Crest cheer repeats as champ
The Strawberry Crest cheerleading team just did something no other team from Hillsborough County has done before.
The Chargers placed third out of 38 teams in the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships, held Feb. 6 and 7 in Orlando. No Hillsborough team has ever medaled at this event, and no Florida team finished higher than Crest did this year.
Highsmith breaks record again
Last week, the Plant City Times & Observer recognized Cassie Highsmith for breaking a school record twice.
At the Wharton Wildcat Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 27, she did it again. Highsmith’s two-mile time of 12:04.60 beat her previous record by 20 seconds.
In both the 1,600 and 3,200 races, Highsmith placed ninth; her one-mile time was 5:31.56.
Telfer headed to FHSAA states
Strawberry Crest’s first-ever wrestling state champion has the chance to repeat.
Cullen Telfer won the FHSAA 3A-Region 2 championship at 126 pounds Saturday, Feb. 27, beating competition from Riverview, Melbourne, Palm Harbor University and Osceola. The sophomore boasted a 24-1 record heading into the tournament, and expectations will be high for his trip to Kissimmee.
The state series will be held this weekend, ending Saturday, March 5, at Silver Spurs Arena, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee. Admission is $9 per person, and parking is $7 per car.
Raiders upset Cougars
Plant City High and its fans waited several years for a final outcome like Tuesday night's.
On March 1, the Raiders scored an 8-6 win over the Cougars – the varsity program's first win over the defending district champs in four years. The win moved Plant City's record to 4-3 (3-1 district), and Durant's to 5-2 (2-2 district).
Plant City took a 4-0 lead in the second inning, but Durant scored three runs in the third to keep it close. The Raiders scored four more runs in the fifth inning, and were able to hold Durant to three more runs in the sixth. Plant City senior Jarrett Joyner held the Cougars scoreless in the final frame to get the save, and freshman starter Parker Messick was awarded the win.