The COVID-19 pandemic claimed the lives of more than 330,000 Americans by 2020 and kept others at home and away from shops, restaurants and sports fields. the most productive sporting stories of 2020 from The News-Press // Naples Daily News.
School districts in Lee, Collier, and Hendry counties and the best personal schools in southwest Florida canceled their spring sports seasons in March, a month before the Florida Athletic High School Association did the same after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the school would close for the rest. School year 2019-20.
The resolution sent shock waves over the net when the sports races of a lot of older people came to an abrupt end. Schools conducted virtual signature ceremonies for their student-athletes.
Before closing, Mariner High School’s men’s soccer team, led by state player of the year Leo Perez, reached the Class 4A state championship game, where they lost a 4-3 peso to Miami Gulliver Prep. In wrestling, Jesse Martinez and Jared Dinh of Riverdale, Trillyon Fils-Aime of Palmetto Ridge and Andy Martinez of Golden Gate won state championships.
Most of the groups returned to summer education in mid-June in hopes of starting fall sports on July 27. After some emergency meetings of the FHSAA Board of Directors, the Board voted to postpone the start of practice until August 24. High opened its fall sports slates in early September, Lee and Collier’s public schools opened two weeks later.
During the fall season, southwest Florida Christian Academy, Golden Gate, Oasis, Immokalee and LaBelle dealt with COVID-19 issues that forced the cancellation of football and volleyball games.
Dunbar High, the last southwest Florida football team to stand as it reached a regional championship game for the time being in school history.
Several athletes from the region have won individual state championships, Fort Myers swimmer Olivia McMurray, South Fort diver Myers Brandon Shepherd, swimmer Bishop Verot Conor Cranfield and North Fort bowling player Myers Brandon Rucker,
The FGCU women’s basketball team won the name of the normal ASUN season and is scheduled to host the tournament championship game.
Instead, the coronavirus wiped out all school basketball. The NCAA canceled the rest of its winter and spring seasons on March 12 in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
FGCU 30-3 and ranked No. 36 in the country in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index. The Eagles beat the Blueblood Notre Dame and Duke systems and started four seniors.
Both FSW basketballs have qualified for their respective National Athletic Association of Youth Universities tournaments, however, the NJCAA announced cancellations of their seasons.
Of the 75 United States outdoor athletes between the FGCU and FSW, a giant number was stranded in Fort Myers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more: ASUN cancels NJCAA women’s basketball championship postpones tournament, affecting FSW basketball
Also: ‘I’m FINE’: Coronavirus pandemic defeats foreign FGCU and FSW athletes at Fort Myers
The Lee County School Board approved a $950,000 agreement on December 8 between the school district and the mother of a Riverdale High School football player who collapsed due to a heat illness in summer education and died approximately two weeks later in 2017.
The deal ended a 16-month war that began with a lawsuit filed by Laurie Giordano, alleging that Riverdale’s school board and head coach, James Delgado, did not provide the security and intelligent being of their 16-year-old son, Zachary Martin-Polsenberg. . Host an educational consultation on June 29, 2017 when temperatures exceed 90 degrees.
In addition to the $950,000 unanimously approved through the board, the district agreed to organize an annual football game to honor Martin-Polsenberg’s memory.
Over the next seven years, the game will take place between Lee County schools at annual spring display games and 25% of the proceeds will be donated to the Zach Martin Memorial Foundation, which raises awareness of heat-related ailments and helps schools pay for the equipment needed to save it from a fatal fit.
Giordano also prompted the Florida Legislature to pass the Zach Martin Act in July, which requires Florida public and personal schools to have cold dip defibrillators and tubs or other tactics to lower an athlete’s body temperature under heat stress. Symptoms of heat-related illness are also needed.
In addition: Lee County School Board approves $950K deal on Riverdale player’s death for sunstroke
Indianapolis Colts legend Edgerrin James of Immokalee was elected to the Hall of Fame in February after being a finalist four times earlier. He intended to get his golden jacket in the NFL opening rite on August 8 in Canton, Ohio.
However, the NFL postponed the rite of induction due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The elegance of the 2020 Hall of Fame will now be committed to the elegance of 2021 next summer.
Moving his determination a year ago, James will likely share the Hall of Fame level with his former quarterback. Peyton Manning became eligible in 2021 and was considered a Hall of Fame member in the first voting circular. backfield from 1999 to 2005.
More: Edgerrin James elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame for the fourth time as a finalist
Mario Henderson, a former offensive lineman from Letop Top School and Florida State, died on October 21 at his home at the age of 35, leaving a giant gap in the Fort Myers-Letop network.
Henderson began his senior season at Florida State before being selected in the third circular of the 2007 NFL Draft through the Oakland Raiders.
After signing a four-year, $ 2. 8 million deal with the Raiders, Henderson played about 1,800 shots in the left and right shot before leaving Oakland in 2010 and betting a season on San Diego. In total, he made 28 career debuts in the NFL.
Henderson, who returned to the FSU and graduated in 2018, recently worked with special wish academics at Dunbar High and an assistant on tiger training staff.
More: ”A Wonderful Giant”: Mario Henderson, former Lehigh’s ex-FSU, dies at age 35
Sammy Watkins, a south Fort Myers High product, made five 98-yard receptions for the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIV, beating San Francisco Pro Bowl corner Richard Sherman 1-1 at the checkout for a 38-yard reception. landing in a 31-20 victory on February 2 in Miami.
He won a hero’s welcome on his return to Fort Myers. Lee County’s all-time principal catcher served as grand honorary marshal for Saturday’s great parade at the 82nd Annual Edison Lights Festival and provided when the Lee County Board of Commissioners officially named Sammy Watkins Day on February 18.
Watkins, who then retired his jersey to South along with teammate Dallas Crawford, restructured his $9 million contract with the Chiefs with up to $7 million in incentives.
More: Super Bowl champion Sammy Watkins engages to Lee County while honored
Cincinnati Bengals corner Mackensie Alexander, an Immokalee High graduate, left education camp and returned to Florida to be with his circle of relatives while the government was searching for his missing father on August 25.
According to okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Alexander’s father, Jean Odney Alexandre, is missing. Alexander, accompanied by a boy, went to Okeechobee County to pick up palm berries. After searching for Alexander, the other boy left Okeechobee, leaving Alexander behind.
Before Alexander discovered a few days after coming to find a ranger at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Mackensie Alexander was arrested on an assault charge after confronting the guy who was with his father, according to an arrest report from Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
More: Immokalee graduate Mackensie Alexander leaves Bengal camp as government searches for missing father
The 2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors trained at the FGCU’s Alico Arena from June 23-30 before the NBA restarted after a stoppage in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s quarantine and restrictions prevented raptors from receiving education in Toronto.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse and his wife, Roberta, a former FGCU star volleyball player, have a house in Fort Myers. Roberta Santos played two years for the Eagles and the first All-ASUN team as a junior and senior pin.
The son of FGCU’s associate male basketball head coach Donnie Marsh, Tyler, video assistant coordinator and player progression coach for the Raptors.
Toronto finished the regular season 53-19 to win the seed for now in the East Conference before being eliminated through the Boston Celtics at the time of the playoffs.
More: Report: Toronto Raptors to use FGCU’s Alico Arena to prepare for NBA reboot after COVID-19
Cape Coral High graduate Shane McClanahan was the first pitcher in history to make his debut in the primary league playoffs, recording the best at the start of the ninth inning when the Tampa Bay Rays fell to the New York Yankees 9-3 in the first game. of the American League Division series on October 5.
The former USF ace made a crashed deyet, causing a superior blow consistent with Brett Gardner, who landed on no man’s land for a box shot. On that move, McClanahan collided with rays’ base brandon lowe. He then gave a passport to open receiver Kyle Higashioka in a 3-2 pitch to qualify the goals, but escaped unscathed when he induced a gentle blow consistent with the mound through DJ LeMahieu. McClanahan constantly hit 98-99 miles consistent with the time on the radar of his 15-step relay, nine of which were strikes.
In the playoffs where the Rays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, sailor Mike Zunino hit four home runs, tying his regular season overall and being a home run from former Cleveland Indian Sandy Alomar Jr. record. a catcher in a series of single playoffs.
Nothing better than his solo shot at the time of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, which ended up serving as the winning streak in the Rays’ 4–2 victory over the Houston Astros.
More: Cape Coral’s Shane McClanahan and Mike Zunino set to make World Series debuts with the Rays
PopStroke opened its golf entertainment center for the time being, and first with the participation of Tiger Woods, who included the PGA star as an active spouse until his role in designing the two golf courses in September. Parkway.
The Fort Myers installation includes two courses. The Cub is more beginner-oriented and the Tiger is more difficult. Golfers can keep their score with an app that also includes the ability to order food and beverages on site to eat on-site and receive them on the course.
PopStroke will also have at least two other services on Florida’s Gulf Coast – one is scheduled for North Naples and in Sarasota next year.
More: Tiger Woods-backed PopStroke Golf will be open to the public at Fort Myers on Saturday