GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Middleburg High girls soccer struck first with Olivia Rigazzi blasting the Lady Broncos to a 1-0 halftime lead, but the Clay High Blue Devils got a scramble goal from Charlotte Glavin to tie the game and a game-winner from Kirra Dodson to defeat the visiting Broncos 2-1 Tuesday night.
In action around Clay County, the Middleburg boys soccer team lost a grueling 2-1 match to Columbia to fall to 2-4 overall with the Tigers improving to 2-1-2.
Inside the Carrie Prewitt gymnasium, first-year girls' basketball coach Tenise Haynes was trying to take out a high-powered Orange Park High team, but the Lady Raiders had too much firepower en route to a 65-25 win.
"We won our two preseason games and I think we will be improving as we get to know each other," said Haynes, a Clay High grad and an assistant basketball coach under Doug Deters at both Green Cove Springs Junior High and Clay High. "We have a lot of new faces here, but a lot of energy."
One of Haynes' new faces is German exchange student Marie Hipps, a junior, who has taken on basketball as her American sport after being a top handball player in Germany.
"Basketball was about as close to handball as any of the sports here," said Hipps. "The community in the Middleburg area is very friendly."
Haynes noted that Hipps handball experience; quick feet, quick hands, stamina and fast thinking on her feet has made her a quick study for basketball.
"She has been very coachable and a quick learner," said Haynes.
In the Clay High gymnasium, Blue Devil coach Jared Moses took on one of the more prominent basketball programs in north Florida, the Bartram Trail Bears, and lost.
At the start of the evening clashes; at Lakeside Junior High School, wrestling started at the middle school level with the Gators taking on Orange Park Junior High.
Other scores were Oakleaf losing their opener in boys basketball to Atlantic 67-65 with the Knights having Columbia, First Coast and Sandalwood coming to Oakleaf High School in the upcoming week.
Oakleaf had one of its best seasons last year with a 24-2 record, a 19-game win streak, the district 3-6A champions and a first-ever region playoff win before losing to Gainesville in the region semifinal round.
Fleming Island's boys basketball lost their opener with a 64-59 match to Tocoi Creek.
Fleming Island's girls basketball lost a thrilling 63-62 opener to Bishop Snyder on Monday, then regrouped to beat Stanton 67-29 on Tuesday. Gianna Crawford had 19 points against Stanton.
In the Middleburg wrestling room, the Lady Broncos team led by the five stalwarts of last year; two-time state champion Cheyenne Cruce, Memphis Moses, Sarah Walsh, Lilly Bradshaw, and Skyla Fisher, gathered for a quick roll on the match before Thursday's intrasquad scrimmage. Fisher, Moses, Walsh, and Cruce are all state returners for coaches Coll Robertson and Jamie Harrison.
"We will be strong again this year with some new freshmen and a couple of transfers added to the lineup," said Harrison. "Wait until next year though when all these girls are seniors. Cheyenne is a senior now going for a third state title."