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UF Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Institute

Most people would call it a rough way to spend an afternoon. Ninety mph fastballs in the dirt, foul tips off every available body part, and a steady collection of bumps and bruises that would make an athletic trainer wince.Jordan Spears calls it home.The Bell High School senior catcher, proudly self-described as “one of those crazy people”,  has built his final season around the kind of grit that doesn’t always show up in the box score, even if his numbers say plenty.

Great athletes often spend years discovering where they truly belong in sports. For West Port freshman Nikolai Davis, that realization came early, on a soccer field at just 7 years old, and it has since helped transform him into one of the area’s top 400-meter runners.“I was trying everything when I was little, flag football and some soccer,” Davis said. “I was decent at both of them but just didn’t love it. But the thing I did enjoy was realizing that I was quicker than just about everyone out there and thought track would be a good thing to try.”

For St. Francis senior Dominick Diaz, the appeal of pole vaulting is simple: the higher the risk, the greater the reward.An adrenaline seeker by nature, Diaz traded in his early days as a competitive gymnast for a pole and runway as a freshman. Four years later, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound senior has developed into one of the areas top vaulters.“I’m just attracted to dangerous stuff, and pole vaulting added to that,” Diaz said. “There’s something fun about carrying a 15-foot stick, planting it and putting it all on the line to fly through the air.”

It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school that Prince Fortuna Abdullah even considered wrestling.Originally a kickboxer who hoped to pursue mixed martial arts, Abdullah had to be convinced to try the sport. Three years later, the Buchholz senior is a state qualifier who says joining the wrestling program changed his life.

For as long as he can remember, Juwan Scippio has had a basketball in his hands.The Newberry High School senior fell in love with the sport at 4 years old and has spent nearly every day since working to become the best player he can be whenever he steps onto the court.“I grew up being one of the better players out there and that just kept inspiring me to be even better,” Scippio said. “This game has helped me accomplish so many things, so I’m never gonna stop going hard and working.”

In a town of roughly 2,300 residents, where Friday nights and packed gymnasiums serve as community gatherings, history does not go unnoticed.For the first time ever, the Trenton High School boys basketball team reached the state Final Four, a milestone fueled by belief, resilience and the steady play of junior guard Mason VunCannon.

Going into his senior season at Santa Fe High School, Wayne Boone believed something special was possible.The senior captain had spent years alongside a tight-knit core of teammates, and throughout the offseason he sensed a different edge, a hunger that hadn’t fully materialized before.

Jerdarrius “JD” Jackson walked into the North Marion gym four years ago unsure of what his future might hold.Now, the senior point guard has written his name into the program’s record book.

From the first time Bryan “Koop” Hayes put a basketball in his hands at the MLK Center as a 3-year-old in Gainesville, he knew he’d never love a sport more than hoops.“It’s just always been my first love,” Hayes said. “Nothing compares to being out there and hanging around your guys. I get such a good feeling on a basketball court. It’s just something that’s a part of me.”

For many soccer players, the phrase “fútbol is life” isn’t just a catchy line from a television show, it’s a way of living. That sentiment rings especially true for Williston junior Yandel Mujica, who has been chasing a soccer ball for as long as he can remember.

PK Yonge senior Jack Reichardt has waited a long time for the chance to play on a full 11-on-11 high school soccer stage, and the opportunity has paid off in a big way.

It has been a banner season for the Bell High School boys soccer program, which wrapped up the regular season this week with a 9-3 record and an undefeated run through district play.The Bulldogs’ strong performance has positioned them as a regional championship contender, a goal the team set long before the first match of the season.