ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD
Coming up at Orlando Speed World Dragway:
* Today (Saturday) _ Kings of Grunge (Bikes).
* FUNDAY Sunday _ “All Welcome Test and Tune and Grudge Racing” with gates opening at 10 a.m. and racing from 10:30 a.m.-to-5 p.m. $20 General Admission (kids 10-and-Under free) or $35 to race.
The Dragway Information Hotline is at (407) 568-5522 and the website is at _ www.raceosw.com/dragway/.
SpeedWorld is located 17 miles east of Orlando in Bithlo at 19164 East Colonial Drive, between Orlando and Titusville on Highway 50 at the 520 Cocoa Cutoff.
UCF MEN
The UCF men’s basketball team (8-2) will play its final non-conference game of the season and final home game of the calendar year at Addition Financial Arena, hosting Jacksonville today (Saturday) for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The game will follow the UCF women’s Big 12 opening game against TCU at 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed on on ESPN+.
Follow the Knights:
Follow UCF men’s basketball on X (@UCF_MBB), Instagram (@UCF.MBB) and Facebook (/UCFMensBasketball).
STETSON MEN
Mehki Ellison scored a season high 23 points, but the Stetson men’s basketball team fell to the powerful LSU Tigers (9-2), 99-53, at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday.
The visitors struggled out of the gate, falling behind 47-10 heading into halftime.
The Hatters used a lineup in which we haven't seen much this season to start the second half as Daniel Macgregor, Ellison and Blaize Sagna were all on the court together. The ball started to move its way around the offense. Macgregor started off the scoring in the second half and then on the next possession found Ellison in the corner for a three. Stetson continued trying to cut into the deficit as Jordan Wood went to work inside and Ellison heated from beyond the arc. The gap was just too large for Stetson to come back from as they fell 99-53.
Ellison led the way for the Hatters with 23 points, going 9-for-18 from the field, and 4-for-8 from three point land. Wood was the only other Hatter to reach double digits finishing with 10. Canka led the team in rebounds with five as well as steals with three.
Up Next:
Stetson (1-10) will be at the Insight Credit Union Arena at Edmunds Center on Sunday to host Fort Lauderdale at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
SANFORD ADULT SOFTBALL
The City of Sanford Parks and Recreation Department is looking for teams for the Adult Softball Polar Bear Season that will begin the second week of January 2025.
Leagues offered are the Men’s League on Tuesdays and the Semi-Co-Ed/Fun League on Wednesdays.
Everyone is invited to watch the games for free at Pinehurst Park on West 24th Street.
For more information contact Dominic Pascuzzo, City of Sanford Recreation Supervisor, at the City of Sanford Parks and Recreation Department at 407-688-5120, extension 5004; Fax _ 407-688-5121; facebook.com/SanfordFLCityGovt; instagram.com/cityofsanfordfl; visit the city website _ www.sanfordfl.gov _ or email: [email protected].
SOAP BOX DERBY
One of the most popular events on the CFSBD calendar, especially with out of state competitors, is coming to Mike Kirby Park to close out 2024 when The City of Sanford Parks and Recreation Department and Central Florida Soap Box Derby hosts the 2-Day Holiday Rally on Saturday, December 28, and Sunday, December 29.
Kirby Park will be open on Friday, December 27, from 10 a.m.-to-2 p.m. for trailer drop-off.
RV’s are welcome, but you MUST make prior arrangements with the Rally Director.
Each Day, check in will be at 7 a.m., with racing beginning at 8:30 a.m., and will consist of a Double Elimination race for each class in the morning, followed by a lunch break and a Single Elimination race for each class in the afternoon.
Soap Box Derby racing is open to children ages 7 to 20 _ Stock, 7-to-13; Super Stock, 9-to-18; Masters, 10-to-20 _ with a limited number of loaner cars available for new participants.
Everyone, especially interested non-racers, is invited to attend any of the family friendly events, free of charge, at beautiful Mike Kirby Park located on the west side of Sanford on Oregon Avenue, north off of CR-46A (25th Street/H. E. Thomas Parkway) or east off of Rinehart Road, just south of the GreeneWay entry. The track is East of Bentley Elementary School.
For more information on Central Florida Soap Box Derby or to download a registration form, please check out the websites at www.soapboxderby.org or www.centralflorida.soapboxderby.org; [email protected], 407-353-6228, or call the City of Sanford Parks and Recreation Department at 407-688-5120. Information is also available at _ https://www.facebook.com/CentralFloridaSoapboxDerby/ _ especially photos and flyers.
STETSON WOMEN
Cameron Thomas delivered a stellar performance on Thursday afternoon, setting a new season-high with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Despite her efforts, the Stetson Hatters women's basketball team fell to the South Alabama Jaguars, 87-79, at the Insight Credit Union Arena, marking their first home loss of the season.
The Hatters faced an uphill battle, trailing by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. A determined effort allowed them to tie the game in the fourth, but the comeback ultimately fell short.
In addition to her scoring, Thomas pulled down six rebounds, her sixth game this season with at least five boards. Her 30-point outing was the first by a Hatter since Yazz Wazeerud-Din achieved the feat against North Alabama on February 13, 2021.
Mary McMillan contributed 17 points, tying her season-high with six made field goals. Her streak of nine consecutive games with four or more assists ended, falling just one short of the tally.
Jorah Eppley, fresh off a career-high in the win over High Point, drained a personal-best four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points. Shelby Calhoun provided a spark off the bench, adding seven points, a team-high seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
In the fourth quarter, McMillan's layup tied the game at 65-65 following a sequence of offensive rebounds. But South Alabama quickly responded with a three-pointer and gradually rebuilt their lead. The Jaguars pushed ahead 81-73 before a late 5-0 Hatter run, capped by a Calhoun layup, brought them within three at 81-78 with just 18 seconds remaining. South Alabama sealed the win at the free-throw line, closing the game with an 87-79 final score..
Up Next:
The Hatters closed out the Hatters Holiday Classic, and games for the 2024 calendar season, against Bradley on Friday.
POP-TARTS BOWL
The Miami Hurricanes and Iowa State Cyclones will square off in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl, Florida Citrus Sports announced Sunday. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Camping World Stadium and will air live on ABC.
No. 13 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) will be making a record seventh all-time appearance in the game, and its first since a 2020 Cheez-It Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State. The Hurricanes are 3-3 in their previous six appearances, four of which were played in Orlando.
No. 18 Iowa State (10-3, 7-2 Big 12), fresh off of an appearance in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game, will be making its third Orlando bowl trip since 2019 — a run that includes a 2019 Camping World Bowl defeat to Notre Dame and a 2021 Cheez-It Bowl loss to Clemson.
The Hurricanes and Cyclones have never met on the gridiron.
The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl will be the 35th edition of the game, which has been held at Camping World Stadium since 2001 after 11 years in South Florida. Last year, Kansas State defeated NC State 28-19 in the first edition of the bowl to feature Pop-Tarts as a title sponsor.
Pop-Tarts Bowl tickets are available now. Visit PopTartsBowl.com to buy or to learn more about group, premium, Family Fun Play and other ticket offers.
CHEEZ-IT CITRUS BOWL
The South Carolina Gamecocks and Illinois Fighting Illini will square off in this season's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Florida Citrus Sports announced Sunday. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Camping World Stadium and will air live on ABC.
No. 15 South Carolina (9-3, 5-3 SEC) will be making its fourth all-time appearance in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, and its first since a 34-24 win over Wisconsin to close the 2013-14 season. The Gamecocks also appeared in the Jan. 2, 2012 Citrus Bowl, a 30-13 win over Nebraska, and the 1975 game, a 20-7 defeat to Miami (Ohio).
No. 20 Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) will be appearing in the game for the second time and first since quarterback and game MVP Jeff George led the team to a 31-21 win over Virginia on New Year’s Day 1990.
The Gamecocks and Illini have never met on the gridiron.
This season's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will be the 79th edition of the game, an annual matchup of top SEC and Big Ten teams since 1993. Last season, Tennessee defeated Iowa 35-0 in the second edition of the Citrus Bowl to feature Cheez-It as a title sponsor.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl tickets are available now. Visit CheezItCitrusBowl.com to buy or to learn more about group, premium, Family Fun Play and other ticket offers.
