Fall 2023 Sports Season Ends With Unforgettable Games

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Girl’s Varsity Volleyball makes it to second round of districts, ending their season in a five set game against the Western High School Wildcats. Meanwhile, Boy’s Varsity Football brings home the 2023-2024 district champion title after their victory against the Everglades High Gators, ending their season at regionals in a tight game against the South Dade Bulldogs

Lightning Prowl: The Bobcats set up for a run play during their first official game of the season against Cypress Bay High on Aug. 24. . team fell to the Lightnings 7-20. The Bobcats went on to have a remarkable season, becoming the 2023 district champions, their second consecutive championship title. Photo by Mia Villegas

By: Mia Villegas

After bringing home the district champion title during the 2022-2023 season, the Boys Varsity Football team made significant improvements to their team dynamics to defend their title. The team finished their season 7-4 before their district championship game against Everglades High, followed by a playoff game against South Dade High.

**DYNAMIC DUO:** Senior right side hitter Mia Martinez and senior libero Sophia Laguna have been on the varsity volleyball team since their sophomore year, quickly becoming a power duo on the team. The two have been able to achieve some game-saving plays with their chemistry. Additionally, Martinez and Laguna were invited to compete in the Broward County Athletic Association’s annual Senior All-Star game for all their hard work. *Photos courtesy of Fox-Mar Photography.*

“I think this year we found our identity, especially offensively. The boys realized they worked hard all summer and really came together this season,” said head football coach Brian Mccartney.

The Bobcats kicked off the season with a match against Cypress Bay High on Aug. 24, falling short with a 24-7 score. Throughout the season, the team engaged in various non-conference games against schools outside the county to bolster their rankings and gain valuable experience. Facing Mainland High in Daytona, Fla., the Bobcats experienced a tough 0-36 loss. Following a recuperative off week, they triumphed over the Dwyer Panthers with a score of 23-3.

“They worked their tails off and I think that is what they came to realize during the off week was they put a lot of work into this and can not let it go to waste,” commented Mccartney.

Returning home, Pembroke Pines Charter High School at Charles W. Flanagan High School for their homecoming game. The game began at 7:00 pm, and the Bobcats had already made a touchdown within the first ten minutes. However, the game came to an abrupt pause before the first quarter ended due to lightning. The lightning delays lasted two hours before the game resumed at 9:15 pm. Although the Jaguars managed to make a touchdown upon their return, the Bobcats defeated them, winning 27-7. Subsequent games saw the Bobcats winning against the Somerset Academy with a resounding 56-0 win and overcoming the South Broward Bulldogs with a score of 34-26 the following week. However, in a close battle the following week, the team faced the Gulf Coast High Sharks in Naples, Fla., suffering a narrow 19-21 defeat due to two missed conversions. Returning home for the final time, the Bobcats celebrated victories against the Charles W. Flanagan High Falcons with a score of 51-0 and the Cooper City High Cowboys with an impressive 67-0.

**POWERHOUSE**: Junior middle blocker Tatianna Besu has been on the varsity volleyball team since her sophomore year, and has improved her skills impressively this season, becoming a vital defender of the back row and achieving ten kills in just one match. *Photos courtesy of Fox Mar Photography*

“Last season I think we learned what we were capable of on the field and it really helped us confidence-wise this season. Not only did we have confidence in ourselves, but we also learned to trust each other,” said senior offensive tackle Ashton Ames.

On Thursday, Nov. 2, the Bobcats headed into their district competition game against Everglades High. The team secured a 23-14 victory by clinching three touchdowns made by senior wide receiver Jonathan Lawson, junior wide receiver Kelvin Reyes, and sophomore wide receiver Walter Oden, and three conversions completed by sophomore kicker Trace Poncev, successfully bringing home the district title for the second consecutive season—a first in West Broward history. The team then headed to their playoff game against South Dade High, falling short 31-43. The Bobcats fought hard, securing four touchdowns and seven kick points.

“Although we definitely made some mistakes and lost, we played really well in our playoff game. We still feel super accomplished after bringing home the district champion title for two years in a row,” finished Ames

Simultaneously, the Girls Varsity Volleyball team had also had a strong season, finishing with a 9-8 record before moving into district competitions. With a team nearly full of seniors, the Bobcats found themselves not only learning more about the game, but also about leadership. After a rough season last fall with an 8-12 record, the Lady Bobcats were ready to take on this season with a new mentality.

“We improved a lot from last season. Last season was not the best and we really wanted to change that this year, so we worked harder and definitely improved overall,” said senior right-side hitter Mia Martinez

To begin preparing for this season, the team began conditioning in early August, shortly before the school year even began. In addition, practices became more frequent for both JV and varsity, Jv practices increasing from four to five times a week, and varsity beginning to practice six times a week instead of five. Head Coach Allison Edens made this decision following evaluations made pre-season in an attempt to not only be able to develop the team as a whole, but also to develop each player individually. Edens coaches the team with the help of JV Coach Nicole Arnold and assistant coaches Michael Marsans and Rob Rogers. The team was able to see incredible improvements this season, especially individually.

“The mistakes we made in the beginning of the season are not any kind of mistakes that they would make now. If we were to play some of the first few teams we played we would definitely win.”
ALLISON EDENS, HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH

**CAT FIGHT:** Junior running back Elijah DeWoskin sets up a kick for sophomore kicker Trace Poncev during their pracice, shortly before their homecoming game against Pembroke Pines Charter High Panthers . The Bobcats went on to win the game 27-7. *Photo Courtesy of Fox-Mar Photography.*

This season, the Bobcats put up a tough fight against many schools from across the county. The team fought hard and won their games against Everglades (3-1), Miramar (3-0), Coral Springs (3-1), McArthur(3-0), South Broward (3-1), Flanagan (3-0), Nova (3-0) and Hallandale (3-0) High Schools. However, the Bobcats would drop tough losses to South Plantation (0-3), Coral Glades (1-3), Western (1-3), Monarch (1-3), Pines Charter (1-3) and Cypress Bay (3-0) High Schools. But through these losses, the Bobcats grew closer as a team and learned from their mistakes and saw more success as the season went on. The team most notably played a fiery game against their rivals, Western High. The game progressed and became far more intense as the sets went on, with West Broward finishing the last set at 27 points while Western finished with 29. Additionally, the Bobcats were able to achieve thirty-two kills this game, with nine being made by senior right side hitter Mia Martinez and six by senior libero Sophia Laguna, and eleven aces, however the team ended with a 3-1 loss.

“The mistakes the team made in the beginning of the season are not any kind of mistakes that they would make now. If we were to play some of the first few teams we played we would definitely win,” said Head Coach Allison Edens.

The season concluded with their last three games being against Nova High, Hallandale High and Cooper City High. The team celebrated their senior players during their game against Nova High school, going on to have a spectacular game winning 3-0. This game, the team was able to achieve twenty-nine kill and twelve aces, the most being made by The Bobcats then ended their season earlier than expected as J.P. Taravella forfeited hours before the game. Before heading to districts, Edens reevaluated her teams and decided to add outside hitters Melody De Hoyos and Daniella Maeya from JV to varsity to get the chance to be a part of the team’s fight at districts. The team began their district competitions, set to play against J.P. Taravella High, who ended up forfeiting once again. The Lady Bobcats’ season would come to an end with a hard-fought loss to Western High School, 3-2.

“This season, I overcame the fact that the last two years we have had some rough seasons and I wanted to change that for my senior year. It is rough coming back from two difficult seasons, but as a team we put in the effort and did a lot better, said Martinez.”