West Boca Wins Fifth Straight District Title

West Boca has had a bit of an up-and-down season in 2026, their first under new Manager Charlie Fine. They finished the regular season 15-10, and came into the district tournament as one of the co-favorites, along with Coral Springs.

On Saturday, after having to delay the game earlier in the week due to weather, the Bulls and Colts squared off in the 6A-14 title game, and it was everything that was expected from the top two teams in the district.

West Boca received a two run home run from Cristian Goncalves, then held on late, defeating the Colts 3-1, to capture the district crown.

“Excellent, excellent game our guys played today,” said Fine. “Both teams played very well. That Coral Springs team was very good, coached well, and in reality, both teams really deserved to win. We were fortunate we were able to come out on top.”

The game started out as a pitchers duel between the Bulls’ Max McDougall and Colts Angelo Painter. Each starting pitcher held the opposing team scoreless through the first four innings.

As the tensions mounted, West Boca was finally able to break through in the fifth. Gabriel Goncalves hit a one-out single, and Cristian followed with a two-run home run to left, giving West Boca a 2-0 lead.

“Huge at-bat and home run by Cristian, giving us the lead in the fifth,” said Fine. “Both pitchers had been dominating up until that point, so it was nice to get those two runs and have a little breathing room.”

That breathing room, however, would not last long, as the Colts battled back to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

In the seventh, Christian Fallacara-Saunders hit a sacrifice fly, scoring (Christian) Goncalves, and upping the lead to 3-1.

From there, McDougall worked around a walk, and a one-out single in the seventh, to close out the complete game. He finished the day allowing only four hits, while striking out six.

“Dominant pitching performance today by Max,” said Fine. “He kept us in the game early, until our offense could scratch out a few runs. And then when things got tight there at the end, he reached down and found another gear to finish it out.”

The win will give West Boca a home game in the regional quarterfinals next weekend. Despite the loss, Coral Springs will also advance to the regional playoffs.

The Bulls will enter regional play not only as district champs, but also riding a wave of good baseball, winning four of their past five games. And that has Fine excited about the possibilities.

“This team has really bonded throughout the year, and we have been playing well as of late. I am super excited to see how this team keeps building, and the journey we can go on from this point. Now we can enjoy this district title, and start getting ready for the next round.”

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