Winter Park celebrates 90 years of football
Winter Park High School will celebrate 90 years of football tonight as part of its final regular season game against Lake Mary at Larry Gergley Stadium at Showalter Field.
The district champion Wildcats are 8-1 going into the game, which starts at 7.
All former football coaches and players are invited to come onto the field before and during the game. There will be special seating in the quarterback club area as well.
It’s also Senior Night for the Wildcats.
Other athletes chosen are David Hill, who still holds the Brantley baseball record for triples in a season (9); Lysa Moorefield, who played college basketball at FSU; two-time state swimming champion Philip Norris; and Ryann Pauley, who was the school’s first girls state swim champion.
Beth Sprinkle was the state water polo MVP in 1995; Katie Tullis was all-state in cross country before running for UF, and Scott Trimble was all-state in football before playing for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.
The first group of coaches consists of wrestling coach Kevin Carpenger, football and weightlifting coach David Tullis, track and cross country coach Charles Harris and girls lacrosse coach Karen Shellhammer.
Contributors selected are Jim Sprinkle, Mike and Lottie Lipsey, Tom Storey and longtime principal Darvin Boothe.
Honored teams are the 1986 boys tennis state champions, 1990 baseball state title team, and the 1991 girls swimming team that won a fourth consecutive state title. to state, led by ninth grader Ainsley Mann who shot 70 in district and 73 in the region meet.
Volleyball showdowns: It will be the defending state champion hosting the No. 1 ranked team when Oviedo (25-4) plays at West Orange (21-6) in the Class 9A, Region 1 girls volleyball final on Tuesday night of next week.
A year ago, West Orange won the region final at Oviedo 25-14, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21 and went on to cap an undefeated 29-0 season with the state championship.
Oviedo edged West Orange in a regular season meeting this year and is the No. 1 ranked team in the Sentinel Super Six and the MaxPreps’ 9A ratings. Start time is 7 p.m. for region finals. Tuesday’s winner will travel to play at the winner of the Sarasota Riverview (22-6) at Fort Pierce Central (25-4) match in a Saturday, Nov. 10, state semifinal at 2 p.m.
In Class 8A, Hagerty (24-4) plays Tampa Plant (25-1) on Tuesday night.
A road win would give Hagerty homecourt advantage for the Nov. 10 state semifinal against either Fleming Island (25-3) or Tallahassee Leon (26-3).
Last season Hagerty won 3-0 at home vs. Plant in the region final before losing a state semifinal at Leon.
State finals will be played at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers this year, including a Thursday, Nov. 15, 2A final for Geneva School (16-6).
The 8A final is set for Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The 9A final is Friday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m.
The state championship matches, which will include Geneva School (16-6) in 2A, will be played Nov. 15-17 at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. at