As November begins, autumn is not the only season coming to an end — the fall sports season is also wrapping up in Miami-Dade County. With the end of fall sports, Miami Palmetto Senior High’s three winter sports — soccer, basketball and wrestling — officially begin.
The Varsity Soccer teams’ tryouts were the earliest, with the boys’ being Oct.16-18. Since the official roster came out, the players have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming games. More specifically, the game against their main rivals: Columbus.
“[I’m most excited for] playing Columbus,” senior and Varsity Soccer team captain Sterling Diaz said. “I want the team to get farther this year, but our main goal is to beat Columbus again for sure.”
After making it to the Regional Semi-Finals last year, the team is motivated and hopeful for this upcoming season. Diaz has especially high hopes for some standout players he suggests that fans should keep an eye on.
“Prodigy [ sophomore] Sebastian Garrido [is] up and coming. We have a new center-back, [senior] Jad Rosario, who’s gonna be good too,” Diaz said. “Shoutout to [sophomore] Kevin Hoar also — he’s gonna be nasty.”
With a surplus of talent and drive, the 2023 Varsity Soccer team is looking forward to an exciting season, encouraging as much fan presence as possible. According to Diaz, coming to the games is the best way to show support.
In addition to the soccer season starting, the Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball seasons are officially on the horizon. Tryouts for both teams took place Oct. 30-31, and the final rosters are expected in the coming days. In the meantime, senior and Varsity Girls’ Basketball player Sami Anes is optimistic about the promising 2023 roster and is looking for certain traits in a possible teammate.
“[The main thing we’re looking for in a person trying out is] skill. Endurance too,” Anes said.
The girls are striving for excellence this season, aiming to make it past the semi-finals. In addition to their ambitions in this year’s playoffs, the team wants to focus on a less athletic goal: a stronger team bond.
“[Our main goal as a team is] to get along better — to bond,” Anes said. “We’re not gonna do bigs and littles, but we’ll probably do team bonding over the weekends for games.”
Last but certainly not least, tryouts for the Varsity Wrestling team begin Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in the wrestling room. Wrestling Head Coach Anthony Fadelle is looking for devoted, spirited athletes.
“[I’m looking for] someone who likes to work hard, is committed, loyal, has a good work ethic and enjoys physical combat,” Fadelle said.
Though the first match is not until Dec. 2, Fadelle plans to use the month of practice to prepare for his many goals for his team this season. Mainly, he hopes to finally take home first place at states.
“[Our main goal is] to try to get our first state champion. This is our seventh year, and we’ve had a runner-up, we’ve had a lot of places, but we’d like to get our first state champion,” Fadelle said. “We have a full lineup. And on the team, we have about five guys that have a chance to do really well at the state championship, and then also our girl, [sophomore Eysis Estes]. She won every tournament last year, but she fell short. This year, I think she has a chance to win a state title.”
According to Fadelle, the best way to support the team is by showing up to watch their matches and cheer them on. An enthusiastic student section is a key motivator for almost any athlete, and the team has multiple special opportunities for students to come show their Panther pride.
“We do two matches that are during school — they’re at 12:30 p.m. So, I invite teachers and they can come and bring their students down. And then we have an alumni night, and then a senior night. So that’s always nice if their friends will come and cheer them on,” Fadelle said.
As is the case for the majority of MPSH’s teams, these upcoming teams are worth keeping an eye on. Make sure to support all the talented athletes by attending games and following their team Instagrams:
Boys Soccer: @miamipalmettosoccer
Girls Soccer: @mpshgirlssoccer
Boys Basketball: @palmettobasketball
Girls Basketball: @mpshgbasketball
Wrestling: @palmettopantherwrestling
