North Broward Prep Headed Back To The State Tournament

The ultimate goal is to win a state championship. But it takes a regional title first in order to get to the state tournament and give yourself that chance, and in a showdown such as this, that regional crown is just as special as the trophy at the very end.

In the pivotal third game on Saturday, the North Broward Prep Eagles slugged their way to a narrow, 8-7 win over the Calvary Christian Clearwater Warriors to win the series and become the victors of Region 3A-3.

The Eagles (24-7) advance to the state tournament for the first time since the 2024 season in which they won their third state championship. They also answer back in this rivalry series with the Warriors (28-3), who swept them in the same round last season and also defeated North Broward Prep in the 2023 state final. As two of the top powerhouses in Class 3A the past several years, these match-ups have lived up to the high billing, and this regional final series was no different.

“It was really, really difficult situation, but the boys, they dug down and found it and persevered,” North Broward Prep Manager Brian Campbell said. “It was a great series win by our team against a really, really tough opponent in Calvary Christian Clearwater. It was a three-game series that went all three games.”

North Broward jumped in the driver’s seat by taking the opening game with a 3-0 shutout, giving the Warriors only their second loss all year. But Calvary Christian avoided elimination by taking the second game, as the Warriors rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning for the comeback victory. It was North Broward’s first loss in the playoffs, and also snapped an eight-game winning streak.

With the season now on the line for both sides in the rubber match, the Eagles stormed out of the gate to take control right away. North Broward took a 5-1 lead after two innings, powered by a lead-off solo home run from Caden Coleman to start the game and a three-run blast from Julian Rodriguez in the second.

But after Calvary rallied back within a run to make it a 5-4 game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles responded with three more runs in the sixth that were the difference. Julian Lopez had a two-RBI double and Zachary Tavarez plated the deciding run with an RBI on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.

Reliever Anthony Diaz worked his way through some traffic on the bases to close out the final inning and preserve the victory that rewards his team with the goal they have set their sights on all season long.

“We battled through some injuries and played really good teams. So we’re looking forward to a couple of days of rest, and then we’re looking forward to getting back to Fort Myers,” Campbell said.

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