WEEKI WACHEE, FLORIDA- The dominance of Weeki Wachee’s volleyball team in Hernando County is well documented, with the last time the Hornets had lost to an in-county opponent was back on Oct. 18, 2018 to Nature Coast.

Weeki Wachee entered Tuesday’s match against Springstead on a roll like most seasons at 3-0, but the Eagles also went in with an undefeated record of 2-0. Something had to give and it would be the former in a thrilling match. Springstead took Weeki Wachee the length, defeating the Hornets in five sets 18-25, 25-16, 14-25, 25-22, 15-10.

For the Eagles who went in riding a 6-game losing skid to the Hornets, the win over Weeki Wachee was the first for Springstead since Aug. 29, 2017.

“I think whenever we play the schools that are in the Gulf Coast 8, it’s always mental,” Springstead coach Andrea Gracey said. “There’s a lot of mental aspects there even though we are not in districts with them. There’s a lot of rivalry and a lot of competition.”

That competition was on full display between the top two teams out of Hernando County and the first set showed exactly what kind of flow the night would bring on. Though Weeki Wachee was able to edge out Springstead 25-18 in the opening set, each one brought on more and more intensity as the night went on.

Springstead (3-0) dominated the second set and at times led by as many as nine points. Weeki Wachee regained the advantage in the third set 25-14, but senior outside hitter Ezzie Thompson was the key for the Eagles throughout the match and especially the final two sets.

The Eagles got key kills from Thompson in the final two sets and was able to pull off the in-county victory over the Hornets. Weeki Wachee got strong performances from seniors Courtney McDermott (17 digs, 42 assists), Allora Murray (37 digs) and Morgan Maeder (9 kills, 20 digs). Also contributing for the Hornets was junior Dylan Elferdink (14 kills, 3 blocks) and freshman Delanie Evans (10 digs).

For Springstead, Thompson ended the night with 23 kills, 17 digs and teammates Emily Miller (10 kills, 22 digs), Isabella Nunag (39 assists), Rylynn Lanziero (11 digs) contributed as well.

“Springstead was very good with their hitters,” Weeki Wachee coach Kelly Werkmeister said. “We were very scrappy with our digs. Those are the games you live for. Though we have a young team and are rebuilding, all in all, proud of both teams in how they played.”

Andy Villamarzo can be reached andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.

The second to last week of the regular season is now in the books the we are heading into the Week 11 slate of games. Week 10 was the most lopsided week of the entire season when it came to final scores. Many games were out of hand by halftime, with running clocks in effect by the third and fourth quarters.

One game that peaked a lot of interest heading into Friday was the Class 3A-Suburban, District 7 matchup between Zephyrhills and Cypress Creek. The Bulldogs made to shut the door on any noise heading into the game and won handily over the Coyotes.

When we entered the season and looked at Class 4A-Suburban, District 6, it always had the look of a district that would come down to the final weeks. The two games that went on between Mitchell-Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes-Wiregrass Ranch were not close on the field, however. Now the final week will decide a district champion as teams must win on the field and wait on the Florida High School Athletic Association ratings.

South Sumter rolled past Dunnellon after a somewhat close first half of play, to notch the Raiders a district crown. Central defeated Weeki Wachee in the ‘Battle of the Hexam’ and the Bears have locked up its first non-losing regular season record since 2016.

We’ve got the final scores and some top performances from Week 10 across the North Suncoast so take a look at what went on in Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties.

Week 10 North Suncoast scores

Zephyrhills 53, Cypress Creek 13

Mitchell 41, Sunlake 0

Land O' Lakes 43, Wiregrass Ranch 7

Pasco 49, Wesley Chapel 0

Central 26, Weeki Wachee 14

Seven Rivers Christian 53, Cedar Creek Christian 20

Hudson 61, Anclote 0

River Ridge 43, Fivay 6

Victory Christian 40, Bishop McLaughlin 2

Northside Christian 34, Zephyrhills Christian Academy 22

South Sumter 46, Dunnellon 6

Lecanto 50, Citrus 0

Nature Coast 35, IMG Academy Blue 16

Hernando 20, Crystal River 7

Top Week 10 performances

Nature Coast, Allan Ho, running back: The tailback/defensive back carried the ball 13 times for 110 yards in the Sharks’ win.

Nature Coast, Jackson Hoyt, quarterback: The University of Florida baseball commitment went 10-of-15 for 110 yards and two scores and also add 16 attempts for 109 yards and a score.

Nature Coast, Christian Cromer, running back: The Nature Coast bulldozer had 15 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

Zephyrhills, Fred Adams, wide receiver: The two-way stud had a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and two other scores in the Bulldogs win over Cypress Creek.

Cody Gwinn, Land O’ Lakes, running back: The Gators piled up a lot of yards against Wiregrass Ranch and Gwinn was a big part of that. Gwinn rushed for 114 yards on 18 touches and scored twice.

Devin Gilbertson, Land O’ Lakes, linebacker: Gilbertson was apart of the defense that stifled the Gators attack, notching five tackles and two sacks.

Enrique Matos, Pasco, quarterback: The Pasco signal caller had himself his best game of the season, completing 4-of-6 passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns.

Anthony Pratt, Pasco, linebacker: Pratt up his season totals to 78 tackles on the year after adding nine more and a sack versus Wesley Chapel.

Braden Joyner, Brooksville Central, quarterback: Joyner completed 18-of-25 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ 26-14 win over the Hornets.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.

If you’re looking for unique, offbeat or just plain delicious attractions for your next trip, here are some places across the country that you may want to consider.

To enjoy one of Florida’s most unusual and longstanding roadside attractions, head to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, about an hour north of Tampa. The park is home to the Mermaids, who’ve been entertaining visitors since 1947 with performances in their magical underwater world. The park also offers kayak rentals, paddling and a riverboat cruise.

The Dole Plantation is one of the most popular attractions on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. So while it’s not an obscure destination, one part of it is unusual — the Pineapple Garden Maze, one of only a handful of permanent garden mazes in the United States. It stretches over three acres and includes nearly 2½ miles of paths created from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants.

Food trails are a great way to sample regional specialties while supporting small businesses. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, try the Donut Trail, in Butler County, Ohio, about 45 minutes from Cincinnati. You can visit more than a dozen mom-and-pop shops selling a variety of fried, glazed, filled and sprinkled donuts. On the Connecticut Pizza Trail, stops include pizzerias serving New Haven’s thin-crust coal-fired pies and Mystic Pizza, which inspired the 1988 movie.

Gatlinburg is a scenic town in eastern Tennessee that serves as the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s also home to the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers, with a collection of more than 20,000 sets from around the world. You’ll see shakers arranged by color and theme, with everything from astronauts to vegetables represented.

For an unusual musical experience, visit the Wave Organ, a wave-activated acoustic sculpture built on a jetty in San Francisco Bay. Twenty-five organ pipes, made of concrete and PVC, are located at various elevations, allowing for the rise and fall of tides. Sound is created by the impact of waves against the ends of the pipes and movement of water in and out of the pipes. The sound is best at high tide.

Accounts of a strange spectacle outside Marfa, a desert city in west Texas, surfaced in the 19th century. The Marfa Lights remain a mysterious phenomenon. They’re sometimes red, sometimes blue, sometimes white, and they dance across the horizon randomly at night, no matter the season or weather. An official viewing area is located nine miles east of town and an annual festival takes place in September.

In Middleton, Wisconsin, a suburb of Madison, you’ll find the National Mustard Museum. The collection includes more than 6,000 examples from all 50 states and more than 70 countries, along with a collection of mustard pots, antique tins and jars and vintage advertisements. You can learn about the King of Condiments at the Mustardpiece Theatre and sample mustards at the tasting bar.

For help navigating any travel plans, contact your travel advisor or connect with one through Travel Leaders Network at travelleaders.com.

A fight over a woman took a strange turn when one man accidentally stabbed himself while repeatedly stabbing someone else, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

How that happened isn’t clear, but both men ended up in a hospital, according to a news release.

The fight erupted around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, at a home on Fine Street in Weeki Wachee, about 55 miles north of Tampa, the sheriff’s office says.

Neither of the men live at the home, but bad timing saw them bumping into each other there, and they “soon became engaged in an argument over a woman residing at the residence,” the sheriff’s office said.

“During the argument, (one) brandished a large knife and began stabbing the victim repeatedly. During the incident, (he) also accidentally stabbed himself,” officials said. “The victim was eventually able to flee the residence.”

Deputies found the 26-year-old suspect at a neighbor’s home, where he explained there was no ill intent when “he stabbed the victim numerous times,” officials said.

“He didn’t want to kill the victim, but rather ‘Put the fear of God’ in him,” the sheriff’s office said.

The 24-year-old victim was taken to a trauma center and “is expected to make a full recovery,” officials said.

The suspect was arrested after being released from a hospital and charged with “aggravated battery with a deadly weapon,” officials said. His bond was set at $25,000.

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WEEKI WACHEE, FLORIDA- Coming off a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to Land O’ Lakes on Friday night, the Nature Coast Sharks were looking to get back on track against Weeki Wachee.

On Monday night, the Sharks leaned upon their defense and fast start on offense to overpower the Hornets. Nature Coast compiled nearly 300 yards of total offense and cruised to a 38-0 win over Weeki Wachee on the road.

With the win, the Sharks improve to 3-3 on the season and the Hornets fall to 1-5. Both teams have quick turnarounds this week as Nature Coast takes the road down to face Anclote and Weeki Wachee will face Hudson.

“Only thing I think I didn’t like was the one time we were inside the 10-yard line and we ended up with a field goal,” Nature Coast head coach Cory Johns said. “That’s what tonight was really all about was executing on offense, executing on defense and doing what were supposed to do.”

The Sharks (3-3) made sure to do what they were supposed to on the offensive end as they opened up the first drive of the game going uptempo and it paid off. A 7-play, 48-yard drive culminated in a 2-yard Christian Cromer touchdown run to put Nature Coast ahead 7-0 in the first quarter.

About five minutes later, place kicker Caiden Mellecker would be called upon to knock down a 22-yard field and that increased the Sharks advantage to 10-0. Nature Coast quarterback Jackson Hoyt finished off the scoring in the first quarter when he took a option keeper and punched it in from eight yards out.

Up 17-0 heading into the second quarter, the Sharks were in full control against a youthful Hornets bunch that struggled to move the ball. Weeki Wachee totaled just 59 yards of offense the entire night, with 55 of that coming via the ground game on 29 attempts.

Weeki Wachee (1-5) was coming off a tough 14-7 overtime loss to Fivay last week, but couldn’t shrug off the loss and bounce back against the Sharks. The shutout loss for the Hornets is the third time they’ve been shutout this season under first-year head coach Jon Malandrucco.

Cromer didn’t have a statistically huge night when it comes to yards as the running back rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries, but he was Johns’ go-to-guy when it came to scoring the Sharks’ touchdowns. The junior tailback scored his second touchdown just before halftime on a 2-yard run to put Nature Coast up 24-0 going into intermission.

Hoyt had one of his better nights throwing and running the ball for the Sharks as he completed 9-of-15 for 107 yards and rushing for another 54. His main target was tight end Brady Nowlan, who hauled in four passes for 61 yards on the night. The Sharks finished in the rushing department going for 179 yards on 34 attempts.

The Sharks added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, which came via another Cromer run and a 33-yard Allan Ho (nine carries, 67 yards) score.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.