a district game against a much improved and well-coached Matanzas five.

 'Beech Boys' return home Tuesday to play defending State Champs 

One would be hard pressed to pen a better script for the Ponte Vedra Varsity Basketball Team for their efforts during the long Holiday break.

Winners of five straight games, all on the road, there were highlights galore for the Sharks during the streak.  On Wednesday, January 4, the Sharks earned their beloved head coach Bud Beech his 500th career win with a 53-48 victory over Westside at Ribault High School.

Only a slim turnout of Shark faithful were in attendance to witness Beech’s milestone accomplishment for win number 500, but that was certainly not the case for win number 501.

Before another packed and spirited throng of rooters for both teams on Friday January 6, the Sharks concluded their holiday journey with a thrilling 55-53 comeback victory against arch rival Nease. 

The Sharks were a mediocre 2-3 to begin this season while waiting on the return to their roster of a pair of starters who were instrumental in the huge success of the PVHS football state runner-ups.

Since senior JD Pirris and sophomore Reese Russi returned to the starting lineup, the Sharks have won 7 of their last 8 games to improve their season record to an impressive 9-4.

The only blip during that streak was their opening round defeat at the hands of Flagler Palm Coast when the Sharks had an uncharacteristic poor shooting night. However, it took the ‘Beech Boys’ less than 24 hours to regain their shooting touch as four PVHS players reached double figures in their 65-56 win over Savannah (GA) Windsor Forest.

The following day showed why the Sharks had missed the services of Pirris and Russi when the backcourt pair teamed up for a combined 28 points in a 74-64 victory over Crescent City.

A pair of Nassau County opponents were the next to fall at the hands of the Sharks.The Sharks romped to a convincing 68-44 win over Baldwin High with Pirris (18) Eston Hensley (13) and Mike Nicandri (11) all in double figures.  The Baldwin victory pushed Beech’s career win total to 499 heading into the next afternoon’s game vs. Westside.

Playing hard for their veteran mentor, the Sharks took a commanding 46-29 lead into the final quarter before outlasting a belated Westside charge to prevail 53-48.  

Although win number 500 had to be very satisfying for Beech, win number 501 vs. arch rival Nease was even better.  

As per any PVHS-Nease basketball game, the win didn’t come easy.  The Sharks trailed by 5 points with less than two minutes remaining in the contest before embarking on their closing rally.  

Trailing 53-48 with 1:36 left in the contest, and the Panthers in possession of the ball, the Sharks fought back. Eston Hensley drilled a two pointer to cut the Panther lead to 3.  

After forcing a Panther turnover, Ponte Vedra's JD Pirris connected to trim the deficit to a single point.

However, Nease was still in charge and were attempting to run out the clock. Yet another Nease turnover gave the Sharks a chance to take the lead with but 0:16 showing on the clock.

JD Pirris then took charge and began one of his patented drives to the basket.  The veteran senior guard, after drawing a double team, dished a pass under the hoop to a cutting Chris Tomacewski.

The 'Panther Killer' Tomacewski made the reverse layup to give the Sharks the lead, and then made it a two point margin when he made the free throw after being fouled. Nease was unable to answer and the Shark's stormed the visitors court in celebrating the victory.

Pirris had a monster game for the victors.  JD led Shark scorers with 20 points but, even more important than his scoring, was his work elsewhere.  Although listed as a point guard, Pirris led the team in rebounds with 9 and in assists with 8.

Eston Hensley continued his great play with 13 points, 6 of those coming in the clutch in the game's final quarter while Tomacewski came off the bench to score 12.

To keep the winning streak alive this week, however, will be a formidable task. The Sharks return to their home court Tuesday after 7 games on the road when they host the defending Division 4 state champions, the Bolles Bulldogs.

Thursday the Sharks hit the road again where they will play a Creekside team that could very well challenge for a state championship this season.  On Friday (Jan 13) the Sharks will travel to Palatka where they have only one road victory (2014) in school history.

Only the Palatka contest will be a district game.  The Sharks control their own destiny to secure the top seed in the forthcoming FHSAA playoffs with  3-1 record. Palatka is close behind the Sharks with a 3-2 mark in district play and will be out to make amends for their earlier 84-82 loss contested in December at the Shark Tank.

At the halfway point in the season the Sharks have received some consistent play from Seniors Pirris and Hensley.  The veteran pair have stamped themselves as two of the better players in the entire area and rank 1-2 in all the major statistical categories.

Coach Beech is hopeful that a few more of their teammates will step up in the next few weeks if the Sharks would like to make another long run in the playoffs.

Ponte Vedra beats Westside for Bud Beech’s 500th career victory

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Bud Beech drove home by himself after winning his 500th career game Wednesday and reflected on 32 years of memories coaching boys basketball in St. Johns County, a book he’s not ready to close any time soon.

Beech’s Ponte Vedra Sharks defeated Westside 53-49 at the Bernard Wilkes Classic at Ribault High School in Jacksonville.

“We’re very excited for him,” said Ponte Vedra point guard JD Pirris. “We all knew before the game it would be his 500th win. We got pretty excited in the locker room. We told him we feel lucky as players. He means so much to us. We feel he’s a great coach. It’s a great accomplishment. It’s special being a part of his 500th win.”

Beech, whose record is 500-358, was a head coach at Nease for 23 years, took a year off in 2007-08 and has coached at Ponte Vedra since the school opened in 2008. At Nease his teams won a state championship in 2002 and finished second a decade earlier in 1992.

“I’ve had a lot of reflection on the ride home,” said Beech, who knew he was getting close to the milestone but did not realize Wednesday’s win would be his 500th until his longtime friend, Pete Weaver, who was officiating the game, came over to him at the final buzzer and shook his hand.

 

 

“I couldn’t figure out why he was shaking my hand,” Beech said.

Beech also received congratulations from Nease head coach Josh Bailen, who played for Beech at Nease, and from University of North Florida assistant coach Bobby Kennen, who recruited Beech’s son, Beau Beech, to UNF. Beau now plays for the Long Island Nets in the NBA Development League.

“In this profession it’s the memories and the people you meet that last a lifetime,” Beech said. “I looked on the wall at Ribault and read about Coach Bernard Wilkes’ accomplishments. He won (758 games). Ribault was the best in the area in the ’80s and ’90s, and he was nice enough to come to Nease High School in 1989. We were able to hang with them.

“I vividly remember the games from the 1980s,” he said. “We had a lot of good teams and some not so good teams, too. But good or bad, we had a lot of great kids at Nease and now at Ponte Vedra.”

Beech compiled a 385-248 record at Nease. His first team at Ponte Vedra, which had no seniors, finished 0-23. Just three years later, in 2011-12, the Sharks, led by Beau Beech, went 19-12, won a district championship and advanced to the regional semifinals where they lost in overtime to eventual state runner-up Terry Parker.

Last year, the Sharks advanced to the regional finals for the first time, falling to Zephyrhills in overtime. A win would have sent a Beech-coached squad to the final four for the third time. But there will may be more opportunities and there will be more wins for Beech, who doesn’t appear to be ready to step aside.

“I take it a year at a time,” he said. “If my energy and enthusiam are still there (I’ll stay in it). I still feel my goal is not about wins, it’s about our kids getting better and representing themselves well. ”

Beech, who is Ponte Vedra’s dean of students, said coaching allows him to stay in closer contact with the students than he would as strictly an administrator.

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to teach and coach for 32 years than St. Johns County and Nease and Ponte Vedra,” he said. “I can’t ask for anything more. It’s been fun to watch the county grow from two (public) high schools.”

With their third win in a row, the Sharks improved to 8-4 on the season. Eston Hensley scored 15 points, while Pirris had 14 points and Jack Shannon added 10 against Westside (6-7).

The Sharks’ next game is 7:30 p.m. Friday at Nease, a place that will likely trigger more memories for Beech.

 

 

 

With the Ponte Vedra basketball team now at their full compliment of players, veteran head coach Bud Beech has seen his squad respond by winning four of their last five games heading into the new year.

Only a loss to Flagler Palm Coast in the opening round of the St. Augustine Holiday classic prevented the Sharks from a clean sweep as their overall record improves to 6-4.

Following their loss to Palm Coast on December 28, the Sharks bounced back with consecutive wins in impressive style over Savannah Windsor Forest 65-56 and Crescent City 74-64.  

Not to be overlooked during this season is a major milestone that will soon occur for the popular Ponte Vedra Head Coach.  The Sharks victory over Crescent City moved Bud Beech’s win total to 498 career victories, just two wins shy of 500 wins, a total accomplished by very few of his peers in this profession.

Beech is hopeful that win number 500 will come at Ribault High School when the Sharks return to action January 3rd and 4th, first against Baldwin and then the following afternoon against Westside High.  Both games with the two Duval County schools will get underway at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Prior to taking more than a week off during the Holiday break, the Sharks went on the road to play St. Augustine. Playing their best defense of the season, the Sharks breezed to a 62-47 victory over St. Augustine. JD Pirris, one of nine Sharks to score in the contest, led Shark scorers with 16 points.  Eston Hensley chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Lance Kren came off the bench to aid the winning cause with 10 tallies.

Following their forgettable loss to Palm Coast, the Sharks recovered nicely in their win over Windsor Forest with Hensley having a monster game for the Beech led crew.  The 6’3 senior, who was named to the All-Tournament team, filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 5 blocked shots, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals.   

Coach Bud Beech received some great help from his bench as Kren netted a team high 13 points and sophomore Luke Martin added 10. Senior guard JD Pirris became the 4th Shark to reach double figures with 11 points, to go along with 5 assists ands 6 rebounds.

In their final game of 2016 on December 30, In the first ever meeting between the two schools, Ponte Vedra withstood a late second half Crescent City rally to pull away to a 74-64 victory. 

The Sharks had a seemingly secure 52-34 midway through the third quarter, when coach Bud Beech emptied his bench to give his reserves some much needed playing time.

However, Crescent City then closed out the 3rd quarter on a 12-1 run to pull within 7 points of the Sharks heading into the final period of play.

The visitors from Putnam County got as close as two points (54-56) at the 4:48 mark of the fourth quarter before the Sharks regained their poise.

Led by some fine play from Pirris and sophomore Reese Russi, PVHS went on a 19-6 run to pull out their sixth victory of the young season against four defeats. Pirris would tally 10 of his team high 18 points in the final stanza while Russi would deliver 7 of his 10 points in clutch time.

6'8 Junior Jack Johnson continued his improved play with a double-double in the contest with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

When prodded for a quote after his career win number 498, Beech answered veteran reporter Brent Woronoff in a typically humble Beech response: “If you stay in it as long as I have (32 years) it helps.”

SHARKS VISIT ST. AUGUSTINE TONIGHT 

Five games into the 2016-17 basketball season Ponte Vedra’s boys varsity basketball team was still wondering how successful this season could be when they would be able to send their full compliment of players onto the court.

That question may very well have been answered last Friday night  with the return of five members from the Shark’s state finalist football team, three of whom were joining the varsity roster. 

After being surprised on Tuesday night in a loss to district foe Menendez 55-52, the Sharks were a vastly improved team when they took the court three days later against a much improved Matanzas team.

Buoyed with the return of their top scorer from the 2015-16 season, J.D. Pirris, the Sharks bounced back with a hard earned 70-64 win over the visiting Pirates. Pirris tallied 23 points in his return to the lineup, 18 of those markers coming in the deciding second half.

Although Pirris was eligible to take the court as early as Tuesday night’s contest with Menendez, coach Bud Beech was hesitant to use his all-area performer just three days after Pirris completed his 14th bruising game as a valuable contributor to the Shark’s outstanding football team. 

The Shark’s are hopeful with Pirris back into the starting lineup, the results will be reversed when Ponte Vedra visits Menendez next month for a return engagement with the Falcons.  

A frigid shooting third quarter doomed the Sharks in their loss to Menendez.  The Falcons outscored the ice cold Sharks 20-6 in the period to take a commanding 13 point lead into the final quarter.  The Sharks rallied to pull within three points as the final buzzer sounded but were unable to overtake the fired up visitors.

The Sharks can certainly lay much of the blame on the surprising defeat to their poor shooting from two point range, with many of their dismal 11 for 37 shooting coming from very close range.

One lone bright spot for the Sharks was the continued fine play of Eston Hensley.  The 6’3 senior scored a game high 16 points and pulled down a team high 11 rebounds in the losing cause.

Friday night was a much happier ending for the locals against a talented Matanzas five. Pirris was understandably rusty in the first half with his shooting form, after but one practice with his current teammates, but the JD of old came out smoking hot in the second half.

Effectively slashing to the basket, Pirris either made his driving layups, or drew fouls in the process, with his forceful drives.  In addition to his 4 second half field goals, JD knocked down 11 of his 12 free throws.

Matanzas crept within 3 points of the Sharks midway through the final quarter before the Sharks went on a pivotal 6-0 run on baskets from Chris Tomacewski, Reese Russi, and Jack Johnson for their biggest lead of the game at 66-57. Forced to foul in the game’s closing moments, the Sharks closed out the victory with Pirris making 8 4th quarter free throws.

Following  tonight’s road game at St. Augustine, coach Beech will now have a number of practices to work with a full roster before returning back to St. Augustine on December 28th for three consecutive games in the St. Augustine Holiday Classic.

Sharks Now at Full Strength after 2-2 Start.

Veteran head coach Bud Beech has to be pleased to have a 2-2 record after playing the first four games of the season without his All-Area player from the previous season, J.D. Pirris.

Pirris will now join the basketball team after starring on Ponte Vedra’s state runner-up football team that concluded their storybook season in an epic state championship game in Orlando.

Also joining Pirris will be two other football players, 6’3 junior Zach Summers and 6’1 sophomore Reese Russi.  The addition of this trio will be welcome news for Beech and the Sharks as two regulars could be lost for an undisclosed time with injuries suffered in games this past week.

Will Mons, who led the Sharks with a game high 13 points in an earlier 66-49 victory over Clay, went down with a knee injury in the Sharks 81-59 loss to Bartram Trail.  Dean McCarthy then became the next Shark casualty when he incurred a nasty ankle injury in the Shark’s thrilling 84-82 Friday night victory over Palatka.

Fortunately for Shark followers, both of their victories were district contests, including the win at home against perennial power Palatka. Disappointed that their Friday night game with Palatka could not be moved to another date, the Shark players took out their frustration of not be able to watch their fellow football classmates play for a rare state championship in Orlando with their best effort of the young season.

Three returning regulars from the Sharks final eight team of 2015-16 notched career highs in Friday’s 82-80 win against Palatka.  Eston Hensley led all Shark scorers with 24 points, 18 of those points coming in the opening half.  The Sharks pulled away from their district rivals in the decisive fourth quarter by pouring in a robust 28 points, with Chris Tomacewski and Jack Shannon combing for 19 of the period points.

Shannon would end the night with a career high 20 points while the energetic Tomacewski tallied 16.  Just as he did last year in a road victory against arch rival Nease, Tomaceski was clutch in the fourth quarter as his 10 points put a dagger in the Panthers hopes for victory.

Yet another Shark set a personal high when promising sophomore Ben Hauser chipped in with 15 points.  Senior playmaker Mike Nicandri played a huge role in the important victory with his canny ball handling while dribbling through the always intense Palatka pressure defense.  

The Sharks can now set their sights on improving on their young record with the addition of Pirris to the starting lineup.  As a junior, the 6’2 guard averaged better than 16 points a game, Pirris saved his best for last when he average a whopping 25 points a game during the Sharks improbable playoff run that ended in an overtime road defeat at Zephyrhills.

 Coach Beech is hopeful that the Sharks can extend their current 2-0 district record with a pair of district victories this week, both game s that will be contested at the friendly Shark Tank.  Menendez visits Shark Country on Tuesday with district newcomer Matanzas visiting on Friday. Both games will immediately follow the junior varsity contests that tip off at 6:00 PM.

Sharks Have High Hopes for 2016-17 Season

While the Ponte Vedra Sharks eagerly await the return to action of their leading scorer from a year ago, JD Pirris, veteran head coach Bud Beech couldn’t be any happier.

In today’s modern era of the One Sport Athlete, Pirris is the rare exception.  As a star performer on Ponte Vedra’s outstanding football team, Coach Beech and his soon to be Shark basketball teammates, will lustily cheer on Pirris and our state finalist football team in Orlando Friday afternoon.

Pirris isn’t the only Shark cager starring on the gridiron expected to play a vital role for this year’s basketball team.  Junior jumping jack forward Zach Summers could also give Beech’s team a big lift when he is through making huge plays from his defensive end position on the football team.

In addition, Junior Varsity coach Parker Smith will be eager to welcome to his squad a pair of football sophomores who were key performers on last year’s outstanding JV team, Kyle Barker and JD’s younger brother Nick Pirris.

The Sharks opened their basketball season this week with back-to-back contests against Creekside and Clay Co.  A loaded Creekside team, with three talented sophomores returning from their outstanding team from a year earlier,  and with having played three earlier games,  overwhelmed a jittery Shark team in the season opener.

Complimenting the three sophomores for the Knights with the addition of a 6’3 transfer from Wolfson, Creekside raced out to an overwhelming 18-0 lead before the wide eyed Sharks could answer with a bucket of their own.  

The Sharks regained their poise to tally a more respectable 17 second period points, but the first quarter draught was too large to overcome as the Knights downed the shorthanded Sharks 69-41.

Fortunately, the Sharks could quickly forget their performance against Creekside when they took the court just a day later against a Clay team, also missing players who played for Clay’s semi-final football on Friday night against the Sharks.

The Shark’s spotted the Blue Devils a 4 point lead at the end of the first quarter, but after trailing 17-13, Ponte Vedra caught fire and played near perfect basketball in outscoring the visitors in the second quarter 23-4 to take a comfortable 36-21 lead at halftime.

Leading the second half surge were a pair of newcomers to the Shark varsity, 6-3 sophomore Ben Hauser and 6’0 junior Will Mons.

With the departure of their only senior from last year’s rotation, Matt Johnson lost through graduation, the Sharks would begin this season minus their playmaker and top defender.  However, based on what he showed in Ponte Vedra’s 66-49 victory over Clay, coach Beech just may have found this year’s defensive stopper in Mons, who sat out his sophomore season with a knee injury.

Mons, not only led the Sharks in scoring, but more importantly, shut down Clay’s leading scorer with some tenacious defense. Houser came off the bench in the second period to score all 9 of his points, while 6’8 junior Jack Johnson was a force on defense with his 3 blocked shots that led to easy fast break layups at the other end.

Coach Beech was able to use all 13 players suited up for the contest as he seeks to find a rotation for the upcoming season.  In addition to Pirris, other senior regulars returning from last years Regional Finalist team include 6’4  Eston Hensley, 6’1 guard, Jack Shannon, 6’3 center Lance Kren, 5’6 point guard Mike Nicandri, 6’0 guard Chris Tomacewski, and 6’2 Drew McCarthy.

Also showing promise in the first two games, in addition to Johnson and newcomers Mons and Hauser, was 6’5 sophomore Luke Martin.  After Clay went on a spurt in the early minutes of the fourth quarter to pull within 7 points of the Sharks, Martin scored 6 quick points to stretch the PV lead out to a commanding margin.

The Sharks will return to action with a road trip to Bartram Trail for a Thursday contest with the Bears.  The varsity game will follow the junior varsity contest that tips off at 6:00 PM.  The Sharks are scheduled to host Palatka Friday night but coach Beech is hopeful that game can be rescheduled so Shark fans can follow the football team in the state championship game in Orlando.

2016-17 Sharks Basketball Season is Here! 

Optimism reigns supreme for the 2016-17th edition of Ponte Vedra basketball as Shark basketball fans will get a quick preview with a pair of pre-season games this week.

The Sharks will tip-off of the current schedule on Wednesday against Cornerstone and will jump right back in action the following evening against an always talented Episcopal five.

The Sharks only had one player from last year’s rotation  graduate from last year’s team that shocked just about everybody on the First Coast, advancing all the way to the final eight before losing an overtime game to Zephyrhills, one win away from a trip to the state’s final four.

However, the loss of Matt Johnson will not be an easy spot to fill as the 2016 graduate led the team in assists, steals, was second in scoring to J.D. Pirris, and was far and away the team’s leading defender.

Veteran head coach Bud Beech has a 14 man roster this season that includes a number of players who were instrumental in last year’s surprising long run.  In addition to rotation returnees  from last season; Pirris, Jack Shannon, Chris Tomacewski, Lance Kren, Eston Hensley, Dean McCarthy, Mike Nicandri and 6’8 junior Jack Johnson, the Shark’s will have some much needed depth with a bevy of talented players from last year’s outstanding junior varsity squad.

In the past the Sharks would normally begin their season with a few games sprinkled into their schedule before the calendar would reach December.  However, wily veteran coach Beech, fully cognizant that this year’s PVHS football team might be playing into December, held off scheduling any varsity contests until December 1st when the Sharks tip off their season against Clay County.

All area performer and All State candidate J.D. Pirris is a valuable cog on the Shark’s football team, as is the high rising junior dunking machine Zach Summers. Pirris and Summers will report to the basketball season as soon as the football season ends, hopefully on Defcember 9th in Orlando.

Both pre-season games this week will begin with a 7:00 PM tip-off at the Shark Tank.

Sharks Can Look Back with Pride On a Great Season

Now that Ponte Vedra’s highly successful, yet totally unexpected season has come to an end, it is time to reflect back, and yet still look ahead, into the future of Shark basketball.

Shortly before this season got underway I had the opportunity to interview our veteran coach entering his 31st season as a high school basketball coach. Bud Beech acknowledged that the cupboard was nearly bare, as all but two players who saw any playing time in last year’s rotation would return for the 2015-16 season.

Before this season tipped off nobody with a sound mind and body could have foreseen the Sharks coming just a single point shy of becoming regional champions and advancing to the state final four.  At the conclusion of my pre-season conversation with the popular coach, we both agreed that a .500 season would be a nice accomplishment.

To win 19 games, with a demanding schedule that included every team from the First Coast that advanced  to the Final Eight, would be a near impossible task. However, after watching a few off-season games played against a variety of opponents, it quickly became apparent that this team could prove to be a pleasant surprise.

“Everybody on the team got better,” Coach Bud Beech was quick to reply.  The veteran coach perhaps best summed up the season in a post game conversation with a local reporter following the regional final game. “ In my career, I’ve never seen a team improve as much from the first half of the season to the end.”

“At the start of the season we knew it would be a big transition for our younger players to adjust to the speed and the higher quality of play,” said Beech.  And it showed as the Sharks were overwhelmed in the early minutes of the season opener with  St. Augustine, trailing by as many as 19 points.  The Sharks quickly recovered to nearly pull off a comeback victory but a 9-19 poor performance at the free throw line proved too difficult to overcome.

The low point for the Sharks had to be their poor showing in front of a packed house against arch rival Nease High School. Ponte Vedra was clearly playing tight against the Panthers but the experience of playing in front of large crowds would play enormous dividends down the road.

To back up Beech’s contention that the Sharks got better as the season continued, Ponte Vedra turned the table and defeated both St. Augustine and Nease in their next encounter, with both victories coming on their opponents own court.

Beech could have enhanced his still impressive 19-11 record by padding his schedule with a bunch of cupcakes, but the difficult schedule toughened up the Sharks when the FHSAA tournaments rolled around.

Five of their 10 regular season defeats came at the hands of 4 opponents who, like Ponte Vedra, advanced all the way to the state’s elite eight. The Sharks even managed to split the season series against Creekside, a regional finalist in Division 7.  

The Sharks peaked at the right time, winning 7 straight victories before finally exiting the tourney in heartbreaking fashion .  

When asked why his team posted such a successful season Beach retorted: “ “We knew that JD (Pirris) was going to be a good player but we didn’t know he would score at this level as well as he did. Teams just didn’t have an answer for him getting to the basket. I knew that Matt (Johnson) was going to give us all the different things that he gave us, but he also saved us 10 points a game being the defensive player that he is. 

Although Pirris and Johnson were the mainstays of this team, Beech also got some good production from a number of other players.  By season’s end Beech had settled on a 7 man rotation of Pirris, Matt Johnson, Lance Kren, Chris Tomacewski, Eston Hensley, Jack Shannon, and Jack Johnson, all underclassmen. If not for incurring a concussion during a practice session, junior Mike Nicandri would have seen more playing time.

“I thought Lance Kren played well for us at the end, not only knocking down some big shots but by playing some solid defense and getting us some big rebounds.  Jack Shannon continued to improve and he helped us when other teams with bigger players would score inside, Jack could counter with a 3 pointer,” noted Beech.

“Eston Hensley gave us some big games as did Chris Tomacewski and Jack Johnson.”  They just all continued to get better,” Beech repeated.”

Of the numerous players that will return for next year, JD Pirris certainly headlines this list.    It will be a big surprise for this author if Pirris isn’t honored as the St. Johns County Player of the year when post season honors are announced.  The two-sport star (already the PVHS single season record  holder in football for most passing yard receptions) concluded his season in whirlwind fashion.  Pirris averaged 25 points per game during the five games in the playoffs as well as leading the team in rebounds.

Although standing but 6’2, Pirris is now the second leading rebounder in Shark history, trailing behind only UNF star performer, 6’9 Beau Beech.

When asked about his expectations for next year, Beech said:  “ We have a lot of good players returning, including some fine players from the JV team who we expect to get better by playing, either on their summer AAU teams or pick-up games during the off-season. I expect some of those JV players to play a definite role for us next year. it will be interesting to see.”

With Matt Johnson set to graduate, and carry his record of attaining straight A’s to college next fall, his departure will be difficult to replace.  Although Johnson averaged in double figures in scoring, it was his other talents on the court that were even more valuable.  Johnson was the consummate team player who led the team in assists and steals but, as Beech pointed out, was invaluable as the Shark defensive stopper.

Competition will most definitely be intense for playing time on the Shark 2016-17 squad. Nine roster players return and will be complimented by the addition of a pair of outstanding sophomores from this year’s outstanding JV team, Liam Carey and Zach Summers.  It is also conceivable that one or more of this year’s talented freshmen could also challenge for a roster spot.

Needless to add, the future of Ponte Vedra basketball is in good hands.

Sharks defeat Santa Fe -- Advance to Regional Final

When a team loses 17 of their 19 roster players, one could assume that expectations were none too high for this years Sharks Basketball team.

However, facing a daunting schedule, loaded with powerhouse teams, this year's Ponte Vedra team has exceeded even the most optimistic of forecasts following tonight's 59-54 victory over Alachua Santa Fe.

The victory has propelled Ponte Vedra, in just their 8th year of high school basketball, into the elite eight and a berth in the Regional finals Friday night against Zephyrhills.

JD Pirris spearheaded the Shark victory with a team high 24 points as well as playing an inspired brand of team basketball.  JD had plenty of help from his mates as a number of Sharks rose to the occasion to catapult the Sharks the deepest ever traveled in FHSAA history.

Eston Hensley showed no fear in this contest, that showed neither team boasting of a lead larger than five points.  Hensley added 11 points to the cause, 6 of those points coming in the pivotal fourth quarter, and pulled down a team high 8 rebounds.

The Sharks trailed Santa Fe 24-22 at the halftime break but outscored the visitors by 5 points in the third period.

The third period came to a close when the Sharks executed a perfect fast break, with Matt Johnson dishing off one of his five assists with a clever behind the back pass to Pirris that resulted in a three point play for the Sharks.

The Sharks posted their biggest  lead of the game at 52-47 as time was winding down in the Shark Tank. However, Santa Fe's Trey McCray cut the deficit down to 3 with one of only two 3 point baskets made by the Raiders in the game. A driving layup by Santa Fe's Maquez Carter knotted the game at 52-52 with less than two minutes left to be played.

It was then that JD Pirris worked his magic with one of his driving layups to give the Sharks a 54-52 advantage with 1:37 remaining.

After Sante Fe missed a shot, the Raiders fouled Pirris and Mr. Clutch for the victors cashed in on what would prove to be the winning free throw to give the Sharks a 56-52 lead.

Sante Fe would counter with a Kham Taylor rebound basket to cut the lead to but two points with only 15 seconds remaining.  Matt Johnson converted 1 of 2 free throws to up the lead to 3.  

Alachua Santa Fe was unable to even get off a shot and turned the ball over with :04 showing on the clock.  Pirris then put the game away with the last of his 8 consecutive free throws to secure the victory.

Victorius Shark coach Bud Beech used his bench masterfully throughout the contest, with 8 Sharks in all seeing game action.  Senior captain Matt Johnson talled 10 points to become one of three Sharks in double figures. 

 Jack Shannon played a solid game for the 19-10 winners with 7 points and zero turnovers.  For the game, despite seeing full court pressure during most of the 32 minutes of action, PVHS only committed a very low total of 10 turnovers.

The Sharks will now make the long 3 hour journey to Zephyrhills with a chance to advance to the final four. Game time this Friday is set for 7:00 PM. A win Friday night would send this very young Ponte Vedra team to the final four the following Thursday in Lakeland, a goal that surely had to be an unfathomable quest at this season's onset. 

Young Sharks Host Santa Fe Tuesday in Regional SF

With their 76-55 stomping of Gainesville Eastside last Thursday, the Sharks now advance to the Regional Semi Finals Tuesday when they host Alachua Santa Fe.

Not since the 2011-12 Ponte Vedra squad upset Bishop Kenny in the regional first round  has a Shark squad advanced this far in the school’s brief history. This time the Sharks did not have to fight to the final buzzer to advance.

Playing their best half of the season, the Sharks put on a clinic in the first two periods by outscoring the visitors from Gainesville 49-18.  The 49 points fell but one point shy of the 50 points tallied by the Beau Beech-Jackson Johnson led team in a victory over Bartram Trail in the 2011-12 season.

Jackson’s younger brother Matt, teamed up with JD Pirris as the Sharks deadly duo each scored 15 first half points, as the Rams from Eastside left the court at halftime stunned by the dynamic Shark attack.

Pirris and Johnson got some valuable help from their mates as the Shark’s ball movement was at its season best.  Eastside led early in the contest 6-3, but the rest of the half belonged to the Sharks.  Coach Bud Beech got a huge lift from his bench when midway through the opening stanza he inserted 6’7 sophomore Jack Johnson and 6’0 junior Chris Tomacewski into the lineup.

Weakened somewhat from a bout with the flu earlier in the week, Johnson quickly changed the tempo of the game into the Shark’s favor.  Blocking or altering a number of Eastside shots, as well as controlling the defensive backboards, Jack Johnson’s outlet passes following a defensive rebound keyed a number of fast breaks that turned into easy Shark baskets.

Tomacewski meanwhile brought his usual energy to the floor with his defense and ability to slash through his opponent to score on driving layups.  All seven players used in Coach Beech’s rotation scored in the first half, leaving the visitors in severe danger of playing with a running clock in the first half.

Three times early in the second half the Shark’s we're within a basket from a mercy rule 35 points advantage, only to have Gainesville stave off the possible embarrassment with a gallant second half effort.  The Sharks took  a 32 point lead into the final period and were content to just coast to the victory.

Pirris and Matt Johnson did an outstanding job of filling out the stat lines.  Pirris would finish with 24 points and a half dozen assists and rebounds.  Johnson, after tallying 15 first half points, was content to get his teammates involved in the second half action.  The senior captain had 17 points and 6 assists while his lone turnover was on an offensive charge.

The recipient of some nice kick out passes from his fellow sharks, Jack Shannon does what he does best and finished with 11 points, 9 of those coming from his first of three consecutive makes on 3 point shots.  

After the game Gainesville Eastside’s veteran coach Herman Williams lamented to the court side reporter from the St. Augustine Record that his team’s youth contributed heavily to the defeat.  Perhaps Williams wasn’t aware Ponte Vedra has a very young squad of their own, as Matt Johnson was the only senior who dented the scoring column for the equally young Sharks.

Jack Johnson demonstrated that he could very well be the missing link if the Sharks are to continue deeper into this year’s FHSAA playoffs.  Johnson, in very limited minutes, led the Sharks with 9 rebounds, five blocked shots and a slam dunk that contributed to two of his five points scored on the night.

 Johnson’s presence will be needed as Alachua’s Santa Fe’s team’s main strength is up front.  In Santa Fe’s 53-42 win over Palatka, 60 percent of their scoring came from their front line.  The Sharks will welcome the advantage of hosting the Tuesday, February 16 contest, with the opening tip off once again set for 7:00 PM at the friendly Shark Tank.

Ponte Vedra defeats Palatka to win District Title

    It surely wasn’t the start they were looking for, but the ending suited Ponte Vedra’s varsity basketball team just fine in last Friday night’s  60-52 victory over Palatka.  The win earned the Sharks their 3rd district championship in 5 years and improved their overall record to 17-10.

The victory also earned the Sharks home court advantage when they resume FHSAA tourney action Thursday night when they host Gainesville Eastside at 7:00 PM. 

After an easy 80-43 victory over Menendez in the first round of the district tourney, the Sharks were expecting a much tougher game in their rubber game against Palatka.  And a tough game it was!

The two district rivals had split their earlier games played during the regular season, with both teams holding serve on their home court.

With many of the late arriving crowd still waiting in long lines that formed outside the Ponte Vedra gymnasium, Palatka quickly jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, much to the delight of the large following of Panther rooters who made the more than one hour jaunt from Putnam County.

It was not until nearly five minutes had elapsed in the opening quarter before Ponte Vedra was able to score, but a 9-4 Ponte Vedra run closed the gap to a more manageable 5 point deficit at the break, with Palatka on top 14-9.  

After being held scoreless in the first quarter, JD Pirris came alive in the second stanza by slashing through the tenacious Panther defense to score 6 of Ponte Vedra’s 12 points as the Sharks closed to within 3 of Palatka at the halftime intermission.

The Sharks were trailing 33-30 with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter before the tide turned into Ponte Vedra’s favor.  A Palatka player was called for a technical foul, and Pirris made them pay as he canned both of the free throws.  Pirris then followed up with another of his patented driving layups to give the Sharks their first lead of the night, 34-33 with 3:15 left in the third.

Senior Matt Johnson then netted back-to-back 3 pointers to extend the lead to 42-36 to help steer the Sharks to a 44-38 lead heading into the final quarter. Pirris and Johnson combined to score 16 of the Sharks third period points.  The 23 points scored in the quarter by PVHS were more then they had tallied in the entire first half of action.

Johnson continued his stellar play into the final period by scoring the Sharks first 6 points, but Palatka would not go away.   The Sharks would build their lead to 10 and seemingly had the game sewed up with but 2:15 left in the contest.

However, when Palatka’s pressing defense denied Pirris, Johnson and junior Eston Hensley from receiving the ball, 3 Ponte Vedra turnover had trimmed the Shark lead down to 5 points with 1:13 remaining.  With the Sharks attempting to run out the clock, much to the total surprise of many in the packed Ponte Vedra gymnasium, one of the Shark players unloaded an ill advised 3 point attempt.  Chris Tomacewski bailed his teammate out by coming up with a clutch offensive rebound and Palatka was forced to foul, sending JD Pirris to the line.  

Pirris, who was a 71 per cent free throw shooter as a sophomore, had a dismal first half of the season at the stripe, including a woeful 3-11 at the line in a December game against St. Augustine.  Those days are now well in the distant past as JD, since the start of the New Year, has made better than 80% of his free throws. Pirris salted the game away by hitting 4 clutch free throws, while Hensely took a perfect feed from Johnson and scored in the final moments as the Sharks advance to the regionals with their 60-52 victory.

Johnson (17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists), and Pirris (21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists) had monster nights for the victors, while 6’3 junior forward Eston Hensley (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and zero turnovers) also had a solid performance.  Coach Beech however, will need better play from his remaining players in the rotation if the Sharks are to make some noise in the upcoming regionals.

Mike Nicandri could have made the night much easier for Beech and the Sharks but he has had to sit out the last couple of games due to concussion issues. Much to the surprise of many of the Palatka followers, who brought 3 bus load of students to Ponte Vedra for the game, they did not see 6’7 Shark sophomore Jack Johnson play in the contest.  

On January 8, in the Shark 76-65 victory over Palatka, Johnson came off the bench to set a school record with 8 blocks, while adding an impressive 7 rebounds and 6 points to his stat line.  

Gainesville Eastside, losers in their district final to Alachua Santa Fe 66-51, will be the Shark’s opponent Thursday night with a scheduled tip off at 7:00 PM.  With another large crowd expected, local followers are urged to arrive early to avert a repeat of last Friday when a number of fans missed the early moments of action while waiting in the long lines to purchase tickets.

A win against Eastside will also assure the Sharks of hosting a regional semi-final on Tuesday February 16, against the winner of the regional game between Alachua Santa Fe and Palatka.

Sharks enter Playoffs with Momentum 

The final week of the season could not have been scripted any better for Ponte Vedra’s 2015-16 basketball squad.

Friday’s exciting 69-61 victory over Nease capped a three game week that saw the Sharks sweep all three of their games, providing some much needed momentum heading into the FHSAA playoffs beginning Tuesday.

The Sharks are excited to be the host school for the Division 5 district competition with Clay Co facing Palatka in the Feb 2nd tournament opener at 6:00 PM with the Sharks squaring off against Menendez at 7:30.

The win over Nease improves the Shark’s season record to 15-10 and assures PVHS of a winning season, a quality accomplishment for a team that returned but 2 contributors from the previous year.

When asked if a .500 record would be the an acceptable mark for this young basketball team prior to the start of the current campaign, veteran head coach Bud Beech agreed that would be a realistic goal. Mission accomplished — and then some!

A 15 win regular season certainly can not be attributed to the Sharks scheduling a number of ‘cream puffs’.  Playing state ranked powers such as Bolles (twice), Providence, and Creekside the Sharks were able to bounce back and defeat  three teams who had defeated PVHS earlier in the season, a sure sign of a team that shows improvement during the course of a season.

The Sharks began their week with a win over Baker Co, a team that had defeated PVHS in both of their previous encounters.  

Coach Beech did a marvelous job spreading the minutes for his entire roster by keeping fresh legs assembled on the court, fully aware of the upcoming arduous work week.  Beech used his entire roster in the 58-49 victory over Baker Co, with 10 of the 11 players that saw action denting the scoring column.  

Following an explosive third quarter,  when they outscored the visiting Wildcats 26-14, the Sharks had a seemingly secure lead, a margin that had one point stretched to 18 points. 

However, the Wildcats whittled the lead all the way down to a shaky six points with less than 3 minutes remaining.

Beech then inserted four of his starting five back into the lineup, along with seldom used senior Cole Martin.  Martin then made his coach look like a genius by hitting the game's biggest shot,  a clutch 3 point basket that spread the lead back to nine to clinch the Sharks 58-49 win over Baker Co.

Two nights later the Sharks provided the perfect ending for their followers on Senior night. One of the pair of upcoming graduates, Cole Martin, gave the Sharks a big lift in the beginning, while the other senior, Matthew Johnson, supplied the finishing touch at the end of a thrilling 56-55 victory over a very athletic Mandarin team.

Getting his first start of the season, Martin again delivered in the early minutes by scoring five quick points to quickly galvanize the large crowd in attendance. 

After the Sharks had taken a slim 4 point lead into their locker room at intermission, it appeared chances for a victory on Senior Night were doomed as the visiting Mustangs went on a 18-2 run to temporarily silence the loyal Shark supporters.

The Sharks then mounted a determined comeback, and rallied to take a 53-51 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining after JD Pirris scored 2 of his 7 fourth quarter points. That lead was short-lived as the Mustangs answered with 4 unanswered tallies, before Matt Johnson had his own senior moment.

With Mandarin holding a two point lead, and the clocking winding down inside the final minute of the contest, Johnson came up with his 3rd steal of the game and made the layup to knot the game at 53 all. Mandarin's Ceri Phillips then seemingly put the Sharks away with a two pointer with 15 seconds left.

However, Mandarin had lightning strike them twice  when Matt Johnson, after receiving a perfect pass from Eston Hensley, for the second time this season defeated the Mustangs with a three point basket as the Sharks fans erupted.

Mandarin still had time as 0:06 was left on the clock. The Mustang's Andrew Duong dribbled the length of the court and had a clear path to the basket, but his last second lay up was cleanly swatted away by Hensley and the Sharks escaped with their 14th hard earned victory of the season.

The Sharks had little time to enjoy their last minute heroics as less than 24 hours later a date with arch rival Nease was in the cards.  The Sharks traveled across ‘The Ditch’ with high hopes of turning the tables on the Panthers after a disappointing showing against their rivals in a loss in early December.

As usual, when these two foes meet on the hardwoods, another jam packed crowd filled Nease’s gymnasium to the brim.  And for those who expected yet another exciting PV-Nease matchup, they would not go away disappointed. 

For much of the game it appeared the Sharks would have an easy time with the host Panthers, with Ponte Vedra holding a 32-21 lead at halftime. However, energized by their loud following from their fellow students bedecked in Hawaiian attire, the Panthers would not go away quietly.  

Trailing 53-44 in the final quarter, the Panthers stirred their fans into a frenzy by going on a 9-0 run that tied the score at 53-53 with but 3:12 remaining in the contest.

The Sharks appeared worn down and desperately needed a spark from someone.  Coach Beech found the ignitor in junior fireball Chris Tomacewski.  Chris energized the Sharks with his fearless play and scored 10 second half points, many of those coming in the game’s final moments.  

Ponte Vedra also received some first-rate play from Eston Hensley, who stopped the Nease comeback with a pivotal three pointer as the Sharks retook a lead they would never relinquish at 56-53.    The Sharks then confidently  made 8 consecutive free throws over the game's  final minutes to salt away the victory and provide the locals with some much needed momentum heading into Tuesday’s tournament opener with Menendez.

The Sharks should not take Menendez lightly as one only need to look back a year to look at a similar scenario.  Last year the Sharks, just as they have done this season, twice defeated Menendez during the regular season, before watching  their hopes of making a long tournament run go up in smoke when the Falcons stunned the Sharks on a last second buzzer beater.

Sharks Honor Seniors  - Close out Home Basketball Season Tonight vs. Mandarin

Editors Note:  This article also appears in todays Ponte Vedra Recorder

With the most difficult of their brutal schedule now behind them, Coach Bud Beech’s Ponte Vedra basketball squad has high hopes of ending their regular season with a winning record.

Tonight will mark their final regular season home game when they host a high powered Mandarin team.  Mandarin scored 86 points against the Sharks in an earlier meeting in November, the most points ever allowed by a Ponte Vedra team.  Fortunately, the Sharks netted 89 points, the highest offensive output in school history, and won the thrilling contest on a last second 3 point buzzer beater by senior Matt Johnson.

Matt Johnson will be one of two seniors that will be honored prior to the game as the Mandarin tilt is earmarked as Senior Night.  Also bidding adieu for the Sharks will be reserve forward Cole Martin.

Although Martin has seen little playing time for the Sharks, his perseverance has been an inspiration for his teammates and a prime example how one ‘never gives up.’

Prior to each of his previous three years at Ponte Vedra High, Martin had tried out for the basketball team and each time was cut from the squad.  However, the determined Martin continue to work hard on the game that he loves, and he was awarded this year for his efforts, and his improved skills, by earning a spot on this year’s team.

Martin’s contributions and work ethic drew some high praise from coach Beech. “Persistence, determination, attitude and a love for the game made it possible for Cole to make our team for his senior year,” said Beech. 

“Each year after tryouts, I extend the opportunity to those who did not make the team to get involved with off season workouts and leagues. Most do not participate; Cole did, and everyone noticed him getting stronger physically, gaining confidence and significantly improving his basketball skills over the past year.

The only way you make yourself better at anything is to listen and take action to change a situation.  Cole has done both. It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to be Cole’s coach this past season,” added Beech.

A crowd favorite whenever the popular senior enters a game, Martin has been rewarded by seeing action in 15 of the Sharks’ 23 games played thus far this year.  

And Cole will leave the program with a ‘Senior Moment’ he will long remember.  Inserted late into the game, along with 4 other players who are part of the regular rotation, the Sharks had seen a once comfortable 18 point lead cut down to a less than secure 6 point margin. Martin then hit a clutch three pointer to move the lead up to nine and the Sharks were never again challenged in Tuesday’s victory over Baker Co.

“Cole is a good teammate, very coachable, and makes us better players with his hard work at practice,” remarked his fellow senior and Shark captain Matthew Johnson.

Johnson, a two-year starter and the younger brother of one of Ponte Vedra’s all time best athletes, Jackson Johnson, has been a stellar performer for the Sharks. 

Veteran PA announcer Ross Byers, who has been a loyal supporter and volunteer contributor for Ponte Vedra athletes since the school’s inception, had this observation on Johnson:  “When Matthew’s brother Jackson started as a freshmen here at Ponte Vedra, Jackson was already a very skilled player,” noted Byers.  “In my many years following Ponte Vedra Basketball I have never seen any player improve more during the course of his career than Matt Johnson.  He has really turned into a terrific player,” added Byers.

Johnson has averaged more than 13 points per game, but his other attributes on the court really define the 5’11 senior guard.  A very unselfish player, Johnson leads the team in assists. His 9 assists in a recent game against Bishop Kenny ranks second only to his brother Jackson.  Matthew, who also tops the Sharks in steals, is the Shark defensive ace who always draws the opponents leading scorer. 

Coach Beech also had high praise for the very athletic Johnson. “Only a few players during my coaching career matched the intensity and competitive spirit displayed by Matthew over his four years at Ponte Vedra High School,” said Beech.

“These characteristics, along with his athleticism, attributed to him being the best defensive player on our team and in the First Coast region,” very high praise indeed from his mentor.

However, what Johnson has accomplished on the court is undoubtably second to his work in the classroom.  “Matthew’s basketball IQ parallels with his academics, which ranks him exceptionally high in his class,” added coach Beech.

Since Johnson first arrived in Ponte Vedra from Wisconsin, prior to the start of sixth grade at Landrum Middle School, Johnson has never earned less than a perfect A in all of his classes for the past seven years.

After tonight’s contest with Mandarin, the Sharks will then close out their regular season with revenge on their mind.  Playing their poorest game of the season — in front of the largest home crowd —— the Sharks hope to make amends for their embarrassing showing earlier with a victory over their arch rival Friday at Nease High School. 

Although tonight’s game with Mandarin marks the final home game of the regular season, it will not be the last game contested at the Shark Tank.  Ponte Vedra hosts district play in Division 5A this year, with the playoff opener Tuesday night at 7:30 against Menendez, following the tourney opener at 6PM pitting Clay vs. Palatka.  

Tuesday’s two winners will then square off Friday PM for the district championship, also held at Ponte Vedra.

Sharks Hope to Close out Regular Season With Winning Record

With the most difficult of their brutal schedule now behind them, Coach Bud Beech’s Ponte Vedra basketball squad has high hopes of ending their regular season with a winning record.

The Shark cagers ran into a pair of red hot teams last week, first dropping a contest to Bishop Kenny, 78-57, followed by a 79-64 defeat at the hands of arguably the most talented Creekside team in their school’s young history. With 19 wins already to their credit, the Knights are a cinch to top their schools previous all time high of 19 victories, earned by a Jay Cody coached squad during the 2010-11 season.

The Sharks held a narrow one point lead at halftime, but Creekside had too much firepower in the final two quarters as the Knights improved their record to a school best 19-4.

The problem of late for the Sharks has not been their ability to score, but to defend.  The Sharks have been scoring on the season at a school record clip of 60 points each outing, but have given up 61 points per game to their opponent, second only to the 62 points pg. allowed by the Sharks winless inaugural team of 2008-09. 

Against their last 3 opponents the defense has been even worse, allowing a whopping 77 points per game; although this fact can be tempered with the fact that the Sharks played against powerful teams that boast a combined record of 56-12.

The Sharks’s will fine tune their game, and hopefully tighten up their defense, for next week’s playoffs with a busy three game week, with two of those contests at home, beginning Tuesday night when they host Baker Co.

Ponte Vedra will be looking for their first ever win against Baker, after suffering a pair of gut wrenching losses that should have left a bitter taste for the Sharks.  It was a Baker County team from two year’s ago that invaded the Shark tank in the Regional Quarterfinals and defeated Ponte Vedra in overtime.  

The Sharks let a 10 point lead slip away in the two point loss to the Wildcats last year, in a contest where the Sharks felt they were served a  little  dish of ‘home cooking’ from the game officials, while also dealing with a hostile environment. 

Thursday night will mark their final regular season home game when they host a high powered Mandarin team.  Mandarin scored 86 points against the Sharks in an earlier meeting in November, the most points ever allowed by a Ponte Vedra team.  Fortunately, the Sharks netted 89 points, the highest offensive output in school history, and won the thrilling contest on a last second 3 point buzzer beater by Matt Johnson.

Johnson will be one of but two seniors that will be honored prior to the game as the Mandarin tilt is earmarked as Senior Night.  Also bidding adieu for the Sharks will be reserve forward Cole Martin.

The Sharks will then close out their regular season with revenge on their mind.  Playing their poorest game of the season — in front of the largest home crowd — the Sharks hope to make amends for their earlier embarrassing showing  with a victory over  arch rival Nease, Friday night at Nease High School.  

All games will begin at 7:30 following Junior Varsity contests that tip off at 6:00 PM. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy JV coach Dustin Latta’s Sharks, who carry an impressive 15-3 record, including three victories last week against power programs Providence, Bishop Kenny and Creekside.

For those unable to attend the two home games, they can be seen on their computers at www.planeths.com. 

Sharks With Winning Record Heading Into Final Two Weeks

The Sharks  carry a winning 12-8 record and a number one district seed, as the 2015-16 regular season approaches the final two weeks of the campaign.

After defeating their final two district foes, Clay and Menendez, the Sharks have concluded their district obligations and now look forward to play five talented opponents, with four of those games scheduled to be played at the friendly Shark Tank.

Only last Friday night’s defeat at the hands of the defending state championship Providence team marred a perfect week for the Sharks.

After busting out to an early 6-0 lead in their loss to Providence, thanks to a couple of long 3 point bombs from Jack Shannon, the Sharks then appeared to play very tight and tentative against their heralded opponent.  

The Sharks trailed by a mere 2 points, 12-10, after the first quarter of action, but when coach Beech went to his bench to give some needed rest  for his regulars, playing their second game in two nights, Providence took advantage of the mismatch in talent and outscored PVHS 20-7 in the 2nd quarter and were never again challenged.

The Sharks were far off form against the Stallions, a team comprised of numerous transfers, including last year’s St. Johns County Player of the year Zachary Bryant, who played for Menendez last year.  Bryant had to work hard against Ponte Vedra’s defensive ace Matt Johnson, scoring 19 points, while former Lee High standout Jacorie Archie was close behind with 17 markers.

Johnson had 11 and Pirris 10 for the Sharks in the 74-47 loss to the Stallions, who have not been beaten by a Jacksonville Area Public School in more than a decade.

Ponte Vedra and Clay met for the third time this season on January 12, with a possibility of yet a fourth game if both teams make it to the district finals. Ponte Vedra made it three straight victories over the Blue Devils, but the Sharks had to work hard to dispose of the improved Clay Co five. 

Ponte Vedra  had to go on a 11-2 run over the game's final minutes to seal the hard fought 74-65 victory and needed career games from a pair of juniors to finally put the game away. 

Eston Hensley tallied 21 points while Jack Shannon equaled his career high with 18 as the two juniors combined to shoot a perfect 10-10 on their two point attempts. Ponte Vedra, entering the game with a poor team free throw percentage of just over 50 per cent, netted a much improved 13 of their 16 attempts to aid their cause.

Pirris with 12, and senior Matt Johnson with 10 points, were also in double figures for the Sharks.

Two days later the Sharks went on an even bigger run in their 64-42 road win against Menendez. Trailing by one point, 40-39 with 2:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Ponte Vedra went on an unfathomable 25-2 run in defeating Menendez for the second time this season.

The host Falcons played superb ball for the first 20 minutes of the contest before the Sharks put the foot on the gas, offensively and defensively, over the final 10 minutes of the contest. Scoring for the Sharks was well balanced on the evening with juniors Shannon with 15, Pirris 12, and Hensley with 10, all in double figurers.

The win insures that these two squads will next square off against one another for the second straight year in the first round of the districts, when state tournament play opens up at Ponte Vedra High on Tuesday, February 2.

The Sharks, playing one of the area’s toughest schedules, will next move from the proverbial ‘frying pan into the fire.’ On Tuesday, Bishop Kenny, featuring a pair of future Division I standouts, including the area’s leading scorer in Christian Carlyle, will bring a more than impressive 19-2 record into the Shark Tank.

Also appearing in Ponte Vedra next week Friday at the Shark Tank  will be yet another team with a superb record, Creekside.  The Knights have dropped but 4 games this season, with one of those losses inflicted by the Sharks in late November 67-63.

SHARKS MID-SEASON JV REPORT

Coach Dustin Latta, back from a one year sabbatical, has to be more than pleased with the showing of this year’s very young Ponte Vedra Junior Varsity Basketball team.  With the sudden departure of last year’s JV coach, Parker Smith, who left to play pro basketball overseas shortly before the start of this year’s schedule, varsity head coach Bud Beech was ecstatic when Latta agreed to once again take over the JV coaching reigns.

Latta previously guided the young Sharks for three years, before stepping aside to pursue additional teaching burdens here at PVHS, and has once again proven to be a perfect fit to guide this year’s impressive squad.

It would have been too much to ask to improve upon last season’s impressive record of 18 wins against but 4 defeats, but as we reach the halfway point of the current season, the 2015-16 edition of the Sharks appear to be right on track to match, or perhaps exceed, last year’s record.

Heading into a very busy January schedule, that will see the young Sharks cram 10 games into the next three weeks, the JVs boast of a fine record of 9 wins against but a pair of defeats.

The Sharks can discard one of their two defeats as a learning experience  in their one point loss at Bolles.  Playing in but their second game of the season, the freshmen dominated Sharks had a seemingly secure 7 point lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in the contest.  Much to the ire of coach Latta, instead of settling for layups only and milking the clock, the Sharks fired away from 3 point range and let Bolles creep back into the game.  Bolles connected on a 15 foot jumper with just :03 showing on the clock, taking a sure victory away from the Sharks.

The Sharks other defeat, to a very talented and athletic Fletcher team 64-53, displayed some of the weaknesses that these young Sharks will have to work on in the off season as they graduate to the next level of varsity competition. The Sharks committed 19 turnovers, with many of those ending up as uncontested layups, exposing some ball handling shortcomings from the young PVHS freshmen.

The loss to Fletcher would prove to be the last loss incurred by these Sharks as they have since rattled off five straight victories, including a pair of wins against an always talented Palatka five.

Coach Latta did an outstanding job of giving his entire 15  roster plenty of playing time before the lengthly Holiday break, often substituting a complete 5 player rotation in the opening half before settling on an end of the game rotation comprised of those who played well earlier in the game.

One of the few sophomores in Latta’s rotation is 6’3 Liam Carey, younger brother of last year’s star player Quinn Carey.  Carey missed his entire freshmen season due to a shoulder surgery and appears to be completely recovered physically.  

Carey made a few token appearances over the Holiday on the varsity and could be a dark horse candidate to give the varsity some needed rebounding help come playoff time. Carey has 4 times scored in double figures this year for Latta’s crew and is clearly leading the team in rebounding. (although individual stats are not complete due to the ‘sudden retirement’ of the team’s volunteer statistician.  Hint—- any volunteers?)

Carey is the only sophomore on the JV team in the top 6 in individual scoring.  With minutes spread out rather evenly among his entire roster, all the top scorers have relatively modest scoring totals.

Reese Russi, with an average of 11 points, is one of  two JV’s averaging in double figures per game, with a season high of 23 points in a Shark victory over Bartram Trail.  Close behind Russi is Kyle Barker at 10 points per game with a season best of 19.

Luke Martin, one of the taller performers (6’3) for Ponte Vedra, has displayed promise of having a very productive basketball career for the Sharks with his basketball skills.  Once Martin puts on some much needed poundage, the slender freshman could play a role as early as next year for Coach Beech’s varsity crew.

Yet another of the young freshmen who could blossom into a very fine player is 6’2 Ben Houser.  Ben showed his potential with a fine showing against Bartram Trail and is one of the better ball handlers among the front line performers.

Johnny Corlazzoli has done a nice job giving the Sharks some depth in the backcourt and will likely move into a bigger role on next year’s Shark JV team, in the event that current freshmen guards Russi and Barker move up to the varsity.

Athletic 6’2 sophomore Zach Summers has earned a spot on this year’s rotation.  Coach Latta has been diligently urging Summers to use his athleticism to drive to the basket to earn his points rather then settling for jump shots.  On a positive note, Summers leads the combined varsity and JV teams in dunks (One).  

This author’s bolt in the blue candidate to play a possible prominent role in a couple of years is diminutive point guard Matthew Webster.  There is no denying Webster’s toughness as he was a durable performer on the PVHS JV football team last fall as a running back.  Although his time has been limited this year due to his 5’2 stature, Webster is perhaps the team’s best ball handler and could play a valuable role once he picks up some sure to come added inches.

The Sharks play a 21 game schedule that includes a busy three games this week and an even busier four games the following week, including a Monday and Wednesday tournament game at Creekside High School.

All regular season JV games tip off at 6:00 PM.  Check this website for the starting times for the tournament games that will take place Jan. 18 & 20 at Creekside.

PVHS Sharks Boosters