Blanche Ely coach Rodney Gray said he may move on from coaching the Tigers at the end of the season. Photo by Gary Curreri
By Gary Curreri
Blanche Ely football coach Rodney Gray said he is likely leaving the school at the end of the season.
He recently handed in his letter of resignation at the school where he has gone 20-6 during the past two seasons and winning two district titles. In 2009, when he took over on an interim basis, Gray was named the Broward NIKE Coach of the Year after going 11-2 and reaching the regional finals, before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas 28-16.
“After working with other administrations around the county, I am losing the bug to coach,” said Gray, whose team dropped a 14-6 decision to host Boyd Anderson in a District 14-7A contest on Tuesday night. He has coached 18 years in the county. “My biggest quest is to find an administration that is going to support the athletic program and not try to run it like you are Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.
“I am saying that if the situation stays the way it is, I am not looking to return there,” Gray continued. “I do not want to leave Ely. If something changed there, I would be glad to go back there. I am looking for something that is conducive to winning from the athletic administration, school administration to community involvement as well.”
Deerfield Beach stays in hunt
Deerfield Beach kicker Oscar Rosales connected Tuesday night on a 26-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Deerfield Beach a 10-7 victory over Coral Springs in a game that was postponed twice on Oct. 28 and Oct. 31 because of weather.
The game was originally scheduled for Deerfield Beach; however, it was moved to Coral Springs because of scheduling conflicts.
Deerfield Beach (3-4, 3-1) took a 7-0 lead with five seconds remaining in the first half on a 13-yard scoring pass from Kevin Bush to Tyrell McCall.
Coral Springs (6-2, 2-2) forced overtime with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter when Brandon Rodgers hauled in a 41-yard scoring pass from Evan Lassiter that tied the contest at 7-7. Both teams had field goals blocked in the first overtime.
Highlands wins two HGH scoring affairs
Highlands Christian Academy may be out of the playoffs. However, it is still making a statement on the field after blanking Berean Christian, 71-0, and Zion Lutheran, 35-0.
“We have evened up our record at 4-4 now, with our two final games being against Summit Christian and Somerset,” said Highlands coach Jordan Adair. “We’re disappointed to be out of the playoffs, but we’re working extremely hard to finish strong and close with a 6-4 record.”
Against Berean Christian, seven different players scored TDs, and nine different players carried the ball for a total of 284 yards rushing. Leading the way was Arelious Burns with 10 carries for 110 yards, 3 TDs. Quarterback Jay Mentecky was 4-4 for 79 yards and one TD. The 71 points was ninth all-time for points scored in Broward County and was a school record.
The game against Zion Lutheran was called at halftime due to lightning. Senior wideout Gabe Hantsbarger caught a scoring toss, despite breaking his hand earlier in the week and wearing a cast up to his elbow. Junior linebacker Rylee Hage had seven solo tackles, six assists, one tackle for loss, one forced Fumble and a pass breakup.
Ranse Classic II slated
The second annual $6,500 Ranse Classic Beach Volleyball/Footvolley Fundraiser Tournament will be held in Deerfield Beach on N. Ocean Boulevard from Nov. 11-13. Registration closes on Nov. 9 and spots are limited.
The Ranse Classic is an annual charity tournament to celebrate the life of local volleyball player and firefighter Ranse Jones, who passed away on Nov. 8, 2010. He suffered a brain aneurysm during the semifinal of the Panama City AVP Young Guns tournament in April 2010 and passed away six months later, the day after last year’s charity tournament concluded.
For more information and sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail RanseClassicCommittee@gmail.com. You can also call Andre Melo, 954-649-4667; John Esposito, 954-415-4678 or Marcelo Ramos, 954-608-7908.
