The Coral Shores Hurricanes boys basketball team literally does not know how to lose in 2023. The team is currently riding a 12-game win streak, and while the old adage is that athletes win games, head coach Jarrod Mandozzi undoubtedly deserves a good portion of the credit for his team’s incredible run. Coach Mandozzi took over the team in 2017 and has transformed the program into the top boys basketball team in the Florida Keys. Listen as host Sean McDonald and Mandozzi discuss the process that turned the Hurricane Hoopers into a record-breaking team.  

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Coach Judd Wise is a football assistant known throughout the Keys as one of the “voices of the Conchs.” A teacher and coach in Key West since 1983, he taught at Mary Immaculate High School before his current post at Key West High School. Coach Wise has had almost every job at the southernmost high school that has to do with athletics. Listen as host Sean McDonald sits down with Judd and discusses the longtime coach’s list of his top athletes to ever play at Key West High School. The top name just might surprise you.

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On this edition of the Keys Weekly Sports Wrap podcast, host Sean McDonald sits down with Colin Thompson, an NFL tight end whose professional career has taken him through stints with the New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. Thompson will soon make the trip to the Southernmost City as he hosts the Thompson Family Football Camp on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 12-2 p.m. at the Truman Waterfront Park. The camp is free for players ages 5-14. Listen as Thompson discusses his NFL career thus far, his love of Key West and the Florida Keys, and the toughness of southeast Pennsylvania.

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Chaz Jimenez is the boys and girls wrestling coach at Key West High School. His wrestlers are coming off impressive performances to start the new year, including a second-place showing at the 12th annual Somerset Scuffle by the boys team on Jan. 6 and 7 and a pair of first-place finishes by Lady Conchs Lola Jaime and Natalie Arguello at the Rumble at the Ridge hosted by Seminole Ridge High School. Listen as host Sean McDonald sits down with Jimenez to discuss the newly-sanctioned Lady Conchs wrestling program, the current state of both his teams, the start of the Key West wrestling program in the late ‘90s and his own state championship run.

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PART 2: Key West and the Conch Republic recently received some very exciting news: 1984 baseball state champion Joey Wardlow was inducted to the University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame.  His career took him through the minor leagues of professional baseball to winning a state championship as an assistant coach for Key West under Ralph Henriquez in 1994 and 1995. He has also won a state championship as the head coach for south Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.

Coach Wardlow talks about growing up in Key West in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He discusses growing up in the Little Conch Baseball League and the countless hours of practice he put in with his father, former mayor and founder of the Conch Republic Dennis Wardlow. Coach also discusses coach Pedro Fraga and why the 1984 team won the state championship.

Listen to the second half of Wardlow’s sit down with Keys Weekly Sports Wrap podcast host Sean McDonald to discuss his time growing up in Key West, what his time at the University of Tampa meant to him, and the truth about the founding of the Conch Republic.
For Part 1 of Wardlow’s interview, listen to the Dec. 22 Sports Wrap Podcast.

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With more than 20 offers on the table, standout Key West lineman Christopher Andre Otto is arguably the most sought-after athlete in Monroe County’s Class of 2023. Ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 93 offensive tackle in the country, the three-sport athlete closed 2022 by declaring his intent to play for the Florida State Seminoles starting next year. Listen as host Sean McDonald sits down with Otto to get the inside scoop on his decision making process and his academic goals in Tallahassee. McDonald also covers upcoming high school sports schedules and, in a change of pace, gives his thoughts on the Miami Dolphins’ current season.

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Key West and the Conch Republic recently received some very exciting news: 1984 baseball state champion Joey Wardlow was inducted to the University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame.  His career took him through the minor leagues of professional baseball to winning a state championship as an assistant coach for Key West under Ralph Henriquez in 1994 and 1995. He has also won a state championship as the head coach for south Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.

Coach Wardlow talks about growing up in Key West in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He discusses growing up in the Little Conch Baseball League and the countless hours of practice he put in with his father, former mayor and founder of the Conch Republic Dennis Wardlow. Coach also discusses coach Pedro Fraga and why the 1984 team won the state championship.

Listen as Joey Wardlow sits down with Keys Weekly Sports Wrap host Sean McDonald to discuss his time growing up in Key West, what his time at the University of Tampa meant to him, and the truth about the founding of the Conch Republic.

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December 9 brought the renewal of an in-county hoops rivalry as Key West made the trip up U.S. 1 to take on the Marathon Dolphins. Key West picked up its first win of the season in the contest, riding freshman James Osborne’s game-high 15 points to a 50-36 win. Listen as host Sean McDonald sits down with Key West and Marathon coaches Dexter Butler and Kevin Freeman to discuss the storied matchup, their seasons so far and what they look forward to for their squads in the start of the new year.

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Jarrod Mandozzi pulls double duty in the winters at Coral Shores, currently serving as the head coach for the Hurricanes’ boys basketball team while filling in as the interim coach for the girls squad as well. Under his guidance, both teams are off to respectable 2-2 starts, with each group putting on some offensive shows in blowout wins to start the season. Now in his sixth season, Mandozzi began his Keys coaching career at Island Christian School before moving up the road. Listen as coach Sean McDonald talks with Mandozzi about his move from New England, where he grew up watching powerhouse Celtics squads, his love for the Keys community, his philosophy as he moved up through the coaching ranks, and his plans for the future of the Hurricanes’ program.

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In part two of a highly popular Sports Wrap Podcast episode, host Sean McDonald sits down once again with legendary Conch football alumnus Robert James. Growing up in Key West, James spent his early life on the football field. At 11 years old, the 5’6’’, 110-pound player was initially put at tight end. Eventually he would find his way as a running back. In the interview’s second installment, McDonald and James discuss James’ transition from Key West to Florida A&M, where he eventually graduated as a multi-year national champion. The pair take a deeper dive into James’ college career, his move back to Key West and eventual transition into coaching.

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