Latest news with #Region4-1A
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
True North tops La Salle in boys volleyball to advance to first state final four
It was only a few years ago that they were nothing but a bunch of raw, 'wet-behind-the-ears' seventh and eighth graders when they all came together. Early Tuesday evening, those 'youngsters' were all grown up and busy celebrating with their students and family out on the middle of the floor in their home gym. The True North Classical Academy boys' volleyball team, most of who are now 10th and 11th graders, had just finished off a dominating performance from the very first point, cruising to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-22) victory over Immaculata-La Salle in the Region 4-1A final to punch their ticket to the state final four. A school still in its relative infancy, which will have just its third graduating class in a few weeks, the Titans became only the second program at the school (joining girls soccer) to make it to the state final four. The Titans (18-11) will have little time to celebrate their accomplishment as the Class 1A state semifinal they qualified for is set for Thursday at 4 p.m. at Polk State College in Winter Haven. They will enter as the No. 2 seed and take on No. 3 Tampa SLAM Academy which will bring a perfect 24-0 record into the match. 'We started this whole thing a few years ago with a whole bunch of seventh and eighth graders and didn't think anything of it at the time,' True North coach Jonathan Losada said. 'We started out with nothing that first year – nobody that even called themselves a volleyball player. And now? Those kids that we thought were going to be just 'okay' volleyball players are out there celebrating on that court right now with their friends and families because they worked hard to become great volleyball players.' One of those players Losada spoke of was outside hitter Roberto Romero who led the way for the True North with 11 kills and 21 attempts. 'We were all young kids when we got here and have kind of just learned this thing together,' said Romero, who on a team without a single senior is one of just four juniors with the rest being sophomores and freshmen. 'Just a great job by our coaches for developing us, being patient with us and believing that this thing would eventually come together. Since I got here as an eighth grader, my dream was to win a regional championship and get to state and now it's done.' With Romero leading the way, the Titans came out on fire, surging to a 15-4 lead in the first set before cruising to the easy 25-11 win. Like True North, La Salle was competing in its first ever regional final and the Royal Lions (15-7) settled down at the start of the second set, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. But True North, with Romero's fellow outside hitter Kayden Rosario (a freshman) leading the way, the Titans then went on a 14-1 run to open up a 17-7 lead and cruised to another easy 25-14 win. Trailing 2-0, a determined La Salle team hung tough and kept battling. Spurred by Lorenzo Buttice, who led his team with 10 kills, the Royal Lions were set up to take the third set as they led 15-9 midway through. But Romero, Rosario and middle hitter Octavio Blanco, who finished with six kills turned up the heat and went on a tear, outscoring La Salle 16-7 the rest of the way to close things out before storming the center of the court to start the celebration. 'We came out strong and really beat them down early on,' said Rosario who finished right behind Romero with 10 kills. 'We might've taken our foot off the petal a little bit in that third set and played down to their level but that fact that we were able to get things turned back around in our direction mid-set and come back to win it shows what we're made of. We can't wait to get up there and keep this thing going.' Now completing his fourth season since taking over the program, Losada said it didn't take him long to know that he might be building something special. 'I think by the time I got to my second year we really started competing,' Losada said. 'We won a district championship but because all state volleyball was in one classification and our region was probably the toughest in the state, it was tough to advance. But now that the state went to three classifications (1A, 2A, 3A), that has allowed us to really prove who we are.'
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Huge inning propels Brito Miami baseball to first trip to state final four in a decade
Miami-Dade High Schools Huge inning propels Brito Miami baseball to first trip to state final four in a decade afernandez@ Brito Miami coach Pedro Guerra wore a jacket on Tuesday that commemorated his school's baseball state championship legacy. It had the rings and years from all seven state titles the Panthers have won printed on the back. Guerra did it to remind his players what they were vying for, and more importantly, that anything is possible. Brito heeded its coach's message doing things that are rare in a state-clinching playoff game. Erasing a 6-0 deficit. Scoring 13 runs in an inning. Giving up another six runs and hanging on to win. The Panthers did all of that and still punched their first ticket to the state final four since 2015 by outlasting rival Miami Christian in a rollercoaster 14-12 victory to clinch a 2-0 series win over the Victors on their home field in the Region 4-1A final. 'We always tell the kids not to give up,' Guerra said. 'Our coaches have done a great job to put together the team we have today and here we are.' Brito (16-13), which advanced to state as a No. 4 seed in its region, will play the underdog again next when it takes on Class 1A top-seed Orange Park St. Johns Country Day in a state semifinal on May 14 at Lee Health Sports Complex - Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers at a time to be announced. After winning the first game of the series 9-5 on Monday, the Panthers returned to Miami Christian's home field on Tuesday and quickly found themselves down 6-0 after three innings. The Victors (13-18), winners of state titles in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and state runners-up last season, were led by senior Kevin Bruno, who went 3 for 5 with five RBI. But then Brito put together one of the more memorable hitting innings in recent memory, scoring 13 runs in the top of the fourth - all with one out. Sophomore catcher Christopher Guzman highlighted the barrage with a grand slam that put Brito ahead 9-6. Claudio De Los Santos also had two RBI. Samuel Castro went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored while Raivon Pinder and Luis Diaz each had two hits. 'I'm proud of being on a team like this that never gives up,' Guzman said. 'I'm grateful God gave me the chance to make a play like that and I'm really happy. We're a family and nothing is impossible for us. We just have to stay together and keep working hard together.' Miami Christian wasn't done, however, as the Victors answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the fifth to cut the deficit to 14-11. Miami Christian then loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and scored a run on a single by Jonathan Vila. But then Brito reliever Noah Nevarez induced a game-ending fielder's choice ground ball from Ray Yero. 'I had never seen something like that,' Guerra said, referring to his team's 13-run inning. 'We knew this would be a high-scoring game since we both had gone through our top pitchers in the first game. Ever since the Southridge game, everything has turned for us.' Guerra, who has guided the Panthers to their three most recent state titles in 2006, 2014 and 2015, credited his assistant coaches including Jose Orta for revitalizing their program in recent years. Following a loss at Miami Southridge in its regular season finale on April 9, Brito was 8-13. Five days later, the Panthers beat Miami Christian 3-1 to start an eight-game winning streak which led them to a district title and a 6-0 record through the regional playoffs which also included series wins vs. Vero Beach Masters Academy and Schoolhouse Prep. 'Our goal was to build a family and learn to win games, come back and stay in it,' said Orta, who joined the program three years ago. 'If we get the championship we get it, but our main goal was to build a family that could win together and never think they're out of a game.' ▪ Region 4-3A final - Game 1 - Miami Spings 3, St. Brendan 2 (9): Going all the way back to his little league days, Yordan Torres wasn't sure if he ever had a bigger at-bat than he did late Tuesday afternoon at Miami Springs. Standing at the plate with his Hawks locked in a 2-2 extra-inning standoff with St. Brendan and the bases loaded with two outs, Torres delivered. He lifted a soft line drive to left center on an 0-1 pitch from Giannicarlo Guzman, scoring Magdiel Estevez from third for the game-winning run in Springs' dramatic win in the first game of a best-of-3 series. The Hawks (25-3) will host St. Brendan again on Wednesday at 3:30 in Game 2 with a chance to advance to the state final four for the second time in program history. If St. Brendan wins, a Game 3 winner-take-all will be played Thursday at St. Brendan. 'The bigger the moment, the smaller you have to be,' said Torres, who also scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth after he led off the inning with a base hit. 'You have to work very hard to simply stay in the moment and try to block out how important it is and I managed to do that. I was thinking I might getting an off speed pitch from him because he had given me one two innings earlier and that's what I got. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going to drop in. Biggest moment of my baseball life for sure.' Both starting pitchers, Kevin Roque for Springs and Lucci Nava for St. Brendan battled for five innings as the game went to the sixth in a 1-1 tie. When St. Brendan's Kevin Leon came through with a big two-out RBI single to right center scoring Jan Perez from second, the Sabres had a 2-1 lead and were six outs away from the win. But Springs tied it in bottom of the inning when Torres, who was sacrificed down to second after the leadoff hit and advanced to third on a wild pitch, tagged up and scored when Justin Mercado lifted a fly ball to left that was just barely deep enough to allow him to tag. BILL DALEY ▪ Region 4-4A final - Game 1 - American Heritage 5, Belen 0: Mark Aleman pitched six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing only two hits and three walks to lead the Patriots (26-6) to the victory to open the series. Dylan Dubovik belted a two-run home run, RJ Machado had a two-run single and Jordan Rich went 2-for-4 with an RBI as Heritage scored all of its runs in the third inning. The Patriots host Belen again on Wednesday night at 7 in the second game. Andre C. Fernandez Miami Herald Go to X Email this person Andre Fernandez is the Deputy Sports Editor of the Miami Herald and has covered a wide variety of sports during his career including the Miami Marlins, Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, University of Miami athletics, and high school sports.
Miami Herald
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Mater Lakes secures first regional wrestling title; South Dade and Somerset also prevail
Thirteen years ago, Mater Lakes Academy began the journey of building a boys' wrestling program. After cruising to the Region 4-1A championship at Cardinal Gibbons High on Saturday, the Bears can no longer be underestimated. A year after sending nine wrestlers to the Class 1A state tournament in Kissimmee, Mater Lakes will send 12 next week. They scored 302 points to win the school's first regional title, distancing themselves from runner-up Cardinal Gibbons' 235 points. 'This feels great, especially with the way we did it,' Mater Lakes coach Brandon Neifeld said. 'We dominated and had a couple of upsets in the finals. Our guys wrestled amazingly. Now we need to carry this momentum to next week.' The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the FHSAA State Championships on Mar. 6-8 at Silvers Spurs Arena in Kissimmee. The highlight of the Bears' successful afternoon came in the 190-pound championship match between Damian Soto of Mater Lakes and undefeated and defending state champ Peter Mocco of Cardinal Gibbons. Soto, second at 215 in last years state tourney, led 5-1 in the first period and 6-1 entering the third period. Mocco rallied, sending the match into overtime at 10-10 with a take down as time expired. Soto won the match in just seconds in overtime for a 13-10 victory. 'We had a game plan and working on a few things heading into that match,' Neifeld said. 'He pulled it out in what was an awesome match.' Mocco (45-1), a winner at 190 pounds while at Coral Springs Charter in 2024 will look to defend his title this year as a freshman at Cardinal Gibbons. His brother Michael Mocco (39-0), a junior at Cardinal Gibbons, is the defending Class 1A champion at 215 pounds. He advanced for the opportunity to defend his title. 'There were a lot of positives and negatives today,' Gibbons coach Jamel Morris said. 'We have guys that are young and are now state qualifiers and guys that have been to state. We're zero and zero next week. We'll make some adjustments and be ready.' Mater Lakes is seeking its first team championship after finishing as runner-up to Somerset (Pembroke Pines) last year. The Bears have had a strong season, winning the Class 1A state duals championship in January over St. John Neumann that also has a district and regional title. RESULTS Team scores (Top 5): 1. Mater Lakes Academy 302; 2. Cardinal Gibbons 235; 3. Key West 118; 4. King's Academy 89; 5. SLAM Academy 76. Championship results - 106: Castanon (MCS) p. Piedrahita (TRNO) 1:16; 113: Kellen Mesina (MLA) d. Ramirez (SLAM) 1-0; 120: Keagan Mesina (MLA) p. McCoy (COSH) 1:22; 126: Tran (MLA) p. Trejos (FCS) 0:27; 132: Greene (MLA) t.p. Canet (KW) 16-1; 138: A. O'Dell (MLA) t.p. Jaramillo (CG) 17-2; 144: Isek (CG) t.p. Ushikubo (TKA) 19-4; 150: M. O'Dell (MLA) d. Picallo (CG) 3-2; 157: Alvarado (MLA) d. Hogan (LPA) 13-5; 165: Nazario (MLA) d. Florio (CG) 4-2; 175: Corrales (KW) d. Lang (CN) 12-9; 190: Soto (MLA) d. P. Mocco (CG) 13-10 (OT); 215: M. Mocco (CG) p. Garzano (MLA) 0:32; HWT: Chen (PCS) p. Voss (MCS) 2:31. Consolation results - 106: Tuttle (COSH) d. Garcia (CG) 9-1; 113: Bajor (CG) p. Escalante (JUPC) 1:56; 120: Munz (WCA) d. Ferguson (KW) 7-0; 126: Bussott (CLEW) d. Cagiano (CG) 17-7; 132: Aguilera (MISU) p. Quezada (SLAM) 1:49; 138: Winters (KA) p. McGarry (STAN) 1:48; 144: Lindsay (CSC) d. Li (MLA) by medical forfeit; 150: Beltran (COSH) d. Searcy (KW) 6-0; 157: Chen (PCS) d. Fayer (CG) 6-3 (OT); 165: Richardson (LP) d. Munz (WCS) 8-6; 175: Vargas (MLA) d. Porcher (KA) 8-5; 190: Lopez (WCS) d. Rimes (JUPC) 17-6; 215: Mars (MICE) t.p. Hospedales (FCS) 19-3; HWT: Diaz (MISU) p. Derilus (KA) 4:12. REGION 4-3A Team: 1. South Dade 234.5; 2. Southridge 218.5; 3. Columbus 149; 4. Southwest 143.5; 5. Stoneman Douglas 83; 6. Doral 71; 7. Palmetto 70.5; 8. Miami Beach 68; 9. Coral Springs 64; 10. South Plantation 60.5. Championship finals - 106: Lazaro Soto (SW) pin Donovan Jenkins (SP) 1:29; 113: Damel Martinez (SR) dec. Antonio Morales (SW) 13-6; 120: Jovanni Tovar (SR) d. Kaleb Williams (SD) injury; 126: David Leiva (MSD) dec. Guillermo Jaramillo (SD) 5-4; 132: Ilia Kyryianenko (SB) dec. Alfredo Cheang (SR) 11-9; 138: Jovani Solis (SD) maj. dec. Dillon Smith (SW) 11-0; 144: Elvis Solis (SD) tech Andres Rojas (SR) 21-5; 150: Armand Williams (SD) dec. Zachary Ruiz (Col) 6-5; 157: Tyree Graham (SD) dec. Jose Gutierrez (Dor) 2-1 (TB); 165: Willie White (SD) tech Drake Bonney (Pal) 19-2; 175: Connor Bonney (Pal) maj. dec. Jonathan Moreno (SD) 14-2; 190: Tedrick Lee (Col) dec. J'Vier Romeus (CS) 7-4; 215: Myron Mendez (SW) pin Christian Soto (SR) 3:07; HWT: Ryan Miret (SR) dec. Daguy Massillon (SD) 2-1. Consolation finals - 106: Alex Laguardia (SR) dec. Tyler Metellus (Mon) 4-1; 113: Rocco Duygulu (MSD) dec. Janmichael Broche (BR) 7-0; 120: Victor Zanolini (Col) dec. Gary Jackson (Pal) 4-0; 126: Rocco Ruiz (Col) dec. Stefano Garcia (SR) 2-0; 132: Nathaniel Williams (SD) pin Mateus Sgai (Dor) 2:46; 138: Tomas Campian (Col) d. Imran Dzhabrailov (MB) forfeit; 144: Didier Novoa (SW tech Jeremiah Louis (Krop) 15-0; 150: Adlan Dzhabrailov (MB) pin Jacob Rosen (Tar) 3:45; 157: Tyrell Robby (MB) dec. Shai Keery (CS) 7-3; 165: Leonard Gilley (SR) pin Nicholas Velazco (Col) 0:31; 175: Evangelo Mercado (SW) maj. dec. Daniel Sanchez (SR) 11-2; 190: Eliel Santos (SR) dec. Sage Suarez (SB) 7-4; 215: Apollo Benito (Col) maj. dec. Gregory Gonzalez (CR) 13-2; HWT: Chase Moen (Coop) pin Jackson Zajkowski (MSD) 2:31. REGION 4-2A Team: 1. Somerset Academy 275; 2. Jensen Beach 163.5; 3. Miramar 107.5; Others: 5. Mater Academy 83; 7. Archbishop McCarthy 80; 9. North Miami 65; 10. Varela 64.5. Championship finals - 106: Gary Mendez (MA) maj. dec. Vladimir Drown (Rock) 15-1; 113: Nathan Halulko (Martin) pin Andrew Cackett (AM) 5:24; 120: Lucas Barrios (MA) maj. dec. Andre Rossi (Som) 13-0; 132: Ben Norris (JB) pin Dully Brutus (Mir) 4:28; 144: Jordan Pineda (Var) dec. Darion Shannon (Som) 6-4; 150: Tristan Sainz (Som) dec. Geovani Santos (Martin) 11-5; 157: Eric Hodge (Som) pin Armando Wisdom (AH) 4:38; 165: Bluny Davilma (Som) maj. dec. Noah Catala (Mir) 14-2; 175: Michael Sainz (Som) pin Justice Hield (Bayside) 0:36; 190: Mateo Martinez (Som) pin Rubier Oliva (Var) 1:55; 215: Harper Noel (PBH) tech Ndidi Obi (NM) 15-0; HWT: Blake Elder (JB) pin Abdur Bey (Som) 3:56. Consolation finals - 106: Cano Austin (Som) dec. Jacob Rhodes (AM) 6-1; 113: Michael Maisonet (MA) dec. Alejandro Toro (Som) 9-3; 120: Nolan Halulko (Martin) dec. Gavin Calcines (AM) 6-2; 126: Carlos Sainz (Som) maj. dec. Juelez Lainez (McA) 10-2; 132: Dylan Fernandez (Som) dec. Joseph Scott (HHills) 6-2 (UTB); 138: EJ Coney (Ever) dec. Nikhil Guerrero (SebR) 2-0; 150: Charly Sainteus (NM) dec. Alexander Harding (Mir) 4-0; 157: Jayden Rivas (Mir) maj. dec. Jackson Wilks (Martin) 9-0; 165: Adonis Severe (NM) dec. 6-4; 175: Brayden Hogg (JB) pin Mallard Mondesir (Mir) 1:52; 215: Eli Diaz (Som) dec. William Crum (Okee) 7-2; HWT: Chase Goodrich (STA) pin Christopher Coleman (Deerfield) 2:35.
