WAHNETA — Aguilar Boxing Club started out as a few pieces of plywood on the ground and a some punching bags hung up in a carport.

Polk State third baseman Rohsean Riley has gotten off to a great start this spring, batting .327 with 14 runs driven in and an on-base percentage of .581 through 14 games this season.

Auburndale High senior Emily Hart winning a state weightlifting championship on the Valentine’s Day weekend certainly seems fitting, doesn’t it?

Milestones abound at Discovery High after the school satisfied the conditions of provisional membership and earned full membership in the Florida High School Athletic Association for the 2020-21 season, but the Spartans’ boys basketball program is a particularly feel-good story.

Sports are in full swing for Polk State College, with several home dates upcoming for the Eagles various teams competing this spring.

The All Saints Academy boys soccer team is 14-1 so far this season, earning themselves a first round bye in the district tournament.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship presents “Knucklemania” on Friday, Feb. 5, at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The event will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View in addition to streaming through FITE.TV with a starting time of 9 p.m.

A strong start to each half powered Bartow High’s boys varsity basketball team past Providence School of Jacksonville last Saturday. Tyrone Smith (five 3-pointers) and Amarion Frazier scored 17 points apiece in the Yellow Jackets’ 54-45 victory. Bartow, which improved to 14-4 overall, outsco…

A healthy appetite for high school athletic competition remains, but Polk County has a noticeably full plate this week.

The Florida Tropics saw their undefeated start to the Major Arena Soccer League season come to an end Sunday, as the host St. Louis Ambush took a 8-4 win over Florida.

Polk County Public Schools staff announced Wednesday, Jan. 27, that the school district will limit attendance at athletic events for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year in an effort to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

Three of Polk State College’s five athletics programs returned to action within the past week, with a fourth set to begin play this week.

The RP Funding Center in Lakeland hosted the FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading State Championships this past weekend, with a pair of Polk County teams winning state titles.

Novel coronavirus-related issues continue to be the norm – especially for tournament organizers.

Florida High School Athletic Association regional meets involving area schools are scheduled for this week: Class 3A-3 (Jan. 30 at St. Cloud High), Class 2A-3 (Jan. 28 at River Ridge High) and Class 1A-4 (Jan. 30 at Lemon Bay High).

LAKELAND — The Florida Tropics have started their 2021 season 4-0 after winning back-to-back games against the Kansas City Comets this past weekend.

On the heels of a holiday break that featured no competition, the next phase of the 2020-21 high school varsity basketball season tipped off last week.

Ridge Community High School's Chris Davidson has been named the 2020 High School Coach of the Year by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

University of Kansas sophomore guard Zakiyah Franklin (Winter Haven) scored 15 points in the Jayhawks’ 78-59 women’s basketball victory over New Mexico State on Dec. 29 at Allen Fieldhouse. Franklin, who was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team last season, also scored in double figures (10…

The NBA G League announced Jan. 8 that the 2021 NBA G League Season will tipoff in February on a single-site location at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

The RP Funding Center in Lakeland will host the 2021 Florida High School Competitive Cheerleading State Championships on January 22-23.

After a quiet debut the day prior, Major Arena Soccer League star Ian Bennett erupted for three goals in the second half Jan. 3 to lift the Florida Tropics to a 7-5 win over the St. Louis Ambush Sunday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

Polk County Public Schools staff announced last week the district is temporarily suspending all athletics programs in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

WINTER HAVEN — On Dec. 14, the Winter Haven City Commission voted to again partner with the Polk County Board of County Commissioners to expand Chain of Lakes Park surrounding the AdventHealth Fieldhouse.

When the pandemic set in, Winter Haven resident Yvette Fox couldn't go to the gym to workout, so she took some old weights out of storage and converted her garage into a gym.

Courtney Blastic has helped play an important role in the Winter Haven High girls soccer team’s 3-1-1 start this season. Blastic plays forward and has been on varsity since her freshman year. She is currently a junior.

Winter Haven High School girls basketball standout Trinity Hardy announced her commitment to further her education and basketball career at the United States Military Academy at West Point on November 21.

The Auburndale boys basketball team swept all four games it played last week, including wins over nearby Winter Haven and a well-regarded Windermere team out of Orange County, to improve to 8-0 on the season.

The Florida Tropics Presented by Bond Clinic will start their defense of their first ever Eastern Conference championship on Saturday, Jan. 2, when the St. Louis Ambush visit the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

The transition from fall to winter high school sports is underway as the calendar flips to December.

It seems like forever going back to February 2020, but that month Winter Haven’s girls varsity basketball team nearly reached the Class 6A state championship game.

The Florida High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors held its second regularly scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 school year on Nov. 16 in Gainesville.

Throughout the month of November, the Lakeland Magic and Florida Blue are asking fans to help virtually sell out the RP Funding Center and fill the bowl for those in need as they raise money to fight hunger in the Central Florida community.

The novel coronavirus continues to exact a significant toll on the varsity football season.

The COVID-19 pandemic teamed up with Tropical Storm Eta to alter portions of last week’s high school athletic schedule.

Keymari Odum, a senior for the Ridge Community High School football team, moved from playing quarterback for the Bolts to wide receiver.

The high school varsity football season has progressed similar to that of a long roller coaster ride.

The Bartow High football program has had quite the turnaround over the past three seasons, capped by a decisive win over Lake Wales in the Yellow Jackets’ regular season finale Nov. 6.

The Lake Wales High boys and girls bowling programs were represented at the 2020 FHSAA state bowling championships.

WINTER HAVEN – Children on restriction are playing baseball.

AUBURNDALE – The Florida Tropics SC, Presented by Bond Clinic, showed up with plenty of treats for their fans this Halloween weekend, scoring six times in the first half and five more in the second to cruise past Sporting Tampa Bay FC Nov. 1 at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, 11-1.

What’s in store for area cross country runners at the upcoming regional meets?

The Sunshine State Athletic Conference 8-Man Class AA playoffs kicked off Oct. 30 with second-seeded All Saints’ Academy defeating No. 7 seed Shorecrest Prep 42-12.

Bartow High senior guard Walter Clayton recently made his commitment to Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he’ll play for former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who was named head basketball coach of the Gaels in March.

The Winter Haven girls volleyball team celebrated the Class 6A-District 15 title after consecutive five-set victories over Harmony and Viera.

Despite being at Winter Haven Christian for just two months, Elissa MacDonald has already made an immediate impact, setting the girls record in cross country at the school and winning four medals so far this season.

The Bartow and Lake Wales varsity football teams remained undefeated last Friday, while Fort Meade reached the .500 mark the same night with its second straight victory.

Frostproof High golfer Lane Revell made the successful first step toward becoming a three-time state qualifier.

HAINES CITY – Winter Haven Police Department officers won first place in the “Hoops & Heroes” fundraiser basketball tournament, held Oct. 2 to benefit the Ridge Community High School Lady Bolts basketball team.

Lake Region High hosted the Thunder Twilight event last Thursday, Oct. 1, with junior varsity and varsity five-kilometer races for boys and girls.