State-bound Coral Springs cheer teams excel; Flanagan & St. Brendan fare well, too
Coral Springs is a hotbed when talking competitive cheerleading.
During the FHSAA Region 4 Tournament, which included approximately 40 teams from Broward, Miami Dade and Palm Beach counties, Coral Springs schools fared very well on Saturday at Coral Glades High School.
Region 2A Large Non-Tumbling champs Coral Glades High School; 2A Small Non-Tumbling qualifier Coral Springs High School; 1A Small Varsity champs Coral Spring Charter School.
The three schools are off Sample Road and within a 5-mile radius. Many girls from those Coral Springs teams are alum of the award winning Coral Springs Youth Tackle Football & Cheerleading Club in the AYFL.
Coral Glades features 23 athletes with nine seniors. They are Alexa Kuhn, Nicole Ward, Rielyn Harty, Ivanna Washington, Melanie Manzanerez, Madison Propper, Ashlee Knight, Mckenzie Miller, Angelique Bergamini.
“Their effort has been unmatched this year with the shortened season, as we’ve had to work extra hard to maintain the level of excellence that our program is known for,” said Coral Glades High School competitive cheerleading coach Alison Madej.
“They worked at the level they needed to be at, working a high caliber routine in a short amount of time [because of the pandemic]. They’re athletes. They put the work in, and it showed.”
Madej is in her 10th year involved with the Coral Glades cheer program, qualifying for state each year. In the past nine seasons, the Jaguars won state six times and were runners-up twice.
Senior cheerleaders helping lead Coral Springs Charter are Chandler Gentile and Victoria Loffreda. Coral Springs High School senior cheerleaders are Riley Reiss and Kristen Russo.
Also qualifying for the state finals: Small Varsity region runner-up Monarch; Medium Non-Tumbling runner-up Pompano.
Flanagan wins region title
The south portion of Broward will be represented as well at state.
Flanagan, coached by Jamie Filo, won the region title in 2A Small Co-ed to advance to state with 19 athletes. Some are alum of Pasadena Lakes Optimist in the AYFL.
The Falcons are led by seniors Aaliyah Gonzales, Abigail Fernandez, Alexa Avendano, Emily Vanderlaan, Madison Morla, Daniel Davalos.
“This year has been very challenging because we had three girls out with Covid before Christmas break, and that put us back,” Filo said. “Then we had just two weeks to put the routine together, and we did [and won], which is incredible.”
Assistant coach Christy Ravelo choreographed that winning routine.
Also in the state finals mix: Small Non-Tumbling region champs Miramar; Extra Large Varsity runner-up Western.
St. Brendan wins region, too
St. Brendan continued its dominance on the competitive cheer level. The defending state champion Sabres won the region title in Extra Large Varsity to qualify for state again in 1A on Friday.
The region championship squad consists of 23 athletes and three coaches. The coaches are Cecilia Esteban and Victoria Salazar, and the head coach is Arlenee Suarez, who’s been in charge since 2002.
During that time, St. Brendan has advanced to state each year since it became an official sport in 2008. The Sabres won state five consecutive years (2016-20) and counting. They were state runner-up in 2013 and 2014 and third in 2015.
“This has definitely been a tough season,” Suarez said. “We weren’t even sure if we would be able to compete this year. So many new restrictions, a late start to our season, girls being out due to Covid, just to name a few.
“But despite all of the uncertainty this season has brought, there is one certainty. We have an incredible group of athletes and coaches. Their tenacity and will to succeed is unmatched. We had a great showing at regionals, and I am excited to watch them dominate the floor at states. I am very proud of all them and their hard work.”
This year’s seniors are Amelie Cabrera, Sophia Nasco, Lourdes Guzman, Anjolie Bristol, Alexandria Pasquis, Angelica Neret, Carolina Garcia, Francis-Danielle Mereles, Mia Roche, Sabrina Pichardo, Victoria Rodriguez.
Joining them at state include Extra Large Non-Tumbling region champs Pace; Extra Large Non-Tumbling runners-up Doral.
The FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading State Championships is Friday (1A) and Saturday (2A) at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
GMAC Semifinal: Miami High 66, Krop 45: Kiara Cruz 20 points, 6 assists, 4 3-ptrs; Janay Quinn 19 pts, 8 asts, 3 steals; Danajah Peterson 8 pts, 11 rebounds. Krop: Lindsey Weingard 20 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls; Lauryn Hornstein 10 pts; Emmy Mills 7 pts, 12 rebs; Mai Lisa Atis 6 pts, 3 stls; Neyida Michel 2 pts, 10 rebs. Stingarees play Norland for the GMAC Championship on Friday, and Krop faces Miami Central for third place.
Cardinal Gibbons 65, Fort Lauderdale 32: CG (10-4), FTL (3-2).
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Braddock 56, Coral Reef 45: BR: Sanchez 14, Torres 14, Paz 10, Santos 9, Perez 6, Williams 3. CR: Chung 11, Mirabel 9, Fonte 7, Cooper 6, Dean 4, Delancy 4, Castro 3, Moore 1. 3-ptrs: Sanchez 2, Torres 2, Williams 1. Rebs: Santos 16, Paz 5, Perez 5. Asts: Paz 6. Stls: Perez 2, Santos 2. Half: Braddock 24-22. BR (9-4).
St. Brendan 83, South Dade 81: SB: Rodrigues 29, Alicea 12, Varela 12, Diaz 10, Gutierrez 8, Navarro 7, Alvarez 3, Kettle 2. SD: Brodie 16, Malloy 14, Wright 14, Dean 12, Moore 10, Green 9, Daycin 5. Smith 1. 3-ptrs: Rodriguez 6, Varela 4, Alicea 2, Gutierrez 2, Alvarez 1.
Cardinal Gibbons 53, Fort Lauderdale 42: CG (13-3), FTL (2-4).
I Have A Dream Challenge: Doral Academy 57, Cardinal Gibbons 47 (OT): CG (12-3), DA (8-5).
BOYS’ SOCCER
Cardinal Gibbons 1, St. Thomas Aquinas 1: CG: Greg Priyen 1 goal, Thomas Vera 1 assist. CG: (4-0-2).
Cardinal Gibbons 8, FAU 0: Mike Thom 2 goals; Frank Roig, Deni Rivard, Riley Holden, Ryan Hart, Louis Petrosino, Luke Marshall 1 goal each; Jason Trujillo 2 assistsl Danny Perriet, Mike Thom, Frank Roig, Nick McBean, Ryan Hart, Alejandro Hernandez 1 assist each. CG (5-0-2).
Miami Country Day 4, Pine Crest 0: Stefano Dumas 2 goals, Victor Destri 2 goals, Agustine Kohen 1 assist, Alejandro Rodriguez 1 assist, Gkp Chris Capote 5 saves, first shutout. MCD (2-5-1).
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Palmer Trinity 2, Key West 0: Daniela Carbajales-Vieta 1 goal, Jessica Leathe 1 goal, Georgia Malueg 2 assists.
TERRA 1, St. Brendan 0: Alexandra Ortega 1 goal, Gkp Ayla Ramos shutout. TERRA (7-2).
WRESTLING
Mater Lakes Academy: Junior Ethan Vergara, ranked No.1 in Miami; No. 2 in Florida; undefeated in Miami including wins over South Dade, Southwest, Westminister Christian, Key West, Belen, & Columbus. Fifth at state in 2020.
Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
(jvarsallone@miamiherald.com).
Wrestling coaches
To nominate 2-3 top high school wrestlers of the week, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Include school, first and last name, weight class, what the wrestler did. Varsity only.
Submit varsity game results
For high schools in Broward and Miami Dade counties, if you have varsity game results for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Varsity only.
All-County varsity forms
A link for All-County ballots were emailed to athletic directors. Varsity coaches and athletic directors, if you still need an All-County link/ballot for Fall sports, email jvarsallone@miamiherald.com. Deadline to submit selections is Jan. 22.
Recognizing varsity athletes who did not compete due to Covid
We will be doing a feature that will coincide with our All-County Teams to recognize those varsity athletes who might have otherwise been contenders for All-County but were not able to play because of COVID-19 concerns or if their teams opted out of playing. A link was sent to athletic directors for that purpose. Varsity coaches and athletic directors, if you still need a link/form for Fall sports, email jvarsallone@miamiherald.com. Deadline to submit that info is Jan. 22.
