There is only one court for now and no home games are on tap for Pace in its first season of beach volleyball.

What there is no shortage of, however, is excitement for the sport, something impossible to not take notice of during a practice after school.

Payton Kanis used to be a gymnast.

And then an injury changed her course as an athlete.

Keith Little is in his second season at the helm of Milton’s baseball team. He’s optimistic things will be better off than they were last season when the Panthers managed only nine wins.

“I like this group. They work hard and we’re trying to do some things different on and off the field. We want them to be a close unit,” Little said.

Pace made a statement in its first big test of the season in boys weightlifting, taking first in Olympic and traditional at the Baker Invitational last Wednesday.

Milton had a strong showing as well, finishing as the runner-up in traditional and taking third in Olympic.

Reice Griffith was in his hotel room the night before Mercer played its second game of the season against Mississippi on the road.


Being here in this moment, on the cusp of playing college football at the Division I level in a nationally televised contest, it was literally a dream come true for the Pace alum.

Central’s Chloe Lowery walked into the RP Funding Center in Lakeland Saturday morning and was a little overwhelmed for a moment ahead of the 1A state weightlifting meet.

The competition floor in the arena is huge and there’s a certain level of pressure that comes with competing at state.

Dana Tolleson was among the four lifters who represented Milton at the 3A state weightlifting meet Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

She finished as a state runner-up in her weight class (199) in Olympic, recording a 360-pound total, only five pounds off the winning lift.

Lani Bennett and Shannon Bryan went into the 3A state weightlifting meet Saturday confident they would emerge as individual weight class champions.

The Pace lifters accomplished their mission at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, with Bennett winning 110-pound Olympic crown while Bryan swept the Olympic and traditional titles in the 139-pound weight class.

Emotion consumed Pace’s girls weightlifting team in the moments leading up to the presentation of the state championship trophies Friday night.

Inside the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, there were tears of joy from the Patriot lifters knowing they were set to officially make it a clean sweep of the titles, including a repeat as traditional champs.

Jay’s softball team reached the state final four in 1A for the third consecutive season in 2023.

The Royals are hoping to make another run this year and take aim at their second championship in three years.