Poll: Who should be the Miami Herald's High School Athlete of the Week? (March 17)
South Florida's top athletes were recognized recently in the sports of basketball and wrestling.
This week, we continue a feature where we ask you to vote for the best performer of the week from flag football, lacrosse, softball, volleyball and water polo in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Take our poll below to cast your vote. The poll will be open until Thursday, March 20, around 10 p.m. You may vote as often as you like until then.
Here are the candidates:
NOTE: You should see a Miami Herald box underneath this note for you to type Yes and click Submit. That will ignite the actual poll to vote.
Sophia Bertorelli, Coral Springs Charter softball: the senior pitcher not only recorded the win against Miami Coral Reef, 1-0, but she also scored the winning run. She tossed 5 innings of shutout ball, while allowing 1 hit and 0 walks and striking out 11. In a 6-1 win against Parkland Stoneman Douglas, she whirled 3 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit and 3 walks and striking out 6.
Penelope Galvin, Miami Ransom Everglades flag football: the freshman quarterback was 18-of-24 passing for 198 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 INTs in a 33-0 win over Everglades Prep. She also ran the ball 5 times for 33 yards and a score, and on defense as free safety, she intercepted 1 pass and pulled 2 flags.
Yeison Gonzalez, Miami Doral Reagan volleyball: the senior had 9 kills, 8 digs, 27 serve received, 2 aces in a win over Miami Belen Jesuit; 15 kills, 10 digs, 23 serve received, 2 blocks in a win over Miami Sunset; and 7 kills, 4 digs, 10 serve received in a win over Greater Miami Academy.
Scotty Gould, Miami Palmetto lacrosse: the senior captain earned Player of the Game honors as the Panthers defeated NSU University School 10-5. Within his solid defense, he scooped 7 ground balls and forced 2 turnovers.
Daniel Rubi, Miami Columbus volleyball: the junior had 11 kills, 10 digs in a win over Miami Southwest; 15 kills, 8 digs in a win over Miami Braddock; and 7 kills, 3 aces, 7 digs in a win over Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
Kathleen Serig, Miami Gulliver Prep water polo: the senior totaled 18 goals, 12 assists, 11 steals, and 5 earned exclusions as the Raiders won the 9th annual Forza Stefano Tournament in Pembroke Pines. In the championship win against West Orange, she led with 4 goals, 2 assists, 3 earned exclusions, and 3 steals, and in a quarterfinal win against St. Thomas Aquinas, she led with 7 goals, 5 assists and 6 steals.
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19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Berent, Bertorelli, Wahlbrink are the 4A-1A Broward Softball Players of the Year
A dominant pitcher has always been the biggest building block for a successful softball team. Coral Springs Charter had two this season in senior Sophia Bertorelli and sophomore Courtney Wahlbrink. And over at Cardinal Gibbons, junior Lydia Berent is becoming one of the most dominant pitchers and players overall in recent memory in Broward County, which earned her a scholarship offer at one of the country's most prestigious programs. After dominant performances once again this past season, Bertorelli and Wahlbrink are this year's Broward Co-Pitchers of the Year for Classes 4A-1A. And Berent is the Class 4A-1A Player of the Year. Berent could have been named either award winner after going 20-6 this season, striking out a county-high 243 batters, and compiling a 1.11 ERA. She also hit .500 with three home runs, 11 doubles and scored 39 runs. Her efforts led Gibbons to its first 20-win season in over two decades, and she has been the centerpiece in the Chiefs' emergence as one of the county's best teams over the past three seasons. 'I just matured a whole lot mentally and physically from last year, and really learned how to lead,' Berent said. 'We had a young team so it was important to have some of us with extra experience. It's just trusting the amount of time I work and preparation I put in. We've never been as good as we are right now.' Berent said she chose to attend Gibbons as her older brother did for academics as well as softball. She has attracted the interest of multiple Division-I schools over the past couple of years. But when Stanford University came calling, Berent jumped at the chance and committed during a visit last winter. Berent has one more season to try to lead Gibbons to a state title. But after that, she hopes to study something in the engineering field while following in the footsteps of other South Florida softball greats such as former Southwest Miami star Missy Penna. 'I knew in my heart that's where I belong,' Berent said. 'It's an amazing program and a chance for an amazing education.' Bertorelli is also heading to a college with a strong combination of academics and athletics this fall as she will pitch at Boston College. She heads there after a resilient return from a shoulder injury her junior year. This season, Bertorelli went 11-2 with 122 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA in 74 innings. Bertorelli said she worked on keeping her pitching mechanics consistent to avoid any further injury and felt like herself in the circle by midseason. Bertorelli credited having Wahlbrink's support both on and off the field as a key reason for her success this season. 'It was difficult to come back, but having Courtney and our coaches supporting me helped,' Bertorelli said. 'I felt like I didn't have all the pressure on my shoulders.' Meanwhile, Wahlbrink complemented her perfectly in the circle for Coral Springs Charter as she went 13-1 with 117 strikeouts and a 1.02 ERA in 75 1/3 innings. Bertorelli's presence on the team again was a boost for Wahlbrink as well as she improved as a hitter, going .389 with 19 RBI. The two led the Panthers back to the Class 3A regional finals and kept Coral Springs Charter as one of the most dominant teams in the state. 'I was able to focus more on the hitting side and I think I was able to drive balls better to the opposite field than I did before,' Wahlbrink said. 'Me and Soph are really close and she's been like a role model to me forever. We both help each other on and off the field. 'The adversity she's faced and coming back from injury is tough. She came back with a strong mentality and became an even stronger pitcher.'


Miami Herald
2 days ago
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