Sports

Suwannee pitcher/outfielder Matthew Gill is the LCR's Baseball Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

Suwannee pitcher/outfielder Matthew Gill is the LCR's Baseball Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Gill named LCR's Baseball Player of the Year

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Friday, July 2, 2021
LIVE OAK — Every game Suwannee plays ends in a ritual. Win or lose, the baseball team gathers around the right-field line as coaches list off accomplishments by each player through that day’s practice and game performances.
FGC center Jarrett Gardner goes up for a shot against Pasco-Hernando State College during a game on March 4. (JORDAN KROEGER/Lake City Reporter)

FGC center Jarrett Gardner goes up for a shot against Pasco-Hernando State College during a game on March 4. (JORDAN KROEGER/Lake City Reporter)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FGC center Jarrett Gardner commits to Penn State Altoona

JORDAN KROEGER
Friday, July 2, 2021
Jarrett Gardner will be a big man on a new campus. The Florida Gateway College center verbally committed to Penn State Altoona on Friday, a Division III school that competes in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
Demetric Jackson smiles during a Fort White practice in 2019. Jackson is leaving FWHS to take over as head coach at Columbia. (FILE)

Demetric Jackson smiles during a Fort White practice in 2019. Jackson is leaving FWHS to take over as head coach at Columbia. (FILE)

PREP FOOTBALL: Columbia hires Fort White coach Demetric Jackson to take over program

JORDAN KROEGER
Thursday, July 1, 2021
It didn’t take Columbia High long to find a new football coach. The Tigers also didn’t have to look very far. CHS hired Fort White coach Demetric Jackson as its new coach Thursday, with school board approval scheduled for later this month.
Suwannee pitcher Karis Smith is the LCR’s Softball Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

Suwannee pitcher Karis Smith is the LCR’s Softball Player of the Year. (COURTESY)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Smith named LCR's Softball Player of the Year

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Thursday, July 1, 2021
LIVE OAK — Karis Smith diligently prepared. The Suwannee ace had a nice, long session of stretching out her muscles before the Bulldogs’ season opener against Dixie County. The previous day, Smith and her teammates finished out their preseason training regiment with a series of wind sprints.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer stands on the sidelines during drills at minicamp on June 15. The NFL fined Meyer and the Jaguars for violations of league rules on non-contact practices. (TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE)

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer stands on the sidelines during drills at minicamp on June 15. The NFL fined Meyer and the Jaguars for violations of league rules on non-contact practices. (TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE)

NFL: Meyer, Jaguars fined for violating non-contact rule during OTAs

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, July 1, 2021
The Jacksonville Jaguars and first-year coach Urban Meyer were fined for violating rules governing offseason practices on Thursday. Meyer was docked $100,000 while the team was fined $200,000 for excessive contact between receivers and defensive backs during 11-on-11 drills June 1.
Columbia coach Brian Allen signals in a play during a game against Oakleaf in 2019. Allen has resigned as Columbia's head coach after 10 seasons at the helm. (FILE)

Columbia coach Brian Allen signals in a play during a game against Oakleaf in 2019. Allen has resigned as Columbia's head coach after 10 seasons at the helm. (FILE)

PREP FOOTBALL: Brian Allen resigns after 10 seasons at Columbia

JORDAN KROEGER
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Brian Allen has resigned as Columbia’s football coach after 10 seasons. CHS Principal Trey Hosford said Allen gave him his resignation on Tuesday and both confirmed the news to the Lake City Reporter on Wednesday, with Allen also stepping down as the boys weightlifting coach.
Branford’s Nathalia Veal (middle) is the LCR’s Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. (COURTESY)

Branford’s Nathalia Veal (middle) is the LCR’s Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. (COURTESY)

SPRING ALL-AREA: Veal named LCR's Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
BRANFORD — Nathalia Veal had no doubts: 2020 was going to be her time to shine. So when covid-19 wiped out most of the track & field season, the then-Branford sophomore was disappointed. But that disappointment just fed the motivation to make sure her junior campaign was one to remember.
The NCAA logo is displayed as work continues at The Consol Energy Center for the NCAA Tournament on March 15, 2015, in Pittsburgh. The NCAA Board of Directors is expected to greenlight one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics when it clears the way for athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules that have stood for decades. (AP FILE PHOTO)

The NCAA logo is displayed as work continues at The Consol Energy Center for the NCAA Tournament on March 15, 2015, in Pittsburgh. The NCAA Board of Directors is expected to greenlight one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics when it clears the way for athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules that have stood for decades. (AP FILE PHOTO)

COLLEGE ATHLETICS: NCAA clears athletes for compensation as state laws kick in

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
DALLAS — The NCAA Board of Directors approved one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics Wednesday, clearing the way for nearly a half-million athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school...
Columbia goalkeeper Colby Strickland (left center) signed his letter of intent to play at Shorter University on Wednesday in the high school auditorium. Strickland is pictured with his father, Sid (bottom left), his mother, Donna (center right), his grandmother Brenda Outlaw (bottom right), and his brothers Caleb (top left) and Jacob (top right). (JORDAN KROEGER/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia goalkeeper Colby Strickland (left center) signed his letter of intent to play at Shorter University on Wednesday in the high school auditorium. Strickland is pictured with his father, Sid (bottom left), his mother, Donna (center right), his grandmother Brenda Outlaw (bottom right), and his brothers Caleb (top left) and Jacob (top right). (JORDAN KROEGER/Lake City Reporter)

BOYS SOCCER: Columbia goalkeeper Colby Strickland signs to play at Shorter

JORDAN KROEGER
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Colby Strickland found a new home just in time. After graduating from Columbia less than a month ago, the standout goalkeeper signed his letter of intent to play at Shorter on Wednesday afternoon in the high school auditorium.