The Palm Beach Classic begins this afternoon, featuring teams from all over Palm Beach County.

This year the tournament is hosted by Lake Worth Christian, Royal Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Lakes. Post Top 10 teams Lake Worth Christian (No. 3), No. 6 Wellington, Royal Palm Beach (No. 7) Park Vista (No. 8) are all in Division I, which plays its matches at Royal Palm Beach and Lake Worth Christian.

The Gold Bracket Championship is at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Lake Worth Christian. The Silver Bracket Championship is at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Royal Palm Beach.

Division II is at Palm Beach Lakes. Pool play between American Heritage, Treasure Coast, Jupiter Christian, Forest Hill, Atlantic, Archbishop Carroll, John I Leonard, and Palm Beach Lakes begins at 4 p.m. today. The bracket playoffs begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and the gold and silver bracket championships are at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Here’s the Division I schedule for Friday.

At Lake Worth Christian:
M1 – Lake Worth Christian vs. Dwyer, 4 p.m.
M2 – Okeechobee vs. Summit Christian, 4 p.m.
M3 – Park Vista vs. Cardinal Newman, 5:15 p.m.
M4 – South Fork vs. Palm Beach Gardens, 5:15 p.m.

At Royal Palm Beach:
M5 – Calvary Christian vs. Seminole Ridge, 4 p.m.
M6 – St. Andrews vs. Suncoast, 4 p.m.
M7 – Royal Palm Beach vs. Sebring, 5:15 p.m.
M8 – Wellington vs. Glades Day, 5:15 p.m.

The winners of M1 and M2 play at 6:30 p.m., the winners of M3 and M4 play at 7:45 p.m.

The winners of M5 and M6 play at 6:15 p.m., the winners of M7 and M8 play at 7:45 p.m.

The winners of those four matches play at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at Lake Worth Christian, which is followed by the gold bracket championship at 12:15 p.m. Consolation games begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

This rivalry between Palm Beach Lakes head coach Alonzo Jefferson and Dwyer defensive coordinator Bobby Sifrit is of the friendly nature. Sifrit and Jefferson are former teammates from their playing days at Cardinal Newman. Jefferson was the Palm Beach Post’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1982 at running back, while Sifrit took care of the blocking at fullback.

“I played here and coached here for 20-something years and he’s probably still the best running back I’ve ever seen in high school down here,” Sifrit said. “He was something special. I didn’t get to see most of it because I was blocking for him, but he was just unreal.”

The two remained close friends over the years and when Jefferson was coaching at Palm Bay, the Pirates would come down to play Dwyer in kickoff classics or spring games.

“He’s like my best friend,” Jefferson said. “We hang out and talk about football even when we’re not playing each other. It’s been a good rivalry over the years because of our friendship.”

Their friendship also means they have a good idea of what to expect from the other’s team. Jefferson knows all about Sifrit’s defense at Dwyer, while Sifrit says he expects to see the same Power I from Lakes that they ran at Newman.

A big crowd of their classmates from Newman is expected to be at the game, which should add to the atmosphere.

Sifrit added, in true friendly rivalry fashion, that he’s sure he could beat Jefferson in the 40-yard dash right now.

And who wouldn’t like to see that? Mad Skills anyone??

Pahokee High School self reported a football eligibility violation to the Florida High School Athletic Association and it could result in a forfeiture of the Blue Devils’ Sept. 25 win over Cardinal Newman.

An FHSAA source said there will be a ruling on the issue tomorrow. If the FHSAA forces Pahokee to forfeit that win, a district game, it would drop the Blue Devils from 5-0 to 4-1 in District 7-2B.

Pahokee Athletic Director Tom Mejia said the school allowed an academically ineligible player to participate in the Sept. 25 game. Student-athletes must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average. A grade change bumped the player in question’s average from 1.8 to 2.1, but school administrators later discovered the change was done incorrectly, Mejia said.

“After we launched the inquiry, we saw some inconsistencies,” Mejia said. “Based on our interpretation of the rule book, we realized we made a mistake.”

Mejia said he met with Principal Ariel Alejo and Assistant Principal Michael Aronson the week following the Cardinal Newman game and they discovered the incorrect grade. The school sent a letter to the FHSAA and Cardinal Newman disclosing the violation.

The player, a junior, is no longer on the team and did not dress for any other games, Mejia said. Mejia did not know if the teacher has been disciplined. Alejo and coach Blaze Thompson did not return messages seeking comment.

The FHSAA has a policy stating any team that forfeits a game is consequently eliminated from the post-season, but a source said that will not apply to Pahokee in this case because the school fulfilled its contract with Cardinal Newman by participating in the game.

If that game is changed to a loss, Pahokee can still win its district by beating Fort Lauderdale-University on Friday. If the Blue Devils lose that game and finish 4-2, they would be eliminated from the playoffs if North Broward Prep wins this week. If Pahokee and North Broward Prep both lose, the Blue Devils earn the wildcard playoff spot.

Pahokee beat University 45-6 in the second round of last year’s playoffs and 62-0 to open the 2007 post-season.

“I wish I would have known the full information and I would have avoided this,” said Mejia, who is in his second year as athletic director. “It’s unfortunate because of my negligence that this happened and it affects the view of our school. We don’t do grade changes for athletes. That’s not what happened here. This could have happened to any other non-athletic kid. It’s a big deal, though, because the student is an athlete.”

Mejia said the school did not hesitate to self-report.

“I don’t want to hide anything from anybody,” he said. “As soon as I found out the student was ineligible, I had a meeting with Mr. Aronson and Mr. Alejo and the appropriate thing to do was inform everybody of the situation. We have a prestigious program and we have to keep it like that. We don’t have any reason to hide anything from anybody.”

Lakeland-Kathleen had a similar violation in which an ineligible player resulted in the forfeiture of six games. Those losses eliminated the school, which had been 8-0, from playoff contention.

All indications point to Pahokee being hit with an eligibility violation today and forfeiting its Sept. 25 win over Cardinal Newman. That’s never good, but fortunately for the Blue Devils, they can still win their district outright with a victory this week.

The only real difference the forfeit makes is that now Pahokee cannot afford to lose when it visits Fort Lauderdale-University on Friday. At 5-0, the Blue Devils could have lost this game and still been guaranteed at least a spot in a three-way tie-breaker.

If University sounds familiar, it should. The Blue Devils beat University 45-6 in the second round of last year’s playoffs and 62-0 to open the 2007 post-season.

If Pahokee forfeits the game to University, here are the new standings in District 7-2B:

CLASS 2B, DISTRICT 7

Standings:

Pahokee, 4-1 (loss to Cardinal Newman)
University, 4-1 (loss to North Broward Prep)
North Broward Prep, 4-1 (loss to Pahokee)
Pine Crest, 3-3
Cardinal Newman, 2-3
Coral Springs Charter, 1-4
Inlet Grove, 0-5

The only teams in contention for this district’s two playoff spots are Pahokee, University and Coconut Creek-North Broward Prep. That part stays the same as the pre-forfeit status.

As mentioned, if Pahokee wins this week, it claims the district at 5-1. University would then be 4-2 and North Broward Prep could grab the runner-up slot if it beats Coral Springs Charter to finish 5-1. If University and North Broward Prep both finish 4-2, the head-to-head advantage goes to North Broward Prep.

Here are the other two possibilities for the Blue Devils this week:

1. Pahokee loses, North Broward Prep wins. North Broward Prep wins the district and University gets the runner-up slot. Both of those schools would be 5-1 and Pahokee would be out of the playoffs at 4-2.

2. Pahokee loses, North Broward Prep loses. University wins the district and Pahokee gets the wildcard playoff berth. University would finish 5-1 in that scenario, followed by Pahokee and North Broward Prep tied at 4-2. Pahokee beat North Broward Prep during the season, so the Blue Devils take the runner-up position and advance.

Pahokee’s football team will forfeit two district wins for using an academically ineligible player, the Florida High School Athletic Association said Tuesday.

The Blue Devils initially forfeited their Sept. 25 win against Cardinal Newman, but FHSAA Associate Executive Director Denarvise Thornton said the school reported a second violation involving the same ineligible athlete. Thornton said coach Blaze Thompson noticed the violation on film and called it in Tuesday afternoon.

“There will be two forfeits,” Thornton said. “He went through all of his tapes and found that the kid played in a second game.”

Thornton did not disclose the opponent in second forfeit, but the two new losses will drop Pahokee’s record to 5-3 overall and the Blue Devils fall from 5-0 to 3-2 in District 7-2B. Pahokee can still clinch at least a spot in a potential three-way tie-breaker by beating Fort Lauderdale-University on Friday, but a loss would eliminate the Blue Devils from post-season contention.

If the second forfeit turns out to be Pahokee’s 31-20 win over Coconut Creek-North Broward Prep on Oct. 2, one week after the Cardinal Newman game, the Blue Devils would not be able to win the district title. Pahokee has won three straight district and state championships.

Prior to the forfeits, the Blue Devils were guaranteed no less than a spot in a potential three-way tie-breaker event and could win the district outright this week.

The Florida High School Athletic Association said Wednesday the Pahokee football team will forfeit its Sept. 11 win over Inlet Grove for using an academically ineligible player. Pahokee beat Inlet Grove 45-0 in that game.

The Blue Devils had previously forfeited their Sept. 25 win against Cardinal Newman.

The same academically ineligible player played in both games, the FHSAA said. Pahokee self-reported both violations. Here’s more on that story.

The forfeit would be Inlet Grove’s first win of the season. The Hurricanes lost their first eight games.

The two losses drop Pahokee from 5-0 to 3-2 in District 7-2B. The Blue Devils would make the playoffs
if they win at Fort Lauderdale-University this week and be eliminated from the playoffs if they lose. The district title is still in play, but unlikely. Pahokee would need the help of a significant upset to win its fourth straight district championship.

Fortunately for the Blue Devils, this is a big district and they had not lost any other games. If Pahokee had been playing in a three- or four-team district like many other schools, it would likely have been knocked out of playoff contention by these forfeits. Here are the updated standings in District 7-2B, factoring in Pahokee forfeits to Cardinal Newman and Inlet Grove:

CLASS 2B, DISTRICT 7

Standings:

North Broward Prep, 4-1 (loss to Pahokee)
University, 4-1 (loss to North Broward Prep)
Pahokee, 3-2 (losses to Cardinal Newman and Inlet Grove)
Pine Crest, 3-3
Cardinal Newman, 2-3
Coral Springs Charter, 1-4
Inlet Grove, 1-4

The only three teams with a shot at the post-season are Coconut Creek-North Broward Prep, University and Pahokee. As mentioned, if Pahokee loses, the Blue Devils are eliminated.

North Broward Prep is guaranteed a playoff berth and clinches the district crown with a win over Coral Springs Charter this week. If Pahokee and North Broward Prep both win, North Broward Prep finishes 5-1; Pahokee and University finish 4-2. Pahokee would have the head-to-head advantage over University and claim the runner-up slot for a playoff berth.

The Blue Devils’ only hope of winning the district is if they win and North Broward Prep loses. If that happens, North Broward Prep, Pahokee and University would each be 4-2. Pahokee would have wins over both teams in the tie and get the district title. North Broward Prep would then take the runner-up slot because of its win over University.

It should be noted that Pahokee has destroyed University in each of the past two post-seasons. The Blue Devils won 45-6 in last year’s regional semifinals and 62-0 in the 2007 first-round game.

The state swimming finals kick off on Wednesday in Orlando starting with Class 2A. Class 3A is on Friday and Class A is on Saturday. Eighteen schools from Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast will be represented at the state meet over the three days.

Boca Raton, Jupiter, Martin County, and Saint Andrews have the most swimmers and divers qualified out of the area’s schools and the Suncoast girls have a good shot at doing some damage as a team in the Class 2A final.

A gold medal alert goes to Paul Murray of American Heritage, who is going in as the top seed in the 50 free for Class 1A at 20.84 and the second seed in the 100 free at 47.21. Murray is ahead of Tommy Gutman of Jacksonville Bolles in the 50 free (20.87) and behind Teo D’Alessandro of Pine School in the 100 free (46.56).

Palm Beach Central diver Paige McCleary placed second last year and with diving you never know how it’ll shake out until the actual competition. She’s the fifth seed in the 3A meet. Jupiter’s Mark Olson is the sixth seed, also in 3A.

Here are all the area’s qualifiers with their seeds and times/scores.

From Class 3A

BOCA RATON

Girls – 9. 200 medley relay 1:52.77; Fallon Fitzpatrick, 11. 200 free, 1:53.50, 8. 100 fly 57.59; Katie Williams, 20. 200 free, 1:56.75, 17. 100 fly 59.23; Harper Bruens, 9. 50 free, 24.32, 7. 100 free 52.87; Colleen Williams, 24. 100 free 54.96, 23. 100 back, 1:02.81; Danielle Smith, 11. 500 free, 5:05.42, 8. 100 back 58.63; 200 free relay, 10. 1:41.53; 400 free relay, 4. 3:33.77.

Boys – 14. 200 medley relay 1:42.48; Alexander Bagshaw, 14. 100 fly, 53.13, 7. 100 back, 54.60; Henry Kimball, 15. 500 free, 4:51.71; 200 free relay, 12. 1:31.16; 400 free relay, 11. 3:18.87.

JUPITER

Girls – 15. 200 medley relay 1:54.54; Becky Meiser, 19. 200 free, 1:56.45, 14. 500 free, 5:06.93; Shelby Pearce, 24. 200 IM, 2:16.25; Courtney Hansen, 13. diving, 398.10; Emily Canney, 22. 100 breast, 1:11.00.

Boys – 12. 200 medley relay 1:42.48; Michael Christian, 17. 200 IM, 2:00.66, 4. 100 back, 54.06; Kenny Montgomery, 23. 50 free, 22.46; Mark Olson, 6. diving, 460.35; Kameron Sipowski, 14. 100 breast, 1:02.07; 400 free relay, 12. 3:20.27.

SEMINOLE RIDGE

Girls – Victoria Ho, 17. 200 free 1:55.66, 18. 500 free 5:13.23.

PARK VISTA

Girls – Lindsey Meeder, 22. 200 free, 1:57.69, 19. 100 breast, 1:10.18; Jessica Yoo, 13. 100 breast, 1:09.39.

JOHN I. LEONARD

Girls – Maggie Holling, 19. 50 free, 25.11, 22. 100 back, 1:02.13.

Boys – Richard Andrews, 15. 200 free, 1:47.25.

PALM BEACH CENTRAL

Girls – Paige McCleary, 5. diving, 471.05; Michaela MacClean, 14. 396.65.

SPANISH RIVER

Girls – Jamie Ginsberg, 16. diving, 388.15; Calli Singleton, 17. 100 back, 1:01.31.

Boys – Eddie Sears, 22. 100 free, 48.88, 23. 100 back, 56.35.

From Class 2A

SUNCOAST

Girls – 200 medley relay 5. 1:54.42; Hannah Vandersluis, 7. 200 IM, 2:10.72, 4. 100 breast, 1:07.59; Alexandra Ladd, 3. 50 free, 24.24, 10. 100 free, 53.08; Daniela Vega, 17. 100 fly, 1:00.54; Carolyn Lee, 22. 100 free, 55.87; Jennifer Tilton, 23. 100 free, 56.22, 22. 100 back, 1:03.75; 4. 200 free relay, 1:41.03; Christine Lee, 18. 100 breast, 1:11.60.

MARTIN COUNTY

Girls – 200 medley relay, 12. 1:55.70; Macey Arnold, 10. 200 IM, 2:12.68, 13. 500 free, 5:15.49; Danielle Diterlizzi, 20. 200 IM 2:15.70, 14. 100 back, 1:02.68; Lexie Heaton, 18. diving, 371.30; Aubrey Murray, 10. 100 fly, 59.81, 8. 100 back, 1:00.80; 13. 200 free relay, 1:44.73; Jenna Kingsley, 15. 100 back, 1:02.81.

Boys 200 medley relay, 8. 1:43.73; Jeff Reardon, 6. 50 free 22.32, 4. 100 back, 54.41; Bobby Wagner, 22. diving, 316.50; Matt Martinock, 6. 100 fly, 52.66; Mack Martinock, 5. 100 breast, 1:02.15.

DWYER

Girls- Allison Murphy, 10. 200 free 1:56.35, 22. 100 fly, 1:02. 41; Jenna Hocking, 17. 50 free, 25.62, 25. 100 free, 56.59; 15. 200 free relay 1:45.89.

Boys – Connor Knight, 7. 200 IM, 1:58.75, 7. 100 fly, 52.67; 200 free relay 7. 1:32.22.

JENSEN BEACH

Boys – Trent Willis, 3. 200 free, 1:44.63, 3. 100 free, 47.63; Christian Johansson, 8. 100 fly 53.22.

SOUTH FORK

Girls – Sara Cantrell, 9. diving, 401.40.

Boys – Kevin Lindgren, 6. 200 IM, 1:58.21; Glen Snow, 12. 50 free, 22.43, 6. 100 free, 48.43; 400 free relay, 13. 3:26.82.

DREYFOOS

Boys – Diogo Adrados, 9. 100 back, 55.61.

From Class 1A

SAINT ANDREWS
Girls – 200 medley relay, 6., 1:52.05; Amanda King, 10. 200 IM, 2:12.43, 500 free, 10. 5:09.37; Megan Moroney, 7. 100 fly, 58.11, 7. 100 back, 59.25; Genevieve Aube, 17. 100 free, 54.30, 11. 100 back, 1:01.01; Amanda Ford, 17. 500 free, 5:13.79; Madelynn Camp, 19. 500 free, 5:18.66, 15. 100 breast, 1:10.21; Emily Norton, 5. 100 breast, 1:07.01; 400 free relay, 9. 3:42.45.

Boys – 200 medley relay, 9. 1:43.88; Quinn Cassidy 6. 100 breast, 1:01.82, 7. 200 IM, 1:57.79; Stephen Norton, 11. 50 free, 22.23; Wali Toulson, 8. 100 free, 48.15; Mario Cardenas, 15. 100 breast, 1:03.67; 400 free relay, 4. 3:16.77.

JOHN CARROLL
Girls – Meleah McMillen, 7. 100 free, 52.97;
Boys – 200 medley relay, 14. 1:46.13; Barry Weimer, 18. 100 fly, 55.73; Alton Brieske, 20. 100 breast, 1:04.90.

CARDINAL NEWMAN
Girls – 200 medley relay, 13. 1:55.19; Nicole Hocking, 7. 50 free, 24.29, 6. 100 free, 52.95; Lauren Suarez, 15. 500 free, 5:13.15; 200 free relay, 16. 1:45.67.

AMERICAN HERITAGE
Boys – Paul Murray, 1. 50 free, 20.84, 2. 100 free, 47.21.

LINCOLN PARK
Girls – Kaila Biss, 19. diving, 364.50.

Boys – Demetrius Dement, 9. diving, 401.75; Colin MacArthur, 20. diving, 362.75.

For the second straight year (and possibly even longer), there are no players from Pahokee or Glades Central on this season’s Florida Athletic Coaches Association all-district team.

No Greg Dent, L.J. Thomas, Travis Bell or Robert Way. No Chris Dunkley, Richard Ash, Merrill Noel or Fred Pickett.

District 17 encompasses 47 teams from Vero Beach to Boca Raton, and runs as far west as Belle Glade, Pahokee and Okeechobee. It is essentially the entire Palm Beach Post coverage area (our northern cutoff is Fort Pierce, so we do not include Vero Beach).

Six teams in the Post‘s Top 10 did not land a player on the team: Pahokee, Glades Central, Boca Raton, American Heritage, West Boca Raton and Palm Beach Lakes.

Of the 47 coaches in District 17, only 21 showed up to the meeting where votes were cast for this team, said Benjamin coach Ron Ream, the district chairman. Generally, coaches who do not attend do not get recognition for the players on their team, so that is a possible explanation for apparent omissions.

We do not have a list of who went to the meeting.

Bearing that in mind, here is the FACA all-district team for our area:

OFFENSE

QB: Marshyl Rothman, Jupiter Christian, senior

RB: Tre Mason, Park Vista, junior

FB: Gerald Christian, Dwyer, senior

FL: James Louis, Atlantic, senior

SE: Brett Thiesen, Jensen Beach, senior

TE: Nick O’Leary, Dwyer, junior

C: Shane McDermott, Palm Beach Central, senior

OG: Travonte Boles, Vero Beach, senior

OG: Tony Kibler, Glades Day, senior

OT: Marcus Jackson, Vero Beach, junior

OT: Bobby Olsen, Cardinal Newman, senior

K: Cody Parkey, Jupiter, senior

DEFENSE

DE: Curt Maggitt, Dwyer, junior

DE: Denzel Reed, Palm Beach Gardens, senior

DT: D.J. McCellion, Atlantic, senior

DT: Kenny Shaw, Dwyer, senior

LB: Jeff Luc, Treasure Coast, senior

LB: Ed Foley, Treasure Coast, senior

LB: Matt Elam, Dwyer, senior

CB: Ian Williams, King’s Academy, senior

CB: Robert Clark, Dwyer, senior

SS: John Calibria, Cardinal Newman, senior

FS: Woodley Cadet, Seminole Ridge, senior

P: Andrew Ortiz, King’s Academy, senior

There are some pretty big names missing from that list.

When voting for “Player of the Year,” the voters consider players from all teams, whether their coaches are present at the meeting or not:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

6A — Jeff Luc, LB, Treasure Coast

5A — Albert Wilson, QB/DB, Port St. Lucie

4A — Matt Elam, LB/RB, Dwyer

3A — Tevin Wilson, RB/DB, Jensen Beach

2A — Zach Wilke, WR, St. Andrew’s

2B — Brandon Smith, QB, Cardinal Newman

1A — Darius Milines, QB/WR/DB, American Heritage

1B — Kelvin Taylor, RB, Glades Day

District MVP: Matt Elam, Dwyer

Runners-up (in order): Jeff Luc, Treasure Coast; Gerald Christian, Dwyer.

Same goes for “Coach of the Year” voting:

COACH OF THE YEAR

6A — Bill Kelley, Treasure Coast

5A — Frank Kunf, Royal Palm Beach

4A — Jack Daniels, Dwyer

3A — Lance Jenkins, Jensen Beach

2A — George McCartin, St. Andrew’s

2B — Steve Walsh, Cardinal Newman

1A — Willie Bueno, American Heritage

1B — Pete Walker, Glades Day

All-Class Coach of the Year: Pete Walker, Glades Day.

I’m guessing this might generation a little discussion. If so, please be civilized. There is no need for personal attacks toward any player or fellow reader. Thanks.

Cardinal Newman senior Ryan Burke, a wide receiver and defensive back, has committed to play for Lehigh.

Burke (6-2, 187) considered several other schools, including Princeton, but decided on Lehigh after his official visit earlier this month.

Lehigh does not offer athletic scholarships, but Burke will be admitted as a qualifying football prospect, his father, David Burke, said.

Burke caught 18 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The St. Andrew’s girls basketball team earned a big win Tuesday night over district opponent Cardinal Newman. The win put the Scots (12-4) in a tie for the No. 1 seed in district 13-3A with Cardinal Newman and gave them a boost as they finally beat the Crusaders.

Cardinal Newman came from behind to beat St. Andrew’s in last year’s district final and beat them again in December.

“We’ve had a really good season and we’ve beaten some good teams but you’re judged on how you do in the district,” Scots coach Andy Russo said. “We played a terrible game in December. They’ve got a great program and for us to beat them was a real feather in our cap.”

Russo said he got a well-balanced effort out of his team that night. Senior point guard Tayler Tremblay, who is up there as one of the area’s top scorers, didn’t score until late in the first half but the Scots still managed to hold a lead and Angela Alvarez had 30 rebounds.

Tom Moffett has resigned as girls basketball coach at Cardinal Newman after five seasons. Moffett said in a text message that he needed a break from the rigors of coaching and that he needed to devote more time to his real estate company, adding, “I have loved my year at Newman and thank them for the opportunity to coach at that level. The administration and kids have been wonderful to me.”

Newman led the Crusaders to four district titles in five years, with one runner-up this season, and a regional final appearance in 2006.

The Rising Stars Palm Beach County girls basketball all-star game is set for 6 p.m. March 20 at John I. Leonard and will feature the county’s top seniors. This is the second year for this all-star game. Larry Green will coach the White Team and Jeryl Akins of Dwyer will coach the Red Team.

Here are the rosters:

TEAM RED
Atlantic High School Cedricka Edwards
Atlantic High School Tiffany Garly
Atlantic High School Olivia Osborne
Boca High School Nayrana Carneiro
Boca High School Alexandra Witney
John I Leonard Brittney Soto
Lake Worth High School Allison Kerr
Santaluces High School Natasha Brown
Spanish River Sara Dawson
Wellington High School Katey Applegate
Wellington High School Stephanie Weiss
West Boca High School Nicolle DeSiqueira
Cardinal Newman Antonella Marino
Cardinal Newman Nicki Shaffer
Palm Beach Central Porsche Shakes
Palm Beach Central Amanda Collins

TEAM WHITE
Jupiter High School Joi Ostrout
Jupiter High School Carlayna Stone
Palm Beach Gardens H.S. Kiara Pleasant
Palm Beach Gardens H.S. Channetta Newby
Palm Beach Gardens H.S. Jalisa Gandy
Palm Beach Gardens H.S. Chandler Day
Palm Beach Gardens H.S. Kayla Thomas
Royal Palm Beach H.S. Patrice Collie
Royal Palm Beach H.S. Latoya Harvin
Royal Palm Beach H.S. D’Andrianque Greenland
Suncoast High School Chelsea Williams
The Kings Academy Christina Alessi
The Kings Academy Brooke Garmon
William T. Dwyer Clare Hosack
William T. Dwyer Meghan Gavin
William T. Dwyer Jaquira Eggleton

Dennis Miles has been hired as the girls basketball coach at Cardinal Newman following Tom Moffett’s resignation a month ago. Miles has coached the Wellington 11th grade AAU girls and boys teams since 2005. He is going to coach the Wellington girls AAU this season, as it has already started, but not the boys. He also plans to assist the travel team that Moffett ran for Cardinal Newman’s girls basketball players this season and decide later what to do with the Crusaders players for the next travel season.

Before coaching AAU, Miles and Moffett coached the middle school girls basketball team at the Holy Name of Jesus School in West Palm Beach for more than a decade.

“I’m just really excited and looking forward to continuing the tradition that Thomas started,” Miles said.

Miles is the director of administrative and support services for the Southeast Region of the Department of Children and Families and a former Marine Corps Officer.

Nicki Shaffer of Cardinal Newman has committed to play basketball at Elmhurst (Div. III) in Chicago. She will sign on Wednesday. Shaffer, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward, averaged 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game fr the Crusaders this season.

Mary Romero will not return as Cardinal Newman’s girls soccer coach next season.

Crusaders athletic director Alan Botkin said he spoke with Romero earlier this week and she “offered not to return.” Romero confirmed her resignation but said she felt there was no alternative, based on her conversation with Botkin.

“If it was my personal choice, I would have stayed there,” she said. “I don’t think it was a real choice.”

Romero said she was unsure why Cardinal Newman no longer wanted her, but believed parents of her players were instrumental in causing her resignation.

“I think the parents were a big part of it,” Romero said. “That’s the one thing that (Botkin) said, was that there were parent complaints. I love those girls and I think 90 percent of them feel the same way.”

Romero coached the Crusaders for seven seasons. The team went 16-5-1 last year and lost to Plantation-American Heritage in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.

She was voted North Division Coach of the Year by her peers in the Palm Beach County Athletic Conference last season.

“She is a credit to coaches and a great person,” Botkin said. “She’s a class act.”

Cardinal Newman announced in a press release this week that girls lacrosse coach Stephanie Jaworski has informed the school she is not returning next season. Former assistant coach Heather Kormanik will replace her.

Kormanik, 34, played for University of Maryland-Baltimore County and was selected as the Northeast Conference player of the year in 1998, her senior season.

Her sister, Janine Tucker, is the head coach at Johns Hopkins University.

Note: Welcome to the PBGametime 2010 Spring Football Tour! Over the next two weeks, we’ll visit area teams, meet some of the top players and answer the most pressing questions. Today’s stop is Cardinal Newman, where coach Steve Walsh and the Crusaders hope to take a big step forward.

Click below to see the video, and click here for more Spring Football Tour stops.

Could Cardinal Newman be a year ahead of that projection? Not likely. But it would be a good sign if the Crusaders go 5-5 this year.

Cardinal Newman went 24-26 in the five seasons leading up to Walsh’s hiring, including a 2-8 mark in 2008. The team went 3-7 in 2009, but that includes a victory over Pahokee due to forfeit.

Some of Cardinal Newman’s defeats look correctable. The Crusaders lost to Suncoast by 7, Benjamin by 13, Fort Lauderdale-Pine Crest by 8 and Inlet Grove by 1.

To pick up a post-season berth, the Crusaders will have to beat out at least two of these three quality teams in District 7-2B: Pahokee, North Broward Prep and Fort Lauderdale-University.

One player to watch in Cardinal Newman’s spring game (next Friday, 7 p.m. at Pope John Paul II) is running back Troy Campana. Campana led the team with 552 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season. Also keep an eye on two-way lineman Trey Tucker.

Cardinal Newman’s Kirsten Fowler will sign with Tennessee Temple where she plans to play basketball and soccer. Fowler, a 5-foot-4 guard, was a non-starter for the Crusaders basketball team.

It’s the Summer of Soccer, and a former local high school star is enjoying the spoils of her own international soccer success.

Ortiz handles the ball against Germany in the U-20 Women's World Cup. (Photo by Jonathan Ortiz)

Cardinal Newman alumna and Colombian national team player Melissa Ortiz, who was born in West Palm Beach but has Colombian parents, will play in the semifinals of the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany on Thursday.

Ortiz’s Colombian team takes on Nigeria at 12:30 p.m. EST at Bielefeld’s Schuco Arena for the right to play in Sunday’s 9 a.m. final, which is also in Bielefeld. Nigeria ousted the United States in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, ending Ortiz’s chance to take on her fellow Floridians Toni Pressley (Melbourne) and Kelsey Wys (Coral Springs) and her native country.

Ortiz, a two-time Palm Beach Post First-Team All-Area selection who graduated from Cardinal Newman in 2008, has played in three of her team’s four matches so far, starting one and coming on as a substitute in two others.

The forward scored in Colombia’s 3-1 loss to host Germany in the second match of the group stage, netting a goal in the 81st minute after checking into the game in the 59th minute. Ortiz also hit the post in the same match.

There’s a rack of brand-new compression fit Nike jerseys hanging in Cardinal Newman coach Steve Walsh’s office. Royal blue, yellow striping. Spotless.

In a few weeks, Walsh will hand No. 4 to a player he knows well.

Junior quarterback Brett Benes, who spent his sophomore year backing up Eddie Sullivan at Boca Raton, transferred to Cardinal Newman. He’ll likely start for the Crusaders, who went 3-7 last season (one of those wins came against Pahokee, via forfeit).

Walsh was a University of Miami classmate of Brett’s dad, Edgar Benes, the team’s starting kicker in 1988-’89.

Junior QB Will Clark also transferred to Cardinal Newman; he comes from Jupiter, where junior Tyler Cameron returns under center.

For Boca Raton, sophomore Kevin Anderson will likely start. Anderson started last year for Boca’s junior varsity team.

The Bobcats’ other option: senior wide receiver Cameron Lewis, a backup at American Heritage before he transferred to Boca as a sophomore. Don’t expect Lewis to take many snaps, since he should be a featured receiver for the Bobcats.