Later this week the College World Series begins, on Saturday, June 19. And while area teams such as UCF and Stetson will not be taking part, it doesn’t mean Central Florida players have been left out. Florida and Florida State have a combined eight locals on baseball rosters.

For the young ballplayers who recently accepted their high school diplomas, the decision is now whether to start collegiate playing careers or join minor league baseball teams. For current underclassmen hailing from nearby, the decision is a similar one to make.

With the final swing of his leg, in the last high school football game of young life, Boone’s Lucas Rawlings helped the East Seniors cap a come-from-behind 17-14 win in the annual Orange County Senior Bowl on Wednesday at Oak Ridge High School.

For 57 years Boone and Edgewater has played for one thing – The Barrel – the trophy that has become the symbol of this historic rivalry. The game featured two teams highly regarded in the area as the Braves (7-3) defeated the Eagles (7-3) at home, 21-14.

This week AJ Turman and Skyler Skersick from Boone High School join UCF soccer coach Amanda Cromwell and UCF football player Bruce Miller on the Top-5 list alongside Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Rollins College.

After suffering a tough loss to No. 1-ranked Dr. Phillips at home last week, the Boone Braves (3-3) didn’t weep for long. On Thursday, the Braves were hosting their non-district Homecoming Game and got back to their winning ways with a 37-7 win over visiting University (2-5).

Dr. Phillips running back Dee Hart did something Friday night against Boone that he hadn’t been able to do through the first four games of the season. His 244 yards rushing and four touchdowns, on just 13 carries, were 11 more yards and one more score than he opened the year with for the mighty Panthers.

There’s something new taking shape within the football program at Oak Ridge High School. You can sense it in the atmosphere at Lee Leonard Stadium and see it in the way the Pioneers have been slinging the ball around during the first half of the season. New head coach Elijah Williams has Oak Ridge off to a 4-1 start just one season after the team went 3-7 overall and 0-4 in district play.

Call it the Clash of the District 4 Titans. That’s essentially what next week’s meeting between Timber Creek and Winter Park will be at Showalter Field on Friday, Oct. 9. The winner of that game is likely to wrap up the four-team Class 6A-4 title, leaving the loser to fend off University (2-2) and Colonial (0-4) later in the season for a spot in the playoffs.

The first few weeks of high school football have very little value in the race for the postseason, other than figuring out just how competitive each team is before the games truly count. That’s why coaches find ways to keep their kids encouraged after loses and focused after wins. Neighboring rivalries are nice to win, but finishing in one of the two top spots in your district will keep the dream of a state championship alive.