WEST PALM BEACH – Markell Lee is all set.
As the wide receiver graduated virtually from Palm Beach Lakes High School yesterday (June 4), he will remember the opportunities he took advantage of as a senior this past year with the Rams. Lee will remember how his breakthrough season at Lakes translated into a college opportunity at Florida Memorial University.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound wide receiver made his final choice to go with South Florida’s only HBCU institution on Feb. 8.
“I feel good,” Lee said. “I’m ready to come in do my job. That’s just me doing whatever I have to do for us to be great and win. And I want to get my degree from there too.”
Lee, who will be majoring in finance at Florida Memorial, finished his high school senior year at Lakes with 19 catches for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best game came in the Class 7A-Region 3 semifinal round against Venice, when he caught 2 passes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown.
Down 41-21 in the third quarter, Lee’s touchdown pass from junior quarterback Tre’Von Taylor was beautiful to watch on film and in person. A standout trait for Lee is his innate ability to form a deep connection with that quarterback, an important aspect that a receiver needs to have on the college level.
The Lee touchdown helped Lakes get back in the game with a 41-28 deficit. But the Rams got no closer, as their dream season would end with a 62-35 loss at home and a 10-1 record.
“My last high school game,” Lee posted on his Twitter account. “Wish it wouldn’t have ended like this.”
But Lee did speak about how his scoring catch happened against Venice.
“The crazy thing was that play wasn’t even for me,” Lee said. “But I think they (Venice) was in Cover 2 man and the middle was naked. The ball snapped and I’m running. I just looked up, saw the ball, and went up for it.”
Lee had another standout game this past season. It came in Week 3 against Glades Central, when he had two catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in the Rams 44–13 win over the Raiders.
Lee’s 30-yard touchdown pass from Taylor came with 6:12 left in the third quarter. He helped open the scoring floodgates for Palm Beach Lakes because it was a close one at 16-7 prior to his action.
“Coming from halftime, me, Tre’Von, and all the receivers were talking about what’s open,” Lee said back in September 2019. “Then we told Coach (Lakes head coach Al Shipman) that if we run that play, it would be open. Coach took our word and tried it. The whole first half when I would run him (the opposing man) off, he would be beat. Tre’Von saw it.”
Florida Memorial may not have a large sample size from Lee, but the NAIA school did its homework and saw that he can take it to the house and galvanize his team at any time.
“He’s one of the most slept on receivers out there,” former Lakes teammate Micah Butler said of Lee. “He’s a very humble guy.”
Palm Beach Lakes offensive coordinator Obrian Edwards spoke on Lee’s approach to the game.
“Markell is a blue collar guy,” Edwards said. “He comes to practice everyday wth the intent to be better than he was the day before. He has exceptional ball skills. He has the three H’s necessary to consistently make plays: Hardworking, humbled, and hungry.”
Taylor on Lee:
“He works on his craft a lot,” Taylor said of Lee’s college opportunity. “He deserves it.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Florida Memorial University Football and Eddie Brock (Dirty Lenz MG)
