‘Donnie Nicholson Field’ Dedicated In Honor Of Longtime Molino Ballpark Coach
March 6, 2022
“Donnie Nicholson Field” was dedicated Saturday on Opening Day at the Molino Ballpark.
Longtime Molino Ballpark softball coach Donnie Nicholson passed away in April 2021 due to COVID-19. Coach Donnie and his wife Jackie were an integral part of softball at the Molino Ballpark and area travel ball for many years.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Varsity Tops Lighthouse; NHS JV Shuts Out Lighthouse
March 4, 2022
Northview 13, Lighthouse 3
The Northview Chiefs beat Lighthouse Christian 13-3 Thursday night in Bratt.
Jamarcus Jefferson earned the win for the Chiefs, giving up no runs on four hits in four innings, striking out seven. Collier and Burkett closed in relief.
Rustin Pope led at the plate for Northview, going 4-4. Kaden Odom had two hits for the Chiefs. Jefferson, Wyatt Scruggs and Logan Misenar added one hit each. Luke Bridges and Misenar had two stolen bases for Northview; Scruggs had one.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
Northview 15, Lighthouse 0 (JV)
Clay Allen threw a no-hitter as the Northview Chiefs JV shut out Lighthouse Christian JV 15-0 Thursday at Northview.
Allen walked one and recorded 10 strikeouts.
Allen was also hot at the plate, going 3-3 to lead the JV Chiefs. Jayden White was 2-4, Kenny Sanders was 2-2, Colby Pugh went 2-3 and Jacob Spence was 2-2.
Pictured: The Northview Varsity Chiefs defeated Lighthouse Christian 13-3 Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Varsity Tames The Wildcats; Tate JV Shuts Out Washington
March 4, 2022
Tate 14, Washington 3
The Tate Aggies varsity tamed the Washington Wildcats 14-3 in six innings Thursday night.
Rilee Lowery earned the win for the Aggies. In four innings, he allowed two hits and one run while striking out two. Colten Swiers and Ethan McAnally closed the game in relief. McAnally had one strikeout, while Swiers allowed one hit and two runs.
Madox Land, Drew Reaves, Bray Touchstone and Jackson Perreyclear led at the plate for the Aggies with a couple of hits each. Clif Quiggins, McAnally, Kirk Mosley, Jackson Penton, Jay Davis, Frankie Randall and Bricen Kelly each added a hit.
For a photo gallery from varsity and JV, click here.
Tate 11, Washington 0 (JV)
The JV Tate Aggies shut out the Washington Wildcats 11-0 Thursday.
Croom went two innings for the Aggies with no runs, two hits and three strikeouts.
Brayden Noble was 2-2 at the plate to lead the Aggies.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Laura Glodfelter, click to enlarge.
UWF Argos Football Team Reads To Pine Meadow Elementary Students
March 3, 2022
Members of the University of West Florida Argos football team read books to students Wednesday at Pine Meadow Elementary School.
Wednesday was National Read Across America Day, an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
The Pine Meadow Panthers were very excited to listen to the stories and lessons from the players.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Girls Tennis Tops West Florida; Boys Play To Tie
March 2, 2022
The Tate High School girls tennis team took a 7-0 win over West Florida High School Tuesday.
Girls #1 Kingsley Cline stays undefeated for the season.
The Aggies boys ended with a 3-3 tie with West Florida.
Up next, Aggies tennis will travel to Gulf Breeze on Friday.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Takes Two From West Florida, Northview Splits With Milton; Tate Softball Over Escambia
March 2, 2022
Tate 14, West Florida 3
The Tate High School Aggies beat the West Florida Jaguars 14-3.
The Aggies sealed the win with eight runs in the fifth inning.
Josiah Glodfelter earned the win for the Aggies, going four innings with no runs on one hit and striking out nine. Tucker Griffin thew one inning in relief.
Clif Quiggins, Jackson Penon and Frankie Randall led the Aggies at the plate with three hits each.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Tate 18, West Florida 9 (JV)
Northview 13, Milton 0
Milton 14, Northview 2 (JV)
SOFTBALL
Tate 15, Escambia 2
Pictured: Tate High Aggies defeated West Florida 14-3 Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photos by Laura Glodfelter, click to enlarge.
FHSAA Switching Football Classes To Metro, Suburban And Rural; Moving from RPI To MaxPreps Rankings
March 1, 2022
The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted Monday to revamp high school football in the state, dividing member schools into Metro, Suburban and Rural classification and creating nine state championships.
The metro classification will include the eight Florida counties with the highest population — Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Duval, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Seminole.
Most teams in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will fit into the new Suburban classification, while smaller and rural teams like Northview, Jay and Central will be in the Rural class.
A more specific breakdown will be released at a later date.
In the Metro and Suburban classes, for 4A-2A there will be four regions and 16 districts with district play required. District champs will advance, along with the next four at-large in the region.
In 1A for all classes, including Rural, there will be four regions and no districts. The top six in each district will advance to the playoffs.
The new classifications will be in place for at least the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Another big change will come in playoff rankings. Football will move away from the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings that were implemented in 2019. The FHSAA Power Rankings, handled by MaxPreps, will instead decide playoffs.
Here are how the classifications will break down:
Metro Classification
(only those eight large counties listed above)
- 4A: 2356+ (64 schools)
- 3A: 1675-2355 (64 schools)
- 2A: 601-1674 (64 schools)
- 1A: 600 and below (36 schools)
Suburban Classification
- 4A: 1893+ (68 schools)
- 3A: 1443-1892 (68 schools)
- 2A: 601-1442 (68 schools)
- 1A: 600 and below (30 schools)
Rural Classification
- 1A: 600 and below (33 schools)
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
UWF Moves All Home Football Games To Campus, Leaving Blue Wahoos Stadium
March 1, 2022
The University of West Florida Argonauts will play its entire 2022 football home schedule at Pen Air Field on the UWF campus for the first time in program history, beginning with a home season opener against Warner University on Sept. 3, 2022.
Previously, UWF Football played home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola. Complications surrounding the newly installed artificial turf and the ability to schedule games at the stadium arose, prompting the program to move home games to the UWF Pensacola campus. Last season, the University hosted its first-ever home game at Pen Air Field, resulting in record on-campus event attendance.
“We appreciate the support from the City of Pensacola and the Blue Wahoos organization for the opportunity in creating a positive game day environment for the UWF Football program,” said Dave Scott, director of UWF Intercollegiate Athletics. “Blue Wahoos Stadium served as a unique venue and offered a great experience for college football over the past five seasons. We are excited to begin playing home games on campus, enhancing student life and providing a traditional on-campus college experience for students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community.”
The UWF football program will play five home games and face four Gulf South Conference opponents at home in the 2022 schedule. Among the Argonauts’ 7-game GSC slate will be home contests against Delta State, Mississippi College, North Greenville and West Alabama.
UWF will open the season with a pair of non-conference games. Following the season opener against Warner University, the Argos will make the second-longest regular-season trip in program history to Bolivar, Missouri to face Southwest Baptist on September 10. UWF defeated the Bearcats 63-14 last season in the first-ever on-campus football game before more than 5,000 fans.
After an open week, GSC play will commence with back-to-back home games against Delta State on September 24 and North Greenville on October 1.
The following two weeks the Argos will make a pair of road trips to the Peach State, taking on West Georgia on October 8 and Shorter on October 15. In the 5-game series with the Wolves, the road team has won every game and the Argos have defeated the Hawks all five times.
The Argos will entertain Mississippi College for Homecoming festivities on October 22. UWF is unbeaten against the Choctaws in five meetings, including a thrilling 27-21 overtime decision in 2019 in Pensacola.
UWF will honor its senior class on October 29 with a visit from West Alabama. The Argos have won three of the last four games in the series, including wins in each of the last two seasons. This will be just the third game in Pensacola in the 7-game series history.
The GSC regular-season will come to an end against Valdosta State when the Argos head to Valdosta, Georgia on November 5. The teams have been the class of the GSC the past few years, combining for the last three league titles and representing half of the Division II National Championship game participants the past four seasons.
New for 2022 will be a GSC Regional Game that will have the Argonauts face a conference member for a second time in an effort to aid the resumes for postseason consideration across the league. That game will be announced November 6, 2022.
The NCAA Division II Championship Playoffs begin on November 19 and end with the title game on December 17.
West Florida High’s Cydnie Helton Signs To Play Lacrosse At Tennessee Wesleyan University
February 28, 2022
West Florida High School midfielder Cydnie Helton has signed her National Letter of Intent to play college lacrosse at Tennessee Wesleyan University. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge
Tate High JV Aggies Win WFHS ‘JV Jags Showdown’ Tournament
February 27, 2022
The Tate High School Junior Varsity softball team is the “JV Jags Showdown” tournament champion.
The JV Aggies won all three games in the West Florida High tournament on Saturday. The Aggies beat Gulf Breeze, Jay and Milton while allowing only one total run.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.