Every sports fan has a love-hate relationship with referees, but this football season in Collier County, a call is being made that both sidelines can be happy with. STARability Foundation, working in partnership with the Greater Naples Officials Association (GNOA), is returning with their ball assistant program for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A whole new Florida crowd is learning hockey lingo, from cherry pickers to cross-checking to hat tricks. That’s because more Floridians are getting hooked on the sport, as Florida’s teams have more success on the ice. The NHL’s Florida Panthers need just one more game to win the team’s first Stanley Cup.

School might be over, but Estero golfer Gianna Clemente won’t be sitting on the beach working on her tan this summer.The 16-year-old, who starts her junior school year at the end of summer, will have a full schedule of tournaments that will rack up frequent flier miles.

Sixteen-year-old Gianna Clemente held on after leading going into Sunday’s final round. She shot 149, winning by two points over last year’s winner Yana Wilson.

FGCU Softball bested the Florida Atlantic Owls 3-2 Saturday in a College World Series regional game in Gainesville but were eliminated later in the day by South Alabama 5-1.After a prolonged rain delay, FGCU took to the field at Pressley Stadium to face off against the Owls. Avery Viancos was a force at the plate going 3-for-4 in the first game and either scored or drove in every run scored by the Eagles on the night.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was taken to jail for not following police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.In a span of three hours, Scheffler was arrested wearing gym shorts and a tee shirt, was dressed in an orange jail shirt for his mug shot, and returned to Valhalla Golf Club in golf clothes 56 minutes before he was to tee off in the second round.

The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team sharpened skills this week in anticipation of the Eagles' regional World Series game Friday against the fourth-ranked University of Florida Gators.That game is scheduled at noon in Gainesville.Eagles coach David Deiros said the team's plan from Day One was plotted out — win-it-all.

Fans of the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins will have to find another way to watch their favorite baseball teams.Comcast/Xfinity shut down Bally Sports Sun (channel 402) and Bally Sports Florida (channel 401) Wednesday. The cable company posted a disclaimer on the channels saying it couldn’t reach a programming agreement with Bally’s parent company Diamond Sports.

Action continued in Naples this week as players took part in the Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championships — listed as the most prestigious tournament in the sport.Players and spectators come to the Minto U.S. Open from all 50 states and American Samoa, and from 29 countries around the world. Information from the Minto U.S. Open said that last year more than 3,000 players competed and 40,000 people watched the sport. That's a big leap from when the The U.S. Open for Pickleball began in 2016, when there were just 800 participants and 2,000 spectators.

The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles beat the Austin Peay Governors 74-52 to move on to the ASUN Finals on Saturday