The Prep Zone

Sonic Player-of-the-Game (Oct. 30) – Willie McKnight (Gainesville)

Mike Ridaught

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October 30, 2017

Our Sonic-Player-of-the-Game for Monday, October 30, is Willie (Missile) McKnight of the Gainesville football team.

McKnight helped lead the Hurricanes to a 41-0 win over Lake Weir (Candler) on Monday night at Citizens Field, rushing for 108 yards and the first three touchdowns of the game for Gainesville.

The senior put the Purple Hurricanes on the board with a 3-yard run one play after Lake Weir’s punter hit the knee after catching the snap.

His second TD came midway through the second quarter when he ran around right edge and into the end zone for a 49-yard score and a 13-0 lead.

McKnight’s third score from 2 yards out later in the second quarter extended the Gainesville lead to 21-0. He actually had a fourth touchdown called back due to holding in the final minute of the first half. Willie McKnight GHS 103017

The ‘Canes led 28-0 at halftime and scored early in the 3rd quarter to make it 35-0 as the last quarter and a half was played with a running clock.

Gainesville improves to 7-2 overall and finishes District 5-6A play at 4-1. Lake Weir falls to 4-5, 2-3.

The Purple Hurricanes have one regular season remaining and will try to win the mythical city championship this Friday against rival Eastside (Gainesville) at Citizens Field. You can hear the game “live” Friday on 92.1 FM and 1230 AM in Gainesville, as well as audio online at The Prep Zone, beginning with our pregame coverage at 7 p.m.

Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Sonic Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift card & certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.

How the top 20 regional football teams fared in Week #10

Mike Ridaught

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October 30, 2017

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Here’s a look at how all of the regionally-ranked football teams fared in Week #10. Only two top 20 teams lost. The new regional ranking will be released on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Central Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters. It is fueled by Divine Power Wear.

The Prep Zone Power Poll fueled by Divine Power Wear – 2017 Football Poll #10 Results
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, overall record, and how they fared last week)
1. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (5) (8-0) – won at Forest (Ocala), 35-0
2. St. Augustine (6A) (3) (8-0) – d. Middleburg, 38-0
3. Madison County (1A) (9-0) – d. Suwannee (Live Oak), 50-19
4. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (7A) (8-1) – d. Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 20-6
5. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (8-1) – d. Lincoln (Tallahassee), 49-24
6. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (5A) (7-3) – d. RV Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 35-7
7. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (9-0) – d. Mandarin (Jacksonville), 24-17 (2 OT)
8. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (6-3) – won at Buchholz (Gainesville), 53-21
T-9. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (7-2) – LOST to Ponte Vedra, 33-23
T-9. Dunnellon (4A) (7-1) – won at West Port (Ocala), 42-8
11. Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (7-2) – d. First Coast (Jacksonville), 59-16
12. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (7-1) – d. University (Orange City), 49-34
13. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (7-1) – OFF
14. Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (10-0) – won at Williston, 49-9
15. Ribault (Jacksonville) (5A) (7-2) – won at Yulee, 20-2
16. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (8-1) – d. Ridgeview (Orange Park), 35-21
17. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (6-3) – d. Seabreeze (Daytona Beach), 44-0 (Fri.), won at Pine Ridge (Deltona), 56-0 (Mon, 10/23)
T-18. Gainesville (6A) (7-2) – d. Lake Weir (Candler), 41-0 (Mon, 10/29); d. South Lake (Groveland), 49-14 (Thurs)
T-18. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (8-1) – LOST at Trenton, 47-34
20. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (7-2) – won at Ed White (Jacksonville), 20-6

Also receiving votes:
Bradford (Starke) (4A) (7-1) – d. Hamilton County (Jasper), 58-8
Hernando (Brooksville) (5A) (6-1) – LOST to Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville), 13-10
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (6-3) – LOST at #6 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 35-7
Matanzas (Palm Coast) (6A) (6-2) – d. Deltona, 17-15
Menendez (St. Augustine) (5A) (6-3) – won at Orange Park, 50-39
St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville) (2A) (8-0) – won at Munroe (Quincy), 61-14
Wildwood (1A) (8-0) – won at The Villages, 42-35

On the bubble:
Citrus (Inverness) (5A) (5-3) – d. Lecanto, 48-0
Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (6-3) – d. Palatka, 42-0
Crescent City (1A) (6-2) – won at Taylor (Pierson), 37-32
East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (6-3) – d. Lake Howell (Winter Park), 48-34
Eastside (Gainesville) (5A) (5-3) – won at Santa Fe (Alachua), 21-7
Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (6-3) – LOST at #4 Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville), 20-6
Fort White (3A) (6-3) – d. Newberry, 48-19
Hawthorne (1A) (6-2) – d. Hilliard, 53-0
Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (6-2) – won at RV Hernando (Brooksville), 13-10
Ponte Vedra (5A) (6-3) – won at #T-9 Bolles (Jacksonville), 33-23
Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (6-2) – won at Pasco (Dade City), 48-21
Taylor County (Perry) (3A) (6-3) – won at Union County (Lake Butler), 49-7
Trenton (4A) (7-2) – d. Branford, 40-0 (Mon, 10/30); d. #T-18 Lafayette (Mayo), 47-34
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (5-3) – won at North Marion (Citra), 27-7

FHSAA Football Playoff Announcement Show set for Sunday

Mike Ridaught

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October 30, 2017

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FHSAA Football Show Graphic (FB) GAINESVILLE, FL (10/30/17) – The Florida High School Athletic Association announced Monday the announcement show for the football playoffs will be streamed live at 11 a.m. ET exclusively on NFHSNetwork.com. Following the conclusion of the one-hour show, the brackets for the 2017 Drive to December will be posted on the football page at FHSAA.org.

“We encourage member schools from across the state to tune in to this important program and celebrate the success of these hard-working student-athletes,” FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn said. “The excitement and buzz around the new playoff system is a testament to the amount of passion Floridians have for high school football, and this event is a perfect way for schools to engage their local communities.”

Hosting & Bracketing Info | Breaking District Ties

Hosted by Austin Lyon of Spectrum Sports and Marty Pallman of ThePrepZone.com, the show will unveil the playoff brackets for all eight classes. The first regional playoff games for all eight classes take place Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.

NFHS Network: Click Here to Watch the show

The 2017 Florida High School Football State Championships will take place Dec. 7-9 at Camping World Stadium. For more information on the event, follow the Association on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat by searching for “FHSAA.”

ABOUT THE FHSAA

The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at almost 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.

This week on ThePrepZone.com (Oct. 30 – Nov. 3)

Mike Ridaught

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October 30, 2017

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live broadcast Tonight we have a rare Monday Night Football game, so no high school show at Sonic due to our radio coverage of Lake Weir (Ocala) at Gainesville High. This is a make-good game from Hurricane Irma, no pun intended in this match-up of Hurricanes. We will resume the bi-weekly radio show, “The Prep Zone,” from Sonic of Ocala on Wednesday, Nov. 1 (more info below).

Here is what is coming up this week as part of our broadcast schedule on ThePrepZone.com and local radio:

Monday, 6:45 p.m. – High School Football
Lake Weir (Ocala) at Gainesville
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ audio available online at www.ThePrepZone.com & www.Floridacast.com
RADIO: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville; 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play), Tyler TenBieg (Color) & David Street (Color) for this Class 6A-District 5 game. It’s also Homecoming for the Hurricanes.

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone”
High school show broadcast ‘live’ from Sonic Drive-In (Easy Street location)
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ audio available online at www.ThePrepZone.com & www.Floridacast.com
RADIO: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville and 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Ocala. Guests for this episode include St. John Lutheran (Ocala) volleyball coach Kim Thomas and members of the Lady Saints’ volleyball team, which is playing in the 2nd round of the Class 2A state playoffs on Thursday.

Thursday, 6:45 p.m. – High School Volleyball
Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) at St. John Lutheran (Ocala)
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ VIDEO available online at www.ThePrepZone.com (Via the NFHS Network)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) for the 2nd round of the Class 2A state playoffs.

Friday, 7 p.m. – High School Football
Gainesville at Eastside (Gainesville)
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ audio available online at www.ThePrepZone.com & www.Floridacast.com
RADIO: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville; 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ VIDEO available online at www.ThePrepZone.com (via NFHS Network)
Join TBA (Play-by-play) and Davis Johnson (Color) for this city showdown from Citizen’s Field.

Friday, 6:45 p.m. – High School Football
Oak Hall (Gainesville) at Aucilla Christian (Monticello)
‘Live’ and ‘archived’ VIDEO available online at www.ThePrepZone.com
Join Michael Phillips (Play-by-play) and Sarah Morton (Color) for this North Florida Football Conference crossover game. It’s the regular season finale for the Eagles.

**Tune in to ThePrepZone.com Nature Coast Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:28 a.m. and repeating at 5:28 p.m. on 93.3 FM & 940 AM in Chiefland/Trenton & 1240 AM in Cross City**

**For our Gainesville audience, tune in to ThePrepZone.com Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every weekday morning around 7:50 a.m. on 106.9 FM in Gainesville. Those reports are archived here if you miss a report**

Also, check out our bi-weekly Oak Hall Football Report presented by Sonic Drive-In.

Lake Weir at Gainesville – Football 2017

Mike Stanton

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October 30, 2017

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Lake Weir at Gainesville – Football 2017

Date: Mon 10/30/2017
Title: HS Football – Lake Weir (Ocala) at Gainesville, 7 p.m.

Event Details: Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play), Tyler TenBieg (Color), and David Street (Color) for this Class 6A-District 5 match-up from Citizen’s Field in Gainesville. The game will also air on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville, and 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

2017 Area Football Scores – Week #10

Mike Ridaught

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October 27, 2017

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Coverage area includes 26 counties in North Central Florida – Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties.

Friday, Oct. 27
Baker County 35, Ridgeview 21
Bartram Trail 53, Buchholz 21
Bell 43, Bronson 0
Bishop Moore (Orlando) 35, Eustis 7
Branford 14, P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) 6
Chiefland 48, Agape Christian (Orlando) 6
Columbia (Lake City) 59, First Coast (Jacksonville) 16
Crescent City 37, Taylor 32
Crystal River 34, Weeki Wachee 14
Dixie County (Cross City) 49, Williston 9
Dunnellon 42, West Port (Ocala) 8
Eastside (Gainesville) 21, Santa Fe (Alachua) 7
Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) 20, Cedar Creek Christian (Jacksonville) 16
Episcopal (Jacksonville) 42, Wolfson (Jacksonville) 6
Father Lopez Catholic (Daytona Beach) 60, St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 6
Flagler Palm Coast 24, Mandarin (Jacksonville) 17 (2OT)
Fort White 48, Newberry 19
Hawthorne 53, Hilliard 0
Jones (Orlando) 56, Tavares 0
Keystone Heights 21, Interlachen 14
Lake Minneola 47, Ocoee 27
Lake Weir (Ocala) 54, Leesburg 42
Mainland (Daytona Beach) 44, Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) 0
Matanzas (Palm Coast) 17, Deltona 15
Menendez (St. Augustine) 50, Orange Park 39
Mount Dora 53, Tenoroc 22
Nease (Ponte Vedra) 41, Englewood (Jacksonville) 14
New Smyrna Beach 49, Pine Ridge (Deltona) 25
Oakleaf (Orange Park) 38, Creekside (St. Johns) 35
Ponte Vedra 33, Bolles (Jacksonville) 23
Ribault (Jacksonville) 20, Yulee 2
Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 49, Holy Trinity Episcopal (Melbourne) 7
Springstead (Spring Hill) 48, Pasco (Dade City) 21
Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 49, University (Orange City) 34
St. Augustine 38, Middleburg 0
St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville) 61, Munroe (Quincy) 14
St. John Paul II (Tallahassee) 38, Oak Hall (Gainesville) 13
St. Petersburg 36, South Sumter (Bushnell) 14
Sunlake (Land O’ Lakes) 49, Central (Brooksville) 13
Tampa Catholic 40, Belleview 0
Taylor County (Perry) 49, Union County (Lake Butler) 7
Trenton 47, Lafayette (Mayo) 34
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 35, Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) 7
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 27, North Marion (Citra) 7
Trinity Prep (Winter Park) 70, Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach) 14
Vanguard (Ocala) 35, Forest (Ocala) 0
Wildwood 42, The Villages 35

Thursday, Oct. 26
Citrus (Inverness) 40, Lecanto 0
Fleming Island (Orange Park) 20, Ed White (Jacksonville) 6
Gainesville 49, South Lake (Groveland) 14
Nature Coast (Brooksville) 13, Hernando (Brooksville) 10
Providence (Jacksonville) 46, Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) 20
Raines (Jacksonville) 49, Lincoln (Tallahassee) 24
Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) 20, Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 6
Stanton (Jacksonville) 27, Paxon (Jacksonville) 26
St. Joseph (St. Augustine) 54, Florida School for the Deaf (St. Augustine) 0

Bartram Trail at Buchholz – Football 2017

Mike Stanton

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October 27, 2017

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Bartram Trail at Buchholz – Football 2017

Date: Fri 10/27/2017 Title: HS Football – Bartram Trail (St. Johns) at Buchholz (Gainesville), 7 p.m. (PREGAME, Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.)

Event Details: Join Jake Winderman (Play-by-play) and Michael Phillips (Color) for the Class 7A-District 3 championship game from Citizen’s Field in Gainesville. It’s also Senior Night for the Bobcats. The game will also air on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville and 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen online

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

Special thanks to:

www.SeanLewisConsulting.com
352-283-6871

The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week – Heather Pedrick (Santa Fe)

Mike Ridaught

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October 27, 2017

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The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week for the week of October 16 is HEATHER PEDRICK* of the Santa Fe (Alachua) volleyball team.

Santa Fe_Raiders

*The junior setter helped lead the top-seeded Lady Raiders to the Class 6A-District 6 title. Pedrick had 14 kills, eight digs, 14 assists and six service points to lead the Raiders to a sweep of North Marion (Citra) in the district semifinals. In the championship against No. 2 seed Belleview, she led the way with 17 kills, 20 digs and five blocks as Santa Fe swept the Rattlers.

Previous 2017-18 winners:

Oct. 9 – Amelia Williams (Buchholz girls’ golf)
Williams helped the Lady Bobcats capture their fifth straight Jill Darr Invitational title. The sophomore was the low medalist with a 3-under 69. She had a bogey-free round. The Jill Darr Invitational, named after the late Jill Darr Rowell, represents the Alachua County championship.

Oct. 2 – Charles Strong (Union County football)
The FSU commit rushed for 262 yards and scored three touchdowns as Union County (6-1) defeated previously unbeaten Hawthorne, 31-25, in overtime. Strong, who has 1,139 yards and 13 TDs on the season, scored the game-winner from 10 yards out in OT. He also had a 23-yard scoring run and a 12-yard TD run.

Sept. 25 – Demari Turner (St. Francis Catholic football)
Turner came up with the big plays, catching four passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, to help lead the Wolves to a 36-0 win against rival Oak Hall and snap the Eagles’ two-game win streak in the series. The senior wide receiver had scoring catches of 63 and 89 yards as St. Francis Catholic knocked off the previously-unbeaten Eagles and snapped their overall winning streak at 13 games. He also had a 2-point conversion and helped the defense pitch its first shutout of the season.

Sept. 18 – Anthony Richardson (Eastside football)
The sophomore quarterback led the Rams to a 2-0 week, which is twice as many wins as Eastside had (1) all season in 2016. Richardson had 646 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing and passing. In the Rams’ 33-28 home win over Newberry on Monday, he accounted for all five of their touchdowns, finishing with 348 yards and two scores through the air and 65 yards and three scores on the ground. On Friday, at Lake Weir (Ocala), Richardson ran for 102 yards on 11 carries with two TDs, and 131 yards passing with three scores.

Sept. 11 – No award due to Hurricane Irma

Sept. 4 – Gerard Williams III (Williston football)
Williams set a school record with 307 yards on 27 carries, with three touchdowns, in the Red Devils’ 28-14 win at Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto). During Williston’s first five possessions, the senior had 13 carries for 115 yards. However, on Williston’s final three drives, he had 192 yards on 14 carries, with 2 TDs.

Nominate an Athlete of the Week each week no later than Sunday at 6 p.m. Email your nominations to mike@ThePrepZone.com

Sonic Player-of-the-Game (Oct. 26) – Luke Matthews (Gainesville)

Mike Ridaught

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October 27, 2017

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Our Sonic Player-of-the-Game for Thursday, Oct. 26, is Luke Matthews of the Gainesville football team.

Matthews helped lead the Hurricanes to a 49-14 win over South Lake (Groveland) on Senior Night at Citizens Field, completing 13 of 16 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns.

The junior threw three touchdowns in the second quarter as Gainesville pulled away to a 42-7 halftime lead and played the second half with a running clock.

The defense set the tone early for Gainesville, which took a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter on a fumble return and interception return for TD’s, then the offense took over, scoring on the next five drives.

Matthew’s first touchdown pass was 15 yards to junior Jordyn Howard which answered a South Lake TD to extend Gainesville’s lead back to 28-7. Luke Matthews_GHS_Sonic

He then followed up on the next drive with a 31-yard scoring pass across the middle to junior Jalen Kelsey, then capped off the first half with a 54-yard bomb down the left sideline to senior Taurean Hill right before the half to extend the Hurricanes lead to 42-7.

Matthews added his fourth touchdown pass to his fourth different receiver in the third quarter, tossing an 9-yard score to senior Christian Miller-Cardwell.

The win improved Gainesville’s record to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in District 5-6A, and while the ‘Canes can’t win the district, as Vanguard (Ocala) has already wrapped up the title, they can continue to add points to try to qualify as a wildcard.

GHS will host Lake Weir (Ocala) in their final district game on Monday night, in a game that is being made up due to Hurricane Irma. You can hear the game ‘live’ Monday on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville, as well as audio online at The Prep Zone, beginning with our pregame coverage at 6:45 p.m.

Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Sonic Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift card & certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.

South Lake at Gainesville – Football 2017

Mike Stanton

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October 26, 2017

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South Lake at Gainesville – Football 2017

Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) and Skyler Lebron (Color), with Mike Ridaught on camera, for this Class 6A-District 5 game from Citizen’s Field. It’s also Senior Night for the Hurricanes.