- March 10, 2026
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The clock ticked down on the Jumbotron of the University of North Florida Arena in Jacksonville.
Central Florida Christian Academy’s boys basketball players knew their season was about to end.
Buzz.
The sound signified CFCA’s 76-70 loss to Sagemont Prep, the defending state champions and the 2026 State Champions, in the Class 1A Florida High School Athletic Association State Semifinal game Thursday, March 5.
But after the game, CFCA’s senior Alexander Dipaolo was focused on the memories.
“It’s tough (losing), but I’m just very happy and thankful for the opportunity (to make it here),” he said. “The biggest thing wasn’t even the game, the outcome, anything like that, it’s just being able to spend time with those guys. It’s something that I’ll always remember.”
The relationships, the culture, the memories and the growth is what will be remembered from CFCA’s 2025-26 season. The group brought CFCA back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019 and became one of the first Class 1A boys teams to play in Jacksonville. And throughout the journey, the team created bonds that will last a lifetime.
“I told them how much they’ve meant to me, how much they’ve impacted me as a coach and it’s made me better,” head coach Albert Settles said he told the players after the game. “But ultimately, it doesn’t stop here. Our relationship doesn’t stop here. You guys will be invited to my wedding one day. … I’m forever grateful, and I’ll love those guys forever.”
It was the relationships that carried the Eagles to becoming regional champions, reaching the Final Four and finishing the season 23-7. Despite the yearlong success, the program often felt overlooked by others.
“We were the underdog the whole year,” Dipaolo said. “Nobody really expected us to get there, so it was our circle to believe. It made it that much more meaningful to know that … we were playing for (one another), and it was us versus everyone else.”
Settles said the perception came from the program’s recent history. When he came to CFCA two years ago, he inherited a program that had gone 6-19. In his first season, the Eagles finished 21-9 and made a regional final appearance. But others still doubted them. After all, that success could have been a fluke.
Settles designed a challenging schedule this year to prepare his players for the competition level in playoffs. The team played The First Academy and other larger schools to have the players understand they might statistically be the No. 2 team, but through talent, they can become No. 1.
“We just had to prove it,” he said. “ If you look at the makeup of our team, all our players have always been doubted their whole life. I’ve been doubted my whole life. That was the one common theme where we can rally behind, that every single day we are going to go up and have to play basketball that’s selfless, that’s together, that’s different, and that sometimes is what separates us from teams who might be more talented than us.”
The team often surprised opponents, and the underdog mentality became part of CFCA’s identity.
“It actually helped us,” junior guard Joshua Hernandez said. “People didn’t realize how good we were.”
The “we made it” moment in the season came when the players defeated Orlando Christian Prep 57-52 to claim the Regional Champion crown. The moment felt surreal for Hernandez — especially because the team was able to celebrate on its home court, surrounded by friends, family and classmates.
But as the Eagles celebrated, they knew it meant the journey wasn’t finished. They cut down the nets, celebrated for the night and turned their attention to the Final Four.
The experience traveling to Jacksonville was unforgettable for CFCA’s senior guard Dylan Campbell.
“The van ride up there was really fun,” he said. “We had a good time, stopped for food, but we just kept circling back to how far we’d come.”
In just two years, it flipped around a program that was far below .500 into one of the state’s best. But in the Final Four game, the biggest challenge was facing a team with elite talent.
Hernandez said one of the biggest obstacles was playing a team that played 2-3 zone, a defensive scheme they hadn’t seen much during the season.
When the Eagles were down by double-digits with a few minutes to go, they continued to fight.
Settles never questioned if his players would continue to play their hardest. He said they’re all “high character kids” and were raised to never give up.
“We stuck together the whole season — wins or losses,” Campbell said.
When Settles took over CFCA’s program two years ago, his focus was bigger than looking simply at wins and losses. What outside of talent can produce success? Relationships.
“I’m really big on player relationships,” Settles said. “Whether you play for me now or played for me in the past, I’m always trying to establish that relationship before just being a coach.”
His approach helped shape the roster.
Several players, including Dipaolo, joined the program because of their prior relationships with Settles. Settles had coached Dipaolo years earlier on an AAU team when the senior was 15 years old. When Settles joined CFCA, Dipaolo’s dad gave him a call and asked about the school. After touring it and learning more about its benefits, he enrolled as a student.
Other players followed a similar path, moving to CFCA after building relationships with the coaching staff, and the result was a roster built on trust. The trust quickly changed the culture.
Every drill, every early-morning workout and every late-night film lesson became intentional. Everything pointed towards reaching the Final Four last season and the players bought in.
But the vision never became a reality, and the team lost in the regional championship, which became motivation for this year.
“It helped us a lot,” Hernandez said, who played at CFCA last year. “Especially the returners. We understood the situation and what was at stake, and we knew not to shy away from the moment.”
It helped the team approach the playoff games with a sense of urgency, he said. They knew their days were numbered and there weren’t any more changes to loosen the reins.
As the team’s point guard, Hernandez played a central role in the offense and the team’s leadership. His job reached further than simply holding the ball. Settles taught him to act as a second coach on the floor and to be a leader. In those tense moments during games, he helped guide the team to stay calm.
“You never want to get too high or too low,” he said. “My coaches help keep me composed.”
Dipaolo unexpectedly stepped into a major role this season. CFCA’s leading scorer and rebounder from last season, Julian DeClou, was out this year with a torn ACL. Dipaolo, who was No. 2 in those stats, stepped up, and his drive is what led him to become the top option offensively.
“I love to work hard,” he said. “I love to get in the gym, get a few shots up. For me, whenever you enjoy something so much, it doesn’t feel like a job. It makes it that much easier to get better because you want to get better.”
Settles described Dipaolo as the team’s glue. He’s a player who lifted teammates up all year and set the tone in practice. Campbell said he never changes his beat, whether the team was doing well or bad, he’s always kind.
“Alex is a great all-around person, he’s going to do what everyone else won’t, like the extra hours,” Campbell said. “Everything he’s done so far, especially during this season, was all earned, not given to him, but he definitely worked for it.”
But outside of the returning players who helped make CFCA’s season so remarkable was the addition of Campbell.
When Campbell left Tavares High after his junior season to go to CFCA, he blended seamlessly in with the team’s relationship-built culture, Settles said.
Settles, like most coaches, has his serious moments, but he said simply looking over and seeing Campbell puts a smile on his face.
“He is one of the most selfless human beings, always offering to serve or to give someone a ride,” Settles said. “Him coming in and being himself, I felt like guys gravitated toward him. … He’s just happy all the time.”
Campbell said that’s always how he’s been. He tries not to let anything bother him and he’s always going to be himself. Being around his teammates and coaches is where he’s the happiest.
“I love this group of guys,” he said. “I just love the culture that we built at CFCA this year.”
