A Look Back At The Best Of '08

EDITOR'S NOTE: Plenty of big stories broke between the lines and on the playing fields, courts and tracks of the Heartland in 2008. 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.

No. 1 Sebring Baseball Makes Elite 8
The Sebring baseball team was three outs away from its second consecutive trip to the state final four back on May 11, but a heartbreaking rally in the bottom of the sixth and in extra innings by Riverdale abruptly ended the Blue Streaks' season.
Still, the Blue Streaks - who few thought could make it deep into the playoffs after losing a number of impact players to graduation in '07 - showed they belonged among the top teams in the state.
"Everyone we lose to says, 'Great season last year,'" said junior Cody Higgins after the Blue Streaks' thrilling come-from-behind victory in the regional semifinals over Lake Wales. "We've been in the shadow of last year's team all season, but we don't want to be last year's team, we want to be this year's team."
The Blue Streaks certainly accomplished that goal: Sebring dispatched the No. 7 Lake Wales and ousted No. 10 Bartow (who pounded District 10 champion Braden River) to advance for a chance at a return trip to the state final four. But a return trip to Florida prep baseball's biggest stage wasn't meant to be.
"You feel bad for the seniors," said Sebring coach Hoppy Rewis. "But we won 22 games this season, and with all the adversity and injuries we went through, that's a pretty good year."
Making another run deep into the playoffs will be tough in '09 as Sebring will be without senior leaders Adam Simmons, Tony Vazquez, Cory Watt, Kyle Long, Mike Jones and Steven Fortner. But after its performance this season, few will be counting out any Rewis-coached team.

No. 2 Dragon Volleyball Wins Fourth Straight District Crown
When you win a district title three times in a row, you pick up a few things along the way.
With another district championship within their grasp in November, the Lake Placid volleyball team knew it was time to show no mercy.
The Green Dragons crushed tournament host Mulberry in three sets on Nov. 1 to win the Class 3A-District 10 championship without dropping a game, LP's fourth straight district volleyball title.
"We were so pumped up for this match," said Lake Placid senior co-captain Julie Shrewsbury. "We knew we couldn't give Mulberry anything because they're a good team and they had the home court and the fans behind them.
"We came out aggressive and everyone was on tonight and to be a part of a fourth straight district title is amazing."
It was yet another trophy for LP coach Marilyn Jones, whose team knocked off rival Sebring twice during the season and made an arugment for the Dragons as one of the area's top high school programs.
"I'm so proud of this team," said veteran LP coach Marilyn Jones. "Even though this is our fourth straight district championship, it's just as sweet as the first one.
"Every year is different, but winning with this group of girls never gets old."

No. 3 Sebring Captures First-Ever District Boys Soccer Title
An entirely different kind of football team took its shot of glory on Firemen's Field this year.
Sebring captured its first-ever district boys soccer title in dramatic fashion in January, scoring twice in the second half and netting a penalty kick in the 78th minute to defeat defending district champ Palmetto 2-1 in the finals of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament.
"Brilliant," said exuberant Sebring coach Paul Brown, soaked from his first-ever Gatorade shower after the match. "What more can I say?"
Try this, coach: A season that saw the Streaks lose their first four home games, go on a 12-game unbeaten streak and draw Palmetto in the district finals for the second straight year, all came down to 80 minutes of intense, physical play on both sides of the field.
"We've been trying to do this for a long time," said Sebring senior Brad Molinaro. "To finally get it done just feels great."
Nicholas Peters, another one of Sebring's five seniors and now an assistant for the varsity squad under new coach Tim Boulay, said the win helped put Sebring soccer on the map.
"We needed this win," he said. "We've all been through a lot this season, but we came together. Now we're a team to watch out for."
Five seniors - defensive captain Michael Bloemsma, forwards Grimaldo and Peters, defender Brad Molinaro and keeper Elic Kirby - were instrumental in bringing the Streaks their first title.
Grimaldo said his class certainly raised the bar for future teams.
"We've been together our whole life," he said. "We played YMCA when we were five years old, and when we got to high school, people always said we'd be the team that's going to do something.
"We proved them right, and I think with all the young kids on the team, they're going to be one to watch."
The victory earned Sebring a home match in the quarterfinals, where a key injury to leading scorer Grimaldo led to an eventual loss to Kathleen of Lakeland.

No. 4 Holden Picks Up Pieces As Grant Resigns From LP Football
Lake Placid football coach Tim Grant abruptly resigned as the Green Dragons' head football coach in mid-July, three weeks before the start of football camp, and after just one year on the sidelines for Lake Placid.
LPHS Principal Michael Haley said Grant cited "personal reasons" for his departure, noting that Grant lived outside the county and that driving back and forth to Lake Placid had created an economic hardship for his family.
Still, Haley said, Grant's resignation was "out of the blue."
"I don't blame people for personal reasons," Haley said. "The timing wasn't good, but people have to do what people have to do, and I understand that."
Picking up the pieces with just weeks until their season opener was LP alumnus Jason Holden, who managed to instill a sense of pride in his players over the course of a tough 1-8 season.
"I learned an awful lot my first season about the kids and myself and I look forward to the offseason and the chance to build this program," Holden said. "I wish I would have had more time to prepare for the season, but that's the way things worked out and the coaching staff tried to emphasize on building positive attitudes in the players."
Losing 10 seniors off the squad, including quarterback and defensive standout Zach Campbell, has the Green Dragon coaching staff looking for talent to join the football team. Still, Holden feels the foundation is in place.
"Our seniors showed a lot of leadership during a tough season," said Holden. "But I'm proud of the kids because they played hard every game, no matter what the score was.
"Our two main goals in the offseason are to get more athletes out for the team and to instill a good work ethic in the classroom and the weight room. We have a good group of kids coming back next season and we need to get stronger if we want to compete for a district title."

No. 5 Tolar, Cobb End Long Reigns On Softball Field
This year marked the end of an era for two of Highlands County prep softball teams, as Sebring coach Lee Tolar and Avon Park coach Mike Cobb resigned after 14 seasons each involved with area high school softball.
"I realized that I've got fishing holes I haven't even touched yet," Cobb joked after making his announcement following the Red Devils' loss to Sebring in the district semifinals. "I just realized that it was getting harder and harder during practices and all the other things. People don't realize that this job is a major commitment. I gave up a lot to be the coach and I expected nothing less from my girls."
Tolar made his decision known in May when Sebring fell in the regional quarterfinals to defending state champion Lake Wales, though he certainly didn't leave the cupboard bare for new coach Joe Sinness: The Streaks graduate just two seniors and bring the nucleus of the team back next season.
"We're proud of these girls. They did an awesome job this year and came back from a lot of adversity and a lot of doubters," Tolar said. "Next year will be interesting, and I'll be there watching them.
"I'll be a Blue Streak forever."

No. 6 Bauer Runs To Top-10 Finish At State
From the beginning of the season, Sebring junior Connor Bauer knew he'd need a peak performance at the state cross country meet in order to reach his goal of a top-10 finish.
On Nov. 22 at the Little Everglades Ranch, Bauer reached his pinnacle - for this season, at least.
Bauer ran a personal best time of 15 minutes, 59 seconds - nearly a minute faster than his run last year - to take eighth place out of 180 runners at the Class 2A state cross country meet.
"I didn't expect to run that fast today," said Bauer, whose previous personal best was a 16:13 he turned in earlier this year. "I wasn't thinking too much about time, I was sitting around 13th or 14th place, and I knew I had to make my move."
Bauer said his kick to the finish was one of the fastest he'd ever had: He went from 13th to ninth place in the final 200 yards, and passed one more competitor in the final 25 yards.
"I had my parents and Sebring coach Jeff Shoemaker right at the home stretch, and they helped me kick it in," Bauer said after taking nearly a minute off his 2007 state time (he finished 19th overall in 16:58), which qualified him as a National Gold Standard runner.
With track season ahead in the spring and triathlon training this summer, Bauer already has his sights set on climbing to the top again in 2009.
"I can't wait to start my training."

No. 7 Streak Swimmers Make National Waves
Sebring senior Megan Wolfe made her final high school meet one to remember, while Blue Streak swimming legend Sean Spiegel took home a memory he'll never forget in 2008.
Competing at the Class 2A state meet in Orlando, Wolfe blazed to a third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 23.98 to compliment a 14th-place finish in the 100 butterfly event with a time of 59.31.
Her time in the 50-free is an All-American consideration time and both of her times are Sebring High School and Highlands County records.
"It would've been nice to finish higher in the 50-free, but I swam under 24 seconds, and that means a lot me," Wolfe said after finishing her Blue Streak career with four straight trips to state. "My butterfly time was a personal best and it feels really good to swim well and go out with a bang at the state meet."
But she wasn't done: Wolfe swam a 23.86 in the 50 free at national qualifiers the next week, which earned a ticket to the national meet at Georgia Tech.
Meanwhile, Spiegel was just hoping one of his six swims in June would be quick enough to qualify him for the USA Olympic Trials.
But the 25-year-old Sebring native didn't need that many chances to realize his dream: He torched his personal best on his first attempt, barreling through the pool in a time of 23.15 in the 50-meter freestyle at the Coral Springs Swim Club Invitational and punching his ticket to the USA Olympic Trials.
Spiegel was still awash in wonderment hours after knocking 0.67 seconds off his personal best.
"I was totally shocked when I saw the time on the board," Spiegel said.. "I kind of doubted the time and didn't think it was me. It's an awesome feeling, and I can't believe I finally made it."

No. 8 FHSAA Realignment Felt Across Heartland
A long-awaited FHSAA football district realignment was announced earlier this month, and its effects will be felt across all three Highlands County high schools next fall.
Sebring, which along with Avon Park was a member of Class 3A-District 12 this season, will stay in the 3A ranks and will join 3A-District 10 with three other schools, while AP drops a class and joins eight other competitors in 2A-District 4 and Lake Placid moves to 2B-District 6 from 2A-District 5.
The Red Devils, who join Anclote (a new school in Holiday), Crystal River, Eustis, Lake Wales, Pasco of Dade City, South Sumter of Bushnell, Tavares and Wesley Chapel in 2A-D4, are not happy with the change, saying it puts an undue strain on their travel budgets.
"I was shocked when I saw our new district," AP athletic director Mort Jackson. "We figured it out and our mileage cost for next year would be $1,500 - and that's just for mileage. A trip to Crystal River would cost us $900 alone, so we're going to petition the FHSAA to move us to a new district."
Avon Park is in the bottom 10 percent in their classification, so they're allowed to petition for a move to a new district. The Red Devils will choose three to four other districts that have less than eight teams and ask to be moved to one of those.
Sebring athletic director Terry Quarles was pleased after looking over the proposed moves.
"I like the new district [Sebring] is in. It's a really competitive district and I think it's going to be fun watching the team next year," Quarles said. "I think it is really good for the Blue Streaks."
Lake Placid athletic director Cindy Rivers said any change will be different at first, but the Green Dragons will simply change the direction of their travel.
"Ours is a very large district, and we'll be traveling south more than we were," Rivers said, noting the football team uses a chartered bus for away games. "It will probably be the same distance, just a different direction."

No. 9 Bland, Spiegel Each Take Third At State
They used different styles to achieve the same result - having their arms raised in victory over a defeated opponent.
Avon Park junior James Bland, who wrestled in the 160-pound weight class, used a tenacious and relentless attack to post a 44-1 record during the season with 27 pins.
Sebring senior Shaanan Spiegel, who competed in the 152-pound weight class, was more of a technician in posting a 48-2 season record.
No matter the styles, the results were the same: Each finished third at state in their respective weight classes.
"James had a great season," said Avon Park co-coach Lee Elder after Bland suffered his only loss of the season against the eventual state champion. "He was in that match until the end. We look forward to him moving up two more places next year at state."
Despite not winning the gold at state, Spiegel, who had a career record of 119-48, was satisfied with his season.
"I don't have any regrets," said Spiegel, who also reached state during the fall in diving. "I sacrificed and worked hard and that's all I know, because I've been wrestling since I was four.
"I didn't win the state title, but winning that last match to finish third meant a lot to me."

No. 10 Youth Football Teams Switch To Mid-Florida Conference
Youth football teams across the Heartland tackled some big changes this season as both Avon Park and Sebring Youth football made the switch to upstart MidFlorida Football and Cheer Conference prior to this season.
The reason: Pop Warner's weight restrictions and academic standards excluded some youngsters from suiting up, something AP Youth Football and Cheer president Richard Dick said didn't sit well with the board.
"We made the switch for the kids," Dick said. "We, as a program, were frustrated with Pop Warner and their weight restrictions. They didn't seem to be changing with the times, and kids these days are getting bigger. We were turning kids away because of their weight, and with MidFlorida, we don't have to.
"We just felt left out by Pop Warner and felt they were taking more interest in the bigger cities."
Sebring Pee Wee coach Robert Duncan is happy with the changes and encouraged by the influx of new kids getting a chance to play this season.
"It's wonderful for the kids," Duncan said. "They're having a good time, and it's heartwarming to see them come out and see the positive effect of hard work."
Avon Park assistant varsity football coach Dwayne Council said the move will certainly pay dividends down the line.
"This move is great for the future of Avon Park football," he said. "These kids will be growing up playing against the same Polk County kids who they'll face in high school. So when they play them at the varsity level, they won't be surprised or overwhelmed but already know most of the kids they'll be playing against."

OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS FROM '08: The Pros defeated the amateurs by a score of 15-8 to earn their second straight Ryder Cup win to trim their deficit to 9-5 in the overall series ... University of Arizona star Alison Walshe shot a 4-under 68 and earn a three-shot victory over Taylore Karle to capture the championship flight of the 53rd annual Harder Hall Women's Invitational ... Liz Sottile went out a winner: After leading the Lake Placid girls soccer team to the Class 3A-District 8 runner-up trophy - its first trophy for LP girls soccer under her tutelage - Sottile was named District 8 Coach of the Year by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.