They’ve bewildered hundreds of batters. They’ve won state titles. They’ve earned state player of the year honors. They’ve signed with powerhouse Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools. Academy at the Lakes’ Lexi Kilfoyl and Land O’ Lakes High School’s Callie Turner have raked in their fair share of achievements across their prep fastpitch softball careers. And, the latest, places the … [Read more...]
AATL football earns awards
January 30, 2019 By
Accolades keep piling up for the back-to-back eight-man football state championship-winning Academy at the Lakes Wildcats. Team members were well-represented on the 2018 Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) all-state, all-conference and miscellaneous award selections, which were recently announced. A total of eight Academy players were recognized, … [Read more...]
Pasco High gets new football coach
January 16, 2019 By
Pasco High School will have a new head football coach roaming the sidelines, for the first time in more than a decade. The school recently announced its next head coach is Jason Stokes — a coaching mainstay in the Tampa Bay area, most notably at Gaither High School. Stokes, 43, replaces longtime Pasco coach Tom McHugh, who was relieved of his coaching duties following four consecutive … [Read more...]
Academy at the Lakes wins second straight football title
December 12, 2018 By
They did it again. The Academy at the Lakes Wildcats notched its second straight eight-man football title, downing Miami Citi Christian Academy Fire 36-18 in the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) state championship on Dec. 8, at Southeastern University in Lakeland. Academy at the Lakes (10-0) never trailed against the Fire (7-3) in a game marked by … [Read more...]
Local youth barefoot water-skier is a rising star
November 28, 2018 By
In the extreme sport of barefoot water-skiing, one of the world’s top-ranked juniors can regularly be seen perfecting his craft on the steady waters of East Lake Padgett. Twelve-year-old Brett Swanbom is a Land O’ Lakes resident and seventh-grader at Pine View Middle School. He also happens to be a two-time national junior champion and the world’s ninth-ranked junior barefoot water skier, … [Read more...]
Academy at the Lakes football eyes state title run
November 14, 2018 By
Following last year’s historic eight-man state title run, questions swirled about how the Academy at the Lakes football program would respond in 2018 with the loss a number of impactful seniors, including do-it-all tailback/linebacker Daniel Gonzalez, the 2017 Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) Heisman Trophy winner. Fair to say, they’ve handled the adjustment … [Read more...]
Local schools receive Special Olympics honor
October 31, 2018 By
Land O’ Lakes High School’s Unified Special Olympics program received international attention more than three years ago, when its coed soccer team won the bronze medal at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Now, the school’s Unified program has earned another prestigious honor — 2018 Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School. The designation, based on the … [Read more...]
Sunlake High girls swimming primed for another big splash
October 3, 2018 By
The Land O’ Lakes High varsity football team upending Sunlake High in the 12th annual Butter Bowl wasn’t the only long-running sports streak broken between the two rival schools. The other came in girls swimming and diving — with Sunlake finally getting the upper hand against its crosstown foe. The Seahawks girls defeated the Gators in a dual meet 108-78, on Sept. 19 at the Land O’ Lakes … [Read more...]
Land O’ Lakes girl is all-star golfer
August 22, 2018 By
Hailey Stricker already has collected a fair number of medals and trophies competing in youth tournaments throughout Tampa Bay. The 12-year-old from Land O’ Lakes is seeking an addition to her trophy case — as a member of the Clearwater Jr. PGA All-Star team. The 10-member all-star team will compete on Aug. 26 in the PGA Jr. League North Florida Section Championship at Orlando’s Grand … [Read more...]
Land O’ Lakes youth reaches motocross championship
August 1, 2018 By
Colt Golembeski’s dream of racing in the sport’s premiere amateur competition is coming true this week. The 10-year-old Land O’ Lakes resident is competing this week in the 37th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, held at the iconic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Golembeski, who began racing at age 6, endured a series of area and … [Read more...]
