By Gary Curreri

Kevin Mendez is in a select company after he became just a third boys diver in Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) history to win four straight diving titles.

The Lighthouse Point resident and Pine Crest School sophomore joined Brian Gillooly of Gateway (Kissimmee), who won diving titles in 1990-93, and Mark Ruiz of Dr. Phillips (Orlando), who won titles in diving from 1994-97.

Coincidentally, he is the third diver from the school to win four in a row as he joined Pine Crest’s Carolyn Chaney, who won four straight titles in diving from 2011-14, as did another Panthers’ female diver in Joel Lenzi, who won in 1956-59. 

There were three other girls divers to win four straight, including Cherie Hammond (West Orange, Winter Garden) from 2007-10; Mary Hoerger (Miami Beach) from 1937-40, and Patty Kranz (Westminster Academy, Ft. Lauderdale) from 2007-10.

Mendez’s win in diving this year in Stuart at the FHSAA 2A State Championships gives the state championship diving title to the Pine Crest School for seven years in a row.

In addition to his FHSAA accomplishments, Mendez has been a stellar USA Diving junior diver, winning nearly a dozen USA Diving National Championship titles.

“Probably the best thing to happen to me was winning states because I came back two months before the high school season after taking a year off from the sport,” Mendez said. “I did not expect to win states.”

Ely boys expect to contend for state title

One thing is a given, the Blanche Ely boys basketball team stumbles in the early season Kreul Showcase basketball tournament and then rises to the occasion during the state tournament at the end of the year.

Lamont Evans led the Tigers with 17 points and 5 assists in the 60-46 setback at the hands of St. Andrews at Monarch High School as part of the Kreul Showcase, which featured many of the top teams in South Florida.

Even in defeat, coach Melvin Randall was pleased with his team’s performance. 

“Tonight, we finally played Tiger basketball,” Randall said after the game. “It’s small steps, but we will get there.

You will see a humungous difference in the coming weeks.”

Blanche Ely (3-1) was shorthanded in the contest as they were waiting for Iowa State commit Dudley Blackwell to become eligible after transferring from Huntington Prep (WV).

“We are always going to learn from a loss and keep growing,” Randall said. “St. Andrew’s is a good, well-coached ball club and a good team. It is a work in progress. We are young and inexperienced, but (this) week you will see a huge difference. All this, like it has been in the past, we learn from this. We watch the film, correct some of our bad habits and praise some of our good ones and move forward.”

Last year, the Tigers opened the season with a 62-52 loss to University School in the Kreul Showcase as both teams went on to win state championships. 

University School won the Class 5A state title, while the Tigers won a record eight state championships in March with a 57-52 win over Bradenton Lakewood Ranch in the Class 8A championship at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

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

Lighthouse Point’s Kevin Mendez is looking for a repeat performance at state.

After sitting out the beginning of this season with an injury, it appears that the eighth-grader at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale is prepared to defend his Class 1A state diving championship.

Mendez, 14, recently showed he is going to be a state contender after winning the boys 1-meter diving title at the 54th annual Woodson Invitational at the Pine Crest School pool with a total score of 497.95 after sitting the first six weeks of the season with a broken thumb.

“This helps a lot confidence-wise because I had the broken thumb and just came back (from the injury,” said Mendez, who had three top 8 finishes, including second in the 1-meter diving event at the national championships this summer, despite a fractured finger. I have only been diving four days, so to do this well was unexpected. It will boost my confidence a lot. I was pretty happy.”

His efforts helped Pine Crest take second in the team race with 229 points at the meet. Perennial Class 1A state champion Jacksonville Bolles, winners of 26 consecutive state titles, won both the boys’ and girls’ titles.

Mendez is hopeful of retaining his gold medal at the state meet at the Sailfish Splash Waterpark, Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart on Nov. 4.

“There is zero pressure on me to win a state title because it is unexpected being young,” Mendez said. “Nobody expects you to win, so you just go in there and do your thing. I am used to it.

“I have won a couple of national championships so I am used to the pressure,” Mendez continued. “I would say my favorite board (event) is the 1-meter.”

He got his start in diving when he was taking swimming lessons, spotted the diving board and asked if he could give it a whirl. It was 10 years ago, and Mendez said he has loved diving ever since.

“You just adapt to it,” Mendez said. “It is kind of scary at first. Like anything, the more you do it, the more you get used to it.”

Since he won the high school title last year, he knows what to expect.

 “I think I have a chance of winning states again,” Mendez said. “I am going to try my best and do my best. I think I have a good shot.”

Bucks cruise past Taravella

Deerfield Beach High School’s football team grounded out an easy 50-6 victory over visiting Taravella last week. 

The Bucks totaled 507 yards rushing, with three players running for more than 125 yards each – Jakari Norwood (141 yards and two TDs), Jerome Neal (140 yards, TD) and Jaylan Knighton (125 yards). The Bucks (3-1) travel to St. Thomas Aquinas this Friday for a huge non-district game.

Tigers tamed in defeat

Auburn commit Shaun Shivers rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a 44-0 win over Blanche Ely in a non-district game, Monday at Blanche Ely.

Shivers scored on two of his five carries for the game with scoring runs of 79 and 55 yards. Quarterback Daelen Menard also accounted for a pair of scores, finishing 4 of 6 for 123 yards. The Lions (3-2) scored on their first three possessions, with their first two scoring drives taking just one play each.

Blanche Ely slipped to 2-3 with the loss.