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Nunnie on the Sideline

West Orange High School senior Jewel Helmuth, an outstanding student-athlete, has signed with Edward Waters University in Jacksonville. The Winter Garden, Florida native should make EWU an immediate SIAC championship  contender  in volleyball. She is competitive, driven, and highly intelligent, characteristics associated with success and winning. Jewel is a consummate team player, who leads by exemplary performance on the court.  A natural, enthusiastic  leader, Jewel’s  impact on team chemistry and unity will be readily discerned, demonstrated, and appreciated by her coaches and teammates.

Since its program’s turnaround, FAMU, a Football Championship Subdivision program, has been a landing spot for players on the higher Division I level looking for new homes for a fresh start and more playing time.

The Florida Panthers are on the verge of going to the Stanley Cup finals for the second consecutive year, having taken a commanding 3-1 series lead against the formidable Boston Bruins. Ironically, the Panthers lost 4 regular season games against the Bruins but have turned the tide on their Eastern Conference nemesis, having won 3 in a row, the most recent 2 in Boston. Now the Panthers are primed to complete the deal at home at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The odds are against the Bruins who sport an 0-25 record historically when trailing in a series 3-1. Led by Mathew Tcachuk, Bob Borbrobsky, Sam Bennett and Ivan Rodriguez, the Panthers have been playing inspired, physical hockey which bodes well in their quest for a Stanley Cup title. Keep your eyes on this exciting contingent of Panthers. They may just surprise you.

     The Rattlers dominated the whole week, finishing each day in first place, and finished the championship winning by 29 strokes with a score of +27, 891. This marks the second time the Rattlers have won the HBCU National Championship after winning it for the first time in 2000 with an 853. The last time the Rattlers won, head coach Mike Rice was the team’s captain and was the men’s medalist with a 208.

 Jackson State softball accomplished something the program hadn’t done in 13 years. Take home a SWAC Tournament championship.

     Welcome to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America racing series, Jordan Wallace’s world. He found himself onstage with the globe-trotting Formula One circus in town for the Miami Grand Prix. Formula One promoters like to have other kinds of racing cars circulating tracks while F-1 cars are being tweaked in their garages.

Nunnie on the Sideline

    Taravella boys and girls track and field teams won the District Championships, with many athletes winning individual district titles including Scary Fils, 1600 meters champion who was apart of the winning 4 x 800 relay with Elijah Vessells, Akeem Beckford,  and Ali Mustafa. In addition Fils finished second in the 800 meters, teaming with Vessells, Maleek Lubin, and T’Yquez Jenkins. The 4 x 1 team didn’t fair quite as well, finishing third. Members of that group were Ray Graham, Miles Green, Ja’Michael Barnes, and Quentin Toussaint. 

   After eliminating the state rival  Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers rested and waited patiently on the winner between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins, a series that at one point had the Bruins leading 3-1. However, the Maple Leafs fought back, winning the next 2 games before finally succumbing to the Bruins in Boston in a highly competitive  series. Ironically, the Bruins were attempting to avoid repeating last year’s devastating result  where, after leading the Panthers 3 – 1, the Bruins allowed the Panthers to win 3 in a row, thus eliminating them  from the playoffs. After defeating Toronto, the Bruins traveled to sunny South Florida to play a well rested Panther team in the second round. The Panthers, perhaps too rested and rusty, were lambasted by the Bruins 5-1 on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Let’s hope that game one was an anomaly, not a harbinger of things to come. Go Panthers!