Ryan Kohn

Sep 25, 2024 | yourobserver.com | Ryan Kohn

Sarasota Christian School had all the momentum, until it didn't. The Blazers, trailing The Out-of-Door Academy 36-31 in the fourth quarter Friday night, stopped the Thunder on a 4-yard, fourth down attempt from ODA's 37-yard line. The Blazers sideline lit up like fireworks following the stop. Sarasota Christian's offense got right to work and marched into the red zone thanks to a dominant passing game led by junior quarterback Ben Milliken.

Sep 24, 2024 | yourobserver.com | Ryan Kohn

Richard De Paula is a senior linebacker on the Lakewood Ranch High football team. De Paula is a leader on defense and had eight total tackles in the Mustangs' 41-3 win over Braden River High on Sept. 6, which was Lakewood Ranch's first win in the rivalry series since 2013. The Mustangs are 3-1 and will host Lennard High (5-0) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27. When did you start playing football? I started youth football in sixth grade. In high school, I played as a sophomore at Winter Springs High in Orlando.

Sep 24, 2024 | yourobserver.com | Ryan Kohn

The Baltimore Orioles were my first sports love. Even though my family lived in a suburb of Washington, D.C., and pulled for the district's sports teams, there was no Washington baseball team when I was born in 1994; the Nationals would not arrive until 2005. By then, it was far too late for me. This baseball kid had long ago allowed the next-closest team, the Orioles, into his heart.

Sep 24, 2024 | yourobserver.com | Ryan Kohn

Isaiah Belt is a junior running back on the Riverview High football team. Belt had 24 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 41-30 home win over Booker High on Sept. 20. The Rams are 2-3 and will host Sarasota High (3-2) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27. When did you start playing football? I started when I was 7 years old. I grew up in Georgia and watched the Atlanta Falcons. I moved to Sarasota before my freshman year of high school. What is the appeal to you? I just love the game itself.

Sep 24, 2024 | yourobserver.com | Ryan Kohn

A football game between Braden River High and Venice High convinced me I was in the right place. It was Oct. 14, 2016. Three weeks earlier, I had started on the Observer sports beat. It was my first real job after graduating from the University of Missouri. In those three weeks, I had some questions about where I had elected to live. It was far from my family's home base in Maryland; was I OK with that? Everyone at the paper seems kind and talented; will that last?