On May 11, the Knights went against Pembroke Pines Charter in their States Finals Tournament. The Knights won at 27-6, ending the season with one last cementing win. Saturday’s game established the varsity team’s #1 rank in Florida for the 2024 year, as well as the #1 rank nationally.
The match started proficiently, with great defense that made up for the imperfect offense. Many players were able to shine in the light of the field, such as Haidyn Spano (’25), who scored multiple touchdowns. Although the Pembroke Pines Charter had a good play during the third quarter, scoring six points, the Knights were able to recover quickly. Even with a swapping of the roster during the last quarter, the Knights prevailed with a 27-6 win.
The season ended with a 24-0 win to lose ratio, which according to Head Coach Saunders, doesn’t come without diligence.
“We put in a lot of hard work, I’m glad [the team] were able to benefit from that,” Saunders said.
Many of the students relayed the importance of teamwork during the entire game.
“Teamwork played a huge role in states and the journey to states,” one of the Varsity Captains, Manasvi Vijayaraghavan (’24) said. “To have teamwork and chemistry on the field is so important because when on defense you have to communicate a lot…I think it helped us tremendously on the journey to winning states.”
Although the team had experienced an overall positive season, the absence of Vijayaraghavan was hugely felt on the field.
“The biggest challenge this year was finding a way to cope with the loss of Manasvi’s ability to play,” Emma Smithson (’24) said. “Her injury took a toll on the team mentality, but it was something we had to deal with as a group. I don’t think that lack of effort was an issue this year because we had such a strong desire to be great not only for ourselves but also for Manasvi.”
With that being said, Vijayaraghavan was given the opportunity to play as Quarterback, at the last down of the game. Taking a knee, Vijayaraghavan was able to participate in the season’s final play, serving as perfect end to a record-continuing season, as well as a sendoff to all the senior players.
