High schools continue winning tradition

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Archdiocese of Miami athletes continued to build traditions in fall sports in 2016. St. Thomas Aquinas had three teams repeat championship victories in their sports and Cardinal Gibbons had one. Archbishop Edward McCarthy’s girls golf team also defended their championship.

Here’s a roundup of archdiocesan high schools’ successes in fall sports.

CROSS COUNTRY

St. Thomas Aquinas had two boys finish in the top seven and five in the top 45 to help the Raiders repeat as state champions at the Class 4A boys cross country state championship Nov. 5 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. It’s also the third title in four years for the Raiders, who scored 82 points. Christopher Columbus High also advanced to Class 4A state, finishing 18th with 399 points.

Aquinas coach Joe Hazera said that despite losing two of the top seven athletes from the 2015 team, the Raiders entered the season with the goal to be the best team in the state, not just Class 4A. He admitted that the grind of cross country season and track season brought complacency that prevented the Raiders from being the best overall in the state, but their depth carried them to the 4A crown.

“We had the best score but the slowest time,” Hazera said. “We had the most dominant team. No one was running great, but seven guys were running fast.”

The Raiders lost two athletes prior to the race — one was sick during the race, while another was injured a few days before. But Hazera inserted a couple of junior-varsity runners who contributed.

“We strive for the depth,” he said. “We focus more on that rather than getting guys at the top end. We focus more on getting everyone fast together. It makes us proud.”

Aquinas’ Nicholas Rischar finished third over the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 59.36 seconds, just behind the 15:56.11 of Winter Springs’ Matthew Doyle. Aquinas teammate Antonio Martinez took seventh in 16:15.04; Pierce Statham was 35th in 16:50.81; Christian Vitagliano was 38th in 16:52.96 and Colin Breslin was 45th in 16:56.18. Statham, Rischar, and Martinez scored points for the Raiders’ championship team last year.

In Class 4A girls, Aquinas took 21st place with 475 points. Bridge Alex had the Raiders’ best finish, 12th in 18:55.23.

In Class 3A boys, Belen Jesuit took third place in a close race with 129 points. Belen’s Joshua Collins took fourth in the individual race in 15:40.10 to lead the Wolverines, who improved from last year’s fourth-place finish.

In Class 2A boys, Archbishop McCarthy’s William Shine had the archdiocese’s best finish, 24th in 16:20.13.

In Class 2A girls, St. Brendan High finished eighth with 263 points. Cardinal Gibbons’ girls took 11th with 313 points. Noemi Kerjean led St. Brendan with a 36th-best 19:47.29. Kelly Mahon led Cardinal Gibbons with a 69th-best 20:38.82.

 

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Diver Zach Allen became the first Cardinal Gibbons athlete to win three consecutive state titles Nov. 12, winning the Class 2A 1-meter diving title at Sailfish Splashpark Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart. He scored 551.90 points, capping off a career that started with a third-place finish his freshman year. Allen is the first Cardinal Gibbons athlete, male or female, to win three consecutive titles in swimming and diving.

Allen and teammate Hudson Coldren, who was third in 1-meter diving with 421.40, helped Gibbons’ boys take 20th with 36 points. In Class 2A girls, Cardinal Gibbons took eighth with 87 points. Savannah Yates had Gibbons’ best finish, a second-best 1:04.63 in the 100 breaststroke. Yates also took third in the 50 freestyle in 24.47. Gibbons also took fifth in the girls 400 freestyle relay in 3:41.45.

In Class 4A, Aquinas’ boys finished 12th in the State Swimming and Diving Meet with 67 points. Columbus took 24th with 29.5 points.

Aquinas’ Devin Nugent finished fourth in boys diving with 427.25 points. Padraic Cassidy took seventh in the boys 500-meter freestyle in 4:37.69. He also took eighth in the 200 freestyle in 1:42.96.

In 4A girls, Aquinas took 26th with 22 points. Karlee Price led the way for the Raiders, winning the 1-meter diving with 475.70 points; she finished third last year.

In Class 3A boys, Belen took second in the team race with 198 points, just behind the 242 of Tallahassee Chiles.

Aitor Fungairino of Belen won the 500 boys freestyle in 4:26.82. The Wolverines also got a third-best 49.95 in the 100 butterfly from Max Garcia del Pozo. Belen took second in the boys 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:07.58, second in the boys 200 medley relay in 1:33.82, and third in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:26.13.

 

GOLF

Led by four seniors, Archbishop McCarthy’s girls team won their second consecutive Class 2A state golf title Nov. 1-2 at the Mission Inn Resort and Club at Howey-in-the-Hills. After beating Plantation American Heritage last year in a playoff, McCarthy combined team scores of 324 and 304 to post a 628 total, 11 shots better than American Heritage. Senior Julia Matzat led the way for the Mavericks, posting 76 and 75 for a two-day 151, tied for fifth in the individual race.

Brooke Benedetto bounced back from a first-day 83 to finish with a two-day 154. Christen Simons had back-to-back 81s, while Natalia Jimenez counted her second-day 78 and Georgette Garcia counted her first-day 84 and second-day 80 to the team’s score.

Columbus and Aquinas tied for fourth place in the Class 3A boys golf tournament Oct. 25-26. They both had two-day scores of 631 strokes, while Tampa Plant won the tournament with a two-day 606.

Roberto Nieves posted scores of 76 and 74 for 150, nine shots behind the 3-under 141 of Jacksonville Mandarin’s Brandon Mancheno. Aquinas was led by freshman Brett Roberts’ 8-over 152.

In Class 1A girls on Oct. 28-29, Valeria Pacheco of Hollywood’s Chaminade-Madonna College Prep finished tied for third with a 1-under 143. She posted 72 and 71 in each round.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Aquinas won its third consecutive girls volleyball title, but several other archdiocesan schools advanced to the regional tournament.

St. Brendan High came within one match of reaching the state final. The Sabres won the District 16-7A tournament, beat Miami Central in three games and defeated Miami Sunset 25-15, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22. But they lost to eventual state champion Stuart South Fork 25-15, 25-22, 25-9 in the Region 4 final.

Archbishop McCarthy also advanced to the regional final in Class 6A. The Mavericks beat Dreyfoos in three games and outlasted Suncoast in five games before falling to eventual state champion Bishop Moore 25-11, 25-17, 25-13 in the Region 4 final.

In Class 5A, Immaculata-LaSalle High won District 15-5A but lost to Miami Gulliver Prep in three games in the region quarterfinals.

 

FOOTBALL

Aquinas and Chaminade-Madonna advanced to their respective state finals.

The Raiders won their 10th title — and third straight — by crushing Tampa Plant 45-6 in the Class 7A game Dec. 9 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The win puts them at second all-time in state championships, only one behind Jacksonville Bolles.

Jake Allen threw for 329 yards and five touchdowns as the Raiders had their largest margin of victory in a state final since beating Lakeland 56-7 in the 2008 Class 5A championship game. But Aquinas had won their playoff games by an average of 37 points. (See complete story at http://bit.ly/2jcTbJh)

Chaminade-Madonna’s Lions came up short in their 3A final Dec. 10 against three-time defending champion Jacksonville Trinity Christian. Shaun Shivers turned the first play of the game into an 80-yard touchdown. However, Trinity Christian rode Rasheed Martin and D.J. Matthews to a 24-13 victory over the Lions (10-4), who were attempting to notch their first state championship since winning the 2005 Class 2A crown. (See complete story at http://bit.ly/2hZFg8H)

Columbus advanced to the regional semifinals of the Class 8A bracket. The Explorers beat Hialeah American 33-16 before losing to Coral Gables 21-14 in the regional semifinals. They were trying to reach the state finals for the first time since 2014.

Cardinal Gibbons also advanced to the regional semifinals in the Class 5A bracket. Gibbons beat Riviera Beach Suncoast 42-7 before losing to state finalist Plantation American Heritage 10-7. The Chiefs had their best finish in the FHSAA playoffs since a region semifinal finish in 2007. Gibbons gave American Heritage, the state’s No. 1 Class 5A team according to The Associated Press and state champs in 2013 and 2014, their toughest challenge.

CHEERLEADING

St. Brendan High’s varsity cheerleaders placed first in the Universal Cheerleaders Association Central Florida Regional Dec. 3. The cheerleaders competed in Division 1 Super Varsity. They will compete in the National High School Cheerleading Championship in February.