Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Pearson scores overtime goal
MIAMI — Junior Jake Pearson’s goal in sudden-death overtime sent unbeaten Ransom Everglades past St. Thomas Aquinas 8-7 on Friday in the 2017 FHSAA boys water polo semifinals at the Ansin Aquatic Center.
Ransom Everglades had handed St. Thomas Aquinas (25-2) its only previous loss, coming in at the finals of the St. Andrew’s Invitational.
Ransom (29-0) will face the Winter Park-Miami Gulliver Prep winner at 4 p.m. Saturday for the state championship. Winter Park led Gulliver 7-4 at halftime at press time Friday night.
“Obviously that was the two best teams in the state,” St. Thomas coach Michael Goldenberg said. “That’s the game we were preparing for for two months — pretty much since we lost the first one.”
The winning goal was Pearson’s first of the match. Six different players scored for Ransom, which returns to states for the first time in nine years.
“Both teams put everything they had in the pool,” Ransom coach Eric Lefebvre said. “It went all the way to overtime.
“I spoke to Jake Pearson at the end of regulation. He missed what could have been our game-winning goal and he was upset about it. I said, ‘What are you upset about? It was a great shot and I pick you to take that shot.’ Overtime he got the same shot and scored.”
All-County senior Parker Strickman scored five of St. Thomas’ seven goals. Dane Coniglio and James Burnette had the Raiders’ other two goals.
The game was tied seven times, with neither team in the lead throughout by more than one goal.
Ransom led 4-3 after one quarter. It was 4-4 at the half and and 5-5 heading to the final period.
Miami Belen had won the boys state title the past two years.
Suncoast swept
Gulliver Prep reached the tournament’s second round with a 13-4 victory over the Suncoast boys team Friday afternoon.
Suncoast’s girls fell to Miami Gulliver 17-2 in the first match-up of the day. The Chargers’ boys (11-2) followed suit soon after.
Gulliver opened tournament play with eight consecutive goals, four of which came from senior Caio Jordao.
After trailing 8-0 at the half, Suncoast opened the third quarter with sophomore Christian Jacobsen netting the team’s first goal. Despite adding three more goals in the half, the Chargers couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Westminster falls in debut
Westminster Academy’s boys team on Friday fell 14-5 to Winter Park in its first ever state quarterfinal appearance.
Winter Park (23-5) struck hard and struck early, setting a high tempo the Lions (15-2) couldn’t keep up with. The Wildcats took a 9-2 lead into halftime and widen the gap further as the clock ticked. Sophomore Wynn Furey scored a game-high five goals for Winter Park.
Lions’ leading season scorers Chase Perry and Adam Warters were two of only four Westminster players who were able to find the back of the net Friday Perry led the Lions’ offense with two goals, while Warters, Trent Shaw and Travis Singh netted a goal each.
Winter Park edges Gulliver Prep
Winter Park overtook Gulliver 9-8 in the late semifinal as Damien Hendriks scored four goals — three in the first half.