It has been a whirlwind of a season for the Lady ’Canes, who have battled everything from the loss of a talented stack of seniors last season, to a loss of playing time due to injuries and illnesses, right on down to the loss of their coach. But despite the distractions and obstacles, Coral Shores has found a way to right the ship and cruise in for a 6-0 start on the season.
At the helm of that ship now is head coach Jarrod Mandozzi, a fixture at Coral Shores, coaching and assisting whatever sport needs him. When his daughter Brooke, one of the aforementioned talented seniors, graduated last spring, Mandozzi thought he could perhaps return to the stands as an occasional spectator. He announced that he had hung up his whistle and he thought his days of exhausting travel and practices after work were behind him. He was wrong.
Mandozzi has spent the last few weeks right back where he left off, dedicating the sort of time and resources to the team that some would find unthinkable.
Now, he leads a team that has yet to lose this season.
Win streaks are nothing new to Mandozzi; in 2023 he led the Coral Shores boys basketball team to 12 wins in a row, and has a few shorter runs to his credit in the various sports he has coached. But you would never know about his coaching exploits from speaking to him. Mandozzi credits it all to his athletes, citing the kids’ playing abilities, work ethics, support from the bench and even their vocal aptitude, as he did last week.
“I asked Emma Leigh, one of our multi-talented seniors, to sing the national anthem before the game on 9/11 and she knocked it out of the park,” said Mandozzi. The forethought to find a hidden talent from one of his senior athletes on Senior Night, which coincided with 9/11, and have her perform to showcase her abilities among the typical whirlwind of coaching responsibilities is what makes Mandozzi a phenomenal coach.
Coral Shores athletic director Ed Holly said he couldn’t be happier that Mandozzi stepped up to the plate when the ’Canes needed him most. “We’re excited that Coach Mandozzi took the reins in a time of need,” Holly said. “He has an exceptional track record of getting kids placed in college. We hope that tradition continues. We are so fortunate to have him.”
Before the ’Canes could celebrate Senior Night, they had to beat Westwood Christian on Sept. 10 on the road.
“I knew this game was going to be a dog fight. Westwood is a really tough team and they match up very well with us,” said Mandozzi. “We always seem to battle back and forth with them. Their gym is a challenging place to play, as it is tight and has low ceilings, backboards that don’t raise and the lighting isn’t the best. They tend to pack their fans in and they’re really supportive of their team, as they should be.”
Undeterred, Mandozzi’s ’Canes jumped to an early lead, only to be faced with tough play from Westwood, which battled back, forcing the match to five sets. Coral Shores managed the win in hostile territory, defeating the Warriors 3-2 for win number five of the season. Celene Walker, whose play has been clutch all season, amassed 15 kills, a pair of aces, 15 digs and 3 blocks. Sabina Naranjo returned from an ankle injury to register 7 kills and 17 digs. Niveah Howard killed the ball 7 times with 5 blocks. Abbie Bergeron was credited with 22 digs and Sofia Jans had 14 with 3 aces.
“Wins like this one can really go a long way to shaping our season when we’re not at our best and things are going against us. Those are the games that great teams find ways to win.” said Mandozzi.
The following night, Coral Shores celebrated their seniors in a match against district rival Keys Gate. “I am always concerned when we have these games that can be distraction games,” said Mandozzi. “To the girls’ credit, they quickly showed me that I was worried for no reason as they clearly came out focused and determined and they took it right to Keys Gate immediately.” Coral Shores swept Keys Gate, winning 25-10, 25-12, and 25-21 to advance to 6-0.
Mandozzi went on to credit his entire team, the school administration, parents and fans – essentially everyone but himself. Jans, Naranjo, Bergeron and Walker combined for 27 digs in the big win. Lily Hitchcock had 9 kills while Ivy Tiedemann and Shelby Lynn were stellar at the baseline and in assists. Tiedemann had a pair of aces and 5 assists while Lynn earned an incredible 8 aces and added 13 assists to her stats.
Next up for Mandozzi and his ’Canes are three teams Coral Shores has already managed to beat in the early season, with their greatest test coming on Sept. 26 when Key West makes the trip to Tavernier. Both Key West and Coral Shores are unbeaten in intra-county play.
The rest of the Keys’ teams played in the Southernmost City for the Key West Conch Cup held on Sept. 13 and 14. Key West, Basilica, Marathon, Wellington and Dr. Joaquin Garcia out of Lake Worth participated in the two-day tournament. Key West fared the best of the local competitors, winning three matches of the four played. The Lady Conchs lost only to the 5A powerhouse Bulldogs from Dr. Joaquin Garcia. Marathon picked up a win against Basilica School, and though the Mariners did not win any of their four matches, the first-year varsity squad earned some valuable experience playing against higher-level competition.
