By Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely basketball coach Melvin Randall promised his team could be special. It turns out he was right.

The Tigers won their eighth FHSAA championship and second Class 8A title in a row with a 57-52 victory over Bradenton Lakewood Ranch on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. It marked the second consecutive game that Blanche Ely erased a double-digit deficit to pull out the win.

The Tigers (25-6) closed out the season on an 18-game winning streak since a 64-47 loss to Tampa Hillsborough in the Charger Classic two months ago at Suncoast High School.

Aderes Staton-McCray led the Tigers with 19 points and the win meant that the Tigers have won more state championships than any other school in Broward County. They were previously tied with Dillard at 7. Lamont Evans added 12 points and Malachi Hazelton chipped in with 9 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out.

Joshua Scott also became the first player in school history to win three championships, and he celebrated the moment with a T-shirt documenting his 2016, 2018 and 2019 titles. The front of the T-shirt had three photos of Scott with three championship rings superimposed over his body. The back of the shirt read: “The first to ever do it!”

“It’s really a blessing,” Scott said after the game. He finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds despite playing with foul trouble. “This one is more special, probably because I’m the first person at Blanche Ely to get three.”

Blanche Ely nearly didn’t make it there when they erased a 15-point halftime lead against Windermere in the semifinals to win 56-54. Hazelton had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the win, while Tyrecke Francois had 12 points in the win.

“Like I always say, it’s a blessing. I’m a very, very blessed man,” said Ely coach Melvin Randall, who has won seven of the Tigers’ eight titles. Wade Edmond won the other one in 1993.

“I know how hard I work,” added Randall, who also won titles at Deerfield Beach in 1997 and 1999. “I know how hard I work these kids, and they stepped [up] to the challenge. And they’re the ones that really, really deserve this moment.”

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line becomes home run sponsor

The Deerfield Beach-based Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has partnered with Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to offer a fan a chance at a two-night cruise during Miami Marlins Spring training games in addition to the Florida State League’s Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals play their regular season at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium April through September.

“We are thrilled to bring the excitement of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line to thousands of baseball fans at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium during both Major League Spring Training and the Minor League regular season,” said Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line CEO Oneil Khosa. “This partnership solidifies our commitment to show locals and visitors everything Palm Beach County has to offer. You can go from a fun ball game to a quick getaway on a whim.”

Every time the home team hits a home run, the unmistakable Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line horn will sound, images of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s ships will display on the 35-foot Jumbotron and one lucky fan will have the chance to win a Bahamas Paradise cruise courtesy of the cruise line. 

“We are very excited to start a new partnership with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line,” said Mike Bauer, general manager of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. “They provide a first-class experience and we cannot wait to introduce our fans to their gorgeous ships and vacation packages.”

By Gary Curreri

Photo by Gary Curreri

In the history of the FHSAA, 13 divers have won back-to-back-to-back diving titles and Lighthouse Point’s Kevin Mendez was the latest to add his name to that list.

The first was two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Pete Desjardins, who won three consecutive state diving championships in 1924, 1925 and 1926.

“Winning states again was awesome,” Mendez said. “I love it. States is the last chance for team camaraderie and I love hanging out with my coaches and teammates. It was also good to see how well everyone improved this season.”

Mendez, 15, a Pine Crest School freshman, is the youngest diver to follow in Pete Desjardins’ footsteps to win three diving state championships, winning as a 7th grader in 2016, an 8th grader in 2017 and as a freshman in 2018. Mendez tied the Pine Crest School record for three diving state championships as he equaled Mike Mayfield (1964-66); Scott Upper (1982, 1983 and 1985); Austin Fields (2013-15) and Mendez (2016-18).

“His diving title this year in Stuart at the FHSAA 1A State Championships gives the 1A State Championship diving title to the Pine Crest School for six years in a row,” said Pine Crest coach Janet Gabriel.

His best dive this season came in winning the regional competition with a score of 545 in regionals. He was second in the district and won regionals and state.

Mendez is a 13-time national champion and part of the Team USA diving national team Tier 3. Among his USA Diving wins are three on 1-meter, two on 3-meter, three on the platform, one on Synchro 3m and one on Synchro Platform.

Although he is just a freshman, he said he would like to attend the University of Miami, USC or Cornell University, among his favorites.

“I am going to try and accumulate as many state championships as I can,” Mendez said. “I have to give a big shout out to my mom. She is my rock. She’s my everything. She is up in the morning and up at night taking care of everything for me and she is at every single meet that I am at.”

Pine Crest has been known for producing top divers and Mendez is quick to point out the coaching staff, led by Gabriel.

“I also have to thank my coaches for their dedication,” he said. “She is an amazing person and even a better coach. The diving community around Pine Crest just wants to help everyone do better and wants to help everyone win. The No. 1 priority is to go out there and have fun and just do your best.”

When he is about to dive, Mendez doesn’t feel any pressure.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Mendez said. “I just know it is me, and my dive and the board. But when I am not on the board, there is a lot of pressure. It is a lot of mental training. It is a lot of practice in and out of the pool. It is a lot of conditioning and the only way to get past the pressure is the repetition.”

“I want to go all of the way,” Mendez concluded. “I want a college scholarship, but if the Olympics comes along the way, I’ll definitely take that opportunity. I would be looking at the 2020 or 2024 (Olympic) Games. It is every person’s dream to be wearing their country’s colors around their neck or around their body, so for me to be able to that would be a dream come true. I would be so honored and so blessed.”

By Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely senior cheerleader Makya Harvard couldn’t have been happier with her team’s performance this season as they reached the FHSAA Class 2A state semifinals.

Harvard, 17, of Pompano Beach, finished her fourth year on varsity and third year on the competition team. Even though the team doesn’t have captains, Harvard is one of the leaders on the squad.

“I have to make sure everyone is okay physically and emotionally,” said Harvard, who has been a cheerleader since age 4. “I also make sure everyone is on time and able to do what they are supposed to do. The best part for me? When I hit the mat and do what I do.”

More than 50 teams and 800 athletes from Broward, Palm and Miami-Dade counties competed in the Region 4 competition at Coral Springs High School. The top two teams in each division with a raw score of 70 or better earned an automatic entry into the state finals. A qualifying score of 60 or better earned the team a spot in the state semifinals at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.

The Tigers finished ninth in the Large Non-Tumbling division and qualified for the state semifinals. They finished fourth at the state competition during those semifinals and failed to reach the finals at state.

“There is an excitement knowing what I am doing, that people want to participate and I am making others happy…” Harvard said. “That’s what cheerleading is about, cheering people up.”

She said the hardest part about the sport is getting fans excited when a team is losing. She said the football season was very difficult.

“That happened a lot this year; but, being a leader, you can’t let your emotions get the best of you,” she said. “I have to show my teammates and cheer everyone else up.”

How will that help down the road?

“I think knowing that I can put my emotions aside in things that are important to me, and being a leader and taking charge, will help me when I get out in the real world and [with] a real job,” she said. “When I first came in my freshman year, we weren’t too good, and each and every year, we have progressed … We have unity and we go out together now. We have become one big family.”

Harvard said she was relieved that the team qualified for state this season.

“It just shows that all of those long nights paid off,” she said. “Even though there were times when our fliers had injuries, we just pushed through.”

Deerfield Beach placed 10th at the regional competition in the Small Non-Tumbling Division and Pompano Beach finished ninth in the Medium Non-Tumbling Division as both squads failed to advance to state.