Marathon bats come alive in win over Coral Shores

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DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK

Lady Fins edge Coral Shores in girls softball

In a battle of Monroe County softball rivals, the MHS Lady Fins earned a hard-fought victory on April 18, posting a 12-11 win over the Coral Shores Hurricanes.

The Dolphins took full control of the game early on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before a furious rally by the Hurricanes put Marathon in an 11-9 hole. The unexpected lead change was short-lived, however, as the Dolphins’ bats came alive just in time for a three-run rally in the game’s final inning, capped off by a game-winning two-run triple by senior Kayla Sipe. The team’s 12 total runs also featured the first out-of-the-park home run of the season, blasted by sophomore Kylie McDaniel.

“That one inning kind of spun out of control on us, and we had a couple of injuries,” said head coach Lance Martin. “But we regrouped and won it in the last inning. I’m proud of the way the girls came back there.”

The rally was a fitting way to end Senior Night for team leaders Sipe and Carla Bacallao. With only five players on the high school squad, the team relies heavily on contributions from middle school players and leaned on the experience and leadership of Sipe and Bacallao this season as younger players developed.

“Our two seniors did a great job with leadership and teaching these girls how to play softball,” said Martin. “Many of these younger girls haven’t played in two or three years because of COVID. We found out that some of them hadn’t seen live pitching until they came out here. (The team has) come a long way in a short period of time. We’re starting over, and the seniors are leading the way back.” — Alex Rickert

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1. Marathon’s Aliyah Gonzalez lays down a bunt.

2. Team leaders Carla Bacallao, left, and Kayla Sipe celebrate Senior Night with their families. 5. Pitcher Kayla Sipe (13) winds up on the mound.

6. Coral Shores’ Felicity Rodriguez slides safely into second.

7. Kylie McDaniel (11) makes a close play at third.

MHS weightlifters show off medals earned at their regional competition. Front row, from left: Alex Perdomo, Yuni DeLeon. Back row, from left: Thomas Eubank, Sean Hale, Victor Segura, Malachi Hawkins. CONTRIBUTED.

WEIGHTLIFTING

BOYS

Regional Records from April 9 • Alex Perdomo - Bench: 180, Clean & Jerk: 145, Total: 325 • Sean Hale - Bench: 215, Clean & Jerk: 205, Total: 420 • Thomas Eubank - Bench: 240, Clean & Jerk: 185, Total: 425 • Malachi Hawkins - Bench: 240, Clean & Jerk: 200, Total: 440 • Victor Segura - Bench: 225, Clean & Jerk: 185, Total: 425 • Brody Vandervoort - Bench: 185, Clean & Jerk: 180, Total: 365 • Yuni DeLeon - Bench: 230, Clean & Jerk: 215, Total: 445 The boys weightlifting season is coming to a close. The team was lucky enough to have 13 contestants attend the district meet this year, and all advanced to regionals. Two student-athletes, Alex Perdomo and Yuni DeLeon, qualified for the state meet and will compete on Saturday, April 23 in Tallahassee.

“It’s a great honor to place in the top 20 and travel to State to go headto-head with the best lifters across our very large state,” said Perdomo. Both he and DeLeon qualified and will be participating in the snatch competition at Port St. Joe High School in the panhandle.

“The boys’ season was a blur compared to the girls’ season,” said head coach Jessie Schubert. Several of the boys made large improvements this year, and all team members learned the snatch lift for the first time. “This year was a first for the snatch movement, and the boys earned a runnerup finish in the event at the district meet, which is both surprising and encouraging,” said Schubert. The team also earned runner-up in the traditional lifts category, which has only happened once in the previous six years.

Seniors Victor Segura and Charles Vaughn are the only lifters who will be leaving the young team after this season. Next year’s squad will be led by returning lifters Sean Hale, Thomas Eubanks, Malachi Hawkins, Aaron Dolton, Brody Vandervoort, Tanner Ross, Perdomo and DeLeon. “These guys have had years of experience training and competing, and the expectations will be high for this group in the coming seasons,” said Schubert. “If their work ethic continues throughout the offseason, there’s no reason that they can’t have a championship season next year.”

Catching up with the athletes and teams of Marathon High School

CLARE MERRYMAN

is a senior at Marathon High School who dedicates the majority of her time to chasing her next article, working out with her teams, and swinging at a tennis ball. She’s known for making long to-do lists to keep her OCD in check. BASEBALL

VARSITY

The varsity baseball team currently holds a 10-9 record. Friday, April 22 will mark the last regular-season game of the year as the team takes on Westwood Christian at home at 5:30 p.m.

Graduating seniors Cole McDaniel, Delvin Solis, Ben Hiller and Corbin Neller will all be recognized for Senior Night before the first pitch. A win for the Fins will secure the top ranking in the South Florida Baseball Conference.

SOFTBALL

VARSITY

MHS vs. Coral Shores April 18 W, 12-11 • Aliyah Gonzales - 1 run, 2 hits, 4 RBI • Shynell McGuire - 2 runs, 1 hit, 2 RBI • Kylie McDaniel - 1 run, 1 hit, 2 RBI • Kayla Sipe - 1 run, 3 hits, 2 RBI

The MHS tennis team calls it a wrap after 12 matches. Front row, from left: Emily Alvear Villafuerte, Clare Merryman, Rylan Chapa, Dahlia Westdickenberg, Lilian Guo. Second row, from left: coach Kevin Freeman, Malena Rocafort, Hunter Clafl in, Mikele Rocafort, Adrien Holdinga, Marquisha Abraham. CONTRIBUTED.

TENNIS

“The team competed hard in the district playoffs in Kendall this past week,” said head coach Kevin Freeman. Two Lady Fins advanced to the second round, as Lilian Guo and Malena Rocafort won their opening matchups, but the team’s run ended there.

Even with a sudden end to the season, Freeman spoke glowingly of his four graduating seniors. “Rylan Chapa is a natural athlete, so it was inevitable that she would become a tough opponent. She worked hard in every practice and played hard for every point. Lilian Guo was an asset to the team and had another great year, going undefeated in the Keys. Additionally, she served as a terrific assistant coach as I learned the ropes as a first-year tennis coach. Clare Merryman definitely would win the most improved award. She really got into tennis her senior year and it showed as she finished off the season with a five-game win streak. Finally, Mikele Rocafort came out for the team in his senior year and settled right in as the number two player for the boys. Throughout the season, he and Adrien Holdinga played very well together as doubles partners. They have impressive communication skills on the court, which consistently pushed them ahead of other pairs.”