Don Estridge Middle School’s hopes of winning Palm Beach County Middle School championship titles in both girls’ soccer and boys’ basketball came up short in the county semifinals.
The girls’ team, which finished county runners-up the past two years, lost 1-0 (8-7) in PKs to West Boynton Middle School in the semifinals, while the boys’ basketball team dropped a 44-30 decision to Palm Springs Middle.
Don Estridge girls’ soccer coach and school athletic director Josh Bender said this year’s Dragons squad was called the “leftovers” by other coaches and players since they graduated 14 girls last year, and six went on to play varsity soccer as high school freshman. Bender returned just one starter from last season on its 23-player roster.
The girls finished the season with an 8-0-2 regular season record with the two ties being both to Boca Middle (0-0). The Dragons (9-1-2) finished as the No. 1 seed in the north division and downed Emerald Cove in the south semifinals winning 1-0 off of a corner kick goal by sixth-grader Cameron Bedell.
“I think going into this season knowing who we lost, the playoffs was a stretch,” Bender said. “Asking an entirely new squad (seven total returners) to continue this legacy (10 finals, five county titles) of Lady Dragons soccer was a tremendous challenge, and these girls did.
“We won the division again, we made it to a championship game again, and they continued the tradition of what this school is,” he said. “They made believers out of the parents, other players, and, at times, even their coach. They proved that heart can beat talent any day.”
Bender said it was a difficult ending to the season.
“The loss will sting,” he said. “Losing in PKs always does. But the bright side is, the majority of the team comes back — as seventh-graders, so once again the Lady Dragons will be a force in the South…hats off to West Boynton.”
Don Estridge was led by captains Emmi Hodes, Juliana Uzzo, Kendall Ready and Shaylee Stansbury.
“Nobody believed in us, but we believed in ourselves, worked hard, and had the support of our coach and parents,” said Hodes, 14, of Boynton Beach. “I will always have amazing memories of this season because we had so much fun playing together. I will miss my teammates and coach, but it could not have been a better experience.”
Boys fall against Palm Springs
Going into the 2024 season, the Dragons had a strong core of eighth-graders and new additions to the team, giving them a solid opportunity to make it deep into the playoffs.
“Our first test came against Boca Middle, resulting in a 46-44 loss,” said first-year boys’ coach and 2010 graduate Richard Chisholm. “We recalibrated and retooled for the next stretch of games. We won the remaining eight games in our regular season schedule, led by eighth-grade captains Jayden Noel, Trevor Cummings, Peter Theodore and Tristan Etienne. Contributions came from every member of the team.”
Chisholm’s squad finished the regular season at 9-1, earning them the No. 3 seed in the district playoffs and the South Division Championship. Don Estridge (11-2) went on to defeat Lake Worth, 50-32 and then held off Emerald Cove Middle School, 37-24 to advance to the county semifinals.
Against the top-seeded Palm Springs team, Chisholm said they game-planned specifically for their defense and executed their plan well, but ultimately came up short 44-30. Sean Gusler, 13, of Boca Raton, had 10 points in the game, including three 3-pointers.
“Our shots just weren’t falling for us,” said Chisholm, who was assisted by his brother Brendan Chisholm and Scott Long. “Overall, with this being my first year as head coach, I could not be prouder of our boys for what they accomplished this season.
“All the effort and hard work that was put in during practices paid dividends throughout the season,” Richard Chisholm said. “This was truly a team that thrived off of camaraderie and togetherness. It’s bittersweet to know that our eighth-graders won’t be returning next year, but I know they will do great things at the high school level, and I am genuinely excited about watching them excel.”
Overall season leaders were Noel with 12.5 points, four assists per game, and Etienne with 13 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
“I am glad we made it as far as we did and wish we could have won it all,” said Noel, 14, a Lake Worth resident. “I am going to miss playing here, but hopefully, our younger guys can learn from us and do better next season.”
Added Etienne, also a 14-year-old from Lake Worth: “Although I regret not being able to win the championship, I am still happy with what we accomplished this season with being able to win the division and just improving overall from last year.”
“Even though we didn’t bring home the trophy, our journey to the semifinals was an incredible ride,” said Theodore, 14, of Boca Raton. “I’m proud of my team’s perseverance and the memories we made. It was a challenging and thrilling adventure that we’ll cherish forever.”
“I am very proud to say that my team has come a long way from the first practice to winning the south division title,” said Boynton Beach 14-year-old Cummings. “Although we didn’t bring home the county trophy, I wouldn’t want to come this far with any other team. I will miss playing with my teammates and am grateful that I was chosen to be captain.”