HS Roundup: Immokalee puts Riverdale's playoff chances in peril in PKs; 13 teams advance
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A roundup of high school games played on Thursday, Jan. 27:
Boys Soccer
Class 6A-District 12
Immokalee 2, Riverdale 2 (7-6 in PKs)
It came down to the final kick Thursday evening at Karl Engel field in the battle between Immokalee and Riverdale.
After 80 minutes of play and two extra-time periods, the game would be decided via a penalty shootout. Both teams scored their first shot, but the Raiders were the first to miss after a shot rang off the crossbar, giving Immokalee the advantage.
Following three more makes by both teams, Immokalee’s Job Choute calmly walked over to the penalty spot and slotted home the winning penalty to give Immokalee the victory.
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“I just believed in myself,” Choute said. “I know how to take them and I had the confidence.”
Choute’s winning kick was the grand finale of an action-packed game that saw the Raiders come back twice to force extra time and a penalty shootout.
Earlier this season, the Raiders fell 3-0 to Immokalee on the road and looked to return the favor this time with home-field advantage.
Saintano Damas’ Immokalee team began to apply instant pressure to the Raiders immediately after the opening whistle. Senior captain Stanley Bazelais controlled the midfield, as Immokalee dictated the tempo in the early stages of the game.
“This guy has been the workhorse in the middle,” Damas said. “Stanley is an incredible young man, and his level of play tonight was critical for us."
After 19 minutes of play, Immokalee was the first to strike thanks to Carlos Reyes, who was subbed on seconds before his goal. The midfielder was able to get the final touch on the ball and find the back of the net following a mix-up in the 18-yard box. The score remained the same headed into the half and Immokalee looked to be in full control of the game as the Indians were hounding Riverdale on and off the ball.
As the second half kicked off, the Raiders came out of the break and looked like a completely new team. Nader Soliman’s side began to match Immokalee’s intensity and got back into the game.
Three minutes into the half, Riverdale found its equalizer as Devin Carter headed home a perfectly placed corner kick from Tyler Zenczak.
“Once we controlled the midfield with Devin (Carter) and Kevin (Ramirez), it worked out pretty well,” Soliman said. “That's when we started actually getting some rhythm to the game.”
Both teams continued to attack in pursuit of the winning goal, but neither side could secure the win, and the game headed into extra time.
During the 90th minute of extra time, Choute was fouled inside the box and rewarded the penalty. The team's leading goal-scorer finished on the penalty and gave Immokalee its second lead of the night.
Needing a way to get back into the game, the Raiders began to throw numbers forward in hopes of scoring a goal to send the game to PKs in the final minute.
Riverdale’s efforts would pay off, as the Raiders managed to force a penalty in the 100th minute. Zenczak was chosen to take the PK and converted, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“They were a team that beat us earlier in the year 3-0 and we know what they were about,” Soliman said. “I was just proud of the way that guys played, I mean, regardless of winning or losing.”
Immokalee will now have another tough test on the road. The Indians will head to Fort Myers to take on the Green Wave in the Class 6A-District 12 championship. Riverdale will have to wait just under 10 days to find out its fate in the postseason.
“We’re just enjoying this moment, and whoever is next we’ll be ready for that,” Damas said.
— Izubee Charles
Fort Myers 1, Palmetto Ridge 1 (4-3 in PKs): The Greenies escaped in the semifinal round of district play with a win over the Bears. Alejandro Zuniga opened the scoring for Palmetto Ridge, before Michael Krzeminski tied the game shortly after.
The game then went into six rounds of PKs, with Fort Myers pulling out a 4-3 win. The Green Wave's win streak is up to 17 games. Immokalee is the last team standing in the way of a district title. The two teams drew on Nov. 18.
ECS 4, Community Christian 3: The Sentinels escaped with a win over the Mustangs. ECS will now face top-seeded Canterbury in the Class 2A-District 11 semifinals.
Bonita Springs 6, Island Coast 1: Junior forward Marek Novotny finished the game with five goals for the Bull Sharks, who will advance to take on top-seeded LaBelle in the Class 4A-District 12 semifinals.
Gateway 8, Gateway Charter 0: The Eagles got their first boys playoff win in school history, as eight different scorers found the back of the net for Gateway.
Seacrest Country Day 6, First Baptist 2: The Stingrays got a pair of goals each from JC Vargas and Conrado Chanes, while Jude Caruso and Alberto Trejo-Molina each scored once. Max Pearson assisted on both of Chanes' goals.
North Port 1, Lehigh 1 (5-4 in PKs): No stats provided.
Girls Soccer
Naples 8, South Fort Myers 0: Leading the way for the Golden Eagles was Arianna Kinsley, who netted four goals in the win over the Wolfpack. Bridgette Graney, Elaina Loden, Claire Hanlon, and Briana Shimer all scored once.
Loden and Lucy Froitzheim assisted twice, while Graney, Shimer, Lane Calkins, and Safiya Fakhoury finished with one assist each. The Golden Eagles (10-3-4) will face Lely in the Class 5A-District 13 semifinals.
Lely 6, Cypress Lake 0: Leading the charge for the Trojans was none other than Alyssa Reeves, who finished with a hat trick and two assists. Kassandra Castillo had two goals, while Nicole Rodriguez had one goal and an assist. Chelsey Chambers had one assist.
Ida Baker 8, Charlotte 0: Stephanie Sarcione put up six goals in the win over the Tarpons, with Brooke Paul adding a pair. Mia Gonzalez and Olivia Bentley combined for five assists.
Cape Coral 8, Dunbar 0: Emma Kennedy led the Seahawks with a hat trick as Cape advanced to the semifinals in Class 5A-District 12. Mikala Allen opened the scoring in the third minute thanks to an assist from Vanessa Linares, who finished with four assists.
Sophia Fallacara scored a pair of goals, while Jenna Gogo netted another. Goalkeeper Destiny Lowe scored the final goal of the game after the Seahawks led 5-0 at halftime.
Canterbury 3, SFCA 1: The Cougars (6-8-0) got a hat trick from Kali Young, bringing her season total to 15 goals and three assists. Canterbury will travel to Imagine School at North Port in the Class 2A-District 11 semifinals.
Estero 9, East Lee County 1: No stats provided.
Barron Collier 4, Golden Gate 0: No stats provided.
Girls Basketball
Naples 48, Golden Gate 46: The Golden Eagles got impressive performances from Sydney Martin and Molly Richards. Martin ended with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Richards had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
First Baptist 44, Gateway Charter 24: The Lions got back on a win streak, winning by 20 over the Griffins. Leading the way was Zara Stewart and Grace Dean, who scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.
CSN 40, Palmetto Ridge 34: The Seahawks got a nice performance from Kiara Cabrera, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Leah Kershaw had five points off the bench, while Elly Beshears' clutch free throws sealed the win for CSN.
St. John Neumann 64, Bonita Springs 19: The Celtics rebounded against the Bull Sharks, as Sophia McCartney had 24 points and 15 rebounds. Leah Martin-Gonzales had 15 points for Neumann.
Boys Basketball
First Baptist 61, Gateway Charter 49: In the loss for the Griffins, Gabe Timmons scored 17 points, while Jason Thomas added 13 points and four rebounds.
“Great effort from both teams tonight," Gateway Charter coach RJ Jones said. "I think FBA is one of the best teams in the area this year. I was proud of my team's effort tonight in battling back and giving us a chance to win in the final minutes. Looking forward to closing out the regular season next week.”
CSN 47, Palmetto Ridge 34: The Seahawks extend their win streak to four games, thanks to Stef Schmeiding's double-double of 11 points and 11 boards, and Conor Hayes, who had 12 points, eight steals, and five rebounds.
"Our defense was locked in tonight," CSN coach Greg Donahue said. "We are trending in the right direction as the season moves along."
Naples 64, Golden Gate 44: Jonas Duclona led all Naples scorers with 17 points in the win over the Titans. In the loss for the Titans, Gerkoby Christopher had 11 points.
"Great district win against Golden Gate tonight," Naples coach Garrett Hull said. "Great crowd for senior night. We're playing well at the right time, we still have a lot to work on but hopefully we can keep this momentum into the district tournament."
Girls Weightlifting
PUNTA GORDA — Last year, Charlotte High’s six-year run as girls weightlifting regional champions ended.
It did not take the Tarpons long to regain the top spot.
Charlotte claimed the Class 2A-Region 4 tournament Thursday afternoon with 48 points. Port Charlotte High, which dethroned the Tarpons a year ago, finished second with 30 points. Fort Myers High was third with 25 points.
Charlotte also won the team title in the snatch competition, a new event added to the traditional bench and clean and jerk this year. The Tarpons picked up 37 points to edge runner-up Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy by a point and third-place Port Charlotte by 11 points.
“Absolutely,” Tarpons coach Matt Galley said if a regional title was a goal. “We love winning.”
Charlotte picked up three individual titles in the traditional meet and two more in the snatch. Regional champions automatically advance to the Class 2A state tournament Feb. 11 at Port St. Joe High School.
Tarpon champions were 101-pounder Madison McQueen (115 bench, 115 clean, 230 total), 119-pounder Marissa Schuler (155-145-300) and Unlimited Maelani Parkinson (185-190-375) in the traditional.
“Everybody had to do their part,” Galley said. “This was a meet where a lot of girls missed lifts because they were under pressure,” Galley said. “From what I’ve saw, most of the girls went 2-for-3 on their lifts, which is awesome for a regional meet. Everybody pulled their weight.”
Schuler (110) and Parkinson (120) doubled up in the snatch.
“It’s up in the air: You never know what it’s going to be right now,” Galley said of the snatch. “We don’t know if the numbers we put up are going to be good at states. We were happy because they did everything they needed to.”
Port Charlotte also picked up three individual champions in both the traditional and the snatch with 129-pounder Angelina Dabney, 139-pounder Alexa Estevez and 199-pounder Tara Yount all doubling up.
Dabney had a 170-190-360 traditional and 140 snatch. Estevez went 170-175-345 traditional and 140 snatch. Defending state champion Tara Young had meet highs of 205-215-420 traditional and 170 snatch.
“I’m so pleased with the second-place finish,” Port Charlotte second-year coach Jensen Moore said. “I’m thoroughly impressed.”
Along with winning the regional title last year, the Pirates finished second in the state with 19 points, three points behind champion Arnold and five points ahead of fourth-place Charlotte.
“I’m hoping for a pretty successful finish at states,” Moore said. “I don’t know about No. 1, but we’re looking around for No. 2 or No. 3. We need a first-place finish from Tara, Angelina and Alexa.”
The Tarpons also look to make waves at the state meet.
“We’re going to hit it hard next week and take it easy the week leading up to the states, work on technique and stuff like that,” Galley said. “Just do what we’ve got to do. We can put up some decent numbers at states.”
Fort Myers High 169-pounder Julia Knowler and Cape Coral High’s 183-pounder Chantel Ferrer both came away as double winners.
Knowler posted a traditional 160-170-330 and 115 snatch. Ferrer went 175-185-360 traditional and had a 125 snatch.
Southeast High’s Jade Fisher was a regional champion at 110 with a 120 bench and 135 clean for a 255 total.
— Dennis Maffezzoli
First-Place Finishes
Traditional
101: Madison McQueen, Charlotte 115-115-230
110: Jade Fisher, Southeast 120-135-255
119: Marissa Schuler, Charlotte 155-145-300
129: Angelina Dabney, Port Charlotte 170-190-360
139: Alexa Estevez, Port Charlotte 170-175-345
154: Angelina Belanger, Suncoast 145-175-320
169: Julia Knowler, Fort Myers 160-170-330
183: Chantel Ferrer, Cape Coral 175-185-360
199: Tara Yount, Port Charlotte 205-215-420
Unl.: Maelani Parkinson, Charlotte 185-190-375
Snatch
101: Gabrielle Gutierrez, Archbishop McCarthy 80
110: Anna Fiore, Suncoast 105
119: Mariss Schuler, Charlotte 110
129: Angelina Dabney, Port Charlotte 140
139: Alexa Estevez, Port Charlotte 140
154: Angelina Belanger, Suncoast 140
169: Julia Knowler, Fort Myers 115
183: Chantel Ferrer, Cape Coral 125
199: Tara Young, Port Charlotte 170
Unl.: Maelani Parkinson, Charlotte 120
District Schedules
Boys Soccer
Class 7A-District 8
Tuesday, Feb. 1 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Venice at (1) Sarasota Riverview
(3) North Port at (2) Gulf Coast
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 6A-District 12
Wednesday, Feb. 2
(3) Immokalee at (1) Fort Myers, 7 p.m.
Class 5A-District 12
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(5) Dunbar at (4) Ida Baker
(6) North Fort Myers at (3) Mariner
Tuesday, Feb. 1 (all games at 7 p.m.)
Ida Baker/Dunbar winner at (1) Charlotte
Mariner/North Fort Myers winner at (2) Cape Coral
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 5A-District 13
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Estero at (1) Lely
(7) Golden Gate at (3) Barron Collier
Tuesday, Feb. 1
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 4A-District 12
Tuesday, Feb. 1 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Bonita Springs at (1) LaBelle
(3) Clewiston at (2) Lemon Bay
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 3A-District 10
Saturday, Jan. 29 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) Gateway at (1) Bishop Verot
(3) Oasis at (2) Community School
Wednesday, Feb. 2
District Championship, 6 p.m.
Class 2A-District 11
Monday, Jan. 31 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) ECS at (1) Canterbury
(3) Out-of-Door at (2) SFCA
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 6 p.m.
Class 2A-District 12
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) Seacrest Country Day at (1) Marco Island
(3) St. John Neumann at (2) Donahue Catholic
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Girls Soccer
Class 7A-District 8
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Sarasota Riverview at (1) Venice
(3) Gulf Coast at (2) Sarasota
Wednesday, Feb. 2
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 6A-District 12
Tuesday, Feb. 1
(2) Fort Myers at (1) Riverdale 7 p.m.
Class 5A-District 12
Monday, Jan. 31 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Ida Baker at (1) North Fort Myers
(3) Cape Coral at (2) Mariner
Wednesday, Feb. 2
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 5A-District 13
Monday, Jan. 31 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Lely at (1) Naples
(3) Barron Collier at (2) Estero
Wednesday, Feb. 2
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 4A-District 12
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 7 p.m.)
(4) Port Charlotte at (1) Lemon Bay
(3) LaBelle at (2) Bonita Springs
Wednesday, Feb. 2
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 3A-District 10
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) Gateway at (1) Bishop Verot
(3) Community School at (2) Oasis
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 6 p.m.
Class 2A-District 11
Monday, Jan. 31 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) Canterbury at (1) Imagine School at North Port
(3) Out-of-Door at (2) Evangelical Christian
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 6 p.m.
Class 2A-District 12
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games at 6 p.m.)
(4) Marco Island Academy at (1) First Baptist
(3) Donahue Catholic at (2) St. John Neumann
Thursday, Feb. 3
District Championship, 7 p.m.
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Immokalee stuns Riverdale in PKs; Fort Myers escapes Palmetto Ridge
