HIGHLANDER BOOSTER CLUB
NFL PLAYER
LORENZO HAMPTON
Lorenzo Timothy Hampton excelled at football in high school and college and became a professional football player. He went to the University of Florida on a football scholarship and was a first-round draft pick in the NFL draft in 1985 when the Miami Dolphins took him as the 27th overall pick in the first round. Lorenzo runs a charitable foundation entitled Lemon-Aid Makers which runs summer football camps for inner city elementary and middle schools in south Florida where he resides.
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LONGTIME COACH AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT
NANCY DENTON
Nancy Ramsey Denton helped bring the sport of softball to LWHS in 1986. She served as the head softball coach at LWHS for 29 years. While coaching, her teams won 2 state championships, 12 district championships, 10 regional championships and 6 of her teams made it to the final 4 state championship. While her numbers alone are impressive, it’s the character she brings to the sport and the Lady Highlanders that also set her apart from other coaches. LWHS’s only named field is the Nancy Denton Softball Complex.
MLB PLAYER AND COACH
PAT BORDERS
Patrick Lance Borders was a multi-sport high school player who was offered a duel-sport scholarship to Mississippi State University as both a baseball and football player. Pat was drafted in the sixth round of the MLB Draft to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982. In 1992 he was the MLB World Series MVP. Borders is one of only four players to have won both a World Series Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. Currently he is a Minor League Baseball Manager for the Philadelphia Phillies.
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NFL PLAYER
BUFORD LONG
Buford Eugene Long was a multi-sport high school and college player who went on to play professional football. He attended the University of Florida where he earned varsity letters in football, baseball and track and field. He played defensive back and end in the NFL. After his professional football career, Long returned to Lake Wales and was a devote supporter of Lake Wales High School Athletics.
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FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COMMUNITY SUPPORT
DICK HOWELL
Richard “Dick” Howell played basketball and baseball at LWHS and then went on to play baseball at Polk Junior College. Dick was involved in Lake Wales Little League for 18 years as sponsor, coach, board member and umpire. In 1990 he became involved with the Highlander Booster Club. He announced roll call for LWHS Graduation ceremonies for thirteen years. Serving as the “Voice of the Highlanders” for all home football games (27 years), boys’ basketball games (24 years), and baseball games (22 years) he has earned the title “Mr. Highlander”.
FORMER LWHS EDUCATOR/COACH
MARVIN PAVY
Marvin Pavy came to Lake Wales in 1984 to teach Math and help coach football. He worked at LWHS practically his whole career in FL. He has held the following positions; Math Teacher, Dean, Guidance Counselor, Acting Asst. Principal, Registrar, and Athletic Director. He coached football for 37 years. He also coached Freshman Basketball and Assistant and Head Baseball. As AD, LWHS sports programs have had numerous teams advance in the State Series Tournaments and LWHS was named Large School All Sports Award in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
FORMER LWHS EDUCATOR/COACH
ROD SHAFER
Rodney Shafer was an English and SAT prep teacher for 25 years and also the head football coach for LWHS for 20 years. During that time his teams won 187 games averaging over 9.4 wins a year. His teams won 14 District titles, advanced to the state quarter finals 9 times and state semifinals 5 times. They made it to the state finals twice. Coach Shafer was named the District Coach of the Year and County Coach of the year multiple times, the 4A State Football Coach of the year in 1993, the 3A Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995, and 2001, and the Florida High Football Coach of the Year for all Classes in 1995. On January 9,2016, Rod was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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FORMER LWHS ATHLETE
WADE DAVIS
Wade Davis as drafted in the 3rd round out of LWHS in 2004 by the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent 2004-2009 in the minor leagues. In 2009, he was called to play in the majors with Tampa Bay. He was traded to the Kansas City Royals and made two trips to the World Series, winning the second one in 2015. Wade was awarded the Babe Ruth award for post season MVP. Wade went on to play for the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals. During his career he was selected to 3 All Star teams, 2 pitcher of the year awards, and recorded the lowest ERA over a 2 year span in the history of baseball.
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FORMER TEACHER/COACH
WILLIAM "BILL" CREWS
William “Bill” Crews grew up in North Carolina where he excelled in all sports. In 1934, he matriculated into the University of Florida, became active in athletics and became the Captain of the Gator Track Team. After graduation he was hired in 1938 to teach physical education at LWHS where he was a stalwart educator as well as a respected and successful coach for 30 years. His only was to serve our country in World War 11. Coach Crews always made sure the boys of the community could get into the gym to use their time in a positive way, but more importantly he almost single handedly conducted a summer recreation program for the youth of Lake Wales. There were sports, crafts, and all kinds of activities, including swimming. He organized, supervised, taught, and coached, not to mention drove the bus for games.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COMMUNITY SUPPORT
HUBERT MORROW
Hubert Morrow is arguably the best all-around athlete to ever attend and play at Lake Wales High School. He excelled in basketball and football and was offered a scholarship to the University of Florida as a dual sport athlete in basketball and football. He chose to serve his country and entered the US Army. While stationed in Europe he played for the Army baseball, basketball and football teams. Hubert has coached youth baseball and basketball in LW over the years. During his 40s, Hubert began competitive running and participated in many events, usually winning his age bracket. Currently, he enjoys golfing.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COACH/COMMUNITY SUPPORT
CHAD BARNHARDT
Chad Barnhardt started as a Highlander as an exceptional multisport athlete. His accolades include: 1st Team All-State in both Football and Baseball in his Senior Year, Catcher for the 1993 State Championship Baseball Team, Quarterback for the 1993 State Runner-Up Football Team. After his high school career, Chad was the 8th Round Draft Pick by the Boston Red Sox MLB team. Chad was also the 1st Quarterback to ever play at the University of South Florida. Later Chad turned his player hat around and served as the Head Football Coach for the Highlanders and the Head Baseball Coach for them later on. Chad has been a constant supporter of the Highlander Booster Club over the years and currently serves on the executive board.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COACH/COMMUNITY SUPPORT
DEBBIE KNUTH
Debbie Harrison Knuth is a prime example of the type of athlete LWHS develops. Someone who is willing to give back to her community without expecting anything in return. Mrs. Knuth was a multi-sport athlete while attending LWHS. She lead the Volleyball Team and was on the Swim Team. After high school, she attended Polk Community College and the University of Tampa on a Volleyball Scholarship and majored in Physical Education.
Upon completion of college, Mrs. Knuth returned to Lake Wales and began teaching Physical Education at Hillcrest Elementary. Coach Knuth mentored and taught the Hawks for over 30 years. Coach Knuth was the mastermind behind the inauguration of the Lake Wales Charter Schools' Annual Turkey bowl, which is still a standing tradition. While teaching PE at Hillcrest, Coach Knuth made a big impact on the Lake Wales area schools by coaching volleyball at Vanguard for 2 years, Warner University for 2 years, Bok Academy for a few years, and LWHS for 14 years. Once she retired from coaching at LWHS she began refereeing club volleyball. The community has provided Coach Knuth with several opportunities to give back and she never once turned her back on those. She has been a valuable and contributing member of Lake Wales Athletics for many years.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE
OCTAVIOUS FREEMAN
Not many runners can say, they never lost a race during their high school career, but Octavious Freeman can. She was undefeated. Ms. Freeman won the FHSAA 100- and 200-meter state finals all 4 years of her high school career. She also won 10 gold medals in the state finals over 4 years. As a senior at LWHS, she finished her high school career ranked 1st in the nation in the 100 & 200 meters.
Upon graduation from LW, Ms. Freeman attended the University of Central Florida. As a UCF Knight, she finished 2nd nationally in the 100-meter race at the NCAA Outdoor and USA Track and Field Championship in 2013. Ms. Freeman became a professional athlete in her second year at UCF with Adidas as her sponsor. She ran in the 2013 IAAF World Championship in Moscow in the 4 X 100 relay.
FORMER LWHS TEACHER/COACH/DEAN
NATHAN MINTON
Nathan Minton was a former teacher, dean, coach, and community supporter at Lake Wales High School.
(May 19, 1942 - August 30, 2018).
"Coach Mint", as he was called by many, began his teaching and coaching career in Lake Wales in September 1966. He was a highly respected teacher, coach, and administrator until he retired in May 2004. For 38 years Mr. Minton served on the Highlander Booster Club and was instrumental in the longevity of the organization that supports athletics at LWHS.
FORMER PLAYER AND COACH
RANDY GAILEY
RANDY GAILEY was an outstanding baseball player at Lake Wales High School in the late 60s. He went to Manatee Junior College and Florida State University, where he excelled on the baseball team. His entire career was devoted to teaching physical education and coaching baseball at the high school, junior college and division 1 levels, earning many accolades along the way. He is a member of the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) Hall of Fame.
Not only was Randy an exceptional player on the diamond, while at LWHS he also was a starter on the team as freshman in basketball and track. He was All State in track as Junior and then decided to really concentrate on baseball and football.
While a Highlander baseball player, he was a 4-yr starter on a team which won the District Championship. He was All-Conference, All-Area, All-County and All-State both his Junior and Senior years.
At LWHS on the football team, he was a 4-yr starter, playing both ways – tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. He was also the punter and the kicker. In football he earned All-Conference, All-County and All-State as both a junior and senior, and All-South USA as Senior.
After attending Lake Wales High School he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians organization. Then by the NY Mets and Oakland A’s while playing for Manatee Jr. College, where his team won the State Championship and he was selected to the State All-Star Team. From there Randy signed and played his junior and senior years of college at Florida State University.
After College, Randy continued in the sport of baseball as a Semi-Pro player and eventually coach for decades. His coaching career led him all over the south. He was the head coach at Fernandina High School for 4 yrs, followed by 4 yrs at Ga Southern (2 as an Asst. Coach and 2 as Head Coach). Then he went back to his college alma mater as an Associate Head Coach (under Mike Martin, Jr) at FSU for 3 yrs – ranked in Top Ten in nation all 3 yrs. After that he came back to his high school alma mater, LWHS as a head coach. While coaching and teaching at LW he started the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program. He was then selected as head coach at Palm Beach State College – top 10 in nation. After retiring, he became head coach at Seminole Ridge High School for both football and golf.
FORMER LWHS SOFTBALL PLAYER
HANNAH ROGERS CLAY
Hannah Rogers began her illustrious softball career with Lake Wales Little League, where she first showed her domination as a pitcher. With her pitching, athletic teammates, and great coaching, the 2005 Lake Wales Little League Softball Junior All Star Team beat Puerto Rico to win the Little League World Series.
Through her hard work, Hannah continued to improve and dominate during her high school years and with her team won Lake Wales’s first softball 4A FHSAA State Championship in 2007. In 2009, she was Class 4A Pitcher of the Year, in 2010 the Lakeland Ledger Pitcher of the Year. Because Hannah was also a valuable contributor at the plate.
and was named the Lakeland Ledger Player of the Year for three years, because she also was a valuable contributor at the plate.
Hannah continued her education and pitching skills at the University of Florida. While playing for the Gators, she was named University of
Florida’s first NFCA 4 times All American and 4 times All SEC player. In 2012 and 2013 she was a top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year. She was SEC All Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2014. In 2014 she and the Gators, not only won the Women’s College World Series, but she was named Most Outstanding Player. She was also named SEC Female Athlete of the Year and won the coveted, Ben Hill Griffin Award in 2014.
Hannah was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2013 and 2014 and a Senior Class Award Finalist in 2014. Also in 2014, we watched her on ESPN when she was a nominee for the Espy Award for Best Female Athlete.
Currently, Hannah is sharing her pitching skills and knowledge, teaching young girls whose dream is to be another “Hannah”.
Throughout her career, at all levels, Hannah worked diligently to attain greatness. Tim Walton once told her she was one of his hardest workers he’s ever seen. She has done all of this with class and elegance.
FORMER LWHS TEACHER AND COACH
MICHAEL CAMPBELL
Michael Campbell is one of the most loved teacher/coaches of all time at LWHS. Mike was a highly successful teacher, coach and mentor. He led the LWHS baseball team to its first state championship in 1993. His coaching record while at LWHS was an impressive 108-42. He was truly inspirational and life changing for many LWHS students and players. Mike continued to give back to the community after his retirement by inspiring and giving personal batting lessons to many of the players to wear a Highlander Jersey throughout the years. Personally, he was a talented player himself as a former All American at the University of South Florida in the early 70s.​
FORMER LWHS PLAYER
DARRYL GEORGE WASHINGTON
Darrell “George” Washington Jr. was a graduate of Lake Wales High School in the class of 1990. He was nicknamed “The General” by the Lakeland Ledger. Darrell was a truly exceptional all-around athlete. He lettered in three varsity sports while attending Lake Wales: Football, Basketball and Baseball.
Darrell is the Lake Wales High School’s All-Time Leading scorer in basketball with 2,102 points in his four-year career. That record still holds today. While playing basketball, he was named 1st Team & 2nd Team All Ledger. It is exciting to think he will be the first LWHS Basketball player to have his jersey retired (#10) during the upcoming 2024-2025 basketball season.
Darrell was also a starter at defensive back and quarterback while playing football for the Highlanders. He led the entire state and set a school record with 10 interceptions his junior season. He also played baseball for his fellow Hall of Fame Inductee Coach Mike Campbell where he excelled on the diamond as well.
Darrell was not very big in stature, but made up for it with his exceptional talent, passion, heart, and hustle. He honored our hometown, school, and family by being selected on a 18U USA Basketball team that competed in Russia against other countries. Darrell was an inspiration for his brother and son to follow, who both also were Highlanders. His son played on the 2011 State Runner-up Team and his brother coached the 2012 5A State Basketball Champions as well as being selected as the first Boy’s Dairy Famers Coach of the Year in 2012.
Darrell leaves a strong legacy that will be remembered for a lifetime.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
PAUL BUEHNER
PAUL BUEHNER'S involvement at Lake Wales High School began in the 1987 school year when he was named the Athletic Director and teacher in the physical education program.
When Paul took over as athletic director he inherited a program that was more than $20,000.00 in the red and told by the County Athletic Director that his job was to get LW back in the black in just a few years. By motivating and supporting the coaches, LWHS was able to turn that around. Every sport was involved in fundraising. And Mr. Buehner also did some solo fundraiding efforts himself. He sold Highlander sweat attire and Highlander Barbecue Sauce, known as Highlander Hooch, just to name a couple. Paul also touts the Highlander Booster Club for playing a big role in helping athletics cut some of the expenses.
Paul would spend the next 26 years at Lake Wales serving in several different areas starting with Athletic Director for 16 years, teaching physical education classes, and serving also as the Migrant Director for some of those years. He also taught the Life Management class for 4 years. During the last 6 years of his service to LWHS Paul served as one of the Dean of Students with responsibilities such as discipline, attendance and buses.
Paul had a gift for seeking out and hiring amazing coaches. And helping to build athletic leaders that served the school and community with the utmost integrity and skill. Lake Wales won several district championships, along with county, regional and State titles.
During his time as Athletic Director, Paul was involved with overseeing many areas of improvement in LWHS athlete facilities. Among some of them were:
1. New and additional bleacher seating at Legion Field. Along with new lighting, press box, scoreboard and upgrading the locker rooms and concession stand area.
2. The gymnasium being restored after a devastating fire. This included new wood flooring, new bleachers, six new adjustable glass backboards, new lighting and 4 new AC units.
3. A new weight lifting building, with restrooms, offices and a storage area. As well as all new equipment.
4. Finishing the Baseball field, with a locker room, restrooms, concession stand and press box facilities including a new scoreboard and lights.
5. The building of the 4 softball fields with all the needed facilities there. Nancy Denton is the real reason those fields got built. She deserves all the credit!
6. Track behind the school was resurfaced along with the practice football field being replaced and new irrigation system installed there.
Since retiring from LWHS,Paul has continued to help out as needed. He has helped with the baseball and football concession stands, hanging player banners, concession stand price list banners and sitting up for games. He kept the baseball scorebook for three years. He was instrumental in helping to establish the Highlander Hall of Fame. He has continued to help make the event happen for the last 5 years
Paul spent 43 years in the field of education before retirement. He worked in a school district in Ohio for the first seven years. Then moved to Florida where he spent 10 years at Warner Southern College as Athletic Director and Coach. Then ended his career spending the last 26 years at Lake Wales High School.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COACH/COMMUNITY SUPPORTER
APRIL CARAWAY BARNHARDT
As a child, April was active in the Lake Wales Little League program. She started playing T-Ball for Little Johnnies’ insurance, major league softball for Dawson’s Union 76, and Senior League Softball for the LWHS police department. April represented the Lake Wales Little League All Star team in both Major and Senior League softball. While attending Lake Wales high school, April played varsity volleyball for three years and varsity softball for four years. During high school, she was named All-District and All-State in softball for all four years. She was also named All-County and All-Area in volleyball. During her senior year, April I was selected as the LWHS female athlete of the year.
After High School April received a softball scholarship to play at Polk Community College, where she was part of their inaugural team. While playing for Polk Community College in 1995, April was named a second team All-American by the NCSA, and was named All-Region VII, All-State and All-Sun Coast Conference. She was also named to the first team All-State and All-Sun Coast Conference. In 1996, she was once again named first team All-State and All-Sun Coast Conference. After receiving her Associate's degree from Polk Community College, she was offered a scholarship to play softball at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where she was once again a part of their inaugural softball team and a part of the first year of SEC softball. April was honored to have her name placed on the Walk of Champions at Ole Miss. She graduated from Ole Miss with a Master’s of Education and returned to Lake Wales to begin her teaching career at Lake Wales High School.
While teaching at Lake Wales High school, April coached the girls' volleyball team for 6 years (3 as JV coach and 3 as the Varsity coach). She also coached the Lady Highlanders softball team as assistant varsity coach from 2000-2007 and returned to help coach in 2013. After coaching and teaching at Lake Wales High School, April continued her support of student education and athletics by working for the Lake Wales Charter System for 25 years and coaching multiple youth sports programs along the way. April says she is very proud to be a Highlander and loves our community.
FORMER LWHS COACH/ATHLETE/COMMUNITY SUPPORTER
WILLIAM "BILL" MARSTON
BILL MARSTON was a proud graduate of Lake Wales High School, class of 1965, and made a lasting impact on the school’s athletic legacy. As the varsity football quarterback and punter for the Highlanders, he became a beloved figure among Lake Wales fans, particularly during the early 1960s when he teamed up with Lee Turnquist to form a dynamic duo on the field. In addition to football, Bill showcased his athletic prowess as a member of the varsity
basketball and baseball teams.
Following his high school graduation, Bill attended Morehead State University, where he continued to excel as the
quarterback and punter from 1966 to 1969. In 1966, he led the Morehead Eagles to an Ohio Valley Conference
football championship, employing a strategic wing-T offense. Bill holds the remarkable distinction of being the all-time leader for both Morehead State University and the OVC in two-point conversions in a career, with a record of 8 (4 rushing and 4 passing). Notably, he ranks 19th in all-time passing yards per game at MSU in 1969, with an impressive
average of 175.4 yards, just shy of the legendary Phil Simms, who averaged 204.1 yards in 13th place. Additionally,
Bill stands 17th in all-time passing attempts at 278, compared to Simms #39; 19th place with 267 attempts. His talent
even earned him a tryout as a punter with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Fueled by his passion for the game, Bill transitioned into coaching shortly after completing his college education. He
took the helm as the Head Football Coach for the Santa Fe Catholic Crimson Hawks, where he led the team to an
impressive 8-1 record in 1972. Throughout the mid-70s, he served as a coach at Kathleen High School and later
became an assistant coach at Lake Wales High School in the late 80s. Bill also dedicated time to coaching youth in
little league football and softball programs.
In addition to his coaching career, Bill established himself professionally as a State Farm Insurance agent, starting
in Largo in 1974 before relocating his business to Lake Wales in 1984. He was an active member of the Lake Wales
Rotary Club, served on the board and as past president of the YMCA, and held the distinction of being the longest-
serving member of the DRF Babson Park Elementary School Advisory Council. Bill was also a devoted supporter of the
Lake Wales High School Booster Club. An avid outdoorsman, he found joy in hunting and fishing across the globe.
Above all, he was a devoted husband, father, and Pappy.
FORMER LWHS ATHLETE/COMMUNITY SUPPORTER
DALE PATRICK CAIN
PAT CAIN was a third generation Lake Walean born October 16, 1947. He lived his whole life in Lake Wales and loved his community dearly. Pat was class vice president all 4 years of high school as well as playing offensive and defensive line for the Highlanders football team. His senior year his team won the SW Florida Conference under Coach Wes Abbrams. He attended Georgia Tech on a football scholarship and later graduated with a major in Finance from the University of Florida. Pat was in the financial planning industry for over 29 years as owner of Pat Cain Wealth Solutions following many years as owner and operator of Cains Parts and Service and Cain Groves. In addition to past terms as Mayor and City Commissioner for Lake Wales, Pat had a heavy involvement in many community organizations including serving on the boards of the Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association, Lake Wales Care Center, Lake Wales Charter Schools, Victory Ridge Academy, and the Lake Wales Arts Center. Pat was past president of the Lake Wales YMCA and the Lake Wales High School Booster Club. Pat served as an umpire for the Lake Wales Little League and Participated in the Kairos prison ministry.
Pat passed away from a short battle with cancer May 20, 2024. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Nancy Cain; son, Matt Cain and wife Heather, along with their children, Fisher and Mitchell; son Brian Cain and wife Brittany, along with their children, Caleb and Abri; daughter Alexis Wharem and husband Chris, along with their children, Luciana and Iris; daughter, Rebecca Buskirk and Husband Ryan, along with their children, Sophia, Stella and Jonah; and son Robb Winters and wife Kala, along with their children, Autry, Anna Kate, and Ally Grace.