Florida Sports Wire

By MIKE BONTS FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE With the 2nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Dante Fowler, defensive end from Florida. "I'm excited about this moment, as I'm just living it up right now," said Fowler following his selection. "All my hard work has paid off, but I still have a lot of great things to do. I'm just very blessed." Fowler is the 47th Gator drafted all-time in the first round and tied him for the highest a Gator was picked since the 1966 NFL-AFL merger. UF has had 12 defensive lineman in the selected in the first round since 1989, which is most of any school over that span. "Dante is the most gifted edge-rusher in this draft class," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock following the selection. "He's 261 pounds, he's got a freaky first step and he also sets a physical edge in the run game." ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. echoed those comments and said, "Dante is mild-mannered

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Billy Donovan has stepped down as head coach of the Florida men's basketball team to take the same position with the Oklahoma City Thunder, director of athletics Jeremy Foley announced on Thursday. Donovan leaves Florida after 19 seasons leading the men's basketball program to unprecedented levels of success, winning two national championships, reaching four Final Fours and claiming six SEC titles, posting a 467-186 (.715) record with the Gators. "While we are certainly extremely sad to see Billy go, the primary feeling I have is one of gratitude for what he has done here at Florida," Foley said. "Billy and Florida basketball have been synonymous for a long time now, and our program would not have reached the heights it has without him. The legacy he leaves here is one of personal and professional excellence, and we wish him, Christine and the Donovan family continued success and happiness as they make this move. There is no better person

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Sharks will play the first of two consecutive road games this weekend, as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Storm in a South Division matchup on Saturday, May 2. Kickoff from Amalie Arena in Tampa is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed live via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app for mobile devices. This is the first of three matchups between these divisional foes this season, as Jacksonville (1-4) returns to Tampa on June 12, while Tampa Bay (2-3) will make the trip up to Sea Best Field on July 18. The Sharks hold an 8-2 edge in the all-time regular season series, though the Storm did win the teams’ most recent matchup in Week 11 of the 2014 season. The Sharks enter this week’s action in search of their second consecutive win after handling the Las Vegas Outlaws to the tune of a 60-28 victory last Friday night. In that game, the Sharks avoided a number of pitfalls that had hurt the team during the first four weeks of the season, as the

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (9-9) defeated the Birmingham Barons (8-10) after plating the go-ahead run in the eighth to win by a 6-5 score and win the series Tuesday night from Bragan Field. Suns reliever Craig Stem (W, 1-0) earned the victory in 1 and 2/3 innings of work allowing no runs on two hits including the game-tying two-run triple to Marcus Lemon, in which the runs were charged to starter Chipper Smith. Barons reliever Kyle Hansen (L, 0-1) took the loss after manufacturing three innings surrendering the go-ahead run in the eighth while not walking a batter and striking out three. The scoring began in the bottom of the first for the Suns after a pair of walks to start the inning, would soon be followed by Matt Juengel’s RBI fielder’s choice, then by Ryan Rieger’s two-run double, leaping Jacksonville to a 3-0 scoreboard advantage. Moving to the second Birmingham crept closer with a solo run driven in courtesy of a Danny Hayes RBI double to get his team on t

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new professional soccer team, return to Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville this Saturday for a vital clash with defending North American Soccer League Champions San Antonio Scorpions (kickoff 7:30 p.m.) presented by Community First Credit Union. The Armada is encouraging fans to arrive early on Saturday to enjoy the three-hour, pre-match build-up at the Armada Matchday Experience on Duval Street, presented by PRI Productions. The pre-match party, which is FREE for match goers, continues the World of Nations activities taking place in downtown Jacksonville this weekend with a "World Celebration on Dos de Mayo" theme, and includes a live performance from Jacksonville's "hottest" Latin band Ritmo y Sabor, a nine-piece ensemble that features musicians living on the First Coast of Florida, playing Latin sounds usually heard in the clubs of New York, Miami, Puerto Rico or L.A.. The Arm

By JOHN MCMULLEN NFL Editor JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars made their decision at the quarterback position last year when they drafted Blake Bortles meaning the organization is in a great position this time around with the No. 3 overall selection. If things fall as expected and Tampa Bay selects Florida State QB Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick and Tennessee either drafts Marcus Mariota or trades out to an organization that wants the Oregon Heisman Trophy winner, that leaves the Jags with the pick of the litter. Many have focused on Florida's Dante Fowler, the best edge player in the draft, as the logical choice for the Jags but if Southern Cal's Leonard Williams, the best overall prospect in the class, falls, he will be hard to pass up. Fowler is the better fit based on need but Williams is a versatile player who can line up virtually anywhere on the defensive line and has the potential to be a dominant player. 2014 Record: 3-13 Top Needs: DE,

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Florida Gators head into this week's 2015 BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Championship , presented by New York Life, as the No. 1 seed. The end of the year tournament will begin with the semifinals on Thursday, April 30, and conclude with the finals on Saturday, May 2. All games will be played at George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex in Storrs, Connecticut. No. 1 Florida, who earned a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title with Georgetown, plays No. 4 Villanova in the semifinals on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of the No. 2 Georgetown-No. 3 Connecticut game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. During the regular season, Florida defeated  Villanova, 21-3, on April 11 in Gainesville. Both BIG EAST Championship Semifinal games will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Saturday's final will air live on FOX Sports 2, with John Sadak and Kara Lentz on the call.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rowdies came out on top, 3-2, over the Jacksonville Armada FC at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night in the clubs' first-ever North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season meeting. Jemal Johnson and Marcos Flores scored for the Armada FC. It was both players' second goals of the season.  In front of a crowd that sounded much louder than the announced attendance of 5,461, the clubs traded momentum. After the Rowdies went up 1-0 on a penalty kick from Tampa Bay's Maicon Santos in the 12 th  minute, Jacksonville took control of the rest of the half and seemingly sucked the life out of the home crowd. The Armada FC (1-2-0) answered in the 14 th  minute when Flores drew a penalty and tapped in a rebound off his penalty kick attempt to knot the score at 1-1. Johnson sent Armada FC fans that made the trip into a moment of euphoria in the 31 st  minute when he blasted a shot from 20 yards out that tapped the upper right post an

JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Sharks broke the game open with 35 consecutive points on Friday and never looked back, shutting down the Las Vegas Outlaws to the tune of a 60-28 victory in front of 9,682 on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Jacksonville (1-4) trailed 14-7 early in the second quarter before changing the complexion of the game with a series of defensive stops and quick scores. After Tommy Grady hit Tiger Jones on a Scooter Berry stripped the ball from Las Vegas (2-2) fullback Joe Mortensen, forcing a fumble that Alvin Ray Jackson recovered. On the ensuing drive, Grady again found Jones in the end zone, as the second of their three touchdown connections gave the Sharks their first lead, 21-14, with 50 seconds remaining in the first half. Jacksonville then gained an extra possession on special teams, as Julian Rauch executed a slow-roll onside kick that Jimmy Gordon came away with following an extended scramble for the ball. Five plays later,

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (6-7) were stifled at the plate against the Biloxi Shuckers (8-5) who picked up a 5-1 win and a series victory Thursday night from Bragan Field. Earning the victory for Biloxi was Hobbs Johnson (W, 1-0) tossing five scoreless innings allowing only one hit on two walks and six strikeouts. Suns starter Austin Brice (L, 0-2) took the loss lasting 3 and 1/3 innings relinquishing five earned runs on seven hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out four. The scoring began in the bottom of the third inning for Biloxi, and with two runners on and one out, that set up Nick Ramirez (HR, 4) to blast a three-run shot into right leaping his squad out to a 3-0 lead. In the fourth frame the Shuckers would add to their lead. With the bases loaded, Yadiel Rivera would ground into a RBI fielder’s choice to swell the Shuckers advantage to 4-0. In the same frame, and Suns reliever Lay Batista on the mound, Orlando Arcia grounded a RBI single in

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2015 schedule is highlighted by back-to-back games at EverBank Field to begin the season, a trip to London to play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 25 and a nationally-televised home game on NFL Network against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, November 19.   The Jaguars open the season at home on Sunday, September 13 against the Carolina Panthers. The Jaguars have back-to-back home games to open the season for the fifth time in franchise history (1996, 2001, 2006, 2007).  Three of the club’s first four games are against 2014 playoff teams and five of the first six games are against teams that finished .500 or above in 2014.  Fifteen of the Jaguars’ 16 regular season games will be played on Sundays, with 13 scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Eastern kickoffs, one at 9:30 a.m., one at 4:05 p.m. and one at 8:25 p.m.  The Jaguars play consecutive games at EverBank Field three times and consecutive road games three times including a stretch of three straight games

BRASELTON, GA. - No. 26-ranked North Florida survived the marathon Tuesday at the 2015 Atlantic Sun Men's Golf Championship to take home the program's fourth conference title and third in the last four years. UNF junior Austin Padova birdied No. 18 to capture the medalist honors at three-under par, 207, one stroke ahead of Kennesaw State's Jimmy Beck and Lipscomb's Dawson Armstrong. Taylor Hancock joined Padova in the top-five to earn All-Tournament honors as the junior from Clearwater, Fla. fired rounds of 70-68 in the final 36 holes to earn fourth place.  As a team, North Florida finished the 54-hole event at the Legends Course of Chateau Elan with a total of 849 including registering a final round 277 to set the program's A-Sun Championship 18-hole record. "Great day for the guys and we battled until the very end," said UNF head coach Scott Schroeder. "We gave away a bunch of shots over the first 40 holes or so but then were able to fini

The Jacksonville Jaguars have finalized their 2015 preseason schedule. The Jaguars will open the 2015 preseason at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET at EverBank Field. It will mark the first time the two teams have faced one another in the preseason. On Saturday, August 22, the Jaguars travel to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Giants at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Jaguars will play at MetLife Stadium again during the 2015 regular season when they take on the New York Jets. In their third preseason game, the Jaguars return home to host the Detroit Lions on Friday, August 28 for a nationally-televised game on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET. To close out the preseason the Jaguars will travel to Washington to play the Redskins at FedEx Field on Thursday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the Jaguars’ preseason and regular season home games will go on sale later this week when the regular season schedule is announced by the NFL. Fans should go to www

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (5-4) were shutout by the Montgomery Biscuits (4-6) by a 2-0 score Sunday afternoon from Bragan Field. Bradin Hagens (W, 1-0) earned the victory in relief of rehabbing major leaguer Drew Smyly, Hagens lasted four innings surrendering four hits one walk and three strikeouts over four scoreless frames. Suns starter Matt Tomshaw (L, 0-1) lasted six innings relinquishing two earned runs on nine hits while striking out three in the loss. The scoring began in the top of the second after Justin O’Conner (HR, 3) served one over the left field wall to give Montgomery a 1-0 lead through two innings. In the third frame, Daniel Robertson delivered a RBI base knock to leap the Biscuits to a 2-0 advantage, and that would prove to be enough for the win. The Suns went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position while leaving a total 10 men on base. The Suns bullpen would have a strong showing, starting with Brian Ellington who entered in the seventh f

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After inclement weather forced the Atlantic Sun Men's Tennis semifinals matches to finish on Sunday, FGCU and North Florida earned victories to move on to the A-Sun Championship Final. The Eagles defeated Stetson, 4-2, while host UNF won over USC Upstate, 4-1. FGCU jumped out to an early lead against the Hatters after claiming the doubles point. Jordi Vives and Eduardo Alfonzo defeated Stetson's Chester Espie and Loic Blanco at No. 1 doubles, 8-2. Soon after, Ricky Ventura and Lucas Vaz clinched their match at No. 2 doubles with an 8-4 result. Taking a 1-0 lead into singles play, FGCU added another point when Vives won in straight-sets at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2. Stetson answered the FGCU run with a win at No. 6 singles as Espie defeated Michael Beiler, 6-2, 6-3. A rain delay postponed the rest of the matches until Sunday where the Eagles had a 2-1 lead.  On Sunday, Alfonzo grabbed a quick victory for the Eagles to start the day at No. 5 singles over

A touchdown pass from Tommy Grady to Joe Hills pulled the Jacksonville Sharks to within three points with 12 minutes remaining on Friday night, but an ensuing kickoff return touchdown and “bar-ball” recovery proved costly as the Sharks fell to the San Jose SaberCats, 68-48, on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. In a game in which the Sharks trailed by four points at halftime, Jacksonville (0-4) held serve into the fourth quarter, as Grady fired an 11-yard strike to Joe Hills to bring the Sharks to within a 41-38 margin. But the Sharks did not get a chance to make a defensive stop, as San Jose (4-0) kick returner brought back the ensuing kickoff the length of the field for a touchdown. After the two sides again traded scores – on a pass from Grady to Harvey followed by a 39-yard bomb from Erik Meyer to D.J. Stephens, Nich Pertuit sent the ensuing kickoff careening off the iron. Jacksonville returner Terrance Smith was unable to secure the carom, and San Jose

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (4-1) defeated the Montgomery Biscuits (1-5) by a 3-2 score Wednesday night from Bragan Field. The scoring began in the bottom of the first after Zack Cox (HR, 1) mashed a solo long ball over the right field wall to provide the Suns with a 1-0 lead through one inning of play. Blake Logan (W, 1-0) earned the victory for the Suns tossing a scoreless seventh and eighth innings out of the bullpen while allowing one run on three hits along with no walks and three strikeouts. For the Biscuits Parker Markel (L, 1-1) took the loss after pitching the eighth, in which he surrendered one run on two hits while not walking a batter and striking out one. Sean Donatello (S, 2) nailed down his second save of the year tossing a perfect ninth that was accompanied by a pair of strikeouts. Moving to the fourth, Justin O’Conner (HR, 2) mashed his second home run of the year over the left field wall to knot up the score at one apiece through four innings. A

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher joked earlier this spring that the Seminoles have probably sent an entire starting roster to the National Football League over the last few seasons. By the time the 2015 draft concludes early next month, Fisher may turn out to be more right than he knew. Since Fisher took over as FSU’s head coach in 2010, the Seminoles have had 25 players drafted into the NFL. And that number is due to climb in a few weeks, when as many as 12 more former Seminoles potentially hear their name called to join the professional ranks. “As talented a group as you’ll see anywhere in the country,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said after FSU’s Pro Day in March. Fisher has developed a strong reputation as one of the top quarterback coaches in the nation, and with good reason. He’s got three first-round quarterbacks on his ledger, and each of his starters at FSU (Christian Ponder, 2011; EJ Manuel, 2013) have been selected in the first round. Heism

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks and the Arena Football League announced Tuesday that Jacksonville wide receiver Tiger Jones has been named the League’s Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3 of the 2015 AFL season.  Jones receives this honor for his record-breaking performance in Jacksonville’s loss to the Philadelphia Soul on Sunday. Facing the team for which he played from 2012 through 2014, Jones established a new franchise record with 239 receiving yards, breaking the old mark of 210 set by Jeff Hughley during the 2011 season.  Jones totaled 13 receptions in the game, scoring five touchdowns for the second consecutive week. He opened the game with a 36-yard touchdown on a fourth-down pass during the game’s opening drive, then went on to score two more touchdowns in the first half and another two in the second half.  It is worth noting that Jones now hold both the record for most receiving yards by a Shark in a single game, as well as the record for

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 13 Florida State (26-12) returns home after a tough weekend series in South Bend, Ind., to face No. 7 Florida (28-9) on Tuesday in the rubber game between these two intra-state rivals. First pitch for the third and final game of the ‘Share A Little Sunshine Showdown’ regular season series is set for 6:00 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3. The Gators defeated the Seminoles 14-8 in Gainesville in the first match-up this year, before FSU evened the series with an 8-3 victory at the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville. In the first meeting in Gainesville, the Gators outhit the Seminoles 16-9, while FSU tied a season-high committing five errors. The 14 runs by Florida were the most scored by the Gators in the series since plating 16 against the Seminoles in Jacksonville on April 3, 2007. It also marked the most combined runs by the two teams since a 17-11 victory by Florida State in an NCAA Regional elimination game on May 31, 2008. In Jacksonville on March 31, the

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Pinellas County (Clearwater, Largo) was the big winner with two titles among five men’s and women’s division winners at the 2015 Adult 65 & Over League Sectional Championships, held April 10-12 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach. Claiming titles for the second consecutive year were Duval County in the Women’s 6.0 division, and Lee-Charlotte in the Men’s 7.0 division. Captain Larry Blohm of the winning Lee/Charlotte team from Ft. Myers said his team had a close call even before reaching sectionals. “We defeated Park Meadows, the former national championship team, in the final match of the season with a super tie-breaker in the third set to tie for the [local Ft. Myers] league title,” Blohm said. “We won the title using the tiebreaker format.” Teams consisted of three doubles lines competing in a non-elimination round-robin format. The winner of each flight advanced into a single-elimination semifinal followed by the final. Collier County

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (3-1) topped the Jackson Generals (1-3) 4-2 in a series-clinching win Sunday afternoon from Bragan Field. Suns starter Kendry Flores (W, 1-0) picked up the victory tossing five innings allowing one run (earned) on two hits and two strikeouts.  Dylan Unsworth (L, 1-0) took the loss in his start for Jackson manufacturing four innings relinquishing six hits four runs (three earned) while walking two and fanning four batters.  Nailing down the victory was Sean Donatello (S,1) for his first save of the season, although he did allow and earned run while walking and striking out a solo batter respectively. The scoring began in the bottom of the first after Austin Nola’s sac fly pushed the Suns out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Moving to the top of the second, a Julio Morban RBI triple scored Jordy Lara to tie the score at a run apiece. In the bottom of the same frame, Sharif Othman broke the tie with a line drive single to left scoring Ryan