Savage signs with MLS team
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

It's official - the Savage family can now boast of having two professional soccer players.

Keith Savage signed a developmental contract with Major League Soccer's Chivas USA last weekend. The team, based out of Los Angeles, opens the regular season on March 30.

Savage is one of 10 developmental players and 28 on the squad. The developmental players usually play in a 'reserve' game the day after the team's regularly scheduled match.

Savage and his Chivas USA teammates have played three preseason matches so far, losing all three by one goal. Savage had an assist in a match with D.C. United last week. Chivas played D.C. United, the Houston Dynamo and Toronto as part of the Texas Pro Soccer Fest in San Antonio.

"I thought we outplayed every team. It's just a matter of touching things up," said Savage, who's been playing outside mid on both sides in the preseason. He also started for Chivas Sunday against Toronto. "It's been an adjustment," he said to playing outside.

Keith joins his father, GBHS boys soccer coach Bruce Savage, as professional soccer players. The elder Savage played in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1980s and was a member of the U.S. National Team.

Savage

Keith made the All Gulf South Conference team three times and its All Academic Team twice at the University of West Florida. He finished his career third on the school's alltime goals (47) and total points (118) list and was second in assists (24).

Savage will be back in town early next week to gather his things. "Won't be back until December," he said.

Katie Dollinger (GBHS c/o '06) has been used to winning the last couple of years.

The state champion in the shot put her senior year at GBHS, Dollinger recently helped Rice University win its second consecutive Conference USA Indoor Track and Field title. The meet was held at the University of Houston.

Dollinger was fourth (out of eight) in her flight in the weight throw (43-5.75) and 21st overall. She was also fifth (out of 10) in her flight in the shot put (40-2) and 16th overall.

Philip Bell (c/o '04) is off to a strong start for the University of Alabama- Birmingham's baseball team.

Dollinger

Bell, who plays left field and bats second, had three of UAB's five hits in a 9-2 loss to Mississippi State on Feb. 26. Two of the three hits were doubles. He also scored a run.

On March 1, UAB split a doubleheader with Brown University. Bell had a double and a run scored in a 9-6 win and went 2-for-4 in a 7-3 loss.

Bell singled, tripled and homered for UAB in a 6-5 loss to Jacksonville State. He had two RBIs and scored twice.

As of Saturday, Bell is third on the team with a .333 batting average. He's second on the team in runs scored (10), base hits (16) and RBIs (10).

Kyle Brown (c/o '06) went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run in UWF's 9-2 loss to Northwest Missouri on Feb. 26. The next day, Brown went 1-for-3 in a 4-2 loss to NMU.

The Argos then rolled to a pair of wins over Harding University. On March 4, Brown went 1-for-3 in a 12-5 win before scoring a run in their 14-4 win the next day.

Brock Sakey (c/o '05) won three of his four matches last week for the University of Central Florida tennis team.

Sakey

Sakey, playing number three singles and number two doubles, won both of his matches against Georgia State and won his doubles match in a UCF win over 51st-ranked Tennessee Tech Friday.