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With each passing day last week, the probability that the Florida High School Athletic Association’s fall season would start in July faded. Eventually those hopes disappeared.
Sports change quickly and unpredictably during a health crisis, but so far the summer is allowing some baseball players like Jakob Runnels to resume their career.
WINTER HAVEN — Kris Dehnert’s colleagues affectionately call him “Promo.”
Nick Collins, who appeared in 11 games as a freshman during Polk State College’s shortened 2020 baseball season, was named the Florida Collegiate Summer League Week 2 Player of the Week (July 6-11).
In a season that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Camille Carnes went 6-2 in both singles and doubles tennis for Winter Haven High School. Her performance earned her first team all-county honors and she was recognized for being the most improved player.
Polk County Public Schools Senior Coordinator of Athletics Dan Talbot said that some details about the start of high school football season were still unknown during a PCPS Reopening Task Force meeting held July 8.
Winter Haven Elite Baseball High School Division traveled to Vero Beach the weekend of June 27-28 to play its first tournament of the season.
In a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole Parker went 5-0 in singles and 4-1 in doubles for Lake Wales High School’s girls tennis team.
To say there was a big surprise waiting for Dawson Davis in the program he received on June 22 would be an understatement.
The NBA G League announced June 26 that Orlando Magic Two-Way player BJ Johnson and Lakeland Magic player Josh Magette have been named to the All-NBA G League Second Team and Orlando Magic Two-Way player Vic Law has been named to the All-NBA G League Third Team.
After joining the boys weightlifting team his freshman year of high school, Joshua Jones made huge strides in the sport. In his senior year, which was shortened due to the pandemic, Jones went 4-1 with a max of 330 pounds on the bench press and a max of 250 pounds in the clean-and-jerk.
For area athletes, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic go beyond not being able to play a full season of sports in the spring.
Despite the rain interrupting every game on June 7 at the Gator Crawl travel baseball showcase in Gainesville, it didn’t stop Kooper Coconato from tearing it up in his limited appearances at the plate. In two games, Coconato went 2-for-2 and drove in five RBIs in both games.
For the second time in four years, Lake Region High School has been recognized for achievement in sportsmanship.
* Polk County student-athletes began summer conditioning Monday, June 15, at school facilities under new guidelines due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Ken Riley, one of Polk County’s greatest and most well-known athletes, died in his home in Bartow on Sunday, June 7, at the age of 72.
Two weeks before the high school spring sports season was cancelled in April, the Florida High School Athletic Association announced the members of the 26th Annual Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team. And the honor was not lost on officials trying to further recognize a 2020 gradua…
Evan Newell has been fishing since he was able to walk. Newell, who is heading into his sophomore year at Santa Fe Catholic High in Lakeland, competed in three tournaments during the school year and won two of them.
LAKE WALES – On May 18, the Lake Wales City Commission voted to spend around $42,000, in part, to study the cost and economic impact of building a new athletic facility at Warner University.
Dawson Davis, a graduating senior at Lake Region High, is set to play baseball at Piedmont International University in Roxboro, North Carolina. He officially signed to play on May 30. Through eight games, Davis tallied three RBIs and hit one double before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short.
The Florida High School Athletic Association released the 2019-20 Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup All-Sports Awards standings last week. Lists reflected results from the fall and winter seasons.
Jona Goolsby, a senior at Lake Wales high school, got off to a tremendous start at the plate this season, batting .514 with a .564 on-base percentage and 14 runs scored. Goolsby committed to Florida National University on a visit in November and will be competing to start at second base.
Jasmine Edwards continues to be recognized for her stellar varsity basketball season with the Haines City Hornets.
In a shortened baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lake Region High’s Zach Calcutt hit .280 while going 1-1 as a pitcher with a 1.56 earned run average. Calcutt recently committed to play baseball at Webber International University. He’ll likely be a pitcher for Webber.
Earlier this month, the Florida High School Athletic Association released the Academic Team Champions for the abbreviated 2020 spring season, as well as the overall class winners for the 2019-20 year. The spring high school sports season was stopped March 14 and then cancelled April 20 due t…
Christina Myers, a senior at Winter Haven High, officially signed to play college lacrosse at Midland University on May 1. Myers primarily played defense for Winter Haven.
The Sunshine State Athletic Conference will look different next season when it comes to football.
The 2020 National Football League Draft had been over for less than one hour when the post appeared on former Auburndale High School standout Artavis Pierce’s Twitter account.
The headline for Baltimore Orioles star Trey Mancini’s article for The Players’ Tribune — a digital media platform with content written by professional athletes — reads “I Am So Lucky.”
Alycia Celia is a freshman outfielder for the Webber International University softball team, hitting .286 in 14 games in her debut season before it was cut short by the pandemic. As a junior and senior in high school, Celia made first team in her district and was the Criminal Justice Academy…
In a shortened season that only lasted 18 games, Dalton Boyd hit one home run with three doubles, and scored seven runs as a sophomore for the Polk State College baseball team. Defensively, Boyd played catcher and did not commit an error all season.
Last week, Polk County shined a light on the high school spring sports season that went quiet over a month ago.
Polk State men’s basketball standout Clarence Jackson turned in a stellar freshman season, averaging 13.3 points per game with 8.2 rebounds.
BARTOW — Even while dealing with a massive effort to combat the spread of coronavirus, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners has additional business to tend to, including the recent decision to okay the construction of a new stadium at the Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
Dani Barnhill, a senior catcher for the Fort Meade softball team, really started to put things together just before play was suspended due to the spread of Coronavirus. Barnhill went 4-for-8 in her final two games with two doubles and three RBIs.
LAKE WALES — As a member of the Lake Wales Blue Marlins club swim team and the Lake Wales High swim team, Yancy Morales, 16, has been a leader by example.
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.
