The Heartland will be well represented at the upcoming regional wrestling meet as 12 local wrestlers qualified with their performances at Friday's district meet. ...more

February 1, 2008

AVON PARK — "It's tough when you don't have the numbers," SHS coach Denny Hays said after his Blue Streaks made a good showing against arch-rival Avon Park in Tuesday's dual meet, but wrestling is a numbers game. The Red Devils had the higher number on this night with a 46-28 team win over Sebring, but the Blue Streaks can walk away knowing they have quality and not necessarily quantity this season. ...more

January 24, 2008

KISSIMMEE –– With the district tournament only 11 days away, the Avon Park and Sebring wrestling teams are flexing their muscles at the right time. The Red Devils went 8-1 in the 20-team, two-day tournament at Poinciana High School over the weekend to finish in third place. Junior heavyweight Jace Grimmett led the way with a 9-0 record and was selected the meet's outstanding upper weights wrestler. "Jace did a tremendous job," said Avon Park assistant coach Lee Elder. "He continues to improve with each match. ...more

January 22, 2008

SEBRING –– There was no holiday hangover for many of the Heartland's prep wrestlers, as Avon Park placed third in the team competition and Sebring's Shaanan Spiegel continued his dominance on the mat at the annual Spiegel Memorial Tournament on Saturday at Sebring High School. Spiegel waltzed through the tournament with relative ease, scoring a pin three minutes into his first match against Port Charlotte's Kile Grilz and scoring a pair of technical falls en route to the gold medal in the 152-pound weight class. ...more

January 7, 2008

SEBRING — Holiday breaks are great for kids, who enjoy the time off from school and homework. Wrestling coaches, on the other hand, seem to dread this time of year, as it tests each of their athlete's dedication to the sport. "It's very difficult for us as coaches with the kids not being on a regular schedule," said Avon Park wrestling coach Lee Elder. "I know the kids are eager for competition, and we'll see how they fare on the mat." ...more

January 5, 2008

AVON PARK – The Avon Park boys wrestling team has had enough of the travel meets and tournaments in far away places. The Red Devils finally enjoyed the comfortable surroundings of home in Tuesday's 57-21 victory over the Frostproof Bulldogs in a Class 1A-District 8 match. ...more

December 20, 2007

LAKELAND — The Avon Park wrestling team had an impressive showing at the Polk County Duals this past weekend. ...more

December 19, 2007

SEBRING — The holiday season will kick off this weekend with two events in downtown Sebring – the Christmas parade and the Carousel of Lights. ...more

December 6, 2007

SEBRING — When you live in Florida and love the water, swimming in competitive events is never out of season. The Highlands Hurricanes winter swim team made quite a splash in last Saturday's St. Petersburg Aquatics Morning at the Races event. Former Sebring High swimmer Sean Spiegel won the 50-yard freestyle event with a time of 20.91 seconds to qualify for the 2007 USA Short Course National Championships, which will be held next Wednesday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga. "That's quite an accomplishment for Sean," said Hurricanes coach Marvin Wolfe. "His goal is to qualify for the Olympic Trials next June and he is working hard toward that goal." ...more

November 23, 2007

AVON PARK –– After an unexpected turn of events left the Sebring wrestling team without a head coach before the SFCC Shootout was set to begin, the Blue Streaks refused to use that as an excuse and made an impressive showing against some of the top talent in the state. Dave Cunningham stepped down Friday as head coach of the wrestling team after three seasons with the Blue Streaks. Dressing only five wrestlers on the final day of the eight-team meet on Saturday, Sebring finished the day on a strong note, with Shaanan Spiegel pinning Joseph Jusino of Lake Wales, as the Blue Streaks went 4-1 in its final matches of the meet. ...more

November 19, 2007