All eyes are going to be on Plant City on Friday night, when Durant and Plant City renew their rivalry on the diamond. And on TV. It’s always fun for the kids to go to those games and do everything they can to get on TV, and it reminds me of something: My high school […]
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RACING + Aidan Keel races in Europe Fresh off of an 11th-overall finish at last weekend’s Florida Winter Tour, Aidan Keel is taking his talents overseas. Genk, Belgium, to be exact. He’s slated to compete in the Rotax Euro Challenge this weekend, going up against a field of 71 other young drivers. Keel recently moved up […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Noelle Dietrich
Strawberry Crest’s softball team is no pushover. Beating them isn’t easy. Shutting them out, then, takes a great effort, and that’s exactly what Plant City High’s Noelle Dietrich brought to the table March 27. Although she gave up seven hits, Dietrich kept her cool throughout seven innings of work and, along with some defensive help, […]
Continue ReadingPoole, Stafford win oratorical contest
Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, is consistently one of humanity’s greatest fears. But, there are some who were lucky enough to have been born with nerves of steel. Some of those live right here in Plant City, and now, they have something to show for it. Emma Poole and Blake Stafford were the […]
Continue ReadingShervington serving for six
Thomas Shervington is one busy kid. But, that’s to be expected of any nine-sport athlete. Tennis, bowling, bocce, softball, soccer, flag football, basketball, golf and baseball take up quite a bit of his time and, although he’s a little shy about the subject, Shervington, 16, doesn’t need to say much about his talents. His play, […]
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BASEBALL + Raiders’ Boyd pitches no-hitter Of all this week’s individual performances, one stands out in particular: Plant City sophomore Ryan Boyd pitched his second no-hitter of the season March 20, setting the Raiders up for a 7-0 win over East Bay. Although he gave up three walks on the day, Boyd struck out 14 batters […]
Continue ReadingStrawberry Crest pumped for first bodybuilding competition
The first step to bulking up is to make the commitment to put in the work. That’s what a group of Strawberry Crest High School students have just done, by creating the Mr. Charger bodybuilding competition. They hope this event not only can grow in the future but also out-do Durant High School’s long-running Cougar […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? How bocce practice brightened my day
If all coaches have at least one thing in common, it’s that they enjoy helping their athletes make progress. Most importantly, there’s nothing quite like watching an athlete meet one of their goals. I got to see this for myself last weekend, when I interviewed the Shervingtons for this week’s Sports feature story. Tom Shervington […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Stephanie Dwyer
As a freshman on Strawberry Crest’s senior-loaded softball team, Stephanie Dwyer doesn’t always see a lot of playing time. So, when she saw some action in an 18-4 win over Brandon March 21, she made it count. Dwyer led the team with four hits and four RBI, and scored one run in a 4-for-5 day […]
Continue ReadingPlant City hopes to build buzz with new downtown events
Plant City looks to be much more lively in 2014. Following February’s first Railfest at the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum, Special Events Manager Deanna Hurley plans to roll out a new event every month in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. If everything goes according to plan, it won’t just be downtown reaping […]
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