Highlander Hall of Fame

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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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.

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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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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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”.

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.

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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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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.