- April 28, 2026
The Ormond Beach Spikes 10U baseball team: Back row, Coaches James Szumigala, Max Kops and John Holcomb. Middle row, Knox Deaton, Rhett Workman, Bennett Gray, Mason Szumigala, August Schlaffer, Mason Parker and Eli Kendall. Front row: Carter Reardon, Eddie Watson, Beau Holcomb, Colton Parker and Cam Taylor. Courtesy photo
Hybrid Muay Thai students. Courtesy photo
Hybrid Muay Thai student Chris Smeraldi Jr. receives last-minute tips from his father, Christopher Smeraldi. Courtesy photo
Hybrid Muay Thai students bow before a competition. Courtesy photo
The Riverbend Academy boys soccer team completed an undefeated season with a state championship. Courtesy photo
Averi Miller with her trophies for winning the local, district, region, state and Southeast Region titles in the 8U Elks Soccer Shoot Program. File photo by Brent Woronoff
The Ormond Beach Spikes 10U baseball team won the USSSA Central Florida Main Event Tournament in Umatilla last weekend. The Spikes went 5-0 on the weekend, taking home the Gold championship.
The team’s coach is Max Kops. Assistant Coaches are James Szumigala and John Holcomb. The players are: Knox Deaton, Rhett Workman, Bennett Gray, Mason Szumigala, August Schlaffer, Mason Parker, Eli Kendall, Carter Reardon, Eddie Watson, Beau Holcomb, Colton Parker and Cam Taylor.
The Florida High School Athletic Association announced the winter sports classifications and districts for the next two years.
For girls and boys basketball as well as boys and girls soccer, Flagler Palm Coast and Mainland will be in the largest classification, Class 6A, competing in District 3 with DeLand, Spruce Creek, Gainesville Buchholz, Ocala Forest and Ocala West Port.
Matanzas will be in District 4-5A with schools from St. Johns and Duval counties: Bartram Trail, First Coast, Fletcher, Nease and Ponte Vedra.
Seabreeze will be in District 6-4A will New Smyrna Beach, Pine Ridge, Orlando schools Bishop Moore and Jones and Brevard County schools Rockledge and Satellite.
Palm Coast’s Averi Miller has placed third in the nation in the Elks Soccer Shoot U-8 contest.
Miller won the Southeast Regional in January, converting 24 of 25 shots on goal. With other regionals taking place in the spring, the 8-year-old had to wait to find out where her score ranked nationally. Two participants in other regions made all of their shots.
Competitors shot at five goals that varied from 48 inches down to 18 inches wide. Miller won five competitions starting with the local Palm Coast Elks Lodge 2709 competition in October. She then went on to win district, regional, the state championship and the Southeast Regional.
Several students from Hybrid Muay Thai and Kickboxing In Bunnell competed in the IKF Point Muay Thai tournament in Orlando recently. Chris Smeraldi Jr. and Asher Maccherone secured victories, Hybrid Muay Thai owner Vince Maccherone said.
Other competitors included Ryker Bemusdaffer and Grayson Diaz.
“Beyond securing several victories, these students train consistently on a weekly basis, Vince Maccherone said. “Our primary objective at Hybrid Muay Thai is character development and raising children through the discipline and values taught in the sport — traits we believe are essential in life.”
The Riverbend Academy of Ormond Beach boys soccer team won the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools state championship with a 2-1 victory over The Rock School of Gainesville. The Warriors finished the season undefeated with a 13-0 record.
The team, which has a tournament remaining on its schedules is coached by Dave Brown and Gabriel Martinez. The Riverbend girls soccer team finished 6-3 and advanced to the FCCAPPS semifinals.
Send sports news to Brent Woronoff at [email protected]
