Latest news with #Class2A
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harrison Bader's game-tying sac fly
Dramatic end to District 10's baseball playoff between Mercyhurst Prep and Maplewood No. 1 Mercyhurst Prep tries to end an improbable seventh-inning comeback by No. 8 Maplewood in the teams' District 10 Class 2A baseball quarterfinal 4:48 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
St. Thomas Aquinas' Crowley and Stein are the Broward Lacrosse Coaches of the Year
At St. Thomas Aquinas this year, a familiar face led the boys' lacrosse team to yet another state championship and a new face helped the girls' lacrosse team stay among the top teams in Broward County. Now, Terry Crowley and Kristina Stein the Miami Herald's Broward County Lacrosse Coaches of the Year. Crowley is the Herald's Boys' Coach of the Year for the fifth straight season after hoisting his fourth state championship trophy with the Raiders. Crowley also led St. Thomas Aquinas to state titles in 2016, 2017 and 2022, and he also took the Raiders to the title game in 2015, 2019 and 2023. In 2024, St. Thomas Aquinas went into the region playoffs with a losing record before making a run to the final four and that experience primed the Raiders for a return to championship form in 2025. St. Thomas Aquinas brought another trophy back to Fort Lauderdale by blowing out Ponte Vedra, 13-4, in the Class 2A title game May 10. Along the way, the Raiders lost only one game to another Florida team—an overtime loss to Benjamin in April. Stein is the Herald's Broward County Girls' Lacrosse Coach of the Year after sustaining the Raiders' status as one of the top teams in the county in her first year as coach. St. Thomas Aquinas reached the Region 4-2A championship, making a deeper run in the postseason than any other Broward team, and went undefeated against county rivals. In the region playoffs, the Raiders won their first three games each by at least nine goals, only to narrowly fall 7-6 to Vero Beach in the 4-2A championship May 2. Stein, who spent the last two seasons as the coach at Stoneman Douglas, was previously an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas and is off to a good start in building on the Raiders' legacy of recent success that includes a state title in 2021 and a trip to the state championship in 2023.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Westminster Christian's remarkable softball run ends in state semifinals
Westminster Christian ran out of miracles. The Warriors softball team, after executing a pair of incredible comebacks in its previous two games, lost on Tuesday night, 4-3, to North Bay Haven Academy in the Class 2A state semifinals at Longwood. Westminster finished its season with a record of 20-8-1. North Bay Haven (25-3) will play for the state title on Wednesday night. Last week, Westminster earned a pair of walk-off wins despite trailing by six runs in the sixth inning of the regional semifinals and by seven runs in the sixth inning of the regional final. On Tuesday night, however, the Warriors led 1-0 and 3-2, but North Bay Haven rallied each time. 'I'm super proud of these girls,' Westminster coach Nic Varsi said of his team. 'There were several lead changes – it was just a really good game back and forth. 'Our girls did awesome.' Senior Gigi Khoury, Westminster's star third baseman, got things going in the first inning with a double. She advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Jasmine Armenteros' sac fly. After North Bay Haven took a 2-1 lead on a two-run homer, the Warriors came right back in the top of the fourth inning. Khoury singled, and Mya Rodgers reached on a two-base error to start the rally. Armenteros then hit a fly ball that carried so far into right field that Khoury scored from third and Rodgers sped home from second. Unfortunately for the Warriors, North Bay Haven scored an unearned run in the fifth to tie the score, 3-3, and then another unearned run in the sixth to make it 4-3. There was no Warriors comeback this time. Only sadness. 'The girls are emotional and upset,' Varsi said. 'But more than the loss, I think they're sad because this team won't get to play together again. 'It's over.'
Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Battle-tested St. Thomas Aquinas boys' lacrosse secures return trip to state final
Close contests have been nothing but common for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys' lacrosse team over the course of the 2025 season. Count Thursday's state semifinal date with Tampa Plant as another one of those contests. The Raiders denied a late push from the Panthers in the fourth quarter, punching their ticket to the Class 2A state title game with a 9-6 win. 'Offensively, we've gotta be better,' St. Thomas Aquinas coach Terry Crowley said. 'Tip your cap to their defense, they shut down our guys. They just shut them down. That's key. You take that combination, a little bit of heat, and it was a rough day.' Turnovers plagued St. Thomas (20-3) early on, with four in the first quarter along with strong goalkeeper play from Plant goalkeeper London Lochan. The junior goalkeeper played a big role in keeping the Raiders off the scoreboard, thanks in part to just under 20 saves made by the junior on a handful of shots from close range and afar. The Raiders' counter was on the face-off, with Anthony Dara failing to lose a single face-off in the first half. The senior went 15 of 18 for the game, helping give Aquinas a handful of offensive possessions that ultimately were the difference. 'Their goalkeeper played fantastic,' Crowley said. 'I think he had 18 saves. Our face-off guy (Anthony Dara) played the game of his life. There's no doubt those guys came to play.' The St. Thomas defense was often untested in the first half, due to their domination on faceoffs and taking up possessions that went for north of a minute. When Plant did have offensive opportunities, both of their first half goals came with under a minute remaining in each period. The Raiders used a 5-1 advantage in the third quarter to distance themselves after a marginal 3-2 lead at halftime, with James Finch, Jacob Eason, Diego Salazar, and Dara all finding the back of the net on Lochan. 'It was dispersed evenly,' Crowley said. 'That just tells you they did a good job with their scout. They knew what our tendencies were, they were cutting stuff off at times. They did a good job. I've got nothing negative to say, but we could've played better.' After struggling to score until the waning moments of the first, second, and third quarters, Plant got in its rhythm much earlier in the fourth. Brendan Medearis netted one at the 9:59 mark of the fourth, before Drew Walker found the back of the net 55 seconds later. Medearis netted one more at the 7:46 mark to get within two goals before Ben Kupstas, who opened the scoring in the game, ended it for Aquinas with 67 seconds remaining. St. Thomas will take on Ponte Vedra in a rematch of the 2022 state title contest, with the game slated for noon on Saturday. The Raiders overcame a multi-goal deficit in the waning moments, as Chase Garey gave the program its third state championship that year. 'A herculean effort right now,' Crowley said when asked what it'll take to win. 'They're on a roll, won a big overtime game. That's where teams are dangerous, right now. They've got something to prove. They wanna get even with us and they're rolling right now. It's gonna be a game.' 'A herculean effort right now,' Crowley said when asked what it'll take to win. 'They're on a roll, won a big overtime game. That's where teams are dangerous, right now. They've got something to prove. They wanna get even with us and they're rolling right now. It's gonna be a game.'
Chicago Tribune
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Illiana Christian's Spencer Bandstra may carry on the ‘quiet Bandstra way.' But his play speaks volumes.
Illiana Christian baseball player Spencer Bandstra might not be flashy. The junior pitcher/outfielder might not be physically imposing, and he might not be boisterous. But Illiana Christian coach Dale Meyer certainly understands Bandstra's understated importance. 'He's 'Steady Eddie,'' Meyer said. 'He goes about his business like a professional. He's quiet, consistent. He's had an older brother to look up to to set the mold and great parents that have set the mold for him. He continues to carry on the Bandstra way — a quiet Bandstra way. 'But you know he's there. Even though he may be quiet, you know he's there.' Meyer, an Illiana Christian graduate who had been an assistant until Jeff VanderWoude stepped down after last season, appreciates all the things Bandstra does. 'Part of our mantra is grit — focus, purpose, grit,' Meyer said. 'I heard it from another coach the other day. Grit is doing monotonous things over and over and over again, and Spencer is all about that. He'll do monotonous things over and over and over again because he knows he has to do them to be better and get better.' Bandstra, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI during the Vikings' 2-1 season-opening victory at Boone Groove on Thursday, has been good since his freshman season. He started in center field when then-senior star Kevin Corcoran pitched, including in the Vikings' second straight Class 2A state championship win in 2023, although a designated hitter took his spot in the lineup. 'I didn't know what to expect when I first got here,' Bandstra said. 'But it was great to be able to make varsity my first year. It was a lot of fun. I was honored to be able to do that. Just happy I was able to play a role in that state championship.' Bandstra did bat last season, when he played left field in the Vikings' third straight appearance in the state championship game. He hit .323 with a homer, 11 RBIs, 27 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Bandstra was also one of the Vikings' top pitchers last season. He went 5-0, tied for the team lead in victories, with a 0.82 ERA, 34 strikeouts and 16 walks in 34 innings. He posted a 2.13 ERA in 26 ⅓ innings as a freshman. 'He's a consistent lefty,' Meyer said. 'He's a strike-thrower. He knows how to get people out. He knows he's not going to overpower people with his velocity, but he's a pitcher. He's not a thrower, he's a pitcher. 'He knows how to manipulate the strike zone, to get hitters to go after things they don't generally want to go after. I love to have him on the mound all the time.' The defending Greater South Shore Conference champion Vikings, who moved up to Class 3A this season, should have a formidable pitching staff. Bandstra is joined by junior Tanner Post and senior Jake Scott, with Ohio State recruit Gavin Meyer limited to hitting as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Post recalled competing against Bandstra in basketball during middle school — Post's Crown Point Christian team versus Bandstra's Highland Christian team — before joining forces. 'We've become friends since freshman year,' Post said. 'We've both grown a lot. We were both freshmen on varsity, both started, both got playing time. He's who I've been together with this whole time at Illiana. That's who I've been close with. He's my throwing partner. That's really where it all begins for me.' 'He's a nice lefty. He has a really nice change-up. He's always had that. It just drops off the table.' Post also noted Bandstra's work ethic. 'He brings it every day,' Post said. 'He puts in the work outside of practice and hits the gym. He does it all.' Bandstra, who also played basketball as a freshman, has gained almost 15 pounds since last spring as he attempts to make additional strides as an upperclassman. 'I've gotten bigger, stronger,' he said. 'I just want to do a lot of the same stuff as the last two years, keep building off last year and hopefully get some good results whenever I'm in the field and on the mound. 'Maybe I can step up more as a leader. Just keep helping the team out however I need to, help us win each game.' Bandstra's brother Fletcher, a 2021 Illiana Christian graduate, has continued his baseball career at Calvin. Their sister Addi golfed at Illiana Christian before graduating in 2023. Spencer Bandstra has been making his own name for the Vikings. 'I didn't have much of a chance to watch him play hoops that much, but I'm sure he was just as much of a crafty lefty on the court as he is on the mound,' Dale Meyer said. 'But he also realized when he's 5-foot-whatever, he's probably not going to get very far playing basketball. We're glad to have him on the baseball side 100% of the time. That's good for us. 'As far as the character piece goes, you can't ask for more as a coach, doing what he does.'
