Broward HS Sports

Former Nova standout named Point Park University baseball coach

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:12:58 -0500

In his time at Nova, Loren Torres was a BCAA All-Star and a standout infielder. After graduating, he was named to the school's athletic Hall of Fame. Now he has another accomplishement on his resume: head coach at Point Park University in Pennsylvania. Torres has 10 years of college coaching experience, having previously served as a head coach at Illinois' Judson University. He's also been an assistant coach at Savannah College of Art and Design as well as Miami's Trinity International. He has also worked as a professional scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Phildelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals.

Lawsuit would be "moot" if FHSAA rescinds game reductions

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:23:13 -0500

Had a chance today to check in with one of the attorneys involved in the Title IX lawsuit against the FHSAA and he had some pretty interesting insight. If at next week's emergency meeting the FHSAA opts to overturn Policy 6--the recently implemented varsity schedule reductions--then David Baron told me in an email that the lawsuit filed against the state would be "moot." As things stand right now, a hearing is scheduled in federal court for July 17 and the FHSAA responded to the lawsuit by asking a judge to dismiss the case because they believe football and competitive cheerleading should be considered co-ed sports. Wednesday's meeting will have a big impact on the lawsuit and in the agenda--released by the FHSAA--was a recommendation from executive director Roger Dearing to rescind the game reductions. What would all that mean for Broward County? Depends on whether your school is a Broward County Athletic Association school or not. It's no secret that the county's school board is still facing budget issues. Earlier this year, the county considered eliminating four sports to save money. The state's move to cut games was projected to save the school board enough money to keep the targeted sports. That's why Damian Huttenhoff, the director of athletics and activities, has said more than once that he intends to keep the reduced schedules. He's also added that the county's Title IX numbers will remain in compliance. It's likely that non-BCAA schools will go back to the old game maximums instituted by the FHSAA.

Deerfield Beach's Azpurua named Hispanic Heritage sports winner

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:46:11 -0500

In his four years at Deerfield Beach, Roque Azpurua was one incredibly busy student-athlete. Azpurua was a member of the Bucks' tennis, swimming and cross country teams. He finished with a district doubles tennis championship and was honored for several team accomplishments--all while maintaining 3.7 GPA. Earlier this month, Azpurua was named the regional Gold Medal winner of the Hispanic Heritage Youth Award for Sports which is given out annually by the Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation and Subway. The honor includes a $3,000 scholarship and he's a finalist for the program's national award which includes a $5,000 grant.

Is it too soon to talk NBA Draft and Brandon Knight?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:18:57 -0500

When it comes to projections, rankings, ratings and expectations, few segments of the population can do it as well as sports fans. Web sites like rivals.com and scout.com thrive on projections and rankings. Come the months before the NFL Draft, countless sites and experts will weigh in on mock draft projections and where they think certain players will go. But how early is too early to discuss NBA potential when it comes to a player like Pine Crest's Brandon Knight? Knight is about to start his senior year at Pine Crest. Already, he's climbed the rankings as one of the nation's top college basketball recruits. Last spring, he became only the third junior to earn the prestigious Gatorade National Player of the Year crown. He's plenty talented and already, some NBA draft gurus are saying he's got the potential to be the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. The site, nbadraft.net, just released it's 2011 mock draft and if all plays out the way they think, Knight will be picked by the Los Angeles Clippers. (Click here to read the story.) Kenny Boynton, who just graduated from American Heritage and is headed to Florida, is on the list too as the No. 23 overall pick. At least if that holds true though, Boynton will have two years of college ball. nbadraft.net thinks Knight will leave his-still-to-be-named-college after only a year. Realistic? Who knows? And that's what seems kind of odd about such an early projection. So, you tell me, too soon to be speculating about Knight and the NBA? Do you take projections like this seriously or are they just for fun? Click here to see the full 2011 mock draft: http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft

Broward boys well represented on All-State basketball teams

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:28:30 -0500

From the "Better Late than Never" category...the boys' all-state basketball team has finally been put together and released by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches. As expected, Pine Crest's Brandon Knight (the Gatorade National Player of the Year) is a first-team selection, as is former American Heritage standout Kenny Boynton. In all, the county dominated the 3A classification with Pine Crest's Ed Waite and Heritage's Ray Taylor also garnering first-team honors. Here's the complete list: CLASS 6A First team Charles Hankerson, Coral Reef (Miami), 6-5, Jr. John Henson, Sickles (Tampa), 6-10, Sr. Martavious Irving, Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes), 6-2, Sr. Khyle Marshall, Flanagan (Pembroke Pines), 6-6, Jr. Austin Rivers, Winter Park, 6-3, So. Second team Martell Buie, Olympia (Orlando), 5-11, Sr. Andy Diaz, Hialeah Miami Lakes, 6-8, Sr. Dexter Fields, Olympia (Orlando), 6-2, Sr. Jerron Granberry, Coral Reef (Miami), 6-5, Sr. Tim Hardaway Jr., Palmetto (Miami), 6-5, Jr. Third team Bryce Clark, Ely (Pompano Beach), 6-5, Sr. Richie Edwards, Lakeland, 6-7, Sr. Antonio Johnson, Melbourne, 5-11, Sr. Angel Rodriguez, Dr. Krop (Miami), 5-10, So. Tony Watson II, Palm Beach Gardens, 6-2, Sr. Fourth team Julian Vasquez, Miami Senior, 6-1, Sr. Bryan Bynes, Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes), 6-3, Sr. Jayson Guerrier, Oviedo, 6-4, Sr. Kevin Paxson, Jupiter, 5-11, Jr. Shemiye McLendon, Vero Beach, 6-3, Sr. CLASS 5A First team Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, King (Tampa), 6-8, Sr. Ramon Galloway, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 6-3, Sr. Greg Gantt, Gainesville, 6-3, Sr. Jelani Hewitt, Northeast (Oakland Park), 6-2, Jr. Okaro White, Clearwater, 6-9, Jr. Second team T.J. Hall, Gainesville, 6-6, Jr. Tia Harris, Martin County (Stuart), 5-10, Jr. Lukas Poderis, Ridgewood (New Port Richey), 6-8, Sr. Chris Rozier, Wolfson (Jacksonville), 6-7, Sr. William Wilson, Sebastian River, 5-10, Sr. Third team Robert Burger, Dillard (Fort Lauderdale), 6-2, Sr. Sheldon Cooley, Plant (Tampa), 6-2 Sr. Quamain Foreman, Martin County (Stuart), 6-2, Sr. Shaun Noriega, North Port, 6-4, Sr. Justin Wright, Pace, 6-6, Sr. Fourth team Jacoby Brisett, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 6-5, So. Dennis Mavin, Eastside (Gainesville), 6-1, Jr. Regan O’Rourke, Clearwater, 6-3, Sr. Corey Walden, Daytona Beach Seabreeze, 6-2, Jr. Will Sheehey, South Fork (Stuart), 6-5, Jr. CLASS 4A First team Rakeem Buckles, Monsignor Pace (Miami), 6-9, Sr. Nick Cortes, Lecanto, 5-10, Sr. Erin Straughn, Pensacola, 6-5, Sr. Dante Valentine, Springstead (Spring Hill), 5-10, Sr. Ellis Young, Cocoa, 6-5, Sr. Second team Terrance Beasley, Pensacola, 6-5, Sr. Stacey Poole, Andrew Jackson (Jacksonvillle), 6-4, Jr. Darius Redding, Godby (Tallahassee), 6-5, Sr. Julius Reid, Cocoa, 6-1, Sr. Ralph Williams, Rockledge, 5-8, Jr. Third team David Jeune, Okeechobee, 6-7, Sr. Ricky Lamb, Raines (Jacksonville), 6-6, Jr. Isaiah Mason, Springstead (Spring Hill), 6-5, Sr. Avery Moore, Rickards (Tallahassee), 5-10, Sr. Jeremiah Samarrippas, Bartow, 5-9, Jr. Fourth team John McNair, West Port (Ocala), 6-0, Sr. Lorenzo Sparrow, St. Augustine, 5-10, Sr. Gerald Streeter, Haines City, 6-0, Sr. Clive Walford, Glades Central, 6-6, Jr. Patrick Young, Paxon (Jacksonville), 6-8, Jr. CLASS 3A First team Kenny Boynton Jr., American Heritage (Plantation), 6-2, Sr. Brandon Knight, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale), 6-4, Jr. Josh Snodgrass, P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), 6-5, Sr. Ray Taylor, American Heritage (Plantation), 5-7, Sr. Ed Waite, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale), 6-5, Sr. Second team Chris Blount, Marianna, 6-4, Sr. Josh Freelove, North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek), 6-1, Sr. Johnathan Gray, Berkeley Prep (Tampa), 6-3, Sr. Brennen Melvin, Bishop Verot (Fort Myers), 6-4, Sr. Jonathan Thompson, Jones (Orlando), 6-4, Sr. Third team Vincent Bailey, Hamilton County (Jasper), 6-5, Jr. Eteinne Effenberg, Bishop Verot (Fort Myers), 6-6, Sr. Jonathan Holton, Lasalle Academy (Miami), 6-7, So. Darius Perkins, Dunbar (Fort Myers), 6-1, So. Kruize Pinkins, Marianna, 6-6, Soph. Fourth team Josh Bloom, St. Andrew’s (Boca Raton), 6-4, Sr. Isaac Floyd, Williston, 6-1, Jr. Demetrice McCray, Wildwood, 5-11, Sr. Peter Munch, Melbourne Central Catholic, 6-2, Jr. Austin Suarez, Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 6-5, Sr. CLASS 2A First team Wallace Judge, Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville), 6-10, Sr. J.P. Kuhlman, Providence Christian (Jacksonville), 6-3, Sr. Rodney McGruder, Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville), 6-6, Sr. Kuamaine Osborne, Florida Air Academy (Melbourne), 6-0, Jr. Deshaun Winfield (Franklin County), 6-4, Sr. Second team Jay Bowie, Tampa Prep, Jr., 6-5 Ben Eblen, Florida Air Academy (Melbourne), 6-0, Sr. Maurice Kemp, Dade Christian (Miami), 6-6, Sr. Wayne Martin, Providence Christian (Jacksonville), 6-6, So. Jean Prophete, Summitt Christian (West Palm Beach), 6-4, So. Third team Brice Jenkins, Summitt Christian (West Palm Beach), Jr., 6-3 Christian Ortiz, Archbishop Curley (Miami), 6-3, Sr. Carlos Morris (Franklin County), 6-6, Fr. Joel Vanderpol, Evangelical Christian School (Fort Myers), 6-10, Sr. Mitch Woods, Community School (Naples), 6-2, Jr. Fourth team Jamal Cherry, Tampa Prep, Jr., 6-4 Rod Days, Sagemont (Weston), 6-6, Jr. Mike Goetsch, Pensacola Christian Academy, 6-4, Jr. Levi Moore, St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine), 6-3, Sr. Eddie Odio, Miami Christian, 6-5, So. CLASS 1A First team Altavious Carter, Grandview Prep (Boca Raton), 6-6, Sr. Keith Clanton, Orlando Christian Prep, 6-8, Sr. Lyndon Davis, Westlake Prep (Davie), 6-7, Jr. Tyshawn Patterson, Orlando Christian Prep, 6-0, Sr. Scottie Wilbeken, Rock (Gainesville), 6-1, So. Second team Michael Frey, Bradenton Christian, 6-4, Jr. Patrick Konan, Rock (Gainesville), 6-5, Sr. Paidrick Matilus, Grandview Prep (Boca Raton), 6-2, Sr. Kyle Tazioli, Lake Mary Prep, 6-7, Sr. Josh Turner, Sonrise (Lakeland), 6-4, Jr. Third team Eric Bailey, Lighthouse Christian (DeLand), 5-10, Sr. Mark DuBois, Sarasota Christian, 6-6, Sr. Fred Lewis, Bayshore Christian (Tampa), 6-4, Jr. Josh Lindsey, Covenant Christian (Palm Bay), 6-4, Sr. Devin Paularinne, Seffner Christian, 6-3, Jr. Fourth team Josh Castellanos, Orlando Christian Prep, 6-1, Jr. David Joseph, Zion Lutheran (Deerfield Beach), 6-0, Sr. Anthony Smith, Meadowbrook (Ocala), 6-6, Sr. Zack Vickers, Paxton, 6-5, Sr. Alex Williams, FAMU (Tallahassee), 6-5, Sr. ALL-INDEPENDENT TEAM (From high school teams that did not participate in FHSAA district competition) James Bell, Montverde Academy, 6-5, Jr. Mike Gould, West Oaks Academy (Orlando), 6-0, Sr. Justin Jackson, Montverde Academy, 6-7, Jr. Kryrl Natashyzko, IMG Pendleton School (Bradenton), 6-10, Sr. Chris Perez, Oldsmar Christian, 6-4, Sr.

St. Thomas, Westminster named Academic Team Champions

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:20:29 -0500

St. Thomas Aquinas and Westminster Academy received honors from the FHSAA on Thursday for their accomplishments in the classroom. The Raiders softball team finished the year with a cumulative 3.53 GPA, higher than any other Class 5A team. Also bringing home an academic championship was the St. Thomas girls' lacrosse team which had a 3.56 GPA. Westminster Academy's softball team finished with a 3.59 GPA to take the academic team championship in Class 2A. For the full list of spring winners, click here.

Community rallying to save West Broward coaches

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:15:53 -0500

It seems hard to believe that a year ago, Valerie Miyares was hoping she'd be able to create a community atmosphere at first-year West Broward. Miyares was named the school's first athletic director and charged with the task of building the athletic program from scratch. One of her biggest challenges--along with hiring a coaching staff--was finding ways to convince parents that West Broward would be a good fit for students, most of whom had been at Cypress Bay and Everglades. Sure enough, the vision Miyares and her coaching staff had came together this year for West Broward. The school had impressive showings in several sports including softball, volleyball, and soccer. The school's tennis team finished as a runner-up at the state tournament. Plenty to build on for a new school, right? Well, now some of those big goals at West Broward could be taking a hit. Yesterday, 396 teachers were notified they'd been laid off by the school board. Most were in their first or second years with the Broward County School Board, putting them at risk during the lay-off process. That meant West Broward was hit harder than other Broward high schools. Tuesday, Miyares learned that she, football coach Rick Divita, track coach Monte Dilworth and assistant softball coach Shannon Johnson were all cut. The school board will vote on whether to make the cuts permanent at its meeting next week and the West Broward community is rallying to try and save its coaches and teachers. Already, a website has been formed and a facebook page has been created to put together a grass-roots effort to help keep the staff. Both sites encourage West Broward parents and students to contact school board members to voice their protest. Reached Wednesday by phone, Miyares said she was hopeful the community's input will help. Her biggest hope--and that of many at West Broward--is that the new school can stay on track. For more information, click here Save Our West Broward Staff Or visit the group's facebook page, West Broward Losing Valuable Teachers. Pretty impressive that the facebook page already has nearly 300 members...

Two Broward stars named first-team All-State flag football

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:10:55 -0500

Two of Broward County's top flag football players have earned All-State honors. Monarch's Lexi Muniz and Stranahan's Tequila Quinn were both named to the All-State first team defense put together by flagmag.com. Muniz, who played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back, was the Sun Sentinel Player of the Year after passing for 11 touchdowns, rushing for another 15 and catching four TDs. Also honored on the All-State team were Hollywood Hills wide receiver Adebola Adeoba (second team offense), Stranahan defensive back Ariel Read (second team defense), Douglas wide receiver Kelsey Wys (third team offense), Pompano Beach's Lala Fulmore (third team defense), Douglas quarterback Taylor Thomas (honorable mention), Stranahan's Nikki Corn and Monarch's Alison Jagemann (honorable mention).

Heritage's Vivo headed to Indiana State

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:06:36 -0500

American Heritage guard Illyssa Vivo, a second-team Sun Sentinel All-County selection, has verbally committed to Indiana State. Vivo, who averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, also considered offers from Western Kentucky and Sacred Heart. Vivo is expected to be one of Broward County's top guards this upcoming season. She was also a second-team All-County selection as a sophomore at Cypress Bay.

Former Notre Dame star joins Pine Crest basketball staff

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:51:13 -0500

Former Notre Dame star Ericka Haney has been named the new girls' basketball coach at Pine Crest. Haney joins the Panther staff after coaching stints at Florida Gulf Coast University, Louisiana Tech and Chicago State. She served as an assistant coach at all three programs. Haney played collegiately at Notre Dame and was a key member of the Irish's 2001 national championship team averaging 11 points and five rebounds during that season, her junior year. After graduation, she was a draft pick of the WNBA's Detroit Shock and played professionally in Sweden.

2009 MLB draft continues...Williams, Marrero picked up

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:19:09 -0500

As the MLB draft continues, more Broward County high school players are getting the calls they've been waiting for. Earlier today, Westminster Academy's Michael Taylor was picked up by the Nationals in the sixth round. Now, Archbishop McCarthy's Dane Williams and American Heritage's Deven Marrero can say they too, have been drafted. Williams, a pitcher, was selected in the 15th round by the Chicago White Sox with the 463rd overall pick. Two rounds later, Cincinnati picked up Marrero with the 509th pick. More updates to come as draft day continues... UPDATE: They're only going through 30 rounds today, but Broward did have one more player selected today. Pompano Beach's Matt Watson was selected in the 26th round by Houston with the 791st overall pick.

Westminster Academy's Taylor is Broward's first pick in MLB draft

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:01:38 -0500

This is why coaches everywhere will tell you the Major League Baseball draft is always full of surprises. Every year, countless hours are spent putting together expert projections and analysis. And it seems, every year, a surprise pick or two gets thrown in the mix. Several of the projections I saw earlier this week all seemed to have American Heritage shortstop Deven Marrero targeted to likely be the first Broward County high school player selected in this year's draft. Turns out that honor will go to Westminster Academy's Michael Taylor. Taylor was selected in the sixth round by the Washington Nationals with the 172nd overall pick. He was a first-team All-County selection for the Lions this year after hitting .446 with seven home runs and 29 RBI. Now Taylor, like all the high school players in this year's draft, faces a choice. Professional baseball or college--Taylor has signed with the University of North Florida.

St. Thomas' Sanon honored as Player of the Year

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:23:52 -0500

St. Thomas Aquinas tennis player Bianca Sanon was named the Florida Dairy Farmer's Class 3A tennis Player of the Year on Tuesday. Sanon, a junior, went 13-1 this season and won the individual Class 3A state championship at No. 1 singles. The award means Sanon is now a finalist for the state's overall player of the year award which will be announced later this summer. She's up against Port Orange Spruce Creek's Korey Love, the Class 4A Player of the Year; Miami Gulliver Prep's Sarah McLean, the Class 2A Player of the Year and Alexa Guaraci, the Class 1A Player of the Year from Santa Rosa Beach South Walton. All four classification winners won state championships. Also honored Tuesday by the Dairy Farmers was American Heritage girls' coach Tobias Croke, who led the Patriots to a team championship and was named the Class 2A Coach of the Year. St. Thomas' Ron Heron was named the boys' Class 3A Co-Coach of the Year along with Tampa Wharton's Marcie Scholl.

Who will be Broward's next Eric Hosmer?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:08:14 -0500

It seems hard to believe that a year ago, Eric Hosmer was sitting in his living room waiting to see what direction his life would take. Hosmer had just graduated from American Heritage. He'd helped lead the Patriots to a Class 3A state championship and a national title. Scouts loved his size, speed, and power, making Hosmer a sure bet to be a high selection in the Major League Baseball Draft. Turns out he was--the No. 3 overall pick. This week, I had the opportunity to catch up with Hosmer, who's as excited to be playing professional baseball as anyone could imagine. Now he, like so many of his friends, wait to see what this year's draft brings. One of Hosmer's closest friends is American Heritage shortstop Deven Marrero. Marrero, the Sun Sentinel Class 3A-2A-1A Player of the Year, figures to be the county's highest pick in this year's draft. Some projections have him being selected in the top 250. Other players who could hear their name called include Archbishop McCarthy's Dane Williams and Cardinal Gibbons' Eric Whaley. None though are expected to be first-round picks. The fact that it took years for a Broward High School player to become a first-round pick proves just how hard it is--and how special Hosmer's story is. But as coaches and players will tell you, the baseball draft, more than any other, is full of surprises. The next three days will likely have lots of Broward baseball stars on their toes.

Do the FHSAA game reductions violate Title IX?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:24:04 -0500

To say that parents and athletes across the state are upset about the cuts in varsity and junior varsity sports schedules is an understatement. No one wants to see sports cuts, but members of the Florida High School Athletic Association voted 9-6 to cut 20 percent of varsity schedules for all sports except football in an effort to save money AND keep Florida's 67 counties on the same playing field. The FHSAA argued that if it didn't step in and implement some sort of money-saving move statewide, districts across Florida would make their own individual cuts. For example, here in Broward County, there was talk about possibly eliminating four entire sports including boys' volleyball, water polo, golf and tennis. The April vote passed and sports schedules were cut. But since then, it's been a bone of contention across the state. Just this week, some members of the FHSAA Board of Directors put agenda items before the board hoping to either modify or rescind the schedule cuts. Despite discussions this morning, there was no decision reached and the items have been tabled until September. Now, though, the FHSAA could face a legal challenge to the measure passed in April. This week, a group named Florida Parents for Athletic Equity, sent letters to FHSAA executive director Roger Dearing and the rest of the Board asking for the game reductions to be rescinded. The group said that if they weren't, it was prepared to take legal action against the FHSAA. It bases its argument on the fact that varsity football was untouched when it came to schedule reductions. Neither was competitive cheerleading, but in its letter, the group says cheerleading does not meet factors to have it considered a sport for Title IX purposes. The threat of legal action has made an impact on individual members of the Board, including Section 4 representative Ernie Modugno. Modugno, who is an AD at Naples High and who represents Broward public schools as part of Section 4, voted against the game reductions in April. When we spoke earlier this week, he brought up the legal concerns as another reason the state should reconsider its position. What do you think? Is the state violating Title IX by not cutting football? Would preserving a girls' sports schedule (flag football for example?) erase any doubts? Curious to hear your thoughts...have at it.