Hattie Locklin hit the floor hard, bumping her head on the court, and had to be helped to the locker room to be evaluated late in the third quarter of a Rural Region 1 championship game that still hung in the balance.
Three minutes later, she was kneeling near the score table, chants of ‘we want Hattie’ flowing from an energized Jay student section, and the hope of the program’s first trip to state since 1998 getting a new injection of life.

Pace’s softball team understands there is a target on its back. It comes with the territory of being one of the state’s top programs.
On that note, it’s no surprise the Patriots had to absorb the Navarre Raiders’ best shot in their season opener Thursday night on the road. The Raiders led 3-0 early but the Patriots got rolling eventually and came away with a 10-3 win.

A spot in the state final four is on the line Friday night for Jay’s girls basketball team.
The top-seeded Royals (23-4) face off against Chipley (17-8) for the Rural Region 1 title and are aiming for their first trip to state in nearly 30 years. Game time is 7 p.m.

L.E.A.D. Academy takes on Impact Christian Academy in a Region 1-1A Sweet 16 matchup on Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Lions (18-1) are the top seed in the tournament and are coming off a 58-15 win over Redeemer Christian in the opening round.

The University of West Florida broke ground on the Darrell Gooden Stadium project on Feb. 11.

Pace’s wrestling team won the District 1-2A Individual Bracketed Tournament Tuesday at Choctaw. The Patriots racked up 241.5 points, with seven wrestlers placing first or second. Milton took ninth with 68.5 points.

Splitting private and public schools for postseason purposes has been a white-hot topic for a long time.

Sergio Robinson got to the basket for a layup with just under a minute to play, cutting the Buchholz lead to two and giving the Milton Panthers hope that a comeback win was possible.
But the Panthers weren’t ever able to take the lead back against the Bobcats as their season ended with a 44-41 loss in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal at home on Saturday night.

L.E.A.D. Academy’s girls basketball team is headed the Sweet 16.
The top-seeded Lions advanced with a 58-15 win over Redeemer Christian Friday night at home in the Region 1-1A tournament.

Kelsey Campbell couldn’t help but be excited and proud after wrapping up her day at the FHSAA 1A state weightlifting meet Friday in Lakeland.
One year after finishing in the top 10 but missing out on a medal, the Central senior lifter smiled while talking about her performance in an interview at the RP Funding Center.