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Softball: Naples High returns and celebrates state title
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Between Little League, AAU and high school, Mary Iamurri admits she can’t keep all the championships straight. And she certainly can’t count them all.
However many titles her husband, Naples High softball coach Robert Iamurri, has won, Saturday’s was one of the sweetest for Mary. Not only did Robert win his record 12th state championship, but both Iamurris saw their daughter Ryan play an integral role in winning her first varsity title.
Mary Iamurri was particularly proud of Ryan, who had a two-run single in just her second game back from a torn ACL. All this the day before Mother’s Day.
“This is exactly what I wanted for Mother’s Day,” Mary Iamurri said of the Golden Eagles’ 5-2 victory over previously undefeated Pembroke Pines Charter in the Class 4A title game.
The entire Iamurri clan, along with plenty of friends, teammates, supporters and well-wishers, were at Il Primo Pizza and Wings on Vanderbilt Beach Road on Saturday evening. A group of about 75 people gathered to welcome the team back from Plant City and celebrate the school’s first softball championship since 2001.
Naples blue and gold filled nearly the entire dining room, as the event was standing-room-only. If there were any doubt why they were there, the team’s presence was clarified by a 25-foot banner hung across the restaurant wall. “Eagles 4A state softball champions 2008,” it read.
“I was shocked,” junior outfielder Krysti Smuczynski said of the giant banner and the outpouring of support. “I feel special. It’s crazy.”
Four hours removed from the game’s final pitch, players at Il Primo said the reality of their accomplishment was finally starting to sink in. The championship T-shirts half the team was sporting helped, as did the gold FHSAA championship medals around their necks.
“At first I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t sink in,” freshman infielder Katie Raile said. “Then in the van on the way home I was like, ‘Wow. We really won states.’ ”
The banner that greeted the Eagles and anointed them champions was the work of Chelon Perez-Benitoa, an art teacher at Naples High. She hand-made the sign, complete with a pair of eagle talons holding a softball, as soon as the team wrapped up the title.
Perez-Benitoa was one of the many fans in attendance at Il Primo. She was joined by dozens of parents delighted by watching their daughters celebrate their ultimate goal.
“It’s amazing,” said Richard Tremblay, whose daughter Lauren is a freshman with the team. “They’ve been playing since they were little girls. To get to Naples High and win a championship in her first year is just incredible. It’s a lot of work and a lot of dedication from the girls.”
The celebration at Il Primo capped a whirlwind weekend for Ryan Iamurri, who missed nearly the entire season after injuring her knee playing soccer in November. The sophomore’s first game back was Friday’s semifinal win over Groveland-South Lake.
Ryan Iamurri was more than happy to give her mom the perfect Mother’s Day gift and her dad his 12th title. She was more pleased, though, with the showing of support from family and friends Saturday evening.
“It’s outrageous,” she said. “Completely unexpected, but completely wanted. ... It’s awesome to get support from our school and everyone.”
The Naples Daily News asked readers to help us build an interactive map of Mother's Day greetings from around Southwest Florida and you responded! The majority of our responses were from Collier County, but we received Mother's Day messages from all over the United States, including Louisiana, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, Georgia and Missouri, as well as locations on Florida's East Coast.
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