Stoneman Douglas, Aquinas and Heritage coaches are Broward Baseball Coaches of the Year
Meanwhile at St. Thomas Aquinas, Joey Wardlow directed his program to its first state championship in seven years, propelled by one of the best hitting teams in recent memory.
And at American Heritage, a redemption season was completed and resulted in a state title under the direction of Bruce Aven.
As such, Fitz-Gerald and Wardlow are the Miami Herald's Broward County Baseball Co-Coaches of the Year for Classes 7A-5A. And Aven is the Herald's Coach of the Year for Classes 4A-1A.
Fitz-Gerald and his players proudly held up all five fingers stretched out after defeating Jupiter this past May to capture the school's state record fifth consecutive state title. For the Eagles, it was their sixth overall, all under Fitz-Gerald, who won his seventh overall.
Douglas went 31-2 on a dominant run led by ace Gio Rojas, who went 12-0 with 120 strikeouts and an 0.72 ERA.
Wardlow's squad won its first state title since 2018 and the fourth overall for Aquinas.
The backbone of this effort was a prolific lineup, which totaled 68 home runs as a team, and powered its way to the Class 6A state title.
Miami Herald Player of the Year, Zachary Malvasio, a UCF commit, led the charge with 16 home runs.
And at Heritage, Aven directed the Patriots to their third consecutive state finals appearance and second state title in three seasons.
Led by versatile outfielder Jordan Rich and an array of talented pitchers, American Heritage bounced back after losing to Tampa Jesuit in last year's state final and secured the program's fourth state title overall.
The Patriots' dominant run through the Class 4A bracket was among the most impressive of any state champion this season, and for Aven, it was his second as Heritage's head coach.
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New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
In another loaded Ohio State WR corps, Brandon Inniss' loyalty is about to pay off
Dayne Inniss has always been impressed with the way his son handles hype and outside pressure. But it wasn't until Brandon Inniss' junior year of high school when his father truly realized that the attention associated with being a five-star prospect didn't bother him. It felt like any normal game when his family arrived. Then they walked in and saw the team's quarterback on crutches. Advertisement 'We pulled up to the game and were like, 'Hey man, why are you on crutches?'' Dayne said. The quarterback responded: 'I got hurt, Brandon is the quarterback.' Surprise turned into confusion. Dayne had no clue this was happening, but there Brandon was taking the first snap when the game began. He played quarterback for American Heritage the rest of that season, tallying 604 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in 2021. Dayne wasn't taken aback that his son could play quarterback; Brandon remains a versatile player even now at Ohio State. It's just that he was impressed that his son chose to fill in at quarterback on his own. It would've been easy for Inniss to stay at receiver, considering he was the top-rated recruit in Florida — and one of the highest-rated in the country — at the time. But the perception of others has never bothered Inniss, who went on to finish No. 38 in the 247Sports Composite in the 2023 class. Inniss' journey since then has been different from what some might've thought. He arrived in the summer of 2023, instead of the spring, so he was behind for his first year. Then the return of Emeka Egbuka forced him to wait an extra year to get significant playing time. He's shown occasional flashes, including a touchdown at Penn State last November, but this fall offers the first opportunity to play a starring role in the lineup alongside Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. 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He would've played here or there,'' said Brett Goetz, who runs the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team and has known Brandon since he was 12. 'But Brandon has never had a thought about leaving Ohio State, ever. 'Does he want to play every down? Yes. But has he ever gotten himself down? No. That's not who he is. He always looks forward, never back.' Growing up, Brandon was always with his older brother Khmari. The four-year age gap didn't mean anything to Brandon. Even when he was the smallest, he was quick to join in for football in the park. It helped him physically and also shaped his mental approach. It's where the competitive fire that everyone at Ohio State raves about started. It's also where his loyalty began. 'Park ball was something different,' Dayne said. 'Everybody asks why is he so loyal? He got it from park ball. You never joined the team you always wanted to beat. It's you and your guys, whoever you got, you got to beat them. You want to go home and cry, cry, but you don't join them and form a super team. You work with what you got, motivate your guys and beat them.' While Brandon's personality has grown since he was a young child playing in the Miami parks, much of that foundation is still evident today. People gravitate to him because he speaks from his heart. He's the one who huddles the receivers during or after practice if he doesn't like something. He pushes his teammates, even the superstar Smith, who he's known since they were kids. 'I know how to push him, I know his buttons,' Inniss said. 'I know what to say at the right times.' But people rave about Inniss because of his actions more than anything. Advertisement Smith's championship-sealing fourth-down catch against Notre Dame will live on in Ohio State lore forever. Carnell Tate still smiles thinking about looking toward the sideline and seeing Inniss' reaction. 'He is on the sideline and he's nearly 10 feet in the air jumping up and down,' Tate said. 'He's always supporting us.' That joy is constant, even if he's had to bide his time while other star recruits like Smith and Tate have broken out ahead of him. His father can't remember more than one time in the last few years that he's seen Brandon without a smile on his face, especially when talking about the Buckeyes. That doesn't stop schools from reaching out or people at home asking about when Inniss is coming back to Florida. The noise is impossible to ignore for Inniss, much like it is for other Florida recruits like Smith and even Tate, who is from Chicago but played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. 'They don't like it because they want us at Miami so bad,' Inniss said. 'The young guys, they like it — not so much the older fans.' Asked if he and his teammates still catch heat for leaving Florida, Inniss laughed and said: 'Oh man, yes.' Dayne, who grew up a die-hard Florida State fan, hears about it constantly around the city. People at work have even asked him what other schools have offered Inniss financially. 'This is where people get this wrong: They don't know who Brandon is. It's not about the money,' Dayne said. 'The money will help us, but it's not going to fulfill what he wants to do. … I always tell him the money is going to come. You have the talent, don't let the money make a decision.' Brandon's goal is to make the NFL, and he believes Ohio State is the best place to do that, which is why he can be patient. The Buckeyes have had a receiver selected in the first round of the NFL Draft each of the past four years. In fact, with the exception of Julian Fleming, every receiver who has started for Ohio State since 2021 is playing in the NFL. Advertisement 'I always knew there was a brighter side here than transferring,' Inniss said. 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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Teddy Bridgewater back in the NFL, to sign with Bucs
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NBC Sports
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- NBC Sports
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