Broward HS Sports

A sports-loving new mom's musings on football and concussions

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:58:34 GMT

Amidst the daily grind of covering the baseball and softball playoffs, I've spent a good chunk of the last month and a half exploring one of sports' hottest topics these days: concussions. More specifically, I've been researching and writing about youth concussions, a topic that should interest high school athletes, their parents, and their coaches.

For me to say the research I did on our concussion project was eye-opening is an understatement. Sure, I learned about the science of second-impact syndrome and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). But more than that, I spoke with parents and athletes that have dealt with concussions. And as a relatively new mom, I've got to admit the interviews I did with Diana Brett, whose son Daniel committed suicide after suffering multiple concussions, were some of the most difficult conversations I've had on my 10 years on this beat.

There is no doubt I love sports. You can't do this job if you don't. I grew up playing softball. I love football. Some of my favorite childhood memories were going to Dolphins and Hurricanes games as a little girl. I married a man who is as passionate about sports as I am, a man who lives 3,000 miles from his hometown but still follows and roots for his beloved San Francisco 49ers.

Sports are a huge part of my life personally and professionally. And when we found out we were having a son, my husband and I envisioned countless afternoons watching him play pee-wee football and t-ball. Heck, we even designed his nursery to have a sports theme.

But I'd be lying if I didn't say my work on this concussion project has given me pause. I still love football. But I wonder, as Dr. Robert Cantu suggests, if contact sports should be limited until young athletes turn 14. I wonder if allowing my son to play the sport I love will harm him later.

At this point, there are no clear-cut answers. We don't know how the concussions children and teens suffer will affect them later in life. It's a growing area of research and the mom in me hopes some of that research proves conclusive before my toddler looks up at me and asks to play sports. I know that's wishful thinking. Odds are, our family will have to make a decision about football or baseball or basketball or any sport before we know more about the long-term effects of concussions on young brains.

I can only hope that when that moment comes, my family can weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision for our child. And I can only hope that if my child were hurt that common sense would rule--that his coaches will notice something is wrong and take him off the field or that my son will speak up and tell the adults in his life when he's not feeling well.

The same way parents can't control the outcome of the games our children play, we can't control whether or not they get hurt in those games. But if we do our research and become educated about concussions and other injuries, we can find the proper treatment if injuries happen.

And I'm pretty sure that's what Diana Brett wanted me--and you--to take from her story.

Four former local softball stars vying for titles in Women's College World Series

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:06:20 GMT

It's been a good couple of weeks for the softball programs at American Heritage-Delray, Cooper City and Pembroke Pines Charter.

Earlier this month, all three teams earned state tournament berths and both Heritage-Delray and Pines Charter brought home championships.

This week, four former players from those schools will be taking the field in Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series.

Two of those players--former Pines Charter pitcher Lauren Sewell and former Heritage-Delray standout Keima Davis--play for Alabama, which will take on Tennessee on Thrusday when the tournament begins.

Two former Cooper City standouts--Laura Fountain and Stormi Grzybek--will also be in the Women's College World Series. They play for South Florida, which opens tournament play against Oklahoma on Thursday.

Click here to check out the complete bracket for the 2012 Women's College World Series.

Four former local softball stars vying for titles in Women's College World Series

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:06:20 GMT

It's been a good couple of weeks for the softball programs at American Heritage-Delray, Cooper City and Pembroke Pines Charter.

Earlier this month, all three teams earned state tournament berths and both Heritage-Delray and Pines Charter brought home championships.

This week, four former players from those schools will be taking the field in Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series.

Two former Cooper City standouts--Laura Fountain and Stormi Grzybek--will also be in the Women's College World Series. They play for South Florida, which opens tournament play against Oklahoma on Thursday.

Click here to check out the complete bracket for the 2012 Women's College World Series.

Scouts attend Deerfield Beach vs. McArthur football game

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:46:31 GMT

College football scouts from Tennessee, Wisconsin, Tennessee State and FAU were among the few that attended the spring football game between Deerfield Beach at McArthur on Friday.

It's early yet, but junior to be defensive back/runnig Damian Richardson of McArthur received an offer from Texas A&M this past week

Dillard and Nova girls basketball teams sending more players to college

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:13:18 GMT

Two of Broward County's top girls basketball programs are sending more players to college.

In recent days, both Dillard and Nova have announced a number of signings. The three-time defending state champion Panthers had three players sign recently including Shatorria Baker (Lynn), Amber Hanna (Miami Dade College) and Dominique Harris (Florida Memorial).

At Nova, Zachara Bailey has signed with Lynn and Jasmine Kelly is headed to Lincoln Memorial.

Cooper City sending 7 more football players to college

Thu, 17 May 2012 17:58:18 GMT

More Broward County football standouts will be playing at the college level next year.

On Thursday, Cooper City football coach Art Taylor announced that seven more Cowboys players are headed to college, including running back Camden Krohn, a first-team All-County selection who finished with 1,105 rushing yards, 20 catches for 469 yards and 738 yards on kick and punt returns, who is headed to Mount Union.

Three players--safety Chris Beaton, lineman/linebacker Chris Couvillon, and linebacker/fullback Justin Ingram--are all bound for Allegheny, while linebacker/offensive lineman Elizar Rousseau is headed to Norwich.

Defensive end/tight end Jordan Mornay is off to Weber State in Utah and Kevin Couvillon, a multi-sport standout at Cooper City, will be playing baseball at Florida Gulf Coast.

Sagemont's Koulechov commits to Arizona State

Wed, 16 May 2012 22:10:23 GMT

Sagemont 6-5 F/G Egor Koulechov, who helped lead the Lions to the Class 3A state semifinals as a junior made a verball committment to Arizona St. on Wednesday.

Koulechov has also considered Rutgers, Richmond, Providence and UAB.

Torres out as University boys basketball coach

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:36:29 GMT

Andre Torres, who spent fives seasons as the University School boys basketbal coach, has been relieved of his duties.

Suns athletic director Paul Herfurth confirmed Torres was no longer part of the basketball program, but would not comment on the reason for his departure.

Torres finished with a 104-38 record and a Class 4A regional semifinal berth this past season.

Six Broward and Palm Beach softball standouts named FACA All-Stars

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:14:23 GMT

Three of Broward County's top high school softball players will all be in Ocala this weekend for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Softball Games.

St. Thomas Aquinas' Christie Parsons, University's Ashley Rey and Pembroke Pines Charter's Cristina Sacramento were all named to the South All-Star roster. Two local coaches--St. Thomas' Bryan Baucom and Pines Charter's Tom Fadul--will coach the team.

Palm Beach County will also be represented as Palm Beach Gardens' Taylor Schwarz and Shelby Turnier were named to the East All-Star team. Also named to the East squad was Park Vista's Alexandra Ortiz.

The FACA is hosting four games for its all-stars, and all will be played at Forest High School. On Friday, the East and West All-Stars will play at 6:30 p.m., while the North and South All-Stars play at 8 p.m.

There will be a consolation game played Saturday at 10 a.m. and a championship game played at 11:30.

Two Broward baseball poised to be first-round MLB picks.

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:35:13 GMT

Baseball America's MLB Draft preview edition is out, and two Broward County baseball studs are poised to go in the first round.

Former American Heritage shortstop Deven Marrero (now at Arizona State) is projected to be drafted No. 8 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Jim Callis sees Archbisop McCarthy righthanded flamethrower Nick Travieso No. 20 to the San Francisco Giants.

Brandon Lopez, the current American Heritage shortstop, was labeled a late-round talent. Lewis Brinson of Coral Springs is considered by the periodical to be a sandwich-round (Nos. 32-60) pick.

Brandon Welch, a right-handed pitcher at Palm Beach State Junior College is considered a middle-round talent.

BaseballAmerica.com (Paywall)

FHSSA releases report on 6A state champion Armwood

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:05:11 GMT

The long-awaited report on Seffner-Armwood High School was released by the FHSAA on Monday, and it is far more extensive than expected.

The initial complaint stemmed from John Lightsey's eligibility to play for Armwood, but the FHSAA's report expanded to five players listed and at least one additional possible violation.

The FHSAA charged that parents of five Armwood football players falsified addresses to transfer to the school.

The school has 10 days to accept or challenge the charges levied by the FHSAA and detailed in a 50 page report (attached at the bottom of the story — it's a doozy of a read.)

If the charges are upheld, Armwood's 15-0 record would be expunged, along with their state championship. Miami Central was the state runner-up.

Download the document here

Rivals spotlights NFL pipelines at St. Thomas Aquinas, Blanche Ely and Pahokee

Sat, 12 May 2012 04:29:45 GMT

Earlier this week, the recruiting site Rivals put together a pretty impressive feature highlighting which high schools have produced the most NFL talent in recent years.

The high school currently sending the most players to the league? Two-time national champion St. Thomas Aquinas. According to Rivals, St. Thomas has had eight former players drafted over the course of the past five years. No other school has been able to match that number in the same time frame.

That said, several other South Florida schools were recognized for the amount of talent they've had drafted recently including Miami Northwestern, with five players over the last five seasons and Blanche Ely and Pahokee, which have each seen four alums drafted in that time frame.

To read the full Rivals story, follow this link: NFL Factories: Top schools for producing pros

VIDEO: Atlantic coach Steve Wilson on Eagles' first state berth since 1988

Sat, 12 May 2012 04:18:13 GMT

Friday night was a big one for the baseball team at Atlantic.

With a 4-2 win over Nova, the Eagles clinched their first state tournament berth since 1988. As if that wasn't sweet enough, the win came against the team ranked No. 3 in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 national ranking.

When the final out was made, players sprinted in from the outfield, threw their gloves in a wild celebration and exchanged hugs after the traditional dogpile near home plate.

Here, Atlantic coach Steve Wilson talks about how the team set its sights on Port St. Lucie despite its struggles in seasons past.

Arizona school forfeits baseball state title game

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:56:12 GMT

The reason — I hope — will shock you.

All second baseman Paige Sultzbach wanted to do was play in her school's state championship baseball game tonight.
But because she is a girl, that won't happen.

Sultzbach is a freshman at Mesa Preparatory Academy, which had been scheduled to play Our Lady of Sorrows Academy in tonight's Arizona Charter Athletic Association state championship at Phoenix College.

But Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix that lost twice to Mesa Prep during the regular season, chose to forfeit the championship game rather than play a team fielding a female player.

It's an asinine story that depresses me. Why? Because it's 2012 — how on earth is this an issue? Again, what is being taught to our kids?

The joke really is on Our Lady of Sorrows Academy (I feel bad lumping in the kids, who I hope were forced into this decision) because a girl just won the state title.

Oh, the indecency of that!

VIDEO: West Broward coach Sergio Ambros on team's historic win over Flanagan

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:21:42 GMT

In the moments after West Broward clinched its 4-3 regional semifinal win over Flanagan on Wednesday, there was a wild celebration for the Bobcats. Players mobbed each other, threw their gloves in the air and coaches and fans exchanged hugs and high-fives.

Some Flanagan fans in the stands seemed to think the celebration was excessive, but you have to cut the Bobcats a bit of a break. The win helped them make school history on two fronts. First it gave them their first regional championship berth and second, it gave West Broward's baseball team its first 20-win season.

Add to that the fact that Flanagan has eliminated West Broward in each of the past two seasons, and well, you have the makings for a big celebration.

Here, Bobcats coach Sergio Ambros talks about what the win means to the program and how pitcher Alex Zapata performed against Flangan's potent offense:

(Oh, and things were a little crazy, including for me on a real tight deadline, so pardon the fact my phone case seemed to want to make an appearance...)

Plagiarism in Tampa a sign of the shady business of high school football.

Thu, 10 May 2012 04:54:27 GMT

File this one in the oddities section.

You can also file your resume with BigCountyPreps.com if you're looking for a job. I imagine they'll be filling a soon-to-be vacated position in the near future.

It's not really news, but it is something that should be addressed. It shows that the business of recruiting is shady, no matter which way you look at it. In high school football, ethics, in more and more cases, can be forgotten.

The Tampa Bay area has two major newspapers. In recent years, the now Tampa Bay Times has slowly pushed out the Tampa Tribune.

But when it comes to high school football, a new media entity has arisen.

I can't speak to the quality of journalism BigCountyPreps does, because I haven't heard positive examples. What I have heard are horror stories of dealing with the new kid on the block.

This is hardly a newspapers versus website battle. Here in South Florida, we have SFHighSchoolSports.com and a few other media startups. In my opinion, many do great work and all are easy to work with. We're all in the same boat, if you ask me.

Competition never hurt anyone — as long as everyone plays by the rules.

So when Laura Keely of the Times tweets this, I have to wonder if the horror stories I have been told on the bay coast are true:

Ok, @BigCountyPreps1, you literally copying & pasting my post (bit.ly/ILZlKm) on your site (bit.ly/KRL9wp) is PLAGIARISM
— Laura Keeley (@LauraHomeTeam) May 10, 2012

Don't bother clicking the second link, the story was taken down.

Luckily for those who care about ethics, Laura was kind enough to send a screengrab:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Partly, this is me whining about bad journalism practices. In the 21st century, anyone can be a journalist — and that's good — but apparently not everyone acts like a journalist. Those who act like a journalist would never dream of taking credit for someone else's work. Why? Because they sure as heck don't want someone doing the same thing to them when they bust their tail to get a story.

It's a warning shot to me, and everyone who deals with breaking news to stay on your game. Keep grinding, because laziness never pays off.

The second, and possibly only solvent point, I am going to make is that in the business of recruiting (which is a twisted concept, but a reality) there needs to be some adherence to decency and rules.

Never, ever forget — these are still kids. They still need guidance. We make them stars, treat them like professional athletes, sure. That's the shortcoming of the media. But the kids are still impressionable. They still need adults to act like adults.

St. Thomas Aquinas football sending six more players to college

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:24:36 GMT

Back in February, St. Thomas Aquinas had a Broward County-high 18 football players sign on National Signing Day.

In the months since, six more Raiders have secured spots at college programs across the country. On Tuesday, St. Thomas announced the following verbal commitments. One of the biggest is tight end Nico Shepherd, who will be playing locally at FIU.

Here are the rest of the college-bound athletes:

DL Myles Carroll, Elmhurst College
LB Bryan Goodin, Marian University
DB Rodney Mosley, Union College
WR Tanner Muller, Stetson University
RB Joseph Rizzo, Stetson University

11 standouts from Broward, Palm Beach nominated for U.S. Army All-American Game

Mon, 07 May 2012 21:03:03 GMT

For years, the U.S. Army All-American Game has highlighted some of the nation's top high school football players. NFL standouts including Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez, and Adrian Peterson have all played in the game (so has recent overall No. 1 pick Andrew Luck).

The U.S. Army All-American Game has routinely pulled talent from South Florida for the game and odds are, the area will be represented again in 2013. Monday, the game announced nominees for this game and of the 56 Florida nominees, 11 hail from Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Here are the players in contention for this year's game, which is set to take place Jan. 5, 2013:

DT Maquedius Bain, University School
DL Joey Bosa, St. Thomas Aquinas
RB Greg Bryant, American Heritage Delray
WR Stacy Coley, Northeast
RB Alex Collins, South Plantation
WR Jordan Cunningham, University School
LB Jermaine Grace, Miramar
OL Sandley Jean-Felix, Boyd Anderson
DB Will Likely, Glades Central
DB Sojourn Shelton, Plantation
RB Kelvin Taylor, Glades Day

Selections for the game will be announced beginning in September.

Observations from state lacrosse

Fri, 04 May 2012 19:02:13 GMT

Hey all, I'm here in Port St. Lucie for the state lacrosse semifinals and finals and I have a few observations to pass on:

•This is the first lacrosse final (that's what I'm calling it, adapt now) that the FHSAA is running under the big umbrella of all the state's teams. It's obvious. It's going off without any major hitches, so there's nothing with which to bury the much maligned FHSAA, but it is funny trying to explain the sport to announcers and organizers.

•Rumor has it that the NCAA requires all lacrosse games to be played on astroturf. The rumor is wrong, so let's nip that before that rumor is further perpetuated.

•The Vero Beach girls lacrosse team is frighteningly good. Their fans are frighteningly involved. A parent — and if I had to place his accent, I'd say Mid-Atlantic — burst into the press box and emphatically informed me that the announcer in the room over was incorrectly announcing goals.

•As if anyone could get away from it, the talk of the stadium is Jake Champion, the St. Thomas Aquinas player that punched Jordan Todd of St. Andrew's. I have nothing to say regarding the unfortunate incident. St. Andrew's has moved on, and we all should as well.

I will say that the incessant calls for Champion to be criminally charged should be directed at law enforcement, not me. I am not a police officer. Read the comments attached to the massively proliferated story and ask if you really want to pile onto an 18-year-old who screwed up and has been punished harshly by his school, ruining what should have been a memorable final week of high school.

If you decide that justice needs to be served, the Boca Raton Police Department's phone number is 561.338.1234.

Don't tell them I sent you though.

VIDEO: Jose Mesa talks offense, pitching strengh after Flanagan's regional opener

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:24:53 GMT

According to Flanagan coach Ray Evans, ace pitcher Jose Mesa has shown an incredible knack for getting stronger as games go on.

Thursday night against Douglas, Mesa showed that strength yet again. After Douglas scored an unearned run in the third, Mesa bounced back. He allowed just two hits and struck out 12 in the complete-game effort.

Here, he talks about his performance and how the Flanagan offense did its part with each starter notching at least one hit in the 6-1 regional quarterfinal win over the Eagles.

VIDEO: Cooper City's Shannon Allen on Cowboys' marathon regional final softball game

Thu, 03 May 2012 05:32:59 GMT

It's been a grueling couple of days for the Cooper City softball team. Tuesday night the Cowboys made the trek to West Boca to play the Bulls in a Class 7A regional final.

After giving up three early runs, Cooper City came back to tie the game and force extra innings. That's when the rains came, postponing the game in the ninth inning and sending the Cowboys back to Cooper City late in the evening.

Wednesday, a good chunk of the team napped on its way back up to Boca Raton to finish the game. They found just enough energy to score a pair of runs in the 11th on the strength of a single by junior Shannon Allen. Those runs proved enough to lift Cooper City to a 5-3 win over the Bulls and give Cooper City a berth in the regional championship.

In this video clip, Allen talks about her game-winning hit, the adversity Cooper City has faced since the transfer of former ace Chase Reddington and how tiring the past two days have been for her and her teammates.

Punch in St. Thomas-St. Andrew's lacrosse game going viral

Wed, 02 May 2012 16:30:52 GMT

In the third quarter of St. Andrew's eventual 20-6 regional final win, Jake Champion — just ejected for throwing a punch — opted to throw another punch at Scot Jordan Todd.

ESPN 760 in West Palm Beach has the video, which is becoming viral, thanks in large part to Jake's last name.

Good job by the Scots and Raiders to not escalate a dumb decision into a mass of even dumber decisions.

The Scots play Friday in the state semifinals.

Cardinal Gibbons sending 11 more athletes to college

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:21:01 GMT

National Signing Day may have come and gone, but a number of South Florida's top high school athletes are still finalizing their college plans and signing letters-of-intent.

Wednesday, Cardinal Gibbons will honor 11 Chiefs who will be playing collegiately. Here's the list of their most recent signees:

Football
Chris Crawford, Stetson
Kevin McLaughlin, Delaware
Timmy Jadotte, Wesley

Basketball
Marcus Neely, UNC-Ashville
Hashim Moore, Hun School of Princeton

Girls lacrosse
Maylis Broderick, Stetson

Boys lacrosse
Josh St. Thomas, Regis
Alex Lambert, Regis

Soccer
Renato Rosas, Regis
Maurice Padula, Nova Southeastern

Volleyball
Nicole Cueli, Bates College

Park Vista, Fort Lauderdale among highest rated teams in flag football power ranking

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:35:57 GMT

Six flag football teams from Broward and Palm Beach counties are still in the running for spots in this weekend's state tournament. Weather-permitting, those teams will face off Tuesday in second-round play-in games for the chance to earn state tournament berths.

With that many teams still in contention for titles, it's no surprise South Florida is well represented in Joe Pinko's most recent power ratings.

Seminole Ridge, which will host Park Vista on Tuesday, is the area's highest-rated team at No. 2. Immediately behind the Hawks at No. 3 is Fort Lauderdale, which will travel to North Broward Prep for a play-in game.

Here's a complete look at the most recent Joe Pinko's Power Ratings:

THE FLORIDA FLAG FOOTBALL POWER 25
1. Dr. Phillips (15-0) 85.5
2. Seminole Ridge (14-1) 84.9
3. Fort Lauderdale (13-0) 83.1
4. Robinson (14-1) 80.1
5. Chamberlain (10-1) 79.6
6. Northeast-St. Pete (11-1) 79.2
7. Boca Ciega (12-1) 78.7
8. Mandarin (15-0) 77.1
9. Boynton Beach (11-1) 77.0
10. Palm Beach Gardens (10-3) 76.4
11. Boone (14-0) 76.2
12. North Broward Prep (14-1) 75.7
13. Harmony (11-0) 73.4
14. Plant City (11-1) 73.1
15. Douglas (11-2) 71.1
16. East Bay (12-3) 70.9
17. Apopka (11-4) 70.8
18. Jefferson (7-3) 70.7
19. Hollywood Hills (12-3) 70.5
20. Western (12-2) 70.0
21. Jupiter (8-4) 69.8
22. Alonso (12-3) 69.3
23. Archbishop McCarthy (10-3) 69.2
24. Baldwin (12-2) 68.7
25. FAMU DRS (10-3) 67.6

About the rankings: Joe Pinkos’ Power Ratings are calculated using a formula based on strength of opposition and margin of victory. To determine the forecasted margin of victory between any two teams, simply figure the difference in the respective power ratings.

Cooper City football team heading to South Carolina

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:36:35 GMT

The Cooper City football team, led by coach Art Taylor, has accepted a two-year deal to play at Lexington High (S.C.) beginning in the 2012 season.

Cooper City will play at Lexington on Sept. 21 and a undetermined date during the 2013 season.

Lexington is coming off back-to-back winning seasons, including a 11-1 record in 2011.