WINTER HAVEN – Chasing a fourth straight state title was the Seacrest volleyball team’s focus all season.
A hungry Boca Raton Christian team was in the way and their will and desire to try and deny the Stingrays the opportunity was evident from the get-go in the Class 1A title game Wednesday afternoon.
When it was all said and done, the third time wasn’t the charm for the Blazers like many thought it would.
For Seacrest, it was mission accomplished. And the magnitude of what had been accomplished became reality shortly thereafter. Seacrest (20-5), the No. 2 ranked team in Class 1A, won a competitive battle, beating top-ranked Boca Raton Christian 25-17, 25-20, 27-29, 25-23 at Polk State College.
It was the third straight year Seacrest beat Boca Raton in the state final. The Stingrays swept the Blazers in 2022 and won a thriller of a five-set match last season.
The four-peat marks something no other Southwest Florida volleyball program has accomplished and achieved the feat on their third head coach over the last three seasons. The Canterbury School was the only other Southwest Florida volleyball team to win three consecutive state titles, doing so from 2000-2002.