Florida Christian Wins Its Fifth Straight District Title

4A-15 Championship Gallery

Long before he accounted for the only run of the contest, Brandon Chinea generated a spark to lift his teammates for their biggest game of the season. From the opening introductions the fiery shortstop could hardly contain his enthusiasm to be playing for a district championship, hopping wildly onto the field at Florida Christian in Olympia Heights Friday night.

The rest of the Patriots were quick to follow, and that energy, passion and excitement helped to carry them through a very tough and grueling battle with St. Brendan. The result was a close 1-0 victory that earned the program its fifth consecutive district title, a title that was perhaps the toughest of them all in coming in the competitive 4A-15 that the club joined this year.

In such a tough match up, Chinea made it a point to stay vocal, passionate and enthusiastic from the opening pitch to the final out.

“I’ve got to get my team up, and I’ve got to get the energy going all through seven innings,” Chinea said. “It is a seven inning ballgame and it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. It ain’t over until the last out, so you’ve got to keep the energy going one through seven.”

Florida Christian Manager Chris Brigman celebrated his second district crown in as many years at the helm of the program. After carrying the momentum from last season’s title all the way to the state Final Four, the Patriots set their goals upon returning to the state finals and chasing after a state championship this year. Yet that road got a lot tougher after realignment set the team in a district with four other ball clubs that had all also won their respective districts a season ago. It was a goal that was still important to the team, and keeps their title streak alive and running for at least one more year.

“It’s just continuing the tradition of what was set before me,” Brigman said. “This is one of the toughest districts in the county, if not the state. Every ball game was just like tonight, a war; and I don’t use that term loosely.”

Chinea played his part in the victory by utilizing his bat and his speed to exemplify the energy and excitement that vibrated from his entire body. Leading off the bottom of the first the speedy leadoff hitter connected on a 0-1 pitch and lined it into the outfield, and when the ball took an unusual bounce and skipped over the player’s head Chinea put on the jets and raced all the way to third base for a triple. He then came the final ninety feet to touch the plate on a wild pitch.

“As soon as I saw that ball go right over his head, I was thinking three, and if he bobbled it I was thinking home,” Chinea said. “I was going three and it was just a great feeling to start the game off like that. It is a great ball club we have and I was surprised that was our only run, but our pitcher Michael Campos pitched a helluva game and was all out for us.”

Campos is one of the most-seasoned pitches on the staff, after growing into a feature role last year. He has pitched in many big games for the Patriots (20-7), and that experience helped him stay composed and under control.

“Wow, what a pitching performance from senior Michael Campos,” said Brigman. “The guys just stepped up, and like we tell them, keep grinding, keep grinding, keep grinding, and make things happen. It was just hold on for dear life. We would have liked more than one run, but we’ll take it.”

Campos made that slim lead hold up throughout. The right-hander was fearless in attacking the aggressive Sabres lineup, working through each threat to keep his team in the lead. The senior went the distance on just 78 pitches, pounding the zone for 57 of those throws.

“You know after the first inning that it is just clicking, and everything was working today and thankfully I was able to execute my pitches,” Campos said. “They were aggressive; they were swinging at the first pitch. But I didn’t change my approach and I made them hit what I wanted to throw and I threw what I wanted to throw on my counts. I just made them adjust to me and I wasn’t going to let them change anything. I was pounding the zone, and my ball has a lot of arm-side run so I pitch more to contact than for strikeouts. Thankfully my defense made great plays behind me and we picked up the ‘W’, thank God.”

Campos scattered five hits and did not walk anyone, and also recorded six strikeouts. The defense behind him was equally strong in playing error-free baseball to back his performance on the mound.

“We have got good ball players, it was just that the approach was bad and their kid was on. The kid was on and he pitched a helluva game,” St. Brendan Manager Luis Padron said. “We pitched well, and we had a program that we were going to go lefty-righty-lefty, and we only gave up six hits. We had five hits, and it was just that the ball didn’t bounce our way. It’s a good game and both teams are well-coached. This district you can never take a day off and that is why I took this job and that is exactly how I wanted it. It’s not easy. Here it is the toughest district in the county, I believe, outside of some of the public schools. We showed up, but they had a good game.”

The Sabres (10-13-1) had a few chances along the way, but were unable to come up with the big play they were looking for. Their final shot came in the top of the seventh, after Nico Lares and Danny Servin both singled leading off the frame. Eric Pacheco moved them into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, but they were stranded on the bases when the Patriots got a foul popout and a strikeout to end the game.

“We just missed the opportunity to tie the game. I think if we could have tied the game we could have won it,” Padron admitted. “The toughest thing is that these kids do a lot of things. In our generation when we played the game that was all we did; and we were students of the game. These kids do a lot of things; they fish and they put things on Twitter. Their focus is not there as it should be in the dugout.”

St. Brendan also had a chance to regroup and try to get to Campos late, after the game was halted for just over twenty minutes due to a lightning delay. When play resumed Tito Torres lined the first pitch Campos offered into center field for a leadoff single to start the top of the sixth. Nick Pinto moved him up on a sacrifice bunt, but Campos buckled down and got a big strikeout and a foul popout to end that threat.

“It was pretty tough to have to bounce back,” Campos admitted. “You try to stay focused and keep the mindset on. Fifteen minutes, you just pretend it was a long inning. I just stayed focused in the dugout, kept my mindset going, put my hot jacket on and got out here with the same mindset like nothing had changed. It’s a little difficult, but as long as you stay focused and stay mentally tough you’re good to go.”

Mental toughness has been a big factor to lead the Patriots to another district championship. Even in the tough group of teams in 4A-15, the club had plenty of recognition and attention after the run it made last season. Yet the Patriots were able to weather the challenges and achieve one of their primary goals.

“It feels great to win our fifth in a row,” said Campos. “We knew coming in it wasn’t going to be easy, and every team in the district is a district champion. All of us had the same goal in mind and we’re just blessed to be able to put ourselves into a better position for home field in regionals. It’s the work, it’s the ethic, it’s everything we do everyday, and we’re not done.”

Florida Christian will now host Gulliver Prep in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal.

“It’s huge anytime you get to play at home, and I think anybody will tell you the same thing,” said Brigman. “If you get a chance to defend your home field, you’re blessed. We are and we’re so thankful to get the opportunity.”

An interesting scenario that develops in this playoff match up is that Chinea transferred to the team this year, after previously playing for Gulliver Prep last season. While the Raiders fell just short of earning a district crown of their own this week, falling in extra innings to a tough Key West squad, it is not the championship that Chinea is chasing after with his new coaches and teammates.

“That last out was a very good feeling, but we are here to play for states, not just districts,” Chinea said. “It was a very good feeling, and now we’re on to the next one. We take it one by one; take it one game at a time. Gulliver is a great opponent and it is going to be a tough game, just like this one. Just like we’ve done all season, it’s going to be a tough game. We’re going to have to do what we did today and see what happens.”

St. Brendan will now travel down south to face the host Conchs in a hostile environment in Key West. While the team can take come momentum and consolation in knowing they struggled to execute Friday and still were as close it comes to pulling out a win, Padron is hoping his guys will realize that this game requires more focus and attention to win this deep into the playoffs.

“All I told them was you lost a 1-0 game,” Padron said. “I coached a heck of a game; I called the game and my coaching staff works. You guys need to work. It’s been a tough, tough year. I am very disciplined, and these kids are too relaxed. I don’t relax and I think the day I die I will rest. Until I die I am not going to rest, and I go back at it tomorrow and we will do what we have to do.”

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