Northview Gets Big District Win Over South Walton
September 11, 2010
The Northview Chiefs started things off right in District 1A Friday night with a 27-20 defeat of the South Walton Seahawks. With the win, the Chiefs are 2-0, 1-0 in the district.
The Chiefs picked up 242 yards Friday night in Santa Rosa Beach, with 174 yards from Dustin Yuhasz. Quarterback Brandon Sheets was 4 of 9 passing for 91 yards, while La’Mikal Kyles finished with 53 yards and two touchdowns.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
Things went very badly for South Walton Seahawk Andrew Priest Friday night. He was 59 yards into what he thought was a 60 yard touchdown run when he started his celebration. But the premature celebration came to an end when Priest fumbled the ball on the one-yard line. The Chiefs recovered in the end zone for a touchback. Northview drove to the South Walton five — includinga 53-yard breakaway run from Brandon Sheets. La’Mikal Kyles was in from six yards out for the TD. A good kick from Lance Bushaw, and the Chiefs held a 7-0 lead with just under five minutes to go in the first quarter.
South Walton tried again, driving deep into Chief territory a couple of times in the second quarter. But turnovers were costly for the Seahawks,with Dustin Yuhasz recovering a fumble inside the 20-yard line. The senior was in from 81-yards out with 5:16 in the half as the Chiefs led 14-0.
Taking advantage of a bad snap on a Chief’s punt attempt, South Walton took possession on the 22 and drove to the one-yard line. Then, on third down and one, they punched it in for a touchdown. Their PAT kick was good, and their Chiefs’ lead shrank to 14-7.
Then, with 8:03 remaining in the game, the Seahawks struck again. But they botched the kick, and the Chiefs held on to a one point lead. Dustin Yuhasz had a 93-yard touchdown run with 6:11 in the ballgame in Santa Rosa Beach to give the Northview Chiefs a 20-13 lead.
South Walton scored again on a two-yard run and made their point after kick to tie the game 20-20 with 4:22 to go.
Then Dustin Yuhasz had a gain of 56 yards on a reverse before La’Mikal Kyles was in from 24 yards out to put the Chiefs back on top. A good extra kick, and Northview was up 27-20 with 3:47 on the clock.
A 35-yard touchdown by the Chiefs with less than two minutes was called back for a block in the backfield by #28 — but NHS does not have a #28.
Then, with less than two minutes on the clock, the game was temporarily halted as an injured Seahawk player was taken off the field by ambulance. His condition was not available.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
The Northview Chiefs will be off next week. They will play their first home game September 24 in Bratt against Bozeman.
Pictured: Action from Northview’s defeat of South Walton Friday night in Santa Rosa Beach. NorthEscambia.com photos by Heather Leonard, click to enlarge.
Prep Football Roundup
September 11, 2010
Northview 27 South Walton 20
For details on Northview’s win over South Walton, click here.
Pensacola High 32 Tate 9
For details on the PHS vs. Tate game, click here.
Holmes County 36 Jay 0
The Jay Royals opened their season with a 36-0 district loss to Holmes County Friday night in Jay. The Royals will get a chance to redeem themselves in District 1A next Friday night as they travel to Freeport.
Escambia 17 West Florida High 14
Catholic 57 Gulf Breeze 21
Pace 17 Tallahassee Godby 0
Pine Forest 17 Washington 0
Milton 56 Freeport 12
ALABAMA
Flomaton 55 J.U. Blacksher 0
Click here for details on the ‘Canes big win.
UMS-Wright 31 Escambia County (Atmore) 6
UMS-Wright controlled the scoreboard in the first three quarters of their game against visiting Escambia County High School of Atmore Friday night. UMS-Wright scored seven in the first quarter, 14 in the second and added another 10. The Blue Devils (2-1) only score of the game came in the fourth quarter, as they lost to UMS-Wright 31-6.
The Escambia County High School Blue Devils (2-1, 1-1) will be at home in Atmore next week as they host W.S. Neal.
Escambia Academy 50 Marengo Academy 29
It was a high scoring game in Canoe Friday night as the Cougars of Escambia Academy beat Marengo Academy 50-29.
The Cougars will head up north of Montgomery next Friday night as they take on Prattville Christian.
T.R. Miller 64 Excel 7
The Tigers of T.R. Miller beat Excel Friday night, 64-7. Excel scored their seven in the first quarter, but they were still behind 8-7 headed into the second. Then it was all Miller — with the Tigers scoring eight in the second, 29 in the third and 19 in the fourth.
For T.R. Miller, it was the school’s 600th win.
The T.R. Miller Tigers (1-2) will be in the capital city next Friday night to take on Montgomery Academy.
Jackson 54 W.S. Neal 14
Jackson handed W.S. Neal their third loss of the season Friday night, 54-14. Neal travels cross-county next Friday night to Atmore to face the Blue Devils of Escambia County High School.
Local Man Recalls Flying On September 11, Not Knowing Attacks Had Occurred
September 11, 2010
Nine years ago, Freddie McCall of Century and his son were preparing their small plane to fly to Texas. It was a major business decision for the McCalls…should they bid on a contract for the Texas company, or should they not? They knew that landing the contract for their company, Brewton Aviation, would mean hiring a new pilot or perhaps one of them moving to Texas. It would be a day that would change their lives. But little did they know how much the lives of all Americans were about to change that morning…September 11, 2001.
McCall flew out of the Brewton airport early that morning, headed for brief stops in Mobile and Baton Rouge before heading to Texas. Plans quickly changed, as the weather became too foggy to fly. The McCalls set their small plane down on a grassy strip near Jay to wait for the fog to burn off. They had no communications… no cellular phone and their radio was not turned on.
We all know the sequence of events that most people saw unfold on live television before our eyes. At 7:45 our time, a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Television anchors were talking about the terrible accident, speculating how a pilot could make such a grave mistake. As millions watched the TV, a second plane hit the second Twin Tower at 8:03. We all knew…we were under attack.
But McCall and his son still had no idea of the horror unfolding in New York. A world away, the fog had lifted in Jay. They took off, flying under the level of airport radar, toward Mobile. Their biggest concern was still the trip to Texas and the business deal.
At 8:40 local time, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights in the United States, for the first time in American history. Brewton Avation’s plane continued toward Mobile. They had no idea that they were flying in increasingly empty skies .
“Our big concern that day was the contract for our company in Texas,” McCall said. “I had thought long and hard about it, and we had prayed about it.”
As they approached Mobile, McCall contacted the Mobile Regional Airport to let them know they were approaching at about 500 feet, still below the level of the airport’s radar.
“A voice came back real prompt like and asked where we were,” he said. “They told us to fly directly to the airport and get that plane down as fast as we could.”
McCall and his son knew something was going on, but they had no idea what.
Upon landing in Mobile, the Brewton Aviation plane was met by authorities who told them to get anything out of the plane they ever wanted to see again. McCall said that he still did not know what was going on in New York, and by that point, at the Pentagon in Washington.
McCall and his son were escorted to a room that had a TV. They watched the replays of the towers being hit again and again.
They called their wives to get rides back home. Their plane was held by federal authorities for a week before it was released.
Post-9/11 business has changed in many ways for Brewton Aviation and McCall. Insurance is up 20 times what it was before the terrorist attacks. Flight plans are required by Homeland Security and the FAA.
“The Lord was good to us, increasing our contracts in other ways,” McCall said of his business, post-9/11. “We have kept our head above water, and we have survived.”
“And our country has survived; the Lord took care of all of us,” he said.
McCall now serves as mayor of Century.
Brewton Woman Carjacked After Leaving Escambia Mall
September 11, 2010
The Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office is looking for a suspect in the carjacking and kidnapping of an Escambia County, Ala., woman.
Angela Dowdy, 29, of Brewton, was robbed of $200 at gunpoint and forced to get into the trunk of her car by the unknown assailant Thursday night.
The Sheriff’s Office said Dowdy had finished shopping at Cordova Mall before stopping at a closed convenience store on Palafox Street. That’s when she said she was approached by an unknown black male that was clean shaven and wearing a white polo with red stripes.
“The suspect asked her for a ride up the street to his cousins, which she complied,” according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. Once she arrived at the house, which was in a location unknown to Dowdy, she was robbed at gunpoint.
“Dowdy stated that the suspect drove around for about two minutes and slowed down for some reason. Dowdy stated at that point she pulled the internal trunk release and jumped from the vehicle,” Roy said.
Dowdy suffered abrasions to her head, face, hands, arms shoulders, back and legs. Medical personnel stated that none of the injuries appear life threatening. The vehicle was processed by crime scene for evidence and towed from the scene. No additional suspect information was available.
Once arrested, the suspect will face charges of aggravated battery, kidnapping-false imprisonment, robbery/carjacking and theft, according to Roy. Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Tate Falls To PHS
September 11, 2010
Pensacola High School’s Fighting Tigers beat the Aggies of Tate High Friday night, 32-9.
Both teams headed into the game with long winning streaks and huge opening week wins. Pensacola High — defending 3A state champs — came into the game with 15 wins in a row, while Tate had half a dozen. Last year’s matchup was a close one, with PHS pulling of a 7-0 win late in the fourth quarter. But the 2010 meeting of the longtime rivals was not as close.
The Tigers took a 6-0 lead after a two-yard TD and a missed kick with 4:45 to go in the first quarter. In the second quarter, PHS scored again with another two yard TD run and a 71-yard return. Tate answered at the end of the half with a 20-yard pass from Thumper Grice to Alex Westergreen.
In the third quarter, the Tigers struck again with a 26-yard touchdown run. Tate added three with a 32-yard field goal from Hagan Mancuso with 3:21 to go in the quarter. Then PHS added half a dozen more with a 20-yard run with less than half a minute to go in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was scoreless as Mike Bennett’s PHS Tigers beat Ed Rigby’s Aggies 32-9.
The Tate Aggies will be at home in Cantonment next Friday night against Crestview.
Hurricanes Destroy Blacksher
September 11, 2010
The Flomaton Hurricanes were a Category 55 storm as they blew apart J.U. Blacksher Friday night.
The ‘Canes whooped Blacksher 55-0 in a game that saw the Bulldogs gaining less than the distance of two first downs the entire night.
Flomaton stormed ahead quickly, leading 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-0 by the half. The Hurricanes were led by James Jackson with eight carries, 77 yards and three touchdowns. A.J. Odom, and Austin Patterson also scored for the ‘Canes. Ryheem Dixon complete eight of nine passes with 117 yards, including a 48-yard TD pass to Jacob Newton.
The Bulldogs managed to gain 19 yards in the first half. They had a net loss of one yard in the second half, giving them 18 yards on the books for the entire night. The Hurricanes had just over 250 yards for the night.
Flomaton improved to 3-0, 2-0 in the region, with the win. The Hurricanes will be on the road at Mobile Christian next Friday night.
Gardening: September’s Need To Know
September 11, 2010
September marks the beginning of the fall gardening season. Usually by the second week of the month the weather begins to cool. It’s time to break out of
the summer doldrums and head into the garden and landscape because there are many projects that are best done this month.
September is the prime time to plant many of the cool season vegetables. You can sow seeds of beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, collards, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley and radishes. If plants of these are available they can also be set out.
If you plant early in the month, you can still plant some of the warm season vegetables including beans, cucumbers and summer squash.
Fall is also a great time to divide clumping perennials such as daylilies, mondo grass and liriope. Division is the quickest and easiest method of multiplying most herbaceous perennials. Simply dig the plants and shake off the soil. It will be apparent where to separate the plants into smaller units having roots and leaves.
Division simply involves separating the clump into pieces with adequate roots and shoots for reestablishment. A small clump with one to two shoots and adequate roots for transplanting is called a bib. Some plants may be real woody and require an ax or saw to separate them while others may be soft and succulent and can be separated by hand. Divided pieces should be replanted at the same depth as they grew originally.
September is also a good time to start your preparation for planting trees and shrubs. Planting during fall and early winter allows the plants to establish their root systems during our relatively mild winters. When hot weather arrives next summer, fall planted trees and shrubs are already well established and better able to cope with the heat stress. Choose your trees and shrubs carefully. Learn about the plant before you buy it. Know its mature height and its sun or shade requirements. Even a well-chosen tree or shrub can become a problem if planted in the wrong location.
September is also the last month to fertilize our lawns and many of our landscape plants. Do not fertilizer too late, no later than the last week of September. A late season application of high nitrogen fertilizer can cause a flush of new growth too late in the year. It “wakes” the plant up at a time when it should be getting ready to “go to sleep” or enter dormancy. A late season growth flush decreases the plant’s winter hardiness and increases the possibility of cold damage.
Carefully select your fertilizer. For your lawn, consider an application of low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer such as a 5-0-15, 5-0-20 or a 5-5-30. And don’t be misled by the term “winterizer” fertilizer. Many fertilizers advertised as winterizers are very high in nitrogen and are not good choices for a late season application.
Pine needles fall during September and October. Rake and use them in your flower and shrub beds. Pine needles make excellent mulch.
Apply generously to obtain a depth of two to three inches after they have settled.
Judge: Class Size Amendment 8 To Remain On Ballot
September 11, 2010
A proposal to relax limits on school class sizes will remain on the November ballot, a judge ruled Friday.
Following up on promises of a speedy ruling, Leon County Circuit Court Chief Judge Charles Francis ruled that Amendment 8, a Legislative attempt to eliminate strict enrollment caps, was neither misleading nor ambiguous and can be included on the ballot with other proposed amendments.
The amendment, approved by lawmakers earlier this year, was challenged by the state’s largest teachers union, which argued that voters would be largely unaware that the proposal could result in reduced funding for public schools. In a 10-page ruling, Francis disagreed.
“The court finds the ballot and title summary are very clear and unambiguous as to what the amendment purports to do in reference to the changes in class size,” Francis wrote. “It revises them as plainly and simply as the title so indicates.”
The Florida Education Association, which filed suit to strike the issue from the ballot, plans to appeal, according to a statement issued by its attorney shortly after Francis released his ruling.
“The Legislature tried to ‘hide the ball’ from Florida voters by misrepresenting the chief purpose of Amendment 8 – which is to reduce the state’s obligation to adequately fund public schools,” FEA lawyer Ron Meyer said.
Facing stricter class standards that kicked in at school districts around the state this fall, lawmakers earlier this year approved changes to the 2002 class size amendment that gives school administrators flexibility in assigning students to classes. The FEA argued that it should be thrown off the November ballot because voters may not realize the proposal could change how much money schools receive from the state.
If approved by 60 percent of voters in November, the proposal would allow school officials to use averages instead of class by class totals when complying with class size requirements Currently, the caps are set at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school.
During a hearing before Francis earlier this week, Assistant Attorney General John Glogau argued the union could not produce any concrete figures as to how funding would change over the next few years.
School administrators have argued the tight caps have made it more difficult to set schedules and have resulted in some classes being cancelled and difficulty when they are at capacity and new students enroll in the district.
The Escambia County School District held two public workshops to lobby for a “Yes” vote on Amendment 8. Click here for that story.
“The hard caps on class sizes this year have forced superintendents to make what they consider to be academically unsound decisions for students,” said Bill Montford, CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. “They need the flexibility to make reasonable and sound decisions that reflect what is best for the students from an academic standpoint.”
Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, argued that strictly adhering to the more inflexible caps would necessitate cuts elsewhere.
“The current hard caps on class size amount to a fiscal straightjacket on the wallets of hard-working Florida families,” Weatherford said.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, who spearheaded efforts to pass the 2002 cap, decried the ruling in a statement, saying the Republican-led Legislature’s proposal is an affront to the voters who only eight years earlier made it clear they wanted more money spent on schools.
“Amendment 8 is a misleading attempt to trick Florida voters into watering down hard-fought class size limits and reduce funding for our schools and children,” said Meek, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. “Backers of Amendment 8 are full and active participants in the culture of special interest bidding that has gone on for too long.”
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida
Hot Saturday, Rain Moving Back Into The Forecast
September 11, 2010
It’s going to be a hot Saturday except for those that get a cooling afternoon shower. The heat index will climb to near 105 this afternoon. Rain chances will increase for Sunday as a cold front brings better weather for next week.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Saturday…Partly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent. Highest heat index readings around 105 in the afternoon.
- Saturday Night…Partly cloudy in the evening becoming mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s. Southwest winds around 5 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Sunday…Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. Northwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
- Sunday Night…Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows in the mid 60s. North winds around 5 mph.
- Monday…Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s.
- Monday Night…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.
- Tuesday…Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s.
- Tuesday Night…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.
- Wednesday…Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 90s.
- Wednesday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
- Thursday…Partly cloudy. Highs around 90.
- Thursday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
- Friday…Partly cloudy. Highs around 90.
ECUA Seeks Rate Increases, Pay Hikes
September 10, 2010
ECUA garbage, water and sewer customers will see higher bills in the coming months if the utility approves rate increases currently under consideration. And ECUA employees may receive across the board pay raises.
Emerald Coast Utility Authority customers in North Escambia only have garbage service. ECUA is proposing a three percent rate increase to take effect on October 1. That would increase the the bill by 54 cents per month from $17.99 to $18.53 for a customer with one standard 90-gallon container. Senior citizens would pay 45 cents more per month, from $15.08 to $15.53.
Significant increases for water and sewer customers would be in four stages, with a 10 percent increase on October 1, 2010, an a additional eight percent on October 1, 2011, another eight percent increase on October 1, 2012, and another eight percent increase on October, 2013.
The current average water and sewer bill would rise from $65.50 per month now to $70.36 in October.
The ECUA board voted 3-2 in favor of the rate increases, with Lois Benson and Dale Perkins against. Elvin McCorvey, Elizabeth Campbell and Larry Walker voted in favor of the rate hike.
ECUA’s new budget for 2010-2011 would also give pay raises to over 500 employees. There would be an across the board one percent pay hike, with an additional two percent merit pay increase for some employees. Benson and Perkins votes against the pay hikes, while McCorvey, Campbell and Walker voted in favor.
ECUA will hold a public hearing on the water, sewer and sanitation rate increases at 3 p.m. on September 23 at the ECUA board meeting room in the Ellyson Industrial Park, 9250 Hammon Street in Pensacola.