Each year, the Wildcat Invitational features the top Water Polo teams in the state of Florida and offers an accurate assessment of who is expected to compete for the State Championship. In Friday’s action at the Aquatic Center, Dr. Phillips Men’s Water Polo provided a cogent argument to be included in the conversation with landmark victories over south Florida powerhouses Miami Gulliver and St. Thomas Aquinas. In the morning game vs. Gulliver, DP (7-1) fell behind, 11-10, with a minute remaining but a tying goal by Jack Orchard with 59 seconds left set up Ryan Staton’s game-winning goal with just two seconds on the clock to give the Panthers their most exciting and arguably most significant victory in program history. In the nightcap vs. St. Thomas Aquinas, who had defeated Winter Park earlier in the day, DP was exceptional from start to finish in a 13-10 victory over a team many believed to be the best in Florida right now.
Bruno Ferreira scored the first of his two goals vs. Gulliver just 1:16 into the game with a perfect one-timer from Evan Staton for a 1-0 lead. Gulliver responded with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead but Ryan Staton knotted things up with 30 seconds left in the quarter on a skip shot into the left corner for a 2-2 tie heading into the second quarter. Ian Supra put the Panthers on top, 3-2, with a goal off a crossing pass from Ryan Staton with 5:10 to go in the half and Staton gave his team a two goal advantage just 42 seconds later. After Gulliver was whistled for a foul, Staton found himself all alone on the right side of the goal and punched it into the near side for a 4-2 lead. It wouldn’t last, however. Gulliver reeled off four consecutive goals to take a 6-4 lead just two minutes into the third period. While brute strength has its obvious advantages, there is no substitute for finesse and innovation. With 4:10 left in the quarter, Jack Orchard fought off two defenders, slipped underneath two sets of flailing arms and lifted a sidearm toss that dropped perfectly into the right corner to cut the deficit to one goal, 6-5, and kick started a three-goal rally for the Panthers. Ian Supra’s breakaway goal tied the game at 6-6 and Orchard struck again at the 3:10 mark, punching a crossing pass from Ryan Staton into the back of the net for a 7-6 lead. Gulliver stopped their bleeding with another goal to tie it at 7-7 but a power play goal from Reed Davis and a penalty shot score from Ryan Staton gave DP some breathing room, 9-7, as the third quarter came to a close. In the fourth, ahead 9-8, Bruno Ferreira broke free from his defender and tossed a goal into the right corner to up the lead to 10-8. As they did in last year’s Final Four, Gulliver scored in waves again, putting three goals on the board for an 11-10 advantage but unlike last year, DP refused to lose. With 59 seconds left, Jack Orchard fired a skip shot from the point into the right corner to tie the game at 11-11. After a critical stop by goaltender Collin Brandt, (10 saves), the Panthers called for time to set up the game-winning shot. Out of the break, they moved the ball around the perimeter to find an opening. As the clock dipped below ten seconds, Evan Staton caught a pass on the far left point, looked for a shot but couldn’t pull the trigger. Five seconds to go, the freshman found his brother, Ryan, wide open across the arc. The senior captain hauled in the pass and launched a rocket that buried itself in the back right corner with just two seconds on the clock for the game-winning goal. Ryan Staton finished with four goals, Jack Orchard scored three, Bruno Ferreira and Ian Supra added two each and Reed Davis picked up a solo goal.
As he did in the first game against Gulliver, Bruno Ferreira kicked off DP’s game with St. Thomas Aquinas with a goal just 14 seconds into the contest. Walking the ball in from the point, the senior was virtually unchallenged and fired a shot into the left side of the net for a 1-0 lead. After STA tied the game at 1-1, senior David James’ one-timer off a cross from Evan Staton gave DP a 2-1 lead. Aquinas tied it up again but a tremendous steal by Jack Orchard led to a picture-perfect pass to Ryan Staton who smacked it home for a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and one they would not relinquish. Just 13 seconds into the second quarter, Reed Davis fired a shot from the right point to double the lead at 4-2 and Jack Orchard stretched it to a three-goal advantage with a steal, drive and a cross cage blast at the 5:10 mark. Orchard would answer each Gulliver goal by tacking on two more in the period: a wide open cross cage goal and another score off a Davis steal for a 7-4 lead at the half. In the third quarter, Aquinas would cut the margin with a pair of goals to climb within one, 7-6, but Ryan Staton’s turnaround skip shot into the back left corner and a follow-up shot into the far end of the cage gave DP some room, 9-7, as they headed into the final period. Aquinas opened up the fourth with another goal to draw within one, 9-8, but as he did all game, Jack Orchard shattered their dreams again with a blast into the left side for a 10-8 lead. While a two-goal lead is enjoyable, a three-goal lead is rather comforting and Reed Davis provided that blanket with a cross-cage goal with 2:34 left. Aquinas scored again to make it 11-9 but Jack Orchard came off a foul virtually alone, rose up and buried a shot into the left corner for a 12-9 with just under two minutes to play. Another Aquinas goal kept their hopes alive but Evan Staton nailed the coffin shut with a sensational one-timer from Jack Orchard that slipped over the top of the keeper into the cage for the final blow of the night. Jack Orchard scored a team-high five goals, Ryan Staton tallied three, Reed Davis contributed two and solo goals were earned by Bruno Ferreira, David James and Evan Staton. Collin Brandt was outstanding again between the pipes with nine saves.
Women’s Water Polo shook off a tough 15-2 loss in their opening match to Miami Gulliver in the morning and rebounded for an impressive victory over St. Thomas Aquinas, 9-2. Kate Pence and Allie Magrino scored the DP goals vs. Gulliver but in the nightcap, the Panthers peppered the Aquinas goalkeeper in a dominant performance from start to finish. Rachel Dytrych led the charge with four goals, Shannon MacNeil notched three with Heather MacNeil and Allie Magrino adding solo scores. With just over a minute gone in the first quarter, DP struck first with Shannon MacNeil putting one in off a rebound. Aquinas scored the next two goals but Mary Campbell, with nine saves on the night, shut the Raiders down the rest of the way. Rachel Dytrych took a pass from Jacqueline James down the left side and deposited it into the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2 but the senior wasn’t finished. 90 seconds later, Mary Campbell fired a deep pass to Dytrych, who faked a shot and then pushed it in to the right corner for a 3-2 lead. After an Aquinas timeout, Dytrych was fouled driving to the goal resulting in a penalty shot. Shannon MacNeil’s shot rattled inside the top left corner and the Panthers ended the first quarter in great shape, up 4-2. DP (6-2) wasted no time getting back in business in the second quarter. Allie Magrino’s shot clanged off the crossbar but Rachel Dytrych was right there to knock the rebound home for a 5-2 lead just 17 seconds into the quarter. Mary Campbell picked up her second assist of the game with a long pass to a wide-open Heather MacNeil, who placed it perfectly into the right end of the goal for a 6-2 lead at the half. Third quarter action saw the Panthers add two more to the tally with Rachel Dytrych firing a rebound into the right corner and Shannon MacNeil converting a Mary Campbell assist into a perfect fake and goal for an 8-2 lead. In the fourth quarter, DP struck for the final time when Allie Magrino’s turnaround shot from the point found the top right corner with 3:30 to play.
Women’s Lacrosse improved to 4-2 on the season with a 19-5 victory over Cypress Creek and JV Lacrosse ran their record to 5-1 with a 13-4 victory over Cypress Creek. We’ll have more information on that game plus results from Track and Field at Spruce Creek and Men’s Volleyball at the OVA Tournament when they come in.
Our State Champion Women’s Basketball team has been invited back to Maryland to defend their ESPNHS National Tournament championship at the end of the month. DP is one of four teams invited to participate in the ESPN-televised event, along with Riverdale Baptist (Maryland), HD Woodson (Washington DC) and Orlando Edgewater. The seeding has not been determined yet but the schedule reads the semifinal games being televised live on ESPNU at 3:30 and 5:30 pm March 30th with the championship game on ESPN2 at noon, March 31st. For more information, click here: http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/story/_/id/7659254/nhsi-features-three-powerade-fab-50-girls-teams.
Congratulations to Men’s Basketball graduate and current University of Miami star Shane Larkin (’11) on being named to the ACC All-Freshmen team!
The winter sports season is in the books and Dr. Phillips has made a dramatic rise towards the top of the FHSAA’s Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award! Last year DP finished as the top athletic program in the entire state and after two seasons DP is currently in third place, just 31 points behind Olympia and 25 behind second place Tampa Plant.
Today’s Games:
Water Polo vs. Miami Ransom Everglades: 7:00 / 7:50 am
Track and Field at Spruce Creek Invitational: 9:00 am
Men’s Volleyball at OVA Tournament: 9:00 AM
Women’s Water Polo vs. Bishop Moore: 10:20 am
Men’s Water Polo vs. St. Andrews: 11:10 am
