WAQI Keeping Sports Broadcasts

     Radio Mambi 710 WAQI-AM has decided to eliminate all of their Spanish-language live talk show broadcasts and use an automated music format. The station will continue to be the Spanish-language radio flagship of the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins. 

     Latino Media Network purchased WAQI and TUDN Radio 1140 WQBA-AM in June 2022. They flipped WQBA from a Spanish-language sports format to a Spanish-language news/talk format in August 2024. It then changed to a Spanish-language soft adult contemporary format in July 2025. 

Raines Slips By Miami Northwestern For 3A Title

      The Miami Northwestern had the hometown advantage as they were edged by the Raines Vikings 23-22 in the FHSAA Class 3A state championship contest on Friday night. It was held on South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the Florida International University campus in Miami. It turned out to be a championship rematch from last year between both high schools. 

      The Vikings captured their first state championship since 2018. It was their fourth state title in school history. 

      The Bulls attempted to win their second straight state title. They had captured eight state championships in school history. It was the first year that a Dade County high school had not won a state title since 2009. 

      Miami Northwestern(13-1) got out to a 3-0 lead on their first possession with 6:19 remaining in the first quarter. Alex Lima was able to kick a 24-yard field goal. 

       The entire second quarter was filled with turnovers by both teams. Bulls punt returner Marcus Dumont fumbled the ball on a return and it was recovered by defensive back Jonathan Downer-Barrett at the Vikings 34-yard line at 10:16 of the second quarter. 

       Raines(14-0) quarterback Timothy Cole II threw an interception and defensive back/wide receiver Nicholas Lennear returned it to the Bulls 33-yard line at the 7:40 mark of the second quarter. 

       Bulls running back Tarvail Mathis was running up the middle and fumbled the ball approaching the end zone on a hit and a recovery by defensive back Shareef Jackson in the end zone for a touchback with 4:06 remaining in the second. 

       The Vikings were in striking distance at the Miami Northwestern 22-yard line when Cole was intercepted again. Linebacker Khavon Gipson caught the ball and returned it to the 11-yard line with 40 seconds to go in the first half. 

       On the second play of the third quarter, Cole fumbled the ball deep in his own end and it was recovered by defensive lineman Jaylen Thanis at the Vikings 18-yard line just 25 seconds into the second half. It led to a 25-yard field goal by Lima for a Bulls 6-0 advantage at the 8:29 mark of the third.

       Vikings linebacker Johdeem Jones intercepted a pass by Bulls quarterback Neiman Lawrence and returned it 90 yards to the Bulls three-yard line and fumbled it when he was tackled by Mathis. Defensive lineman Makhel Smith-York pounced on it in the end zone for a touchdown to give Raines their first lead of the game 7-6 with 6:11 remaining in the third.

       Miami Northwestern answered back and reclaimed the lead 9-7 on their next possession. Lima booted a 35-yard field goal with 3:08 to go in the quarter. 

       The West extended their lead to 16-7 at 10:24 of the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Calvin Russell Jr. rushed around the left end from one yard away. 

       Raines responded and marched down the field on their next drive to make it 16-10 with 7:14 left in the fourth. Dan Duong connected with a 36-yard field goal. 

       The Bulls went on a 4th-and-1 from their own 43-yard line. Lawrence's pass was intercepted by defensive lineman Ge'terius Brown and he returned it to the Bulls 30-yard line with 5:16 remaining in the final quarter. Cole concluded the five-play, 30-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run up the middle with 2:35 to go in the quarter to give them a 17-16 lead. 

       Miami Northwestern quickly came back on their next possession to take a 22-17 lead with 1:55 left in the fourth. On the second play of the drive. Lawrence fired a 62-yard touchdown pass to Lennear on the right sideline. They failed on a Russell two-point conversion run. 

       The Vikings overtook the Bulls with 10 seconds left in the game and moved ahead 23-22. Cole tossed a short pass to the left side and running back Ta'darius Washington rambled into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown.   

West Boca Raton Takes West Broward & 6A Title

     The West Boca Raton Bulls shut out the West Broward Bobcats 31-0 on Friday for the FHSAA Class 6A state championship in South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the Florida International University campus. It was the second championship contest this week that involved two South Florida high schools against each other. 

     The Bulls captured their second straight state title. They became the first Palm Beach County team to win back-to-back state titles since Glades Day accomplished it in 2009 and 2010. The Bobcats were looking for their first state championship in their first state title appearance. 

      In the first quarter, the Bulls burned the clock on their first possession of the contest. They ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Bobcats 20-yard line with 6:20 left. The Bobcats went three-and-out and punted the ball away. The Bulls again turned the ball over on downs at their own 38-yard line with 37 seconds to go in the first. 

      West Boca Raton(13-2) got the ball back following a turnover on downs by the Bobcats and took a 7-0 at the 8:04 mark of the second quarter. On the third play of the drive, running back Javian Mallory went into the line and down the left sideline on a 50-yard touchdown run. 

      West Broward(12-3) wide receiver Ratavion McReed fumbled the ball on a tackle by Bulls defensive back Damari Jerry. Defensive back Tray Mitchell picked up the ball and ran it back 61 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulls a 14-0 lead with 5:22 remaining in the second. 

      The Bulls had one more opportunity to score when they got the ball again following a punt with 1:17 to go. Tristan Lamb would kick a 37-yard field goal with no time remaining in the second quarter for a 17-0 halftime lead. It was just Lamb's second field goal of the 2025 season. 

      West Boca Raton increased their lead to 24-0 on their first possession of the second half. Mallory rushed up the middle from two yards out at 5:56 of the third quarter. 

       The Bobcats turned the ball over on downs at the Bulls 31-yard line at 9:52 of the final quarter. The Bulls answered back with a two-play, 69-yard drive for a score. Mallory sprinted through the middle from six yards away for a 31-0 lead at the 9:09 mark of the fourth quarter. It was Mallory's third touchdown run of the contest. 

       West Broward could not break the shutout as they reached the Bulls three-yard line on their second-to-last drive. Bobcats quarterback Brandon Mincy fumbled the ball away on third down with 3:16 remaining at the Bulls 22-yard line and it was recovered by defensive lineman Demetrius Geathers Jr. 

ESPN West Palm Has FHSAA Football Finals

      ESPN West Palm 106.3 WESP-FM will broadcast the FHSAA Class 1A state championship between the Cardinal Newman Crusaders and the Chaminade-Madonna Lions on Thursday afternoon. The Crusaders are trying to capture their first state football title in school history. 

      Christian Katt will be the play-by-play announcer while Jimmie Bell will be the game analyst. ESPN West Palm 106.3 has broadcast at least one FHSAA state championship game in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2024. 

       ESPN West Palm will have the FHSAA Class 6A state title game between the West Boca Raton Bulls and the West Broward Bobcats on Friday afternoon. The Bulls are going for their second straight state championship. 

       They will air the FHSAA Class 7A state championship game on Saturday night between the Vero Beach Indians and the Lake Mary Rams. The Indians will attempt to capture their first state since 1981 and their second overall state title in school history. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Tops Lakeland For 17th FHSAA Title

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders blanked the Lakeland Dreadnaughts 29-0 in the FHSAA Class 5A state championship in South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the Florida International University campus Thursday night. It was a championship rematch between both high schools from last year and the seventh time they have faced each other in the state title game since 2004. The Dreadnaughts, who have a 4-3 FHSAA Football Finals all-time edge, were shut out in the title game last season. 

     The Raiders captured their state-record FHSAA seventh consecutive state title and state-record 17th overall FHSAA state football championship. They have won 14 state crowns in their last 19 seasons. 

They have reached the FHSAA Football Finals 18 times in the past 22 seasons. STA now has a state-record 35-game playoff winning streak. 

     The Dreadnaughts looked to win their first state title since 2023 and their 10th overall state championship in school history. They made their fourth straight state championship appearance. 

     St. Thomas Aquinas(14-1) got on the scoreboard during their first possession at the 8:23 mark in the first quarter. Johnny DiSalvatore kicked a 19-yard field goal to make it 3-0. 

     The Raiders increased their lead to 6-0 with 51 seconds left in the first. Salvatore was able to kick a 30-yard field goal.

     Aquinas defensive back Jaden Carey intercepted a pass by Lakeland(12-3) quarterback Kelin Hendrix at the Raiders 26-yard line almost three minutes into the second quarter. It did not lead to any points on their ensuing drive. 

      STA had one more possession in final two minutes of the first half. Salvatore booted a 30-yard field goal with no time remaining in the second for a 9-0 halftime lead.

      In the third quarter, Raiders defensive back Zayden Gamble picked off an interception near midfield 10 seconds into the second half. It led to a 33-yard field goal by DiSalvatore for a 12-0 advantage at the 10:11 mark. 

      On the Dreadnaughts next possession, punter Brycen Fischer could not handle the snap and would turn the ball over on downs at their own 14-yard line. DiSalvatore was able to boot a 33-yard field goal with 7:21 to go in the third and St. Thomas Aquinas led 15-0. 

       Lakeland had their best scoring opportunity of the contest early in the fourth quarter, however they turned the ball over on downs at the Raiders 31-yard line. STA responded with a three-play, 69-yard drive that was capped off on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Jaden Desir up the middle with 8:00 left in the fourth for a 22-0 lead. 

       Hendrix fumbled the ball on his own 29-yard line at the 6:57 mark of the final quarter and it was recovered by defensive lineman Mekhi Bradley. Running back Morris Choice rushed through the right side of the line from six yards away to give the Raiders a 29-0 lead with 6:27 remaining in the fourth. 

Cardinal Newman Upsets Chaminade-Madonna For 1A Title

     The Chaminade-Madonna Lions were shocked by the Cardinal Newman Crusaders 17-14 in the FHSAA Class 1A state championship on Thursday in South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the Florida International University campus. It was the first of two state title games this week that involved two South Florida teams facing each other. 

     The Lions made their state-record 10th consecutive FHSAA Football Finals appearance. They attempted to capture their fifth straight state championship and their eighth state title in the last nine seasons. The Lions were going for their 10th overall state championship in school history. They had their 24-game postseason winning streak snapped. 

     The Crusaders won their first state football championship in their first state title game appearance in school history. Their head coach Jack Daniels had previous championship experience. He guided the Dwyer Panthers to two state championships in 2009 and 2013. 

     After no scoring during the opening quarter, Noah Sidan failed on a 32-yard field goal for the Lions 11 seconds into the second. 

      Cardinal Newman(12-3) moved out to a 7-0 lead at the 10:05 mark of the second quarter. Quarterback Jyron Hughley went around the left end and sprinted down the left sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.

      Chaminade-Madonna(11-3) bounced back on their next possession and scored to make it 7-7 at 8:25 of the second. Running back Derrek Cooper took the ball from the wildcat formation and busted up the middle from one yard out. 

       Sidan missed his second field goal of the game for the Lions in the middle of the third quarter. It was blocked by defensive back Khalil Gabaud. 

       The Crusaders capitalized on it and made it 14-7 with 2:03 remaining in the third. Hughley connected a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ethan Holland on the left side. It was just Holland's second touchdown catch of the 2025 campaign. 

       Lions quarterback Malik Leonard fumbled the ball at his own 37-yard line and turned the ball over to the Crusaders when defensive lineman Zion Brown recovered it with 43 seconds to go in the quarter. Cardinal Newman extended their lead to 17-7 at the 6:36 mark of the fourth quarter as Nathaniel Parks kicked a 36-yard field goal. 

       Hughley lost the ball as he was stripped by defensive lineman Damani Atkinson and it was recovered by defensive back Angelo Smith at the Lions 14-yard line with 2:32 to go in the fourth. Chaminade-Madonna closed it to 17-14 with 49 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Cooper rushed through the middle of the line from one yard away for his second touchdown of the contest. The Crusaders would recover the ensuing on-side kick following the touchdown to conclude the game. 

Sal Licata Leaving WFAN

     Former South Florida sports talk radio host Sal Licata has been dropped by WFAN-AM in New York City from the midday co-host position. He will not continue at that organization. 

     Licata did have a stint once at 640 WMEN-AM. He hosted a 30-minute New York Yankees pregame show from New York City prior to the airing of the New York Yankees Radio Network on that station from April 2013 until August 2013. 

     He joined WFAN in November 2021 as an overnight host. Licata was elevated to midday co-host in July 2023.