Avon Park didn't muster the firepower to match host Okeechobee in a 13-2 loss in the Dixie 13-year-old boys District 8 tournament at Okeechobee Sports Complex on Saturday. ...more

June 28, 2008

Clewiston's Trey Pruitt allowed one hit and one run in 3 2/3 innings and Tyler Yebba went 3 for 4 with three RBI on Saturday to lead Clewiston to an 11-3 victory in the opening round of the Dixie 14-year-old District 8 tournament at Okeechobee Sports Complex. ...more

June 28, 2008

SEBRING — Memories don't die hard for Seth Abeln, who remembers all too well those bitter feelings after Okeechobee bested Sebring last year. ...more

June 27, 2008

SEBRING — Cesar Martinez didn't let an error in the outfield linger over his team very long during Monday's practice — as quickly as the play was made, Martinez employed the youngster to run off his mistake. ...more

June 26, 2008

AVON PARK — Christian Crews may have been fatigued from a two-day rest, but he still hurled five solid innings and smacked a game-changing three-run home run in the third to lift the Okeechobee All-Stars to an 11-4 victory over the Avon Park All-Stars during the Dixie Youth Majors District 8 tournament at Durrah Martin Recreational Complex on Sunday morning. "I was a little tired but I just came out and tried to throw strikes," Crews said. "My fastball was working, and on the home run, I was just able to take advantage of a pitch up in the strike zone." Okeechobee assistant coach Neal Crawford has seen Crews put up performances such as this all season long and had all the trust in the world for his hurler. "Christian is deadly with his fastball," Crawford said. "He had one bad pitch when he hung one up there and [Fauthree] made him pay with the homer. I'm just really proud of these kids. I wouldn't have cared if we had won by one run. We're just happy with a win." ...more

June 22, 2008

AVON PARK — The fastball thrown from Trey Perry's arm mowed down the final batter of Avon Park's 8-4 win over Clewiston just as the darkened heavens' thunderclap signaled the coming rain on Durrah Martin Recreational Complex. ...more

June 21, 2008

SEBRING — Despite trailing Okeechobee American by four runs midway through the Dixie AAA (ages 9-10) District 8 championship game on Monday night, there wasn't any panic in the Sebring dugout. The boys in blue and white simply went to the plate and began their assault on yet another pitcher. Sebring, which banged out 10 hits against three Okeechobee American hurlers, proceeded to score 14 runs in two innings on their way to a convincing 15-5 victory and the District 8 championship at Max Long Recreational Complex. ...more

June 17, 2008

SEBRING — Word around Max Long Recreational Complex on Friday was that this year's Okeechobee National team could be the strongest squad they've had in years. Somebody forgot to tell Tyler Farmer. The Lake Placid hurler crushed a triple into right field to score the tying run and pitched two scoreless innings for a 4-2 LP victory over Okeechobee National during the opening round of the Dixie AAA (ages 9-10) District 8 tournament. ...more

June 15, 2008

Robert Butler has made a life doing what he loves. ...more

June 13, 2008

SEBRING — Area high school students will encounter a new set of classes when they go back to school in August. The set of 12 classes will not be on social studies and math but alcohol prevention. The new program is being funded through a grant totaling more than $432,000 to prevent alcohol abuse among high school students in the Florida Heartland, a top local education official said Wednesday. Frank Gibbs, the executive director of the Heartland Education Consortium based in Lake Placid, said it would be up to the Highlands County School Board to determine how the courses will be inserted into the high school curriculum. ...more

June 11, 2008