Ransom beats Belen in boys' water polo; Yeash powers Curley

It was an emotional, intense game for Ransom Everglades.

Not only did it want to seek revenge against Belen for losing to the Wolverines last year, but the Raiders were playing without their starting goalkeeper Alex Soto-Longo because of a concussion he sustained in a car accident.

Sophmore goalkeeper Andrew Roberts stepped in and played well enough in a 10-6 victory Friday.

Roberts saved several goals in the first half to stave off any momentum the Wolverines had.

''My teammate told me to do what you've been taught to do,'' Roberts said.

After trailing 1-0, the Raiders put up four goals in a row, the first two by Levi Cassel.

The Raiders were leading 9-3 late in the fourth before the Wolverines finally got their offense going. They got three consecutive goals, including two by Anthony Lopez, to cut their deficit to 9-6.

BASEBALL

ARCHBISHOP CURLEY 3,

ST. JOHN NEUMAN 2

Curley 102 000 0 --3 3 0 St. John Neuman 200 000 0 --2 8 1

WP: Edwin Valdez (2-2). LP: Reynolds. Top performers: Michael Yeash had a triple, scored two runs and earned the save. John Tillman singled and had two RBI. Raynard Harris scored the winning run. Records: AC 14-13.

MIAMI CHRISTIAN 5,

SOUTH FORT MYERS 1

SFM 010 000 0 --1 2 1 MC 110 120 0 --5 10 1

WP: Felix Roque (7-5). LP: Ingraam. Top performers: Noel Garcia was 2 for 2 with a home run. JC Rodriguez was 2 for 3 with two RBI. Chris Torres was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Records: MC 16-11.

BELEN 8, LA SALLE 4

LS 020 011 0 --4 6 0 Bel 302 030 0 --8 11 0

WP: Chris Degoti (4-2). LP: Perez. Top performers: Marcos Calderon was 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Andres Wiltz was 1 for 2 with a home run. Lucas Calderon was 1 for 1 with two RBI. Records: Bel 17-6.

SOFTBALL

DISTRICT 15-6A CHAMPIONSHIP

SOUTHWEST 4, BRADDOCK 3

Bra 200 000 1 --3 5 0 SW 100 030 0 --4 9 1

WP: Heidi Penna (9-4). LP: Ingrid Cabrera. Top performers: Stefanie Barnes was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs. Eleni Tapas was 1 for 3 with a double and two RBI. Jamie Yaniga was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Records: SW 17-6.

DISTRICT 16-1A CHAMPIONSHIP

COLONIAL CHRISTIAN 10,

PRINCETON CHRISTIAN 7

PC 102 002 2 -- 7 10 3 CC 223 003 0 --10 12 3

WP: Sherry Herbert (13-2). LP: Stephanie Cook. Top performers: Natash Perez-Milan was 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI. Gabriella Murphy was 2 for 3 with two runs. Sherry Herbert was 3 for 4 with four RBI. Records: CC 15-2.

DISTRICT 15-2A CHAMPIONSHIP

DADE CHR. 8, MIAMI COUNTRY DAY 2

Country Day 002 000 0 --2 6 2 Dade Chr. 003 113 x --8 10 2

WP: Meghan Monroe (3-1). LP: Estes. Top performers: Meghan Monroe gave up three hits in four innings as she earned the win. Ashley Benitez was 3 for 4 with two runs. Kristy Bosch was 2 for 3 with a run. Records: DC 11-7.

DISTRICT 16-2A CHAMPIONSHIP

WESTMINSTER C. 11, MARATHON 0

Mar 000 000 0 -- 0 1 2 WC 360 200 0 --11 13 0

WP: Kat Powell (10-3). LP: Heller. Top performers: Kat Powell had a home run and two RBI. Camille Benito was 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBI.

Meghan Kenney was 2 for 3 with two RBI. Records: WC 21-6.

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL

• Doral Academy d. Jackson 25-5, 25-8, 25-7: Daniel Rosario had nine aces and one block. Jean-Carlos Rosario had one ace and three digs. Jorge Calvarez had four aces and one dig. Dor 4-9.

• Southwest d. Braddock 25-16, 25-19, 25-17: Jonathan Roldan led the Eagles (20-1) with 19 kills and eight digs. Richard Tamayo added six kills and four blocks. Danny Moreno chipped in four kills and four blocks.

NOTEBOOK

• Varela hires football coach: Varela made its first coaching change in the eight-year existence of its football program Friday.

Varela athletic director Andy Chiles announced the hiring of former University of Michigan All-American and Rod Payne as its new football coach.

Payne coached the past two years at Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy. Last season, he led Westminster to a 7-3 record.

Payne was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1997 and was an All-Dade offensive lineman and wrestler at Killian. Payne was also a member of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 when they won Super Bowl XXXV.

Payne becomes the second coach in school history, replacing Clark Eakes, who stepped down after the season. The Vipers missed the playoffs last year after having advanced four of the previous five seasons.

''We're very excited about having coach Payne on board and what he brings to our program,'' Chiles said.

• Hudson hired: Krop also named defensive backs coach David Hudson its new football head coach for the upcoming season.

Hudson replaces Rick DiVita, who coached the Lightning the past two seasons and recently accepted the head coaching position at the new West Broward High School.

Hudson spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the Lightning and is a graduate of Hialeah-Miami Lakes.

Krop finished third in its district last season and has not made the playoffs since 2000.

''I expect our defense to be our strong point again this season, but we're looking to complement it with a consistent offense that can score a lot of points,'' Hudson said.

• Sports banquet: Pro Athletes Outreach, an organization run by former Miami Dolphin Norm Evans, will hold its first annual ''Coaches Wall of Honor'' banquet Sunday at 6:45 p.m. at the Rusty Pelican restaurant in Key Biscayne.

The event is meant to honor local coaches that have made a difference in the lives of South Florida high school athletes.

The coaches who will be honored will be former Carol City football coach Walt Frazier, former Westminster Christian, Westminster Academy and current Sunrise Piper baseball coach Rich Hofman, Ransom Everglades football coach Dave Hewett, former Sunset and current Winter Park girls' volleyball coach Stephanie Gibson, Belen track coach and athletic director Carlos Barquin, former Carol City and Miami-Dade College baseball coach Rob Hertler, former Florida Christian basketball coach Linton Fowler, Florida Christian wrestling coach Charles Zies.

Tickets to the event are $25 each and can be purchased beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the restaurant.

• Football camps: The first Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp will be held June 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of South Florida. All proceeds from the camp benefit Lauren's First and Goal foundation, which is a charitable organization created to raise funds for pediatric brain tumor research and support for pediatric cancer services.

The camp is organized by Lafayette College defensive coordinator John Loose, whose 11-year old daughter has been fighting brain tumors since the age of 2.

The minimum donation is $25 per athlete and the camp is open to students entering grades 8 through 12 in the fall.

For more information, visit the camp's website at laurensfirstandgoal.org.

• Some honors: Norland guard Amir Celestin and forward Antonio Hester received another recognition for leading the Vikings to the Class 6A state title this season.

Each was named to the Class 6A All-State first team Friday when the team was released by the Florida Sports Writers Association.

Celestin averaged 10.9 points and 2.7 assists per game, and Hester averaged 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds to lead Norland to its second state title in three years.

Krop senior guard Anton Fortunato made second team.

Miami Springs guard T.Y. Hilton and Hialeah-Miami Lakes forward Andy Diaz each earned third team honors. Norland's Jerry Jones made honorable mention.

• Signings: Eight members of Varela's boys' soccer national championship team signed letters of intent with colleges this week.

Forward Luis Yamashita, who was named the state final four's Most Valuable Player this season, signed with Virginia Tech. Forward Brian Carvajal signed to play with Florida International. Defender Kevin Ante signed with Florida Gulf Coast, and midfielder Ricardo Ramirez signed with Barry University. Sebastian Lara, Chris Lacotera, Daniel Cardona and Sean Moo signed with Darton College.

Varela also had two signees in other sports.

Softball catcher Carla Velasquez signed with Manhattan College, and girls' volleyball star Jaharys Archilla signed with Lake Sumter Community College.

-- ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ

• Elite Tour: The second annual STACK magazine Elite Tour, showcasing hundreds of the country's top high school football players, kicks off Friday at the Dolphins' training facility in Davie.

About 250 South Florida football players are expected to attend Friday's closed-to-the-public event, the first of 10 tour stops nationwide. It will feature professional coaches and trainers -- along with a guest appearance from Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell -- running drills and skill tests for the players.

Top athletes at each of three positions will be named to the Reebok Elite Team, and one MVP will be selected (with each of the 10 cities' MVPs to be featured in the September 2008 issue of STACK).

The participants, who already have been selected, were picked with the help of area coaches.

Drills begin at about 5 p.m.

• MVP winner: Dillard safety Jarrett Dieudonne earned the MVP award at the STACK magazine Elite Tour's South Florida stop Friday, and Dillard wide receiver/returner Benjamin Dinkins took the top skill position honor.

About 225 players from Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and elsewhere participated in the event, which took place in the Dolphins' practice bubble at their training facility in Davie. Among the high schools most represented were Stranahan, Dillard, Hollywood Hills, Killian and Southridge.

About two dozen had participants, who received instruction from coaches and Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell.

The tour's next stop is San Diego, on April 25. The final stop is on June 5 (in Houston), and all honorees will be featured in the September 2008 issue of STACK.

-- PATRICK DORSEY