KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP, SEPTEMBER 1

By Tracy McDonald

Monroe County sports fans had big decisions to make on Aug. 26 as all three high school teams played at home. Coral Shores set the tempo for the season, coming away with a big win, while Key West and Marathon were close but registered losses for Week 1 of regular season play.

TEAM	SPORT	Opponent	DATE	RESULT
Coral Shores	Football	Varela	8/26	W, 48-0
Coral Shores	Volleyball	Florida Christian	8/23	L, 0-3
Marathon	Football	Pompano Beach	8/26	L, 28-30
Marathon	Volleyball	Westwood Christian	8/23	L, 0-3
Marathon	Volleyball	Horeb Christian	8/25	W, 3-1
Key West	Football	Palmetto Ridge	8/26	L, 14-22
Key West	Volleyball	American Heritage	8/23	L, 0-3
Key West	Volleyball	Mater Lakes Academy	8/25	L, 0-3

This Week in Keys Prep Sports

9/1				5 p.m.
Coral Shores	Volleyball	vs.	Marathon	3 p.m.
Key West	Golf	vs.	MHS & CSHS	7 p.m.
Marathon	Football	vs.	Miami Country Day
9/2
Coral Shores	Football	vs.	Palmer Trinity	7 p.m.
Key West	XC	vs.	King of the Hill	5 p.m.
Key West	Football	vs.	Boca Raton	7 p.m.
9/3
Key West	Volleyball	vs.	Gulf Coast	12 p.m.
9/6
Marathon	Volleyball	vs.	Palm Glades Prep	4 p.m.
Marathon	XC	vs.	Lightning Invite	4 p.m.
9/7
Coral Shores	Volleyball	vs.	Keys Gate	5 p.m.
9/8
Key West	Volleyball	vs.	Marathon	5:30 p.m.
Marathon	Football	vs.	University School	6 p.m.
9/9
Coral Shores	Football	vs.	Palm Glades Prep	7 p.m.
Key West	Volleyball	vs.	Tournament	TBD
Marathon	Volleyball	vs.	Colonial Christian	4 p.m.
Key West	Football	vs.	TRU Prep Acad.	7 p.m.

‘Blessed Night’ at Coral Shores

That’s how Coach Ed Holly described the 48-0 win over Varela High School on Friday night, adding that the 1-0 ’Canes executed well in the lopsided victory. Without the benefit of a preseason game, Varela did not have the opportunity to work out the bugs like the ’Canes did.  

“The coaches are impressed with the team being able to build from the kickoff classic to week one,” Holly said, attributing the big win to his team’s ability to learn from earlier mistakes.  A raucous hometown crowd further tilted the field in favor of the ’Canes, with Holly giving praise to the Canettes, the cheerleaders and all who came out to support the team’s regular season debut.

The Hurricanes’ defense was near perfect in the shutout. Senior fullback Chuck Jacobsen ran tough for three touchdowns, leading the offensive onslaught with 97 total rushing yards.

The ’Canes play Palmer Trinity on Friday, Sept. 2 at home in what should be an exciting game.  Palmer bested BridgePrep Village Green 51-0 in its opener, setting the stage for what could be a real barn-burner.

Marathon starts strong but runs out of gas

The Dolphins scored six on their opening drive on Malachi Hawkins’ 2-yard run, to the delight of a packed stadium. Hawkins rushed for 223 yards, scoring three times on foot and one by air on a 4-yard throw to Jaden Rosetti. At the half, it looked as if Marathon was on its way to a win, topping the Pompano Beach Golden Tornadoes 21-10 in the first two quarters. The Tornadoes picked up wind at halftime, though, and dominated the second half, winning the contest 30-28.  

Marathon’s “unique blend of seniors with experience and underclassmen with potential” demonstrated exactly what coach Mac Childress had hoped for until the team was forced to substitute in younger players for exhausted veterans late in the game. Though not short on excitement, a lack of experience proved costly as the younger players made a few mistakes that were too much to overcome in the last quarter of play.

Marathon will need to rely on composure and athleticism this week to even out its record. With a smaller roster to begin with, coupled with the loss of several starters due to injuries, the Fins will have fewer reinforcements this week. Fortunately, this week’s opponent, Miami Country Day, has similar staffing issues with a roster of only 20 players, and will play its first game this week. Marathon is on the road on Thursday, Sept. 1 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Mistakes cost conchs in Key West’s regular-season debut

Key West dropped its season opener to the Bears of Palmetto Ridge High School in what head coach Johnny Hughes described as “drive killers” – a series of penalties, mistakes and missed assignments that slowed the Conchs’ offense.

“We started off moving the ball but didn’t have rhythm and came out flat. It just wasn’t a good night,” Hughes said of the 22-14 defeat.

Nagging injuries didn’t help the Conchs, who were down a few players for the contest, including starting center Augie Berlanga and running back James Reynolds. Adrian Mira was not 100% for the game, but took the snaps for the Conchs while battling through an ankle injury.

Hughes gave credit to Palmetto Ridge for its scouting and preparation. The Bears came with Key West’s number, hitting them by surprise with an unorthodox 4-2-5 defense and putting the Conchs’ triple-option offense on its heels. Key West responded with some big runs, with Jaden Fox carrying the ball like a man on a mission, but multiple miscues and penalties negated the drives, putting the Conchs too far behind the chains to be as effective as they were last week.

The Conchs will work this week to prepare for Boca Raton High School in what should be a good matchup at home on Friday, Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Keys teams look to improve records heading into week two of regular season play.

Key West dropped a pair of games last week, putting them at 0-2 for the start of what is still expected to be a phenomenal season for the Lady Conchs. The talented roster registered seven kills from senior Samantha Ventimiglia on Aug. 23 against the larger 5A American Heritage Patriots, losing in three sets but battling in the third to a 23-25 score. The Conchs hit the road two days later, losing in three sets to Mater Lakes Academy on Aug. 25, but not without a fight.  Junior Bridgette Sweeney had nine kills against the Bears.  

Coral Shores lost its season opener in Miami on Aug. 23, falling to Florida Christian in three sets. The Lady ’Canes held their own in the first and third sets, scoring 19 and 22 points against the Patriots. Junior Brooke Mandozzi had four kills and served with 100% accuracy, keeping the ‘Canes in the game, but the senior-heavy Patriots came away with the win. Coral Shores will look to even out its record at home against LaSalle this week and will then head to Marathon, where Coral Shores was dominant in its preseason matchup.

Marathon put away Week 1 with an even record, losing to Westwood Christian in three sets at home on Aug. 23 but picking up the W on the road two days later against Horeb Christian. The Fins bested the Mustangs 3-1 with the help of Elena Eubank and Tatyana Hribar, who kept the team’s spirits up with positivity. The Lady Fins hope to begin a win streak of their own this week against unbeaten Colonial Christian and to avenge their preseason loss to Coral Shores.

KEYS GOLFERS TEE OFF FOR REGULAR SEASON AT OCEAN REEF

Monroe County high school golfers met up at Ocean Reef’s Hammock Course on Aug. 23 for nine holes of competition and camaraderie. Key West’s Rocco Twyman brought home the lowest score, shooting a 38 on the par 36 course. Twyman shot an eagle on hole five and birdied on nine. Tied for second place were Marathon’s Fisher Coleman-Sayer and Key West’s Devon Gilday. Coral Shores’ top golfer was Preston Carroll, who shot a 52. On the ladies’ side, Coral Shores’ Gabby Thomas took first place with a 56. The teams were originally slated to meet up again on Aug. 29, but heavy rain the night before rendered the Marathon course unplayable. 

Boys
Key West		Marathon		Coral Shores
Rocco Twyman	38	Fisher Coleman-Sayer	42	Preston Carroll	52
Devon Gilday	42	Billy Martin	50	Cayson Johnson	56
Thomas Highsmith	48	Michael Merryman	56	Tanel Irons	57
Andrew Bassett	55	Casey Horvat	66	Walter Hussey	60
Judah Olsen	61	Jack Horvat	66	Andrew Kumar	61
				Aiden Althouse	67
				Davis Borders	71
Girls
Key West		Marathon		Coral Shores
Claudia Sterling	65	Summer Haines	63	Gabby Thomas	56
Kaylee Arsenault	67