Northview Loses District Match To Baker (With Gallery)
September 15, 2021
The Baker Gators beat the Northview Chiefs in three sets Tuesday night in volleyball district play in Bratt.
Baker defeated Northview 25-10, 25-20, 26-24.
With the loss, Northview sits at 0-1 in the district but 4-2 overall for the season. Baker is 4-1, 3-0 in the district. Northview travels to Jay on Thursday.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ninth-Inning Homer From Sims Keeps Wahoos Alive In Postseason Hunt
September 15, 2021
Demetrius Sims broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth with a solo home run as the Wahoos came from behind to win the series opener 3-2 on Tuesday night at Toyota Field.
With the win, coupled with Birmingham’s loss to Montgomery, the Blue Wahoos are now 2.5 games out of the final AA-S playoff spot with only five games remaining in the season.
In the top of the ninth the Trash Pandas brought in Zach Liginfelter (L, 0-1) to try and keep the game at 2-2. With one out, Demetrius Sims belted a solo home run to right center to give Pensacola the winning run. Even though it was only Sims’s fourth home run of the season, it is the second time in two weeks that Sims has hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Colton Hock (S, 19) grinded his way to his league-leading 19th save of the year. After back-to-back one-out singles in the bottom of the ninth, Hock turned a spectacular double play to end the game. Luis Aviles Jr. smashed a ground ball up the middle that Hock somehow stopped with the glove. After a clean throw to second, Sims threw out Aviles out at first for a game-ending double play.
The Blue Wahoos took the lead in the bottom of the first thanks a double from Kameron Misner and a sac fly from JJ Bleday. Misner now has four doubles in his last three games for the Wahoos.
Pensacola’s 1-0 lead was short lived. After a leadoff single from Aviles, the Trash Pandas used a hit-by-pitch and a pair of walks from Kyle Nicolas to score Aviles and tie the game at 1-1.
After Rocket City took a 2-1 lead, the Wahoos tied the game in the top of the fourth. With Griffin Conine at third, Sims singled to right to bring home Conine and tie the game at 2-2. Sims finished the night with three hits tying his season high.
Kyle Nicolas grinded through five innings for the Blue Wahoos in what appears to be his final start of 2021. He allowed two runs on two hits in five innings of work. Despite walking five he also struck out five in the no decision.
The Blue Wahoos will try to make it four wins in a row in the Wednesday’s contest. Pensacola ace RHP Max Meyer (6-2, 2.56) will make his 20th start of the year and he will be opposed by RHP Christopher Molina (5-1, 4.36).
Northview Volleyball Defeats Pine Forest (With Photo Gallery)
September 14, 2021
The 1A Northview Lady Chiefs varsity volleyball team improved to 4-1 Monday night with a win over the 5A Pine Forest Lady Eagles.
Northview lost the first match to Pine Forest 21-25, but came back to defeat the Eagles 25-16, 25-13, 25-14 for the win.
Northview has earned victories so far this season over Pine Forest, W.S. Neal, Flomaton, and 6A Escambia. Their only loss was to 4A West Florida.
The Lady Chiefs will be back at home Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Baker (3-1) in their first 1A district matchup of the season.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win Home Finale Behind Velez’s Quality Start
September 13, 2021
The team had unfurled a thank you banner Saturday night in appreciation of Blue Wahoos fans.
And then on Sunday, the Blue Wahoos took a bow by completing their five month home schedule in a desired way.
In a game which best crystalized their entire season, the Blue Wahoos received stellar, starting pitching – this time again from Anthony Velez — solid relief and produced just enough runs to beat the Biloxi Shuckers 3-2 in the final, regular-season home game of the 2021 season.
The win improved the Blue Wahoos (56-53) position for an overall winning record. But losses in the first four games of this six-game homestand dampened hopes for reaching the Double-A South playoffs.
“It’s always good when you can bookend a series with a couple of wins,” said Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel, whose team beat Biloxi 6-0 Saturday night to end the losing streak.
“Obviously it is sort of a letdown, losing those first four and kinda dropping our chances to get into the playoffs. But it’s always nice to finish strong.”
The weather held up Sunday for a crowd of 3,444 to watch Velez, 24, a left-hander and former Florida State pitcher, to make his third consecutive quality start since joining the team August 17 from the Beloit (Wisc.) Snappers, the Miami Marlins’ High-A affiliate.
Velez, a Miami native and former Tampa Bay area high school star, gave up just four hits in six complete innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out nine to lower his earned run average to 0.50 in Double-A.
“He was really good,” Randel said. “He caught a stretch in Beloit and still is kinda riding that high. He’s a guy that throws strikes and changes speed and if you do that, you’ll pitch for a long time.”
In three Double-A starts, Velez has pitched 18 innings, allowed just one earned run, walked only two and has 18 strikeouts.
He got run support Sunday when centerfielder Kameron Misner, another recent addition from Beloit, led off the first inning with a double and scored on J.J. Bleday’s single to right field. Bleday then led off the fifth inning with a single, stole second base and scored on Lazaro Alonso’s single.
Bleday went 2-for-3 in the game with a walk and RBI, following a 2-for-3 night Saturday with two RBI.
The eventual decisive run occurred in the sixth, after Galli Cribbs Jr. doubled and scored on Misner’s RBI single. Misner went 2-for-5 after going 2-for-3 Saturday with two walks and two runs scored.
“He’s kind of a good all-around player,” Randel said. “He’s got some speed, some power, got a pretty swing from the left side. He’s just a good bat to add to the top of the order where we have been kinda missing that top-of-the-order-batter to get on base.”
The Blue Wahoos know they may have missed chances earlier in the series for more wins and closer position in for a playoff spot.
The Birmingham Barons (62-52) continued their red-hot play to control second place. They swept the Rocket City Trash Pandas to maintain a 3.5-game lead over Pensacola in the race for the other playoff spot. The Barons finish the season on the road against the Montgomery Biscuits.
The Mississippi Braves clinched first place in the Double-A South earlier in the week. The two teams with the best overall record in the Double-A South will meet in a best-of-five championship series starting Sept. 21.
The Blue Wahoos finish the season on the road against the Trash Pandas, whose manager, former major league star Jay Bell, is a Tate High grad and one of the all-time best players from the Pensacola area.
The six-game series begins Tuesday in Madison, Alabama, just outside of Huntsville, where Rocket City has played its inaugural season at newly-built Toyota Field.
The teams played way back on May 18-23 in Pensacola with the Blue Wahoos winning five of six.
“Our chances got limited pretty good,” said Randel, referring to the week. “But you try and win some ballgames (against Rocket City) and hope for the best and the other guys kinda battling it out. If we can just take care of business, hopefully, we’ll get some help and sneak into the playoffs.”
But if not, Randel has good memories of his first season in Pensacola, after coming into Blue Wahoos Stadium in past seasons as visiting manager with Jacksonville, then the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins.
The Blue Wahoos home record (33-27) was their fifth consecutive season with a winning home record. One-third of the home games (20) featured sellout crowds, including the final one on Saturday.
“Playing in Pensacola is great,” Randel said. “We have played well here at home. We had a good home record, one of the better ones in the league.”
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Photos: NWE Football Jamboree
September 12, 2021
Northwest Escambia held their jamboree Saturday at Northview High School.
Participating leagues included NWE, Jay, Neal and Andalusia.
For a photo gallery from sophomore games, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No. 1 UWF Rolls Past SW Baptist, 63-14
September 12, 2021
Anthony Johnson, Jr. scored three times and Rodney Coates caught a pair of touchdown passes as No. 1 UWF defeated Southwest Baptist, 63-14, in the first-ever game at Pen Air Field on Saturday night.
UWF (2-0) reached the end zone on its first nine possessions for 63 unanswered points after SBU scored on the opening drive of the game. The Argos amassed 30 first downs, the second-most in program history behind 31 against Shorter in 2016.
Austin Reed was 20-for-26 and 257 yards with a UWF single-game QB rating of 210.7 as he played into the opening drive of the second half with the Argonauts leading 54-7.
UWF played its first-ever game on campus Saturday, entertaining 5,463 fans to a school-record eighth-consecutive victory.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Coates’ day featured nine receptions for 126 yards – both career-highs – as UWF posted the second-highest scoring game in program history. David Durden caught four passes for 66 yards, including TD receptions of 23 and 36 yards.
Johnson tied his school-record of three rushing TDs on just four carries. Shomari Mason led the team on the ground with 74 yards.
UWF dressed 92 players and saw the majority of them participate, including backup quarterback Wyatt Eget, who led the team on two scoring drives and completed 6-of-9 passes for 64 yards.
Cooper Callis had 230 yards passing on 22-of-34 for the Bearcats (0-2). He was also sacked three times by UWF as De’Marco Artis, Jerquan Newton and Ricky Richardson got into the backfield.
UWF finished with nine quarterback hurries and forced its first turnover of the season on a kickoff.
UWF will play its next game on the road, traveling to Texas A&M Commerce (1-1) on Saturday night. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas is at 6:00 p.m.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Photos: Morgan Givens/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lindgren’s Career Night, Homers From Burdick And Bleday Power Wahoos To Win
September 12, 2021
Jeff Lindgren (W, 6-8) struck out a career high 10 Shuckers over seven one-hit shutout innings as the Wahoos picked up a 6-0 win Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Lindgren, who is the only Wahoos pitcher to turn in seven innings with two runs or fewer allowed this season, has now achieved the feat twice. On Saturday, he allowed just one hit and two total baserunners during his 20th appearance of the year. Biloxi’s only hit came in the second, when Chad Spanberger lined a single to center with two outs.
After a Gabe Holt reached via a Demetrius Sims throwing error in the third, Lindgren and the rest of the Blue Wahoos pitching staff retired the final 20 batters to end the game, striking out eight of the last nine batters. Lindgren struck out the side in the fifth and then struck out the side to end his night in the seventh.
Offensively, the Blue Wahoos looked sharp right from the very get-go. Pensacola took the lead in the bottom of the first after Lazaro Alonso knocked in JJ Bleday with a two-out RBI double off Justin Bullock (L, 2-4, 7.77).
Pensacola scored three more runs in the bottom of the third when the Wahoos hit for the cycle as a team. After a leadoff triple from Galli Cribbs Jr., Kameron Misner hit his first of two doubles on the night to give Pensacola a 2-0 lead. Peyton Burdick immediately followed with his 23rd home run of the season, which made it 4-0 Pensacola. After JJ Bleday flew out, Alonso singled to complete the team cycle.
The Wahoos added two more when Bleday hit a towering two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Wahoos a 6-0 lead.
With the win, the Wahoos postseason chances remain alive. The 2021 Blue Wahoos home finale is Sunday afternoon.
West Florida Blanks Tate 44-0 (With Photo Gallery)
September 11, 2021
The visiting West Florida Jaguars blanked the Tate Aggies 44-0 Friday night at Pete Gindl Stadium.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The game was scoreless until just over six minutes to go in the first quarter with the first of many West Florida touchdowns. And the Jaguars never looked back.
By halftime, it was 33-0.
The Aggies turned the ball over a half dozen times — a couple of fumbles, a couple of interceptions and a couple of bungled kickoffs.
The Tate Aggies will hit the road next Friday night to take on Navarre, while the West Florida Jags will host Arnold.
For a photo gallery, click here. Look for a student life, cheerleader and band photo gallery to be published by Monday on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
6A Gulf Breeze Tops 1A Northview 50-33 (With Photo Gallery)
September 11, 2021
The visiting Northview Chiefs fell to the Gulf Breeze Dolphins 50-33 Friday night.
The 1A Chiefs took an early 3-0 lead over the 6A Dolphins, but the advantage did not last long. By halftime, Gulf Breeze was up 21-3.
Junior quarterback Kaden Odom connected with Jesse Hughes for a 50-yard touchdown. With a good two-point conversion, the score was 29-19. Odom later found junior Jamarkus Jefferson for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 43-26.
The Northview Chiefs (1-2) will host the Escambia Academy Cougars (4-0) next Friday night at Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in Bratt.
Photos by Emma Gilmore for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Scoreboard
September 11, 2021
Here are Friday night’s North Escambia area high school football scores:
FLORIDA
- West Florida 44, Tate 0 [Story, photo gallery...]
- Gulf Breeze 50, Northview 33 [Story, photo gallery...]
- Pace 38, Pensacola 13
- Walton 55, Jay 17
- Cairo (GA) 21, Escambia 7
- Pensacola Catholic 29, St. Stanislaus (MS) 14
- Milton 18, Navarre 13
- Pine Forest (Bye week)
- Washington (Bye week)
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 43, Wilcox Academy 0
- Flomaton 26, Cottage Hill 10
- Mobile Christian 29, W.S. Neal 14
- T.R. Miller 27, Chickasaw 16
- Escambia County (Atmore) (Bye week)
Pictured: West Florida High defeated Tate Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo click to enlarge.