Sports

Suwannee state champion Ryleigh Hermanson is the LCR's Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. (COURTESY)

Suwannee state champion Ryleigh Hermanson is the LCR's Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. (COURTESY)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Suwannee state champion Ryleigh Hermanson named LCR's Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year

JAMIE WACHTER
Thursday, June 18, 2026
LIVE OAK — It still hasn’t completely sunk in for Suwannee’s Ryleigh Hermanson.Even five weeks after capturing the Class 2A state title in the 1600m, it still doesn’t always compute that Hermanson is a state champion.“It’s still kind of weird when people congratulate me and I’m like, ‘For what?’”
Columbia’s Colten Mitchell is the LCR’s Boys Tennis Player of the Year again. (MANDI SLOAN/Special to the Reporter)

Columbia’s Colten Mitchell is the LCR’s Boys Tennis Player of the Year again. (MANDI SLOAN/Special to the Reporter)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Columbia's Colten Mitchell repeats as LCR Boys Tennis Player of the Year

JORDAN KROEGER
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
One moment defined Colten Mitchell’s junior season at Columbia.That came at the District 2-3A tournament in April.Standing across the net was Mosley’s Ethan Scott, a player who had gotten the better of Mitchell not just this season but last year too.
Suwannee’s Brooke Fernald is the LCR’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

Suwannee’s Brooke Fernald is the LCR’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Suwannee's Brooke Fernald named LCR's Girls Tennis Player of the Year

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
LIVE OAK — Going into the season, Brooke Fernald didn’t know what to fully expect.The Suwannee senior expected to be one of the Bulldogs’ top two players considering she and Charlotte Dunn were the only returners.But with nobody else coming back, there were a lot of questions and uncertainty...
Former FGC volleyball players celebrate after a point in 2018. FGC said Friday that volleyball will return for the 2027 season after shutting down in 2021. (FILE)

Former FGC volleyball players celebrate after a point in 2018. FGC said Friday that volleyball will return for the 2027 season after shutting down in 2021. (FILE)

COLLEGE ATHLETICS: Women’s volleyball, men’s golf returning to FGC

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, June 12, 2026
The first two sports Florida Gateway College brought back are returning once again.After originally bringing men’s golf and women’s volleyball to the Lake City campus in 2017 before both programs shut down due to declining participation, FGC plans to have both return again in time for the 2027-28...
Columbia pitcher Ryleigh Stone hurls a pitch against Seminole in the Class 4A state semifinals on May 21. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia pitcher Ryleigh Stone hurls a pitch against Seminole in the Class 4A state semifinals on May 21. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP SPORTS: FHSAA unveils spring classifications for 2027, '28

JORDAN KROEGER
Thursday, June 11, 2026
The FHSAA's 2027 and 2028 classifications are out for spring sports and the new districts for Columbia’s baseball and softball teams are theirs for the taking.The two CHS squads are in near identical districts in Class 4A, with baseball and softball both competing in District 3 with Ed White,...
Columbia coach Joe Saucier raises the Class 4A championship trophy after the Tigers defeated Lake Wales on May 23. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia coach Joe Saucier raises the Class 4A championship trophy after the Tigers defeated Lake Wales on May 23. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP SOFTBALL: Columbia's Saucier named statewide Coach of the Year

JORDAN KROEGER
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Class 4A Coach of the Year sounded pretty good to Columbia coach Joe Saucier.Statewide Coach of the Year sounds even better.Saucier was named the Florida Dairy Farmers 2026 Softball Coach of the Year on Wednesday following a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school softball coaches...
Lafayette defensive lineman Zamarion Hawkins returns a fumble for a touchdown against Trenton last season. The two teams will meet this fall on Oct. 16 in Mayo. (FILE)

Lafayette defensive lineman Zamarion Hawkins returns a fumble for a touchdown against Trenton last season. The two teams will meet this fall on Oct. 16 in Mayo. (FILE)

PREP FOOTBALL: Lafayette finalizes schedule ahead of first season in SSAA

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
MAYO — There won’t be many new faces on Lafayette’s schedule this fall, its first in the Sunshine State Athletic Association.One of the two foes the Hornets didn’t face last year — Union County — has been a playoff nemesis three times in the past decade.
Fort White coach Bregay Harris questions a call to a referee while guard Javiona Roberson (right) smiles during the Region 3-R semifinals against Madison County on Feb. 13. (FILE)

Fort White coach Bregay Harris questions a call to a referee while guard Javiona Roberson (right) smiles during the Region 3-R semifinals against Madison County on Feb. 13. (FILE)

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Harris steps down as Fort White coach, hands reins to Roberson

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
FORT WHITE — While a new face will be roaming the sidelines for the Indians, it won’t be an unfamiliar one.Former assistant coach Derrick Roberson is moving up in the ranks to become the team’s next head coach entering the 2026 season.
Columbia pitcher Ryleigh Stone advances Columbia on the Class 4A playoff bracket after the Tigers defeated Lake Wales for the state title on May 23. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia pitcher Ryleigh Stone advances Columbia on the Class 4A playoff bracket after the Tigers defeated Lake Wales for the state title on May 23. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP SPORTS: FHSAA approves Open Division bracket, new limits for transfers

JORDAN KROEGER
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
The Open Division is officially here.The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted 10-0 on Tuesday to approve an eight-team Open Division playoff format for the 2026-27 season in 11 sports.