With the arena mostly cleared out late Saturday night, Pace’s boys weightlifting team was still hanging around.
Lifters were posing for photos, taking turns holding up the trophies and showing off their medals. School principal Stephen Shell even took a selfie with the team.

All the work weightlifting athletes from Santa Rosa County have put in this season reaches a culmination Saturday at the FHSAA state meet in Lakeland.
Action for 1A and 3A lifters gets underway at 9 a.m. EST at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

Milton’s boys basketball team has its new head coach.
Matt Anderson was named to the position Wednesday and brings a wealth of experience to the Panthers.

As the regular season winds down, area softball teams are still in a good position to make the postseason.
Jay’s softball team is ranked No. 1 in the state in the Rural Classification as well as in its region while Pace is ranked first in Region 1-6A and second in the state.

Milton’s boys lacrosse team saw its season come to an end Wednesday night as the Panthers lost in a District 1-2A quarterfinal to Navarre.
Milton trailed 5-0 at the half and was never able to mount a comeback against the more experienced Raiders in a 13-1 loss at Bennett C. Russell Stadium.

Jay head coach Duane Raley would ask how his team would respond to a tough loss to rival Central earlier this month.
He pointed over to the outfield where the players were gathered, talking about the game and how to bounce back.

District tournaments are scheduled to get underway next week and a lot is at stake for teams in Santa Rosa County.
Teams are chasing district crowns and vying for a spot in the regional. This year, a best-of-three format is in place for the regional tournaments. Eight teams get into the regional in all classifications except Rural, which only takes the top four.

Hayden Morris had never thrown a no-hitter. Until Monday night.
That’s when Morris dominated on the mound for the Jay Royals, striking out nine and not allowing a run or a hit in Jay’s 10-0 victory over Highway 4 rival Baker.

Central’s baseball team won 21 games last season but lost in the regional tournament.
The Jaguars aren’t quite at the 20-win mark this year. They are a different team, and yet, still successful.

The unofficial list of qualifiers for the 1A and 3A boys weightlifting state meets have been released. 
The state meet for both classifications is Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Start time is 9 a.m. EST.