Nova Continues Hot Start, Advances To BCAA Tourney Final
2017. That was the last year that the storied Nova Titans program advanced to the state final four as regional championships. The Titans have won two district titles since that time, but have not threatened to be state contenders.
That narrative may be changing this season. Nova has jumped out to an undefeated record through the season’s first two weeks, and on Wednesday afternoon, they picked up their biggest win of the year, a 4-2 victory over Chaminade-Madonna in the BCAA Tier 2 tournament semifinals.
The Titans did it on Wednesday with a strong pitching performance from Cody Boisvert, who threw a complete game, allowing only two runs, while striking out three.
Meanwhile, the offense did just enough, led by a two-RBI single off the bat of left-fielder Cody Kunca.
“Cody (Boisvert) did a great job pitching to contact and not walking anyone today,” said Nova Manager Brian Luebkert. “And Cody (Kunca came through with a big two-RBI hit for us. We have a senior team that is learning how to win. They are believing in themselves, which is allowing them to have fun and win.”
That has not always been the case for the Titans since Luebkert took over the program. For a coach who has been with the Titans for over two decades, it took a couple years to re-establish a standard after taking over for longtime legendary coach Pat McQuaid.
In the past few years, Luebkert has stayed the course on what he knows will make Nova successful long term, and battled through a few rough years with a young squad. But in 2025, the team is now a veteran bunch that has been together for several years, a key factor in their early season success, according to Luebkert.
“We have struggled the past couple years with a lack of belief,” said the Titans manager. “But this group has been together for four years, and they are starting to believe in each other, and the hard work is paying off.”
Nova is in the process of re-establishing itself as one of the top programs in Broward, and they are expected to be ranked highly in the first upcoming HSBN Broward Power Rankings of the season on Monday.
But before they reach that point, they will have one more game to play in the BCAA tournament, one that will show whether this current version of the Titans has championship pedigree. They will face off against Pembroke Pines Charter, another team that has played well of late, winning their first two games in the tourney this week by a combined 16-1 score.
Despite the outcome in that game Friday, Luebkert is excited for the possibilities that lie ahead with the 2025 Titans.
“I preached for four years to these kids that it is not what we do with our success, it’s how we handle our failures. I am proud of the start these guys have put together this season, and hopefully we can continue to build on the strong start.”
Nova and Pines Charter will play for the Tier 2 title on Friday at Nova.