The St. Thomas Aquinas boys water polo team captured its second FHSAA state championship in school history as the Raiders rallied past Belen Jesuit 14-12 at the Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School on Saturday.
St. Thomas Aquinas senior Samuel Collingwood recorded a team-high five goals, senior Ayden Castillo registered three goals and senior Dylan Chaimowicz scored twice to lift the Raiders. Senior Nicholas Santarsiero, sophomore Tony Vlasic, freshman Samuel Eastaugh and freshman Holden Harkins each added a goal apiece in the victory.
St. Thomas Aquinas (28-2-1) had a 4-3 advantage at the end of the first. Belen Jesuit (21-2-1) led 8-6 at halftime. The Raiders trailed by three in the third and were able to cut the deficit to 10-9 entering the fourth. The two teams were locked in an 11-11 tie as Chaimowicz scored the go-ahead goal and Castillo also scored to increase the lead. Belen Jesuit responded with a goal, but Collingwood answered back for the Raiders. Senior goalie Luke Salem stopped a penalty shot late in the match to secure the victory.
St. Thomas Aquinas (28-2-1) made its sixth appearance in the state final. The Raiders had defeated Belen Jesuit 13-10 to win its first state championship in 2013.
“We have prepared our boys from the beginning of the season and they were mentally tough at the end,” St. Thomas Aquinas coach Michael Goldenberg said. “The goal has always been the same and it feels nice to take it. The boys stepped up.”
The Raiders avenged a 14-10 loss to Belen Jesuit during March. The two teams also played to a 10-10 tie during an earlier meeting this season.
St. Thomas Aquinas had been eliminated in the state semifinal match the last two years. The Raiders finished as the state runner-up in 2012 and for three consecutive seasons from 2014 through 2016, which included two losses to Belen Jesuit.
“We had some ups and downs and were unable to get to the state final since 2016,” Goldenberg said. “We have 11 seniors and it feels good to win.”
St. Thomas Aquinas crushed Fort Lauderdale 21-4 in the regional quarterfinal, rolled past Cooper City 17-4 in the regional semifinal and reached the state semifinal with a 15-9 victory against Miami Country Day. The Raiders defeated Boca Raton 14-11 to advance to the state final.
The St. Thomas Aquinas girls water polo team reached the state semifinal for the first time since 2010 before a 22-8 loss to Gulliver Prep. Junior Angie Pasarin had four goals and senior Rebekah Harkins scored three goals in the match.
The Raiders (14-14), which captured the district championship, rolled past South Plantation 18-1 in the regional quarterfinal, defeated Dr. Krop 24-11 in the regional semifinal and advanced to the final four with a 12-11 win against Miami Country Day. Harkins led the team in goals, points and steals this season.
“We encouraged the girls to be excellent in everything they do and we surely made history and started a new tradition of a state run,” St. Thomas Aquinas coach Anna Rosen said. “It’s a big accomplishment. We had a great team culture. We supported each other as a family.”
The Boca Raton boys water polo team finished 22-4-1 and reached the state semifinal for the first time since 2019. Boca Raton rolled past Suncoast 20-5 in the opening round, cruised past Dr. Phillips 23-12 in the regional semifinal and held off West Orange 16-11 in the regional final.
Boca Raton fell to St. Thomas Aquinas in the state semifinal. Boca Raton led 3-2 at the end of the first and the match was tied 7-7 at halftime. The Bobcats trailed 11-9 entering the fourth and fell short by three. Boca Raton senior Greg Nordheim and junior Max Zelikov both scored three goals. Nordheim fouled out in the third period and Zelikov fouled out in the fourth.
“We had two very good players to build around,” Boca Raton coach Kurt Predmore said. “Greg and Max are national team players who have played at the highest level. The challenge was getting the rest of the roster to support and be productive to play at a higher level. The kids were phenomenal. They were buying into the program at practice and it made the job easier. We are not happy with the way it ended. We really had expectations of making it to that final game. It was a great season overall.”
The Boca Raton girls water polo team finished 13-8 and reached the regional semifinal. Junior Julia Allen led the squad in goals, points and steals. Boca Raton defeated St. Andrew’s 12-4 in the regional quarterfinal before an 11-6 loss to Lake Nona, which won the state title.
“We got caught with some unfortunate seeding to play Lake Nona in the regional semifinal,” Predmore said. “We were the first team to beat them in the last three years at a tournament earlier in the season. We had a great game plan again and could not hit our shots. Our girls played well this season.”
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