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Happy New Year: One Last Chance To Look Back
File photo
Sebring's Colt Williams celebrates with J.C. Shoop after the Blue Streaks beat Tampa Jesuit for the Class 4A-Region 3 championship and their first trip to the state tournament since 1941.
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Published: January 1, 2008
Happy New Year: One Last Chance To Look Back
EDITOR'S NOTE: Plenty of big stories broke between the lines and on the playing fields, courts and tracks of the Heartland in 2007. Wins and losses aside, certain moments transcended the games themselves and stuck out as the top stories of the year.
This is Highlands Today's annual year-end run of the stories we covered that had a major impact on the local sports scene. The ranking was determined by the sports department: Sports editor Brian Gjurgevich, senior sports writer Mark Pinson and sports reporter Chris Hoffman.
#1 Sebring Baseball Makes Run To Semifinals
Sebring rode a hot offense and outstanding defense to the Class 4A state semifinals, but that all unraveled in a 12-7 loss to Pensacola Pine Forest.
The Blue Streaks, who were making their first appearance in the state tournament since 1941, led going into the fifth inning before things got away against the hard-hitting Cougars.
Sebring's Chaz Abeln was a workhorse on the mound during the playoffs, as the hard-throwing right-hander threw 121 pitches in a 4-2 complete-game victory over Tampa Jesuit in the Class 4A-Region 3 finals to punch the Blue Streaks ticket to the final four.
"We had a great season with the wins and championships and all," said Sebring veteran coach Hoppy Rewis. "It's not very often when you get a positive thing that pulls the school and the community together.
"Tragedies do that all the time, but it's really nice when something good does that instead. That's what happened here."
#2 Avon Park Earns First Win Over Hardee Since 1998
Suffering through almost 10 years at the hands of the Hardee football, Avon Park exorcised those Wildcat demons with a 10-7 upset in week three that sent the Joe Franza Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
The Red Devils had been winless since 1998 against the 'Cats and suffered its worse loss in '06 when Hardee pounded Avon Park 55-6.
Red Devil skipper Earnest Perkins looked like a proud father on graduation day after the whistle was blown to end the game.
"This is for the kids," Perkins said. "They've taken a lot of crap [after starting 0-2] the last few weeks. This if for them."
The turning point in the game was when junior Vincent Perry stripped 'Cats quarterback Jordan Grimsley and recovered the ball at the Hardee 15-yard line. Moments later, Teddy Allen punched it in to tie the game at 7.
Senior kicker Casey McKibben iced the game for the Red Devils, hitting a 26-yard field goal with four minutes left in the third and Avon Park's defense kept the 'Cats at bay for the win.
Audi Wins Eighth Consecutive 12 Hours of Sebring Title
Audi again wrote the textbook definition of domination, after holding off the hard-charging Acura team to win their eighth consecutive Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring title.
The Andretti Green Acura ARX-01a , piloted by Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta and Dario Franchitti, held its ground in its American LeMans Series debut against the mighty Audi team and came tantalizingly close to pulling off the upset, before gearbox problems hit in the final hour of the legendary race.
Acura finished second overall and first in the LMP2 class, and Herta led the race overall in the third hour during an exchange of pit stops with the Audis.
The winners led from the fifth hour after their sister Audi lost the lead and four laps during a long pit stop to replace the battery, and then the starter, as the crew tried to figure out the electrical problem that plagued the defending champion team.
Audi driver Frank Biela tied Tom Kristensen for most overall wins at Sebring with his fourth title and co-driver Marco Werner notched his third win at the historic event.
#4 Perkins Fired After Two Seasons As Red Devil Head Football Coach
After 22 games and two seasons without a playoff appearance, Earnest Perkins was fired as Avon Park High School varsity football coach on Nov. 19.
AP Principal Stu Guthrie said the decision "was his alone," and although he characterized the move as "not easy," Guthrie said a change at the top was "one that was necessary."
Perkins, who had stressed academics and discipline before football as priorities in his kid's lives, amassed a 7-13 record in his tenure as coach at Avon Park and was named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach of the Week after the Red Devils defeated Hardee for the first time in nine years.
The coaching search continues for Perkins' successor into the new year, with applicants coming from across the country.
The 33-year coaching veteran held his head up as he talked proudly about his time with his team and knows there are great things to be expected, not only out of the team, but out of the men on the field.
"Many of these kids can see that there is life outside of Avon Park," Perkins said. "They've got hopes and dreams about going to college and making something of their lives — dreams that weren't there when I walked into my first meeting with team last year. They know its possible if they work hard.
"They know that Grandpa was and will always be with them."
#5 Bauer Runs To State
Sebring High sophomore Connor Bauer proved that experience isn't everything by sprinting past many older runners on his way to a 25th-place finish at the Class 2A state cross country meet in Dade City. Bauer, who made it to regionals as a freshman, but failed to qualify for state, surged late to join the top runners in the state and finished with a time of 16 minutes, 52 seconds, which was his second fastest time of the season.
"I was happy with how the season went and to be able to qualify for state was important to me," said Bauer. "I think we have enough talent that we can make a run at qualifying for state next year as a team."
#6 Sebring Girls Post Second Straight Undefeated Regular Season
The Sebring girls basketball team made it look easy most nights, dazzling teams with either the shooting touch of Whitney Lee or the powerful inside presence of Brittany Bullock. That explosive tandem and the right mixture of role players allowed the Blue Streaks to go undefeated in the regular season for the second straight season –– a record of 42-0 over the two campaigns.
Head coach Robert Sampson was the catalyst for the Blue Streaks success, orchestrating the talented squad to play within his system to get through many close games during the season.
The heart and soul of the Blue Streak squad was unquestionably Lee and Bullock.
Bullock made a name for herself on the defensive side of the ball, grabbing 9.6 rebounds to to with 12.4 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field, while leading the Heartland in blocks (43) and steals (92).
Lee finished the season averaging 14.5 points per game and dishing out 88 assists and snagging 58 steals and leading the Heartland with 59 3-pointers.
The Blue Streaks were also impressive in the postseason, downing arch-rival Avon Park 45-35 to win back-to-back Class 4A-District 10 championships.
After the season, Robert Sampson resigned after 14 years as Sebring's head coach and assistant coach Mike Lee was named his successor.
#7 Wigger Wins Harder Hall Title
With a five-shot lead heading into the final round, two-time University of Virginia All-American Leah Wigger utilized solid iron play and a steady putter to shoot a 1-under-par 71 to win the 52nd annual Harder Hall Women's Invitational by three strokes.
Wigger, who led the prestigious 72-hole tournament from start to finish, had rounds of 69-73-67-71-280, while Auburn University's Candace Schepperle placed second after rounds of 70-74-70-69-283.
"I feel pretty good," Wigger said. "It was pretty exciting out there and I was able to make some putts coming in for par to secure the win. "It's great to win this tournament and join people like Beth Bauer and Carol Semple–Thompson, and hopefully, I can make a name for myself in the amateur world and also in the professional world."
#8 McClurg Heads North
Long-time Highlands County golf professional Tom McClurg has left the Heartland to take a job in Wisconsin.
McClurg, who moved to the area in 1987 and was the head pro at Sebring Golf Club three different times, has taken a position as Director of Golf at Chula Vista Resort in Dells, Wisc.
"I needed a change and I'm looking forward to moving to the Dells because it's a beautiful resort town that has all the amenities of a big town without all the crime and traffic," said McClurg.
The Chula Vista Resort, which is in central Wisconsin, offers 18 holes of golf at its Cold Water canyon layout and an adjacent 2,500 room hotel.
"It's a unique course with beautiful scenery because it's right by the Wisconsin River," McClurg said. "The front nine was built in 1923 and is a traditional northern course, while the back nine is a Scottish-links design that was built in 1990."
McClurg, who was also the head pro at River Greens Golf Course for three years, is well known for starting the Sertoma Junior Tour 13 years ago.
The summer golf program for youngsters now averages 60 players for it weekly tournaments.
"I love working with kids and seeing them develop and improve their games," the former Sebring Golf Club pro said. "It's important to teach youngsters the right way to play the game.
"I'm going to try and start a youth program at the resort and I know the Sertoma Tour will continue to grow here."
#9 Barben Sets The Bar Again
If the Avon Park boys golf team ever wanted confirmation that their coach knows what he's talking about, they need only to look at his mantle.
Bobby Barben shot a two-day total of 151 to win his fifth Highlands County Amateur championship.
Barben, who has coached the Red Devils golf team for a number of years, showed he is still a force on the links with a solid 36 holes of play over the tough Highlands Ridge North course.
"I only get out and play occasionally with the team," said Barben. "It helps, because kids tend to listen to someone more id they play well."
Mike Browning finished two shots back at 153 in the Open division, while Mike Cleghorn won the Senior division with a 156.
In the Women's Amateur, which was also played at Highlands Ridge North, Sheila Chiarandini found out a great way to cap off an outstanding year by winning the Highlands County Amateur title on the first hole of a playoff with Bonnie Lennox.
During the course of the year, Chiarandini won the Highlands Ridge Ladies Golf Association match-play event, the women's club championship, her club championship in Canada, as well as a senior district tournament.
"This win means an awful lot to me," said Chiarandini. "This ends my perfect year of golf. "I wasn't even going to play, but Melissa Doorlag talked me into it and I'm glad she did."
#10 Pros Win Ryder Cup
The professionals avenged a close loss in 2006 by dominating the action on the way to a 17-8 win in the 14th annual 2007 Highlands County Ryder Cup.
The pros took control of the two-day, 54-hole competition on the fist day of play and then won nine singles matches to clinch the win.
The amateurs, however, still lead the overall series 9-4-1.
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