LAKE WALES — Ana Pizarro arrived in Lake Wales a couple of years ago and, after taking the job coaching the Lake Wales High swim team, realized the program did not have a club swim team to function as a feeder.

Last week, the Bartow City Commission recognized the Bartow High School cheerleading squad for winning a trifecta of state, national and world championships for large co-ed teams.

WINTER HAVEN — A couple early birdies from Janie Jackson (Huntsville, Alabama) — one at No. 2 to take a four-shot lead and another at No. 4 to claim a five-stroke advantage — was all she needed to separate herself from the pack at the Country Club of Winter Haven and win the 12th annual Flor…

It’s tough to start a season much better than Tyson Gurnsey has for the All Saints Academy boys lacrosse team.

LAKELAND — Throughout the playoff run for the Bartow Yellow Jackets, veteran coach Terrence McGriff has reminded people of his team’s depth beyond its standout players.

LAKELAND — Walter Clayton scored 21 points to help lead the Bartow High boys basketball team to a 68-57 victory over East Lake in the FHSAA Class 6A State Semifinals Thursday night at the RP Funding Center.

WINTER HAVEN — Mike Nichols still recalls an interaction with one of the players on the Symetra Tour in 2012.

The Florida Tropics rallied three times from a one-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Tacoma Stars, 8-7, in overtime Feb. 27, assuring the Tropics of their first ever berth in the Major Arena Soccer League Playoffs.

Bartow High’s Colby Trudeau placed third in the 195-pound weight class at last week’s Class 3A-Region 2 meet hosted by Osceola High School. The top-four finish enabled Trudeau to qualify for the upcoming Florida High School Athletic Association individual state championships (March 6-7) at S…

The Lake Region Thunder baseball team has gotten off to a strong start this spring, opening the season with three wins in its first four games. One of the reasons for the early success is the play of Nick Maze. Against the LaBelle Cowboys, Maze pitched a complete-game shutout and also went 3…

Winter Haven had one of the state’s most challenging schedules during the recently completed 2019-20 girls varsity basketball season.

BARTOW — The Bartow boys basketball team delivered in front of a packed home crowd, holding on for an exciting 68-65 victory over Hillsborough to win the FHSAA Class 6A, Region 2 Championship Feb. 28.

WINTER HAVEN — The start to the 40th anniversary season for the Symetra Tour is right around the corner, as the 2020 “Road to the LPGA” begins with the 12th Annual Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at the Country Club of Winter Haven from March 6-8.

The Winter Haven girls varsity basketball team is within two victories of the program’s sixth Florida High School Athletic Association state championship.

Despite having a relatively late start in the sport, Faith Garza — a junior at Lake Wales High — has quickly established herself as one of the best weightlifters in the state.

Boys district tournaments were held last week as part of the Florida High School Athletic Association individual state championships.

Who qualified as an at-large team? What do the opening-round matchups look like?

MILWAUKEE – The Florida Tropics nine-game win streak came to an end in overtime Sunday night as the Milwaukee Wave took a 6-5 decision in a Major Arena Soccer League game in Milwaukee.

Being the first person from a particular program to accomplish something as significant as signing with a college is a great achievement. Lake Region senior cheerleader Cassie Euverand did just that when she officially signed with Saint Leo University on National Signing Day earlier this mon…

POLK COUNTY – The words “senior games” may call to mind images of lawn bowling, shuffleboard, scrabble, golf, euchre or bocce.

With the FHSAA dual team state championships having been completed last month, the time for individual achievement on the mat is approaching. Boys individual bracketed district tournaments get underway this week, with the top four finishers in each weight class advancing to regionals.

WINTER HAVEN — The Polk State Eagles basketball team earned its 20th win of the season in decisive fashion Saturday afternoon, hosting and defeating St. Petersburg College 80-63 on the school's Winter Haven campus.

WINTER HAVEN — The Boston College baseball team took on Northern Illinois in a four-game series this weekend at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven.

WINTER HAVEN – The RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational returns to town this weekend and two NCAA Division I programs will kickstart the action at historic Chain of Lakes Park.

Polk State basketball set a school record Feb. 8, making 18 three-point shots in an 85-74 win over State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, in Bradenton.

Charting last week’s developments in girls and boys soccer, as well as girls basketball, involved a few geometric concepts.

Magnus Darrington, 14, is an eighth grader at All Saints Academy in Winter Haven. Despite yet being a freshman, Darrington is a member of the school’s varsity soccer team and recently was chosen to compete for the Florida team in the Regional Olympic Development Program Championship last mon…

Heading into their second season in the Florida Champion Football League, an adult amateur sports organization, the Polk County Rise are well positioned to make some noise this season.

WINTER HAVEN — The Polk State baseball team fell behind early when it hosted Pasco-Hernando Tuesday afternoon.

For the third time in four years, Bartow Middle School’s boys basketball team won the county championship with its 61-45 win over Discovery Academy at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Jan. 12.

The Lake Wales girls varsity soccer team is headed to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 5A regional quarterfinals as a district champion. The top-seeded Highlanders scored twice in the waning minutes of regulation and then netted the decisive goal during a second-overtime pe…

Beating an elite team is no small task, let alone doing that while missing many of your players.

The storied Bartow High School competitive cheerleading program won yet another FHSAA championship this past weekend, with the Yellow Jackets placing first in the FHSAA Class 2A Large Co-Ed Division.

Bartow High’s annual Mosaic Stinger Shootout will help put the finishing touches on what has been an eventful 2019-20 regular season in boys basketball.

The Lake Region Thunder had been on a tear, winning eight straight games before nail-biting loss to the Lake Gibson Braves last week. One of the main contributors to the Thunder’s (14-6), stellar season is senior guard B.J. Harris. Harris has played on varsity for four years and is averaging…

EAGLE LAKE — The Lake Region boys basketball team continued its strong season and extended its winning streak to seven games Jan. 23 with a 72-63 win over visiting Frostproof.

You could already see district tournament matchups taking shape when the Florida High School Athletic Association posted its first set of varsity soccer playoff rankings one week before Christmas.

Building the foundation for a program and bringing it back to relevance is never easy.

Five Eagles scored in double-figures as Polk State men’s basketball defeated Impact Academy 107-65 Jan. 25 in Winter Haven.

The Florida High School Athletic Association Girls Weightlifting State Championship Series kicks off this week at the district level.

Winter Haven’s girls varsity soccer team has several reasons to be optimistic with postseason play on the horizon.

One of the standouts for the All Saints Academy girls soccer team (7-8-2 as of Jan. 19) has been senior Emma Cornejo.

Last week the Florida High School Athletic Association released its first set of boys basketball playoff rankings.

After winning a first round match 1-0 in the Judge’s Cup, the Bartow Soccer Club team ran through the rest of the tournament en route to winning the cup. Nicanor Moya, 14, plays midfield for Bartow Soccer Club and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

POLK COUNTY — Winter Haven (14.349 power rating) and Bartow (12.489) lead the way in the Class 6A-District 6 girls basketball playoff rankings and will assuredly be among the top two seeds when the district tournament tips off Feb. 4 at Bartow High. Lake Howell (4.045) was the only other sch…

Polk County played host to a high school senior all-star football game over the weekend.

Lake Wales High School head football coach Tavaris Johnson was named the 2019 Buccaneers High School Coach of the Year Dec. 29 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

POLK COUNTY – Last year, around 2,500 Polk County area residents registered for the Polk Senior Games. Registration for the 28th Annual Polk Senior Games is now open.