There was a time when Spring Break would signal a time off for students in high schools. Not any more.

If you happen to be a student/athlete, and participate in a spring sport, there is a good chance that the week off from school is not really a week off at all. In fact, spring vacations turn into travel time and competition.

While a number of BCAA baseball and softball teams get ready for the stretch run in their respective sports, many of the programs are fine tuning at tournaments, which not only give the teams a chance to compete, but to bond as well.

It's not unusual to see teams head off to California, Nevada and Arizona this time of year to take part in national events, but with the economy the way it's been over the past few years, most teams are opting to stay close to home, still finding a very competitive tournament.

Spring Break is not just for the athletes, but parents, who have been responsible for driving and making sacrifices for years, also get the chance to travel to places they may not visit. From Sarasota to Jacksonville, Kissimmee, Orlando and other Florida destinations, area programs had the chance to showcase their skills and to put the BCAA on the map.

One of the spring rituals is the Nova Titan Baseball Classic, which Hall of Fame head coach Pat McQuaid has annually attracted some of the top programs in South Florida, and this year was no exception.

With a tremendous field on hand, the Titan Classic came down to a pair of 14-1 programs. Two schools that have tremendous respect for each other and have put this area on the map.

The championship contest watched Douglas and Nova hook up in a game that lived up to its billing. Nova had handed the Eagles their only loss of the season, so was revenge a motive for coach Dean Florio's team?

Douglas came out and played strong and came away with an impressive 6-4 win as defense was the name of the game with key plays made by Brandon Raaf, Jordan DeLosreyes and Patrick Kulick.

Offensively, the Eagles used a shot by William Rudolph, who ended up clearing the bases with a triple and a throwing error that put Douglas up 6-1. That hit was enough to win the game and earn Rudolph the tournament MVP.

The Titans (14-2) tried to climb back in the game as Corey Graf, Tim Remes and George Gugino cut the lead to 6-4, but that would be as close as things would get.

FOOTBALL IN THE AIR: The recent Nike Camp at the University of Miami produced some impressive performances by local players.

Here is a look at some of the top BCAA athletes who took part:

QUARTERBACK: Immoni Carswell, 2011.

RECEIVERS: Rashad Greene, 2011, St. Thomas Aquinas; Robbie Anderson, 2011, Boyd Anderson; Malcolm Lewis, 2012, Miramar.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Bobby Hart, 2011, St. Thomas Aquinas; Jared Maldanado, 2011, Hollywood Hills.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Wilkins Brutus, 2011, Blanche Ely, Jelani Hamilton, 2012, St. Thomas Aquinas.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Courtney Hall, 2011, Blanche Ely; Corey Tindal, 2011, Stranahan; Jeremy Cash, 2011, Plantation; Marcus Roberson, 2011, St. Thomas Aquinas; Tracy Howard, 2012, Miramar.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at FloridaKids1@hotmail.com. He can also be heard every Thursday night (9-10) on the Miami Dolphins High School Gridiron Report on WQAM (560 AM).