Last week was another busy one across the high school sports scene and featured a huge upset as Central’s girls basketball team knocked off fourth-ranked Jay 58-56 Friday in a Region 1-1A rivalry game.
D’Anthony Bell recalls a story his mom told him when he was a child. Bell was just starting out in school and was asked by a teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“It’s actually a funny story. I had never watched football before. I think I was in Pre-K and I was asked what I wanted to be, and I said NFL player,” Bell said. “It turned out to be a dream come true.”
Pace’s boys soccer team has certainly had a roller coaster of the last week or so, to say the least.
From losing 10-2 to Booker T Washington on Jan. 4 and then having a game canceled because of weather, to Thursday night when they faced off at home against Pine Forest.
It was the final minute of a hard-fought game, the kind of game one would expect from two rivals, and Becca Ryan was off and running on a breakaway opportunity.
Ryan had gotten possession of the ball off a Navarre mistake, and now the Pace standout was closing in on authoring another special moment in what has become a special season for the Patriots on the soccer field.
CJ McKinley is more than capable of going to the basket or pulling up for a 3-pointer.
Milton’s senior point guard is also a playmaker, willing to dish the ball off to a teammate who is more than capable of getting the job done as well.
On the heels of a 2-1 upset win over reigning state champion Gulf Breeze last Friday, Pace’s girls soccer team has risen two spots in this week’s FHSAA regional rankings.
The Patriots are now sixth, one spot behind rival Navarre.
The second set of FHSAA regional rankings have been released for girls and boys basketball.
The top eight teams at the end of the season in 6A will make the playoffs while the top four will get into the 1A playoffs. District champions earn an automatic berth.
Autumn Boutwell is in the midst of her junior season at Central and once again is among the area’s top scoring threats.
Yet, she’s never been content with what she’s already done, constantly working on her game knowing defenses will key in on her, especially beyond the arc.
