Six squads from the region advanced to the finals. Three boys teams and three girls squads played for championships among four levels. And the outcomes went right down the middle – three state championships and three runner-up finishes.
In boys play, Mitchell (New Port Richey) captured the Class 4A crown. Soccer power Tampa Prep won the Class 2A boys crown while Palm Harbor University lost in the Class 6A final. On the girls side, Tampa Prep (2A) and Berkeley Prep (Tampa) (3A) finished in second place. But Palm Harbor’s girls won the Class 6A championship.
Palm Harbor University needed overtime to escape with the match’s lone goal in its victory against Boca Raton. PHU freshman forward Kelly Phipps netted the winner seven minutes into overtime when her 20-yard shot bounced past the keeper.
The title was the second straight for the unbeaten Hurricanes (23-0-1) and first at the Class 6A level. Palm Harbor has a total of five girls state soccer championships – third-most in the state of Florida. Meanwhile, Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep did not fare as well. The Terrapins fell 2-0 to Delray Beach American Heritage in a rematch of the 2008 Class 2A title match, which Tampa Prep won. Tampa Prep finished this season 20-6-4. Berkeley Prep (21-5-2) saw its dream of a Class 3A title come up short in a penalty-kicks loss to Plantation American Heritage.
Tampa Prep’s boys team ended the season with a 15-match winning streak, including its 2-1 win in the Class 2A final against Delray Beach American Heritage. For Tampa Prep (19-4-2), the victory earned the program a fourth state championship during the past six seasons. The Terrapins benefitted from a Heritage own goal and got a score from Zack Hebert to claim the title.
And while storied Tampa Prep is no stranger to the state soccer finals, Mitchell earned its first championship in any sport at the school. Mitchell’s Jason Leslie scored the match’s only goal as the Mustangs topped Jacksonville Stanton 1-0 for the 4A title.
The victory completed a dream season for Mitchell (26-2-3), which became the third Pasco County team (Land O’ Lakes, Dade City Pasco) to reach the soccer final four but the first to bring home gold.
And the PHU boys missed out on a chance to be back-to-back champions. State champions at the Class 5A level last season, PHU advanced to the Class 6A title game this season but fell to Boca Raton in a match that went to penalty kicks. PHU’s Ben Sweat scored 26 minutes into the contest but the Hurricanes couldn’t convert again. Boca Raton scored a second-half goal to tie that match, which eventually went to Boca Raton on a 3-2 penalty kicks advantage. A three-time state-championship program, PHU ends the year 21-6-3.
Best of the Bay
In Bay area soccer circles, Bryane Heaberlin is known as an outstanding young goalkeeper for the Tampa Berkeley Prep team that advanced to the state finals. Heaberlin, a sophomore, also is playing for the Under-17 Women’s U.S. National Team.
Moments after the U.S. team defeated Haiti 9-0 on March 10 in a qualifying macth in Costa Rica, she became much more well known. Heaberlin walked across the field to comfort her counterpart, Haitian goalkeeper Alexandra Coby. Flushed with emotion from the game, and no doubt from the ongoing crisis in her earthquake-ravaged home country, Coby fell to the ground in tears.
After helping Coby up, Heaberlin gave her a hug that lasted…and lasted…and lasted. Soon the two keepers were joined in a tearful group hug by the entire U.S. roster.
The moment was quickly recounted by news outlets in both countries and across the Internet.
Heaberlin told U.S. Soccer.com: "I saw her crying and that was pretty hard for me to see. She’s a 'keeper and we have that bond. I knew that she had probably lost people close to her, and when she goes home she might not have anywhere to go. I gave her a big hug and told her she did great. She came to compete in this tournament despite all that she’s been through and I have tremendous respect for her."
Other Bay area happenings
Plant City teammates Stephen McIntyre and Alton Honors provided the spark and helped the East squad rally late in the game and go on to a 85-77 win in the 25th annual UNCF All-Star Game.
McIntyre and Honors, who led Plant City to 17 wins this past season, combined for 31 points as the East went on a 15-6 run to close out the game. McIntyre scored 16 points while Honors added 15. McIntyre was named the game’s MVP.
The East trailed 38-36 at the half and despite leading throughout the second half, found the game tied at 63 with eight minutes left. That's when the Raiders' duo, along with Tampa Hillsborough's Antonio Chow, helped lead the rally.
Tampa Gaither's Resha Talley led the West squad with 13 points while Tampa Jefferson's Michael Kinsey, Jr. added 11 points and Daminion Royal of Tampa Leto scored 10 points.
"We had a lot of chemistry being teammates,’’ McIntyre said. "We came in and this team just clicked. We had a spark and it was an awesome experience to play this game. It was a lot of fun.’’
