- Williston girls coach Willie Powers II led the Lady Red Devils to their first state title with a 66-49 win over Jay in 2025-26.
- Williston boys coach Jim Ervin guided the Red Devils to their third state championship game appearance in four years, finishing as runners-up.
- Newberry coaches Jessica Ross and Patrick Green won big school Coaches of the Year for leading their girls and boys teams to region finals.
- Area basketball teams continued an eight-year streak of state championship appearances, with multiple teams reaching final rounds in 2025-26.
The streak continued for area basketball teams in 2025-26.
For the eighth consecutive season, an area hoops team played for a state championship (Trenton girls – 2019; Hawthorne boys & girls – 2020; Santa Fe boys and Hawthorne girls – 2021; Bradford boys – 2022; Williston boys and Hawthorne girls – 2023 and 2024; Hawthorne boys and GHS girls – 2025).
This season, two area schools played for a state title and both of those coaches, Williston girls coach Willie Powers II and Williston boys coach Jim Ervin, were named small school coaches of the year.
They join big school coaches Jessica Ross (Newberry girls) and Patrick Green (Newberry boys) as our 2025-26 Bosshardt Realty Coaches of the Year.
A panel of local sportswriters and coaches chose the All Area teams and coaches from Mainstreet’s eight-county coverage area. All first-team players and coaches will receive commemorative plaques to recognize their accomplishments.
Powers, the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Coach of the Year, led the Lady Red Devils to their first state title in program history.
“I’m at a loss for words, I mean this one means a lot,” said an emotional Powers following a 66-49 win against Jay in the Rural state title game at the University of North Florida. “There’s a lot going on. I thought I’d never come back to Jacksonville three years ago. I lost my mentor, my hero, and I said I would never come back. And being back in Jacksonville getting this win. I know my dad’s looking down, but for these young ladies, it means so much because they work so hard to get where they’re at. We did it for the city, because they really sent us off in grand style.”
The Lady Red Devils (22-2) defeated defending state champion Wildwood twice, in the Rural-District 7 championship game and again in the Rural-Region 4 Final, to get to the final four.
“Beating them showed us that we could be champions,” Powers said. “You’ve got to beat the champ to be the champ. Once we did that, we saw that we had the potential to be champions.”
Special recognition goes out to Bregay Harris of Fort White.
Harris led the Lady Indians (17-10) to the Rural District 6 title with a 64-30 blowout win against Taylor County (Perry) in the district championship game. It was the second straight district title for Fort White, which lost at Hilliard, 56-37, in the Rural-Region 3 Final.
Ervin finished second in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Coach of the Year after leading the Red Devils (21-8) to their third state championship game appearance in the last four years.
“This season was one of my most rewarding seasons as a coach, watching a young group mature on and off the court,” Ervin said. “A group of young men set goals and believed in the process, not only in their coaching staff, but in their abilities.”
Williston defeated Trenton, 60-52, in the state semifinals at UNF Arena. They finished as state runners-up following a 61-56 loss in overtime to Crossroad Academy (Quincy) in the title game.
“Making it to the championship game came through hard work at practice, expectations of our program, challenging themselves with the schedule in front of them, and coming together as one,” Ervin said.
Eric Bullis of Trenton and Willie Powers III of P.K. Yonge were honorable mention selections.
Bullis led the Tigers to the Rural-District 6 title, a 48-33 win against Union County (Lake Butler), and their first final four appearance in program history. The Tigers (25-5) defeated Hilliard at home, 67-51, in the Region 3 Final to advance to the state semifinals.
Powers led his team to a district title and a first-round Class 2A playoff win. The Blue Wave (13-14), who defeated Oak Hall, 71-60, in the 2A-District 2 semifinals, followed by a 46-32 win against Trinity Catholic (Ocala) in the district championship game, defeated University Christian (Jacksonville), 66-56, in the regional quarterfinals. Their season ended with a 65-36 loss at The First Academy (Orlando) in the regional semifinals.
Green earned the top honor after the Newberry boys made history.
“Thank you so much for this honor,” Green said. “It means so much to me. First off, I want to thank God, my staff, admin, players and Mainstreet Daily News for making this happen. Winning COY is always a great honor. This year was an amazing ride knowing we would have the proverbial target on our backs, and our kids responded like true champions.”
Newberry won the 3A-District 3 title with a 60-49 win at home against Bradford (Starke), followed by regional wins against South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach), 63-39, and Episcopal (Jacksonville), 77-49, to advance to their first region final in school history.
“There were so many great teams in our area, and we were undefeated again at home this year,” Green said. “I honestly thought basketball was going to take a step backwards locally from last year, but it was even more competitive this year.”
Their season came to an end with a 75-60 loss at top seed Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) in the 3A-Region 1 Final, falling just one game shy of a final four appearance.
“I credit our amazing regional finals run to our kids and their parents,” Green said. “According to MaxPreps, FHSAA Class 3A was ranked the No. 4 toughest division in America. Our kids could have transferred and played in much easier classes and possibly won a state championship, but they stayed. I am forever grateful for their loyalty and belief in what’s being built at Newberry. I will forever remember this group for how they approached every workout, practice and game and for all the history they’ve made for Newberry High School and Alachua County.”
Special recognition goes to Elliot Harris of Buchholz, Steve Faulkner of Columbia (Lake City), and Herman “Pop” Williams of Eastside. All three led their team to within a game of the final four.
Buchholz (21-8) lost at Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), 58-38, in the 6A-District 3 championship game but earned an at-large bid. The Bobcats edged Milton, 44-41, on the road, followed by a 57-39 win at home against Forest (Ocala) in the regional semifinals.
Their season came to an end with a 64-51 loss at Lake Howell (Winter Park) in the 6A-Region 1 Final.
Faulkner’s Tigers (17-12) lost at home to Leon (Tallahassee), 56-41, in the 5A-District 2 semifinals but bounced back to make their fourth trip to the regional finals in the last eight seasons.
The No. 6 seed Tigers defeated No. 3 seed Lincoln (Tallahassee), 66-65, in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals and upset No. 2 seed Ponte Vedra on the road in the regional semifinals. Columbia lost at top seed Fleming Island (Orange Park), 69-45, in the 5A-Region 1 Final.
Eastside also lost in the district championship game, falling 46-38 at North Marion (Citra) in the 4A-District 5 championship game.
The No. 4 seed Rams defeated No. 5 seed Eustis on the road in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs, and after three losses to North Marion, defeated the Colts on the road, 47-44, to advance to the 4A-Region 1 Final.
Their season ended with a 58-46 loss at eventual state runner-up Atlantic (Port Orange) in the region final.
In her first season, Ross and the Lady Panthers advanced to their first region final since 2012.
Despite beating Bradford (Starke) twice during the regular season by an average margin of victory of 31 points, the Panthers lost to the Tornadoes in the district championship game.
However, Newberry (21-5) still earned a No. 2 seed in 3A-Region 1.
The Lady Panthers defeated Episcopal (Jacksonville), 56-42, in the regional quarterfinals, followed by a 78-54 win at home against South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach) in the regional semifinals.
Their season came to an end with a 68-34 loss at top seed Bolles (Jacksonville) in the region final.
“I approached the season with an open mindset and no set expectations,” Ross said. “I just wanted us to work hard and compete every game. The ladies did that and more. I am very proud of this team and the success we had this past season.”
Niya Johnson of Buchholz and Ken Mitchell of Gainesville High earned special recognition.
The Lady Bobcats (19-8) lost to top seed Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), 69-34, in the 6A-District 3 championship game but advanced to the regional playoffs.
As the No. 5 seed, Buchholz lost at No. 4 seed Lake Howell, 64-52, in the opening round of the 6A playoffs.
GHS defeated Lincoln (Tallahassee), 58-48, to win the 5A-District 2 title in Mitchell’s first season. The No. 8 seed Lady Hurricanes (12-10) lost at eventual state champion Booker T. Washington (Pensacola), 61-34, in the 5A-Region 1 Quarterfinals.
GIRLS – SMALL SCHOOL
COY: Willie Powers II, Williston
Honorable mentions: Bregay Harris, Fort White
GIRLS – BIG SCHOOL
COY: Jessica Ross, Newberry
Honorable mentions: Niya Johnson, Buchholz; Ken Mitchell, GHS
BOYS – SMALL SCHOOL
COY: Jim Ervin, Williston
Honorable mentions: Eric Bullis, Trenton; Willie Powers III, P.K. Yonge
BOYS – BIG SCHOOL
COY: Patrick Green, Newberry
Honorable mentions: Elliot Harris, Buchholz; Steve Faulkner, Columbia; Herman “Pop” Williams, Eastside