My favorite thing to hear when the Plant City Times & Observer staff has its weekly meeting is, “Justin, go cover football.” It’s not quite June yet, and I had been itching to get back onto the football sidelines with my camera and iPhone in hand for quite some time. Really, because Plant City’s playoff […]
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Rhet Conyers
Is there any better feeling in sports than hitting a walk-off home run to win a baseball or softball championship? Probably not. And that’s exactly what Conyers Plumbing pitcher Rhet Conyers did May 23, blasting one over the fence with a man on second base to lock up the Plant City Little League City Championship. […]
Continue ReadingPHOTO GALLERY: Durant Football Jamboree
Plant City-area football fans were in for a treat on Thursday evening, as Durant High School hosted a four-team football jamboree. The games were well-attended, as fans of all four teams poured in to pack the house. There were also several college scouts prowling the sideline – hailing from Florida, Duke, Iowa State, Bowling Green […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? 82 shirts, 60 marathons, and one big quilt
Let me tell you about the biggest quilt I’ve ever seen in person. I only came across it last week, when I went to the Plant City YMCA to talk to Buddy Mines and his wife, Dreama. Before the interview, Buddy told me he and Dreama were going to bring a quilt — something I […]
Continue ReadingRun, Buddy, Run
Writers have calculated that Forrest Gump ran more than 19,000 miles in his eponymous movie — enough to cross North America almost three times. Here in Plant City, a local man has logged enough mileage to circle the entire world more than three times. Richard “Buddy” Mines, 79, committed to running at least 1,000 miles […]
Continue ReadingPlant City schools to play big roles in All-Star game
Sunday night’s Hillsborough County All-Star Game should be a good one: It will pit many of Hillsborough’s best seniors against a group from Pinellas County, and the action will start at 7 p.m. at Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg. The boys will get big-league treatment, even appearing on the jumbotron before their at-bats. Coaches from […]
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Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com. SUMMER SPORTS + Registration begins now Any children who want to work on their skills over the summer — or learn an entirely new sport — need not worry: There will plenty of opportunities. The Plant City Recreation and Parks Department is […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Emily Thompson
Plant City Little League’s Senior softball team found itself losing, 9-1, early in its championship game May 17, against Polk City. They ended up winning, 19-9, thanks to a bunch of offensive opportunities and great pitching from Emily Thompson. She didn’t allow a single earned run in the game and shut enough batters down to […]
Continue ReadingPHOTO GALLERY: Plant City Colts 3-on-3 Tournament
The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center was rocking all day Saturday, May 17, as the Plant City Colts hosted their annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament. In addition to the intense basketball action, there was plenty of food, a face-painting station, and even an appearance by the CowBros. All proceeds raised from the event went to […]
Continue ReadingPlant City-area spring football practice has begun
It wouldn’t be the month of May without three things: sunny days, Florida love bugs and spring football practice. All three Plant City-area high schools — Plant City, Durant and Strawberry Crest — are returning to the gridiron, shaking off the rust and, in some cases, carving out new identities. Annual intrasquad games aside, these […]
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