With a wave of representation from the bottom half of the Sunshine State, three teams from the south region outlasted their competition and emerged as state champions within their respective classifications at the 2010 baseball finals held at Digital Domain Park in Port Saint Lucie.
Two of the teams (Flanagan of Pembroke Pines and Archbishop McCarthy of Fort Lauderdale) finished the season ranked within the state’s top five, according to MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 presented by Milk.
Flanagan scored 10 runs in the first inning to defeat American (Hialeah) 12-3 and capture the Class 6A state title, the school’s third overall. In a battle between two of the best teams from Miami-Dade and Broward County, the Falcons' eight-hit first inning took away much of American’s momentum, which kept the Patriots scoreless until the fourth inning.
Geoffrey Jimenez, a senior outfielder, led the way for Flanagan, going 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI. Jimenez, who led off for Flanagan, began the hitting barrage with a single and then added to it with a double late in the first inning to help the Falcons (25-2) create that massive margin. Flanagan, one of the top teams in the nation, finished the season ranked No. 4 in Florida.
Archbishop McCarthy secured its first state championship, in any sport, after a 6-1 win over Jesuit in the Class 4A state final. After managing just one run through five innings, Johnny Cole hit a double to lead off the sixth, which helped produce a four-run inning for the Mavericks, giving them a 5-1 lead over Jesuit.
Much of Cole’s momentum was ignited by pitcher Jose Brizuela who struck out three of Jesuit’s last four batters to escape a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fifth inning. Brizuela, a junior, helped the Mavericks (27-5) make school history as they ended their season ranked No. 3 overall in the state, the highest from the region.
Entering the season as one of Florida’s all-time greatest baseball teams, Westminster Christian (Miami) secured its spot in state history after defeating Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg) 6-0 en route to its second-straight Class 2A state title, the school’s 10th overall. With the win, the Warriors (25-6) have accumulated the most baseball championships of any program in Miami-Dade County history.
Sophomore slugger David Thompson was instrumental in the Warriors' championship season, going 2 for 2 with two singles and a walk in the state final. Thompson also made history after becoming the fourth person to hit a state-record 19 home runs in a season, joining Florida Bible’s Frankie Figueroa (1996), Merritt Island’s Tommy Parrott (1999) and Tampa Catholic’s Donnie Scott (1978). The standout sophomore hit his 18th and 19th home runs in the state semifinals against Orangewood Christian (Orlando), which also gave him the Miami-Dade County record for home runs in a season, previously held by former Monsignor Pace star Adrian Cardenas with 18 in 2006.
Recruiting tracker: Darshay Davis
Everglades (Miramar) sprinter Darshay Davis signed a letter of intent to run for the University of Florida next year after having one of the best seasons in the school history. Darshay won a pair of silver medals in the 2010 Class 4A state finals and set personal bests in the 100 (11.61) and 200 (24.03) this season.
TIP Award
This week’s top individual performance award goes to Westminster Christian standout David Thompson. Thompson, a sophomore, helped lead the Warriors to their 10th state title in school history while also hitting a state-record 19 home runs this season.
