Edison’s Lonesha Howell, Belen Jesuit’s Carlos Veccio and local coaches win top honors
Miami Edison senior Lonesha Howell was voted MVP of the FACA Flag Football Senior All-Star Classic at Belleview High School in Marion County.
Playing receiver and safety, Howell made three interceptions and caught eight passes, two for touchdowns. She also threw two touchdown passes.
The games featured 40-plus top high school senior flag football players from around the state. They were split into four teams by region - North, South, East & West.
Howell was representing the South, which included her teammate Joann Gilmore and local players Jellisa Facyson (Dillard), Sydney Ford (2A state champ Western), Veronica McBride (2A state champ Western) and Nyla McKnight (Everglades).
The South went 2-0 with victories over the West 26-13 and the North 40-0.
This season Howell led the Red Raiders to a district title, a region title and a state semifinal appearance in Class 1A.
Water Polo honors
Senior Carlos Veccio of Belen Jesuit has been named the Florida Dairy Farmers 2022 Mr. Water Polo and junior Emily Scheerer of Lake Nona High School is the 2022 Miss Water Polo.
In addition, Jimmy Aguilera of Belen Jesuit and Alexander Bennett of Lake Nona were named winners of the Boys’ and Girls’ Water Polo Coach of the Year awards, respectively.
Veccio helped his school to a 20-0 record and the state title, culminating with a nine-goal scoring performance in the state championship game over an unbeaten Dr. Phillips squad. He finished the season with 90 goals, 36 assists and 22 steals.
Scheerer scored 107 goals, had 20 assists and added 21 steals in helping her team to its second straight state title, giving Lake Nona back-to-back Miss Water Polo winners, with Jordan Agliano earning the award in 2021.
Aguilera led his boys’ squad to a 20-0 record and Belen Jesuit’s third state title in the past eight years -- first since winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.
Bennett led Lake Nona to a 26-0 record, and a second straight unbeaten season, pushing its two-year winning streak to 44 games. He won three girls’ state titles (2005-07) and a boys’ title (2007) at Gulliver Prep before taking over the Lake Nona program 13 years ago.
The Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers’ commitment to the state’s youth. This is the 30th year of these unique awards as we honor the state’s top athletes and coaches in all 32 FHSAA sanctioned sports. The program also emphasizes to young people the importance of keeping dairy products a primary part of their diet in their overall nutrition plan.
Lacrosse honors
St. Thomas Aquinas coach Terry Crowley was named the 2022 Boys’ Lacrosse Coach of the Year by the Florida Dairy Farmers.
Crowley led Aquinas to a 17-3 record and the Class 2A state championship. In 13 years at the school, he has compiled a 198-34 record with three state titles and three Coach of the Year awards (2016, 2017 and 2022).
Awards, honors, college signings
If you have local, state, national and/or team awards for your varsity student athletes, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
College signings, too.
New athletic directors, coaches
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have new sports administration and/or coaching hires to announce, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have varsity results (playoffs, spring football), top performers and stats for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
