Today's News

Is this October or December?

The sun sets like it is December, but the daytime highs feel much more like fall than midwinter.

And it seems as though the fish are confused as well. Normally by this time, the trout and redfish have become well established in the area rivers and deeper tidal creeks, but many trout are still out front on the edge of the flats as if it were march already.

My guess is that the next cold front (which has not been forecast at this writing) will be the "coupe de grace" that finally persuades them to head for their usual winter haunts.

Editor's Note: This week, in celebration of the Heisman Award and high school state championships, the Beacon is looking back to the days when Cedar Key School still played football.

Did Cedar Key ever have a football team?

Now, during the exciting postseason playoff games for state high school titles, college conference title games, bowl season announcements, Heisman Trophy presentations and National Championship aspirations, the answer reminds me of the response to a young girl's question regarding the existence of jolly old St. Nick.

"They almost beat us. I told my girls, they ought to have beaten us."

So said Branford head coach Wade Cashwell, after a fast-improving Cedar Key girls' team held his Lady Bucs to 23 points in a defense-heavy, 23-13 Branford win.

Branford's Kristin Lynch still dominated, scoring almost half of her team's points with her game-high 10. But Cedar Key's Kacey Miller was almost Lynch's match, with 8 points on the night.

Cedar Key School might be the best private public school in Florida, to quote Levy Schools Superintendent Cliff Norris, but even the best schools need help sometimes.

Due to an unfunded mandate from the state of Florida that went into effect this school year, all schools serving grades K-5 are required to provide 150 minutes of physical education per week.

Cedar Key already provides students with 90 minutes a week, but lone PE teacher Aaron Haldeman is responsible for all of those minutes, plus high school PE classes, and he can't do any more.