sports

I've never been much for hockey.  At best, a casual observer.  But the godess & I were at the kitchen table, watching the news.  The sports segment came on & they were showing an NHL playoff game.  Let me describe.

Between one of the nets & the back wall, 4 or 5 players from both teams were holding a social in a rather physical manner, as hockey players are known to do from time to time.  Sociable types, I guess.  While this is going on, the goalie was standing on the opposite side of the goal where he usually is.  Standing there!  Watching & nothing else.  A player from the opposing team decides to give him the hockey version of a Welcome Wagon, or maybe a Tupper Ware party, rears up  & takes a full swing with his stick across the upper chest/throat area, thereby dropping said goalie.

Bloggers,

Thanks to linda5 for reminding me...

Over the weekend, I had a chance to attend the first - ever - SEC Beach Volleyball tournament held at THE University of Florida.

What an awesome display of female athleticism.

And as the Orange and Blue game attenders filed out of the campus in the thousands, many got to see women competitors at their best.

My question to MCS bloggers is this: Will Beach Volleyball catch on at a national level in college sports?

Karen Lake

Of the six losses suffered by last year's Orange Park boys basketball team, three of them came at the hands of the Mandarin Mustangs. Not only did those losses knock the Raiders from the unbeaten ranks and keep them from winning their district championship, but the third one, in the district title game, forced them onto the road for the playoffs, where they lost in the first round.

Tuesday night, the Raiders proved that 2007 won't be a rerun as they defeated the Mustangs, 60-48, to remain undefeated at 8-0.

Clarence Tillman gets fouled on his way to the basket.

This is why they play the game.

This is why we watch the game.

Ridgeview needed to take a lot of chances Friday night to try to beat a very talented Columbia team and steal its way into the state playoffs. But those chances didn't quite pay off the way the Panthers needed them to, and by virtue of a 29-10 loss, they'll be staying home for the post-season.

Columbia (7-2; 2-1 District 5-4A) has earned the runner-up playoff spot behind district-leader Nease. Ridgeview (4-5, 1-2) will end its season next week at powerful St. Augustine.

Kam Fasnacht threw for nearly 300 yards and Deron Talley made 11 catches for 245 of those yards, but on a night when Gainesville's running game could not be stopped, visiting Orange Park came up a little short, 20-16, in a mostly meaningless game for third place in District 3-5A Thursday night.

The loss leaves the Raiders at 1-8, 0-3 in the district, while the Purple Hurricane (1-7, 1-2) claimed its  first victory of a brutal 2007 schedule. Orange Park plays its final game of the season next Friday, Nov. 9,  at home against Tallahassee Chiles (5-3).

With an overall record of 12-15 heading into Wednesday night's regional quarterfinal volleyball match against 22-8 Stanton, Middleburg was seemingly in for a tight battle.

But three turned out to be the only number that really mattered, as the Lady Broncos took three-straight from the Lady Devils (25-23, 25-20, 25-16) to set up Tuesday's home regional semifinal game against the winner of Wednesday night's Bishop Kenny-Santa Fe contest.

The Broncos have beaten Santa Fe three times this season, including the District 3-4A championship game last week. Bishop Kenny beat Middleburg back on Sept. 20.

Fleming Island's Brian Deis and Matt Cooksey took first and second place at Middleburg's Bronco Bob Invitational cross country meet Saturday, but Orange Park's Trent Blair took third and led a group of high Raider finishers to help his school to a team title boys title.

Ridgeview's Heather Lundin and Kaitlin Yaracs swept first and second in the girls race as the Lady Panthers took the team title.

(See photo gallery on Spotted)

Fleming Island surged out to a 17-3 first-game lead in the District 3-5A tournament championship Thursday night, but it was Bartram Trail's fifth-game surge that gave the Bears the title and a first-round state playoff game next week.

The Golden Eagles will get the district runner-up playoff spot and will have to win on the road next week if they want to move up the state ladder.

Thursday night's championship match looked like it might be over quick as the Lady Eagles won the first game handily, 25-10. And Fleming Island was strong throughout the second game, too, but the Bears rallied late for a 26-24 win to even the match.

Orange Park needed four games to defeat Fletcher in both of their regular-season volleyball match-ups, and up two games to none but trailing 18-12 in the third, it looked like the Lady Raiders were in for at least another four-set challenge Friday night in their District 1-6A semifinal game.

But Orange Park proceeded to shut down the Lady Senators and outscore them 13-2 the rest of the way, including a match-ending spike by senior Allison Riner, to win the contest, 25-11, 26-24, 25-20, and qualify for the state playoffs.

The victory also put OP in Friday's 6 p.m. championship final against the winner of Wednesday night's late match, Mandarin vs. top-seeded Gainesville Buchholz (20-5). The Lady Raiders lost twice this season to Buchholz, but Coach Amy Walker wasn't conceding the title to the Lady Bobcats.