logo
Belen Jesuit's water polo team is the Leo Suarez-Walter Krietsch Courage Award recipient

Belen Jesuit's water polo team is the Leo Suarez-Walter Krietsch Courage Award recipient

Miami Herald24-06-2025
The Belen Jesuit water polo team suffered an unthinkable tragedy this past season.
Sophomore Lucas Osuna, 15, died suddenly on March 28 during a tournament at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove.
Osuna's death, which was later reported as having been caused by a spontaneous rupture of the aorta potentially linked to an undiagnosed genetic condition, shook not just the Belen community, but the South Florida water polo community as a whole.
Many rallied to show their support for the Wolverines as they tried to move forward.
Belen's team found the resilience to not just cope with its immeasurable loss, but to play on and complete their season.
Every season, the Miami Herald salutes an individual or individuals in the South Florida high school sports community, which shows extraordinary courage in the face of adversity with its annual Leo Suarez/Walter Krietsch Courage Award.
This year's recipient is the Belen Jesuit water polo team.
The award is named in honor of two former Miami Herald editors, who passed away before their time, but showed extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.
Such as the case with the Wolverines, who roughly a week after Osuna's death, returned to the pool at nearby Gulliver Prep School.
'We got together with the kids and asked them what they wanted to do,' Belen coach Jimmy Aguilera said at the time. 'Did they want to honor [Osuna] by playing or some other way? We were going to proceed the way they felt was right. They decided to keep going as far as we can make it. Right now, it's not about the results of the games. It's about being there for each other.'
Belen met as a team and chose to continue its season.
The Wolverines honored Osuna's memory prior to, during and after their first game back.
Belen players wore his name and No. 19 on their competition swim caps during the match.
Their reserve players held a picture of Osuna as they cheered their teammates in the pool during the match. Coaches and parents wore yellow T-shirts with Osuna's name and swim cap painted on the back as well as caps with the No. 19 on them.
A moment of silence was held just prior to the match starting. Osuna's name was displayed on the scoreboard on the far side of the pool.
The team posed for a picture in front of the scoreboard with a sign filled with written tributes and the number 19 written large in the middle. They presented Osuna's parents, Mike and Jeanette, with a pair of framed collages with pictures of their son and his swim caps.
And in that game, they scored 19 goals in a shutout win over Coral Gables.
In their next game, Belen again scored 19 goals and won its district championship after a 19-18 win over Ransom Everglades.
The Wolverines' season would finish a week later in the regional semifinals after a 16-15 overtime loss to Ransom.
But what mattered most to them was playing on to honor Osuna's memory.
'The whole situation put life into perspective,' Belen athletic director Laz Fernandez said in April. 'These kids' willingness to keep playing demonstrates their desire to fight for Lucas and that's very resilient and very admirable.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mature, Focused, Humble: Michigan's Bryce Underwood Isn't Your Average 17-Year-Old
Mature, Focused, Humble: Michigan's Bryce Underwood Isn't Your Average 17-Year-Old

Fox Sports

timean hour ago

  • Fox Sports

Mature, Focused, Humble: Michigan's Bryce Underwood Isn't Your Average 17-Year-Old

LAS VEGAS — A little more than two months ago, as Michigan embarked on its summer break following the completion of spring practice, some of the Wolverines got together to play pickup basketball, one of their favorite group activities away from the football field. But when veteran edge rusher Derrick Moore arrived at the court, he quickly noticed the presence of someone who shouldn't have been in attendance: freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the five-star phenom whose commitment to Michigan last November transformed him into an NIL multi-millionaire long before his 18th birthday, which is still a few weeks away. "What are you doing here?" Derrick Moore asked. "You're not supposed to be here." The chilly reaction had nothing to do with what he thinks of Underwood as a person. Like so many of his other teammates and coaches, Derrick Moore is now a wholehearted believer in the teenage prodigy after observing how Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, has carried himself since flipping his commitment from LSU to Michigan last November and enrolling over the winter. Underwood joined the Wolverines in time for their bowl prep against Alabama and then took plenty of reps during spring ball amid a quarterback room thinned by injuries and transfers alike. All signs now point toward him being the team's starter once the regular season arrives. Instead, Derrick Moore's objection to Underwood playing basketball on that summer day was purely economic, even if he originally rolled his eyes a bit at the monetary figures attached to Underwood's recruitment. One spring was all it took for Moore to deem it unwise of the program's most valuable asset — a player who reportedly inked a market-resetting NIL deal worth between $10 million and $12.5 million over four years — to risk injury during a meaningless social activity. Especially after defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale spent the spring yelling at his players to "stay away from Bryce, don't touch Bryce at all!" in acknowledgment of how vital Underwood's health really is. "I feel like we do a good job protecting him and also giving him good advice," Derrick Moore said while representing the Wolverines at Big Ten Media Days. "He's worth a lot, so we've got to make sure he knows. I feel like he already knows, but I feel like we've got to do a good job of reminding him that he can't do too much. And if you do play basketball, no jumping, no jumping at all." Underwood, of course, was nowhere to be found in the South Seas Ballroom at Mandalay Bay, where the Wolverines' contingent of Derrick Moore, fullback/tight end Max Bredeson, inside linebacker Ernest Hausmann and second-year head coach Sherrone Moore were responsible for telling wave after wave of reporters about the program's shiniest new toy. It would have been thoroughly un-Michigan-like for Moore to bring Underwood to this week's event, the league's unofficial kickoff party for the 2025 campaign, though Colorado head coach Deion Sanders brought his true freshman quarterback, Julian Lewis, to Big 12 Media Days earlier this month. The Wolverines are digging in their heels to slow the Underwood hype train from picking up too much speed, but everyone around the program — let alone fans outside it — can sense the cars beginning to careen off the track. In a last-ditch effort to fortify himself against the barrage he surely knew was coming, Moore responded to the first question about Underwood by reminding the media that Michigan has yet to name a starting quarterback, that the competition is wide open entering fall camp, that Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia and former four-star prospect Jadyn Davis will all have chances to stake their claim between now and the season opener against New Mexico on Aug. 30. "There is no starter," Moore said. But that didn't stop reporters from asking Moore about whether the extra reps Underwood took during the spring, when Keene was recovering from an undisclosed injury and Garcia had not yet joined the program, accelerated the timeline for when he will be ready to play. Or about how Underwood has embraced the possibility — inevitability — of starting for Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, as a true freshman. Or about why the Wolverines won't just declare Underwood the starter given the extreme financial commitment they've made to him. All those questions came in the first third of Moore's allotted media time. "His job is to just go be the best teammate, best football player he can be," Moore said. "And whoever that person is, it's going to take a village. And for us to be a successful program, to be a successful football team, we have to do a great job surrounding that person with weapons on the football field [and] the weapons mentally to be successful." Still, there was a fascinating juxtaposition on Thursday between the way Moore and Michigan's upperclassmen spoke compassionately, almost tenderly, about Underwood's numerical age — he'll finally turn 18 next month — and the slack-jawed reverence with which they described his maturity as an athlete, likening his habits and disposition to those of seasoned veterans. On one side of the room was Bredeson, a fifth-year senior and one of the program's longest-tenured players, telling reporters that he takes "a little bit of pride and responsibility in being like the older guy who can kind of calm college football down for him," while also admitting that nobody else in Michigan's locker room can understand the life that Underwood currently leads, from the sheer attention generated by his every move to the opportunities that land at his feet. On the other side of the room was Derrick Moore, a former blue-chip recruit in his own right, expressing genuine awe about how someone so young can display such unwavering focus and concentration, traits Moore said he never came close to matching at that age. Underwood, who grew up a half hour from Michigan's campus, has already developed a reputation for being one of the first to arrive at Schembechler Hall each morning and one of the last to leave each night, a classic football cliché bestowed upon a team's hardest workers. He's known for taking the field alone 20 minutes prior to every session, headphones wrapped around his ears, to study that day's practice script and visualize the drills in his mind. He builds chemistry with the wide receivers and tight ends via extra throwing sessions that often run until the wee hours of the morning. He competes maniacally in the weight room and has packed enough muscle onto his 6-foot-4 frame to reach 230 pounds. He accepts constructive criticism from anyone in the building and carries out menial tasks without a hint of rebuttal. "He's not no average 17-year-old," Derrick Moore said. "With a lot of money that's coming in, he's pretty humble. If he does anything wrong, he takes full accountability for it. You don't really hear too much trouble out of him, you know? He does everything like a pro." Even if that means sitting out of pickup basketball. Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

Max Bredeson says Michigan's offense is hungry to overcome 2024 woes in 2025 season
Max Bredeson says Michigan's offense is hungry to overcome 2024 woes in 2025 season

USA Today

time10 hours ago

  • USA Today

Max Bredeson says Michigan's offense is hungry to overcome 2024 woes in 2025 season

There's a reason why many pundits have become detractors of Michigan football entering 2025, and that's due to the offensive side of the ball falling off a cliff after the 2023 national championship season. With the starting offensive line, quarterback, starting wide receivers, and running back Blake Corum all gone to the NFL, the offense struggled to get much of anything going last year. So, it stands to reason that many don't anticipate that it will be an easy fix, even with Chip Lindsey and Bryce Underwood coming aboard. Though a new offensive coordinator and star quarterback, respectively, should help the Wolverines become much more proficient on that side of the ball, fullback Max Bredeson sees other things that are going right for the offense. At Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, Bredeson says that the results of 2024 are helping drive the team so that last year's struggles don't happen again. "A lot of reasons," Bredeson said. "The running backs are unbelievable. But it's just, you go position to position, I think the biggest thing isn't just about guys, it's just about a hunger. It has more to do with how hard you're playing than it has to do with X's and O's. I think it's just because of what happened last year. You'll see a better outcome this time." It's an awfully familiar sentiment to 2021. At Big Ten media days that year, Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross both insisted that they could not let the 2-4 2020 campaign recur. Given that the Wolverines finished strong, primarily defensively, that's giving the maize and blue some confidence, even offensively. Because they're striving harder, knowing that they have to be better than 2024. With that in mind, the offense is eager to prove it can have a quick turnaround after a down season. "You don't wanna sit there and beat yourself up about what happened," Bredeson said. "But at the same time, if things go wrong, you're able to kind of remind yourself, hey, this happened, there is no room for just to let this one slide." There's a lot to wonder about, not just the quarterback. Given that there are unproven wide receivers and that offensive line was a weak point last year, we'll have to see if all of the above groups strive to become better, as Bredeson, beyond the scheme or game plans. Michigan is set to start fall camp on July 30 with eyes on the 2025 season opener against New Mexico on August 30.

Derrick Moore claims Michigan's win over Ohio State overshadows Buckeyes' 2025 title
Derrick Moore claims Michigan's win over Ohio State overshadows Buckeyes' 2025 title

USA Today

time10 hours ago

  • USA Today

Derrick Moore claims Michigan's win over Ohio State overshadows Buckeyes' 2025 title

While it may incense some people (OK, most people) in and around Columbus, to the victors go the spoils. And for Michigan football against Ohio State, despite the Buckeyes winning the national championship, the Wolverines can talk. Yes, OSU won it all, but it went 14-2 in the process, having inexplicably lost to 6-5 Michigan in Columbus, despite quarterback Davis Warren throwing for less than 100 yards, and with the Wolverines being shorthanded on both sides of the ball. A year after winning the national championship, despite the moribund record, there was still celebrating in Ann Arbor, while -- for a period -- self-proclaimed Buckeye Nation wanted Ryan Day fired. At Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, Michigan edge rusher Derrick Moore did some talking, giving the scarlet and gray something of a backhanded compliment. "I'll congratulate them on the win, but it's not a real win if y'all ain't beat us," Moore said. "I'm gonna congratulate them on their win, but this year it's gonna be different." Michigan won its championship by going 15-0, having beaten all of its rivals in its path. While OSU got revenge on its first regular-season loss, Oregon, it couldn't claim the same level of supremacy as the Wolverines did. One thing is for sure, Moore notes: given the record, if the playoff hadn't expanded, Ohio State would have been relegated to the outside looking in, given its loss to the maize and blue. "If the playoff extension wasn't around, they wouldn't have won the national championship," Moore said. "We pretty much look at it like, 'Hey man, y'all had an easy little run. We helped y'all along the way.' So we pretty much helped y'all build back up. But like I said, after that game, they dominated everybody that came in front of them. So I've got to give all the credit to them." The College Football Playoff had expanded from four teams to 12 this past year, which allowed the Buckeyes to get in as an at-large team (Oregon won the Big Ten and got the automatic qualifier). So, while it might upset many (again, most) in Ohio, he is, again, correct. Regardless, feathers will certainly be ruffled in Columbus. But they'll have to wait until the end of November to see if they can change their fortunes.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store