Florida Sports Wire

ATHENS, Ga. – Tae Crowder rushed for two touchdowns and Aaron Davis returned an interception 98 yards for another as the Black team defeated the Red team 34-14 in the annual G-Day Game on Saturday. A record 93,000 fans attended the game at Sanford Stadium. The 93,000 fans almost doubled Georgia’s previous G-Day attendance record of 46,815 set in 2015. Georgia-native and notable rapper Ludicras performed just before the teams ran onto the field on a stage behind the East end zone. “[It’s] A special moment to know that the fan base has your back and has got your programs’ back,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “But they came and they came in groves and I appreciate that. Our kids appreciate that…It speaks volumes for where Georgia is heading and what Georgia can do…What a great atmosphere to come out and compete in. I can’t say enough about our fan base and what they were able to do.” Georgia’s quarterbacks rotated in on both sides of the ball. Freshman Jacob Eason went 19-29 for 244

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –  For Jacksonville Armada head coach Tony Meola and his team, Friday night could not have gone any better in the North American Soccer League (NASL)  home opener at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. A crowd of 5,112 watched a 2-1 win over expansion rival Miami FC. The teams combined for five yellow cards and 28 fouls in a battle that had fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle sounded. “(Our fans) are great here,” Meola said. “They were loud tonight as always. I think that will continue to grow as we get through to the summer. Hopefully we get some more wins and we build something here. They really helped us tonight.” The Armada found the back of the net first in the 2 0th minute when Midfielder Junior Sandoval  blasted a rocket from the top right corner of the box that Miami FC goalkeeper Daniel Vega swiped at but could not make contact. Earlier a Mechack Jerome free kick barely missed the goal. “I saw the open

Miami FC is set to play its third match against a Florida side when it visits Jacksonville Armada FC on Friday night, searching for the first win in club history. The Carolina RailHawks (vs. Ottawa Fury FC) and the New York Cosmos (at Indy Eleven) hope to remain hot after picking up wins in each of their first two contests. Here is a preview of all five matches in Week 3 of the Spring Season: Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Miami FC 7 p.m. ET | Friday, April 15 Community First Park | Jacksonville, Fla. Watch | beIN SPORTS (National - U.S., Canada), NASL.com (National - Canada), CW17 (Local - Jacksonville), International outlets* Jacksonville (0W-0D-1L, 0 points) gets ready for its home opener after a 2-0 loss on the road to the New York Cosmos. Despite the loss, there were promising signs for the club's new coach, Tony Meola, in his first game in charge. In particular, the Armada FC opened the game brightly and will want to do the same against visiting Miami FC in an all-Florid

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The long wait for the North American Soccer League regular season to return to Jacksonville will end at 7 p.m. tonight when the Jacksonville Armada hosts expansion side Miami FC at Community First Park in a Coastal Cup battle. Jacksonville is coming off a tough 2-0 season-opening loss at the NASL defending champions New York Cosmos last Sunday despite looking like the better squad in the first 29 minutes.  A Jairo Arrietta goal off a Juan Arango assist turned the tide, however, in the 29th minute to give the home side momentum. The Cosmos went on to add an extra cushion in the 55th minute when midfielder Adam Moffat found the back of the net. The Armada was not able to capitalize on its 10-0 advantage in corner kick opportunities and held a 68.2-31.8 percentage advantage in aerial duels. Miami FC has gotten off to a solid start, tallying two straight draws with the most recent result coming the form of a 1-1 knot with in-state foes, the Tampa Bay Rowdies

JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Sharks look for a second straight win as the team will open up its 2016 home slate against the in-state rival Orlando Predators on Monday, April 18. Kickoff for “Redneck Night” at Sea Best Field is set for 7 p.m. Monday’s game will be the first of three meetings between Jacksonville (1-1) and Orlando (2-0) this season. The Predators took two of the three regular-season matchups a year ago, but the Sharks won when it mattered most, defeating Orlando by a 55-33 count in the opening round of the playoffs. Last week, the Sharks fired on all cylinders, never trailing en route to a 59-41 victory over the Philadelphia Soul. The game remained close into the third quarter before Jacksonville broke it open by scoring 24 consecutive points. QB Tommy Grady  21 completions for 326 yards and seven touchdowns with no turnovers. With his dominant performance, Grady became the league leader in passing yards with 605 total yards in two games.  Grady’s chemistry w

PHILADELPHIA – Tommy Grady fired seven touchdown passes and the Jacksonville Sharks’ defense forced four turnovers, carrying the team to a 59-41 victory over the Philadelphia Soul on Monday night. The Sharks never trailed in Monday’s game, and took command of the contest in the second half thanks to a combination of efficient offense and defensive stops. Coming out of the locker room with a one-point lead, Grady piloted the offense down the field, hitting Tiger Jones for a 28-yard touchdown strike that gave Jacksonville (1-1) a 35-27 lead. Philadelphia (1-1) responded with a quick score, as Dan Raudabaugh connected with Darius Reynolds from 11 yards out to cut the Sharks’ lead to one. But from there, the Sharks embarked on a game-changing 24-point run that started with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Grady to Joe Hills. On the ensuing possession, Jacksonville defensive back Greg Reid undercut Reynolds’ route, snaring his second interception of the night. Though Reid was ruled to h

NEW YORK - Miami FC splashed onto the South Florida sports scene in grand fashion on Saturday night, drawing 10,156 to FIU Stadium in the club's home debut, a 1­-1 draw against intrastate rival Tampa Bay Rowdies. For the second week in a row, the Carolina RailHawks came ­from­ behind to claim all three points, defeating the league's other expansion club Rayo OKC, 3­-2, at Miller Stadium in Yukon, Okla. Austin da Luz scored his second goal of the game, and third of the season, in second-half stoppage time to give the RailHawks their second straight victory to open the 2016 NASL Spring Season. Indy Eleven opened its 2016 home schedule by snatching a late point, thanks to Nemanja Vukovic equalizer in the 89th minute in a 1-­1 draw with Ottawa Fury FC. On Sunday, Minnesota United bounced back from last week's loss at Carolina, traveling to western Canada and leaving with a 2­-0 win against FC Edmonton. The defending league champion New York Cosmos closed out the Week 2 sche

It was Star Wars Night at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium, and the force was definitely with the New York Cosmos. Although the chances did not come in droves for the Cosmos in the first half, New York was able to capitalize on their best opportunity. Jairo Arrieta scored his first goal as a member of the Cosmos to spark his squad to a 2-0 victory over Jacksonville Armada FC in front of a crowd of 3,685 on Sunday evening. The defending NASL champions improve to 2-0-0 on the young season and remain atop the standings with six points and a three-goal advantage on the Carolina RailHawks in goal differential.  In the 29th minute, Jimmy Maurer played a ball deep inside Jacksonville Armada FC’s territory that was proceeded by a Juan Arango header into space for Arrieta. The Costa Rican didn’t squander his chance. The forward blasted a one-timer off the body of Armada goalie Miguel Gallardo that trickled past the goal line for the go-ahead tally. Arrieta earned Emirates Man of the

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville first baseman Brady Shoemaker hit a grand slam for the Suns’ first hit to cap a five-run third inning that provided the difference in an 8-3 win over the Birmingham Barons, giving the Suns back-to-back victories to open the season in front of 6,371 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville Friday night. Donning red jerseys to begin a season-long series of Red Shirt Fridays honoring military personnel, the Suns (2-0) started the season with consecutive wins – each by five runs – for the first time in three seasons. Jacksonville took the lead for good without the aid of a hit. Barons right-hander Carson Fulmer (0-1) set down the first seven Suns in order before issuing three straight one-out walks. Suns left fielder Jeremias Pineda grounded into a force play at home plate for the second out, but Fulmer walked designated hitter Austin Dean on four pitches to force in the first run. With the bases loaded and a 1-0 Suns lead,  Shoemaker drove a 2-2 off

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Suns right-hander Jake Esch struck out seven batters and allowed a single run in six innings, and shortstop J.T. Riddle hit a three-run home run in a four-run third inning to lift the Suns to a 6-1 win over the Birmingham Barons in front of an Opening Night crowd of 8,367 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville Thursday night. In front of the largest crowd to see a Suns home game since July 4, 2014 – when 9,246 attended – the pitcher’s mound was the spotlight. Opening Day ceremonies included ceremonial first pitches by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s son, Boyd Curry, and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, before Esch (1-0) took center stage. In a 1-1, third-inning tie, Esch allowed a leadoff single and hit batter. When Barons shortstop Eddy Alvarez attempted to sacrifice both runners into scoring position, Esch fielded the bunt and threw to third base for a force out, then struck out the next two batters to end the inning and finished

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, announced the Opening Day roster for the 2016 season on Wednesday morning. 12 of the 25 players on the roster have spent time with Jacksonville before, including three members of a standout starting pitching rotation. The Suns will feature three Baseball America Top 30 Miami Marlins prospects in the starting rotation. No. 3 prospect and left-handed pitcher Jarlin Garcia returns for his second year in a Suns uniform after going 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in seven starts with the Suns a season ago.  No. 13 prospect and right-handed pitcher Jake Esch will be Jacksonville’s Opening Night starter, after he turned in a 2015 that earned him Southern League Midseason All-Star recognition, going 6-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 15 starts for the Suns last year. No. 14 prospect right-hander Austin Brice improved as 2015 went along, going 4-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 12 starts during the second half of the season. The rota

Suns broadcaster Roger Hoover (left), Linda McNabb,  Vice President of Sales  and Marketing, Marco LaNave,  Media/Public Relations Manager  and Mary Nixon, Assistant General Manager J ACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new era of Jacksonville Suns baseball includes a complete menu makeover at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The staff of First Coast Concessions, LLC, completely overhauled the food and beverage operation at the ballpark and built a FUNdamentally Different menu for the Suns season opening Thursday, April 7. From locally-themed concession stands to all-new group picnic and suite menus, the appetizing choices awaiting guests are unprecedented in the history of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. “We sought to totally reimagine the dining experience at the ballpark, and give our guests reasons to come out again and again to taste what is new,” said Suns owner Ken Babby. “With food and beverage offerings that are delicious and affordable, the flavors and val

NEW YORK --  A standing-room only crowd jammed Miller Stadium on Saturday night when Rayo OKC played its debut match, a scoreless draw against FC Edmonton, as the North American Soccer League (NASL) kicked off its 2016 Spring Season with a slate of four matches. Greek international Georgio Samaras nearly worked some late magic after entering in the 79th minute when he forced Eddies goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to make a point-blank save, and then turn away a shot from the rebound by Richard Menjivar. Rayo OKC dominated possession and scoring opportunities for the game's final hour after Edmonton defender Albert Watson was sent off midway through the first half. The NASL's other expansion club for the Spring Season, Miami FC, converted an early penalty kick, but conceded one in the match's dying minutes that allowed the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to earn a 1-1 draw. The match was the NASL's first on beIN SPORTS, which the league recently partnered with on a national bro

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks announced Wednesday that kicker Marco Capozzoli has been assigned to the Jacksonville Sharks on a one-year contract.   The 28-year-old Capozzoli returns to Jacksonville for his fourth season with the Sharks and fifth season in the AFL. Capozzoli’s most memorable kick on Sea Best Field came during the 2012 season, when he drilled a 51-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Sharks past the Georgia Force in the first round of the playoffs. Capozzoli was also a part of Jacksonville’s ArenaBowl XXIV championship team in 2011, finishing that season with seven field goals made in 11 attempts, and converted on 121 of his 155 point-after tries. Prior to joining the Sharks, Capozzoli began his AFL career with Tulsa in 2010, going three-for-three on field goals and hitting 44 of 53 extra points (83 percent). Over the course of his time in the AFL, Capozzoli has converted 26 of 38 field goals (68.4 percent) and 371 of 454 PATs (81.7

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After hosting Pro Day and taking Tuesday off, the Florida State football team returned to practice on Wednesday at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Now into the third week of spring practice, the Seminoles are continuing to show signs of improvement in all areas but head coach Jimbo Fisher would like to see those improvement happen on a more consistent basis. “We’re getting things done,” said Fisher. “We’ve just got to do them better. (Today was) A good hard day. We got a lot of situations worked. A lot of run, pass, two-minute, a lot of third down stuff. Hopefully, we’ll look at the film and try to get better and go on from it. (It’s) the middle of spring, we’re getting a little better. We just got to keep grinding.” Jesus ‘Bobo’ Wilson was one of the bright spots during Wednesday’s practice as the rising senior wide out returned to practice on Monday after missing the first two weeks. Wilson is coming off a junior campaign in which he set sing

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman right-hander Jackson Kowar limited No. 8 Florida State to one run over five innings as No. 3 Florida notched a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. A crowd of 9,035 fans watched the Gators secure the regular-season series and emerge victorious for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between the Sunshine State rivals.  The teams will meet again on April 12 in Tallahassee. Kowar (3-0) scattered five hits, registered four strikeouts and allowed one walk before freshman Brady Singer entered the game with a runner aboard in the sixth. The righty totaled three strikeouts, yielded two hits and an unearned run in three innings and junior Shaun Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth in which he had a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Cal Raleigh had given the Seminoles a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out homer to right field. Sophomore Mike Rivera moved the Gators in front, 2-1, the following inning

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – You never forget your 1000th. A walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning propelled head coach Jim Morris to his 1,000th career victory as skipper of the Hurricanes Saturday night, as Edgar Michelangeli lifted fourth-ranked Miami to a series-clinching 5-4 victory over No. 17 Clemson. The win was the second milestone reached in a little over a week for Morris, who became just the sixth coach to win 1,500 games as a Division I head coach last Friday in similar walk-off fashion against Louisville. “A crazy way to get your 1000th win. In the competition of the game, I had no thoughts about the 1,000 [wins] until we won,” Morris said. “We’re competing to try to win a game, and a series.” When asked to reflect on his 23 seasons at the University of Miami, and if he ever thought he could reach 1,000 wins in Coral Gables, Morris paused. “I really didn’t. It was the furthest thing from my mind,” he said, fighting back tears. “I was following, to me, the mos

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State’s freshman duo of Cal Raleigh and Jackson Lueck combined for five RBI and were vital in helping the Seminoles (18-5, 6-1) establish a six-run lead in the first inning as they topped NC State (16-8, 3-4) 8-5 on Friday evening. Friday night's win was the first of three games in the next 24 hours for the Seminoles as the series was adjusted for the remainder of the weekend. The two teams will now play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12:00 pm. As of now, the plan is to play game three of the series (game two of the day) 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. In the series opener, FSU relied on Raleigh (2-3, 2 RBI, HR) and Lueck (1-2, 3 RBI), who each had a double in the contest. They were joined among the Seminole offensive leaders by Dylan Busby, who capped off a 1-for-3 outing with two RBI. On the mound, FSU starter Mike Compton pitched 3.1 innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs while striking out two. He was follow

GREENVILLE, N.C. – JJ Gould belted his fourth home run of the season and Jacksonville totaled eight hits, but the Dolphins fell to East Carolina, 6-3, Thursday at Clark-LeClair Stadium. “I thought Nathan Disch had good stuff tonight but made a couple of mistakes that a nationally-ranked team will make you pay with,” said Head Coach Tim Montez. “I think these guys understand how close they are to being a good, solid ball club. We need to be a mentally tougher now that we’re on the road, because we were in that right until the last pitch, and this series is a good test for all of our club.” Gould’s long ball was a solo shot that came with two-outs in the first inning. ECU (15-7) answered with an RBI single by Eric Tyler in the second. The Pirates took the lead in the fourth on a two-run home run by Bryce Harman. Jacksonville (14-7) scored two runs in the fifth inning thanks a two-out rally. Nathan Koslowski ripped a line drive single and Seth DeWitt reached on infield error. D

LAS VEGAS – The Tampa Bay Storm will host the Orlando Predators at Amalie Arena in Tampa for the Arena Football League’s 3,000th game to kick off the League’s 29th Season on April 1 at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN3/Watch ESPN.  The Storm-Predators rivalry dates back to 1991. “The longevity and perseverance of the Arena Football League is a testament to the high-quality, action-packed and authentic nature of the sport,” said AFL Commissioner Scott C. Butera.  “It also recognizes the quality of our athletes, coaches and operational professionals.  Having Tampa Bay and Orlando involved in our 3,000th game could not be more appropriate.  The rich history of both teams is symbolic of our great game.  The combined total of 17 Hall of Famers between the two speaks volumes to what this rivalry has meant to our history.” A rivalry that has been brewing almost since the inception of the League, the “War on I-4” officially began on June 1, 1991, in Tampa Bay.  The expansion Predators dr