Four high schools from South Florida went up to the Citrus Bowl at Orlando in early December and won 2014 FHSAA state football championships. It did not match what happened in 2013 in which South Florida schools captured six of the eight classifications.
In the small schools category, the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes went undefeated again as they captured another Class 4A championship with a 54-35 victory over The Bolles School Bulldogs. The Tornadoes were led on offense by running back Mark Walton.
The American Heritage Stallions failed to bring another state championship to Delray Beach as they lost to Trinity Christian 27-7 in the Class 3A title game. They had a well-rounded offense which consisted of running back Devin Singletary, quarterback Warren Robinson along with wide receivers Desmond Cain and Trenard Davis.
South Florida had four representatives in the large school category as they had in 2013. The American Heritage Patriots brought home their second straight Class 5A title to Plantation as they routed Godby 38-0. The Pats had quarterback Torrance Gibson steer the offense and defensive back Tavares McFadden dictate the defense.
The Miami Central Rockets repeated again as Class 6A state champions as they defeated the Armwood Hawks 24-10. It was the third consecutive title for the school who were led by wide receiver Da'vante Phillips.
The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders returned to the top of the Class 7A mountain when they blanked the Osceola Kowboys 31-0. It was the fifth state title for STA since 2007 and their eighth championship in school history. The strong offense had numerous weapons which included Jordan Scarlett at running back, Jake Rizzo at quarterback along with Devante Peete, Juwuan Harris and Sam Bruce at wide receiver. Defensive end Nicholas Bozo spearheaded the Raiders defense.
The Columbus Explorers were the only local large school to lose in the title game as they were defeated by the Apopka Blue Darters 30-23 in Class 8A. Apopka, who fell to South Dade last year, won their second championship in the past three years.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Rangers Down Panthers
The New York Rangers made their only appearance this season in Sunrise and defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 at BB&T Center on Wednesday night. The Blueshirts won for the ninth time in ten games and the 13th time in their last 17. The Cats fell for the second straight game and finished their holiday homestand with a 2-1-1 record.
There was only one goal in the opening period as the Rangers moved ahead 1-0 at 16:42. Martin St. Louis carried the puck back up to the top of the zone and fed Kevin Klein. His slapshot was deflected by Chris Kreider in the slot area.
In the second period, New York(20-11-4) extended their lead just 1:29 into the frame. Carl Hagelin sprinted down the left side into the Panthers zone and set up Ryan McDonaugh for a quick shot which was saved by Al Montoya. Derick Brassard found a half-open net and swept in the rebound.
The Blueshirts gained a three-goal cushion on their first power play at 14:28 as McDonaugh ripped a slapshot from the top of the zone for an unassisted goal.
The shutout was broken by Florida(19-10-9) with 3:22 left in the second. Jonathan Huberdeau picked up a loose puck in his own zone and sent a long lead pass to Tomas Fleischmann at the Rangers blue line. He skated on Henrik Lundqvist and snapped a shot over the blocker for the tally.
The Cats cut the deficit to 3-2 at 7:39 of the third period on the power play. Dave Bolland was on the left wing and connected with Aleksander Barkov in the slot. His short pass to his right was then one-timed by Jimmy Hayes for his 11th goal this season.
The Rangers got up by two goals again at 9:51 when a puck went off the left skate of St. Louis in the crease area and through the legs of Montoya. The play was started by Kreider behind the Panthers cage as he placed a pass to Stepan in the slot for a one-time slapshot. Dominic Moore added an insurance goal with 4:25 left in regulation.
There was only one goal in the opening period as the Rangers moved ahead 1-0 at 16:42. Martin St. Louis carried the puck back up to the top of the zone and fed Kevin Klein. His slapshot was deflected by Chris Kreider in the slot area.
In the second period, New York(20-11-4) extended their lead just 1:29 into the frame. Carl Hagelin sprinted down the left side into the Panthers zone and set up Ryan McDonaugh for a quick shot which was saved by Al Montoya. Derick Brassard found a half-open net and swept in the rebound.
The Blueshirts gained a three-goal cushion on their first power play at 14:28 as McDonaugh ripped a slapshot from the top of the zone for an unassisted goal.
The shutout was broken by Florida(19-10-9) with 3:22 left in the second. Jonathan Huberdeau picked up a loose puck in his own zone and sent a long lead pass to Tomas Fleischmann at the Rangers blue line. He skated on Henrik Lundqvist and snapped a shot over the blocker for the tally.
The Cats cut the deficit to 3-2 at 7:39 of the third period on the power play. Dave Bolland was on the left wing and connected with Aleksander Barkov in the slot. His short pass to his right was then one-timed by Jimmy Hayes for his 11th goal this season.
The Rangers got up by two goals again at 9:51 when a puck went off the left skate of St. Louis in the crease area and through the legs of Montoya. The play was started by Kreider behind the Panthers cage as he placed a pass to Stepan in the slot for a one-time slapshot. Dominic Moore added an insurance goal with 4:25 left in regulation.
Joe Girvan Leaves WPTV
Joe Girvan is leaving his sportscaster post at WPTV-TV Channel 5 in West Palm Beach. He has been a weekend sports anchor at the station for several years. He also worked in an on-air capacity with ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM. He will become the new sports director and sports anchor at WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV in Fort Myers.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Habs Stop Panthers
The Florida Panthers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at BB&T Center on Tuesday night and lost to the Habs 2-1 in a shootout. The Canadiens have won four consecutive games and seven of their last eight while the Cats snapped a two-game winning streak.
It was until almost 39 minutes into the game until one team scored. Montreal(24-11-2) got the tally when Lars Eller gave a short lead pass ahead to Zack Gallagher at the Panthers blue line and he scorched a slapshot from the top right circle by Roberto Luongo with 1:06 left in the second period.
Florida(16-9-9) had to wait until late in the third period to tie the game up. Aaron Ekblad carried the puck into the Canadiens zone on the right side. He slid it to the high slot and Nick Bjugstad buried a snap shot over the left glove of Dustin Tokarski with 1:49 remaining. The Cats outshot the Habs 14-4 in the third period.
The contest went into a shootout and Montreal got the only score on their third attempt as P.A. Parenteau skated between the circles and released a shot over the left glove of Luongo for the victory.
It was until almost 39 minutes into the game until one team scored. Montreal(24-11-2) got the tally when Lars Eller gave a short lead pass ahead to Zack Gallagher at the Panthers blue line and he scorched a slapshot from the top right circle by Roberto Luongo with 1:06 left in the second period.
Florida(16-9-9) had to wait until late in the third period to tie the game up. Aaron Ekblad carried the puck into the Canadiens zone on the right side. He slid it to the high slot and Nick Bjugstad buried a snap shot over the left glove of Dustin Tokarski with 1:49 remaining. The Cats outshot the Habs 14-4 in the third period.
The contest went into a shootout and Montreal got the only score on their third attempt as P.A. Parenteau skated between the circles and released a shot over the left glove of Luongo for the victory.
The Ticket Celebrates Ten Years
790 The Ticket WAXY-AM marked their tenth anniversary back in August as an all-sports radio station. They were known for over a decade prior to their change of programming as a brokered format. They added an FM simulcast for programming at 104.3 The Ticket in August 2012.
The one program that has been there from the beginning in August 2004 and their staple during their ten-year run is the Dan LeBatard Show. It has been led by the longtime Miami Herald sportswriter along with his sidekick Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz. LeBatard had previous radio broadcasting experience hosting a weekend show on ESPN Radio while Weiner was a producer on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and a sports host on Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM. Marc Hochman, a University of Miami classmate of LeBatard, was the producer and third cog to the program.
The show became nationally syndicated on ESPN Radio as of October 2013. They have outlasted 15 different people who hosted the afternoon show against them on WQAM in a ten-year span.
Several WQAM personnel moved across the street literally to join The Ticket. The first morning show on the station was hosted by Joe Rose and produced by Zach Krantz. Phil Schoen returned to the Miami airwaves as a sports anchor and Jon "Boog" Sciambi hosted a midday show while working for ESPN. Steve Goldstein also came aboard as a weekend host during the NHL lockout for one year. Rose and Krantz came back because WAXY lost the Miami Dolphins radio rights to their main competitor.
Other former WQAM on-air talent have remained at The Ticket. Brian "The Beast" London and Josh Friedman have been elevated to talk show hosts while Joy Taylor is now a morning co-host with Jonathan Zaslow, who has been with WAXY from the beginning.
Many people who started at The Ticket had eventually moved on to WQAM. They included Sid Rosenberg, Jorge Sedano, Marc Hochman, Kevin Rogers, Alex Donno, Brandon Guzio, Andy King, Ed Freeman, Jeff Fox and Steve White.
The one program that has been there from the beginning in August 2004 and their staple during their ten-year run is the Dan LeBatard Show. It has been led by the longtime Miami Herald sportswriter along with his sidekick Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz. LeBatard had previous radio broadcasting experience hosting a weekend show on ESPN Radio while Weiner was a producer on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and a sports host on Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM. Marc Hochman, a University of Miami classmate of LeBatard, was the producer and third cog to the program.
The show became nationally syndicated on ESPN Radio as of October 2013. They have outlasted 15 different people who hosted the afternoon show against them on WQAM in a ten-year span.
Several WQAM personnel moved across the street literally to join The Ticket. The first morning show on the station was hosted by Joe Rose and produced by Zach Krantz. Phil Schoen returned to the Miami airwaves as a sports anchor and Jon "Boog" Sciambi hosted a midday show while working for ESPN. Steve Goldstein also came aboard as a weekend host during the NHL lockout for one year. Rose and Krantz came back because WAXY lost the Miami Dolphins radio rights to their main competitor.
Other former WQAM on-air talent have remained at The Ticket. Brian "The Beast" London and Josh Friedman have been elevated to talk show hosts while Joy Taylor is now a morning co-host with Jonathan Zaslow, who has been with WAXY from the beginning.
Many people who started at The Ticket had eventually moved on to WQAM. They included Sid Rosenberg, Jorge Sedano, Marc Hochman, Kevin Rogers, Alex Donno, Brandon Guzio, Andy King, Ed Freeman, Jeff Fox and Steve White.
Panthers Come Back On Maple Leafs
The Florida Panthers pulled off a two-goal comeback as they scored four goals in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Sunday at BB&T Center. The Panthers won for the fourth time in five games while the Maple Leafs fell for the fourth time in their last five games.
Florida (16-9-8), who outshot the Leafs 13-3 in the first period, started out with a 19-5 shot advantage until they surrendered the first goal at 6:39 of the second period. Richard Panik skated down the right side and snapped a shot from the right circle dot for a Toronto(20-13-3) 1-0 lead.
The Panthers evened it at 8:24 when Brian Campbell sent a long lead pass to Jonathan Huberdeau at the Maple Leafs blue line. He skated through the left circle and put in a wrist shot from the edge of the crease.
The Cats took their first lead of the game at 10:13 on an odd-man attack as Sean Bergenheim fed a pass from the right wing to Jimmy Hayes in the slot area and he fired a one-time shot by James Riemer.
The Maple Leafs tied it as Joffrey Lupul connected a pass from the right corner to a wide open Roman Polak in front and he lifted a shot over the left glove of Roberto Luongo at 14:16.
Toronto added a power-play tally at 17:30 when Cody Franson centered the puck to James Van Riemsdyk for his 16th goal of the season. The Leafs made it 4-2 with 1:01 in the second as Lupul carried the puck down the left side and sent a backhand pass to the crease where Nazem Kadri rammed in a one-time shot. They were outshot 29-13 after two periods.
The Leafs blew a two-goal lead in the third period as the Cats scored four different times in the final frame. Dmitry Kulikov scored his first goal of the season from right point on a slapshot following a pass from Jussi Jokinen from the right wing 2:45 in the third.
The Panthers tied it 4-4 midway through the period at 10:09. Huberdeau dropped a pass from the right wing to Willie Mitchell, who saved a loose puck from leaving the Toronto zone, at the left point. His wrist shot through traffic found the twine for the Panthers captain.
Florida regained the lead on the power play with 3:15 to go in regulation. Kulikov blasted a top zone shot which was redirected by Brad Boyes in the slot area. Scottie Upshall added an empty net goal with 35 seconds left on assists by Tomas Kopecky and Derek MacKenzie.
Florida (16-9-8), who outshot the Leafs 13-3 in the first period, started out with a 19-5 shot advantage until they surrendered the first goal at 6:39 of the second period. Richard Panik skated down the right side and snapped a shot from the right circle dot for a Toronto(20-13-3) 1-0 lead.
The Panthers evened it at 8:24 when Brian Campbell sent a long lead pass to Jonathan Huberdeau at the Maple Leafs blue line. He skated through the left circle and put in a wrist shot from the edge of the crease.
The Cats took their first lead of the game at 10:13 on an odd-man attack as Sean Bergenheim fed a pass from the right wing to Jimmy Hayes in the slot area and he fired a one-time shot by James Riemer.
The Maple Leafs tied it as Joffrey Lupul connected a pass from the right corner to a wide open Roman Polak in front and he lifted a shot over the left glove of Roberto Luongo at 14:16.
Toronto added a power-play tally at 17:30 when Cody Franson centered the puck to James Van Riemsdyk for his 16th goal of the season. The Leafs made it 4-2 with 1:01 in the second as Lupul carried the puck down the left side and sent a backhand pass to the crease where Nazem Kadri rammed in a one-time shot. They were outshot 29-13 after two periods.
The Leafs blew a two-goal lead in the third period as the Cats scored four different times in the final frame. Dmitry Kulikov scored his first goal of the season from right point on a slapshot following a pass from Jussi Jokinen from the right wing 2:45 in the third.
The Panthers tied it 4-4 midway through the period at 10:09. Huberdeau dropped a pass from the right wing to Willie Mitchell, who saved a loose puck from leaving the Toronto zone, at the left point. His wrist shot through traffic found the twine for the Panthers captain.
Florida regained the lead on the power play with 3:15 to go in regulation. Kulikov blasted a top zone shot which was redirected by Brad Boyes in the slot area. Scottie Upshall added an empty net goal with 35 seconds left on assists by Tomas Kopecky and Derek MacKenzie.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Heat Top LeBron James And Cavs
After four seasons with the Heat franchise, LeBron James returned to Miami for the first time as the Miami Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 on Saturday at American Airlines Arena. James, who signed with the Cavs as a free agent in July, helped the Heat to two NBA championships and two Eastern Conference titles.
James led the Cavs with 30 points and eight assists in 40 minutes. Chris Bosh did not dress and was unavailable for the game. The Heat are now 2-6 in their last eight home games and 6-10 overall this season in Miami.
Miami(14-16) began on an 8-2 edge in the first two minutes and led 30-27 after one quarter with Dwyane Wade's 12 points in the frame. The Heat extended their margin up to 17 points at 56-39 with 3:15 left in the second. The Cavaliers trailed 62-49 at halftime as James had 15 points while Wade had 24.
Cleveland(17-11) scored the first eight points of the second half to cut the deficit down to seven points. They scored seven unanswered points late in the third to pull to 73-71 with under two minutes left, however the Heat were up 77-74 after three quarters.
The Cavs got their first lead since their first basket of the game 78-77 just 41 seconds into the fourth quarter with a James slam dunk as he held on to the rim for a technical foul. Miami later went on a 10-1 run to go ahead 90-81 with 4:02 remaining. Cleveland hit six straight points and were behind 90-87, but Miami responded with seven consecutive points to put the game away.
James led the Cavs with 30 points and eight assists in 40 minutes. Chris Bosh did not dress and was unavailable for the game. The Heat are now 2-6 in their last eight home games and 6-10 overall this season in Miami.
Miami(14-16) began on an 8-2 edge in the first two minutes and led 30-27 after one quarter with Dwyane Wade's 12 points in the frame. The Heat extended their margin up to 17 points at 56-39 with 3:15 left in the second. The Cavaliers trailed 62-49 at halftime as James had 15 points while Wade had 24.
Cleveland(17-11) scored the first eight points of the second half to cut the deficit down to seven points. They scored seven unanswered points late in the third to pull to 73-71 with under two minutes left, however the Heat were up 77-74 after three quarters.
The Cavs got their first lead since their first basket of the game 78-77 just 41 seconds into the fourth quarter with a James slam dunk as he held on to the rim for a technical foul. Miami later went on a 10-1 run to go ahead 90-81 with 4:02 remaining. Cleveland hit six straight points and were behind 90-87, but Miami responded with seven consecutive points to put the game away.
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