Celtics Hold Off Heat

     The Boston Celtics downed the Miami Heat 134-121 on Wednesday night at TD Garden. Both clubs will face each other again at the same venue on Friday night. 

     Boston(18-4) blasted out to a 14-2 lead just over two minutes into the contest. The Celtics were up 38-35 after one quarter and led 68-60 at halftime. Miami(10-12) could not get in front and were behind 102-96 at the end of three quarters. The Heat trailed by three points early in the fourth, but the C's pulled away. 

     Bam Adebayo and Max Strus both shared the team-high with 23 points each for the Heat. Tyler Herro fell short of a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds. Jayson Tatum powered through a double-double for the Celtics with a game-high 49 points along with 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown was able to contribute 26 points in the victory. 

Flames Blow By Panthers

     Maathew Tkachuk returned to Calgary for the first time since the summer trade as the Florida Panthers lost to the Calgary Flames 6-2 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday night. Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, who were the other players involved in the deal, also faced their former club. 

     Calgary(10-9-3) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 3:05 mark of the first period. Andew Mangiapane skated through the neutral zone and then angled a pass in the slot area and Dillon Dube backhanded the puck from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for a shorthanded goal and his fourth tally this year. 

     It became 2-0 for the Flames with the man advantage at 9:21. Nazem Kadri sent a pass from the right wing and Rasmus Andersson blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone that was saved. Huberdeau chipped the puck from the left of the crease off a skate in the blue paint for his fourth goal of the season. 

     The Flames extended it to 3-0 with 7:57 left in the first. Dube backhanded the puck from the left corner and Noah Hanifin released a one-time slap shot from the left point. Andersson got to the rebound snapped a shot from the low right circle for his third goal of the campaign. 

     Florida(10-9-4) broke the shutout at 9:54 of the second period and were down 3-1. Aaron Ekblad sent a cross-ice pass from the right point. Gustav Forsling made a snap shot from above the left circle and Nick Cousins redirected it from the top of the crease for his third goal of the year. It was the 200th career assist for Ekblad, who now has a five-game point streak. 

     Calgary made it a three-goal margin again with 4:31 remaining in the second. Weegar ripped a slap shot that went off the end wall. Brett Ritchie flipped a shot from an acute angle by the right goal line for his fifth tally of the season. 

     The Cats cut it to 4-2 with 3:06 to go in the period. Marc Staal stopped a Flames rush at the blue line and Lundell connected a cross-ice pass at the red line. Sam Reinhart skated into the offensive zone buried a wrist shot from the high slot by Dan Vladar.  

     In the third period, the Flames made it 5-2 with 4:38 left. Huberdeau placed a pass from the end wall and Tyler Toffoli followed with a one-time slap shot from the inner right circle for his eighth goal of the season. Mangiapane added an insurance goal with 1:06 remaining in the third for a four-goal margin. 

Oilers Spoil Panthers

     The Edmonton Oilers edged the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime at Rogers Place on Monday night. The Panthers began a five-game road trip against Western Conference opponents. 

     Florida(10-8-4) picked up a 1-0 lead at 3:49 of the first period. Sam Bennett passed the puck from the end wall and Nick Cousins took a wrist shot from the right point that hit off Darnell Nurse in the low slot. Matthew Tkachuk scored on his own rebound from the right of the crease past Stuart Skinner for his 10th goal of the season.

     In the second period, Edmonton(12-10-0) tied it up 1-1 on the power play with 9:25 left. Connor McDavid put in his 17th goal and his NHL-leading 37th point this season. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were credited with assists on the play. 

     The Oilers took their first lead of the contest 2-1 at the 5:18 mark of the third period. Brett Kulak fired a slap shot from the left point that was deflected by Hyman in the inner left circle. Tyson Barrie raced in and poked the puck in from the top of the crease by Spencer Knight for his third tally versus the Cats this season. 

     The Panthers evened it up 2-2 with 9:02 remaining. Eetu Luostarinen made a cross-ice pass from the left wing. Sam Reinhart angled a pass from the high slot and Anton Lundell tipped it in from the left of the crease for his fourth goal of the campaign. 

     The Cats added a power-play goal with 4:44 to go in the third when Brandon Montour blasted a slap shot from above the right circle to give Florida a 3-2 lead. Aaron Ekblad collected his 300th career point with the Panthers. 

     Edmonton would tie it 3-3 with five seconds left in the period. Hyman touched the puck in the low right circle and McDavid centered it. Evan Bouchard snapped a shot from the slot area for his third tally this year. 

     The Oilers ended the game 22 seconds into overtime. Nurse connected a long lead pass from his own goal line to the red line. Leon Draisaitl made a give-and-go passing sequence with McDavid in the Panthers zone to score the game-winning goal from the right of the crease for his 13rd goal of the season. 

Heat Cover Hawks

     The Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 106-98 at State Farm Arena on Sunday night. The Heat will continue their four-game road swing with two straight games in Boston against the Celtics. 

     Atlanta(11-9) broke out to a 31-23 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks still remained ahead by halftime 60-51. Miami(10-11) overtook from in the second half and led 85-81 after three quarters. The Heat made it a double-digit margin and never surrendered the lead during the fourth quarter. 

     Tyler Herro compiled a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Miami. Bam Adebayo had a game-high 32 points along with eight rebounds. Caleb Martin fell short of a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds. John Collins composed 23 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta. 

Dolphins Dispose Texans

     The Miami Dolphins dominated the Houston Texans 30-15 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins are now tied for first with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East Division. 

     Miami(9-3) put up 10 points in the first quarter and added 20 more points during the second quarter to lead 30-0 at halftime. Houston(1-9-1) reached the end zone and were down 30-6 at the end of the third quarter. 

2022 FHSAA Playoffs Regional Final Results

     The regional finals of the 2022 FHSAA Playoffs were played in the last couple of days. There were 17 South Florida high schools that entered the regional finals and eight teams advanced to the state semifinals. 

     The Florida High School Athletic Association has come up with a new way for the state semifinals. The four teams that won their regional final games will be reseeded instead of the longtime procedure of Region 3 winner versus Region 4 winner and Region 1 winner against Region 2 winner. The South Florida tri-county region will host six state semifinals next week. 

     Class 4M in Region 3 had #1 Palm Beach Central got by #3 Palm Beach Gardens 14-10 to reach the state semifinals for the first time in school history. #1 Columbus knocked off #3 Doral Academy 31-3 in Region 4. Based on the new seeding, #1 Columbus stays home against #4 Ocoee while #2 Palm Beach Central hosts #3 Apopka. 

     Region 3 in Class 3M saw #1 St. Thomas Aquinas handled #3 Blanche Ely 35-7 and reached the state semifinal for the ninth straight season. #1 Homestead withstood #2 Miramar 33-13 in the third round. #1 St. Thomas Aquinas will host #4 Jesuit and #3 Homestead visits #2 Jones. 

     In Region 3 of Class 2M, #1 American Heritage defeated district foe #2 Cardinal Gibbons 31-20. Region 4 had #1 Miami Central break down #3 Miami Norland 34-20. Newly seeded #2 American Heritage remains at home versus #3 Bolles while #1 Miami Central hosts #4 Lakewood. 

     Class 1M in Region 3 had #1 Chaminade-Madonna victorious over #2 Cardinal Newman 49-16. #3 True North Academy outscored #4 Palmer Trinity 58-37. #1 Chaminade-Madonna will host new seeded #4 True North Academy in the state semifinal round. The other game will be #3 Clearwater Central Catholic at #2 University Christian. 

     The last South Florida tri-county high school in Class 1R was eliminated. #2 Pahokee was knocked out of the postseason for the second straight year by the same opponent as they fell to #1 Hawthorne 21-20. 

Pittsburgh Smacks Hurricanes

     The University of Pittsburgh Panthers smashed the University of Miami Hurricanes 42-16 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. The Hurricanes finished off their 2022 regular season. 

     Pittsburgh(8-4, 5-3) compiled 14 points in the first quarter along with 14 points during the second quarter for a 28-0 lead at halftime. Miami(5-7, 3-5) fell more behind and trailed 35-3 at the end of three quarters. 

Blues Come Back On Panthers

     The St. Louis Blues overcame a three-goal deficit to surprise the Florida Panthers 5-4 in overtime on Saturday night at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers completed a stretch of playing seven of eight games at home over the last 18 days. The Cats will begin a five-game road trip on Monday. 

     Florida(10-8-3) rocketed out to a 3-0 lead in the first nine minutes of the first period on goals by Aaron Ekblad, Radko Gudas and Aaron Ekblad. Brandon Saad cut it for the Blues to 3-1 later in the frame. 

     Anton Lundell had the only tally during the second period for the Cats. He gave the Panthers a 4-1 lead on a shorthanded goal with 7:10 to go in the second. 

     In the third period, St. Louis(11-10-0) made their comeback. They got even-strength goals from Ryan O'Reilly, Jordan Kyrou and Vladimir Tarasenko. 

     The Blues won the game 1:08 into overtime. Torey Krug sent a long lead pass and Kyrou scored the game-winner from close range by Spencer Knight. 

South Florida High Schools In State Semifinals

     There were eight South Florida high schools from the tri-county area that moved on to the FHSAA football state semifinals. 17 high schools from the local region were involved in the regional finals. 

     Palm Beach Central was the only Palm Beach County high school that went to the next round. Palm Beach Gardens, Cardinal Newman and Pahokee were all eliminated from the postseason. 

     Broward County fell from six high schools to three. St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage and Chaminade-Madonna were victorious while Cardinal Gibbons, Blanche Ely and Miramar lost. 

     Dade County dropped from seven to four high schools. Miami Central, Columbus, Homestead and True North Academy advanced. Miami Norland, Doral Academy and Palmer Trinity were defeated.     

Heat Sweep Wizards

     The Miami Heat pulled off a two-game sweep of the Washington Wizards with a 110-107 victory on Friday night at FTX Arena. The Heat were victorious two days earlier in the same venue versus the Wizards. 

     Washington(10-9) ripped out to a 38-28 lead in the first quarter and remained in front 59-56 at halftime. Both teams were tied 85-85 at the end of the third quarter. Miami(9-11) went on a 19-11 run during the final seven minutes of the contest. 

     Bam Adebayo had game-highs with 38 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat. Tyler Herro also had a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists. Caleb Martin added 20 points and Kyle Lowry contributed 13 points. Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma both scored 28 points each for the Wizards. 

American Heritage Outscores Cardinal Gibbons

     The American Heritage Patriots outpaced the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs 31-20 at Heritage Field in Plantation in a FHSAA Class 2M regional final on Friday night. The Patriots have defeated the Chiefs in 16 of their last 18 meetings. The Pats will face the Bolles Bulldogs in a state semifinal next week. 

     Cardinal Gibbons(11-2) raced out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. American Heritage(12-1) responded with two touchdowns during the second quarter and led 14-10 at halftime. The Chiefs trailed 17-13 after three quarters. The Patriots reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter and expanded their lead to 31-13.

St. Thomas Aquinas Takes Blanche Ely

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders downed the Blanche Ely Tigers 35-7 on Friday night at Brian Piccolo Stadium in a FHSAA Class 3M regional final. Both Broward County high schools were undefeated heading into this contest. 

     The Raiders are now 10-0 against the Tigers in their last 10 meetings since 2004. STA is expected to host a state semifinal contest next week. 

     Blanche Ely(10-1) made it 7-0 following a fumble recovery midway in the first quarter. The Raiders would tie it up 7-7 before the end of the first. St. Thomas Aquinas(12-0), who reached the state semifinal round for the ninth consecutive year, scored two touchdowns during the second quarter and two touchdowns in the third quarter to lead 35-7.  

Palm Beach Central Gets By Palm Beach Gardens

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos edged the Palm Beach Gardens Gators 14-10 at Broncos Stadium in a FHSAA Class 4M regional final game. The Broncos, who reached the state semifinals for the first time in school history, will host the Apopka Blue Darters next week. 

     Palm Beach Central(12-1) was able to get out to a 10-7 lead by halftime. Palm Beach Gardens(9-4) moved ahead with a touchdown during the third quarter to lead 14-10.

Cardinal Gibbons At American Heritage Preview

     The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs challenge the American Heritage Patriots at Heritage Field in Plantation on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 2M regional final clash. American Heritage has won 15 of their 17 meetings against Cardinal Gibbons, with the exception of two games during 2018. 

     Both Broward County high schools have been longtime district rivals during the 2010s and were placed in the same district in 2022. The Patriots won the regular season meeting 21-2 over the Chiefs at Dr. Bud Tight Field in Fort Lauderdale back on October 1. 

     American Heritage(11-1) have won seven consecutive games and outscored their opponents 503-147 this year. The Patriots will depend on running back Mark Fletcher, quarterback Blake Murphy and wide receiver Brandon Inniss for their offense. 

     Cardinal Gibbons(11-1), who have won six straight contests, have outscored their opponents 427-149 this season. The Chiefs look toward quarterback Dylan Rizk and running back Kamari Moulton to drive their offense down the field. 

Heat Breeze By Wizards

     The Miami Heat went by the Washington Wizards 113-105 at FTX Arena on Wednesday night. Both clubs will face each other again in the same venue on Friday. 

     Washington(10-8) had a 13-4 spurt to start the first quarter, but Miami(8-11) was ahead 28-26 at the end of the frame. The Heat went on a 24-11 run to begin the second quarter and held a 60-43 halftime lead. Miami was still up 83-80 at the end of three quarters and they had a 21-12 spurt in the final eight minutes of the fourth. 

     Kyle Lowry had a team-high 28 points for the Heat while Caleb Martin fell short of a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds. Bam Adebayo did compile a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with a game-high 33 points. 

Panthers Bounce Bruins

     The Florida Panthers returned home and defeated the Boston Bruins 5-2 at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday night. Florida wore their retro reverse jerseys at home for the second time during the 2022-23 season. 

     The Bruins, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped, entered the contest with the best record in the National Hockey League. They hope to win their 12th straight home game to begin an NHL season on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes and break the all-time record set by the Panthers last season. 

     The Panthers will play at home on Saturday versus the St. Louis Blues. The Cats then begin a five-game road trip to western Canada and Seattle. 

     Florida(10-8-2) pulled out to a 1-0 lead on the power play at the 1:49 mark. Aleksander Barkov pushed the puck ahead from the high slot area. Matthew Tkachuk took a shot from the crease and Jeremy Swayman saved it. Sam Reinhart came charging in a poked it in from the blue paint for his sixth goal of the year. 

     Boston(17-3-0) tied it up 1-1 on a 5-on-3 power-play goal with 2:46 remaining. David Krejci touched the puck in the right corner and Jake DeBrusk put it toward the middle of the ice. Charlie McAvoy delivered a slap shot from the high slot past Spencer Knight for his second goal of the campaign. 

     In the second period, the Panthers regained the lead 2-1 at 4:41. Sam Reinhart stole the puck from Jacub Zboril on the end wall. Nick Cousins sent a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Anton Lundell snapped a shot from the slot area for his second goal this year. 

     The Cats made it a two-goal margin 3-1 on the power play with 4:29 to go in the second. Brandon Montour released a wrist shot from the top of the zone and Barkov redirected it from the low slot for his fifth goal this season. Aaron Ekblad was credited with the secondary assist on the play. 

     It became 4-1 for Florida with 13.7 seconds left as they scored for the third time with the man advantage. Ekblad pushed the puck from the left point to Barkov on the left wing. His snap shot with deflected in by Tkachuk from the left side of the crease for ninth goal of the season. 

     The Bruins converted on a 5-on-3 power play at the 6:20 mark and they trailed 4-2. Brad Marchand fed the puck from the right circle and David Pastrnak fired a one-time slap shot from the high shot for his 13th goal this season. 

     The B's pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with under three minutes to go. Ekblad shot the puck into an empty net from his own blue line with 2:10 remaining in the third for his 100th NHL goal

Pirates Claim Lewin Diaz

     The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed first baseman Lewin Diaz off waivers from the Miami Marlins. Diaz was designated for assignment a week ago. 

     Diaz played 112 games with the Marlins for the last three seasons. He had a .169 batting average with five home runs and 11 runs batted in last season during 58 contests with Miami. 

Marlins Drop J.P. Arencibia

     The Miami Marlins has not renewed the contract of broadcaster J.P. Arencibia. He was a television game analyst and sometimes studio analyst for more than one-third of their games on Bally Sports Florida during the 2022 regular season. Arencibia, a Westminster Christian High School grad, also did several contests as a radio game analyst. 

     He became the second person from their on-air broadcasting staff that will not return in 2023. Lead radio play-by-play announcer Glenn Geffner was not brought back last week for next season. Arencibia played six seasons in Major League Baseball, however none of them were with the Miami Marlins. 

Timberwolves Slow Down Heat

     The Minnesota Timberwolves escaped with a 105-101 win over the Miami Heat at Target Center on Monday night. The Heat finished off a four-game road trip and host the Washington Wizards twice on Wednesday and Friday. 

     Miami(7-11) had a 33-30 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 60-47 by halftime. Minnesota(9-8) outscored the Heat 37-19 in the third quarter and led 84-79. 

Manny Munoz Gets WIOD Show

     Manny Munoz has been named the new late morning co-host and late morning producer on News Radio 610 WIOD-AM and replaces Brian Mudd. He will begin his new program on January 9. 

     Munoz was a news editor at WIOD-AM from 1995 until 1999. He became the program director at 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM in September 1999 and remained there until their format change at the end of December 2000. 

     He returned to WIOD as a news editor from 2003 to 2008. Munoz added numerous roles in the next 14 years at that radio station. They included News Extra talk host, morning show executive producer, assistant news director, morning show on-air sidekick and morning sports anchor. Munoz also announced sports updates as a sports anchor on Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM. 

     Mudd has worked as a late morning host on WIOD since early 2018. He will continue as the morning show co-host and program director at 1290 WJNO-AM in West Palm Beach. Mudd will also remain as the program director at Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler WBZT-AM in the same market. 

South Florida High Schools In Regional Finals

     There were 17 South Florida tri-county high schools that advanced to the regional finals of the FHSAA Football Playoffs. 33 local teams were involved in the regional semifinals. 

     Palm Beach County high schools fell from seven to four. Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Gardens, Cardinal Newman and Pahokee won while Atlantic, Boynton Beach and Benjamin lost. 

     Broward County dropped from 12 high schools to six. American Heritage, Cardinal Gibbons, St. Thomas Aquinas, Blanche Ely, Chaminade-Madonna and Miramar were victorious. Dillard, Monarch, Western, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Calvary Christian Academy and Avant Garde Academy were defeated. 

     Dade County high schools moved down from 14 to seven teams. Miami Central, Miami Norland, Columbus, Homestead, Doral Academy, Palmer Trinity and True North Academy advanced. Miami Northwestern, Booker T. Washington, Miami Palmetto, Dr. Krop, Southridge, Archbishop Carroll and Westminster Christian fell. 

Cavaliers Rout Heat

     The Cleveland Cavaliers slammed the Miam Heat 113-87 on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The Heat continued their four-game road swing.

     Cleveland(10-6) broke out to a 28-27 lead after one quarter. The Cavs went on a 21-2 run at the start of the second quarter and were way ahead 59-42 by halftime. Miami(7-10) fell more behind at the end of the third quarter 95-64. 

     Bam Adebayo scored a team-high 22 points and six rebounds while Caleb Martin added 17 points for the Heat. The Cavaliers were led by Darius Garland with a game-high 25 points and seven assists. 

Blue Jackets Sting Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 at Nationwide Arena on Sunday night. It was the Panthers only road contest in an eight-game stretch. 

     Florida(9-8-2) roared out to a 1-0 advantage at the 7:52 mark of the first period. Gustav Forsling blasted a one-time slap shot from the left point and Matthew Tkachuk redirected it from the top of the crease past Daniil Tarasov for his eighth goal of the season. It was the first time that the Cats had led in the last three games. 

     Columbus(7-10-1) tied it up 1-1 on their third shot of the game with 8:39 remaining in the first. Yegor Chinakhov intercepted a cross-ice pass at the Blue Jackets blue line and went on a breakaway. He skated through the middle of the ice and snapped a shot from the slot area by Sergei Bobrovsky for his third tally of the year.  

     In the second period, the Blue Jackets made it 2-1 at 2:53 on the power play. Kent Johnson sent a wrist shot from the right circle and it was deflected in by Boone Jenner at the right of the crease for his eighth goal this season. Johnny Gaudreau was credited with the second assist on the play. 

     The Panthers evened it 2-2 with 3:22 remaining in the second. Forsling followed his own shot from close range, carried it from behind the cage to the top of the zone and angled a pass to the left wing. Aaron Ekblad moved in with it into the crease area and scored on a forehand shot for his second goal this year. 

     The Blue Jackets added a shorthanded goal at the 1:57 mark of the third period to go up 3-2. Sean Kuraly found the net for the sixth time during the 2022-23 campaign. 

     Columbus expanded their lead to 4-2 at 7:55 of the frame. Gustav Nyquist carried the puck to the left wing and centered it. Gaudreau released a snap shot from the inner left circle for his seventh goal this season. 

     It became a three-goal margin again for the Blue Jackets with 1:49 to go. Gaudreau placed a wrist shot from the above the right circle and Jenner tapped it in from the blue paint with the man advantage for his second goal of the contest. 

     The Cats cut it to 5-3 with 51.1 seconds left in the third. Josh Mahura passed to Nick Cousins near the top left circle. His shot was saved but Colin White backhanded in the rebound from the top of the crease. 

2022 FHSAA Playoffs Second Round Results

     The 2022 Football Playoffs continued this past weekend in the South Florida tri-county area. All classifications were involved in second-round games with 33 South Florida high schools involved. 

     Class 4M in Region 3 had #1 Palm Beach Central down #5 Marjory Stoneman Douglas 55-23. #3 Palm Beach Gardens breezed by #2 Monarch 35-28. There will be a rematch between two Palm Beach County high schools. #1 Columbus picked up their second straight shutout in the postseason as they blanked #4 Palmetto 28-0 in Region 4. #3 Doral Academy upset #2 Western 31-22 and will now travel to Columbus for the regional final. 

     St. Thomas Aquinas continued to dominate Class 3M Region 3 with a 63-14 victory over #4 Atlantic. They will host #3 Blanche Ely, who defeated #2 Dillard 19-14 for the Soul Bowl rematch in the other regional semifinal.  In Region 4, #1 Homestead knocked off #5 Dr. Krop 35-12 and #2 Miramar edged #3 Southridge 29-24. Both high schools will go us against each other in the third round. 

     In Class 2M Region 3, #1 American Heritage easily handled #4 Boynton Beach 49-0 while #2 Cardinal Gibbons survived #3 Calvary Christian Academy 43-27. The Patriots and the Chiefs, both district rivals, will face each other in a rematch going into the regional final. #1 Miami Central remained undefeated in Region 4 as they got by local rival #4 Miami Northwestern 34-30. They will host #3 Miami Norland because they surprised #2 Booker T. Washington 14-7.  

     #1 Chaminade-Madonna began their attempt to reach the championship game for the sixth straight time as they bashed #4 Avant Garde Academy 48-0 in Region 3 of Class 1M. They will host a reginal final against #2 Cardinal Newman, who got by #3 Benjamin 14-6. Region 4 had two upsets with #4 Palmer Trinity beating #1 Archbishop Carroll 27-24 and #3 True North Academy topping #2 Westminster Christian 40-21. 

     #2 Pahokee is the only South Florida high school in the region playing in Class 1R. They advanced to the regional final with a 50-28 win over #3 Chiefland and visit #1 Hawthorne next week.  

Flames Burn Panthers

     Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar made their return to South Florida as the Calgary Flames beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in a shootout at FLA Live Arena on Saturday. Matthew Tkachuk, who the Panthers acquired from the Flames in the trade over the summer, was also facing his former team. The Panthers were wearing their new retro reverse light blue jerseys for the first time. 

     Calgary(8-7-2) got out to a 1-0 lead on the power play with 4:47 left in the first period. Nikita Zadorov poked the puck back from the right circle to Noah Hanifin on the right point. He angled a pass to the left and Adam Ruzicka powered a slap shot by Spencer Knight for his third goal of the year.  

     The Flames broke out quickly to start to the second period and made it 2-0 just 50 seconds in. Elias Lindholm passed the puck to Ruzicka on the right wing. He connected a cross-ice pass and Zadorov snapped a shot from the left circle for his fourth tally of the campaign. 

     Florida(9-7-2) chopped it down to 2-1 at the 3:30 mark. Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom misplayed the puck behind his own the cage. Colin White recovered it and put in a wraparound shot for his fourth goal of the season. 

     The Panthers evened it up 2-2 with 9:05 left in the second on the power play. Aleksander Barkov pushed the puck from the right circle to Tkachuk on the right goal line. He centered it and Sam Reinhart one-timed a forehand shot from the low slot for his fifth goal this season. 

     It became 3-2 for Calgary with 7:02 to go in the period. Lindholm won a faceoff in the left circle and Ruzicka ripped a snap shot from the crease area for his second tally of the contest and fifth goal of the season. 

     In the third period, Florida tied it up again 3-3 at the 1:12 mark. Gustav Forsling faked and then took a soft shot from the top left circle. It was stopped by former Flames player Sam Bennett at the top of the crease. Eetu Luostarinen then swept the puck in for his sixth goal of the year. 

     The Flames reclaimed the lead 4-3 at 6:56 of the third. Mikael Backlund picked up a giveaway on the right wing and centered it. Blake Coleman placed a wrist shot from the slot area for his second goal this season. 

     Tkachuk was able to burn his former team with 6:14 remaining in the third. Bennett blasted a slap shot from the right point and Tkachuk deflected it in from the top of the crease for his seventh goal with his new club. Brandon Montour received a secondary assist on the play. 

     Anton Lundell put in a backhand goal on the Panthers first atttempt of the shootout. Huberdeau scored on a snap shot on the Flames second attempt. It was decided in the fifth round by Calgary when Rasmus Andersson waited, moved to the right and eventually flipped a shot in over Knight. 

Clemson Climb By Hurricanes

     The Clemson Tigers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 40-10 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers had previously clinched the Atlantic Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

     Miami(5-6, 3-4) ended up with less than 100 yards while on offense for the first time since 1965. Clemson(10-1, 8-0) will face North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game in two weeks. 

American Heritage Downs Boynton Beach

     The American Heritage Patriots eliminated the Boynton Beach Tigers 49-0 at Heritage Field in Plantation on Saturday in a FHSAA Class 2M regional semifinal contest. The Patriots will have a rematch and challenge their district foes the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs in the next round. 

     American Heritage(11-1) scored on their first two possessions of the game to led 14-0 after one quarter. Boynton Beach(9-3), who had their most successful season in school history, surrendered two more touchdowns during the second quarter and trailed 28-0 at halftime. Patriots running back Mark Fletcher had touchdown runs of 55 yards and 17 yards in the first half.  

Wizards Sneak By Heat

     The Washington Wizards slipped by the Miami Heat 107-106 in overtime on Friday night at Capital One Arena. The Wizards outscored the Heat by only 3-2 in the overtime session. 

     Washington(9-7) had a slight 33-31 advantage after one quarter. Miami(7-9) responded and were up 69-57 at halftime. The Heat held an 88-81 lead at the end of three quarters before both clubs were tied 104-104 at the end of the fourth. 

     Kyle Lowry led Miami with a triple-double of 24 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Max Strus contributed 22 points while Nikola Jovic scored 18 points. Bradley Beal had a game-high 27 points for Washington. 

Miami Central Takes Miami Northwestern

     The Miami Central Rockets got by the Miami Northwestern Bulls 34-30 in a Class 2M regional semifinal game at Traz Powell Stadium on Friday night. The Rockets will take on the Miami Norland Vikings next week in a regional final matchup. 

     Miami Northwestern(6-5) raced out to a 21-7 during the first quarter of play. Miami Central(11-0) answered back with 14 points in the second quarter and tied it 21-21 by halftime. Both teams exchanged the lead twice and the Bulls were up 30-28 at the end of three quarters. The Rockets scored a three-yard touchdown with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and led 34-30. 

Cardinal Gibbons Survives Calvary Christian Academy

     The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs held off the Calvary Christian Eagles 43-27 at Dr. Bud Tight Field in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 2M regional semifinal clash. The Chiefs will challenge either the American Heritage Patriots or the Boynton Beach Tigers in the next round. 

     Calvary Christian Academy(9-3) scored first and had a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Cardinal Gibbons(11-1) finally moved ahead during the second half with 16 points and led 26-14 at halftime. Both teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter and the Chiefs added another 10 points in the fourth.  

Palm Beach Central Tops Marjory Stoneman Douglas

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos stopped the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles 55-23 in a FHSAA Class 4M regional semifinal game on Friday night at Broncos Stadium. The Broncos will remain home and face either the Monarch Knights or the Palm Beach Gardens Gators in a regional final next week.

     Marjory Stoneman Douglas(8-4), who upset the Santaluces Chiefs last week, had a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Palm Beach Central(11-1) leaped over them and led 20-17 at halftime. The Broncos found the end zone three times in the third quarter and were up 41-20 heading into the fourth. 

Chaminade-Madonna Smashes Avant Garde

     The Chaminade-Madonna Lions pounded the Avant Garde Sharks 48-0 on Friday night at Vince Zappone Field in Hollywood. It was a FHSAA Class 1M regional quarterfinal contest between both Broward County high schools. 

     Chaminade-Madonna(10-0) piled up the points and were up 35-0 by halftime. Avant Garde(6-4) was unable to gain any ground during the second half as the Lions added 13 more points in the third quarter. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Smokes Atlantic

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders stomped the Atlantic Eagles 63-14 at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 3M regional semifinal game. The Raiders, who have not lost a home playoff game since 2003, will host either the Dillard Panthers or the Blanche Ely Tigers in the regional final. 

     St. Thomas Aquinas(11-0) rocketed out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. STA continued to roll with 2 unanswered points during the second quarter. Atlantic(8-4) broke the shutout with less than one minute left in the first half. The Raiders returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and led 49-6 at halftime. 

Miami Marlins Make Moves

     The Miami Marlins have made several moves in the past couple of days. The team first named former player Jeff Conine as a special assistant. It will be his second stint in team operations. 

     The Marlins then traded away pitcher Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham to the New York Mets for pitcher Franklin Sanchez. Miami also non-tendered contracts to outfielder Brian Anderson along with pitcher Nick Neidert and they now become free agents. 

Stars Speed By Panthers

     The Dallas Stars held off the Florida Panthers 6-4 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers did celebrate Roberto Luongo Night after him being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this week. 

     Dallas(10-5-2) took a 1-0 lead on their first shot on goal just 4:58 into the contest. Esa Lindell made a lead pass from his own zone which led to a 2-on-1 breakaway. Tyler Seguin angled a pass from the top right circle and Roope Hintz roofed a wrist shot from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky. 

     The Stars would add two more goals in a 37-second span. Radek Faksa cycled the puck from the right corner to the right point. Nils Lundkvist carried it around all the way to below the left circle and lifted a forehand shot for a 2-0 lead with 4:44 remaining in the first. It was Lundkvist's first tally of the season and second goal of his NHL career. 

     It became 3-0 for Dallas with 4:07 left in the period. Ty Dellandrea chipped the puck ahead from the blue line. Jamie Benn skated through the slot area and slid a backhand shot from the crease for his seventh goal this year. 

     Florida(9-7-1) surrendered another goal with 8.3 seconds to go and trailed 4-0. Former Panthers player Mason Marchment came in on a 2-on-1 breakaway on the left side. He sent a diagonal pass and Seguin snapped a shot from the low slot for his fourth tally of the campaign. 

     In the second period, the Panthers broke the shutout on the power play at 7:28. Sam Bennett backhanded the puck from the top right circle to Gustav Forsling at the top of the zone. He connected a pass to the left circle and Carter Verhaeghe riffled a snap shot by Scott Wedgewood for his 11th goal of the season. 

     Both teams exchanged goals around the midway point of the second period. Jason Robertson intercepted a pass at the left point and pushed the puck ahead. Hintz went in alone on net and shoved a wrist shot by Spencer Knight for his second goal of the game and eighth goal this season at the 9:04 mark for a four-goal margin. 

     The Cats cut it to 5-2 with 7:48 left in the period. Matthew Tkachuk left the puck for Bennett at the red line. He skated down the right side and angled a pass from the top right circle. Eetu Luostarinen was able to one-time a forehand shot from the inner left circle for his fifth goal of the campaign. 

     The Panthers closed it to 5-3 with a power-play goal with 1:33 to go. Brandon Montour sent a cross-ice pass from the right point. Aaron Ekblad fired a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone and it was deflected in by Sam Reinhart at the top of the crease past Jake Oettinger for his fourth goal this year. 

     Florida made it 5-4 with 6:03 remaining in the third period. Verhaeghe fed a lead pass from the right point. Bennett centered the puck from the right wing and Tkachuk backhanded the puck in from the blue paint for his team-leading 22nd point of the regular season. 

     The Cats pulled their goalie with over two minutes to go. Dellandrea put the puck into an empty net for Dallas from the Panthers blue line with 17.9 seconds left. 

2022 FHSAA Playoffs First Round Results

     The FHSAA Playoffs in football began this past weekend in South Florida. 33 high schools from Palm Beach County, Broward County and Dade County will be involved in the next round. 

     Several high schools from the tri-county area were off for the first playoff week of action. They included #1 Chaminade-Madonna, #2 Cardinal Newman, #3 Benjamin and #4 Avant Garde from Class 1M had the week off. They will play in the regional semifinals against each other in a couple of days. #2 Pahokee in Class 1R had a first-round bye and will host #3 Chiefland this week. 

     In Region 4 of the Class 4M regional quarterfinals, #1 Palm Beach Central walloped #8 Jupiter 46-7 and will face #5 Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who outscored #4 Santaluces 48-44. #2 Monarch downed #7 Boca Raton 56-21 while #3 Palm Beach Gardens defeated #6 Wellington 30-13. Palm Beach Gardens will now go to Broward County and face Monarch. 

     Region 4 did not see any close games in the first round. #1 Columbus blasted #8 Miami 64-0, #2 Western took #7 Cypress Bay 38-17, #3 Doral Academy beat #6 Somerset Academy 50-25 and #4 Miami Palmetto knocked off #5 West Broward 37-13. Miami Palmetto will visit Columbus and Doral Academy heads for Western. 

     Class 3M saw all the home teams prevail in Region 3. #1 St. Thomas Aquinas hammered #8 Coconut Creek 59-14, #2 Dillard dropped #7 Fort Lauderdale 45-20, #3 Blanche Ely blanked #7 Dwyer 28-0 and #4 Atlantic defeated #5 Plantation 32-14. Blanche Ely will have a Soul Bowl rematch at Dillard. St. Thomas Aquinas remains at home to take on Atlantic. 

     The top two seeds in Region 4 were involved in routs as #1 Homestead pounded #8 North Miami 40-0 while #2 Miramar hammered #7 Pembroke Pines Charter 48-0. #4 Belen Jesuit was upset by #5 Dr. Krop 23-17 and #3 Southridge got by #6 South Broward 20-14. Dr. Krop visits Homestead and Southridge goes to Miramar for the next round. 

     The Class 2M regional quarterfinals had all the home teams victorious. In Region 3, #1 American Heritage took care of #8 Inlet Grove 43-7, #2 Cardinal Gibbons shut out #7 Pine Crest 45-0, #3 Calvary Christian Academy handled #6 St. Andrew's 49-34 and #4 Boynton Beach edged #5 The King's Academy 29-26. American Heritage hosts Boynton Beach while Cardinal Gibbons hosts Calvary Christian Academy in the second round.  

     In Region 4, #1 Miami Central dominated #8 St. Brendan 60-0, #2 Booker T. Washington held off #7 Carol City 27-13, #3 Miami Norland won over #6 Miami Jackson 37-6 and #4 Miami Northwestern slammed #5 Gulliver Prep 39-0. Traz Powell Stadium will host two regional semifinals as Miami Central challenges Miami Northwestern and Booker T. Washington clashes with Miami Norland. 

Keith Yandle On TNT

     Former Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle was a guest studio analyst at NHL on TNT Face Off Wednesday night. He recently began his broadcasting career as a Monday Night Hockey studio analyst on Sportsnet in October. 

     Yandle played for the Florida Panthers from 2016-17 until 2020-21. He chalked up 231 points and 371 games with Florida. Yandle did hold the NHL ironman streak on 989 consecutive games until it was passed by Phil Kessel. 

Glenn Geffner Gone From Marlins

     Glenn Geffner will no longer be in the Miami Marlins radio broadcast booth. His contract will not be renewed for the 2023 Major League Baseball season. 

     He has been a radio play-by-play announcer for the club for the last 15 seasons. He became the primary radio voice of the team in 2022 after longtime radio play-by-play announcer Dave Van Horne decided not to continue on Marlins radio broadcasts following the 2021 season. 

     Geffner, a Miami Palmetto High School grad, was the public relations director and fill-in play-by-play announcer while with the San Diego Padres from 1997 until 2002. He joined the Boston Red Sox and was their secondary radio play-by-play announcer alongside Joe Castiglione from 2003 to 2007. 

     He became a part of Florida Marlins radio broadcasts as a play-by-play announcer along with pregame and postgame hosting duties in 2008. He kept the same role when the team changed venues and their name to the Miami Marlins in 2012.

Raptors Chase Down Heat

     The Miami Heat began a four-game road trip and lost to the Toronto Raptors 112-104 at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night. The Heat had their three-game winning streak snapped. 

     Miami(7-8) had a 31-27 lead at the end of the first quarter and were able to stay ahead 60-54 at halftime. Toronto(9-7) scored 21 consecutive points to make it 80-72 and they led 84-79 after three quarters. The Raptors expanded it to a 10-point margin 96-86 with 7:28 left in the fourth. 

     Max Strus led Miami in scoring with 20 points while Kyle Lowry had 19 points against his former team. Caleb Martin fell short of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Gabe Vincent was able to contribute 16 points. 

     O.G. Anunoby had game-highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto. Fred VanVleet compiled 23 points and eight assists while Scottie Barnes dropped in 19 points.  

Sandy Alcantara Wins Cy Young Award

     Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara has won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award. Alcantara won it unanimously as he received all 30 first place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. He becomes the first Marlins player to capture the Cy Young Award in franchise history. 

     Alcantara led Major League Baseball with six complete games. No other MLB team had six complete games in 2022. He led the National League with 228. 2 innings pitched. Alcantara had a 14-9 record with a 2.28 earned run average this season. 

West Palm Beach Market Radio Falls

     The West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County region has dipped in the United States top 50 radio market population rankings. The area fell from #47 to #49 this month and was surpassed by Greensboro at #47 and Oklahoma City at #48. 

     West Palm Beach was once #49 back in 2005 and rose to a better number in 2006 due to the population leaving New Orleans over a 12-month span because of the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Palm Beach County did drop from #47 to #48 in October 2017 and would later improve back to #47. 

Marlins Get J.T. Chargois And Xavier Edwards

     The Miami Marlins have acquired pitcher J.T. Chargois and infielder Xavier Edwards from the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Marcus Johnson and pitcher Santiago Suarez. It was a way for the Rays to purge their 40-man roster with too much talent in their organization to protect.

     Chargois was 2-0 with a 2.42 earned run average in 21 appearances in Tampa Bay this past season. Edwards has not yet appeared in the majors and spent 2022 with the Rays Triple-A affiliate in Durham. 

Panthers Can Captials

     It was a rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round as the Florida Panthers disposed the Washington Capitals 5-2 at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers won their first postseason series in 26 years when they defeated the Capitals during the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in six games. 

     Panthers head coach Paul Maurice coached in his 1,700th NHL game. That amount is fourth all-time in National Hockey League history. 

     Florida(9-6-1) walked out to a 1-0 lead at the 5:45 mark of the first period. The Caps tried to clear the puck out of their defensive zone. Aleksander Barkov got to it and snapped a shot from the high slot past Darcy Kuemper for an unassisted tally and his fourth goal of the season. 

     In the second period, the Panthers made it 2-0 with the man advantage at 3:46. Aaron Ekblad took a shot from the right circle that popped up into the air off a Capitals defender. Sam Reinhart waited and then batted in the puck with a backhand from the low slot for his third goal of the campaign. Ekblad picked up his first assist of this year while Matthew Tkachuk was credited with the secondary assist. It turned out to be the 400th NHL point for Tkachuk. 

     Washington(7-9-2) closed it to 2-1 on the power play with 4:56 left in the second. John Carlson sent a long lead pass from his own zone to Joe Snively at the Panthers blue line. He skated in and dropped a pass. Dylan Strome put in a wrist shot from above the left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his fifth goal this season. It was the first point of the year for Snively. 

     In the third period, the Cats increased their lead to 3-1 at the 7:02 mark. Tkachuk connected a cross-ice pass from the right wing and Gustav Forsling released a shot from the left point. Nick Cousins collected it at the right of the crease, moved to the middle and pushed in a wrist shot from close range for his second goal in a Panthers uniform. 

     The Capitals cut it 3-2 during a delayed penalty with 8:45 remaining. Erik Gustafsson angled a slap shot from the left point and Carlson redirected it in from the top of the crease for his third this year.

     It became a three-goal margin for Florida with 3:00 left in the third. Brandon Montour centered the puck from the right corner and Carter Verhaeghe backhanded the puck in from the edge of the blue paint. Verhaeghe added an empty-net tally from the blue line with 1:24 to go for his 10th goal of the season. 

South Florida High Schools In Second Round

     33 South Florida high schools advanced in the second round of the 2022 FHSAA Football Playoffs. There were 57 representatives from the tri-county area that headed into the postseason. 

     Palm Beach County went from 15 teams to seven. Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Central, Atlantic and Boynton Beach won. Cardinal Newman, Benjamin and Pahokee had a bye week. Dwyer, Jupiter, Boca Raton, Santaluces, St. Andrew's, The King's Academy, Inlet Grove and Wellington lost. 

     Broward County dropped from 21 high schools to 12. St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage, Dillard, Blanche Ely, Cardinal Gibbons, Western, Calvary Christian Academy, Monarch, Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Miramar prevailed. Chaminade-Madonna and Avant Garde did not play. Plantation, Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Cypress Bay, South Broward, Somerset Academy, West Broward, Pembroke Pines Charter and Pine Crest were defeated.  

     Dade County fell from 21 teams to 14. Miami Central, Miami Northwestern, Columbus, Homestead, Booker T. Washington, Miami Norland, Miami Palmetto, Doral Academy, Dr. Krop and Southridge were victorious. Archbishop Carroll, Westminster Christian, Palmer Trinity and True North Academy were off due to a bye. Carol City, Miami Jackson, Miami, Belen Jesuit, Gulliver Prep, North Miami and St. Brendan failed to advance. 

Boynton Beach Edges The King's Academy

     The Boynton Beach Tigers hosted their first playoff game in school history as they slipped by The King's Academy Lions 29-26 in a FHSAA Class 2M regional semifinal on Monday night. The Tigers will visit Plantation and challenge the top-seeded American Heritage Patriots in the second round. 

     The King's Academy(8-3) rolled out to a 20-7 halftime lead. The second half belonged to Boynton Beach(9-2) and they got a last-second field goal in the fourth quarter to win the game.  

     The Tigers won their first postseason contest in school history. Former Boynton Beach and current Balitmore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson led them to the FHSAA Playoffs twice, but they fell on the road both times to the Miami Central Rockets. 

Chuck Carr Passes Away

     Former Florida Marlins outfielder Chuck Carr passed away on Sunday at the age of 55. He played in the majors for eight seasons and is best remembered for his stint with the Marlins franchise. 

     Carr joined the Marlins for their inaugural season in 1993 and remained there until 1995. He led the National League with 58 stolen bases in 1993. 

Heat Overcome Suns

     The Miami Heat came back on the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Monday night at FTX Arena. The Heat finished off a four-game homestand on a three-game winning streak. 

     Miami(7-7) was able to get out to a 35-31 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Heat stayed in front 58-57 at the halfway mark. Phoenix(8-5) rushed by their opponent and held a 91-84 lead after three quarters. The Suns had a 13-point lead at 102-89 with 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Miami went on a 24-10 run to gain the victory. 

     The Heat had seven players with double-digit scoring and two players with double-doubles. Bam Adebayo led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds while Jimmy Butler compiled 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Kyle Lowry, who put in his 2,000th three-point shot, and Caleb Martin both had 15 points each. Devin Booker dropped in a team-high 25 points for the Suns. 

Blanche Ely Blanks Dwyer

     The Blanche Ely Tigers shut out the Dwyer Panthers 28-0 in a FHSAA Class 3M regional quarterfinal contest at Richard L. Williams Stadium in Pompano Beach on Monday night. The Panthers were unable to practice for two days last week because of Hurricane Nicole and therefore the game was switched from Friday night. 

     Blanche Ely(9-0) took advantage of being at home by scoring the first three touchdowns in the game during the first half for a 21-0 halftime lead. Dwyer(7-4) gave up another touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

     The Tigers will play a Soul Bowl rematch in Fort Lauderdale with their main local rivals the Dillard Panthers in a regional semifinal. They went on the road and defeated Dillard 9-7 at Otis Gray Jr. Memorial Stadium back on November 5. 

Palm Beach Central Flies By Jupiter

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos walloped the Jupiter Warriors 46-7 on Monday night at Broncos Stadium in a FHSAA Class 4M regional quarterfinal game. The game was switched to Monday night because of the limited practices by both Palm Beach County high schools due to Hurricane Nicole. The top-seeded Broncos will host the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles in a regional semifinal. 

     It was a defensive battle between both teams to begin the contest as Palm Beach Central(10-1) was ahead 10-0 at halftime. The Broncos were able to extend their lead over Jupiter(5-6) in the second half with a 36-7 barrage during the third quarter for a 39-point margin. 

Atlantic Defeats Plantation

     The Atlantic Eagles got by the Plantation Colonels 34-12 at Atlantic Stadium in Delray Beach on Monday night in a FHSAA Class 3M regional semifinal contest. The game was to occur last Friday night, however Hurricane Nicole prevented the Eagles to practice for two days last week. The Eagles will visit the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, a three-time reigning FHSAA state champion, at Fort Lauderdale in the next round. 

     Plantation(7-4) scored first for a 7-0 advantage after one quarter and held a slight 12-7 lead at halftime. Atlantic(8-3) moved ahead 13-12 in the third quarter for the third lead change of the contest. The Eagles found the end zone three times in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter for a 34-12 lead. 

Palm Beach Gardens Pulls Away From Wellington

     The Palm Beach Gardens Gators knocked off the Wellington Wolverines 30-13 in a FHSAA Class 4M regional quarterfinal game at Mullinax Ford Stadium on Monday night. The Gators will travel to the Monarch Knights in the second round. 

     Both Palm Beach County high schools were not allowed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Nicole. The contest was moved from Friday night to a couple of days later. 

     Palm Beach Gardens(8-3) and Wellington(6-5) were tied at 7-7 after the first quarter. The Gators piled on 23 points during the second quarter and had a 30-7 lead at halftime. The Wolverines got a touchdown with three minutes left in the fourth quarter and trailed 30-13. 

Carloine O' Connor Marlins President Of Business Operations

     The Miami Marlins have elevated Caroline O'Connor to president of business operations. The Marlins because the first professional team of all four major North American sports to have women in charge of business operations and as general manager. Kim Ng was named the Marlins general manager back in November 2020. 

     O'Connor joined the Marlins organization after the change of ownership in 2017 as senior vice president and chief of staff. She was promoted to chief operating officer in 2019. 

Robert Luongo Inducted In Hockey Hall Of Fame

     Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday night. He is the first player placed in the shrine who spent the majority of his NHL career with Florida. 

     Luongo had two stints with the Panthers from 2001-02 until 2005-06 and from 2013-14 to 2018-19. He has set all the all-time goalie records for the club. Luongo finished with a career record of 489-392-124 with 77 shutouts, 2.52 goals-against-average and a. 919 save percentage. He is still second in NHL history for most career saves with 28,409. 

Dolphins Squash Browns

     The Miami Dolphins disposed of the Cleveland Browns 39-17 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. The Dolphins leaped over the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East Division. The Fins won their fourth consecutive game and will have a bye next week. 

     Both teams were tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. Miami(7-3) scored 10 points during the second quarter to go up 17-7 by halftime. Cleveland(3-6) was outscored 13-3 in the third quarter and trailed 30-10. 

Heat Sweep By Hornets

     It was Tim Hardaway Night as the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets 132-115 at FTX Arean on Saturday night. It was the second time in three days that both teams met at the same venue with the Heat victorious in both contests. 

     Miami(6-7) held a 34-33 edge at the end of the first quarter. Charlotte(3-11) had a slight 59-57 by halftime. The Heat went on a 31-13 as the start of the second half and had a commanding 102-84 lead after three quarters. 

     Max Strus dropped in a game-high 31 points and Jimmy Butler added 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Heat. Two players from Miami had double-doubles with Bam Adebayo getting 24 points and 15 rebounds while Kyle Lowry chalked up 12 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Terry Rozier the Hornets with a team-high 22 points. 

Hurricanes March By Georgia Tech

     The Miami Hurricanes took care of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 35-14 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday. The Canes have a three-game road winning streak. 

     Miami(5-5, 3-3) put up the first 14 points in the first half. Georgia Tech(4-6, 3-4) reached the end zone with less than a minute left in the second quarter and trailed 14-7 at halftime. The Hurricanes scored 21 unanswered points during the second half to make it 35-7 before surrendering a touchdown in the final minute of the contest. 

Oilers Drain Panthers

     The Edmonton Oilers brought in their high-powered offense to FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on Saturday and topped the Florida Panthers 4-2. The Panthers continued their five-game homestand. 

     Neither team scored in the first period. Edmonton(9-7-0) broke the scoreless tie with 8:11 left in the second period. Mattias Janmark pushed the puck from the end wall. Ryan McLeod fed it from the right wing and Tyson Barrie blasted a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone past Spencer Knight for his second goal this year. 

     In the third period, Florida(8-6-1) evened it up 1-1 on a power-play goal at 2:42. Gustav Forsling released a shot from the blue line which was stopped by the pile in front of the crease. Sam Bennett raced in from the left side and snapped a shot from the left circle by Stuart Skinner for his fourth goal of the season. Carter Verhaeghe was credited with the second assist on the play. 

     The Oilers reclaimed the lead 2-1 with the man advantage at the 6:53 mark. After a left-circle faceoff draw, Barrie held up and then pounded a slap shot from the left point for his second tally of the contest and his third goal of the campaign. 

     It became 3-1 for Edmonton with 4:53 remaining in the third. Leon Draisaitl dropped a pass from the slot area and Warren Foegele scored on a wrist shot from the high slot for his second tally this year. 

     The Cats closed it to 3-2 with 4:02 left. Bennett made a pass to Colin White at the blue line and he returned the give-and-go pass. Bennett skated through the crease and buried in a backhand shot for his second goal of the game and fifth goal of the season. 

     Florida pulled their goalie for an extra skater with over two minutes to go. Connor McDavid would angle a pass from the neutral zone and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put in a shot from above the left circle into an empty net for his eighth goal this season with 1:26 to go. 

Lightning Claim Rudolfs Balcers

     The Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed left wing Rudolfs Balcers off waivers from the Florida Panthers. He signed as a free agent with Florida on July 14.

     Balcers compiled two goals and two assists with the Panthers in 14 games this season. He previously played two seasons with the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks prior to his arrival in Florida. 

Miami Central Blows Out St. Brendan

     The Miami Central Rockets remained undefeated as they pounded the St. Brendan Sabres 60-0 on Friday night at Traz Powell Stadium in a FHSAA Class 2M regional quarterfinal contest. The Rockets, who won the FHSAA Class 5A state championship last year, will face either the Miami Northwestern Bulls or the Gulliver Prep Raiders in the second round next week. 

     Miami Central(11-0) compiled 46 points during the first quarter, six points in the second quarter and eight points in the third quarter. A running clock was used in the entire second half of play. St. Brendan(7-4), who participated in their first FHSAA Playoff game, launched their high school football program back in 2018. 

Cardinal Gibbons Romps Pine Crest

     The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs stomped the Pine Crest Panthers 45-0 in a FHSAA Class 2M regional quarterfinal game at Dr. Bud Tight Field in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. Both high schools are just five miles away from each other. The Chiefs will be at home next week against the Calvary Chrisian Academy Eagles or the St. Andrew's Scots. 

     Cardinal Gibbons(10-1) piled on the points during the first quarter and second quarter to lead 24-0 at halftime. Pine Crest(8-3), who lost their last two games of the 2022 campaign, could not gain any traction in the contest and were down 38-0 after three quarters. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Dominates Coconut Creek

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders easily handled the Coconut Creek Cougars 59-14 in a FHSAA Class 3M regional quarterfinal game at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. The Raiders will host either the Atlantic Eagles or the Plantation Colonels next week in a regional semifinal contest. 

     St. Thomas Aquinas(10-0) busted out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Coconut Creek(6-5) added seven points and were down 14-7. STA answered back with kickoff return for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead near the end of the first. The Raiders expanded their lead to 38-14 by halftime. The Cougars surrendered two more touchdowns in the third quarter and then a running clock was implemented. 

Dillard Spikes Fort Lauderdale

     The Dillard Panthers smashed the Fort Lauderdale Flying L's 45-20 at Otis Gray Jr. Memorial Stadium in a FHSAA Class 3M regional quarterfinal game on Friday night. It was the second game of the FHSAA Playoffs played in South Florida. Dillard will either host their crosstown rivals the Blanche Ely Tigers or the Dwyer Panthers next week in the second round. 

     Both Broward County high schools played in the new Class 3M District 11 during the 2022 regular season.  The Panthers shut out the Flying L's 35-0 on the same field back on October 28. 

     Dillard(7-3) ripped out to a 28-0 lead by halftime in tonight's playoff game. Fort Lauderdale(6-5) tried to make it a competitive contest as they trailed 31-13 after three quarters. 

Marlins Add Jon Jay

     The Miami Marlins have added Jon Jay to their coaching staff for the 2023 season. He will work as a first base coach and outfield coach for the club. 

     Jay played on the same team with new Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. Both contributed to the St. Louis Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series. 

Marlins Trade Payton Henry

     The Miami Marlins have traded Payton Henry back to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Fish will receive back outfielder Reminton Batista in the deal. 

     Henry just played in 15 games with the Marlins last season and had a .143 batting average. He was dealt to Miami from Milwaukee for John Curtiss back in July 2021.  

     Batista participated with the Brewers affiliate in the Dominican Republic Summer League this year. He had a .252 batting average and 18 stolen bases in 46 contests. 

Heat Hold Off Hornets

     The Miami Heat dropped the Charlotte Hornets 117-112 in overtime on Thursday night at FTX Arena. It was the first time this season that the Heat reached the overtime period. Both teams will meet in the same venue on Saturday night. 

     Miami(5-7) had a 32-27 advantage at the end of the first quarter and stayed ahead 58-50 by halftime. Charlotte(3-10) was down 85-73 after three quarters. The Hornets outscored the Heat 31-19 during the fourth quarter and tied it 104-104 to send the contest into overtime. 

     Jimmy Butler composed a double-double with a game-high 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Miami. Bam Adebayo also had a double-double of 18 points along with 14 rebounds. Duncan Robinson added 14 points and Max Strus drained in 12 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. led Charlotte with a team-high 29 points and Terry Rozier delivered 22 points. 

Booker T. Washington Stops Carol City

     The Booker T. Washington Tornadoes handled the Carol City Chiefs 27-13 in a FHSAA Class 2M regional quarterfinal game at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami on Thursday night. The Tornadoes topped the Chiefs during the regular season 26-6 back on September 23. Booker T. Washington(9-2) has won three straight contests while Carol City(5-6) lost their final three games of the 2022 campaign. 

     It was the first game of the FHSAA Playoffs played in South Florida. The Tornadoes will host either the Miami Norland Vikings or the Miami Jackson Generals next week in the second round. 

     Both teams were tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. It became a 15-7 lead for Booker T. Washington over Carol City by halftime. The Tornadoes and the Chiefs scored touchdowns during the third quarter, but they both missed on their conversions and BTW was up 21-13.

Panthers Shut Out Hurricanes

     The Florida Panthers blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday night. It was the third career shutout for Panthers goalie Spencer Knight. Florida head coach Paul Maurice passed Al Arbour for sixth all-time with 783 NHL wins. 

     The Panthers had played nine of their first 13 games of the 2022-23 regular season on the road entering tonight's contest. The Panthers just completed a four-game, west coast road trip. 

     Panthers center Eric Staal played in his 1,300th National Hockey League game. He also was on the same team with his brother Panthers defenseman Marc Staal against his other brother Hurricanes center Jordan Staal. 

     Florida(8-5-1) took a 1-0 lead at the 9:21 mark of the first period. Sam Bennett pushed the puck from the right corner. Brandon Montour snapped a shot from the right point which was deflected by Nick Cousins from the right of the crease that was saved by Antti Raanta. Cousins reached for the rebound and swept it in from the top of the crease for his first goal in a Panthers uniform. 

     There was no scoring by either club during the second period of play. In the third period, the Panthers increased their lead over Carolina(8-4-1) on a power-play goal 2-0 with 9:40 left. Aleksander Barkov make a give-and-go passing sequence with Carter Verhaeghe in the slot area and he scored his third tally of the campaign. Montour was credited with the secondary assist. 

     The Hurricanes attempted to get back into this game by pulling their goalie for an extra attacker with 2:55 to go. Bennett eventually got an empty-net goal from the high slot with six seconds remaining for a three-goal margin. 

2022 FHSAA Playoffs Local County Breakdown

     The 2022 FHSAA Playoffs for high school football will begin later this week. All counties throughout South Florida will participate. 

     DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will be the home to some of the FHSAA football title games for the second straight year. They will host the Class 4M, Class 3M, Class 2M, Class 4S and Class 3S state championships games in December. The venue did hold the Class 8A, Class 7A, Class 6A, Class 5A and Classi 4A state title contests in 2021. 

     There are 20 high schools from Dade County. Some of the previous state champions include Miami Central, Miami Northwestern, Booker T. Washington, Carol City, Columbus and Miami Norland. Others from that area are Miami Palmetto, Miami Jackson, Doral Academy, Gulliver Prep, Dr. Krop, Southridge, Homestead, North Miami, Belen Jesuit, St. Brendan, Archbishop Carroll, True North Academy, Westminster Christian and Palmer Trinity. 

     Broward County have three FHSAA state champions from last year and 21 high schools overall. Central Broward has St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage, Cardinal Gibbons, Blanche Ely, Dillard, Plantation, Western, Cypress Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Calvary Christian Academy and Pine Crest. Monarch, Coconut Creek and Marjory Stoneman Douglas are from North Broward County. The South Broward County high schools are Chaminade-Madonna, Miramar, Somerset Academy, West Broward, South Broward, Avant Garde and Pembroke Pines Charter. 

     Palm Beach County is represented by 15 high schools. South Palm Beach County has Atlantic, Boynton Beach, Santaluces, Boca Raton and St. Andrew's. The Central Palm Beach County area brings in Palm Beach Central, Wellington, Cardinal Newman, Benjamin, The King's Academy, Inlet Grove and Pahokee while North Palm Beach County consists of Palm Beach Gardens, Dwyer and Jupiter. 

     St. Lucie County has four high schools involved with Treasure Coast, Port St. Lucie, Centennial and John Carroll Catholic. Two of the three high schools based in Martin County will be involved in the postseason which are Jensen Beach and Martin County. Indian River County has one high school in the FHSAA Playoffs with Vero Beach. 

Miami Marlins Lost On Waivers

     The offseason began for Major League Baseball following the end of the 2022 World Series on Saturday. The Miami Marlins placed several players on waivers and some of them were picked up. 

     Outfielder Luke Williams was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was acquired by the Marlins in a trade with the San Francisco Giants during the season back on May 27. Williams had a .235 batting average with one home run, three runs batted and 11 stolen bases in 71 games with the Fish.  

     The Marlins also parted ways with pitcher Cole Sulser. He was dealt by the Baltimore Orioles to Miami in a five-player trade on April 3. Sulser went 1-4 with a 5.29 earned run average in 39 relief appearances. 

2022 FHSAA Class 4M Football Playoff Brackets

     In the new FHSAA football classifications, 4M consists of the most populated high schools in the highest populated areas of the state. There is a mix of teams from the South Florida tri-county area. The 4M state title game will happen at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on December 16 or December 17.

     Region 3 has #1 Palm Beach Central hosting #8 Jupiter while #6 Wellington is at #3 Palm Beach Gardens. #7 Boca Raton heads to #2 Monarch and #5 Stoneman Douglas goes to #4 Santaluces. 

     #1 Columbus leads Region 4 as the top seed and will be at home against #8 Miami. #4 Miami Palmetto hosts #5 West Broward at Tropical Park. #7 Cypress Bay visits #2 Western while #6 Somerset Academy travels to #3 Doral Academy.   

2022 FHSAA Class 3M Football Playoff Brackets

     The FHSAA Class 3M football playoff brackets in 2022 is similar to Class 7A from 2011 to 2021 with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders being the dominant team in the southern bracket against other South Florida foes. The Class 3M state championship will be held at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on December 16 or December 17. 

     Broward County and Palm Beach County high schools make up the participants in Region 3. Undefeated #1 St. Thomas Aquinas will host #8 Coconut Creek at Brian Piccolo Stadium in a regional quarterfinal. #5 Plantation goes to #4 Atlantic, #6 Dwyer travels to #3 Blanche Ely and #7 Fort Lauderdale moves across town to #2 Dillard. 

     Region 4 consists of mostly Dade County high schools. Top-seeded #1 Homestead will play #8 North Miami at Traz Powell Stadium on Saturday afternoon. #2 Miramar hosts #7 Pembroke Pines Charter, #5 Dr. Krop visits #4 Belen Jesuit and #6 South Broward heads for #3 Southridge. 

2022 FHSAA Class 2M Football Playoff Brackets

     The Class 2M FHSAA football playoff bracket is expected to be the most competitive involving South Florida high schools. It is loaded with seven South Florida high school football programs that have won a FHSAA state championship in the last 11 years. The Class 2M state title game will occur in Fort Lauderdale at DRV PNK Stadium on December 16.

     In Region 3, top-seeded #1 American Heritage hosts #8 Inlet Grove while #2 Cardinal Gibbons is home against #7 Pine Crest. #5 The King's Academy is at #4 Boynton Beach and #6 St. Andrew's goes to #3 Calvary Christian Academy. 

     Region 4 has all their representatives from Dade County and three of the games will be played at Traz Powell Stadium. #2 Booker T. Washington challenges #7 Carol City on Thursday night, #1 Miami Central faces #8 St. Brendan on Friday night and #4 Miami Northwestern clashes with #5 Gulliver Prep on Saturday night. The other contest has #6 Miami Jackson at #3 Miami Norland. 

2022 FHSAA Class 1M Football Playoff Brackets

     1M is the new classification in FHSAA football this year that will be represented by small school populations. The 1M championship game will be play at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee sometime between December 8 and December 10. There will be several South Florida high schools represented when the postseason begins on November 18. 

     #1 Chaminade-Madonna is the top seed in Region 3 and will attempt to make their sixth consecutive state title game appearance as they host #4 Avant Garde in Hollywood. It will be a Palm Beach County clash as #3 Benjamin visits #2 Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach. 

     Region 4 has two Miami regional semifinal contests. #4 Palmer Trinity travels to #1 Archbishop Carroll while #3 Westminster Christian heads for #2 True North Academy. 

2022 FHSAA Lower Football Playoff Brackets

     The 2022 FHSAA football postseason brackets are set for the smallest populated areas in the state. These high schools were separated in classifications of Class 4S, Class 3S, Class 2S, Class 1S and Class 1R. Some high schools from the South Florida region will participate. 

     DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will be the home of the Class 4S and Class 3S state championship games from December 15 to December 17. Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee will host the state title games in Class 1R, Class 1S and Class 2S from December 8 to December 10.

     Class 1R will just have one local high school involved. #2 Pahokee was placed as the second seed in Region 4 and will have a bye in the first round. The Blue Devils will face either #3 Chiefland or #6 Newberry the following week in a regional semifinal. 

     There will be just one local school in Class 1S from Fort Pierce. #1 John Carroll Catholic is the top seed in Region 3 and will host #4 Cardinal Mooney in a regional semifinal on November 18. There are no local high schools in the Class 2S playoff bracket. 

     Class 3S will have two of the local Treasure Coast regional high schools as they face each other in Region 3. #7 Port St. Lucie heads for #2 Jensen Beach in the opening round. 

     There will be several matchups in the first round of Class 4S. #1 Vero Beach has the top seed in Region 3 and will host #8 Harmony in a regional quarterfinal contest. The victor will take on the winner between #5 Centennial at #4 Melbourne. The other local tilt has #6 Treasure Coast visiting #3 Martin County. 

Trail Blazers Buzz Heat

     The Portland Trail Blazers hit a buzzer-beating shot and took the Miami Heat 110-107 on Monday night at FTX Arena. The Heat dropped their home record to 3-4 so far this season. 

     It was a rare 8:30 P.M. start for a Heat home contest. Games would sometimes happen this late based on the television broadcast window during NBA Playoffs. 

     Both teams ended up being tied 28-28 after one quarter. Miami(4-7), who started a four-game homestand, were able to get a 60-53 halftime lead.  

     Portland(7-3) fell behind by double digits and then trailed 81-73 at the end of three quarters. The Trail Blazers came back from 11 points down in the fourth and it was capped by a Josh Hart three-point shot with no time remaining in regulation. 

     All five Heat starters scored in double figures tonight. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Max Strus each had 16 points each. Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent both dropped in 15 points each. Jerami Grant had 24 points while Damian Lillard added 19 points for Portland. 

Quinton Howden Joins Jukurit

     Former Florida Panthers center Quinton Howden has joined Jukurit in the Finnish League. He spent last season with Kolner Haie in Germany and compiled 18 points in 45 contests. 

     Howden was selected 25th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Panthers. He spent three seasons with Florida and had 17 points in 92 games. 

Panthers Coast By Ducks

     The Florida Panthers finished a four-game west coast trip as they triumphed against the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 at Honda Center on Sunday night. Panthers Matthew Tkachuk was unavailable as he began to serve a two-game suspension from the National Hockey League. The Panthers will begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday versus the Carolina Hurricanes. 

     Florida(7-5-1) moved out to a 1-0 lead with 8:29 left in the first period. Aleksander Barkov sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing and Anton Lundell fed a backhand pass from the top right circle. Former Ducks player Brandon Montour blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone and Carter Verhaeghe redirected it in from the low slot for his eighth goal of the season. It was Verhaeghe's sixth goal in the last five contests. 

     In the second period, the Panthers expanded their lead to 2-0 at the 2:51 mark. Montour skated back to the left point and snapped a shot by John Gibson for his fourth goal of the year. 

     Anaheim(4-8-1) picked up two goals in a 27-second span to tie the game 2-2. John Klingberg forwarded the puck from his defensive zone to center ice. Adam Henrique entered the Panthers zone and dropped it off. Ryan Strome snapped a high shot from the left point past Spencer Knight. Klingberg increased his point streak up to four games. 

     Seconds later, Troy Terry pushed the puck from the right-circle dot and Kevin Shattenkirk connected a square pass across the low slot. Strome released a shot from the low left circle at the 8:27 mark for his second tally of the game and fifth goal this season. Terry extended his point streak to five games.      

     The Cats regained the lead 3-2 at 2:55 of the third period. Marc Staal took a one-time slap shot from the right point and Ryan Lomberg poked the puck from the top of the crease. Sam Reinhart shoveled in a shot from the right of the crease for his first goal of the campaign. 

     It became 4-2 for Florida when they scored during a 4-on-4 situation at the 8:10 mark. Montour blasted a slap shot from the blue line that went off the end wall. Eetu Luostarinen passed the puck from the low left circle and Sam Bennett swept in a shot from the blue paint for his second goal of the season. 

     The Ducks cut it to 4-3 while they were shorthanded with 1:14 remaining in the third. Isac Lundestrom was awarded a penalty shot and he scored his first goal of the year on a backhand shot. Reinhart added an empty-het, power-play goal for the Panthers with less than one second left for a two-goal margin.

Dolphins Avoid Bears

     The Miami Dolphins barely escaped Soldier Field with a 35-32 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Dolphins gained one game and moved closer to the first place Buffalo Bills in the AFC East Division. 

No Miami Marlins Free Agents

     Major League Baseball players can become free agent follow the conclusion of the World Series. They are able to negotiate with their current club for five days and then can be eligible to deal with all other Major League Baseball teams

     The Miami Marlins had no players on their roster that declared to be free agent. They tied an MLB low with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Los Angeles Dodgers had a league-high 10 players declare while the New York Yankees and the New York Mets had nine players each. 

Kings Rule By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers fell to the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Panthers will remain in Southern California and face the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow. 

      In the first period, Florida(6-5-1) scored with 9:00 remaining to make it 1-0. Ryan Lomberg collected his second tally of the year on an assist from Rudolfs Balcers.

     Both teams combined for four goals during the second period. Los Angeles(7-6-1) tied it 1-1 at the 9:27 mark. Kevin Fiala wheeled a centering pass from the right corner and Rasmus Kopari snapped a shot from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal in 2022-23. 

     The Panthers answered back just 18 seconds later to reclaim the lead 2-1. Gustav Forsling carried the puck to the slot area and made a pass to his left. Carter Verhaeghe released a snap shot from the left circle past Jonathan Quck for his sixth goal this season. 

     The Kings picked up two goals by the end of the frame. Trevor Moore redirected an outside shot from the crease area with 9:41 to go and Viktor Arvidsson placed in a power-play goal with 26 seconds left.

     The Cats evened it up 3-3 at 1:18 of the third period as Eetu Luostarinen scored his fourth goal of the year. The Kings regained the lead 4-3 at the 2:40 mark when Blake Lizotte found the net for the fourth time this season. The Panthers matched their opponent again 4-4 at 5:04 as Verhaeghe chalked up his second goal of the contest and seventh goal of the season.

     Los Angeles made it 5-4 with 3:18 left in the third. Gabe Vilardi fired a shot from close range for the go-ahead goal. 

Florida State Seminoles Slams Miami Hurricanes

     The Florida State University Seminoles manhandled the University of Miami Hurricanes 45-3 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. The Noles defeated the Canes for the second straight year. Both will meet annually under the new ACC three-team rivalry schedule beginning in 2023. 

     Florida State(6-3, 4-3) raced out to a 14-3 lead versus Miami(4-5, 2-3) in the first quarter. The Seminoles added 17 more points against the Hurricanes during the second quarter and extended it to 31-3 by halftime. 

Blanche Ely Edges Dillard In Soul Bowl

     The Blanche Ely Tigers got by the Dillard Panthers 9-7 in the 2022 Soul Bowl at Otis Gray Jr. Memorial Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night. The Panthers had won five consecutive Soul Bowls against the Tigers until tonight. It was the final regular season high school football game played in Broward County and South Florida.

     Blanche Ely(9-0) finished the 2022 regular season with a perfect record. They have outscored their opponents 273-77 during the year. The Tigers, who are the Class 3M District 10 champs, will host a postseason contest next week in Pompano Beach. 

     Dillard(6-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped and outscored their opponents 232-148 this season. The Panthers have a good chance of making the FHSAA Playoffs. 

Palm Beach Gardens Routs Park Vista

     The Palm Beach Gardens Gators had their way with the Park Vista Cobras 42-7 at Mullinax Ford Stadium on Friday night. Both Palm Beach County high schools have been headed in different directions from the start of the 2022 campaign. The Gators have a 6-5 edge over the Cobras since 2007. 

     Palm Beach Gardens(7-3) defeated the Jupiter Warriors last week to take the Class 4M District 9 title. The Gators have outscored their opponents 280-177 during the regular season and will host a postseason game next week. 

     It was not a good season for Park Vista(2-8) in 2022. The Cobras did not get any traction in the regular season, but they beat district rival the Santaluces Chiefs last week. 

Western Topples Plantation

     The Western Wildcats knocked off the Plantation Colonels 49-22 on Friday night. Both Broward County high schools will be looking forward to the FHSAA Playoffs next week. 

     Western(6-3) has been victorious in their last two games. They have outscored their opponents 260-160 this year. The Wildcats, who captured the Class 4M District 10 title, will be home next week and participate in the FHSAA Playoffs. 

     Plantation(7-3) won the Class 3M District 10 title game against the Piper Bengals last week. The Colonels outscored their opponents 306-244 this season and will host a Class 3M playoff contest in a week. 

Pacers Outduel Heat

      The Miami Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers 101-99 on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was a rare one-game road trip for the Heat.

     Miami(4-6) had a slight 29-28 advantage after one quarter. Indiana(4-5) took charge in the second quarter and led 62-50 at halftime. The Heat cut into the deficit and trailed 80-77 at the end of the third quarter. The Pacers had a 92-84 lead with 7:58 left in the fourth. 

     Tyler Herro dropped in a game-high 29 points for Miami. Bam Adebayo added a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Max Strus scored 17 points while Gabe Vincent had 15 points. 

     Buddy Hield led Indiana with a team-high 25 points along with nine rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton fell short of a triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. 

Pahokee Tops Glades Central In Muck Bowl

     The Pahokee Blue Devils downed the Glades Central Raiders 46-14 in the 2022 Muck Bowl at Effie C. Grear Field in Belle Glade on Friday night. The Blue Devils have won five of the last seven Muck Bowls. The Raiders have been victorious in the Muck Bowl 10 of the last 15 games since 2008. 

     Pahokee(8-2) have won four straight games to end the regular season and outscored their opponents 293-182 this year. The Blue Devils will be in postseason play next week in Class 1R Region 4.  

     Glades Central(2-8) is expected to miss the FHSAA Playoffs for the first time during a scheduled full regular season in this century. It has been an underachieving year for the Raiders as they have fallen in seven of their last eight games. 

Atlantic Attacks Santaluces

     The Atlantic Eagles stopped the Santaluces Chiefs 49-7 in Lantana on Friday night. Both Palm Beach County high schools captured district championships and will be involved in FHSAA postseason play. 

     Santaluces(8-2) lost for the second straight week. The Chiefs, who won Class 4M District 11 several weeks ago, have outscored their opponents 319-135 this regular season. They will host a postseason game in a week for the first time in a very long time.

     Atlantic(7-3) wrapped up Class 3M District 9 a couple of weeks ago. They have a four-game winning streak and will host a Class 3M playoff game next week. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 303-136 this year. 

West Boca Raton Beats Olympic Heights

     The West Boca Raton Bobcats went east four miles on Glades Road and defeated crosstown foes the Olympic Heights Lions 42-14 at Corey Lewis Stadium on Thursday night. The Bulls have won 11 of the 15 meetings between both neighborhood high schools since 2005. 

     West Boca Raton(6-4) has interchanged wins and losses on their schedule since Week 2. They bounced back from their defeat to the Blanche Ely Tigers last week. The Bulls outscored their opponents overall by just one point this year. It is uncertain if they will make the FHSAA postseason in Class 3M. 

     Olympic Heights(1-9) had won their season opener with a season-high 14 points against the Suncoast Chargers and then lost nine consecutive games. The Lions scored just 51 points and surrendered 312 points in 2022. 

Boynton Beach Bashes Lake Worth

     The Boynton Beach Tigers routed the Lake Worth Trojans 47-6 on Thursday night. Both Palm Beach County high schools are near of I-95 and are separated by six miles. 

     Boynton Beach(8-2) finished the 2022 regular season on a seven-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 359-145. The Tigers had clinched the Class 2M District 10 title several weeks ago and will host a playoff game next week. 

     Lake Worth(3-7) ended the year losing six of their last seven contests. The Trojans will not reach the postseason and look forward to the 2023 season. 

Panthers Paddle By Sharks

     The Florida Panthers blew a two-goal lead and still held off the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in a shootout at SAP Center on Thursday night. The Panthers continued on their four-game road swing. The Sharks are winless in their last seven contests against the Cats. 

     Florida(6-4-1) pulled out to a 1-0 lead with 6:17 left in the first period. Aleksander Barkov scored on a power-play goal with a wrist shot from the left-circle dot and beat former Panthers goalie James Reimer for his second goal of the campaign. Anton Lundell and Matthew Tkachuk chalked up assists on the tally. 

     In the second period, the Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 with 4:10 remaining. Radko Gudas blasted a one-time slap shot from the left point for his first goal of the year on assists from Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. 

     San Jose(3-8-2) closed it to 2-1 as they scored on a 5-on-3 power play at the 1:04 mark. Timo Meier placed a one-time slap shot from the right-circle dot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal of the season.

     The Sharks evened it up 2-2 at 6:34 to continue their momentum in the frame. Erik Karlsson ripped a snap shot from above the left circle for his 10th goal of the year. It was the first assist this season for Nick Bonino. 

     It became 3-2 for San Jose with 8:12 left in the third. Matt Benning ended a 105-game NHL drought with his go-ahead tally as he snapped a shot from the top of the zone. Karlsson now has seven points in the last three games. 

     The Cats pulled their goalie with 2:16 to go for an extra attacker. Verhaeghe tied the game 3-3 from the low left circle with 1:22 remaining in the period and marked his fifth goal of the season. Tkachuk got his third assist of the contest and now leads Florida with 11 assists this season. Lundell ended up with a multi-point game with his second assist. 

     In the shootout, the Panthers waited awhile to get the victory. Sam Reinhart lifted the puck with his wrist shot on Florida's fourth attempt. It was the only attempt converted by both teams during the shootout. 

Palm Beach Central Eases By Carol City

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos got by the Carol City Chiefs 34-28 on Thursday night at Broncos Stadium. Both high schools had never played in a football game against each other. 

     Palm Beach Central(9-1) extended their winning streak up to six games. The Broncos, who beat the Wellington Wolverines in the Class 4M District 10 title game last week, have outscored their opponents 410-144 this season. They will host a first-game postseason game in the FHSAA Class 4M Playoffs next week. 

     Carol City(5-5) lost their second straight contest. It is uncertain if the Chiefs will qualify for the postseason in Class 2M. They have been outscored 240-178 in 2022. 

Chaminade-Madonna Trounces Treasure Coast

     The Chaminade-Madonna Lions finally got to play the Treasure Coast Titans and won 45-6 at Vince Zappone Field in Hollywood on Thursday night. It was the first time ever that both high schools have faced each other on a football gridiron. 

     Their contest was delayed a couple of months ago. It was to happen on September 30, however the impact of Hurricane Ian on St. Lucie County postponed the game.

     Chaminade-Madonna(9-0) finished with an undefeated record during the regular season. They have outscored their 2022 opponents 457-110 this year. The Lions will remain home to begin the FHSAA Class 1M Playoffs.

     Treasure Coast(3-6) only three victories this year has been against district opponents. The Titans lost for the second straight time following their Class 4S District 12 title game loss to the Vero Beach Indians last week. It will be tough for them to qualify for the FHSAA Playoffs this season. 

Cardinal Newman Pounds Gulliver Prep

     The Cardinal Newman Crusaders made the long trip to Miami and walloped the Gulliver Prep Raiders 54-14 on Thursday. Both high schools have never met each other on a football field due to different classifications and travel distance. 

     Cardinal Newman(10-0) finished the 2022 regular season with an undefeated record. The Crusaders are the Class 1M District 5 champions and will open up the FHSAA Class 1M playoffs at home in West Palm Beach. They have outscored their opponents 482-85 this year. 

     Gulliver Prep(5-4) clinched Class 2M District 16 several weeks ago. The Raiders will be at home for their Class 2M first-round postseason contest. They have only outscored their opponents by just five points overall this season. 

West Palm Beach Ratings October 2022

     The West Palm Beach sports talk format ratings for radio stations were issued. The time span went from the second week of September until the second week of October. 

     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM rose for the second straight month as it went from a 0.5 to a 0.6 in the period. Florida Atlantic University Owls football lost three consecutive games in the period and dropped to 2-4. The radio station did not renew the local affiliate rights to the Florida Panthers Radio Network. It looks like WMEN will not beam in game broadcasts from professional teams such as the New York Yankees and concentrate as the flagship radio station of FAU athletics. 

     Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler WBZT-AM remained at a 0.2 again. The radio station has found their audience with VSIN around the clock on weekdays and weekends. The Greek has helped out with the only local program on its airwaves in mid-afternoons. The Miami Marlins finished off their 2022 campaign with a losing record while the University of Florida Gators football team began their regular season with a 4-2 record.  

     ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM saw some changes during the period. Jeremy Marks-Peltz finished his stint as weekday evening host on September 22 and Cyrus Wittig took over on October 6. The Miami Dolphins lost a couple of contests while the University of Miami Hurricanes football team lost three straight games. Preseason games of the Miami Heat aired.