All-Area Athletes & Teams
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Page 14 www.yoursun.com STAFF REPORT These are the "Big Five" awards handed out during the May 24 Sun Preps All-Area Awards program at CoolToday Park: COACH OF THE YEAR MICHAEL SCHYCK LEMON BAY WRESTLING No matter the sport, so much goes into being a high school coach. It goes beyond the 9 to 5, beyond instruction, beyond lo- gistics. It's about leading young men and women, giving them valuable skills that will factor into their lives long after they have played their final game or participated in their last meet. Above all, one must care deeply for those in their keep, and set an example of what's good and right and just. Michael Schyck has gone that extra mile for the Lemon Bay wrestling team. In fact, he has gone the extra 2,194 miles. Knowing his team needed to raise money to attend oseason camps and fund other necessi- ties, Schyck took it upon him- self to hike the Appalachian Trail as a fundraiser. Initially hoping to raise $20,000 while teaching his kids via YouTube videos the value of pushing one's self beyond their limits and comfort zones, Schyck raised a whopping $38,000. All the while, Schyck also fought for justice — for himself and for the hundreds of victims of Ohio State University team doctor Michael Strauss — set- ting yet another example of doing the right thing, no matter how dicult the circumstances. For his team's accomplish- ments on the mat and for his hard work and dedication o it, Michael Schyck is the Sun Preps Coach of the Year. COURAGE AWARDS JADA CARTER CHARLOTTE HIGH SENIOR The physical strength of Jada Carter has never been in question. After competing at the state championships as a junior last season, much was expected of Carter this year, until tragedy struck her family. Carter awoke the morning of January 17th to find her father, Edgar Carter, had passed away due to complications with COVID-19. Though she was over- whelmed with emotion, she refused to quit. In the coming weeks, Carter won an individual district title and eventually returned to the state championships for one last run — finishing third in the snatch and seventh in tradi- tional lifting in the 183-pound weight class. WYETT RIGHTMIRE IMAGINE SCHOOL SENIOR Rightmire had grand plans for his senior season as a weightlift- er at Imagine School of North Port. That all seemingly went out the window when he flipped a stand-up blower back on himself, snapping his right leg in two in October of last year. Or so most people thought. Rightmire rehabbed day and night to get back to the Sharks weightlifting team in time for competition. Though he missed a few weeks to start the season, he made up for lost time, eventu- ally winning individual district and regional championships. He finished the season 10 pounds shy of winning the state title. MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR JAYSHON PLATT VENICE HIGH SENIOR It would be impressive enough for an athlete to simply compete in varsity football, basketball and track at Venice High. Starring in all three, however, is hard to beat. A leading receiver in football, Platt helped the Indians win their second-ever state champi- onship with over 1,000 receiving yards and a dozen touchdowns. In basketball, he was the team's top scorer and led Venice to some of its best moments on the way to a finish in the district final. However, he might have been at his best on the track. As an individual, the senior went to states in the 200-meter dash and was an essential leg in Venice's record-breaking 4x100 relay team. FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR JULIANA COURVILLE VENICE HIGH SENIOR It's not easy to find an athlete as disciplined and as competi- tive as Courville. The three-sport athlete has always excelled at running, but she took her skills to another level at Venice. After coming in as a talented freshman, Courville quickly became one of the school's top runners, eventually qualifying for states in both cross country and track. If that weren't enough, she eventually gave weightlifting a try, making it to states in that sport in her senior season, too. Meanwhile, Courville also found time to dual-enroll at State College of Florida, work weekends at Publix and fit in time for singing, playing the piano and working on her art. Meet the area's best: Sun Preps Big Five MIKE SCHYCK JADA CARTER JULIANA COURVILLE — FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR WYETT RIGHTMIRE JAYSHON PLATT — MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR