Doral cheer makes history; LaSalle repeats; St. Brendan wins sixth straight state title
St. Brendan won its sixth consecutive state title during the FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading State Championships last week at RP Funding Center in Lakeland..
That’s quite the accomplishment, a dynasty.
On Friday, the Sabres placed first in the Extra Large Division in Class 1A.
Head coach Arlenee Suarez has led the team since 2002. During that time, St. Brendan has advanced to state each year since it became an official sport in 2008. They were also state runner-up in 2013 and 2014 and third in 2015.
Champs: St. Brendan: Alexandria Pasquis, Alexa-Sofia Gonzalez, Alyssa Garcia, Amelie Cabrera, Angelica Neret, Anjolie Bristol, Carolina Garcia, Francis Mereles, Kaitlyn Bernal, Kylie Quintana, Lisette “Kiki” Santana, Lourdes Guzman, Meagan Hernandez, Mia Roche, Nicole Matos, Sabrina Pichardo, Samantha Perez, Sofia Garcia, Sophia Mazza, Sophia Nasco, Stella Gonzalez, Valerie Ramos, Victoria Rodriguez. Head Coach Arlenee Suarez. Coaches Cecilia Esteban and Victoria Salazar.
Doral cheer wins first state title
Doral Academy was the bridesmaid five consecutive times (state runner-up 2016-20), but 2021 brought the Firebirds their first state title.
Doral won the Extra Large Non-Tumbling state championship in Class 2A on Saturday.
Doral coach Alejandra Albelo said: “Winning the FHSAA State Championship for cheerleading was an incredibly emotional experience. As a five-time runner up (2016-20), we knew we had to train harder than ever, if we were going to bring home the gold. With the global pandemic going on, this was no easy feat.
“We were challenged with mandatory quarantine periods and canceled practices. Despite that, the team banded together, training harder than ever before to prepare themselves physically and mentally for competition day. Nothing was ‘normal’ about this cheerleading season. That, paired with coming in second place the past five years, has made this first state title win much more special.
“As the coach, I am very grateful and proud to be coaching this team and am blessed to be a part of the Doral Academy family.”
Champs: Doral Academy: Amanda Albelo, Amber Andreu, Mia Brand, Megan Briner, Moises Cardozo, Gabriella Correa, Briana Esquenazi, Chantal Fallarero, Carolina Fernandez, Gabriella Fernandez, Amanda Fonseca, Annette Gonzalez, Victoria Gonzalez, Arianne Labrada, Ashley Maciques, Nichole Marquez, Maryeri Molina, Marisol Moreno, Kayleen Orta, April Orozco, Victoria Padron, Ileannys Perez, Nathalia Restrepo, Adriana Rivera, Stephanie Sanchez, Celeste Serpa, Yanedy Somoano, Nicole Suarez, Paola Paublini. Head coach Alejandra Albelo. Assistant coaches Gio Smith and Natalia Winkelmann.
Defending state champion West Broward was runner-up in this division. It marked the Bobcats third runner-up finish at state (2018, 2019, 2021).
The seniors are Allie Cohen, Emily Leon, Gabby Watson, Sam Soskin, Kately Hernandez, Vanessa Gonzalez, Angela Nelson. The head coach is Danielle Culbertson, who won state three times as a West Broward cheerleader. The assistant coaches are Amber SanAngelo and Dawn Vasquez.
Miramar, which won regionals for the first time in school history, advanced to the 2A state finals in Small Non-Tumbling, placing third.
The Patriots seniors are Ashlee Gibbs, Jada Rodriguez, Nia Elie, and Taliyah Lucas. The head coach is Tanya Jones, and assistant coach is Tiara Harris. Last season, Miramar was state runner-up, a school best in cheerleading.
In 2A Large Non-Tumbling, Cooper City was state runner-up. They topped eight other teams in the state semifinals to reach the finals.
“Our only goal coming in was to make it to finals after being shut out for the past couple of years,” Coach Julie Fernandez said. “We weren’t sure if it was going to happen for us after our fourth place finish at regionals, but we took the judges critiques and suggestions and revamped a lot of our routine, especially the cheer section. We also added some more difficulty to our stunts. It was risky to make the changes with so little time to perfect them, but we knew we couldn’t get to the finals without some major changes to the routine. So we knew we had to take the risk.
“We only had one week between regionals and states, and the team really put in the work, and it paid off. The team had such a positive attitude all weekend, never doubting they were going to get the job done this year. In the end, I think they surprised everyone with their back-to-back performances in semifinals and finals. They surprised everyone but Coach Jillian [Delvalle] and me. We knew they had it in them. We are both just so happy that it finally all came together for them when it counted.”
This was the Cowboys cheerleaders best finish in school history. The seniors are Riley Petrone, Amber Sanders, Alicia Flores, Makinzi Burgs, Aryanna Denis.
LaSalle repeats
LaSalle took a tougher road but still repeated as state champs in Extra Large Non-Tumbling in Class 1A.
At regionals, the team did not do well, and it forced them into the state semifinals bracket.
“With not our very best showing at regionals, the girls came into practice the day after ready to work,” said LaSalle coach Coral Del Mar Buxeda. “We went through some obstacles in those days with injuries and people quitting. So the girls knew they had to put in the work. Without a perfect routine in the semifinals, they weren’t going to see the final round of states.”
LaSalle responded with an amazing performance, scoring 79.60 -- 7.5 points over semifinalist Stranahan.
Buxeda continued: “With that being said, they went into the semis and put on the performance of a lifetime, which led them to the finals and ultimately led them in becoming back-to-back state champions. They knew the work was going to be worth it.”
This marked the third time in school history LaSalle reached the state finals.
Champs: LaSalle: Rafaella Barbacci, Bianca Bartolomei, Victoria Betancourt, Kalina Brana, Camila Casique, Maria Castro, Gabriella Diaz, Lauren Dominguez, Megan Dominguez, Alexandria Emirzian, Jasmine Gago, Alexandra Garcia, Anabella Hernandez, Mariette Manso, Kaitlyn Laurido, Silvana Levito, Ivana Major, Paulina Marin, Alexia Menedez, Nadia Pages, Sofia Pages, Sofia Plasencia, Aurora Quaglini, Tiffany Reyes, Isabella Rubio, Isabella Sacasa, Ana Victoria Salazar, Monseratte Vivas, Valerie Welvaert. Head coach Coral Del Mar Buxeda. Assistant coaches Emily Rodríguez and Karyn Hernandez.
Miami squads dominated that division as Monsignor Pace was state runner-up.
Pace was led by seniors Emely Hernandez, Yanissa Sosa, Jenneen Penate, Jelina Garcon, Karina Serrano, Lexandra Louis, Vanessa Rosa, Isabella De La Rosa. The head coach is Surella Rodriguez, and assistant coaches are Lisa Mason and Jasmine Mason.
Rodriguez said: “One week before regionals, one flyer sustained a concussion and another base had to have emergency hernia surgery, leaving us to change every single section of the routine for the regional championships on January 16.”
Pace still won regionals. Coupled with a second place state finish, this marked the most successful cheer season in school history.
The Spartans were also runner-up at state in 2019 and placed third in 2017.
In 1A Small, a young Coral Springs Charter team was state runner-up.
CSC won state back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 in Small Non-Tumbling. The Panthers placed third in 2019 and fourth in 2020. This season marked the first time competing in the Small Varsity Division.
The senior leaders are Chandler Gentile and Victoria Loffreda. The head coach is Rachal Garris, and the assistant coach is Reuben Johnson.
Broward and Miami Dade top finishes at state: Class 1A: Extra Large: 1. St. Brendan 71.30. Extra Large Non-Tumbling: 1. LaSalle 83.80; 2. Pace 73.10. Small: 2. Coral Springs Charter 78.80. Medium Non-Tumbling: 5. Pompano Beach 70.20.
Class 2A: Extra Large Non-Tumbling: 1. Doral Academy 86.10; 2. West Broward 83.90. Large Non-Tumbling: 2. Cooper City 82.20; 3. Coral Glades 81.10. Extra Large: 3. Western 60.70. Small Non-Tumbling: 3. Miramar 84.90; 6. Coral Springs 81.20. Small: 7. Monarch 65.90.
Boys’ basketball
GMAC Silver Semifinal: Braddock 62, Killian 57: BRD (11-6): Torres 20 pts, Paz 10, O.Sanchez 8, J.Gonzalez 7, M.Gonzalez 6, A.Sanchez 6, Santos 3, Perez 2. Killi: David 15, Nygel 15, Jerome 10, Alexander 7, Tyrez 6, John-Wilson 4. BRD 3-ptrs: Gonzalez 2, Sanchez 2, Torres 2. Rebs: Santos 11, A.Sanchez 8, Paz 6. Asts: Paz 5, O.Sanchez 4, Torres 4. Stls: Paz 2. Halftime: BRD 32-24.
GMAC Tournament: Southwest 85, North Miami 80: SW (15-2): Adrian Cruz 27 pts, Gabriel Gonzalez 15, Joel Aloma 13, Jose Vargas 12, Glen Noel 10, John Mayora 6, Sebastian Ching 2.
Girls’ basketball
Senior Night: Krop 52, Northwestern 31: Krop: Lindsey Weingard 24 points, 13 rebs, 5 asts, 4 stls; Lauryn Hornstein 13 pts; Emmy Mills 8 pts, 10 rebs; Neyida Michel 4 pts, 14 rebs. NW: Nia Richardson 17 pts; Janiyah Mickens 7 pts; Lauren Turner 3 pts; Camiyah James 3 pts; Lynia Mickens 2 pts.
Miami Christian 46, Krop 38: MC: Enjulina Gonzalez 14 pts; Samantha Vales 13 pts; Gabriela Bendeck 9 pts; Amber Ramirex 4 pts; Hailey Clements 3 pts; Victoria Aranguren 2 pts; Daimelys Morera 1 pt. Krop: Lauryn Hornstein 15 pts, 3 asts; Lindsey Weingard 12 pts, 5 rebs, 4 stls; Emmy Mills 9 pts, 10 rebs.
Southwest 45, Florida Christian 35: SW: Cameron Araujo 23 pts, Valeria Castro 6, Anne Martinez 5, Sophia Jimenez 4, Dahively Ortiz 3, Rosio Cordoba 2, Jess Carreras 2. FC: Isabella Lopez 13 pts, Daniella Marrero 7, Joie Diaz 6, Emily Manzano 4, TJ Brokington 2, Samantha Muro 2, Virtoria Broche 1.
Killian 50, Everglades 42: Killi: Khaliyah Simms 21 pts, 14 rebs; Jada Beneby 18 pts, 6 stls; Laniyah Leon 8 pts.
Wrestling coaches
To nominate 2-3 top high school wrestlers of the week, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Include school, first and last name, weight class, what the wrestler did. Varsity only.
Submit varsity
game results
For high schools in Broward and Miami Dade counties, if you have varsity game results for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Varsity only.
Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
(jvarsallone@miamiherald.com)
