SEASON UNDER WAY FOR LOCAL FOOTBALL TEAMS

The Hilton Head Sharks, members of the Gridiron Developmental Football League, are off to a 1-1 start in the GDFL's Midway Division. The Sharks opened their season June 2 with a 64-0 win over the Bluffton Buffaloes, but were defeated 20-14 by the Palmetto Havoc last Saturday.

The Sharks are one game behind the division-leading Havoc. The Beaufort Hornets are 0-1 in the division, and the Bluffton Buffaloes are off to an 0-2 start.

The Sharks take on the Low Country Bone Crushers at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Head Christian Academy.

ED PHELPS TO SPEAK TO ATHLETIC CLUB OF LOWCOUNTRY

Ed Phelps will be the featured speaker on June 18 at the monthly meeting of the Athletic Club of the Lowcountry. The meeting will be held in Room 156 in the Hargray Building on the Bluffton campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the presentation at 7.

Phelps, brought up in the metropolitan Detroit area, worked as a broadcaster for nearly 40 years. He was a longtime sports anchor at WJRT-TV in Flint, Mich., and also was the radio voice for 28 years for Central Michigan University football.

Club members can attend for free and guests are welcome at $5. For more information, call 843-540-7159.

RIPTIDE MMA OWNER WINS HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT

Hilton Head Island's John Juarez, owner of Riptide MMA Gym in Bluffton, won his Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight fight on May 26 in Charleston. Juarez defeated Jeremy Stevens in the main event, winning by unanimous decision after three 5-minute rounds.

The Riptide MMA team is scheduled to return to Charleston for more competition in August.