Christian Crews proved to be Okeechobee's ace, as the hurler gave up just one run on three hits in a 7-1 victory in the opening round of the Dixie Youth Majors (ages 10-12) District 8 tournament at Durrah Martin Recreational Complex on Friday. ...more

June 20, 2008

LAKELAND — Battling back against adversity and top-notch competition, three wrestlers from the Heartland came away with medals from the Class 1A state wrestling tournament on Saturday night. Avon Park junior James Bland earned a bronze medal at 160 pounds, Red Devil teammate Kemosi Hatten came in fifth at 171, and Sebring senior Shaanan Spiegel finished third in the 152-pound weight class. Bland, who suffered a knee injury in winning his first bout on Friday against Tampa Prep's Wes Jarrell, overcame a close 9-4 loss to eventual state champion Luke McGurrin of Jacksonville Bolles, to finish third by beating Tronic Williams of South Fort Myers by a technical fall. ...more

February 18, 2008

When Eric Stroud of Pasco gets on the mat, he has to battle whether he should have fun or be serious. Opponents would rather he be serious. ...more

February 16, 2008

SEBRING –– Mary Midence's excitement was bubbling over as she took the court on Monday with an unmistakable smile. "I just couldn't wait to get this season underway," Midence said. "I've been really excited about this team and wanted to show what this team could do on the court against some competition besides us." The Sebring girls tennis team saw very little in the way of competition from Clewiston, as the Streaks dispatched the Tigers 6-1 with relative ease despite windy conditions in the season opener at Sun 'N Lake tennis courts. ...more

February 13, 2008

When you are living in a mobile home and working odd jobs to get through college, a couple of thousand dollars can mean a lot. And for 22-year-old Austin Richmond, winning the local-prize purse at Saturday's Publix Super Markets Gasparilla Distance Classic could help him achieve his dream of one day running the marathon at the Olympics. ...more

February 10, 2008

SEBRING — Three Blue Streaks scored in double figures on Friday night to lead the Sebring boys basketball team to a 73-42 victory over LaBelle in the Streaks' final regular season game. Chris Grubb had 14 points, T.J. Williams had 13 and Sam Robinson added 11 in Sebring's final tune-up before the district tournament, which begins Tuesday at Palmetto. "We didn't play well at first, but we switched some things up and forced some turnovers," said Sebring coach Princeton Harris. "Our biggest thing now is staying humble — we haven't won anything yet." ...more

February 2, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Maybe it was the fact that both teams were playing on consecutive nights. Whatever the reason, neither Sebring or Lake Placid was able to muster much offense in Friday night's girls non-district soccer match at Roger Scarborough Memorial Field. Sebring, which played down one player for most of the match due to an injury, managed six shots on goal, while battling to a scoreless, 0-0 tie with the Green Dragons. "All things considered, we played pretty well," said Blue Streak coach Steve Ashley. "Lake Placid played well and with good effort, but neither one of us could finish. ...more

December 23, 2007

CLEWISTON — Ali Lopez and Erica Resendiz scored two goals each to lead Lake Placid past Clewiston 4-0 in girls soccer on Thursday night. "It was a fantastic match," said Green Dragon coach Liz Sottile. "I moved some players around and we passed the ball well and played excellent defense." The non-district win improved Lake Placid to 4-3-4. "I'm really excited about the rest of the season," Sottile said. "Because we finally played to our potential." ...more

December 22, 2007

LAKE PLACID — Playing back-to-back games caught up with the Lake Placid girls basketball team at the worst possible time. McKeel Academy used a patient offense and a game-high 12 points from center Ciara Cox to beat a fatigued Green Dragon squad 40-27 in a Class 3A-District 10 game on Friday night. After edging Clewiston by one point in a fast-paced, physical contest on Thursday night, Lake Placid, which dresses only seven players, ran out of gas in the second half against the taller Wildcats. "It looked like we were tired from playing on Thursday night," said Green Dragon coach Shonda Legree. "We weren't getting up and down the floor like we normally do. We don't have a lot of depth, so the girls have to play pretty much the entire game. ...more

December 16, 2007

LAKE PLACID — The team concept proved stronger than a single individual in Thursday night's game between Lake Placid and Clewiston. Led by Ashley Paeplow's team-high 12 points, the Green Dragons placed three players in double figures and held on for a 44-43 win over the Tigers in girls basketball. Clewiston's Desiree Lopez was a one-girl scoring machine as she poured in 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, but Lake Placid's offensive balance proved to be the difference. "We needed a win, and I was just going on adrenaline," said Paeplow. "My shot felt good tonight and I just kept shooting. "It's good to beat Clewiston because they beat us last month, but it shouldn't have been this close." ...more

December 15, 2007