AUBURNDALE – A 47-year-old motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon in a crash with another vehicle in Auburndale The two-vehicle crash happened around 5:50 p.m According to the Auburndale Police Department officers responded to the wreck and found Mark Anthony Williams Police said Polk County Fire Rescue personnel attempted life-saving measures but Williams was later pronounced dead at the scene Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021 She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Marshfield Track Shines at Wood County Invite Ethan Knecht Sets Marshfield Record in Discus 2024-25 OnFocus Central Wisconsin Area Conferences: Conference and Team Links, Schedules Hear about top athletes and top teams in our area ********************************************** We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected] David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected] Deepika Kumari missed out on a podium finish Picture by World ArcheryBy Ali Asgar NalwalaIndia wrapped up their campaign at the Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 1 in Auburndale including a silver in the men’s recurve team and a bronze from Dhiraj Bommadevara in the men’s individual recurve on Sunday India finished fourth on the Archery World Cup 2025 Auburndale medals table Mexico topped the standings with six (three gold went down 5-1 to the People’s Republic of China’s Wang Yan India defeated Spain 6-2 in the semi-finals got the better of fourth-seeded Indonesia 6-2 in the quarter-finals and beat Brazil 6-2 in the first round who made it to the bronze medal match in the recurve mixed team event with Ankita Bhakat at the Paris 2024 Olympics beat Spain’s Andres Temino 6-4 to win the bronze medal in style Dhiraj bounced back in the final two sets to upstage the Spaniard Dhiraj made it to the bronze medal match after losing 7-1 to the Paris 2024 mixed team silver medallist Florian Unruh of Germany Dhiraj defeated the Paris 2024 men’s team silver medallist Thomas Chirault 6-4 after getting the better of Atanu Das 7-3 in the quarter-finals Abhishek Verma and Ojas Deotale added a bronze in the men’s compound team event The Indian women’s recurve team, comprising Ankita Bhakat, Anshika Kumari and Deepika Kumari, went down to the USA 6-2 in the quarter-finals. The Archery World Cup comprises four stages held in different countries. The top eight individual archers in each category across these stages qualify for the Archery World Cup Final, where they compete for the overall title. The second stage will be held in Shanghai, China, from May 6 to 11. 🥇","event":null,"destination_url":"","entry_point_tag":"base","entry_point_type":"instory_campaign"}" data-tracking="click" href="https://www.olympics.com/en/sign-in?entry_point_type=instory_campaign&entry_point_tag=base&template=base&origin=https%3A%2F%2Folympics.com%2Fen%2Folympic-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Olympic Membership - Free Live Stream Sports & Original Series - join now WAUSAU – Nine minutes into Thursday night's sectional semifinal 1 Auburndale boys basketball found itself scoreless That's when the Eagles responded with one of their most furious offensive surges of the season behind seniors Blake Raab and Thomas Aue and junior Peyton Weinfurter The come-from-behind victory helped them beat No 2 Stratford 62-49 and earn a trip to the WIAA Division 4 sectional championship game Saturday at Stevens Point Raab led the rally with a flurry of 3-pointers and his two-way playmaking would become too much as he finished leading all scorers with 23 points and started knocking down some shots and played good defense Auburndale got the wheels back in motion just in time after a setback to close out the season Coach Chad Weinfurter said he wouldn't call it "revenge" but called that the feeling of picking yourself back up when you're down euphoric He felt the Eagles played their best game against the Tigers "We had a little blip there at the end of the season losing two in a row and costing us the conference title," Weinfurter said it feels really good to come back and beat Marathon and Stratford again after we lost to them at the end of the season." As they head into their matchup against No 1 Bonduel in the sectional final on Saturday they are one step closer to their goal of a state championship They'll need to down a streaking Bears squad which enters the sectional final with a handful of lopsided postseason wins But Weinfurter feels that performances like Thursday can help them get to that biggest goal The team has followed through on what he and his coaching staff have stressed all season "We've been really preaching competing and being resilient," Weinfurter said and from game to game … it's pretty darn good." Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@gannett.com ALTAMONTE SPRINGS — McKenna Battilla stormed through the season and district tournament dominating the competition like she never left in her return to high school tennis after missing a year with a knee injury Her return to the state tournament was far different In all her singles matches and one doubles match the Auburndale junior grinded it out in a battle of will that took her to the limit and beyond both physically and mentally until her body said no more Battilla reached the individuals bracket final — the overall state semifinals — and came up one match short of playing for an individual state title Regional Finals: Winter Haven boys, McKeel girls win in regional finals to qualify for state tournament Regional Semifinals: Bartow girls on track to repeat last year's magical season plus all regional tennis results Tallahassee Leon’s Abra Boonswang prevailed over Battilla 3-0 (retired) on Tuesday when an injury muscle in her hip made it impossible for her to continue in the 2025 FHSAA Class 3A Girls Tennis State Tournament at Sanlando Park in a match marked with controversy early on Battilla wasn’t too disappointed after considering she was coming back from an injury to start the season and had no expectations on what she could accomplish this year What she didn’t expect was to play three matches on Monday winning them all in matches that went to tiebreakers after splitting the first two sets She was on the court for 9 1/2 hours in 90-degree heat and by the end of the day her body was racked with cramps making it difficult to get through her doubles match it was another marathon match that went to the tiebreaker in a match that lasted nearly 90 minutes “It was unbelievable,” Auburndale coach Kevin Mulling said There were tiebreakers on top of tiebreakers has nothing left in the tank and kept digging out That she got to the second match on Tuesday took an amazing effort Still sore after what she went through on Monday Battilla rallied to defeat Archbishop McCarthy’s Jessica McLean She won the last seven points of the tiebreaker “I was proud of myself for coming back in that match,” Battilla said “Playing against those types of players who train 24/7 for tennis you have to learn to use athleticism in stead of tennis skills the better athlete is going to win the match So it's just a lot of maturity and being smart about what you do I'm not going to sit there and go shot for shot when that's all these girls do I'm going to try to use my other athleticism to win the matches and it works out.” That’s what she was doing against Boonswang when she jumped out to a 4-3 lead A controversial point that eventually was awarded to her opponent Battilla dropped the match and Boonswang gained momentum Battilla admitted that she let the call affect her for a couple of games Then Battilla’s hip injury flared up making it difficult to move One of her strengths in tennis is her ability to use her athleticism to get to every ball “The controversy unfortunately helped her a lot and she knew exactly what she was doing,” Battilla said “That's the whole reason why I've chosen to play soccer in college other than tennis I mean I think with how crucial that game was and the point it would have had me going up in the set and Not only did it rattle me and make me upset I just started playing so much more nervous.” Battilla had to battle through an unexpected tough draw Mulling said that when the new draw came out she had to play a play-in match against an opponent with a similarly high UTR rating while two players with lower ratings received bye Battilla opened the tournament by defeating Naples Gulf Coast Riddhi Thakur She then defeated Wiregrass Ranch’s Saachi Deshpande Her last match on Monday was a doubles match as she and Ava Mulling defeated Osceola’s Sofia de Bernardo and Emma Vitek Usually doubles is a lot smoother because you have a partner you're not covering as much ground But I was just so physically and mentally exhausted to the point where like every other game I was catching a cramp in my leg Every time I tried to hydrate with something else Battilla and Mulling were scheduled to play a second doubles match which would have been her fourth match of the day and pushing playing 12 hours of tennis in one day Mulling appealed to have the match moved to Tuesday but it was denied and the Auburndale duo were forced to withdraw Hannah Windham won her first singles match and her first doubles match with her sister Abigail Windham but dropped her next singles and doubles match in the Class 1A state tournament Hannah with her sister Abigail then played in doubles on Monday and they defeated Blaise Ivy and Molly Eatherford In the Individuals Bracket semifinals on Tuesday Lauren Kettlewell and Anabella Parente defeated the Windham sisters Auburndale      0  0  2  7  8      17  9  0 We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected] David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected] Lakeland man dies in motorcycle crash in AuburndaleLakeland LedgerA Lakeland man died Saturday in a motorcycle crash Officers from the Auburndale Police Department responded at about 5:50 p.m. to a two-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle at U.S officers located a motorcycle and its rider Polk County Fire Rescue personnel arrived and initiated life-saving measures but Williams was pronounced dead at the scene A traffic homicide investigation is underway EAGLE LAKE — Polk County girls hurdlers compete in the very large shadow cast by the George Jenkins’ hurdlers Auburndale sophomore Wiseberly Payoute managed to escape that shadow who just began running the hurdles last year the 400 hurdles and the high jump as the top individual from Polk County on Saturday at the Class 3A District 7 track and field meet at Lake Region High School Payoute’s time of 15.54 was good enough to hold off Lake Wales’ Mikaila Walker (15.63) It was off her personal-record of 15.22 but it was the second consecutive meet that she ran under 16 seconds Her time also was about two seconds faster than last year when she consistently ran in the mid 17s (seconds) and ran under 17 seconds just once who works with Payoute in the hurdles described her as a fast-rising track athlete Payoute is ranked fourth in the county behind the Jenkins trio of Williams She is hoping to get close to 15 seconds this year then break into the 14s next season I've been running with her since last year Payoute said Williams has helped her in the hurdles “She taught me how to stay patient,” Payoute said While Williams casts a large shadow over Polk County hurdles Payoute is following some impressive footsteps in the 100 hurdles over the the past decade at Auburndale Cat Morris and Olympian Monae Nichols are ranked No 5 in Polk County over the past quarter century While her 100 hurdles time was off her personal best shaving nearly two seconds off her best time of 1:12.45 that she ran two weeks ago at the county meet Payoute began her day by winning the high jump Her mark of 4-11.75 was just off her best mark of 5-00.25 While Payoute was the top individual from Polk The Highlanders finished second with 133 points When the Highlanders finished 1-2 in the 200 Lake Wales would have led at that point but its 4x100 team that crossed the finish line in first place was disqualified for an exchange zone violation pulled away with two runners scoring points in the 3,200 Lake Wales won the 4x400 but gained only two points on Zephyrhills Fleur and Jordyn Alston were the top athletes for Lake Wales Henry won the 400 (58.53) and outleaned St Fleur ran 25.16 in the 200 and won the 100 in 12.25 Alston won the discus (96-09) and the shot put (16-04.5) Mickaila Walker won the long jump (16-04.25) and finished second in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 100 Lake Wales’ William Windham was the top athlete for the boys He won the 1,600 in 4:41.10 and took fourth in the 800 Teammate Gabriel Harris won the 3,200 in 10:22.13 as the only other individual winner from Polk County Lake Wales finished third in the team competition McKeel’s Jonsson a 3-time individual champ as top Polk athlete in 2A-9 meetMcKeel freshman Elin Jonsson won three individual events and was on the winning 4x800 team to finish as the top athlete from Polk County at the Class 2A District 9 track and field meet on Friday at Tenoroc High School who is a one of the top swimmers in the county the 1,600 (6:07.83) and the 3,200 (13:00.57) Two other Polk athletes won multiple medals in the girls competition Tenoroc’s Kyla McKenzie won the shot put  (29-03.25) and discus (75-09) and Frostproof’s Alyssa Ingraham won the triple jump (34-01.5) and long jump (16-0.25) Other individual winners from Polk were Frostproof’s Jenna Jordan (javelin) Frostproof's Yalimar Casquez (100 hurdles) and Discovery’s Joi Buckle (400) and E’Mirra Green (200) Discovery’s Ja’Quarius Lucas won the shot put (40-10.5) and discus (131-04) Other boys winners from Polk are Frostproof’s Nicholas Lopez (javelin) McKeel’s Cal Howard (1,600) and Jayden Vegter (800) and Tenoroc’s Sean Dickerson (400 hurdles) Armani Thomas (400) and Demetrius Jones (200) A private racetrack in Auburndale has plans to expand The Auburndale City Commission voted unanimously last week to approve amendments to land use and zoning that will allow Circuit Florida potentially to add to the length of its track also plans to build 75 garage condominiums or “autominiums,” to the west of the current track Circuit Florida lies within sight of Interstate 4 which bills itself as Florida’s only motorsports country club and residential community The site currently has a 1.7-mile asphalt racetrack The developers applied for a modification of the future land use designation on 16.5 acres from business park center to tourism commercial center Corsa CF also asked the city to amend the zoning from light industrial to planned development commercial-one and modify 28.2 acres of the existing development The developers submitted a binding site plan for the expansion They seek either to extend the current track to 2.4 miles or create two courses of 1.2 miles each Aerial photos show that much of the land west of the existing track is forested and appears to contain wetlands but a section bordering I-4 and Berkley Road is uplands and available for development Auburndale’s Community Development Director Central Polk Parkway East Lake Wales Commission isn't happy about proposed routes for new state toll road The plan calls for construction of 75 additional garage condominiums for a total of 150 units across 68.9 acres The proposal describes the new condos as “fee simple,” meaning the residents would not own the lots Some of the condominiums from the first phase have been built with tall garages and hydraulic systems to accommodate race cars The proposal also mentions plans for an off-road course on approximately 2.5 acres for recreational use That is a paved area used for testing a car’s handling masonry walls along any portion that borders established residences to reduce the noise effects The Auburndale Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the plan which also gained the backing of the city’s staff Circuit Florida offers memberships that allow even inexperienced racers to drive on the track, according to its website The track features a one-third-mile straightaway and allows for speeds above 100 mph in three sections Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13 As the girls soccer district tournament reached its championship game last season the athletic life of Auburndale’s McKenna Battilla She was fresh off a freshman season where she was a first-team, all-county selection in girls soccer, the Polk County girls tennis player of the year she was one of the two favorites to be girls soccer player of the year and was looking to repeat as tennis player of the year she also had just been selected to the U.S Youth Soccer Southern Region ODP Girls 2008 roster (2023-24 season) “I think what happened was I was going at such a high pace that the ball got kind of behind me and I took a big step with my left foot,” Battilla said and when I stopped my knee hyperextended and kind of buckled inward So it was more of like I was going all out and just like an abrupt stop.” Last soccer game: How Auburndale girls soccer overcame loss of top scorer Battilla to win district title Comeback: Healthy again, Auburndale's Battilla reclaims title at No. 1 singles at county tennis State tennis: Battilla falls in state semis as Auburndale girls finish 3A state runner-up Battilla’s athletic career suddenly was put on hold She sustained a tear on both ends of her anterior cruciate ligament which won the district title after she got hurt in the playoffs then play her sophomore tennis season rehabbing her knee and getting her athletic career back on track She is again the top girls tennis player in the county regaining the form that drew raves among county coaches her freshman season and has committed to the University of South Florida for soccer She has accomplished all this after a grueling rehab program that feature advanced technology in a system called the 3D Motion Lab in Orlando Battilla knew she was hurtBattilla had scored her 34th goal in the season on a penalty kick early in the district championship game against Horizon on Feb It was late in the first half as she was making a run toward the goal when she went down and she knew right away something was wrong “I don't really remember a lot of it just because I was in so much shock my heart dropped and I just had a feeling,” she said not only because I was in pain but I was just scared because I wasn't sure that it happened because I didn't hear a pop or anything the executive medical director of the AdventHealth Orthopedic Institute and almost immediately — three days later — she began rehab but it was just trying to get the mobility back bending The initial period after surgery was toughest not because of the pain but trying to adjust to her condition pushing her yet being encouraging at the same time “Either on days where I was too lazy to do something I'm so thankful that she was there to push me because if she wasn't I probably wouldn't recover as well as I did without her She was always there to either push me on days that we were arguing about it or just to be proud of me for days that I did get pushed through the hard times or always be there to make sure I had the best opportunity to get back.” a senior physical therapist at Rothman Orthopedics AdventHealth She was going over there three days a week often time driving two hours because of traffic the focus was on getting her motion and mobility back and it progressed to building up strength Battilla began feeling she finally was on the road to recovery when she was able to start running and squatting One of the biggest challenges early on was to regain the muscle in her injured leg “My sure surgical quad was 10 times smaller than my good left,” she said As Battilla progressed in her rehabilitation she went into a pilot program at Advent Health Sports Med & Rehab Innovation Tower in Orlando the system captures data from video — there are eight ceiling-mounted cameras and force places — that create three-dimensional images on the computer The system can overlay a skeleton that shows how a patient’s bones are moving Furman said they started using the system in August of 2024 and have been gradually ramping it up “It gives you a more in-depth assessment of what could potentially trip up a return to play continuum,” Furman said “It allows you to to look at things that you can't see with the naked eye Even with regards to motion and the quality of movement you can really slow it down and get specific on how they're positioned at key points during a force reduction phase which lets you know how much torque is occurring about the center of the joint and it can be critical in determining how protective the athlete can be of that particular structure whenever they load.” The results can tell a physical therapist if there is something that needs more focus along with giving a status update of where the patient is at that point in the rehab but it's a snapshot certainly so it lets you know are they where they need to be But there's always several things that you're that getting from a test and subsequent report that you can include in the note to help the therapist focus on those specific deficits," he said "Maybe they're landing with too shallow of a knee flexion angle Maybe they're not getting good co-contraction with their hamstring versus the quadriceps so they're out of balance with their sagittal plane joint moments Maybe they're too loose in through the trunk when they load Maybe their lateral force vectors are are too high for patella procedure or patella femoral dislocation patient Those are examples of things that you can use to help fine-tune a treatment regimen to give the treating therapist more specific information on what clearly is a deficit for that particular athlete.” much of what the system shows was evaluated with the naked eye the patient could do a single leg triple hop and the distance of the healthy leg and the injured leg could be compared “When you have the ability to capture multiple frames and break it down you can really see things that uou couldn't see just with the naked eye,” Furman said “So in terms of analyzing movement quality it really helps quite a bit in that regard You get joint angles at certain points in time you can figure out or you can direct which point in time you want to look at whether it's mid stance or breaking for propulsion transition or initial loading You can look at it at hundreds of different data points at each particular point of the movement.” The entire objective of the system is to get the athlete back to 100 percent as soon as possible the physician better information to determine if an athlete's ready to go back to play their sport,” Furman said there haven't been really definitive criteria or protocols for determining when somebody's ready to play again.” There’s also a big focus on trying to prevent re-injury Furman said the re-injury rate for ACL injuries is 30 percent whether it’s the same leg or the opposite leg which can result in another year away from the athlete's sport Making sure she was healthy enough with the best chance of not re-injuring her knee was a major concern for Battilla during her recovery “I would be devastated if she got hurt again I’m looking for things to hold them out because you don't want them to get re-injured That's the neat thing about this technology It gives you that hard objective data to make a more educated decision on whether they should return to play.” She returned to the soccer practice field in December and played her first club match in February a little bit of a pain in the knee here and there especially when somebody's going back to playing a demanding sport like soccer.” Battilla said she has dealt with issues with scar tissue and there was talk of having surgery to clean it up which would have set her back only a couple of weeks She wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of surgery “So I worked really hard like trying to rub out the scar tissue myself doing my extension exercises four times a day just trying to really prevent another surgery,” she said she worked on getting recruited and USF entered beginning in December and she kept contact with the coaches throughout January While Battilla’s main focus is getting back to 100 percent on the soccer field and didn’t pick up a tennis racket until a couple of weeks before the season she has begun to show the form that put her in the state semifinals her freshman year She has dominated her opponents during the season and plans to practice a bit more as districts approach “I definitely missed it a lot,” Battilla said “That's what I've realized throughout the injury is the love I've had for those sports because there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't miss it or be like I'm kind of like happy I don't have tennis or soccer today That's another thing I told my mom throughout this and after this injury I really like realized how much I like actually enjoy doing these sports.” Shredded confetti-like pieces of white material lie on the sidewalk in front of an Auburndale pizzeria remnants of devastation that struck the family-run business on the eve of its 35th anniversary "My dad always told me if there was a fire there would be a roaring sound like a train or a tornado in a sense," owner Cole Rutledge Rutledge said he was finishing mopping the floors of the pizzeria on Sunday night when he heard a noise from the restaurant's attic So Rutledge continued the process of seasoning the oven's shelves He said he noticed a little smoke in the oven I said let me go outside and check," Rutledge said "I took one step back and saw a bit of smoke Then I took another step back and then I saw it all." From Catapult and the Curb Market: Asian-inspired food hall coming to Lakeland airport Seeing smoke and flames start to come through the pizzeria's roof Rutledge dialed 911 and ran back inside the burning building He emptied three fire extinguishers in an attempt to douse the flames I'm not coming out till the fire department's here.'" Rutledge said he was there to open the door when Auburndale Fire Department arrived at the scene covering a distance of approximately 15 feet Rutledge said he thinks the oven's exhaust pipe cracked he thinks was a piece of the roof's burning beams falling down into the attic insulation over his head.An official fire inspection is scheduled for Monday were at the restaurant Tuesday morning breaking the news to some of their 28 employees but the couple has been given an estimate of four to six months to rebuild The insurance will cover approximately 60 days of wages for employees Cole Rutledge said the original location on Havendale Boulevard burned down in 1995 the the Auburndale pizzeria had a similar fire caused by the oven's exhaust duct while under the ownership of Cole Rutledge's father The pizzeria was out of business for approximately three weeks that time Beef O'Brady's has offered to donate a portion of their sales on Jan The couple said one of their biggest competitors has also offered to host fundraising night where a portion of sales are donated A GoFundMe account has been organized for the restaurant by Ciara Rutledge's best friend, Lindsey Tidwell, titled "Support Pizza Connection's Comeback." "In an effort to speed up this process and get back to doing what they do best — serve their community the best pizza around — I have been granted permission to create a Gofundme to kickstart the process of rebuilding this unimaginable loss as well as keep staff on payroll," Tidwell wrote Restaurant inspections: 13 Polk County restaurants fail to meet standards, including one with an old problem: rodents more than $13,500 of the $20,000 goal had been donated as of 2 p.m Ciara Rutledge said the funds will be used to help rebuild and compensate staff while the pizzeria is closed "We want to thank everyone for helping us through this and we appreciate everything that's been contributed," Ciara Rutledge said "We hope to see everyone back when we rebuild." Auburndale flag football head coach Gloria Choquette and the entire Auburndale flag football team’s mentality was to focus on the game and play one game at a time The Bloodhounds (11-2) knew in the Class 3A District 6 semifinal game that Sebring would bring their experience but it was up to Auburndale to take it one play at a time the Bloodhounds were still down early but fought battling adversity and eventually overcoming the challenge 28 program in Class 3A will play in the district championship game against Lakeland Friday at home it will be the program’s first-ever district championship “It feels good to see the girls make history Lakeland is a well coached program and we are going to have to bring our best game against them,” Choquette said All County: Gallery: Meet The Ledger's 2024 All-County Flag Football Team Senior quarterback Demi Serman said the team is gelling at the right time “It feels amazing because of how far we have come as a team,” Serman said “We had a rough end to last year and this was our comeback season to show everyone what we can do and I feel like we’ve done that so far I give all thanks to God for giving us this opportunity and I hope that we can make a deep playoff run.” Potentially sparking a deep playoff run were the playmakers in the district semifinal game: Serman threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jakara Holland as well as a 15-yard touchdown pass to Christianelle Rebarchek as the team’s defense had key stops in Bloodhound territory which has first-team all-county player Zebrielle Canaday (This story was changed to include new information.) the Port Charlotte teen accused of killing his mother with a knife during an argument at his grandmother's Auburndale home was found not guilty on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges Wednesday by a jury in Bartow starting midday Tuesday and continuing well into Wednesday until the 12-member panel of mostly women and one man came to a verdict about 2:45 p.m the prosecution and defense gave vastly different versions of the moments leading up to the death of Cathrine Griffith with the prosecution characterizing the teen as blood thirsty and out to kill his mother − even telling others he wanted to kill her While the defense explained the mother's own violent past and Collin Griffith's futile efforts to get away from his mother and what his defense team described as dangerous and emotional episodes Polk County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call just before 6:15 p.m off Hewlett Drive in The Hamptons senior community in Auburndale Collin had told the 911 dispatcher he and his mother had gotten into a lengthy fight during which his mother lunged at him with a knife and fell on it resulting in a deep stab wound to the neck Griffith was standing outside the mobile home and immediately asked deputies to speak with a lawyer He was 17 at the time of the homicide and was charged as an adult He had killed his father a year and a half earlier He was not charged in connection with that homicide in Oklahoma A grand jury indicted him on a capital felony charge of first-degree murder and kidnapping Sept In response to Wednesday's not guilty verdict Judd issued the following statement: "Our detectives firmly believe that Collin Griffith murdered his mother The jury determined that they could not convict him beyond and to the exclusion of all reasonable doubt detectives found witnesses that believe he also murdered his father in Oklahoma Read more details of the trial here The agency opened a missing-person investigation after learning that Stacy Ann Powell had not logged into her work computer since Feb Officers responded to Powell’s residence at 505 Alleria Court in Auburndale and encountered a handyman who had been hired to perform cabinet repairs The handyman reported that the residents were not home While officers were speaking with the handyman called him to ask about the presence of law enforcement officers at the property During a phone conversation with the investigating officer Ridgeway said he was in North Carolina with Powell’s grandmother Ridgeway also said that Powell had taken an Uber to Orlando International Airport on Feb 5 and flown to Jamaica to visit her ill father Investigators quickly determined that the statements were false and he had also contacted law enforcement after being unable to reach his daughter for two days Tonya Whipp case: Auburndale woman has been missing a year. Now a man is accused of stealing from her Auburndale detectives executed a search warrant Thursday evening at the home on Alleria Court and discovered evidence indicating that Powell had been attacked and killed He faces charges of murder and providing false information to law enforcement Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the department at 863-965-5555 “I was scrubbing the shelves; seasoning the shelves and I heard something fall to my left,” said Cole Rutledge Rutledge was just finishing up some prep work at his pizza shop Sunday night when suddenly a fire broke out took one step back and seen a little bit of smoke I took one more step back and seen a lot of smoke,” he said Rutledge tried to contain the fire as much as possible before Auburndale Fire Department arrived The cause of the fire is still unknown but what is clear is that it will take several weeks before Pizza Connection can reopen It is devastating news for customers who have enjoyed visiting the restaurant for nearly 35 years I know a lot of the community and I'm so blessed that they have supported us over the years,” Rutledge said The community continues to support the Auburndale staple as it rebuilds, rallying together to create a GoFundMe that will help with remodeling and keep employees on payroll It's just amazing how much the community actually comes together and cares for somebody,” Rutledge said and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark Latest Polk County News from ABC Action News Report a typo AUBURNDALE − Officials have released the name of a 17-year-old Vesper girl who was killed in a two-vehicle accident early Friday evening in Wood County was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash according to a news release from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office According to her obituary, Ramthun was a student at Lincoln High School and an active member of FFA as well as a skilled bladesmith and an accomplished musician 10 and Wood County P in the town of Auburndale The initial investigation found that a passenger car with two occupants was traveling north across U.S The vehicle failed to stop for a stop sign and was struck by an SUV traveling west on U.S A 17-year-old Wisconsin Rapids boy who was driving the car and a 26-year-old Milladore woman who was driving the SUV were taken to Marshfield Medical Center for injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening 10 was closed for nearly four and a half hours Friday night Agencies that assisted the Wood County Sheriff's Office include the Wisconsin State Patrol Tom-Line and Son and Marshfield Fire and Rescue A leaking roof and mice stealing food: Why the Humane Society needed a major remodel More local news: Friendship man arrested in connection with June deaths of Adams County mother and son Editor Jamie Rokus can be reach at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus Dhiraj Bommadevara bounced back to win the bronze medal for India in the men’s individual recurve event at the.. Lake Wales head cheer coach Brandi Kehres was incredibly proud of her cheer team’s mini pyramid and the front handspring ups-to-high-to-high libs This pyramid was in the very beginning of Lake Wales’ routine it provided high energy for the remaining of the team’s routine placing third in the Class 2A small non-tumbling semifinals and with a 79.50 and sixth place in the finals Since nationals are separate from the FHSAA the Highlanders already earned a spot at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) National Championship by earning a bid from a good performance in UCA regionals earlier this year The team will be competing in the Varsity Coed NT division many teams who do well in state are likely also advancing to nationals the task at hand was the FHSAA competitive cheerleading state championships Friday and Saturday at the RP Funding Center hitting routine before advancing to the state finals but we are proud of the elite skills we brought to the mat this year,” Kehres said Another elite stunt that Kehres said she and her group were proud of all year was a round-off full-up It is an elite skill that the Lake Wales coaches wanted to execute since Day 1 of choreography planning “We are proud to be the only team in our division that performed this skill,” Kehres said Lake Walese: How Lake Wales cheer has overcome some obstacles ahead of state Lakelande: How Lakeland cheer has gotten even better after a national title ahead of state The Auburndale cheer team was also proud of their performance placing first in the semifinals with a 74.7 and sixth in the finals with a 77 in the large non-tumbling division The Bloodhounds have been better each competition as 77 is the highest Auburndale has scored all season “It was extremely exciting to watch our kids hit back layout and front fulls in the routine to help get us out of semifinals and into finals,” Auburndale head cheer coach Brittney Pearn said “It feels good to say we are sixth in the state Our first goal was to make it out of semifinals to (the) finals While being sixth in finals was a little short of our goal we are extremely proud of our athletes and how well they performed against some challenging teams in our division.” Another notable performance for the Bloodhounds was the display of the round-off ups The Dreadnaughts placed second in the Class 2A extra-large non-tumbling division thanks to a score of 84.90 Although Lakeland executed a dazzling performance the Dreadnaughts dropped from first to second because of a fall This vaulted Wellington High School to the top “We have competed against each other for several years now They are a great program and executed their routine without any deductions today,” Lakeland head cheer coach Crystal Abdon said Lakeland will be going for a third straight national title Other Polk County programs had the following results: Lakeland Christian placed sixth in the Class 1A small non-tumbling division with a 74 and ninth in the finals with a 74.60; Fort Meade culminated sixth in the Class 1A large non-tumbling semifinals with a 64.30; and George Jenkins registered third in the Class 2A medium co-ed finals with a 66 An Auburndale woman has been arrested following a hit-and-run incident that injured a 6-year-old boy to a crash at Reiter Drive and Robert Avenue Witnesses reported that the vehicle that struck the child fled the scene but remained within the neighborhood Emergency medical personnel treated the boy at the scene before airlifting him to Tampa General Hospital officers located the suspect vehicle at 3032 Robert Ave Officers made contact with Cheryl Ann Alexander Alexander initially denied any knowledge of the incident but further investigation revealed that a piece of the vehicle’s grill found at the crash site matched her SUV Alexander later admitted that her daughter She claimed that Hudson had left hours before the crash After detecting more inconsistencies in Alexander's statements Tristen Lahr requested permission to search the residence Alexander then confessed that Hudson was hiding inside the home and admitted she had lied to protect her from being arrested Hudson said she fled the scene because she only had a learner’s permit Alexander was also arrested for providing false information during an investigation Mauston(Boys) Berlin(Girls) Adams-Friendship(W Wheelchair) Take Titles; Hasenohrl(Auburndale) Winker(Mauston) Showen(Westfield/Montello) Nagel(Auburndale) Take Multiple Wins Thanks to Auburndale Head Track and Field Coach John Karl for sharing results ****************************************** We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected] David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected] Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won the gold medal for India in the mixed team compound event at the Archery World Cup 2025 Auburndale,.. edging Chinese Taipei’s Huang I-Jou and Chen Chieh-Lun 153-151 in the final The paperwork needed for developers to break ground on new developments in Auburndale keeps piling up as the city hurries to expand its wastewater system for additional homes and businesses the city cannot issue building permits for land developers and home builders unless there is enough water and sewer capacity In Auburndale sewer capacity for most new housing developments cannot move forward Redevelopment projects in existing shopping centers can still move forward but converting a house to a car wash may not be possible according to City Manager Jeff Tillman in a phone call Thursday The city expects at least one of four different sewer improvement projects to be finished by early 2025 and potentially all of them completed by December 2025 “So we’re not completely restricted from re-developing it just depends on where you are at and what you are trying to do,” Tillman said He said the city has received about 30 requests from developers for a rate of growth that is unprecedented Tillman said the city has $8.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds with about $4 million earmarked for sewer system upgrades He said no debt would be incurred by existing residents because impact fees which are paid by builders and passed on to new home buyers The sewer upgrades are estimated to cost $20 million to $25 million While Tillman is just 3.5 years on the job the city saw capacity issues coming under prior city management and had contracted for a study to identify solutions The study by Chastain-Skillman consulting engineers showed that the wastewater treatment plant had capacity but will need an upgrade more pipes and pumps will be needed because pumps within the system were being overutilized at nearly 22 hours per day vs The four projects to provide future capacity are:   Growth is to blame Auburndale Mayor Dorothea Taylor Bogert said the wastewater system is being expanded as fast as the city can manage it Turf war: The ugly battle between Auburndale residents and an ever-expanding lawn business who is the broker-owner of FL Realty and a former adjunct professor of ethics at Polk State College blamed the infrastructure woes on supercharged growth Polk County was the fastest growing county in Florida “The expansion is coming at such a rapid pace “We have developer agreements that we are putting in place so that everyone is in the queue as soon as everything can get done.”   the numbers of building permits issued in Auburndale nearly doubled from 1,595 in the 2019-20 fiscal year to 2,972 in 2022-23 They slid back to 1,794 in the current fiscal year Taylor Bogert said the new Lakes District in the city's north is one of the ways Auburndale has attempted to control growth with a “zoning enclave.” There are two large former orange grove owners whose land comprises most of the acreage for the master planned community and BL Lanier and Associates − which were both citrus growers − are among the largest landowners of the multiple parcels that comprise the district The land surrounds the southern end of Lake Juliana and the northern shore of Lake Arietta Some parcels are in unincorporated Auburndale and others within the city limits sewer capacity is halting development in the Lakes District Recent minutes to the City Commission show at least one "developer agreement" was approved but it does not guarantee the developer can build anything until sewer system upgrades have been completed No water, no new homes: This small Polk County town is halting new construction until more water is found another developer's agreement gained passage by unanimous vote for Apopka-based BSC Florida Investments Corp. which wants to build at 0 Bordeau Court adjacent to Gaborone Boulevard It was unclear how many of the 30 developments Tillman said were pending in Auburndale were also under a developer agreement While the city is seeking input from residents on the update of its comprehensive land use plan many residents have taken to Auburndale Facebook pages to vent their frustration with the roads mostly but several also identified issues with low water pressure and backed up sewer pipes who purchased a 14-year-old home in March 2019 in the Berkley Ridge neighborhood behind the new Publix Super Market no issues,” she said in an email to a reporter we have often very low water pressure in the morning hours and septic backup yearly.”   A professional came out and told her not to let anyone put flushable wipes down the toilets “The toilets often gurgle and during the summer we have a yearly clog that takes a snake to drain.”   While she has never gotten to the bottom of the cause “Not sure if it is a city issue but it did start happening with all the new building around us,” she said “We have noticed a pump/machine hooked to utilities on the road coming into the neighborhood for a few months now.”   she said the Lake Myrtle dog park on Denton Avenue has had almost zero water pressure for her dog to drink from the water bowls POLK COUNTY – A woman pretended to be behind the wheel of an SUV that struck a 6-year-old boy in a hit-and-run crash to “protect” her daughter from getting arrested according to the Auburndale Police Department Wednesday in the area of Reiter Drive and Robert Avenue and witnesses nearby saw the vehicle leave the area “but remained within the neighborhood.” The boy was taken to Tampa General Hospital Officers located the vehicle on Robert Avenue and spoke with the registered owner who said she did not know anything about the hit-and-run further investigation revealed a piece of the vehicle’s grill at the crash site that matched her SUV,” the department said in a release had been driving the vehicle “but claimed Hudson had left hours before the crash.” Officers determined “additional inconsistencies” with Alexander’s statements and requested to search their residence “Alexander ultimately confessed that Hudson was hiding inside the home and admitted she had lied to protect her from getting arrested Officers located Hudson concealed in a bathroom,” the department said Hudson told police she left the crash scene because she only had a learner’s permit who faces a charge of providing false information State-operated emergency shelter in Auburndale remains open amid Hurricane Milton floodingLakeland LedgerA state-run emergency shelter remains open for Polk County residents even as locally run shelters have ceased operations The warehouse owned by the State of Florida is located at 660 C The shelter is open to the general population who were displaced by Hurricane Milton Polk County offers updates on its Hurricane Milton recovery efforts at https://www.polk-county.net/hurricane-milton-recovery-resources-in-polk. AUBURNDALE – One person is dead after a two-vehicle accident early Friday evening in Wood County according to a news release from the Wood County Sheriff's Office Drivers of both vehicles were taken to Marshfield Medical Center for injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening The passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene More local news: Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approves Portage County solar farm Nicole Sandoval was found on East McMillan Street Emergency medical personnel performed lifesaving measures on Sandoval Officers arrested a 22-year-old Marshfield man on a suspected probation violation and suspected drunken driving Officers are waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of Sandoval's death but they anticipate they will request additional charges be filed against the Marshfield man Investigators say information they've received indicates the incident started as a domestic disturbance between Sandoval and the Marshfield man They are investigating her death as a homicide The Marshfield News-Herald is not releasing the name of the man arrested until he is officially charged Check out our best photos: Release of 200 monarch butterflies highlights final day of Maple Fall Fest in Marshfield More local news: 50-year-old Marshfield man dies in motorcycle crash with bear in Lincoln County Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33 LAKELAND — McKenna Battilla hasn’t been able to practice tennis much since recovering from an ACL injury as she’s been focusing on soccer Battilla, the last girls player to win the overall title at No. 1 singles on the court, capped the week by defeating McKeel senior Jada Hutto 1 singles final of the Polk County Girls Tennis Tournament at the Beerman Family Tennis Center Santa Fe Catholic’s Nya Kerr defeated Hutto on the West County final but did not face Frostproof’s Hannah Windham More: All these sports, who to watch? Here are 57 of Polk County's top spring athletes in 2025 Kerr missed the county tournament this year because of an injury Battilla reclaimed her spot as the top girls tennis player in the county by storming through the East tournament She defeated Windham on Tuesday in the East final Battilla enjoyed being back and playing competitive tennis “It’s definitely a different feeling than anything else,” said Battilla “It was nerve wracking at first just because the competition level has improved since my freshman year So I was really worried about that — just like my confidence in matches Battilla said she could see how much Hutto has an improved since they met two years ago “She has a very powerful serve,” Battilla said so it wasn't like I was just winning easy points It was definitely just as difficult as it was my freshman year because obviously she's improved.” In her first match in the East tournament on Monday Winter Haven’s Sophie Bose gave Battilla a bit of a challenge as the match was close before Battiall pulled away to win Battilla and teammate Ava Mulling also won the overall title at No They defeated McKeel’s Hutto and Briley Davis It was doubles that provided the most dramatic match of the week who was battling severe cramps in her hand and Mulling dropped the first set before rallying to defeat No but we calmed each other down,” Battilla said The victory allowed Auburndale to tie All Saints for the team title McKeel won at all seven positions to run away with the team title Davis defeated Frostproof’s Abigail Windham 2; McKeel’s Ciara Smith defeated Winter Haven’s Presley Odom 3; McKeel’s Leia Johnson defeated All Saints’ Victoria Ancaya and McKeel’s Ashley Operderbeck defeated Auburndale’s Adrienne Cardona McKeel’s Smith and Johnson defeated All Saints’ Eme Abbruzzesse and Lily Hyman The boys overall county finals originally were scheduled for Wednesday the weather prevented the East boys tournament from concluding on Tuesday The final matches were played on Wednesday on Thursday at the Beerman Family Tennis Center Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai won the silver medal for India in the men’s team recurve event at the Archery World Cup 2025.. after losing to the People's Republic of China 5-1 in the final A 17-year-old will be prosecuted as an adult on charges of fatally stabbing his mother in Auburndale after killing his father a year and a half ago in alleged self-defense A grand jury indicted Collin Griffith of Port Charlotte on a capital felony charge of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of his mother "I made the decision to charge this 17-year-old as an adult based on the egregious facts and circumstances of this case," State Attorney Brian Haas said in a Youtube video "Charging a minor as an adult is not a decision that I take lightly but as state attorney is it my responsibility to do so when warranted Collin Griffith was standing outside the mobile home and immediately asked deputies to speak with a lawyer An autopsy performed by the 10th District Medical Examiner's Office found that it was not reasonable or plausible for Catherine Griffith to have died of an accidental self-inflicted knife wound the way her son described Judd said Collin Griffith's grandmother informed them the teen had verbally threatened to kill his mother Collin Griffith was arrested for fatally shooting his father in Oklahoma Polk County law enforcement continues to work with authorities in Oklahoma the Wood County Sheriff’s Department responded to Auburndale Elementary School in the Village of Auburndale The individual was confronted by a school staff member before law enforcement arrived The subject was later identified as Alden Jensen By the time law enforcement made contact with Jensen It was discovered that Jensen had taken the firearm to a nearby residence Jensen admitted to having an AR-style .22 caliber rifle in the trunk of a vehicle He stated that he was attempting to remove the firearm from school property and tried to conceal it A school staff member observed Jensen concealing the firearm and saw him leave school grounds A search of Jensen’s vehicle revealed ammunition and the firearm was recovered at the nearby residence who is currently enrolled as an online student in the Auburndale School District explained that the firearm was in his vehicle because he had been teaching firearms safety to a child over the weekend Jensen was taken into custody and is being held at the Wood County Jail for possession of a firearm in a school zone It is important to note that no threats were made and at no time was there a reported danger to students or the community The Wood County Sheriff’s Department was assisted in this incident by the Marshfield Police Department Marathon County Sheriff’s Department This incident serves as a reminder that firearms are not permitted on school grounds unless carried by a sworn law enforcement officer – Submitted by Wood County Lt Scott Goldberg We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected] This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at [email protected] George Jenkins goalkeeper Cohen Bloodworth turned in a stellar performance that helped the Eagles finish regulation and overtime tied with Tampa Plant 2-2 for the penalty kick shootout that decided the contest Jenkins coach Jonathan Kilby played a hunch Kilby inserted backup keeper Logan Lewis for the shootout Lewis made a save on Plant’s first attempt and got his hands on two more shots as Jenkins defeated Plant 5-4 in the shootout of the Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinals Tuesday it just goes away,” said Lewis about being in goal for penalty kicks “I just put my trust in God and everything and he tells me which way to go District Boys Soccer: Lakeland Christian prevails in penalty kicks to win 2A-9 district title District Girls Soccer: Coleman gives Lakeland Christian offensive spark in 2A-9 district final Lewis saved the first shot by Plant (12-5-2), then Jensen Warner, Brayden Mitchell, Gorgonio Torres, Brady Pennewell and Emory James all hit their shots. Kilby was just as nervous initially as Lewis. Jenkins waited until the end of each half to get its goals in regulation. At the end of the first half, Rylan Kent scored on a throw-in. Seconds later, the whistle sounded to end the half. Plant scored back-to-back goals about 10 minutes into the second half, about a minute apart, and Werner scored on a penalty kick to tie the score with less than three minutes to play. Jenkins will play at Palm Harbor (17-1) on Friday in the regional semifinals. The other three Polk County boys teams that played on Tuesday, lost their regional quarterfinal matches. In 6A-2, Wiregrass Ranch defeated Bartow 3-1. In 4A-2, Mount Dora defeated Lake Region 4-1, and Satellite defeated Lake Wales 3-1. Girls 7A-3: George Jenkins prevails in penalty kicksGeorge Jenkins outscored Sarasota Riverview 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout to come away with the victory in the Class 7A-Region 2 quarterfinals. The Eagles (16-1-5) will now play at Palm Harbor University on Friday in the regional semifinals. Palm Harbor is ranked No. 19 in the nation by MaxPreps.  “Our discipline was just unmatched,” Jenkins coach Jake Maloney said. “We do what we need to do at the right time, the right way, all the time. And if we do that, we get results against teams that are very good. This team we played tonight is very good. Good teams find a way to win games, and we've done that this year. This is the hardest team we've played this year.” Parker Buchholz scored her third goal of the season to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead, but Riverview (12-4-1) later tied the score. In the penalty kick shootout, Katie Mauer, Lillian Spurgeon, Abbie Kent and Sienna Ferry scored for Jenkins. Jenkins got strong defensive play from Ferry, Mya Spaulding and Georgiana Strawbridge, and Eliot Losinski was strong up top. Auburndale was the No. 3 seed but, as a district runner-up, had to travel to play No. 6 seed Lecanto, a district champion. It didn’t matter. The Bloodhounds dominated and won 3-0 to advance to the regional semifinals. Senior Alaney Hancock set up a pair of goals to Layla Williams, giving the Bloodhounds a 2-0 lead. Williams then assisted on Ava Mulling’s goal. Auburndale (10-6) will now play at Cypress Creek at 7 p.m. on Friday in the regional semifinals. Merritt Island eliminated Lake Wales with a 5-2 victory. Lake Wales ends the season 6-9-1. Watch All Subscriber Events NASCAR SERIES Zach Briggs took the win in the first 50-lap race of the evening, while defending series champion Dodge Carlbert went to victory lane in race two. ShareTopThere was no shortage of excitement and drama in the Salted Metals Twin 50s for the UARA Sportsman Series at Auburndale Speedway on Saturday night Zach Briggs took the win in the first 50-lap race of the evening while defending series champion Dodge Carlbert went to victory lane in race two In the first 50-lap feature of the evening as Sozio was disqualified for a ride height violation in post-race technical inspection but was also disqualified for a carburetor violation James Seeright was credited with second place with Dodge Carlbert rounding out the podium in the official rundown from race one Briggs thanked his fellow competitors for respectful racing at the front of the field in the first feature "I'm not used to getting ran very clean," said Briggs "I appreciate those guys running me clean everybody giving me an opportunity to drive this car he's busted his butt for the last two weeks to get this thing ready so I could race it this week." it would be a clash between Briggs and brother Adam Briggs that dashed his hopes of a sweep for the evening While battling for the lead late in the second race Adam Briggs spun after contact with Zach Briggs Adam Briggs maintained his spot as moments prior the caution flag flew for a spin in turn three On the ensuing green-white-checkered restart the Briggs brothers made contact on the front row sending both cars into the outside wall as they slid into turn one and ending their race This turned the top spot over to Dodge Carlbert who held on for one more restart for the win he was greeted in victory lane by Brandon Morris sharing his displeasure after contact between the two drivers with 17 laps to go "I was very conservative in the first race offered a strong rebuttal in his take of the second race "You just get drove shit by the 02 [of Carlbert] The only one over there worth a shit is Jason Boyd I've got a lot of respect for him and he does a hell of a job Everybody else can get ready to work on race cars because the next time he takes two inches from me overcoming plenty of adversity for the runner-up finish Between mechanical issues throughout the weekend and some struggles in the first 50-lap race it was a battle all night long for Winchell and his team "The first thing I want to say is this is living proof God is real," said Winchell We broke a top link last night and broke a right-front hub right before practice I screwed up in the first race and ruined Matthew Green's night I drove my ass off in the second race and these guys right here worked all freaking night long to give me that car James Seeright came away with a second podium finish on the evening those two races couldn't have been more different from his perspective "In the last one I was in front of a lot of the mayhem that went on other than that one on the back straightaway," said Seeright it felt like I was dropped in the middle of Afghanistan I'm lucky my dad changed a bunch of stuff trying to make the car better and try to come back and battle for a few more wins." The next event for the UARA Sportsman Series comes on May 24 at the Freedom Factory Both the UARA Sportsman and UARA National Super Late Models will be on hand as part of the Bigley Memorial Tune-Up 125 -Photo credit: United Auto Racing Alliance Related ArticlesUARA National Series United Auto Racing Alliance Announces Schedule Adjustments Johvan Dillon Scores Surprising Win in Chaotic Leonard Evans 150 Finish Jared Fryar Returns to CARS Tour Winner's Circle at Orange County This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.