Ponte Vedra went back and finished the job this time.
The Sharks found their redemption on Friday afternoon, knocking off Archbishop McCarthy 2-0 in the Class 5A state championship game at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand. It atoned for a 2-0 loss to the Mavericks in the title game a year ago, a loss that denied the area five state championships.
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That made it a 2-for-2 day, and a sweep by area girls teams in state championship games this week. Bartram Trail pounded Cypress Bay 4-0 in the Class 7A championship game earlier Friday. St. Johns Country Day crushed Fort Myers Canterbury 6-0 in the Class 2A game on Wednesday for their 10th straight championship.
Tamlyn Parkes had both goals for the Sharks, one in each half, and Ponte Vedra’s defense did the rest.
As it had been throughout the latter of the season, the Ponte Vedra defense was wicked. In the Sharks’ eight-game unbeaten run to finish the year, they allowed just one goal. And that came in a 9-1 mercy rule rout of Gainesville in the playoff opener.
Ponte Vedra followed with four consecutive shutouts, the final one of those against the country’s 29th-ranked team by MaxPreps. Parkes had her first goal just after the first-half water break. She added her second six minutes into the second half.
Ponte Vedra’s title was the third in school history and first since 2012. For Silverberg, it was his seventh championship in 11 tries. He won four titles at Nease (2002, ’05-06, ’08) and now has three with the Sharks (2009, ’12 and ’21).