Whenever you do a year in review piece, the temptation is to focus on the big picture, at the expense of more modest accomplishments. And to be honest, we’ll probably do the same thing here – but at least we admit it! So with no further delay or ado, here are the top sports stories for our area in calendar year 2024:
Dominant Dudes: Say what you will about competitive balance, but there’s no doubt who rules the roost when it comes to boys’ major athletics in this state. Of the seven major classifications offered by the FHSSA, South Florida schools won five of the titles in both boys’ football and basketball. Hats (or helmets) off to Sagemont, Riviera Prep, Miami Norland (#7), Pembroke Pines Charter and Miami Columbus in hoops, while West Boca Raton, St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage, Miami Northwestern, and Chaminade-Madonna took home titles in football. Well done, lads.
Cam Time In College Football: A review of this year’s state college football preview might cause most to blush, including this scribe, but it turns out most of us missed the big story. And it wasn’t a team, it was a person. Cam Ward’s decision in the offseason to attend Miami meant the world to UM and disaster for FSU, who was also in on him. Ward’s sublime season landed him in New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and the Canes went 10-2 thanks to his efforts. FSU, meanwhile, suffered with no decent QB play, and stumbled to a 2-10 record. Coach Mike Norvell saved his job by firing most of his staff and agreeing to a salary cut. In Gainesville, Coach Billy Napier staved off the dogs by playing heralded true freshman DJ Lagway, who rumor has it is the school’s best offensive talent since Percy Harvin ruled the roost.
Dolphins and Tua Frustrate Again: To be fair, Dolphin QB Tua Tagovailoa isn’t to blame for the team’s record. A lack of physicality, no running game, and unfortunate mistakes at the worst time have doomed this season, currently 6-8 as of this writing, with a miniscule chance of making the playoffs. It looks like it’ll be 25 years since the team’s last playoff win. Wow.
Marlins’ Whiff: So what does the area’s forgotten franchise do with its manager of the year? It fires him, of course. Just one campaign removed from winning NL Manager of the year, the Marlins did the most Marlin thing and dumped Skip Schumaker. Not to worry, he stayed unemployed for exactly 10 days, hired by the Rangers as a senior advisor for baseball operations.
Top Cats: Easily the top local story was the run to the Stanley Cup by your Florida Panthers, its first in franchise history. The team, lead by coach Paul Maurice and stars Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky, won a thrilling seven game series over Edmonton, then partied all around South Florida (and in the ocean) with the Cup. And it’s no fluke: right now, they’re tied for first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Way to go, boys.
Well, that’s a look at it, the highs and lows of South Florida sports in 2024. Here’s hoping your team repeats, or fares better in the new year, but until then, Cheers!
