All area youths ages 6 to 15 will have an opportunity to show off their football skills at the local edition of the national NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Competition. This is the 20th year the City of Plant City Recreation and Parks Department and the Plant City Optimist Club have partnered to host the […]
Continue ReadingSports
Am-azing Talent
Kyle Martin had a golf club in his hand not long after he could walk. Now, all the hard work put in by the 2009 Plant City High School graduate is paying off. After retooling and refocusing his goals, Martin has improved significantly, finishing ninth in a field of professionals and amateurs three weeks ago, […]
Continue ReadingLocal pro making a difference in hometown
From the outside, Kenny Kelly looked like he had it made. After spending 11 years playing professional baseball, he finished the finance degree he started at the University of Miami while playing football. He got a job with Merrill Lynch after graduating in 2010, but something was missing from his life. “I had the corporate […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Treshaun Ward
Playing football is in Treshaun Ward’s genes. The 12-year-old’s uncle is Wayne Ward, head coach of Plant City High School and a former player at Virginia Tech. Treshaun plays running back, linebacker and safety for the Turkey Creek Trojans JV team, which he led to a Super Bowl win in Raymond James Stadium last year. […]
Continue ReadingAre you ready for some (youth) football?
The high school teams aren’t the only players lacing up their cleats and putting on pads this fall. Here are the 2013 schedules for Plant City’s four local youth football organizations, which are all members of the Tri-County Youth Football and Cheerleading Conference. Weigh-in and kickoff times are 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. for Mighty […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Walden Lake needs quality golf course
Healthy property values and happy residents are not the only things Walden Lake Golf & Country Club lost May 15, when it closed the Hills golf course. With the closing, Walden Lake and Plant City lost another golfing option for players in town and surrounding areas. When I took this job and moved down from […]
Continue ReadingOrlando City shuts down VSI at home
Orlando City took bragging rights in the I-4 War and got one step closer to taking the top seed in the USL PRO playoffs Sunday night with a 3-0 win over VSI Plant City FC at Plant City Stadium. Chistian Duke broke open a scoreless game in the 16th minute for Orlando City, scoring off […]
Continue ReadingVSI falls to Pittsburgh at home
VSI Tampa Bay fell 2-1 to the visiting Pittsburgh Riverhounds Friday at Plant City Stadium. After a forty-five minute delay to start the game, both teams took the field for a pressure filled match. VSI Tampa Bay, holding the eighth and final playoff spot, proved to be all the motivation Pittsburgh needed to propel them […]
Continue ReadingVSI hosting Pittsburg and Orlando this weekend
VSI will return home to Plant City Stadium this weekend against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds before hosting rival Orlando City Sunday, Aug. 4. Kickoff for Friday is 7:30 p.m. while Sunday is set for 7 p.m. VSI Tampa Bay FC picked up four points last weekend on the road after beating the Wilmington Hammerheads 2-1 and […]
Continue ReadingCity entering negotiations with Big League Dreams, Inc.
During Richard “Rick” Odekirk’s playing days as a professional baseball pitcher, he heard constant criticisms from fans in the crowd. “When I was having a bad outing, I would hear people tell me how lousy I was,” Odekirk said. “They would say how they could do a better job if they had the opportunity.” After […]
Continue Reading
