A Year of Many Highlights For Boca Christian
By: Stephanie Fonseca
Boca Raton Christian hosted their Annual Sports Banquet this past Tuesday evening, honoring the young men and women for their accomplishments and contributions to sports.
The evening was filled with smiles and some departing tears, but for Boca Christian it was a year for the record books.
The night started off with some tears as Head Softball Coach Gene Broyles announced that he would be retiring from coaching the girls softball team. The school awarded him with an honorary plaque for the outstanding accomplishments he achieved and his dedication to the team.
But the guests of the night were in for a treat. Earlier that evening Athletic Director, John White, was notified that Tennis Player and senior Sherienne Ricardo was signing with Southeastern University. Ricardo took the stage and signed her national Letter of Intent, with her Mom and Dad alongside her.
This year in sports was an eventful one for Boca Christian. For the first time in the school’s history, they were State Champions. The athlete that brought it home was Tucker Hindle, who ran cross country. But not only was it the first state champion for the school, but Hindle was the first boy in Boca Raton to with the Cross Country State Championship. The cross country team also had a stellar year with 199 wins and 28 losses, despite having a team composed of middle schoolers, beside Hindle.
For the second year in a row, the girls volleyball team made it to the Final Four, where the Berry twins went head-to-head for the State final spot. Despite having lost that game, Coach Len Visser is hopeful for the year to come and believes that they will knock on that door one more time.
The football team, made it to the playoffs after switching conferences and was fortunate to have two of their seniors sign Letters of Intent.
The girls soccer team also had a first, where for the first time in school history they made it to the Regional Finals. Despite the losing in the final, they remain hopeful being that they had a fairly young team. One of their players, Victoria Fonseca, made All-County 1st team and Emily Smith made 2nd team. Silvana Espindola, Daniela Giachetti, and Julia Novaes all made honorable mention.
The Boys soccer team came back from a losing 2014-15 season. With a change in coaches, the team went undefeated at home this year. And freshman, Stefan Kneffel, broke the school’s all time scoring record.
As the school year comes to a close, preparation for the new seasons are already in the works.
MVP Awards
Golf – Jordan Giandomeico
Cross Country- Jasmine Hincapie
JV Volleyball- Andrea Wheeler
Varsity Girls Volleyball- Hannah Berry & Vittoria Sottani
Football- Offensive- Ryan Rhoden
Defensive- TJ Maloney
Cheer- Kori Clark
Girls Soccer- Julia Novaes
Boys Soccer- Stefan Kneffel
Girls Basketball- Brynn Barker
JV Boys Basketball- Brian Van Bavel
Varsity Boys Basketball- Michael Walsh
Boys Volleyball- Mark delBosque & Brandt Mitala
Track & Field Boys- Tucker Hindle
Track & Field Girls- Melissa Gomez
Baseball- Logan Rataiczak
Softball- Rachel Taylo
Tennis- Sherienne Ricardo
Sportsman of the Year- Tucker Hindle
Sportswoman of the Year- Hannah Berry