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View all postsMike Ridaught is sports director for Mainstreet Daily News. He hosts a weekly high school sports show at Sonic Drive-In from August - May and does play-by-play for a Game-of-the Week on 106.9 FM “I Am Country" during football season. In December 2025, he completed his ninth year of teaching a play-by-play class at the University of Florida. In August 2025, the former "Voice of the UNF Ospreys" completed his fifth consecutive year of doing play-by-play for the Cal Ripken World Series in Branson, Mo. Mike is also founder of The Prep Zone.
Columbia wins district opener
Feb 25, 2022
On Friday night at Tiny Talbot Field, the Gainesville and Columbia (Lake City) baseball game came down to a final play. And in the end, it […]
Ridaught: Cutting down the nets
Feb 25, 2022
I love this time of year. For the first time in two years, it finally feels a little more normal. Two years ago, we were able […]
Buchholz prepares for opener
Feb 24, 2022
Last year the Buchholz baseball team won 18 games and was among the top 10 teams in the state in Class 6A. The Bobcats (18-7-1) lost […]
Hawthorne advances to final four
Feb 22, 2022
They’re rarely easy. Last Thursday, Hawthorne freshman C.J. Ingram hit a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds left to ice the game in a 49-46 win […]
Santa Fe, GHS open seasons tonight
Feb 22, 2022
The high school softball and baseball seasons officially began on Monday, but the Santa Fe (Alachua) and Gainesville baseball teams will play their season openers tonight. […]
Area basketball teams look to stay alive
Feb 22, 2022
The dream season continues tonight for four area boys basketball teams, three of which will play for a spot in next week’s Florida High School Athletic […]
Ridaught: Baseball, softball in full swing
Feb 21, 2022
Today marks the start of the high school softball and baseball regular seasons after concluding preseason games last week. Last year the area won two state […]
Ridaught: NCAA tournament hopes fade for Gators
Feb 18, 2022
The Florida basketball team will likely miss the NCAA tournament this season. The Gators are one of six teams with a win in each of the […]
Hawthorne survives, advances in regionals
Feb 17, 2022
The legacy continues in Hawthorne. C.J. Ingram, the son of Hornets’ great Cornelius Ingram, scored a game-high 20 points as Hawthorne held on for a 49-46 […]
Hawthorne ranked new Class 1A No. 1 on MaxPreps
Feb 17, 2022
The Hawthorne boys basketball team is back on top heading into the postseason. The Hornets are the new No. 1 in Class 1A according to MaxPreps […]
Hawthorne boys move into power poll
Feb 17, 2022
District champions highlight the top half of The Prep Zone Power Poll. All of the current top 10 teams won a district championship last Friday, so […]
Hawthorne season ends in regional finals
Feb 15, 2022
On Tuesday night at the Woodshed, the Wildwood girls basketball team set the tone early against Hawthorne in a Class 1A-Region 4 Final. The Lady Wildcats […]
State Semifinals at stake for area teams
Feb 15, 2022
Tonight, the Hawthorne girls basketball team will travel to Wildwood for a Class 1A-Region 4 Final. The winner will advance to the FHSAA state tournament in […]
Ridaught: Super finish
Feb 14, 2022
Happy Valentine’s Day! Is it just me or does anyone else see the irony that the day after the biggest football game of the year for […]
Santa Fe snags second straight district title
Feb 11, 2022
The Santa Fe (Alachua) boys basketball team’s bid for back-to-back district titles was in jeopardy at the end of the first half at North Marion. The […]
Ridaught: Catching Fire
Feb 11, 2022
Who is the hottest team in Alachua County right now? Is it the Santa Fe College men’s basketball team? The Saints have won seven of their […]
All Area: Ingram, Whittemore named top coaches
Feb 11, 2022
It was a banner year for the Hawthorne and Buchholz (Gainesville) football teams this past fall. The Hornets advanced to their second straight state championship game, […]
GHS season ends
Feb 10, 2022
There are many adjectives to describe the St. Augustine girls basketball team. They are tall, fast, and skilled. All three were on display on Thursday night […]
Two area teams ranked in girls top 20 poll
Feb 10, 2022
There was a shakeup in The Prep Zone Power Poll following last week’s district tournaments, including a new No. 1 team. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), which won […]
All Area: Buchholz capitalizes on successful year
Feb 9, 2022
In 2021, the Buchholz football team enjoyed its best season since advancing to the final four in 1995. The Bobcats (12-2) finished one game shy of […]
Buchholz, P.K. Yonge girls advance in playoffs
Feb 8, 2022
Heading into Tuesday night’s Class 6A-Region 1 Quarterfinal, Buchholz coach Bryan Hantak knew that visiting Niceville was fast. That was evidenced when the Eagles scored its […]
Ridaught: Big week for boys basketball
Feb 7, 2022
The second season begins today for boys high school basketball. As was the case with the girls basketball state playoffs, district tournament champions automatically qualify. However, […]
Hawthorne’s Jefferson leads All Area offense
Feb 7, 2022
This past fall the Hawthorne football team made another run all the way to the Class 1A state championship game. And one of its quarterbacks headlines […]
Trenton wins 7th straight district title
Feb 4, 2022
The streaks continued for the Trenton girls basketball program on Friday night. The top seeded Lady Tigers raced out to a 13-0 lead at home and […]