Longtime Island resident Ken Bowers was inducted into the Manatee High School Athletic Hall of Honor Oct. 19 after being nominated by former classmate and Bradenton resident Danny Carter.
Bowers was first recognized during an induction ceremony held at the Seafood Shack Oct. 19 in Cortez. Then at the Oct. 21 Hurricane’s homecoming.
Bowers, along with other inductees were to be recognized during halftime of the football game. But, some confusion arose and the ceremony ended up being held prior to the game — and it looked like Bowers, who was running late, was going to miss out on his moment.
As is often the case with Bowers, he came out smelling like a rose, as MHS athletic director Matt Bowling was made aware of the situation and allowed Bowers to receive solo recognition at halftime.
Bowers jogged onto the field and waved to all of the raucous Hurricane supporters, including family and friends!
Ken and his brothers Cole, Mark and Matt moved to Holmes Beach from Georgia in 1975 with their mother, Lois, and immediately became island icons.
Ken got his start playing soccer at the Anna Maria Youth Center — now the Center of AMI — when soccer was at its height — at the urging of his best friend, Brett McIntosh — now a local defense attorney. He then took his talents across the bridge to play in the Manatee Area Youth Soccer Organization 1980-83.
He began his freshman year at MHS in 1981, the first year MHS offered soccer as a varsity sport, but didn’t play, partly due to a coach who didn’t really care much for long-haired beach bums. He started every game for the Hurricanes soccer team 1982-84 and was named captain and MVP his senior year.
He improved his skills in 1984 when, at the urging of another island icon, Tim Lease, and myself, he traveled to play for the Sarasota Football Club Division II Coors Light adult amateur team.
And Bowers helped them win the Division Cup, League Cup and a State Cup trophy.
Bowers received offers from several Florida schools but committed to North Carolina Wesleyan. He started every game for the Battling Bishops, was captain for two years and made All South, All Conference and Division III All American honors in 1988. In October 2014, he was inducted into the North Carolina Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame.
Ken and wife Bonnie live on the island while son Lane lives in the Boca Raton area after graduating from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in finance.
The Bowers’ weekend ended with an open house at their home, where family and friends gathered to celebrate his MHS honor.
And, of course, we at The Islander join in congratulating Ken and his family.
More on soccer…
With one week remaining in the youth soccer league at the Center of Anna Maria Island, Moss Builders holds a commanding lead in the 8-10 division with a perfect 5-0 record. Solid Rock Construction is holding on in second place at 3-2, just ahead of third place Isola Bella Italian Eatery at 2-2-2. Le Creperie is in fourth place at 2-2-1, with Adrian Griffin Interiors close behind at 1-2-2. The Porch is at 1-3-1 and Am I Coconuts is at 0-3-2 in the standings in the 8-10 division.
Cheesecake Cutie has a commanding lead in the 11-14 division at 5-0-2, six points ahead of second-place Solid Rock Construction at 3-4. HSH Designs and the Gitt Team complete the standings at 2-4-1.
Oct. 16 action in the 11-14 division saw HSH Designs hold on for a 5-4 victory over The Gitt Team in the first game of the night while Cheesecake Cutie earned a 3-0 shutout victory over Solid Rock Construction in the second match.
In 8-10 action Oct. 17, Moss Builders showed why they are undefeated with a 6-0 thrashing of the Porch. The second match of the evening saw Isola Bella outscore Solid Rock by a 5-2 score. The last 8-10 match of the night saw Adrian Griffin battle to a 1-1 tie with the Coconuts.
Adult soccer season heads to finals
With one week remaining in the adult soccer league at the community center, Moss Builders continues to lead with a perfect 6-0 record, five points clear of second-place Gulf Drive Cafe at 4-1-1. Ross Built holds down third place with a 4-2 record, with Sato Real Estate following at 3-3. Gulf View Windows & Doors is fifth at 2-4, just ahead of Pool America, Sandbar Restaurant and Slim’s Place, all at 1-4-1.
Action Oct. 19 got started with Gulf Drive Cafe earning a 7-0 shutout victory over the Sandbar. The second match saw Slim’s Place earn its first victory of the season with a 6-2 decision over Ross Built. The third match of the night saw Gulf View outscore Pool America by an 8-6 margin, while the last match saw Moss cruise to a 4-1 victory over Sato.
Key Royale golf news
Golf action at Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach got started Oct. 16 with the men’s modified-Stableford system match. The team of Bill DiMenna, Cliff Lanning, Quentin Talbert and Joe Tynan took first place with a score of plus-4. One point back, the team of Joe Coyne, Earl Ritchie and Tom Solosky finished in second place.
The women took to the course Oct. 17 for their regular nine-hole individual low-net match in two flights. Helen Pollock easily captured first place in Flight A with a 5-under-par 27, seven strokes clear of second-place finishers Jana Samuels and Sharon Tarras.
Terry Westby took first place in Flight B with an even-par 32, while Laurie Hicks and Judy Mencheck finished in a tie for second at 5-over-par 37.
Organized golf outings for the week ended Oct. 19 with a shamble, where two scores from each group were counted. The team of Bob Paine, Mike Riddick, Jana Samuels and Al Waal combined on a 7-under-par 57 to earn clubhouse bragging rights for the day. The team of Mike and Janelle Clements and Deb and Dave Richardson tied the team of Jim Goff, Clint Hurdle, Scott Mitchell and Tom Solosky for second place.
Horseshoe news
Oct. 18 horseshoe action at the City of Anna Maria pits saw two teams advance to the knockout stage. The team of Steve Kriebel and Tom Skoloda easily defeated Bob Heiger 21-10 to earn the day’s bragging rights.
Action Oct. 21 saw two teams advance from pool play, where a battle ensued between Tom Farrington and Gary Howcroft and Heiger and Kriebel. With the score knotted at 20-20, Farrington stepped up with a double ringer to emphatically end the match 26-20.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.
There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.