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By MARK LONG
Associated Press
Denny Hamlin was booed in celebration again.
The Joe Gibbs Racing superstar, a driver whose 52 wins in the Cup Series rank as the 13th most in NASCAR history, heard another heaping of disapproval and contempt when he climbed from his No. 11 Toyota at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Victor and villain.
Hamlin stopped short of egging on the hostile crowd this time, though. After winning his second consecutive victory at the famed short track — his fourth overall inside the concrete coliseum — Hamlin skipped his catchphrase “I just beat your favorite driver” and simply flashed his index finger in every direction to remind everyone who finished No. 1.
Surely some of his detractors responded with a different finger.
It’s become the surreal norm for Hamlin and shows no signs of quieting even as he continues to climb NASCAR’s all-time win chart. Hamlin has Hall of Famers Lee Petty (54) and Rusty Wallace (55) within reach this season and has closed the gap on Kyle Busch (63) for the most wins by an active driver.
He may already have surpassed Busch as the most hated driver in the garage.
“I don’t mind it. I really don’t because it’s just noise,” Hamlin said before the race. “There were many moments mid-career where there was just claps; that’s just not a needle-mover one way or the other. A lot of it comes with success as well. If you are a contender each and every week, you are going to get more noise typically.”
The “noise” seems to be getting louder, and Hamlin knows why. He’s had altercations with two of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, the first coming in 2017 with Chase Elliott and the latest coming last year with Kyle Larson.
Hamlin first drew a strong negative reaction seven years ago at his hometown track in Martinsville, Virginia, after he wrecked Elliott in a playoff race. It knocked Elliott out of contention for the championship the following week.
Hamlin seemed to reignite those memories last May when he publicly and loudly called for Elliott to be suspended after Elliott intentionally wrecked him in the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR did, and fans blamed Hamlin even though the punishment was in line with similar altercations.
Back in the public crosshairs, Hamlin forced Larson up the track and into the wall at Pocono Raceway last July while they battled for the lead with less than 10 laps to go. Hamlin went on to win and was loudly booed after exiting his car on the frontstretch.
“I have had so many altercations with so many popular drivers, and that just kind of fuels it as well,” Hamlin said. “I’ve checked all of the boxes of the things that fans despise. We’ve seen a previous driver [Busch] at Joe Gibbs Racing; he just changes teams and he’s more liked.
“When you’ve got all the things that I’ve got in that box in the negativity checked, you are just going to have to live that life.”
Actor/professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson offered Hamlin some advice at the season-opening Daytona 500. Grand marshal Johnson told Hamlin to lean into the villain role like Johnson has in his return to the WWE.
“The rare air is when you have the opportunity and you grab it by the throat and you don’t let it go, and that’s the opportunity to be a great bad guy,” Johnson said.
The best bad guys win, and Hamlin did that Sunday for the 21st time in the last six seasons — more than anyone else in the series over that span.
Hamlin’s latest win was a gem. He led 47 of the final 48 laps in a tire-management race dominated by JGR. The four-car team — which includes Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell — combined to lead 383 of 500 laps at the bullring track nicknamed “The Last Great Colosseum.”
“That’s what I grew up doing here in the short tracks of the whole mid-Atlantic — South Boston, Martinsville,” Hamlin said. “Once it became a tire-management race, I liked our chances.”
And Hamlin ended up in victory lane holding a sword, a fitting trophy for a villain who suddenly finds himself under attack after wins.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/19/victor-and-villain-denny-hamlin-keeps-winning-despite-new-role-as-nascars-most-polarizing-driver-2/
Here are Orlando area high school scores and top performers from Monday, March 18:
Baseball
Apopka 8, Edgewater 1
Buzz: Jackson Adams went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored for the Blue Darters (6-4) while Reef VanKuren was 2-for-4, and Cody McKinley added a single, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.
Windermere 12, Lake Nona 3
Buzz: Aidan Reyes was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and 3 RBI for the Wolverines (8-2) in the win while Gabriel Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored, and Randy Ruiz added a single and 3 RBI. Fabian Gavalo went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Lions (6-4) while Lorenzo Rodriguez-Pozo added a triple and 3 RBI.
West Boca Raton 7, Bishop Moore 1
Buzz: Aaron Reabe went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Hornets (7-4) in the loss.
Fort Pierce Central 8, Orangewood Christian 6
Buzz: Roby McClarnon was 4-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Rams (6-4) in the loss while Carson Balls added a single and 2 RBI.
Oviedo 6, Dr. Phillips 5
Buzz: Kaiden Lopez went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Lions (7-4) in the win while Cooper Pitman had 2 hits and 2 runs scored, and Colin Napier added 2 hits and an RBI.
Olympia 14, Jones 9
Buzz: Adonys Velez was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Titans (5-2) in the win at the Tate Aggie Classic in Pensacola while Yamil Gonzalez was 3-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI. Matthew Logan had 2 doubles, a run scored and an RBI while Mason Mojica added a home run and 2 RBI. Greg Williams was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Tigers (7-3), while Javier Rojas went 3-for-5.
Celebration 25, Haileyville (OK) 2
Buzz: Alejandro Moreno went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBI for the Storm (1-3) while Alejandro Hernandez was 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI, and Keiner Quintero added 2 hits and 3 RBI.
Master’s Academy 6, Centennial 1
Buzz: Julian Mercado got the complete-game pitching win for the Eagles (6-4) with 4 strikeouts and just 3 hits given up. Mercado also went 3-for-4 with a double while James Rudolph added a double, run scored and an RBI.
First Academy-Leesburg 8, Geneva School 6
Buzz: Reid Patterson was 2-for-4 with a double and 3 runs scored for the Eagles (4-3) in the win while Nate Johnson added a double, run scored and 3 RBI.
West Orange 3, Foundation Academy 1
Buzz: Brooklyn Hicks had a double and a run scored for the Warriors (8-2) in their win while Joshua Bell had a single, run scored and an RBI and Parker Hohnstock got the pitching win with 8 strikeouts in 5 innings. Ryle Gibson went 2-for-3 for the Lions (10-1) and pitched the complete game with 7 strikeouts in the hard-luck loss.
East Ridge 15, St. John Lutheran 0
Buzz: Barak Boston was 3-for-3 for the Knights (3-7) while Stephen Pineda notched the pitching win.
Other scores:
American Heritage 7, Horizon 1
Lake Mary 11, Pine Ridge 1
Softball
Lake Minneola 17, First Academy-Leesburg 1
Buzz: Claire Colton had a double for the Eagles (2-4) in the loss while Alivia Collins had the lone RBI and Avery Keller scored the run.
South Sumter 7, Umatilla 2
Buzz: Kiersten Taylor had a double and run scored for the Bulldogs (5-3) in the loss while Jaelyn Larsen had an RBI and Brooke Moss scored the other run.
Girls Flag Football
DeLand 14, Orange City University 0
Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/high-school-scores-stats-march-18/
By Bob Ferrante
Orlando Sentinel Correspondent
TALLAHASSEE — There are college football programs around the nation taking more transfers than Florida State. But few can claim a success rate quite like that of Mike Norvell and the Seminoles’ staff the last few years.
FSU had 11 selections to the 2023 All-ACC team who transferred in after Norvell took over, a group that doesn’t include quarterback Jordan Travis. While there will annually be a debate over who is the portal king, and really anyone from Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin to Colorado’s Deion Sanders to Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and even former FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State can stake a claim.
But Norvell has always stated that recruiting the portal and high school ranks is all about “fit.” FSU has found the right fit of production, leadership and personality that have translated to 23 wins the last two seasons.
“It’s about being right,” Norvell said. “There’s plenty of people that have taken more transfers. People point to ours because ours are good. They do a great job when they get here. They make impacts.”
FSU’s coaching staff will get a first-hand look at the transfers and what impact they could have in 2024 when spring practice opens on Tuesday. It’s the first of 15 practices leading up to the spring showcase on April 20 inside a Doak Campbell Stadium that, perhaps fittingly, is also going through a massive renovation.
There’s perhaps no bigger transfer than quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, whom Norvell says has fit right in with Brock Glenn and incoming freshmen Luke Kromenhoek and Trever Jackson, an Orlando native. But the impact of transfers could also be reflected at nearly every position group on offense and defense.
While the narrative with transfers is that they often come and go after one year, Jared Verse was a two-year transfer who is set to be an NFL first-round draft pick. Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett and defensive back Jarrian Jones just spent four years at FSU following a transfer from Mississippi State.
And FSU has retained a number of multi-year transfers who will be major parts of the 2024 roster, including tight end Kyle Morlock, offensive linemen Jeremiah Byers and Keiondre Jones, defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, defensive backs Greedy Vance and Fentrell Cypress, linebacker Justin Cryer and tailback Caziah Holmes of Cocoa.
Norvell called it a “new age of college athletics with change and transition.” As the Seminoles have won incrementally more games in each of his prior four years, they have also been able to manage the portal better and better. With wins comes the attraction of FSU’s coaches and roadmap for player development as well as helping them develop for the NFL.
FSU loses Verse as well as Lovett and Braden Fiske on the defensive front. But their development and success is why FSU was able to land some of the top defensive ends in the portal in Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia), Sione Lolohea (Oregon State) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia) as well as defensive tackle Grady Kelly (Colorado State).
“We’re not going to say that we’re better than anyone else,” defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. “We’ve taken a lot transfers and high school kids. But tell me the ones that haven’t worked out. The trust is that. Right? … We’re not better evaluators than everybody in the country. I’m not saying we are. But I’m saying we’re really good at it — for what fits here.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/seminoles-rise-boosted-by-transfers/
Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. agreed to a contract restructure Monday that cuts into his 2024 cap hit to the team.
The adjustment lowers Wilson’s cap number from $3.67 million to $2,375,500, according to a league source.
It essentially assures Wilson’s return to the Dolphins for the 2024 season as he was previously a candidate to be released for savings toward the salary cap.
Wilson’s base salary was lowered from $2.6 million to $1,125,000, but he added $400,000 guaranteed, plus workout and roster bonuses and incentives.
The 28-year-old power runner signed a two-year, $6 million contract as a free agent last offseason, but in his first season on the deal, he only carried 41 times for 188 rushing yards without a touchdown, adding 14 receptions for 85 yards.
In the 2023 offseason, Wilson was coming off his best season. Acquired by the Dolphins in a midseason trade, he had 860 rushing yards and six total touchdowns in time split between Miami and San Francisco.
Wilson (6 feet, 210 pounds) has ties to Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel from back with the 49ers when McDaniel was both run-game coordinator and then offensive coordinator as Wilson first made it with San Francisco as an undrafted player in 2018.
Miami essentially returns its running back corps in 2024. Rookie phenom De’Von Achane is back for a second season, and veteran Raheem Mostert is also under contract coming off a career year. The team already re-signed fellow running back Salvon Ahmed, and Chris Brooks enters a second professional season after making the Dolphins roster as an undrafted rookie in 2023.
Wilson’s top highlight with Miami last season was a defining moment in the team’s last win. He plunged for a late first-down conversion on third-and-2 against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 24 that allowed Miami to run down the clock so kicker Jason Sanders’ game-winning field could come as time expired.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/dolphins-restructure-running-back-jeff-wilson-jr-s-contract-to-lower-2024-cap-hit/
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The week of the 50th Players Championship began with a flap but ended with a flourish.
Scottie Scheffler’s dramatic and historic 1-shot come-from-behind win was the show-stopping performance the PGA Tour needed on its biggest stage.
Scheffler’s relentless execution and closing ability drew Tiger Woods comparisons as he maintained his stranglehold on world No. 1 at the expense of the reigning U.S. Open champion (Wyndham Clark), British Open champ (Brian Harman) and Olympic gold medalist (Xander Schauffele).
Yet Scheffler didn’t have the opportunity to chase down, defeat and demoralize all of golf’s top players.
LIV Golf continued to intrude at TPC Sawgrass, even if the absence of world No. 2 Jon Rahm, five-time major champion Brooks Koepka and five former Players champions, including 2022 winner Cam Smith, took nothing away from Scheffler’s transcendent performance.
During his annual address Tuesday, commissioner Jay Monahan highlighted the Tour’s multi-billion dollar agreement with the Strategic Sports Group, aimed to combat the Saudi-funded rival league. Reporter queries followed, as did player reaction.
Schauffele said Monahan had “a long way to go to gain the trust of the membership,” potentially setting the stage for an uncomfortable champion’s ceremony when Schauffele held the 54-hole lead.
Scheffler, not known to share public opinions, blamed LIV defectors for less buzz about the Tour’s showcase event.
“If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left,” he said.
But by the time Scheffler hoisted the trophy Sunday evening, golf was in a better place.
The world’s No. 1 player matched the lowest final-round score by a winner with an 8-under-par 64 to erase a 5-shot deficit, equaling the tournament’s biggest comeback during 41 years at TPC Sawgrass.
The 27-year-old summoned his best stuff after three days of battling a neck injury and watching three players ranked inside the top 10 leave him behind.
But on the Players’ golden anniversary, forces came together to produce a final round as riveting and emotionally exhausting as any in tournament history.
‘Today was another battle, hard-fought week,” the understated Scheffler said. “A lot of guys played some really good golf this week.”
Harman, Schauffele and then Clark had a chance to tie Scheffler with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole. Clark’s ball even fell halfway into the cup before horse-shoeing out to end his bid in agonizing fashion, especially given he held a 4-shot lead after 36 holes.
Each would have been a worthy world-class winner.
In golf, though, dominance generates mass appeal like few sports.
Coming off a 5-shot win during the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando’s Bay Hill, Scheffler fit the bill. He led the Players field in strokes gained tee-to-green and off-the-tee, along with driving accuracy at TPC Sawgrass. He tied for third in greens in regulation.
The rare time he made a mistake, his brilliant short game saved him. A putter change prior to the API seems to have filled the one hole in his game.
Even when Scheffler struggled before winning at Bay Hill, he recorded 14 top-10s in 19 starts between wins.
Now with consecutive wins for the first time since his dominant spring in 2022, tougher tests await.
The April 11-14 Masters will feature 2023 winner Rahm, Koepka and three-time champion Phil Mickelson, who tied for second in 2023, along with 2018 winner Patrick Reed, who tied for fourth. Augusta National Golf Club also is unlikely to yield the low scoring encouraged by soft conditions at TPC Sawgrass.
Either way, 2022 Masters champion Scheffler will be the man to beat. But even if he fails, he helped the PGA Tour deliver a major win Sunday.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/players-championship-scottie-scheffler-jay-monahan-pga-tour-wyndham-clark-brian-haraman-xander-schauffele/