Season preview: St. Thomas Aquinas, Keys Gate help tell story of local lacrosse
When it comes to high school lacrosse in South Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas and Keys Gate are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Yet, both of them are important in different ways.
The Aquinas boys went 21-3 last season, winning their fourth state title since 2016. In addition, coach Terry Crowley has four players on his 2026 roster who have already secured scholarship money to play college lacrosse: James Finch (Ohio State); Marcus Dean (Vermont); Diego Salazar (Loyola); and Matt Walker (Lynn).
Meanwhile, Keys Gate, located in Homestead, fielded lacrosse teams for the first time last season, and it wasn’t good. The Knights boys went 0-9, scoring just four goals all season, and the Keys Gate girls went 0-9, scoring 13 times.
Kevin Justice Jr., who in his younger years played right tackle for the Homestead High football team, is now coaching the Keys Gate boys’ and girls’ teams, and it’s a Herculean task because he has zero assistants.
Justice, though, isn’t complaining.
“These kids are learning how to handle adversity,” said Justice, who is coaching 18 boys and 13 girls.
Justice, 40, first played lacrosse in high school, and he quickly fell in love with the sport.
In fact, he went on to play with a club team, the Miami Makos, for nearly five years.
“Lacrosse is fast-paced,” said Justice, whose full-time job is as a security guard at Robert Morgan High. “There’s contact, but it’s also strategic once you understand the game.”
Because lacrosse can be an expensive sport, Keys Gate has needed some help raising funds. Recently, Justice said, the Knights received a $1,000 donation from the City of Homestead, thanks to councilwoman Erica Avila.
Last year, the Knights used some cheap, $50 lacrosse sticks. Many of those sticks bent and did not make it through the season.
Good sticks, Justice said, will cost his program at least $100 each, and his team should be much better equipped in 2026.
As for the Aquinas Raiders, Crowley, 64, is entering his 17th season as coach. Unlike Justice, he’s a full-time coach, and he also has a much larger roster of about 70 players.
In contrast to Keys Gate, Aquinas has seven assistant coaches, including Dave Cottle, who was the ACC Coach of the Year at Maryland in 2008 and was also a three-time All-American player in his younger years.
The Raiders have been to the state semifinals nine times in the past 10 years, and they have a championship mentality every time they step on the field.
“The most important game of our lives is whatever our next game is,” Crowley said.
Aquinas has a tough schedule this season, playing Maryland’s Boys Latin, which is ranked third nationally; Victor, which is a reigning New York state champion; and The Woodlands, a Texas power that is ranked top-25 in the country.
The Raiders will also play South Florida powers such as Columbus, Jupiter and St. Andrew’s.
“Columbus is on fire,” Crowley said. “They have 100 kids in that program. They come at you in waves, and they’re tough. You have to take them seriously.
“Gulliver, Belen and Cypress Bay are also good.”
As for Aquinas’ players, Finch is a three-time All-American.
“He’s relentless,” Crowley said. “He’s got great vision. He can shoot in a crowd, and he’s accurate.”
Salazar is another Aquinas All-American. He flies around the field and is tough to stop, Crowley said.
Walker is a speedy midfielder who can shoot with either hand, and Dean is big (6-3, 230) and skilled.
Other Aquinas seniors to watch are Jack Lancelot, a “monster” lefty who could end up at an Ivy League university; and Luciano Chiabra, a “lights-out” goalie who commutes every day from Miami Shores to the Aquinas campus in Fort Lauderdale.
Last year, Aquinas defeated Ponte Vedra, 13-4, in the state final.
Aside from Aquinas, no other Dade/Broward school has ever won a state title in lacrosse.
MORE BOYS’ OUTLOOKS
- Columbus (12-9, regional semifinals) will be led by seniors Diego Duque (33 goals, 39 assists) and Devon Padron (27 goals, 17 assists). Duque made first-team All-Dade. Padron made second-team. The goalie is junior Ben Rhode (70 saves). Columbus’ players aren’t huge, but they are scrappy, athletic and skilled. Coach Steven Hernandez will handle the offense, and Erik Cartelle will do the same on defense. Both are former Columbus players.
- Belen (12-5) won their district and lost in the regional quarterfinals, 10-9, in overtime to Cardinal Newman. Belen’s top players are seniors Luke Collings and Adrian Navarro; and juniors Jack Consuegra and Adrian Vizoso. Sophomore Jaime Torres is a player on the rise.
- Pine Crest (14-5) will be led by senior Parker Forman (26 goals, 35 assists) and juniors Will Snyder; Harry Snyder; and Will Friedman. The goalie is junior Liam Freeman.
- Florida Christian (8-8) is led by senior Cristian Chinea, who plays with a high motor. Senior Mauricio Rodriguez is the goalie, and there’s a strong sophomore class led by Gabriel Reyes, Jonathan Padron and Damico Davila.
- Cardinal Gibbons (2-15) is led by senior William O’Connor, who has signed with Division III Piedmont College. Tucker Green and Jack Harris are top returning scorers.
- Gulliver (12-6, district champs) will be led by juniors Lucas Albert (58 goals, 28 assists) and Evan Vineberg (20 goals). In addition, Thaddeus Slankler is proving to be one of the top goalies in Gulliver history.
- Miami Country Day (3-11) will be led by senior Brady Lubetsky, its best all-around player. Junior Alvaro Vazquez is a defensive ace, and junior Jose Francisco is a playmaker. Also watch for senior Matthew Scernia.
GIRLS’ OUTLOOKS
- American Heritage graduated three-time All-American Zoe Horwitz, who is now playing club lacrosse at the University of Michigan. Among the returners is senior goalie Vanessa Walchli, who will play next season at Endicott College, a Division III school in Massachusetts. Also starting for Heritage this season are senior midfielder Gianna virtuoso, who was an Academic All-American; freshman midfielder Gabriella Zervos; junior Hannah Lubowitz; and senior Nina Gonclaves Vieira.
- Cardinal Gibbons (8-9) is expecting its best team in four years, led by seniors Lily O’Connor (35 goals, 18 assists) and Ella Chanon (25 goals, 14 assists); and junior Kacey Puia (41 goals).
- Pine Crest (13-7, district champs) returns all its starters and will be led by eighth-grader Julia Hlatki (97 goals, 25 assists) and junior Andreanna Spyredes (68 goals, 16 assists). Junior Rachel Vaindeer is another speedy player, and sophomore Jordyn Wolfe is a tall, athletic goalie.
- Gulliver (1-15) will be led by senior Salome Garcia (23 goals); Mia Sullivan and Emma Die-Dienes.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 7:00 AM.