Recreational sports in full swing at The Center

With the conclusion of the adult co-ed soccer recreational league season and the awarding of the Hayward Cup, The Center field lights are lit three nights a week with youth soccer, adult flag football and another season of adult soccer.

The kiddos start the week on Tuesday nights with soccer players as young as 3 years old getting touches on the ball. Two youth soccer age groups field nine teams sponsored by local businesses whose financial contribution helps to ensure that every child in the community stays active playing sports.

Looking at two more regular season weeks of play, the records are tight with Beach Bums, Moss Builders and Progressive Cabinetry, all with a 1-0-1 record in the 8-to 10-year-old league. HSH enters Week 4 with one win and two losses.

Team Miz & Hiz Biz, a new sponsor of the league, is still seeking its first win going into the next game with a 0-2-1 record.

The older kids have two teams on top with a 2-0-1 record. Both Tidy MD and Gulf Drive Café are being chased by team Ugly Grouper and Slim’s Place.

Scoring for Progressive Cabinetry in their win against HSH was Jack McCarthy with two goals and Jesse Zaccagnino with a single.

In the tied ballgame, Nixon Conner scored a solo goal for Miz & Hiz Biz only to be matched by Beach Bums’ Ryan Cyrus.

Hammish Robertson was the first to score in the older youth league for Ugly Grouper against Slim’s Place, which was scoreless.

Youth soccer action ended in another tie with Gulf Drive Café’s Carter Eurice scoring the team’s only goal. Tidy MD’s Victor Albrecht scored the single point for his team.

Wednesday night, the adults lit up the field with flag football action.

Fresh at the end of the last season, these tried and true players took to the pitch without missing a beat.

The first game of the night started with a Signature Granite blowout against Sato Real Estate, ending with the score 9-1. Sato’s scoring was spread among the roster. Zach Leib and Ugur Durmaz both had a hat trick in the match, with two for Kris Yavalar and a single by Olsin Crean.

The other three were close matchups.

Solid Rock Construction took the second win of the night by a single point against Skinny’s Place. Blalock Walters followed suit with its victory against Ugly Grouper. Slim’s Place did not waver from the pattern with their W in the game against Progressive Cabinetry.

Thursday night lights came on for week two of adult flag football play at The Center. The outcomes of the games were close until the last game of the night and the last matchup of the week at the community center.

The ladies of the league brought study hands to the field. Moss Builders’ Evelyn Long scored a receiving touchdown in the 35-25 game against Gulfview Windows and Doors.

Despite the loss, McKenna Ainger put up statistics as the quarterback for a touchdown for her Sandbar team. In the win against Sandbar, league veteran Dina DeJesus showed why she is a force on the field with seven catches, one for six points, in addition to extra point scoring.

In the following game, Bri Roberts had three receptions in the game for the Solid Rock Construction’s one-point win against Slim’s Place. Roberts is credited with a critical one-point conversion.

Ugly Grouper’s Avory Lavalliere, the team’s required female player, scored two touchdowns and had an extra point in the blowout win against Progressive Cabinetry to end the night’s action.