34 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2026 RESports Raider football earns win for the decades Ransom Everglades’ football team concluded a surprising season with an emphatic, underdog, high-stakes victory that shocked just about everybody – except, perhaps, the team’s players and coaches. The Raiders won their first regional playoff game in 30 years by a 20-14 score against the school’s biggest rival: Gulliver Prep. And the victory came at Gulliver. The Raiders hinted at the impending upset on November 14 during a three-game winning streak in which they outscored their opponents 121-0 – including a 35-0 victory over Booker T. Washington. It was the team’s defense that secured the playoff victory with a late, fourth-quarter stand, earning RE football a headline in the Miami Herald the next day, the respect of their regional foes, and advancement to the regional semifinals. “We were the underdogs and our boys showed how hard they worked and how bad they wanted it,” said first-year head coach Johan Betancourt, a former physical education teacher and football coach at Gulliver. “Gulliver is a very well-coached program, and our players rose to the moment.” The Raiders fell in the regional semifinal a week later against undefeated Immaculata-La Salle, bringing to an end a season that began with transition and unknowns. The team opened the fall under Betancourt, had also previously coached at Palmer Trinity, and a new quarterback, Matthew Guevara ’28. Guevara inherited the unenviable job of replacing the nationally acclaimed Neimann Lawrence, who started for RE as an eighth and ninth grader before transferring to Miami Northwestern for his sophomore season (Lawrence recently transferred again to American Heritage in Plantation). Guevara ended up completing 59 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Colton Smith ’28 was a favorite target, catching 39 passes for 587 yards. RE’s standout defense was led by Edwin Carr ’26, Jack McCarron ’26, Hunter White ’27 and Charlie Holleman ’26. The season included a 28-0 victory over Palmer Trinity in the 50th Battle for the Oar game. “Our success really came down to buy-in from the players, consistent effort in practice and strong leadership from our upperclassmen,” Betancourt said. “The team embraced accountability, played for each other, and improved every week.” FIRST TEAM Cole Durham ’29 golf (1A-3A Golfer of the Year) Nina Fischer ’29 golf Axel Monssoh ’30 golf Esha Nagalla ’29 golf Colton Smith ’28 football Hugo Stenstrom ’26 golf Dave Ragan - Miami-Dade Coach of the Year for golf in 1A-3A SECOND TEAM Anna Block ’29 cross country Edwin Carr ’26 football Gillian Carvalho ’29 cross country Matthew Guevara ’28 football Enrique Macias ’26 football Ella Wester ’28 golf THIRD TEAM Chloe Jimenez ’26 swimming (200 free relay) Eleanor Kriplen ’28 swimming (200 free relay) Sophia Linfield ’26 swimming (200 free relay) Sophie Szutkowski ’28 swimming (200 free relay) Abby Zichella ’29 volleyball All-County RE Athletes for Fall Sports Matthew Guevara ’28 Edwin Carr ’26 Colton Smith ’28 Nina Fischer ’29 Esha Nagalla ’29
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