Caitlyn Gavin was primarily a pinch runner during her freshman year at South Alabama, but the former Jay Royal softball star saw her role on the team increase significantly this past season.


Gavin started and played in 47 games with the Jaguars as her offseason work paid off.

Rory Gilroy planned to play soccer in college. A strong senior season of track at Pace changed his mind.


It turned out to be a great decision. In the spring, Gilroy dominated the Collegiate Conference of the South meet, earning top performer honors.

Treymar Jones reached the 1,000-point milestone at two different high schools, a statistic that highlights just how good of a player the Milton grad is on the court.


Jones will have a chance to be a big-time scorer in college as well after signing earlier this year with Angelina, a junior college in Texas.

Pulling sleds, agility drills, running sprints up and down the field. It’s a lot of work in the brutal heat and humidity on a July morning.


That work, however, and everything else the Pace Patriots are doing on the football field this summer, is about building and preparing for the season ahead.

Brendan Farish loves football. So much, in fact, that as a child, he would study rosters on the John Madden video game.


“I have a tremendous passion for the game,” Farish said. “It’s almost obsessive. I love everything about it. I can’t imagine not playing it.”

It’s not often a small school high school athlete makes the jump to a Division I program.


But Morgan Mathews did it, becoming the first from Central to reach that level as she competed in track at South Alabama.

Central’s football team is closing in on the start of its second season of varsity football.


Leading up to it, the Jaguars are working this summer on the field.

Ava Grace Wheaton made it to the NCAA track and field meet for the second year in a row.


Wheaton, a Pace grad, competed in the javelin for South Alabama in the NCAA First Round at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

Jorey Diamond wasn’t planning on being the head baseball coach at Jay again.


But when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped on it.

With nearly two dozen Division I college football offers, Pace’s Mason Mathis had options.


It turns out South Florida proved to be his top choice as the standout offensive lineman announced his commitment on Sunday.