Cole Johnson couldn’t have picked a better day to win a golf tournament. His birthday was Oct. 18 the day he turned 13.
It was the same day he left the other 13-and-14-year-old golfers in the dust in the Sarasota Junior City Golf Championship.
Johnson shot a 1-under 71 on the first day and a 3-under 71 in the title round to win by three strokes.
It was his sixth win this season.
“It felt great,” Johnson said.
Johnson said his goal was to shoot in the 60s on the second day, and he finished with a 68.
“It was pretty great winning on my birthday,” Johnson. “It was a lot of fun. It was my fifth time playing in the tournament. I first started playing in it at 9. But that was my first time winning.”
Manatee Mustangs roll
On Saturday, the Mustangs had three teams win titles in the Pop Warner Football’s Greater Tampa Bay Conference championships to clinch a spot in the regional playoffs Saturday.
The Midgets defeated the East Tampa Bandits 6-0 in overtime, winning their fifth consecutive conference crown.
The Junior Midgets thumped the New Tampa Sharks 40-8, and the Pee Wee’s blanked the South Tampa Titans 30-0.
It appears fate is on the side of the Mustangs.
The organization hosts the regional quarterfinals at Sarasota’s Twin Lakes Park on Saturday.
At 1 p.m., the Pee Wee’s play the Riverdale Wildcats, and the Junior Midgets play Cypress Lakes at 3 p.m., and at 5 p.m. the Midgets host Charlotte.
“This is great for the entire organization,” said Pat Carnegie, the executive director of the Manatee Mustangs and coach of the Midget squad. “It’s good for the kids, the coaches, and the parents, because it shows how hard everyone in this organization works to be successful.”
Rage Dominates
The Braden River U-15 boys soccer team recently won the Florida State League championship and the HCU Adidas Columbus Day Classic.
The Rage were undefeated in the FSL, going 7-0, scoring 23 goals and allowing three.
In the Columbus Day tournament, the U-15 team went 4-0 and beat Boca United Football 1-0 for the title last month.
Rage coach Marc Jones said his team has taken an interlude for the high school soccer season and many of his players are starting or getting major playing time on several varsity teams in the area.
Braden River ended the season ranked No. 2 in the state, according to gotsoccer.com
“It was a great way to finish our season before the high school season,” said Jones, the boys soccer coach at Saint Stephen’s. “We played against some teams that we hadn’t played against before, and we played really well. It kind of reinforced how the boys are improving and gaining confidence.”
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