Lakleand Fl- Ponte Vedra Head Coach Kevin Whirity told his team after their state championship loss a year ago about the man in the arena by Theodore Roosevelt. He told them, “the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena”. Well, after Ponte Vedra’s 63-41 victory over Wekiva Thursday evening in the Class 6A state semifinals, those players now led by Head Coach Ben Wilson will return to that arena in hopes of claiming the championship that slipped their grasps last year.
One of the main reasons the Sharks preyed on the Mustangs in the Final 4 contest was due to the play of Sam Ritchie. The talented senior torched Wekiva for a career high 34-points, including going 8 for 8 from 3-point land. Ritchie had 26-points at halftime, finding open spots on the floor and sicking the big shots.
Ponte Vedra moved effectively without the ball, and senior stand-out Nathan Bunkosky found the open player leading the team with 6-assists and chipping in 7-points.
Bunkosky has led the team all year in what ever area they’ve needed him. Thursday he was a facilitator, and it worked to perfection.
Ponte Vedra (23-6) will face Dwyer (28-1) in the state championship game Saturday at 5:30pm. Dwyer defeated Wharton (24-7) 52-39. Dwyer led by Mason Brown’s (13.7ppg) and Blake Wilson’s 12.3 ppg). The Sharks, led by Israel Nuhu (12.8ppg), followed by Ben Ritchie (11.8ppg), and Bunkosky (11.6 ppg) hope to win a state championship for the first time in school history.
