Sports

Suwannee quarterback Haigen Johnson is tackled by a Wakulla defender on Friday. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

Suwannee quarterback Haigen Johnson is tackled by a Wakulla defender on Friday. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Third quarter dooms Suwannee in district opener at Wakulla

JAMIE WACHTER
Saturday, September 26, 2026
CRAWFORDVILLE — Suwannee was right where it wanted to be at halftime Friday night at J.D. Jones Stadium.Then the third quarter happened.Leading at the break, the Bulldogs received to open the third against Wakulla in the District 2-3A opener with a chance to move forward.
Branford quarterback Trent Land hands the ball off the running back Ollie James on Friday. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Branford quarterback Trent Land hands the ball off the running back Ollie James on Friday. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Land, James lead Buccaneers to homecoming victory over Raiders

CIARA BYRD
Saturday, September 26, 2026
BRANFORD — Homecoming week can be full of celebrations, pep rallies and distractions, but when Friday night arrived in Branford, the Buccaneers proved they could block out the noise.After an early mistake gave Crescent City its only points of the game, Branford responded with 26 unanswered points...
Lafayette Hornets

Lafayette Hornets

PREP FOOTBALL: Florida High rolls past Lafayette

NEWS STAFF
Saturday, September 26, 2026
TALLAHASSEE — A slow start took any chance Lafayette had to keep things close Friday.Falling behind three scores early, the Hornets were routed 49-7 by host Florida High, The loss drops the Hornets to 2-5.“I don’t think we came out and started the way we wanted to start,” LHS coach Marcus Edwards...
Columbia hitter Elinor Kirsch rises for a shot against Lafayette on Sept. 3. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia hitter Elinor Kirsch rises for a shot against Lafayette on Sept. 3. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP ROUNDUP: Scores and stats from 9/24/26

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Columbia's volleyball team came up empty in a tri-match in Georgia while Fort White and Suwannee also came up short on Thursday.Here are the volleyball and golf results from Sept. 24.VOLLEYBALL— Veterans 2, Columbia 0; Valdosta 2, Columbia 0: The Tigers (7-9) went 0 for 2 in a tri-match, falling to...
Columbia pitcher Nolan Slaymaker pitches against Mosley during the Region 1-5A quarterfinals on April 24. (FILE)

Columbia pitcher Nolan Slaymaker pitches against Mosley during the Region 1-5A quarterfinals on April 24. (FILE)

PREP BASEBALL: FHSAA approves best-of-3 series for state championships & semis

JORDAN KROEGER
Thursday, September 24, 2026
The Florida High School Athletic Association made a welcome change to the baseball playoffs this week.The FHSAA board of directors voted 11-0 on Monday to change the state semifinals and championships to a best-of-3 series after the two rounds have traditionally been single elimination.
Columbia defensive tackle Jaylen Underwood (8), linebacker Kaleb Williams (12) and defensive end Mikel Morgan (34) celebrate after a play against Trinity Christian last Friday. (GARY LLOYD MCCULLOUGH/Special to the Reporter)

Columbia defensive tackle Jaylen Underwood (8), linebacker Kaleb Williams (12) and defensive end Mikel Morgan (34) celebrate after a play against Trinity Christian last Friday. (GARY LLOYD MCCULLOUGH/Special to the Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Columbia faces old nemesis Riverside in rivalry filled with heartbreaks

JORDAN KROEGER
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
The names and faces have changed, but Riverside still stirs up emotions for Columbia coach Brian Allen.The Generals were a thorn in the Tigers’ side during Allen’s first tenure.
Fort White quarterback Chance Johnson rolls out to avoid pressure from Santa Fe last Friday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Fort White quarterback Chance Johnson rolls out to avoid pressure from Santa Fe last Friday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Fort White ready for ‘familiar’ Taylor County matchup

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
FORT WHITE — Fort White coach Demetric Jackson has pined for years over a matchup like this.Not necessarily Friday’s 7:30 p.m. home kickoff against Taylor County specifically, but a chance to compete within a district with playoff-level stakes on the line.The Indians do have recent experience...
Suwannee running back Travon Fead tries to escape a tackle from Hamilton County last Friday. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

Suwannee running back Travon Fead tries to escape a tackle from Hamilton County last Friday. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Suwannee's first test comes in district opener at Wakulla

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
LIVE OAK — After acing the warmup non-district portion of its schedule, Suwannee will have one doozy of a midterm Friday.The Bulldogs, who went 5-0 through the first half of the schedule against opponents with a combined 6-20 record, will open District 2-3A play Friday at Wakulla.
Suwannee Bulldogs

Suwannee Bulldogs

PREP ROUNDUP: Scores and stats from 9/23/26

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Suwannee senior Ty Hurst shot an even-par-36 to finished tied for second with Creekside’s Zander Nesbith at the TPC Valley Shootout, which was won by Creekside’s Charlie Hipp with a 35 at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday.Hurst’s performance helped the Bulldogs finish fourth out of five teams with a 161.
Suwannee DS Makenzie Taylor dives to defend a shot against Lafayette on Sept. 1. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

Suwannee DS Makenzie Taylor dives to defend a shot against Lafayette on Sept. 1. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Lake City Reporter)

PREP ROUNDUP: Scores and stats from 9/22/26

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Suwannee had its win streak snapped on the volleyball court while several area teams were out on the golf course on Tuesday.Here are the scores and stats from Sept. 22.VOLLEYBALL— Newberry 3, Suwannee 2: The Bulldogs (8-5) fought back from a 2-0 deficit but ultimately had their four-game winning...