You voted, see who won the Winter All-Area Team Players of the Year polls
The Herald-Tribune selected the 2026 Winter All-Area Teams Players of the Year. See who you voted as best.
We asked and you voted. The Herald-Tribune recently rolled out its 2026 Winter All-Area team selections. We honored the top athletes in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, girls weightlifting and wrestling from Manatee and Sarasota counties by naming our All-Area teams naming First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention lists.
We selected Sarasota's Johnny Lackaff as Boys Basketball Player of the Year , Sarasota's Paisley Binswanger as Girls Basketball Player of the Year , Lakewood Ranch's Louka Coue as Boys Soccer Player of the Year , Lakewood Ranch's Avary Shirley as Girls Soccer Player of the Year , Braden River's Payton Mangay-Ayam as Girls Lifter of the Year , and Cardinal Mooney's Blake Roulund as Wrestler of the Year . Then we gave you the chance to have your say on who you think should be Players of the Year. Here are the results: Boys Basketball Player of the Year JP Lattimore School: Booker Year: Senior Highlights: The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 19.
5 points per game, topping 30 in five contests, and was selected the FACA District 16 Class 4A Player of the Year. 2026 Herald-Tribune: All-Area Boys Basketball Team, Player of the Year Girls Basketball Player of the Year Yvette Brown School: Booker Year: Senior Highlights: Brown led Booker to the Final Four, averaging 16. 1 points, 7.
7 rebounds, and 2. 3 assists per game. The high-energy guard signed with Santa Fe College.