The top high school sports moments for each school

In our final installment of the year in review series examining storylines that carried the year, moments to remember, golden individual performances, heartbreaking disappointments and farewells to the seniors, we offer you the top moments each school had in the 2016-17 high school sports season.

Disagree with our picks?

That’s OK. Feel free to let us know with an email to sports@bradenton.com.

Now onto the top moments, with schools listed alphabetically:

Bayshore

The swimming team capturing three individual gold medals. T.C. Smith and Ryley Ober are at different points in their high school careers, but the two Bruins produced a banner year for Bayshore swimming. Smith captured the gold medal in the 200-yard freestyle at the Class 2A state meet to wrap up a storied career; Ober capped her sophomore season with golds in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle.

Braden River

The Pirates baseball team did something that hadn’t happened in years: win a district championship. Braden River, under head coach Craig Page, claimed the program’s first district title since 2008. The Pirates defeated Brandon at Brandon High to earn the historic achievement.

Bradenton Christian

In just her second season guiding Bradenton Christian’s girls basketball team, Janelle Hochstetler earned a state final four appearance when her team breezed past regular season and early-round playoff opponents. The program, which reached multiple state final fours during Jim Van Til’s long tenure, won its first state playoff games since 2011 after blowing out Everglades City and Naples First Baptist in the regional semifinals and finals, respectively.

Lakewood Ranch

With how deeply into the postseason the Mustangs’ athletic teams reached, it’s difficult to pinpoint one moment other than the overall athletic program’s success. The Mustangs reached the state final four in boys basketball, a state championship game in boys soccer and sent several individuals to states across multiple sports, with some capturing gold medals. The Mustangs also won their seventh straight academic state championship

Manatee

The volleyball team reached the state final four and nearly knocked off Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, losing a heartbreaking fifth set to the Raiders. The Hurricanes also broke a long drought in getting to that point: They defeated Venice at the Indians’ home gym for the first time since 2006.

Out-of-Door Academy

At the rate Saraiah Walkes is going, she’ll cap her high school track career with more than a dozen gold medals. Walkes capped her eighth-grade season with three state championships at the state track meet held at IMG Academy. Walkes blazed past the competition in Class 1A in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes.

Palmetto

The Tigers claimed a second straight Manatee County Championship in wrestling, which secured bragging rights among county foes for another year. Traditionally, Manatee has reigned supreme among county wrestling teams, but a second consecutive county title for Palmetto showcased just how strong the Tigers are at the sport.

Saint Stephen’s

The Falcons bookended the school year with a Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship in football and a Florida High School Athletic Association state team title in boys track and field for Class 1A. The football championship came a year after the team lost in the title game, and they rallied to do it last fall. Meanwhile, the track team shook off a disqualification in the 4x100 relay, after they were heading to a gold medal, to win the team state title.

Southeast

It wasn’t just a banner year for county wrestling, but one at Southeast High as well. The Seminoles won a wrestling region title for the first time since 1993. The Seminoles also honored legendary girls basketball coach John Harder with a court dedication during the winter sports season.

This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 4:24 PM with the headline "The top high school sports moments for each school."