Somerset Silver Palms softball keeps routine intact: Chick-Fil-A and a trip to state

Miami Herald

16-05-2025

Who knows. Maybe a trip to Chick-fil-A is the secret.
For the fourth consecutive year, two of the best softball teams in the state, Miami Somerset Silver Palms and Coral Springs Charter squared off in the Region 4-3A final. About as evenly matched as you can get, the two teams, ranked 1 and 2 in the state in Class 3A and No. 4 (Charter) and No. 7 (Silver Palms) regardless of classification, once again turned in an instant classic.
And for the third straight year, it was Silver Palms, each time as the No. 2 seed on the road, which frustrated the Panthers, pulling off a down-to-the-wire 4-3 victory at Cypress Park in Coral Springs.
It also marked the third straight year that Silver Palms coach Gator Rebhan has turned it into a little bit of a mini-road trip for his players.
Leaving early in the day, the Stallions made the long drive north, stopped off for the team's pregame meal at a nearby Chick-fil-A, capped it off with some ice cream and then headed to the field a few hours early to start their preparations for the big game. The net result was 1-0 and 4-2 wins each of the last two years and then Thursday's victory.
'Chick-fil-A, that's our winner right there,' said a euphoric Rebhan following the game. 'That's been our routine the last two years, what we did again today and I've got news for you, if we're back up here again next year like we've been the last three years, we'll be back at Chick-fil-A again. I won't break that routine.'
For the third straight year, the Stallions (22-6) punched their ticket to the state final four and will head north as the No. 1 seed and take on No. 4 Dunedin in a Class 3A state semifinal on May 21 at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, just outside Orlando. After a runner-up finish two years ago and losing in the semifinals last season, Silver Palms will look to bring home its first state title this time.
'Let's go up there and bring back the big trophy this time,' Rebhan told his excited players when they huddled up in left field after the game.
Silver Palms did it in comeback fashion. After seeing an early 2-0 lead disappear when Charter (23-4) rallied to score three times in the bottom of the fourth, the Stallions answered that by scoring twice in the fifth and then, thanks to some clutch pitching from Ava Stevens, hung on for the win.
Taylor Rebhan got the fifth started by drawing a leadoff walk and Stevens followed with an infield single. After Leilani Gonzalez hit into a force out, Caylee Cerda, an eighth grader, laced a base hit to left scoring Stevens from second, who barely beat the throw at the plate and the game was tied.
With runners on second and third and two outs, a changeup from Charter pitcher Courtney Wahlbrink was low, but nothing catcher Heather Robertson couldn't handle. But the ball hit the front of the plate and popped up over Robertson's head to the backstop and Gonzalez raced home for what turned out to be the game-deciding run.
Facing the No. 3-4-5 hitters in the lineup in the bottom of the seventh, Stevens induced two fly balls to right to record the first two outs before Wahlbrink lined a base hit to center to keep the Panther hopes alive. But Cerda handled a sharp grounder to third by Shelby Stephens and cooly fired to first for the final out.
'I knew I needed to keep the ball low in that last inning because they had their best hitters up and didn't want to give up anything deep,' said Stevens, a senior who has been on the team since sixth grade. 'Coming up here and beating this them again on their field is amazing. We know they're a really good team and that it's tough to beat them on their field but having done it the last few years, that builds your confidence that you can come up here and do it again and that's exactly what we did.'
Wahlbrink, Stephens and Addi Brown led off Charter's fourth inning with consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Just when it looked like Stevens would work her way out of the jam, Addi Michel and Bree Martinelli came through with 2-out base hits which brought in three runs.
'Sometimes – you just have somebody's number and right now, the last three years, we've had their number,' Rebhan said. 'Charter's a great team, ranked number one for a reason. What's really unfortunate is that these two teams have to meet in this round every year because, other than 6A with Doral, if we were in separate classifications, we'd probably both be state champions. It's unfortunate that one of us has to go home every year.'
On the other end of the spectrum, Charter coach Mark Montemurro was the picture of frustration.
Sitting quietly in the dugout while his players sobbed and hugged each other, Montemurro, who led the Panthers to a state record-tying five straight state titles from 2015-19, could only lament on coming up short for a third straight season.
'We actually outhit them 9 to 7 and then we get a ball that hits the front of the plate that brings in the game-deciding run,' Montemurro said. 'What really killed us was that our No. 3 and 4 hitters went a combined 0-for-7 at the plate and when you lose a game by one run, that can be the difference.'