By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Members of St. Brendan High's cheerleading team, already state champions in Competitive Cheerleading, pose at the Universal Cheerleaders Association's Central Florida Regional, where they won the Super Varsity division and qualified to compete in the national championship, to be held next February in Disney World. Also in the photo are Coach Victoria Salazar (second from left), Coach Cecilia Esteban (second from far right) and Head Coach Arlenee Suarez (far right).
MIAMI | The winter sports season saw one Archdiocese of Miami team add to a dynasty and another team lay the foundation for another.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ girls soccer dynasty rebounded from a state semifinal loss last year to add to its state record of championships. St. Brendan High won its second competitive cheerleading title.
Girls soccer
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Thomas Aquinas’ girls soccer dynasty rebounded from a state semifinal loss last year to add to its state record of championships. The team won its 15th state championship by beating St. Johns Creekside 2-0 in the Class 4A state final at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
St. Thomas Aquinas won its 15th state championship, beating St. Johns Creekside 2-0 in the Class 4A state final at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
Chloe O’Neill put the Raiders up 1-0 in the 67th minute by scoring off assists by Julia Grosso and Isabella Dorosy. Tara Hamilton then made it 2-0 in the 75th minute on an unassisted goal. Abigail Pangallo made two saves for the shutout.
The Raiders won District 15-4A, then beat Miami Doral 8-0, Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy 6-0, Stuart South Fork 4-0 and St. Petersburg 8-0.
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals, losing to Boca Raton 3-0. Lourdes won District 15-5A, then beat Miami Coral Reef 3-0, Coral Gables 2-0 and Weston Cypress Bay 1-0 before losing. Lourdes was attempting to return to the state finals after falling to Oviedo 3-1 in the 2016 state final.
In Class 2A, both Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons and Miami Immaculata-LaSalle both lost in the region quarterfinals. Cardinal Gibbons won District 14-2A, then lost to Delray Beach American Heritage 1-0. Immaculata-LaSalle finished runner-up in District 15-2A, then lost to Miami Carrollton 1-0 in double overtime.
Boys soccer
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Immaculata-La Salle's boys soccer team rejoices after winning the Regional championship and advancing to the state semifinals, its best finish in school history.
In Class 2A, Immaculata-LaSalle posted its best finish in school history, advancing to the state semifinals before losing to Tampa Berkeley Prep 1-0 in overtime. Immaculata-LaSalle won District 15-2A, then beat Homestead Key Gate 2-0, then Pinecrest Gulliver Prep 0-0 (5-3 in penalty kicks) and Coconut Creek North Broward Prep 1-0 in overtime. Immaculata-LaSalle had three first-round losses before this historic run.
In Class 5A, Miami Columbus lost to Miami Beach in the region semifinals 3-1. Columbus won the District 15-5A title, then beat Miami Coral Reef 3-1 in region quarterfinals.
In Class 4A, St. Thomas Aquinas finished runner-up in District 15-4A, then lost to Doral Reagan 1-0 in the region quarterfinals.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Members of the Columbus High varsity soccer team, back-to-back District champions, are pictured here with their coaches: Michael Stewart, head coach, wearing red shirt at far right; Gerardo Lewis, assistant coach, wearing blue shirt at far right; and Marist Brother Herb Baker, far left, Columbus' athletic trainer.
Competitive cheerleading
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
The Msgr. Edward Pace High cheerleading team took third place in the Florida High School Athletic Association's Extra-Large Division Non-Tumbling finals.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Chaminade-Madonna's cheerleading team, led by Coach Regina Moody, competes at the Florida High School Athletic Association's Competitive Cheerleading championship. They took fourth in the Medium Division Non-Tumbling finals.
In Class 1A, St. Brendan won its second consecutive state championship in the Extra-Large Division varsity finals. St. Brendan posted an 87.40 score, beating second-place Doral Academy by 7.40 points. St. Brendan avenged an 81.25-78.40 Region 4 loss to Doral. It’s the second year in a row that St. Brendan’s beat Doral.
Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna took fourth in the Medium Division Non-Tumbling finals with 54.50 points. Miami Msgr. Edward Pace took third in the Extra-Large Division Non-Tumbling finals with 68.70 points.
In Class 2A, Archbishop McCarthy finished fourth in the finals of the Medium Non-Tumbling Division with 58.70 points. McCarthy made the finals by taking second in the semifinals with a score of 60.85 points.
Boys basketball
Miami Archbishop Carroll advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals, equaling the Bulldogs’ best finish in school history.
Carroll then lost to three-time state champion Jacksonville Providence 67-48. Daniel Cordero scored 26 points, including four 3-pointers, in the loss to Providence. It’s the second year in a row that Archbishop Carroll has lost to the eventual state champion in the state semis. Carroll lost to Windermere Prep 80-61 in the 2016 state semis.
Carroll won District 7-4A. The Bulldogs then beat Palm Glades Prep and Miami Florida Christian to advance to the Final Four.
Miami Belen Jesuit finished runner-up in Class 16-7A but lost in the region quarterfinals to Miami Norland.
Archbishop McCarthy finished second in 16-6A but lost in the region quarterfinals to Riviera Beach Suncoast.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
The Archbishop Coleman Carroll boys basketball team advanced once again to the Class 4A state semifinals, equaling the Bulldogs’ best finish in school history.
Girls basketball
Cardinal Gibbons advanced to the state semifinals in Class 5A. Gibbons won the 14-5A district championship, then beat Boca Raton Pope John Paul II, Boca Raton St. Andrew’s and Pinecrest Gulliver Prep to reach the state semifinals for the fourth time in school history.
The Chiefs’ quest for their first state championship fell short when they lost to Tallahassee Florida High 48-43. Ayanna Armstead scored 17 points and dished out three assists, and Mikaela Pierre had 11 points and four rebounds against Florida High, which held Gibbons to 13 percent shooting in the second half.
Gibbons led by as many as eight and led until Florida High’s Tonie Morgan hit a 3-pointer with 5:56 left in the game. Emma Krause made two free throws to put Gibbons up 41-40 with 4:47 left. But Sarah McCrackin’s bucket put Florida High up 43-41 with 3:40 left, and Jordan Rosier’s two free throws put the Seminoles up 45-41 with 1:20 left. Pierre hit a bucket and was fouled with 30 seconds left to bring the Chiefs within 45-43, but Pierre missed the free throw. Florida High made three of four free throws the rest of the way to clinch the victory.
Msgr. Pace also made the 5A regionals, winning District 15-5A. Pace then lost to Gulliver Prep in the region semifinals.
In Class 9A, Our Lady of Lourdes finished runner-up in District 15-9A and beat Miami Southridge in the region quarterfinals before losing to state finalist Miami Ferguson in the region finals. It’s the third year in a row that Ferguson eliminated Lourdes.
In Class 8A, St. Thomas Aquinas finished runner-up in District 14-8A, then lost to West Palm Beach Palm Beach Lakes in the region quarterfinals.
In Class 6A, Archbishop McCarthy finished runner-up in District 16-6A, then lost to Riviera Beach Suncoast in the region quarterfinals.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Thomas Aquinas student wrestler Grant Aronoff in action. He successfully defended his 138-pound individual title.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Thomas Aquinas student wrestler Josiah Gittman in action. He won a second consecutive individual title this year.
Wrestling
Grant Aronoff and Josiah Gittman each won their second consecutive individual titles, helping St. Thomas Aquinas finish third in the Class 3A wrestling state meet. The Raiders finished with 103 points. Homestead South Dade won with 240.5 points.
Aronoff defended his 138-pound title, winning two matches by fall and taking two by decision. He beat Southwest Miami’s Franco Valdes 7-0 in the final. Aronoff finished his career with three state finals, taking a runner-up finish in 2015 and the 138-pound title in 2016.
Josiah Gittman also won a second consecutive title. After winning the 182-pound class in 2016, he won the 195-pound title. He won each match easily, taking two victories by fall and two by majority decision. Gittman beat Neptune Beach Fletcher’s Narek Stepanyan 10-0 in the title match. Bryce Marcus also brought home a state title, beating Todd Perry of South Dade in the final by fall in 5 minutes, 24 seconds.
Columbus qualified six wrestlers for state, but finished 11th with 11 points. Charlie Huffman, Robert Perez, Mike Fernandez and Carmine D’Ascoli each went 1-2 at state.
Cardinal Gibbons took third in Class 1A with 121 points. However, Orlando Lake Highland Prep won eight weight classes while winning the team title with 298.5 points.
The Chiefs received one title from Christopher Williams. After losing in the 195-pound final last year, he rolled through his first three matches easily. He then beat Florida High’s Cam Brown 6-4 in the title match. Osvani Ley took second in the 160 class, losing to Lake Highland’s Jake Brindley 3-1 in the final. Gibbons’ Michael Lopouchanski took second in the 182-pound class, losing to Lake Highland’s Bryce Rogers by fall in 1:24 in the final.
Girls weightlifting
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The Archbishop Edward McCarthy High girls weightlifting team, in their inaugural year, placed third in the district, and individual members competed at the regional and state championships.
Archbishop McCarthy’s Jessica Houguin-Reed finished sixth in the 119-pound division at the Class 1A girls weightlifting state championships. She posted a 120-pound bench press and 145-pound clean-and-jerk to total 265 pounds. She finished 30 pounds behind champion Alisha Dudeck of River Ridge. Houguin-Reed won the 119-pound class at the Region 8-1A meet, totaling 250 pounds lifted.
In the 199-pound class, Archbishop McCarthy’s Madi Malone took fifth at the state meet with a 335 total after a 180-pound bench press and a 155-pound clean and jerk. Malone took second at the Region 8 meet with 320 pounds lifted.
Results from FHSAA.org
