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There was spilled milk, but no crying when Winter Park’s senior star Amelia Mancino and Hall of Fame girls volleyball coach Stephanie Gibson received state player and coach of the year trophies in Tuesday’s after-school Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards ceremony in the Wildcats gymnasium.
The icing on Winter Park’s repeat Class 7A state championship season was Mancino receiving the Miss Volleyball state player of the year award alongside Gibson, who was named Florida coach of the year for the sixth time and second in a row.
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“This is not something I ever expected,” Mancino said. “My teammates helped me get to where I am, and of course (coach) Gibby. It’s even more awesome because the reason I’m getting this award is because of her.”
Mancino, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter headed to Appalachian State for college play, racked up 318 kills, 219 digs, 71 aces and 26 blocks for a nationally ranked 31-1 team. She is Winter Park’s second Miss Volleyball, joining Christina Ambrose (2013).
Gibson has earned the coach of the year honor in four different decades. She was chosen as the Miami Sunset coach in 1995 and five times at Winter Park (2004, 2005, 2013, 2024, 2025).
Jen Darty, coach of Oviedo’s surprise 6A state title team, was second in voting by a panel that included coaches and media representatives.
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As for spilled milk, that splashed with Mancino lined up for a comical photo op with seven teammates, each toasting the event with a bottle of white or chocolate milk. One of the girls, not to be named, choked as she giggled and spewed drops of milk onto the gym floor.
It was just one more big laugh and happy memory for Mancino, Gibson, family and friends.
Winter Park repeats as 7A girls volleyball state champion
Swim, golf awards
Rylee Erisman, a contender to make the 2028 Olympics, repeated as winner of the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Swimming award. She set a national record with her 46.73-second win in the 100-yard freestyle at the 4A state meet and also won the 50 free (21.67) and two more gold medals in relays as a junior.
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Shortly after that performance, Erisman announced she will bypass her senior year to graduate a year early and join her brother, Ryan, in the Cal-Berkeley swim program next fall.
Kyle Goller, who coached Windermere’s state runner-up girls team, was voted Coach of the Year.
Senior state champs Mingbo Jiang of The First Academy and Isabella Dovhey of Circle Christian were winners of the Mr. and Miss Golf awards. Allyson Kotes, coach of Circle’s girls 1A state title team, was voted girls Coach of the Year.
Bella Dovhey (69, 68) leads Circle Christian’s FHSAA 1A golf state champs
NBA notes
Boston Celtics spark plug Anfernee Simons, the 7A state player of the year as an Edgewater High senior (2017-18), came off the bench and scored all of his season-high 27 points after halftime in a 115-101 Monday win against Chicago. He made eight 3-pointers and scored 18 consecutive Boston points. Simons’ previous season-high was 25 points in an October homecoming win in Orlando against the Magic.
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Montverde Academy alum Cade Cunningham, the bell cow for the Eastern Division leading Detroit Pistons, notched his 20th double-double of the season Monday. He posted 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 13 assists in a 121-90 win against the New York Knicks.
Edgewater grad Anfernee Simons ponders NBA Draft options
Hoops happening
All 23 Metro Conference Orange County public schools are in play against each other. The East and West championship semifinals are Thursday night, leading to Friday finals.
“We were out of town for the whole break (playing seven games in 15 days),” said Justin Shipp, coach of a 12-5 Olympia team ranked No. 2 in 7A. “We played some elite teams and learned a lot of lessons. Now we’re back in the city and that’s exciting.”
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Evans (12-4) and Edgewater (10-5), No. 4 and 5 in 6A, are also teams to watch, along with 7A No. 6 Oak Ridge (10-7).
There’s also the Nathan Hays Shootout Friday and Saturday, and Saturday’s Showdown in OTown at Orlando Christian Prep. Area No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (14-1) plays in the Showdown against Lake Howell (13-2), which has won 10 in a row.
Check below for matchups.
Girls basketball
Bishop Moore (14-3) heads into the stretch run with a No. 1 ranking in 4A, but has not yet reached its peak according to coach Rickey Claitt Jr.
“We’re not peaking too soon, and we’re getting better,” Claitt said. The Hornets were missing sophomore scoring leader Jaiden Peterson (11.4 points per game) on Monday due to a bruised knee but beat Bayside of Palm Bay 57-45.
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“Right now we have about five or six kids who are averaging between 8 and 11 points and that’s the really cool thing about our team this year,” Claitt said. “It’s by committee. It’s not just one person who is carrying us.”
Soccer
Montverde Academy (12-1-1) is ranked No. 4 nationally, just ahead of Lake Mary (11-1-1) and behind No. 1 Ponte Vedra (10-0-2) and No. 2 Plantation American Heritage (8-0-1). But it must be noted that those rankings reflect that girls soccer is a winter season sport in only seven states: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Southern California. And Texas is just getting started.
Wrestling
Hagerty won Lake Mary’s Ron Peters Tournament of Champions with individual weight class winners Nikolas Blake, Benjamin Wolgamuth and Thomas Thorne leading the way.
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Lake Highland Prep, which has a national team, sent its “B” squad and placed second. The Highlanders champions were Lucas Layne, Liam McGettigan, Clinton Plotner, Ronin Gault, Colton Bell and Grant Silverfield.
Winter Springs defeated New Smyrna Beach 46-36 in the 2A District 4 Duals final. East River claimed the 2A-8 title with a 54-30 win against Edgewater.
Freedom hosts the 3A-9 tourney on Thursday and Oviedo hosts 3A-3 on Saturday. Region tournaments are Thursday, Jan. 15, leading to the Jan. 23-24 state meet in Kissimmee.
Girls individual winners at the Ron Peters tourney included Lake Mary’s Cayden Flories and Zaria Slater.
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Ocoee won the Lady Wildcat Scramble girls tournament at McKeel Academy in Lakeland.
Basketball tournaments
Metro Conference East
Tuesday
No. 1 Oak Ridge d. No. 8 University, 77-41
No. 5 Lake Nona d. No. 4 Timber Creek, 45-44
No. 3 East River d. No. 6 Jones, 57-44
No. 2 Winter Park d. No. 7 Freedom, 70-59
Thursday semifinals
Lake Nona at Oak Ridge
East River at Winter Park
Friday
Final at higher seed
Metro Conference West
Tuesday
No. 1 Olympia d. No. 8 Lake Buena Vista, 67-23
No. 4 Windermere d. No. 5 Dr. Phillips, 64-61
No. 3 Edgewater d. No. 6 Wekia, 65-50
No. 2 Evans d. No. 7 Apopka, 42-37
Thursday semifinals
Edgewater at Evans
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Windermere at Olympia
Friday
Final at higher seed
Showdown in OTown
At Orlando Christian Prep
OCP vs. Lake Howell (JV), 2:30 p.m.
Altamonte Christian vs. Heritage, 4
Lake Highland vs. Lake Howell, 5:30
OCP vs. Pine Ridge, 7:15
(Admission $10)
Nathan Hayes Shootout
At Mount Dora Christian Academy
Faith Christian vs. First Academy Leesburg, 10 a.m.
Geneva vs. Lake Buena Vista, noon
Lecanto vs. CFCA, 2
Seabreeze vs. Gateway, 4
Eustis vs. Oscola, 6
MDCA vs. Tavares, 8
(Admission: $10)
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com. Chris Hays contributed to this report.
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