Marathon Shuts Out Ft. Meade For 2nd Straight District Crown
The 2026 Rural Class 8 champion Marathon Dolphins. Back-to-back!
Marathon Dolphin fans did not have to wait as long this time to celebrate another district championship.
After ending a 45-year drought with a district title a season ago, the Dolphins successfully defended that crown with a 2-0 victory over the Fort Meade Miners in Friday’s Rural District 8 finale. Marathon (18-8-1) has now won back-to-back titles, while establishing itself as one of the top contenders in the Rural Classification.
“Winning a district title tonight with this group of young men is anything and everything I could ever ask for as a coach,” Manager Joey Gonzalez said. “We are blessed to be able to represent the Keys and lift our second trophy in-a-row, after so many years of falling short. We’re excited to make a run at a state title this year.”
It has been an exciting time for the Marathon program, all with the hope of even more to come. The team also recently celebrated Gonzalez’s 100th career coaching victory, a number that recognizes his commitment to the team, as well as highlighting the dedication from the players that made that accomplishment happen.
Pitching has long been a strength of the program, and that was again the case in Friday’s title game. Junior Dylan Williams earned the win, before turning it over to senior left-hander Gabriele Cirina to close things out and earn the save.
The Dolphins celebrate Manager Joey Gonzalez’s 100th career coaching win on April 9th. *Photo from @MarathonDolphinsBaseball.
“Our starting pitcher, Dylan Williams, has been our ace all season long,” Gonzalez said. “He went five innings with ten strikeouts and showed why he is an elite pitcher in South Florida, and a true next-level arm. Our closer, senior left-hander Gabriele Cirina, came out of the pen for the sixth and seventh innings, and he slammed the door shut for a huge victory.”
Marathon got on the board to play with the lead right away, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Courtesy-runner Emmett Merryman scored on an error, after coming in to run when Williams drew a lead-off walk.
The Dolphins added a valuable second run in the third inning. Roco Piscetello reached on an error, moved into scoring position on a passed ball and then advanced to third on a ground out from Curren Nicolay, before another passed ball allowed him to come home for the 2-0 advantage.
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