HSBN Broward Games of the Week for 2016

One of the most anticipated matchups this season is finally here. Flanagan hosts Archbishop McCarthy in the final HSBN Broward Game of the Week this season.

The Falcons own this series, winning all three of their matchups over the past three years. Flanagan won 6-2 last year, 2-1 in 2014 and 5-2 in 2013. Count on a fired-up and determined McCarthy team to try to make a dent in that record this season.

Archbishop is coming in with just one loss as of last week, a forfeit to Monsignor Pace. The Mavericks won all four of their matchups in the Catholic Challenge at Orlando Bishop Moore. The Mavs have beaten district foe American Heritage, Florida Christian, Killian and St. Thomas this season among their 20 victories.

The Falcons are enjoying their usual strong season as well at 15-3 through last week. Columbus, Monsignor Pace, Jupiter, Palm Beach Central and North Broward Prep are among the teams Flanagan has defeated. Eric Rivera is hitting .388 with a team-leading 19 runs and 10 RBIs. Edward Schissler is batting .370 with eight runs and seven RBIs. Alex Hernandez (.333, 10 RBIs), Mark Vientos (.320, 10 runs, 11 RBIs), Peter Moforis (.296, 11 runs, 15 RBIs) and Ricky Presno (.292, 14 runs, 13 RBIs) also lead the offense. Nicholas MacDonald (5-1) has struck out 49 with a 1.75 ERA in 36 innings, and Jeremy Cook is 3-0 with 35 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA in 26 innings. Dyland O'Connell is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

Two of the top programs in Broward County will kick off the 2016 season with a bang!

Both of these programs have consistently fielded competitive teams over the years, but these two programs haven't faced each other in the regular season in at least the past five years. Who knows? Tuesday's game could be the beginning of a heated rivalry.

Pembroke Pines Charter has been knocking on the door of the state playoffs the past two seasons, having reached the regional final in 2014 (losing to Mater Academy 6-4) and the regional semifinals last year (losing to Jensen Beach 8-5). The Jaguars will be looking to get back there this year with several key returning players coming back to again make this program a force.

Over at University, the Sharks will be shining bright behind a solid pitching staff led by Jake Kubiliun. Despite fielding strong teams, the one thing that has eluded University since 1991 has been a district title, and the Suns will be working hard to break through this year.

Two longtime Broward County small school powers meet Friday when Highlands Christian hosts Chaminade-Madonna.

If recent history is repeated, it'll be a close game. The Knights will be looking to avenge a 7-6 season-opening loss to the Lions last year. The year before, Highlands won by the same score.

The Knights finished the opening week 2-0 after knocking off Dade Christian 8-1 and Olympic Heights 9-5. Swindly Lint struck out 13 in six innings in the opening game, and Daniel Malay went 2-for-4 with four RBIs against Heights.

The Lions also are 2-0 after district wins over Westminster Academy (3-1) and Hialeah Educational (5-3). Dylan Arnett and Ryan McManiga combined for 13 strikeouts against Westminster, and Michael Blano pitched the Lions past Hialeah Educational.

The Cougars and Chargers are looking forward to getting some of the spotlight in a district that includes American Heritage and Archbishop McCarthy.

The two became district foes last season and played close games, with the Cougars winning 12-9 and 7-6. Look for more of the same fire and competitiveness this time around.

Hallandale is playing determined ball right now after a close loss to McCarthy has them believing they can play with the big boys. They're fresh off a 10-2 district win and ready to add more victories this week as it faces Ely and American Heritage before facing the Cougars.

Coconut Creek, under second-year manager Pete Perez, is aiming for its first winning season in years and is coming off its first win of the season, 8-7 against Hollywood Hills. The Cougars have a busy week as they have to face Coral Springs Christian, Stranahan and Northeast before taking on Hallandale.

Two of the most successful programs in the northern part of Broward County will go at it this Friday in the HSBN Broward Game of the Week. Both North Broward Prep and Douglas are enjoying winning streaks and each has a key district game looming Tuesday to think about before they can prepare to face each other. Douglas will travel to longtime nemesis Coral Springs, and North Broward will be on the road at Cardinal Gibbons.

Douglas is off to a 6-1 start with its only loss coming in the Falcons Challenge when it fell 6-5 to Westminster Christian on Feb. 12. Douglas, which has won three straight since then, is 2-0 in 9A-11 after beating Monarch and Deerfield Beach. Senior ace Jesus Luzardo is 2-0 with 20 strikeouts and a 0.58 ERA in 12 innings. Douglas has six batters hitting .333 or better.

North Broward, which is on a four-game winning streak after opening with losses to Archbishop McCarthy and Pine Crest, is led on the mound by Evan McKendry. He is 2-0 with 20 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in 14 innings, and he also is hitting .353. Aaron Antonini leads the hitters at .409.

Douglas and North Broward haven’t faced each other in the regular season in 2 years. Douglas won 5-2 on Feb. 19, 2014.

Calvary Christian and Westminster Academy bring a well-established rivalry into this week's HSBN Game of the Week. The 4A-7 foes have a rich, competitive history with the Eagles winning six of their nine meetings over the past five years. Westminster won twice, and the teams played to a tie in the other.

The Eagles (6-4) are coming off a district loss to SLAM and play another district foe, University School, tonight. The loss to SLAM halted a four-game winning streak. Maximiliano Ramirez has 20 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA in just nine and one-third innings. Max Guzman leads the offense, batting .400 with 10 runs and 10 RBIs.

The Lions (6-4) are coming off an 11-9 loss to Chaminade-Madonna, another 4A-7 opponent. That loss broke a five-game winning streak that followed an 0-3 start to the season. Tommy Haggerty leads the pitching staff at 3-0 with 21 strikeouts in 20 innings. Christian Sosa is hitting .429 with a home run, six doubles, 13 RBIs and eight runs. Corey Acton, who has two home runs, is hitting .406 with 11 runs and 12 RBIs, and Ramon Ripoll is hitting .364 with 10 runs and nine RBIs.

Two programs continuing their rise in the Broward high school baseball scene will go at it Thursday when Somerset travels to Cooper City.

The Panthers continue their steady rise under veteran manager Onel Garcia and are off to a 10-3 start, including a 5-1 mark in 5A-14. A signature win for the Panthers came against American Heritage last week as the Panthers edged the Patriots 5-4.

Somerset, which has averaged 15 wins a season over the past four years, is led on offense by Derek Cartaya, who is hitting .429 with six doubles and eight runs. Ricardo Leonett is close behind at .417 with nine RBIs. Mark Bejar leads the pitching staff at 5-0 with 22 strikeouts and a 0.77 ERA in 27.1 innings. Angel Perez has struck out 22 and Brandon Valentin 20.

The Cowboys, at 7-2, are off to their best start in years and are continuing their improvement trend under second-year coach Chris Delgado. The resurgence at Cooper City started under Wayne Stofsky in 2014 when the Cowboys went from 9-12 the year before to 17-7.

Richard Silva is batting .500 and Cameron Stadler is hitting .455. Angel Almonte is 2-1 with 28 strikeouts and 1.40 ERA in 15 innings, and Jeremy Brower is 2-0 with 25 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Somerset beat Cooper City 13-8 in their last regular-season meeting last year.

Coral Glades and Pompano Beach have had competitive games in the past couple of years. Coral Glades won 5-4 last year and Pompano won 7-3 in 2014. The teams will be trying for more of the same this year when they take the field Friday for this week's HSBN Broward Game of the Week.

At 11-6, Pompano is continuing the improvement trend under Manager Joe Giummule. The Tornadoes, who are 5-4 in the always-treacherous 5A-14, earned a signature win when they defeated Somserset Academy on Feb. 25. They're coming off a strong performance in the HSBN March Madness Shootout in which they won three of their four games. Bobby Aseere leads the hitters with a .420 batting average, 13 runs and nine RBIs. Nick Marcantonio (.362, 17 runs, 12 RBIs, three home runs) and Trevor Kniskern (.340, 10 runs, seven RBIs) also are hitting above .300. Vinny Costello has 13 runs and 19 RBIs, and Max Stein has scored 10 times. Trevor Kniskern has struck out 32 with a 0.37 ERA in 19 innings, and Peyton Trautman is 3-0 with 23 strikeouts and a 1.36 ERA.

Coral Glades (7-8) finished 2-2 in the March Madness Shootout, with a pair of one-run losses to Miami Senior and Port St. Lucie. The Jaguars are 2-2 in their district, with both of the wins over Spanish River. Glades has five batters with an average over .300. Alex Lara heads the group, hitting .390 with 12 runs. Steven Godoy is batting .378 with nine runs, and Preston Vegotsky is next, hitting .342 with 11 RBIs. Nik Donatucci has driven in seven runs while hitting .333. Joe Juliano's average is .312 and he has seven runs and nine RBIs. Vegotsky and TJ Densmore have pitched the bulk of the innings. Vegotsky (1-1) has struck out 23 in 30 innings to go with his 2.33 ERA, and Densmore (2-2) has fanned 23 in 22 innings and has a 1.59 ERA.