The Durant High School football program is starting a new tradition on Saturday morning. No, it has nothing to do with the team itself – it’s the first annual Durant Football Family Yard Sale. From 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., anyone can stop by the school gymnasium and shop. All funds raised from the yard […]
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Plant City karate master keeps it old school
It’s 1 p.m. on a particularly hot Friday, and two men are squaring off in a patch of dirt in a side yard. One man is 68 years old; the other is more than 20 years his junior. People take notice: some within five feet of the dirt, others watching from their front porch, and […]
Continue ReadingOmar Castro returns to Plant City
If you live near Springhead Park, then you’ve probably heard the sound of a swarm of 40 children playing soccer all week. Some are involved with the new FC Plant City, and some are just there on their own volition. In the middle of the group of kids is Omar Castro, who normally would be […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND: The best Chuck Norris story I’ve ever heard
Let me start off with this: I am a longtime fan of kung-fu movies, and Rudy Rogers has to be one of my favorite interviews ever. More than halfway into our conversation, we branched off-topic to talk about Hollywood stars that Rogers had either met, trained with or heard about during his time in Los […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Mallory Ness
Although the Tampa Bay Rays haven’t been doing so well at Tropicana Field lately, it was a different story on Sunday at the Pitch, Hit and Run competition. Plant City’s lone representative, Mallory Ness, turned in a great performance and placed second overall in the age 7 to 8 group. What was your favorite part […]
Continue ReadingSIDELINES 06.12.14
Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com. SPECIAL OLYMPICS + Plant City collects medals The official results from the Special Olympics State Games have been released, and the Plant City teams all fared. Track-and-field athletes were the only ones who won gold medals, but those nine athletes earned five […]
Continue ReadingPHOTO GALLERY: Mike Gottman Youth Football Camp
Monday morning, at 8:30 a.m. sharp, Durant High School’s practice field was lively with the fourth annual Mike Gottman Youth Football Camp. All week long, the 50 campers will learn offense, defense and special teams from Gottman and the rest of the Durant Cougars’ coaching staff. With plenty of food and even more football, the […]
Continue ReadingFlorida Rawlings dream of Cooperstown
Everybody knows Cooperstown as the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. A trip to that little part of Upstate New York is an exodus that any baseball fan should make at least once in their life. This weekend, 12 boys from a local travel ball team will go there for a pretty big business […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? Pin collecting creates game within the game
No matter how the kids do at the Cooperstown Dreams Park tournament, they won’t go home empty-handed. Far from it, actually. And, no, this is not one of those “every player gets a trophy” situations. With this tournament, it sounds like everything that isn’t nailed down is fair game. Game jerseys, jackets, warm-up tops, fence-clearing […]
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Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com. FOOTBALL + Ex-Dolphins place second in Sarasota Although this tournament was 7-on-7 football, these boys basically played 9-on-20 throughout the weekend — and placed second. Team Shake and Bake, which won last month’s 7-on-7 state title, played in last weekend’s NFA 7-on-7 […]
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