Cardinal Gibbons wrestling second twice. Plus state awards, basketball, soccer, more wrestling
The host Cardinal Gibbons boys’ wrestling team was second of 18 teams at the Bobby Stanley Duals in Fort Lauderdale.
Each team wrestled 10 matches with Wakulla finishing first at 10-0. The runner-up Chiefs were 9-1.
Final team results: 1. Champion Wakulla; 2. Cardinal Gibbons; 3. Stoneman Douglas; 4. Southwest B; 5. Boca Raton; 6. Carol City; 7. Fletcher; 8. Flanagan; 9. Coral Reef; 10. West Boca; 11. Coral Springs Charter; 12. Krop; 13. Cooper City; 14. Spanish River; 15. Sandlewood; 16. Hollywood Hills; 17. Monarch; 18. Dillard.
Pool A: 1. Cardinal Gibbons; 2. Stoneman Douglas; 3. Boca Raton; 4. Fletcher; 5. Coral Springs Charter; 6. Krop; 7. Spanish River; 8. Cooper City; 9. Monarch.
Pool B: 1. Wakulla; 2. Southwest Miami; 3. Carol City; 4. Flanagan; 5. Coral Reef; 6. West Boca; 7. Sandlewood; 8. Hollywood Hills; 9. Dillard.
1st Place Match: Wakulla d. Cardinal Gibbons 49-29. 3rd Place Match: Stoneman Douglas d. Southwest Miami 42-36. 5th Place Match: Boca Raton d. Carol City 48-36. 7th Place Match: Fletcher d. Flanagan 45-33. 9th Place Match: Boca Raton d. Carol City 48-36. 11th Place Match: Coral Springs Charter School d. Krop 48-33. 13th Place Match: Cooper City d. Spanish River 42-18.
More boys’ wrestling
Cardinal Gibbons also was runner-up at Prep Slam Nationals at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta.
The Mocco brothers (Michael and Peter) won at 285 and 215, respectively. Andres Garcia was third at 113. Michael Mocco, a senior who will join the University of Iowa wrestling team in the fall, also won the Outstanding Wrestler Upper Weight award.
The 13th annual Meyerson Trichon Wrestling Championships were at Deerfield Beach High School. The host Bucks went 3-0, followed by Coral Springs Charter at 2-1.
Results: Deerfield Beach 72, Plantation 6; Deerfield Beach 77, Blanche Ely 0; Deerfield Beach 47, Coral Springs Charter 36; Coral Springs Charter 44, Blanche Ely 0; Coral Springs Charter 66, Plantation 16; Plantation 17, Blanche Ely 12.
Girls’ wrestling
Olivia Yakich of the Stoneman Douglas girls’ wrestling team stepped up to compete for the boys’ team at the Bobby Stanley Duals in Fort Lauderdale.
With two 106-pound boys out of town for the holidays, she helped the Eagles place third of 18 teams by winning two matches at 106. She pinned a wrestler from Fletcher and beat a Spanish River wrestler in overtime. Each match she was down by more than 5 points.
At the Deerfield Beach Girls Challenge, five wrestlers from Stoneman Douglas placed first and three were second.
Results (no team scores): 100; 1. A. Thomas, Cooper City; 2. I. Lobeto, Spanish River; 3. A. Innocent, Deerfield Beach; 4. A. Jones, Coral Springs. 105: 1. H. Vattikuti, Stoneman Douglas; 2. O. Yakich, Stoneman Douglas; 3. A. Valkova, South Broward. 115: 1. K. Barthel, Stoneman Douglas; 2. A. Anzules, South Broward; 3. J. Ortega, Everglades; 4. S. Londono, South Broward. 120: 1. S. Pasada, South Broward; 2. S. Umar, Stoneman Douglas; 3. M. Iacon, South Broward. 130: 1. N. Smith, Coral Springs; 2. L. Torres, Stoneman Douglas; 3. L. Nina, Deerfield Beach. 135: 1. S. DeGance, Stoneman Douglas; 2. A. Morsillo, South Broward; 3. A. Pishevar, American Heritage (Plantation). 145: 1. S. France, Everglades; 2. S. Quiroz-Pena, Spanish River; 3. J. Dusson, Stoneman Douglas. 155: 1. M. Bernardina, Coral Springs; 2. A. Ferguson, Everglades. 170: 1. A. Blanc, Stoneman Douglas; 2. M. Faleira-Caido / S. Malta, Spanish River; 4. S. Carter, Blanche Ely. 190: 1. L. Sylvestre, South Broward; 2. J. Hyocinth, Nova; 3. A. Mancher, Stoneman Douglas. 235: 1. Z. Mourad, Stoneman Douglas; 2. Q. Lowry, South Broward; 3. C. Pinto-Santos, South Broward; 4. A. Pelayo, Everglades.
Basketball
The Belen Jesuit boys’ basketball team returned from the holiday break to defeat Coral Reef 62-46.
J’adore Hayes of North Miami girls’ basketball recorded a triple-double in a win over Palmetto.
BOYS: Belen Jesuit 62, Coral Reef 46: Orlando Roche 20 pts, 2 asts, 4 rebs; Lucas Diaz 16 pts, 2 rebs; Alec Arnholt 7 pts, 7 asts, 5 rebs; Richie Blanco 4 pts, 2 asts; Alejandro Bird 4 pts. Bel 12-3.
BOYS: St. Brendan 58, Westwood Christian 52: WC: Jason Martinez 17 points, 2 steals, 6 rebounds; Julian Caragol 12 points, 4 rebounds; Bryan Fernandez 5 points, 1 steal. WC 8-5, StB 8-9.
GIRLS: LaSalle 49, Northwestern 48: LaS: Aversa 12, Villarreal 11, Acevedo 10, Herrera 7, Haliwa 5, A. Gonzalez-Casar 4. NW: Yacinthe 7, Newton 16, Jean- Baptiste 11, Gibson 2, Dixon 10, Damaria 2. Halftime: LaS 28-25. 3-Ptrs: Aversa 2, Acevedo 2, Newton 2, Haliwa, Herrera. Rebounds: Villarreal 12. Assists: Aversa 5. Steals: Acevedo 3. Blocks: Villarreal 2. LaS 6-4, NW 6-4.
GIRLS: LaSalle 50, SLAM 28: LaS: Aversa 17, Acevedo 12,A. Gonzalez-Casar 8, Villarreal 5, Haliwa 3, Cardoso 2, S. Gonzalez- Casar 2, Herrera 1. SLAM: Montalvo 7, Da. Pujadas 6, Taylor 4, De. Pujadas 3, Canseco 3, Deal 2, Sands 2, Rizo 1. Halftime: LaS 28-16. 3-Ptrs: Da.Pujadas, De. Pujadas, Canseco, Aversa, Haliwa. Rebounds: Villarreal 15. Assists: Aversa 3. Steals: Aversa 6. Blocks: Villarreal 2. LaS 7-4, SLAM 4-10.
GIRLS: LaSalle 54, True North 32: LaS: Acevedo 18, Villarreal 12, S. Gonzalez-Casar 6, Haliwa 5, Herrera 4, A. Gonzalez-Casar 4. Welch 2, Cardoso 2, Taher 1. TN: Chaustre 10, Larosa 6, Montero 8, Fernandez 6, Fiad 2. Halftime: LaS 34-17. 3-Ptrs: Acevedo, Herrera, Haliwa, S. Gonzalez- Casar, Larosa, Fernandez. Rebounds: A. Gonzalez-Casar 6. Assists: Herrera 4. Steals: Acevedo 5. Blocks: Villarreal 2. LaS 8-4, TN 6-7.
GIRLS: North Miami 64, Palmetto 17: J’adore Hayes (triple-double) 20 pts, 15 rebs, 10 asts, 6 stls, 2 blks; Rayna Benoit 15 pts (4-7 3-ptrs), 2 stls, 2 asts, Donnesha Morency 10 pts, 8 asts, 5 rebs, 2 stls; Lailah Willis 8 pts, 6 stls, 3 asts, 2 rebs; Alijah Rene 7 pts, 3 asts. NM 10-4, Plm 3-8.
GIRLS: Palmer Trinity 62, NSU University School 37: Pts: Esparza 17, Nieves 20, Laria 10, Wright 8, Sullivan 2, Rivero 5. 3-Ptrs: Esparza 1, Nieves 4, 1 Rivero, Laria 2. Rebounds: Laria 16. Steals: Esparza 6. Assists: Laria 7. Blocks: Sullivan 4. PT 13-3, NSU U 7-4.
GIRLS: Palmer Trinity 55, North Broward Prep 42: Pts: Esparza 17, Nieves 9, Laria 18, Wright 10, Sullivan 1. 3-Ptrs: Esparza 1, Nieves 3, Laria 2. Rebounds: Wright 11. Steals: Wright 5. Assists: Esparza 7. Blocks: Esparza 2. PT 14-3, NBP 10-4.
GIRLS: St. Brendan 40, Coral Gables 21: StB Perez 15, O. Lopez 10, Luis 6, Gonzalez 4, Acosta 2, Vidal 2, Rodriguez 1 CG: Pena 7, Coffie 5, McKinney 4, Abu-Zaraybah 2, Parviainen 2, Trueba 1. 3-Ptrs: Perez 3, Luis 2, Pena 2, O. Lopez Halftime: StB 20-13. StB 9-5, CG 7-5
Soccer
Daniel Ciffoni scored the winner off an assist from Raul Leyva as the NSU University School boys’ soccer team edged HEA 1-0. Keeper Will Zalking recorded his sixth shutout.
In girls’ soccer, Lourdes (9-3) won two more games, including beating LaSalle 3-1 on Senior Night and edging NSU University School 4-3.
Valentina Kalka scored the winner against the Sharks, and the seniors are Maia Lorenzo, Catherine Esquijeroza, Lorena Alvarez, Andrea Muelle, Jessica Lee, Nicole Lee, Ariana Gonzalez, Cecilia Rodriguez, and Katerina Tamargo.
BOYS: NSU University School 1, Hialeah Ed Academy 0: Daniel Ciffoni 1 goal; Raul Leyva 1 assist; Gkp Will Zalking 6th shutout. NSU U 8-1-3.
BOYS: Pembroke Pines Charter 2, Cardinal Gibbons 1: CG: Sam Vanderwiel 1 goal; James Coszi 1 assist. CG 3-6-3.
BOYS: South Broward 2, Cardinal Gibbons 1: CG: Dillion Young 1 goal; Bryce Knapp 1 assist. CG 3-7-3.
GIRLS: Carrollton School 6, Miami Country Day 0: Daniela Eljaiek 2 goals, 2 assists; Mia Martell 1 goal, 1 assist; Natalia Zurburan 1 goal; Maria Mercedes Stanham 1 goal; Stella Espinosa 1 goal; Gkp Cristina Cuervo shutout. Carr 5-4-2.
GIRLS: Lourdes 3, LaSalle 1: Gianna Gray 1 goal, 1 assist; Cecilia Rodriguez 1 goal; Valentina Kalka 1 goal; Lorena Alvarez 1 assist; Alana Garcia-Menocal 1 assist. Lour 8-3.
GIRLS: Lourdes 4, NSU 3: Veronica Aguilar 2 goals; Nicole Lee 1 goal, 1 assist; Valentina Kalka 1 goal; Catherine Esquijeroza 1 assist. Lour 9-3.
Football awards
Quarterback Noah Grubbs of Lake Mary High School is the 2025 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football, following a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school football coaches and media representatives.
Grubbs, who was previously selected as the Class 7A Player of the Year, helped Lake Mary to a 12-3 record and the school’s first state title by completing 234-of-402 passes for 3,250 yards and 40 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He completed his four-year varsity career with 11,537 passing yards and 143 touchdown passes.
Grubbs, who signed with the University of Notre Dame, captured 14 of the 30 first-place votes and finished with 209 points.
Class 2A Player of the Year Xander Edwards, a sophomore from The Bolles School, was the runner-up, receiving eight first place votes to finish with 123 points. Class 3A POY TJ Cole of Raines placed third (87 points), followed by Class 4A POY Dereon Coleman of Jones (62), Class 5A POY Mason Mallory of St. Thomas Aquinas (54) and Class 1A POY Jyron Hughley of Cardinal Newman (54), Rural Class POY Richard Roundtree of Hawthorne (25), Independent Class POY Marcus Stracke of Delray American Heritage (22) and 6A POY Javian Mallory of West Boca Raton (12).
Scott Perry of Lake Mary High School is the 2025 Florida Dairy Farmers Football Coach of the Year, following a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school football coaches and media representatives.
Perry, a Lake Mary alum in his 20th year as head coach at the school, led his team to a 12-3 record and the Class 7A state championship. It was Lake Mary’s first state title and came a year after finishing as the state runner-up in the school’s first state championship game appearance. Perry has posted a 153-72 record in his two decades at the school.
Perry, who was earlier named Class 7A Coach of the Year, received 11 first-place votes and 156 points to finish ahead of Class 3A Coach of the Year Donovan Masline of Raines, who picked up 10 first-place votes and 147 points. Class 1A COY Jack Daniels of Cardinal Newman (94 points) was third followed by Class 5A COY Roger Harriott of St. Thomas Aquinas (61) and Rural Class COY Cornelius Ingram of Hawthorne (52). Rounding out the voting were 2A COY Jared Clark of Cardinal Mooney (37), 4A COY Elijah Williams of Jones (36), CoIndependent COY Gunnar Cox of West Nassau (31), Class 6A COY Dylan Potts of West Boca Raton (19) and Co-Independent COY Jonathan King of Delray American Heritage (15).
The Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers’ commitment to the state’s youth. This marks the 34th year of these unique awards as we honor the state’s top athletes and coaches in 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.
Flag football
Registration is open for the Orange Bowl Florida High School Girls Flag Football Showcase, presented by Baptist Health.
This event -- 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 24 at St. Thomas University in Miami -- will bring together top high school flag football talent from across Florida for an incredible opportunity to showcase skills, connect with college scouts, and gain valuable exposure.
Whether looking to take your game to the next level or simply want to experience a day of high-level competition, the Orange Bowl Girl’s Flag Football Showcase is the perfect platform to stand out.
Open to high school girls in the class of 2026, 2027 or 2028.
Click to register here
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear.
Also, some will be considered athlete of the week nominations.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 4:17 PM.
