Belen Jesuit's water polo team is the Leo Suarez-Walter Krietsch Courage Award recipient
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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Michigan a value bet to win Big Ten, make CFP
Drew Dinsick and Vaughn Dalzell explain why they like Michigan over 8.5 wins, breaking down the Wolverines' favorable schedule and chances to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Michigan football will no longer plant or run on field with team flag after games
In 2022, when Michigan football beat Ohio State in Columbus, players went to the north end zone, grabbed the Block M flag from the cheer team, brought it to midfield, and planted it for a group picture and in celebration. When the Wolverines shocked the Buckeyes in 2024, the same order of operations was taking place, but this time, OSU players took exception, running to midfield and thus starting an altercation that ended in pepper spray being deployed. Despite history repeating itself in terms of the maize and blue planting the flag, with different results of post-plant outcome, Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore says that it won't happen again. "Oh yeah, we definitely addressed it, and there'll be no more flag planting," Moore said. "There'll be no more grabbing the flag. We talked about our new tradition, and what we do when we win a game is go meet the band, go sing (The) Victors, and stay over there until the other team departs, and that's how we'll operate. Shake hands after the game, show sportsmanship, be cordial. "A lot of guys in college football know each other. All these guys, they're kids at the end of the day. They're 17 to 22-year-old kids, and most of them are friends. A lot of them talk before the game, so let them have that. But then, as a team, they'll be together as a team and then leave as a team." There was quite a dramatic reaction, not even in the immediate postgame, with the Ohio State players rushing over to get in Michigan players' faces, but there was also proposed legislation from an Ohio state legislator making it a felony to plant a flag at Ohio Stadium. Due to the graphics that made their way around the internet in the aftermath, Michigan edge rusher Derrick Moore was something of a poster child for the incident on the Wolverines' side. At Big Ten media days, he laughed that off, but he also regrets the way things went down, considering his role as a leader on the team. "So first, I'm going to say I was one of the guys that was involved with it," Moore said. "A lot of people think I was trying to actually plant the flag. I wasn't trying to plant the flag. I was actually trying to run around the field with the flag. And as (I was) running around with the flag, I got pushed and things like that. So I ended up talking trash -- next thing next. The flag ended up coming off my head. And a whole scuffle turned out. "But looking back on that, I probably got two views on it. I feel like I could have did a better job as a leader of not letting that get out like that. Pretty much just celebrating with my teammates and things like that. But at the same time, I feel like that right there is pretty much why people come to Michigan or Ohio State. It's because of rivalries and atmosphere like that. I feel like that right there is going to be a good lead going into this year again." And his reaction to being made to look like a felon? Moore couldn't help but jest about the whole scenario. "it's actually crazy. For, like, a whole month straight, they had a picture of me with the flag on the field. And they pretty much just said, like, criminal or something like that under the picture. And I'm like, bro, wow. I'm a criminal now just because I tried run around with a flag or flying a flag? I feel like that's actually crazy. But all I got to say, man, hey, that's Ohio for you. That's Ohio for you. That's all I can say."
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Top Michigan Wolverines 2026 target, five-star Savion Hiter, sets commitment date
Michigan football has been on fire when it comes to assembling the 2026 recruiting class, but the biggest fish is still out to sea. The Wolverines have made no secret that there's one target they covet more than any other, and that's Mineral (Va.) Louisa County five-star running back Savion Hiter. Hiter has appeared to be a Michigan lean, but Tennessee, in particular, has come on strong in recent months. Ohio State and Georgia also remain in the picture. It's been something of a wait, as Hiter didn't even have a commitment date. But now we know when he'll make a decision, as he announced, via Hayes Fawcett, that he'll be making his college choice on August 19. The Wolverines do have one running back committed in Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis de Sales three-star Jonathan Brown, who self-admittedly noted that he's a bit of a project. Hiter is the type who can come in and make an instant impact, even as a true freshman. Here's his scouting report via 247Sports: Juiced-up running back with star potential for a College Football Playoff contender given the mix of his burst, power, agility, balance and vision. Has dominated the combine setting (1.52 10-yard split, 4.12 shuttle, 36-inch vertical jump) and is equipped with ready-to-play mass as he's already tipping the scales at 200 pounds. Effective as both an inside and outside runner as he's quick to chart a course and charge forward. Fast feet allow him to side-step trouble as he frequently dances around would-be tacklers in the backfield and turns negative plays into positive plays. Core strength and a lower pad level routinely negate arm tackles while full-speed cuts make it even harder for defenders to get him on the ground, especially when he breaks through the first wave of obstacles. Hasn't caught a ton of passes at the prep level, but has proven to be a tricky cover at offseason camps and looks to have true three-down potential as his physicality will only continue to give him an advantage in pass protection. Overall, should be viewed as a gifted ball carrier that can be a multi-year impact player on Saturdays and provide valuable minutes as early as Year 1. Must avoid setbacks and remain hungry, but profiles as a future NFL Draft pick with his size, testing and feel for the position. Hiter is rated as the No. 9 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite, regardless of position. He's made it to Ann Arbor multiple times and has a strong relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford. The Vols remain the primary threat.
