3A-12 Playoff Preview: St. John Paul II A Strong No. 3 Seed

District 3A-12 could send three different teams to the regional tournament, which means the district tournament will be one of the most competitive in the state.

North Broward is seeking a third-straight state championship, Coral Springs Charter has lost just once in the last month and St. John Paul is one of the top teams in Palm Beach County.

Let’s take a look at each team’s prospects.

3A-12 District Playoff Schedule

Location: North Broward

Quarterfinals – Monday (5/1)

No. 4  Saint Andrew’s vs. No. 5 Katz Yeshiva @ 4:00 p.m.

Semifinals – Tuesday (5/2)

No. 1 North Broward Prep vs. Winner (Saint Andrew’s-Yeshiva) @ 7:30 p.m.

No. 2 Coral Springs Charter vs. Winner No. 3 St. John Paul II Academy @ 4:00 p.m.

Finals – Thursday (5/4)

Winner (Semifinal 1) vs. Winner (Coral Springs Charter-St. John Paul II) @ 6:30 p.m.

Coral Springs Charter – Team Page

The Panthers ended the season on an 11-1 run, but that one loss came against district leader North Broward. The goal is to upset NBP in the district championship, but first up is Saint John Paul II in the semifinals.

Senior Jeovanni Hernandez leads the team with 24 hits and three home runs. He is one of five batters that have crossed the 20-hit threshold. David Austen (also a senior) has struck out a team-high 52 strikeouts over 39.1 innings on the mound.

A 9-8 regular-season win over St. John Paul II has Coral Springs Charter confident it can pull off an upset as a No. 3 seed, and then it’s on to the other Eagles in the district. An at-large regional bid appears likely, regardless of the outcome of the district tournament.

North Broward Prep – Team Page

The Eagles won the 4A state championship in 2021 and the 3A state championship a season ago, so it’s safe to say they are the district favorites. North Broward lost a few key pieces from last year’s club, but manager Brian Campbell has a young group of Division I-bound talent that has taken over the roster.

Nathaneal Coupet (Georgia Tech) leads a lineup that bats at a .300 clip up-and-down with 33 hits and seven home runs. Riley Luft (Appalachian State) has also hit four long balls and is second to Coupet in RBIs with 24 on the year. Juniors Gian De Castro (Memphis) and Nik Koorse are also having really nice seasons, batting .348 each.

On the mound, it’s Gray (UCF) and Ryan McPherson (Mississippi State) leading the way. Gray leads the team with a 1.24 ERA and 64 strikeouts through 45.1 innings while also batting .361 with 26 hits and 20 RBIs. Luft leads the team in saves with five, but freshmen Nate Hernandez and Tanner Uderitz also have succeeded when given the chance at the end of games.

North Broward has a chance to be the top seed in regionals and make a deep run, but there’s a target on the Eagles’ back after winning it all for two straight seasons.

Saint John Paul II – Team Page

The Eagles have a strong shot at making regionals once again, but the path to a district title is much tougher than it was a season ago. Getting past CS Charter grants a shot at North Broward, and the Battle of the Eagles has been a must-see matchup over the past few seasons.

Senior Ryan Shiflet is leading the team with 27 hits and a .375 batting average, and Dom Rivara provides the pop for the team with three home runs, seven doubles and 17 runs batted in. Connor Cavo, John Rodriguez and Sam Wooley have combined for 93 strikeouts in as many innings on the mound. Albert Medina’s 0.50 ERA is also notable through 14 innings.

Avenging a one-run loss to Coral Springs Charter is first up on the playoff itinerary. A semifinal win would almost guarantee a regional appearance but things seem likely either way.

St. Andrew’s – Team Page

The Scots are an incredibly young team with a ton of talent that went 6-12 against a tough schedule. First-year manager Alan Shakey has taken over the program and has a plan to bring the program up to par with the top of the district. Year 1 has provided varied results on the field, but its clear that this program is headed in the right direction.

Miami commit Dylan Dubovik leads the team with 16 hits and four home runs. Aaron Orozco Torres also has some pop in his bat with a pair of big flies, and Carter Derks is a major threat with runners in scoring position. On the mound, freshman Jack Rostock has stepped into the No. 1 starting role with Matthew Spina coming out of the bullpen. Sophomore Michael Tight has a team-best 3.13 ERA but hasn’t played in over a month.

Beating Yeshiva is realistic for St. Andrew’s this year, but a semifinal matchup with North Broward might be the end of the line after a 16-1 regular season loss to the Eagles. Still, the future is bright for this young club.

Yeshiva – Team Page

The Storm only won a handful of games this season and are the No. 5 seed in 3A-12 this year

Jonah Schenker has put together double-digit hits and leads the team offensively. Mendel Kahn has eaten the most innings for the storm and has a decent strikeout rate.

Upsetting St. Andre’s isn’t totally out of the question, but this program might have to wait another year for its first postseason win.

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