High School Sports Awards show honors athletes in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte area

SARASOTA — The smiles told the story.

And the story was the return of a live celebration of the best high school athletes in the Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte county area.

Athletes, teams and coaches from 24 high school sports were honored at the event held at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. And there were plenty of family, friends and supporters to cheer them on.

We did four of these high school awards shows, starting in 2016 with guest speaker Tim Tebow. But after Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas headlined the 2019 banquet, COVID-19 changed everything. The shows in 2020 and 2021 became part of a national celebration of high school athletes done virtually.

They were fine, but for the athletes in our three-county area, the shows could not replicate the attention they got walking up on a stage to accept their award.

So this year the live show returned and the seating at the Van Wezel Preforming Arts Hall more resembled an Academy Awards setting, though Robarts Arena, the previous site, served quite well as event host its first four years.

The event's speaker, former Atlanta Brave and Tampa Bay Devil Ray Fred McGriff, decidedly taciturn when he played, proved an engaging and lively guest. No one could equal the charisma of a Tebow, but McGriff spoke of his journey from Jefferson High School in Tampa to the major leagues with clarity and passion.

Smiles. This year's honorees wore them without hesitation.

After a two-year absence, the High School Sports Awards show proved it hadn't lost anything off its fastball.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: High School Sports Awards show returns to honor athletes at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall