Benjamin hopes to repeat at state track and field in busy prep postseason week
I-95 will be the host of a special kind of madness in and around Palm Beach County on Tuesday with 10 area teams scheduled for another evening in a busy week of win-or-go home action.
Track and field, boys volleyball, and local squads on the diamond nearing states, mid-May generally marks the beginning of the end of the postseason gauntlet.
That breeds a sigh of relief, but the majority of varsity sports fans remain at risk of losing their fingernails to nerve-wracking matchups over the next couple weeks.
Three games away: Cursed Cobras look to bring first state title back to Park Vista with Ethan Mattison
Football fever! The year of the wide receiver: Names to know from the Class of 2025 as spring ball begins
Get to know local track stars: West Boca, Spanish River hurdlers among nation's fastest
With losses for American Heritage-Delray, Benjamin, Cardinal Newman, Jupiter Christian, Saint John Paul II, Santaluces, Suncoast, Trinity Christian, Wellington and West Boca, what started as 13 local baseball teams last week dropped to just three by Saturday night.
Five softball teams remain of the 12 area squads that made the cut. American Heritage-Delray, Dwyer, King’s, Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Gardens, Seminole Ridge, and Suncoast all saw their seasons come to an end.
Region Four’s initial group of boys volleyball title contenders, including Dwyer, Jupiter, John I. Leonard, Seminole Ridge, Trinity Christian, and Wellington has unsurprisingly whittled down to No. 6 King’s Academy and No. 10 Park Vista. The postseason rivals are due for a rematch of 2022’s region semifinals, when the Cobras reigned victorious with a gentleman’s sweep and ultimately advanced to state quarterfinals.
The fun doesn’t stop there. States at University of North Florida in Jacksonville are also on deck for track and field crews and individual qualifiers.
Spearheaded by Barrett Saunders, voted the State of Florida’s Boy’s Track and Field Coach of the Year for 2021-22, Benjamin leads the pack in-county with 29 entries between its teams, overwhelmed by 22 for boys. The number of entries for the defending Class 1A state champs outnumbers all boys teams, regardless of classification. Second to the Bucs is First Baptist Academy out of Naples, competing in 14 events.
Trumping as expected after exceptional performances from the county meet to regionals along with Benjamin, 14 events for Oxbridge top 69 entries across local girls teams.
Your favorite area teams and athletes are closer than ever to the final destination of champions’ paradise. As the road to state narrows, check out the itinerary below to get the low-down on when and where Palm Beach County programs will be competing in the coming days.
Tuesday, May 16
Baseball region finals
Class 6A
Region 4: No. 3 Dwyer at No. 1 Doral Academy, time to be announced
Class 7A
Region 3: No. 2 Jupiter at No. 1 Park Vista, 7 p.m.
Softball region semifinals
Class 2A
Region 4: No. 6 Academy for Innovative Education at No. 2 Oxbridge, 5 p.m.
Class 7A
Region 3: No. 3 Boone at No. 2 Jupiter, 7 p.m. ; Centennial at Wellington, 7 p.m.
Region 4: No. 7 Spanish River at No. 3 Stoneman Douglas, 6 p.m. ; No. 4 Coral Reef at No. 1 Park Vista, 7 p.m.
Boys volleyball region finals
Region 4: No. 2 Park Vista at No. 1 King’s Academy, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 17
Class 1A Track and Field State Championships
Boys qualifiers (Total entries): American Heritage-Delray (2), Atlantic Christian (5), Benjamin (22), Berean Christian (4), Jupiter Christian (1), Pahokee (3)
Girls qualifiers (Total entries): American Heritage-Delray (5), Atlantic Christian (1), Benjamin (7), Berean Christian (3), Oxbridge (14), Pahokee (8)
Field events: 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Running events: 4 to 9 p.m.
Webcast: NFHS Network
Thursday, May 18
Class 2A Track and Field State Championships
Boys qualifiers (Total entries): Cardinal Newman (4), Inlet Grove (2), King’s (4), Somerset Canyons (2), Saint Andrew’s (1)
Girls qualifiers (Total entries): FAU High (5), Glades Central (4), King’s (6)
Field events: 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Running events: 4 to 8:40 p.m.
Webcast: NFHS Network
Friday, May 19
Softball region finals
Class 2A: Winner of Oxbridge/Academy for Innovative Education vs. No. 1 Florida Christian / No. 4 John Carroll Catholic
Class 7A: Winner of Park Vista/Coral Reef vs. winner of Spanish River/Stoneman Douglas; Winner of Jupiter/Boone vs. winner of Wellington/Centennial
Higher-seed will host. All games are tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m.
Boys volleyball state quarterfinals
Winner of King’s/Park Vista vs. winner of No. 5 Horizon / No. 2 Celebration, 1 p.m.
Location: Polk State College - Winter Haven Health Center
Class 3A Track and Field State Championships
Boys qualifiers (Total entries): Boynton Beach (1), Suncoast (1)
Girls qualifiers (Total entries): Atlantic (4)
Field events: 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Running events: 4 to 8:40 p.m.
Webcast: NFHS Network
Saturday, May 20
Class 4A Track and Field State Championships
Boys qualifiers (Total entries): Dwyer (3), Forest Hill (1), Olympic Heights (1), Park Vista (1), Royal Palm Beach (1), Spanish River (3), West Boca Raton (4)
Girls qualifiers (Total entries): Boca Raton (3), Palm Beach Central (2), Palm Beach Gardens (2), Seminole Ridge (3), Wellington (2)
Field events: 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Running events: 4 to 9:15 p.m.
Webcast: NFHS Network
Boys volleyball state semifinals and championships
Semifinal matchups will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ahead of the trophy matchup at 7 p.m.
Location: Polk State College - Winter Haven Health Center
Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Which Palm Beach teams and athletes remain on the road to state?
