Jeff Tewksbury

If you’ve not yet heard of the Hernando County Hawks, you are not alone. They don’t yet have players on the roster, so the Hawks have yet to play a game.

Robert Hainsey came to the Bucs in last year's draft as an offensive tackle from Notre Dame. But even before he arrived in Tampa, the team saw his size (6'4", 300 pounds) and skill better suited for the center position.

Bucs Right Tackle Tristan Wirfs is just 23 years old, but he’s already been named to an All-Pro team and played for a Super Bowl Championship team. 

The softball field at the corner of Morrison and Grady in South Tampa has produced some of the finest talent in Bay Area history.

Collins played for the Rowdies from 2016 through his hiring as the team's new head coach in 2018. Before that, the Troon, Scotland native played for the Scottish national under 21 team and had a five-year stint with Sheffield United in England.

Jake LaCava is in his first year with the Rowdies. He currently is leading the team with six goals scored.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year, and the team’s success is spreading onto ice rinks throughout the Bay Area.

Shaniya Benjamin starred at Alonso High School in sprints and jumps. Now a sophomore at the University of South Florida, she has qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

While the transition from high school to college is often difficult, one Bay Area freshman athlete is facing the challenge of adapting to academic rigors while being the quarterback for a Division One football team with gusto. 

A University of Florida graduate student uses the wide-open spaces of the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma to pursue his academic and athletic passions.