Volleyball's Open Division could include Jacksonville-area flavor

The Open Division countdown has begun.

But although football has drawn most of the buzz, it's not the sport that will be the first to roll out the Open Division this fall. It's volleyball — and for the moment, one Northeast Florida squad is at the head of the class.

As of the start of the week, Beachside moved to the No. 1 overall spot in the statewide MaxPreps volleyball rankings, which will be used to determine the Open Division qualifiers in October. The top eight schools in the MaxPreps figures will make the Open Division cut.

Behind the Barracudas as of the start of the week are Clearwater Calvary Christian, Indian Rocks Christian, John Carroll Catholic, Seacrest Country Day, Parkland Douglas, Pensacola Catholic and Merritt Island.

These rankings

are certain to undergo some significant swings between now and Oct. 16, when the district tournaments finish and the seedings for postseason lock into place. Several teams had not yet played enough matches to appear in the rankings as of Aug. 31.

Under the Open Division format, the eight qualifying teams will be split into a pair of four-team round-robin groups playing each other, three matches per team over a one-week span beginning on Oct. 21.

Beachside has started the year at 6-0 and continues to grow with a young and quick-moving team. Senior Mollie VanDeusen already has 71 kills, 63 assists and 59 digs and senior Isabella Taveras Seda leads on defense with 98 digs.

As for the future, they're in safe hands. Freshman Nina Simanic, up to 70 kills, is already among the most devastating finishers in the area, while freshman Ellery Anderson and sophomores Ariella Bostic and Katie Patch are key contributors.

Sharks' Sole tops 400 yards in second game

Add another quarterback to the list of passers to watch in St. Johns County.

Although his night didn't end in the win column, Ponte Vedra junior Carter Sole made a statement on Aug. 28 against Bishop Kenny, completing 33 of 53 passes for 417 yards while leading the Sharks back from a 21-0 deficit. Bishop Kenny ultimately won 28-21 in overtime.

He's up to 639 yards passing through two games with a 65.9 completion percentage in a solid start for a player who only began playing the position in eighth grade, missed most of his freshman year with a thumb fracture and waited through 2025 on the bench behind 3,400-yard starter Cole Rosendahl.

Sole narrowly missed the school single-game record of 423 yards, set by future Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football Nick Trontion Oct. 9, 2015 in a 52-51 loss to Bartram Trail. It's also the highest single-game production on record for a St. Johns County quarterback since Beachside's Eddie Jordan threw for 535 yards against Bishop Kenny on Sept. 18, 2025.

Along with receiver Cade Turner, who caught nine passes for 158 yards, Ponte Vedra is quickly building a junior air combination that's on course for serious statistics.

After two last-second defeats, though, the 2025 state semifinalists' next step is converting those numbers into victories. They next meet undefeated Merritt Island before plunging into a District 2-5A slate that ranks among Florida's hardest: Beachside (Sept. 11), Bartram Trail (Sept. 25), Mandarin (Oct. 9), Fletcher (Oct. 16) and Nease (Oct. 23).

Freshmen step up for Duval Charter

It's a little early to evaluate the 2030 class for high school football, but for those looking for promising football freshmen, one of Jacksonville's newest 11-man programs could be one to watch.

Duval Charter's 40-22 victory over Harvest Community on Aug. 27 highlighted top performances from several freshmen, including 219 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns from receiver Kendrick Spann and 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns from halfback Daren Manick. Manick is already up to 363 yards on the ground this season.

The Panthers also start freshmen at two other receiver spots (Jahazzi Douglas and Derion Blackman) and as an all-purpose athlete and placekicker (Jacob Harper).

Head coach Jim Stomps is no stranger to success on the First Coast. He formerly led Christ's Church for six years before heading west for coaching stints in Louisiana and in the Panhandle, and brings more than a quarter-century of coaching experience including stints on college staffs at Jacksonville and at Birmingham Southern.

Could Wolfpack end district drought?

Introducing the District 4-3A football leader… Wolfson.

Menendez and Palatka still have something to say about that, but Wolfson seized an unfamiliar position at the head of the four-team district after the Wolfpack's 27-8 victory over Westside on Aug. 28.

Wolfson hasn't won a football district since winning District 4-4A in 1978 under Tom Grant. The Wolfpack tied for first place with Columbia but won the district based on their 30-28 head-to-head result against the Tigers. They then upset a Corky Rogers-coached Lee in the playoffs before losing to Pensacola Pine Forest.

Horse Park race heads week in 5K

After a largely quiet week on the cross-country front, eyes and feet turn now toward the Florida Horse Park Invitational on Sept. 5 at the 500-acre park in Ocala.

The annual race regularly draws one of Florida's deepest fields. In 2025, Episcopal held off Creekside for the top girls spot, with the Miami trio of Belen Jesuit, Columbus and Braddock claiming three of the top four boys team positions.

The area's top individual returners from the last Ocala visit are Providence's Sean Cunningham, third place in the boys race in 15:36.40, and Episcopal junior Kate Brice, who ran 18:55.10 for fifth in the girls race.

Around the area

Creekside midfielder Camila Adame committed to Kansas State women's soccer. … Palatka libero Anslee Wells committed to Francis Marion volleyball. … Ponte Vedra outfielder Maddox Tepper committed to Coast Guard baseball. … Yulee libero Mylie Breutzmann committed to Santa Fe College volleyball. … Fleming Island forward Carson Crawford announced plans to declare his college commitment on Sept. 2, with Arizona State, Florida State, Ole Miss, Providence College and Syracuse as finalists. … Former Atlantic Coast goalkeeper Gaby Rourke, now at South Florida, was called up to the Philippines women's national soccer team for the Asian Games from Sept. 14 to Oct. 2 in Japan. … Former Fleming Island running back Samuel Singleton Jr. was named ACC Receiver of the Week at Florida State football. ... Former Bishop Kenny linebacker Kolbe Sexton won the Heart of America Conference defensive player of the week award at Benedictine football. ... The annual High School 9:12 Fall Sports Media Day presented by Baker's Sports and the YMCA is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 17 at Winston Family YMCA.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Volleyball's Open Division could include Jacksonville-area flavor