Junior Marcelo Mantecon (middle) of Belen Jesuit is following up a stellar cross-country season with an amazing track & field season.
Photo Courtesy Belen Track & Field
This week, we continue a feature where we ask you to vote for the best high school varsity performer of the week (in Broward and Miami-Dade counties).
This week includes nominees from high school lacrosse, track & field, boys’ volleyball and water polo.
Take our poll below to cast your vote. The poll will be open until Thursday, April 2 til around 10 p.m. You may vote as often as you like until then.
NOTE: You should see a Miami Herald box underneath this note for you to type Yes and click Submit. That will ignite the actual poll to vote.
Lucas Albert, Gulliver Prep lacrosse: the junior set a school record for goals in a game with 10 as the Raiders beat Cardinal Gibbons 19-2. He also had 5 goals and 1 assist in a 13-12 loss to Belen Jesuit.
Billy Essig, Belen Jesuit volleyball: the junior led the way with 61 kills (6.6 kills per set and .306%) 19 digs and 2 aces as the Wolverines won the Bronze Bracket while placing ninth overall at the Miami Classic at Miami Dade College in Kendall.
Charlie Friguls, Columbus volleyball: the senior setter was named tournament MVP after recording 57 assists, 9 digs, 2 kills and 1 ace to lead the Explorers to first in the Gold Bracket and first overall at the Miami Classic at Miami Dade College in Kendall.
Ashton Gould, Ransom Everglades water polo: the junior scored the winner in overtime as the Raiders came from behind to edge St. Thomas Aquinas 12-11.
Sophia Kingston, Gulliver Prep water polo: the senior had 25 goals, 11 assists and 13 steals combined in wins over Cutler Bay, Ransom Everglades, MAST, St. Thomas Aquinas and ATM at the Gulliver Prep Invitational.
Marcelo Mantecon, Belen Jesuit track & field: at the Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory in New York City, the junior won the Championship 5,000m run in 13:57.94, setting a meet record. He won another national title in the Championship Two Mile, running 8:48.02. He captured his third individual national championship of the meet in the Championship Mile, running 4:00.66 (a 4-minute mile) to set a meet record and a U.S. high school indoor junior class record. He also anchored the foursome that won the Distance Medley Relay national title in 9:47.01, breaking The Armory facility record and the National Scholastic Record.
Kevin Muñoz, Southwest volleyball: the senior had 33 assists, 4 kills and 6 digs in a thrilling, come-from-behind 5-set win over Columbus.
Marcos Sanchez, True North volleyball: the freshman had 15 kills and 1 ace as the Titans handed Varela its first loss of the season in a close 3-set win 27-25, 27-25, 25-18.
Miami Herald
Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He also covers pro wrestling, something he’s done since his college days in the late 1980s. Now in his fifth decade of coverage, he currently follows WWE (Raw, SmackDown and NXT), AEW, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, MLW, WOW, NWA, and the South Florida indies, mainly CCW. He writes MMA, too — mostly profile stories and video interviews with American Top Team and Sanford MMA fighters in South Florida. As for pro wrestling, he writes feature stories and profile pieces, updates upcoming show schedules in South Florida, photographs the action and interviews talent (audio and video) — sharing the content here and via social media on his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel).
Support my work with a digital subscription