PH Florida Update — District Champs Crowned Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state championship tournament is here folks but before then let's highlight some of the notable regular season district championship winners. This series will include title earners and player standouts. We will follow these teams into the postseason for more updates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winter Haven</strong> (Class 7A District 9)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We knew it from the jump! This team, program, and community are hungry for a state championship after falling one game short of the trophy a season ago. Winter Haven has been one of the top teams in the county the past few years and entered the 2023 season ranked first on my ranking list. They are now 24-1 with a 23-game winning streak and another district title to add. This team will be tough to beat in the playoffs with experienced seniors Issac Celiscar and [player_tooltip player_id='1055762' first='Jamie' last='Phillips'] leading the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Williston</strong> (Class 1A District 7)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's now consecutive district titles for a solid program in Williston HS who breezed through the 2023 year and recently picked up the win 89-34 to improve to 25-2 on the year. Williston capped off a great season with a commanding 61-21 win over Chiefland in the district championship. 2025 G Nehkai Seabrook led the Red Devils with 20 total points. Look out for this team to make even more noise in the postseason with a versatile roster that's going to cause problems. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Victory Christian Academy </strong>(Class 2A District 8)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Back-back district championships for head coach Steve Fitzgerald and this rising Victory Christian program. This team deserves what's coming because of the hard work and brotherhood built over the past years together. No other than senior G [player_tooltip player_id='1055782' first='Lorenzo' last='Cason'] has led this team to consecutive hardware trophies with a chance at the state title. Let's see how they play in the postseason with an important game looming over in the end.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Highland Prep </strong>(Class 4A District 7)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Highland Prep defeated a rising Discovery program 66-54 to cap off a great season for the Highlanders. LHP has now won their 7th consecutive District Title with productive performances from senior G [player_tooltip player_id='1055798' first='Julian' last='Clarke'] who led with 23 points &amp; 8 rebounds and sophomore G RJ Ingram adding 19 points &amp; 4 rebounds. LHP will kick off the state tournament against Astronaut on 2/15.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bell Creek Academy </strong>(Class 3A District 7)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wow what a way to pull off a close 58-57 win at home over a talented Sante Fe program. Bell Creek Academy has now won back to back district championships for the first time in school history.&nbsp; This kid Jermall Jones is the real deal. He recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists to help close out the Hawks. Don't sleep on BCA's engine piece and that's [player_tooltip player_id='1301768' first='Caleb' last='Sanders'] who added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the big win. The underrated junior [player_tooltip player_id='1301767' first='Lyrique' last='Sartin'] recorded 10 points with 4 assists as well. Tough matchup to start the postseason against Cardinal Newman (22-5) on 2/15.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bartow</strong> (Class 6A District 7)&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets closed out the regular season with a huge 72-47 win over Lakeland in a shocking away blowout over the Dreadnaughts. Senior G [player_tooltip player_id='1055705' first='Daniel' last='Thompson'] came up big with 14 points while senior F Jayson Williams added 11 points. It was the addition of senior G Antwann Willis' 13 points that really gave Bartow the edge. Tough to beat the goat in head coach Terrence McGriff.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ponte Vedra </strong>(Class 6A District 3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sharks defeated Oakleaf 79-73 to finish with a 20-7 regular season record and a Class 6A District 3 championship. Ponte Vedra was led by David Sanchez Barreraby with 20 points and 7 assists. Barrera broke the record for most free throws made in a single game with 17. Senior G [player_tooltip player_id='1859283' first='Sam' last='Ritchie'] added 19 points and 3 rebounds. The Sharks next game will be against Lincoln to kick off the state championship tournament on 2/15.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->