FLEMING ISLAND - At a local line dancing bar, Fleming Island High brothers Steve and Jack Ganoe got an invite to try rodeo from a local patron who saw something on the dance floor that garnered the invite.

"Well, we were just sitting at Southern Social in Middleburg, a line dancing bar, Stevie and myself, and a gentleman about our age approached us to come to his rodeo ranch (in Starke) and give it a try," said Jack, 19, the older of the two. "Stevie (an upcoming Fleming Island High senior, 17) went to the invite and loved it, told me to try it and here we are."

For the Ganoes, both prolific athletes on their own - Stevie a varsity soccer ace and Jack a soccer and basketball player - accepted the challenge from the pitch of soccer to the confines of eight seconds atop a 1,000-pound bull intent of smashing them to the ground.

"We are now in Georgia, with Stevie going to a rodeo camp in Macon, while Jack is in Hilliard competing at a rodeo (on Saturday, June 20)," said mom Deb Ganoe, via phone on a tractor in Georgia after taking Stevie to a University of Georgia soccer visit for a possible scholarship offer. "They both have been getting after it to get good at the rodeo and we support them all the way. It's dangerous, but we follow all their sports."

On Saturday, in Hilliard, Jack, attempting to better his 6.6 second best in his first full year of rodeo competitions, got sideways on his monster bull and thrown quickly to the arena floor.

"It wasn't what I came here to do, but I wasn't quite locked in when the gate opened and the bull went left right out," Jack said. "I went sideways and tried to recover, but that's tough when he's going left and I'm going right."

Jack is a student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He also runs his own landscaping business (JRG Creations) in South Florida, is committed to hitting the eight-second mark on a bull. Little brother Stevie made the first trip to the ranch, loved it and got Jack to go the following weekend.

"The adrenaline rush is very really up there," Jack said. "After that first ride, I fell in love with it and have been riding every week; three or four bulls a week, to try and get better."

The Ganoes showed up at the Starke ranch in jeans, shirts and boots for the initial attempt.

"They told us we had to wear a vest, a helmet, a mouthpiece and that was it," Jack said."It was a like trying skydiving for the first time. You are scared to death, you do it. Then you want to do it again."

Three weeks later, coincidentally, also in Hilliard, Jack hit his first official rodeo and has been traveling the smaller rodeo circuit around the Southeast for nearly a year.

"I think I lasted three seconds on my first ride," Jack said. "I got video of that ride and a second ride, and I watched them to see what I did right and wrong, and that's how I'm improving. Both Stevie and I are solid athletic minds and bodies and can see how to improve. He does it with soccer and now rodeo."

Jack's passion is to grab that final two seconds to the magical eight-second mark to signify a complete ride.

"I've been practicing in South Florida and working on a few things to get that last two seconds," said Jack, noting his Wednesday practices are at a church rodeo ranch; Gethsemane Ranch where they have a sermon, then go rodeo practice. "There is a lot going on up top there once that gate opens. The rhythm of the bull, your grip, staying centered on the bull and working to stay over top of him while setting your hips on his shoulders. All in eight seconds, haha. The church builds good camaraderie."

Jack said the initial first two seconds; the exit from the corral to the arena, is the critical part of the ride.

"I watch the bulls if I can. If they are out there before my ride to try and get a tendency, left or right," Jack said. "But, in the end, they are just bulls - big, mean and strong. It's like stealing a base or anticipating a punch in boxing, you guess wrong, you get stomped."

For now, both Ganoes will be taking their lumps on the way to finishing the eight-second chase. Stevie will pause his bull riding to concentrate on soccer at Fleming Island.

"I've been stomped on and that's part of it," Jack said. "I got tossed and ended up falling right into his spin cycle. He smashed my forearm pretty good with one hoof and hit my facemask with the other. As bad as it looked, I got lucky and got out of there."

Channell makes most of her transfer move to Clemson

By Randy Lefko, randy@claytodayonline.com

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS - Keystone Heights High softball has earned a reputation of skillful, tough and competitiveness athletes that get to play against some of the best teams in Florida.

Led by coach Jessica Marquart's passion, the fruits of those challenging seasons have produced top-tier players at the college level.

"We have always played one of the toughest schedules year in and year out at Keystone Heights," said former player, shortstop Kiley Channell, now at Clemson University. "One of the things I think coach Marquart brings to us is that great competition so that we are ready to play in the playoffs against teams maybe better than us. It's all about preparation for those game situations that you can't get in practice."

Kiley, who transferred from Florida Atlantic University after two solid seasons, recalled when she got the call from Clemson. It was something she often thought about as a youngster.

At FAU, Kiley was a 2024 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, and, in 2025, was ALL-AAC second team.

"Clemson has always been my dream school, and when I got there after my two good years at FAU, I just had the mindset of 'put me on the field'," said Kiley, who was part of a region championship for the Lady Tigers which eventually lost 5-0 to host Georgia in the playoffs. "They told me they had a good freshman shortstop coming in, and I had played shortstop and second baseman for most of my playing. I knew once I got on the field, I could compete."

Kiley said Clemson had beaten Georgia 10-1 earlier in the season on Feb. 25.

Kiley may have had some slight name recognition, as cousin Savannah Channell was a standout player for Marquart and then rocked college at both Liberty University and University of North Florida. In her freshman season at Liberty, Savannah got her dibs on ESPN's Top 10 highlights with a game-winning grand slam for Liberty, which was ranked 25th in that 2021 game, to fuel a 6-4 win over 17th ranked Tennessee that knocked the Lady Vols out of the NCAA tournament.

Liberty lost to James Madison a day later to end their tournament run. 

"Now I have a grand slam, but I didn't make the ESPN highlight reel," said Kiley, who hit her first homer for Clemson for a walk-off run rule win over Furman. "I've made a few cool plays at shortstop that I thought maybe could make ESPN, but none yet."

Kiley, who finished with a.293 batting average with 22 runs batted in, was a team leader in one category with 14 sacrifice hits, mainly with bunts. Kiley also had a five RBI night against Duke.

"I guess I'm like technically a phenomenal bunter, so my job was to get on base as the No. 2 batter and give our No. 3 batter, who had the most RBIs on the team, the opportunity to put runs on the board," Kiley said. "Next year, I just want to do what it takes to get us a few more playoff games."

Keystone's Connor Guy heads to Virginia Tech

By Randy Lefko, randy@claytodayonline.com

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS - Keystone Heights High grad Connor Guy smashed a first at-bat home run in a college showcase event and, with the smash, earned a look from NCAA baseball powerhouse Virginia Tech.

"I graduated high school, went the junior college route (at Daytona and St. Johns River state colleges) and got noticed at a college showcase tournament after my year at St. Johns," said Guy, who also played football and golf for the Indians. "I had two of the best games of my life at that showcase and that's how it happens sometimes. Virginia Tech came up to me, said they liked what they saw and asked me to become part of their team."

For Guy, the jump from junior college status, where he was a top hitting centerfield at both Daytona State and St. Johns River, will more than likely be a jump in his overall athleticism.

"I think they want me to put on 20-to-30 pounds more of muscle to be able to hit guys throwing 10 mph faster at the NCAA level," Guy said. "My summer will be to get to that strength level."

No. 2-seed Virginia Tech recently lost 6-5 to No. 1-seed UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Los Angeles.