We’re more than a week removed from National Signing Day, but some story lines are still at the forefront of sports media. Signing Day is just the beginning of a continuous high school football recruiting process where players, including several local players, will ink with colleges in the coming weeks, mostly with smaller schools. While […]
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SHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Something special about baseball
I have a confession to make. I am a nerd. Not the kind who dresses up as a Klingon and attends Star Trek conventions, but the kind who knows all 270 Division I college football programs (including their mascots) and the MLB Cy Young award winners for the past 20 years. That’s right, I’m a […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Recruiting brings sports full circle
I’ve been covering high school sports for about four years, three of which have been full-time. And before high school sports were my main focus, I spent three years covering sports at my alma mater, Georgia Southern University, with a large focus on GSU’s Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) powerhouse football program. I’ve seen dozens […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: It’s hard being a die-hard fan
Sports have the ability to have an effect on a lot of things. They can bring people together or tear them apart. They can give a city hope or send that same city into a state of depression. I was hoping to be able to write a more uplifting, lighthearted and inspirational column this week […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Tentative alignments bolster rivalries
A few weeks ago, the Florida High School Athletic Association released the tentative football classification realignment for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. Appeals can be sent to the FHSAA Executive Director Justin Harrison until Jan. 18, but if the proposed realignment holds up, all three area football teams will compete in the same class […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Holiday hoopla and hoop dreams
By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor As other students are out enjoying winter break, players on our high school basketball ball teams will be putting themselves to the test in holiday tournaments. The Strawberry Crest boys basketball team will lead the way, when the Chargers compete two notable tournaments. First, they’ll bring their game to […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Small town attracts big sports events
By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor When I first got this job at the end of May and learned I would be moving to Plant City and covering the sports scene there, I started scouring the web to find out what exactly that scene entailed. From descriptions in my interview and with a little research, […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Future is bright for Durant football
By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor Durant head football coach Mike Gottman said it best after the game Friday night. “It’s hard to think about anything else right now,” he said minutes after a last-second drive to tie the game fell short with an incomplete pass in the right corner of the end zone. That […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Cougars welcome holiday practice
By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what you have in life and a chance to spend some quality time with family. With the Durant football team’s win over Tampa Bay Tech last week, the Cougars season continues and ensures at least one more game this Friday. That […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Crest charges toward future
By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor As a sports editor for a newspaper dedicated to local high school sports coverage, any time a football team in the coverage area is undefeated, other schools often are overlooked. In one sense, rightly so, because what the Durant football program has accomplished this year is nothing short of […]
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