North Broward Prep Not Just Satisfied To Be In Regional Championship

The North Broward Prep baseball team has advanced further into the playoffs then any other Eagles team that came before it.

But none of the current Eagles players are ready to celebrate just yet.

“It’s special that we made it this far, so why not just go on and win it all?” said senior outfielder Justin Bard. “It hasn’t even sunk in yet how huge this is for our program. This is our toughest test yet so we need to step up and play our game.”

North Broward (20-9) plays in its first regional championship ever when it travels to face Gulliver Prep on Friday afternoon, with the winner earning a berth in the Class 3A state semifinals, beginning on Wednesday May 18^th in Port St. Lucie.

“These guys are committed and have worked themselves into a good position,” said Eagles coach Brian Campbell. “I’m really glad we’ve been able to keep going because I just really enjoy seeing these guys play together. We spend more time together then we do with our families, so we just need to go out and have a good time while we get the job done.”

Gulliver Prep (28-5) is an opponent most experts expected to be hosting a regional championship playoff, as the Raiders were highly-ranked by most national publications coming into this season after finishing as the Class 3A state runners-up in 2010. Gulliver has won its last six games and is playing in its third straight regional championship dating back to 2009.

But as the team t-shirts read at North Broward Prep: “It’s not how you start… it’s how you finish.”

Seven of the Eagles nine seniors have signed with colleges, including Friday’s starting pitcher Josean Lazaro (6-0), who has signed with Villanova. Most players have started their entire high school careers for this team and are eager to make the most of the chances they have finally earned for themselves. North Broward is an energetic and enthusiastic team, and the way players thrive off of that same passion out on the field has directly translated into success.

“We wait for that one big play to feed off that and we start rallies that way,” said senior Mike Vigliarolo, whose two home runs helped propel the Eagles to a 5-3 victory over rival American Heritage in Friday’s regional semifinal. “Everyone gets going crazy and the intensity is great. We just need to get one or two of those again on Friday.”

It was the third time this season that North Broward defeated the Patriots, themselves winners of a state title in 2008 while also finishing as state runners-up in 2009. During that stretch American Heritage was nationally ranked and also had Eric Hosmer drafted third overall to the Kansas City Royals during the 2008 Major League Draft.

To be the best, you have to beat the best.

North Broward is proud to have earned this opportunity in exactly that manner.

It is unquestionable that District 14-3A is the toughest in Broward County, with each game possessing a playoff-atmosphere that toughens up the team fortunate to survive the district-playoff gauntlet each season. So many times in years past the Eagles watched as their respected rivals moved on and sent them home. Even this season, Coach Campbell admits he was the most nervous before their first district playoff against Pompano Beach. Then the Eagles lost the district championship to the Patriots, setting up their fourth match up of the year after they both won in the regional quarterfinals.

“We take it as our responsibility to represent our school, our district and our county,” said Campbell. “You couldn’t ask for a better chance then to beat a good, nationally-ranked team for a chance to play at the state tournament. It’s all hands on deck now!”

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