Bryan Lucena has seen improvement each year he has worked with the Silver Trail Middle School boys' volleyball team.
But there's not much left to improve, since Silver Trail defeated Forest Glen, 21-15, 21-12 in the Broward County Middle School championship to finish the season at 12-0.
"Each year we have gotten better," said Lucena, who is in his fourth year as the Mustangs' coach. Silver Trail went 1-7, 4-4, 6-2 and now 12-0 this past year. "My team was focused from Day 1. They were on a mission, on a quest to win the county championship and bring it back to Silver Trail Middle School. The last time they won was five years ago. Honestly, these kids have worked hard from Day 1."
Damaine Dacosta led the Mustangs with 23 kills in the finals. The first-year player was surprised he was named MVP for the tournament.
"I didn't really expect [the MVP award]," Dacosta said. "Winning the championship means everything … This has been a great year for us. We came close in track and basketball, so this is great.
"When you put down a spike it feels good," Dacosta added. "You expect to get blocked, but when it goes down and you hear the crowd, it feels good."
Silver Trail advanced to the finals with a victory over Falcon Cove in the semifinals, while Forest Glen (9-3) defeated Coral Springs in the semifinals.
Robert Trifu, who has coached Forest Glen Middle School the past four years, said his team has shown steady progress. He also credited fellow coach Gary Dorfman, who joined his staff last year, with the Wildcats' success.
The Wildcats avenged their two regular-season losses by defeating Coral Springs and Lyons Creek Middle in the playoffs. Trifu said Forest Glen received solid play from Felipe Noguerol and Matt Buchwald this season.
"The first couple of years we had losing seasons," Trifu said. "Last year we had our first winning season, and this season we are in the championship game. When Gary came on, things just seemed to turn around. We share responsibilities with the team.
"We had excellent chemistry, dominating serves and they played with heart," Trifu said. "It was gratifying especially because we swept both teams that beat us during the season in two games to get here. The kids were really dedicated."
Rosters
Silver Trail: Patrick Bavaro, Alex Cruz, Damaine Dacosta, Andres Diaz, Conner Dooley, Matt Fischer, Steffano Guiterrez, Erik Harrison, Eric Koscs, Erik Manning, Corey Marks, Kenny Mills, John Mittelberg, Danny Patino, Ryan Raden, Anthony Ricci, Greg Rios, coach Bryan Lucena.
Forest Glen: Felipe Noguerol, Matt Buchwald, Jordan Trujilio, Jonathan Sousa, Dan Barlett, Evan Lassiter, Sami Salim, Marshall Morgan, Stephano Santos, Dante Aguirre, Moshe Paul, Rodrigo Noguerol, Sean Kelly, coaches Robert Trifu and Gary Dorfman.
By Gary Curreri, Special Correspondent, Sun-Sentinel
