Sports Archive

Central’s weightlifting team had two lifters compete at the 1A state meet May 8 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.


Lucas Nezbeth and Cade Scott represented the Jaguars, and having two athletes compete at that level is big for the program.

Even though the baseball season didn’t end the way the Pace Patriots hoped it would, they can look back on 2026 as being a special one.

Former Jay Royal Caitlyn Gavin is a Sun Belt Conference champion.


Gavin and the South Alabama Jaguars won the program’s first championship in 11 years on May 9, beating Texas State 3-2.

Santa Rosa County was well represented at the FHSAA state track meets this past week, with a handful of athletes taking home medals.

Chase Dooley had just made his final lift of the day at the FHSAA 1A state weightlifting meet Friday afternoon look like light work.


Dooley tends to make most of his lifts appear as if he is lifting a feather.

Aiden Spratt had hopes of being a state champion at the FHSAA 3A weightlifting meet Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.


While the day didn’t go as planned, he still enjoyed the experience, highlighting it with a fourth-place finish in Traditional in the 219-lbs. weight class.

With the championship trophies in their possession, and the gold medals around their necks, Pace coach Ty Wise told his lifters to take as long as they wanted to get photos.


The Patriots had just completed a 3-peat as FHSAA 3A state weightlifting champs.

Jay and Pace both got rolling with regional softball tournament on Wednesday night.


The Royals edged Chipley 3-2 in a Rural Region 1 semifinal while Pace rolled past Nease 9-0 in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal.

Drew Groff points out one of the main reasons Pace has excelled in boys weightlifting.


“Being on a team like Pace, every practice is like this (a postseason meet),” Groff said. “We push each other as hard in practice as we do in meets. We give 110% every time.”

Jay’s baseball team made it to the regional tournament this year, but its bid to advance ended with a Rural Region 1 semifinal series loss to Holmes County on May 2.