Juan Campiz protects first base on a softball field at Miami Lakes Optimist Park. He leans toward the batter, ready to field whatever may come from home plate.     His spot on the diamond is one he has held since he was a boy.      That child’s love for the game has continued to present day, when he is a youthful 96.      “I started playing baseball when I was 10...

   Led by state champion Mason O’Dell and state finalists Kalias Nazario and Damian Soto, the Mater Lakes wrestling program sent 16 athletes (12 boys, 4 girls) to the FHSAA state championships this year. The boys placed fourth in the state Class 1A tournament, and the girls placed eighth in the state.       Mason O’Dell, an eighth-grader, won his title at 106 pounds to finish with a 48-3 record....

     Dr. Yvonne Johnson-Phillips, vice president and chief medical officer at Baptist Health’s South Miami Hospital, was installed as the Orange Bowl Committee’s 85th president and chair as of Jan. 31.      Johnson has been a member of the committee since 2010. She succeeds President and Chair Frank Gonzalez, and is the first African-American woman to become president of the sports and charitable...

     The Miami Lakes Optimist baseball team 10U Bandits triumphed over six other teams in the regional United States Specialty Sports Association PROSTYLE Tournament held March 4 – 5 in Coral Springs.      The Bandits won the championship game 23 – 7 against the Sunrise Sharks. Shown in the photo, front row from left are Ayden Alonso; Derek Merino; Benji Bravo and Andy Garcia. In the second...

     Orlando Hernandez is a four-time World Series champion, and a past MVP of the American League Championship Series. And he’s still winning titles.     “El Duque,” as he was known during his days as a star pitcher for the New York Yankees, is now the club champion at Miami Lakes Golf Club. He shot rounds of 75 and 81 to finish at 12-over par 156 and win the championship flight by four...