South Florida shines at state girls’ weightlifting. Big flag football win for Edison and more
Haylee St. Hilaire of Miami Shores Doctors Charter School and Justice Lee of Marathon High School won state titles during the FHSAA State Girls’ Weightlifting Championships at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Lee, a junior, repeated as a double state champion, winning two more titles in Olympic and Traditional categories in Class 1A. Last season, she became the first dual state champion in Marathon High School history.
Led by Lee and coached by Jessie Schubert, Marathon was runner-up at state in the Traditional category (clean & jerk and bench press). That is a school first, too.
St. Hilaire, a senior, won a state title in Class 1A in the Olympic category. She also helped the Hawks place runner-up at state under the direction of coaches Randal Morales, Paul Behar and Andrew Dodds. They were second in the team Olympic category (snatch and clean & jerk), a school first.
A 2025 district champion, St. Hilaire is a three-time state finalist and a 2024 state silver medalist in the Olympic category.
There’s more.
South Florida had its best showing at state in girls’ weightlfting.
In Class 1A, weightlifters from Doctors Charter, Marathon, Tavenier Coral Shores, and Homestead Keys Gate Charter qualified for state. In 2A, Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy weightlifters advanced to state as well. That’s 20-plus athletes from South Florida at state, and they totaled 17 medals, the most in the South Florida history of girls’ weightlifting.
South Florida medalists at 2025 FHSAA state championships:
Doctors Charter School: Haylee St. Hilaire-State Champion (Olympics); Cora Dunham-Silver Medalist (Olympic); Riyella Salameda-Silver Medalist (Olympic); Shayla Strickland-5th place (Olympic).
%20G%20Weightlfting%20%20medalist%20Feb%202025.jpg "DCS (photo 8) G Weightlfting medalist Feb 2025.jpg")
Cora Dunham
%20G%20Weightlifting%20%20%20medalist%20Feb%202025.jpg "DCS (photo 6) G Weightlifting medalist Feb 2025.jpg")
Shayla Strickland
%20G%20Weightlfting%20%20medalist%20Feb%202025.jpg "DCS (photo 7) G Weightlfting medalist Feb 2025.jpg")
Riyella Salameda
Marathon: Justice Lee-State Champion (Olympic) and State Champion (Traditional); Ella Dunn-5th place (Olympic) and 5th place (Traditional); Ella Evans-4th place (Traditional) and 6th place (Olympic) category; Ayme Maradiaga-Bronze Medalist (Traditional) with coaches Jessie Schubert and Michelle James.
Coral Shores: Sydney Eysenbach-4th place (Olympic) and 6th place (Traditional); Jennille Arias-Bronze Medalist (Olympic) and Silver Medalist (Traditional) with Coach Erin Hamilton.
Keys Gate Charter: Jessenia Tyler-Bronze Medalist (Olympic) and 6th place (Traditional).
Jessenia Tyler with Coach Christopher Kim
South Florida girls’ weightlifting history:
In 2022, the FHSAA expanded from one to two categories, which opened more opportunities for girls to participate in weightlfting.
Before the pandemic, seven high school girls’ weightlifting teams existed from Broward County to the Keys. They are Archbishop McCarthy, Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, Miami Gulliver Prep, Key West, Marathon, Coral Shores and Doctors Charter School.
After the pandemic, these schools were added to the list: Keys Gate, AIE Charter, Homestead Somerset, COHEA, Avante Garde, Miami Somerset Silver Palms.
Flag football
In a big showdown in girls’ flag football early in the season, Miami Edison came-from-behind to defeat the state’s 2nd-ranked and defending state champ Miami Palmetto 20-19.
Palnetto led 13-0 led at halftime. The Red Raiders outscored Palmetto 20-6 in the second half for the victory.
In the first quarter, Palmetto quarterback Ana Alvarez threw a touchdown pass (a rocket between two defenders) to Camai Moore, covering 50 yards for a 6-0 lead.
Palmetto’s defense intercepted an Edison pass on 4th-and-1. Then Alvarez again connected with Moore -- an 18-yard pass to the Red Raiders 1-yard line. Alvarez scored on a run on the next play. Serenity Simon completed an extra point pass to Ashley Alvarado, and the Panthers increased their lead, 13-0.
Edison take the opening drive of the second half, and quarterback Rakayia Louis threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Malaysia David and an extra point pass to Torrie Cotman to cut the deficit to 13-7.
On the second play of the second half, David intercepted Alvarez after the ball was tipped. Edison took over at midfield. Two plays later Louis threw a touchdown pass to Camille Canidate. The Panthers stopped the extra point pass, and the game was even at 13.
Palmetto regained the lead when Alvarez threw a touchdown pass to Alvarado, but Edison defended the extra point attempt. So the Panthers were ahead 19-13 with four minutes remaining.
Edison drove the length of the field with Louis completing passes to Brianna Bogans, Canidate and David. A big fourth down pass covering 15 yards to Cotman kept the drive alive. Poetry Auguste then caught a 25-yard pass from Louis to the Palmetto 2-yard line. On the next play Louis threw a touchdown pass to Auguste to tie the game at 19 with 27 seconds left. Auguste scored the winning point on an extra point run.
David intercepted Alvarez again to end the game. Louis threw three touchdown passes.
Panthers quarterback Ana Alvarez, who threw two touchdown passes and scored on a run, finished with 15-of-27 passing for 184 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. She also ran the ball four times for 12 yards and a touchdown.
Ashley Alvarado caught six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown and completed her only pass for nine yards. Camai Moore had four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. Giselle Felix caught three passes for 24 yards, and Serenity Simon snagged two passes for 14 yards.
On defense, Alvarez and Moore each made six flag pulls, and Felix and Simon had five apiece. Alvarado added four flag pulls (two sacks) and two passes defended. Danielle Ortega and Marlena Friedman each recorded a sack.
Softball
Carrollton 16, Colonial 1 (3 Inn.): The Cyclones scored eight in the first and eight more in the third. Winning Pitcher Madelyn Althage (1-0) 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 7 K; Mila Negreira 2-3, 2B, 4 RBI; Grace Diez 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; Allyson Wolfson 1-1; 2B, 4 RBI. Carr 1-0.
Flanagan 17, Everglades 2: Winning Pitching Jurnee Bent 5K; Emily Arias 2-3, 2R, 3 RBI, 2 SB; Jasmine Gonzalez 1-1, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB; Amy Chacko 1-1, 3R, 2 RBI; Alinah Atencio 1-1, 2 R, RBI. Flan 1-0.
Westminster Christian 13, Palmetto 1: Winning Pitcher Kaley Dyer 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K; Mya Rodgers 3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 K; Mya Rodgers 3 H, 2 RBI; Casey Lesman 2 H, 3 RBI; Gigi Khoury 2 H, 2 R; Jasmine Armenteros 2 H, 3 RBI; Erin Perez H, RBI; Abi Barboza H, 2 R; Kelsie Kenney H, R. WC 2-0.
Key West 2, Westminster Christian 1: WC: Kaley Dyer 7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 2 K; Gigi Khoury 3 H, R; Kaley Dyer 2 H; Jasmine Armenteros 2 H. WC 2-1.
Westminster Christian 11, Key West 1: Winning Pitcher Mya Rodgers 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K; Jasmine Armenteros 3 H, RBI, HR; Kaley Dyer 2 H, 2 RBI, HR; Erin Perez 2 H, RBI; Gigi Khoury H; Casey Lesman H, RBI; Gaby Perez H, RBI. WC 3-1.
Baseball
Doral Academy 6, St. Brendan 4: Brian Mesa 2-4, RBI; George Pardo 1-3, 2 RBI; Dylan Prince 1-4, HR, 3 RBI; Gabriel Milano 1-1, 3 BB; Winning Pitcher Jordan Tamargo 3.2 IP; Save Matthew Paez. Dor 2-1.
Doral Academy 13, Keys Gate 6: Caleb Hernandez 3-3, RBI; Leandro Hernandez 2-2, 2 RBI; George Pardo 2-2, RBI; Winning Pitcher Matthew Paez 5 IP, 1 H, 4 K. Dor 3-2.
Lacrosse
GIRLS: Stoneman Douglas 19, Archbishop McCarthy 5: SD: Kaitlyn Irwin 6 goals; Chloe Resnik 4 goals; Aubrey Kasen 3 goals; Patricia Phang 3 goals; Caroline Lamb 2 goals; Mary Devney 1 goal; G Marissa Gallagher 5 goals allowed, 7 saves. AM: Carson Kroll 2 goals, 2 assists, 1 groundball; Eva Andrade 1 goal; Hayden Hughes 1 goal; Ava Valdivieso 1 goal, 5 groundballs. SD 1-2, AM 1-1.
Send high school sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity results and top performers (with stats), 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.
---
Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
