EAST LAKELAND — Sebring was looking for that late-game magic once again, but all they received was a sobering wake-up call in the opening round of the Dixie Youth Majors (ages 11-12) "O" Zone state tournament in East Lakeland on Saturday. The West Seminole National squad scored six unanswered runs to rally from a two-run deficit and Sebring's own come-from--behind bid fell short in the 9-7 loss. "We can't always go into the sixth inning trying to win the game," said Sebring head coach Charlie White to his team after the game. "What we did in Lake Placid, we might never do that again." Just three weeks ago, Sebring defeated Lake Placid on Ty Little's walk-off grand slam to win the District 8 title, but those heroics are few and far between in tournament play and White tried to get that point across. ...more

July 6, 2008

EAST LAKELAND — Some Lake Placid players stood silent as they watched West Volusia's Trey Turner warm up before they were about to take their first at-bats. Turner's fastball, which has been clocked at 60-65 mph, forced numerous pop-ups and kept Lake Placid in check, as West Volusia defeated LP 12-1 in a four-inning, mercy-rule game in the opening round of the Dixie Youth Majors (ages 11-12) "O" Zone state tournament in East Lakeland on Saturday. "That's the best pitcher and best team we've faced all year bar none," Lake Placid coach Ed Stanley said. "We couldn't catch up to [Turner's] fast ball and had very few chances to get anything going offensively." The loss dropped Lake Placid into the loser's bracket where they were scheduled to face Malone at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. ...more

July 6, 2008

LAKELAND — It took a couple of innings for the Sebring hitters to adjust to the soft tosses of East Lakeland right-hander Zach Malvasia in Saturday's opening round of the Dixie AAA (ages 9-10) state tournament in Lakeland. But once the boys in black and blue got dialed in, it became a game of chuck-and-duck for Malvasia and the rest of the East Lakeland pitching staff as Sebring, led by Seth Cannady's three RBI, banged out 13 hits en route to a 16-2 romp over the host team. "It took us awhile to adjust to the speed of the East Lakeland pitcher because he just kind of loops it in there," said Sebring coach Bobby Cannon. "Slow pitchers give us trouble because we aren't patient at the plate. ...more

July 6, 2008

OKEECHOBEE — Seth Abeln can get under the skin of any pitcher in Dixie baseball when he gets on base, as he is famous for turning a single into a run. ...more

July 3, 2008

TORNADO WARNING ISSUED ...more

July 2, 2008

OKEECHOBEE — After waiting almost two hours to play against Okeechobee in the Dixie 13-year-old District 8 tournament because of storms on Monday night, the Sebring All-Stars ran into a home team that was ready to play. ...more

July 1, 2008

AVON PARK — The rain storms that soaked the Heartland on Thursday interrupted play in the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour's event at Highlands Ridge South. ...more

June 27, 2008

HIGHLANDS COUNTY — A fire that burned down the Rancher restaurant early Sunday morning was set deliberately, according to Sam Venzeio, State Fire Marshal spokesman. The 40-foot-wide-by-120-foot-long eatery was located at 15765 State Road 70, on the border of Highlands and Okeechobee counties, he said. The fire was called in at 1:12 a.m. Sunday. "We have developed a person of interest," Venzeio said Monday. "But, we're not releasing any name." One man, who is not a firefighter, was hospitalized at Okeechobee Hospital with serious burns and later was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. His condition was unknown. ...more

June 23, 2008

Dixie Youth League Baseball AAA Minors District 6 Tournament ...more

June 17, 2008

The body was found among the short trees and prickly underbrush that border a desolate stretch of dirt road. ...more

June 13, 2008