Northview’s Garrick Davis Inks With Northwestern Red Raiders
January 28, 2020
Northview High School’s Garrick Davis has signed a letter of intent to continue his football career at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, next fall.
Davis is a 6′3″, 260-pound offensive lineman who completed a standout, two-year career with the Northview Chiefs football team. Davis earned all-Northwest Florida honors after he helped pave the way for the top rushing offense in the state, 24th nationally, as a senior. He earned first team all-region and first team all-Tri-City honors.
“We are thrilled to have Garrick commit to our Red Raider football team,” stated Northwestern Head Coach Matt McCarty. “He is a big, physical lineman who has experienced great success as a run blocker. Garrick is a tough player who we are happy to have join our o-line group.”
Davis plans to major in Biology/Health Professions at Northwestern. He is the son of Kevin and April.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Girls Weightlifting Places At Districts, Advances To Regionals
January 25, 2020
Northview High School’s girls weightlifting team placed at districts Friday at Baker. They advance to the regional meet on January 31, also at Baker.
Team members are (pictured, L-R) De’janique Lowery, Jayla Barron, Caitlin Gibbon, Elianna Morales, Naudia Carach and Taylor McMinn.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Heat Defeats Atmore
January 22, 2020
Youth basketball (ages 5-7) score:
Century Heat 33, Atmore Kings 6 (Tuesday)
Cantonment Ballpark Won’t Have Organized Ball This Spring
January 21, 2020
“Play ball!” won’t be echoing through the Cantonment Ballpark on an Opening Day this year. There were be no league organized youth baseball or softball this spring at the Cantonment Ballpark, but county officials say they are working to make sure the park won’t be totally silent this spring.
The Cantonment Youth Sports Association recently announced they won’t be playing “due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances” that were not explained in brief social media announcement. The league told the county the decision was made due to a lack of participation and not enough players to field the teams necessary.
“The ballpark is a great asset, and we are still going to make it available to the community,” Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Mike Rhodes told NorthEscambia.com. He said the park is available for team practices, travel leagues and tournaments.
Rhodes is urging Cantonment area parents to sign their children up for tee ball, baseball and softball at another county park near Cantonment. Registrations are underway at Northeast Pensacola (NEP), Molino Ballpark, Northwest Escambia (NWE) and other county parks. For more information, visit each ballpark’s website or call Escambia Parks and Recreation at (850) 475-5220.
Rhodes said work is underway to make sure organized youth ball returns to the Cantonment Ballpark in the future.
Pictured: Opening Day 2019 last March at the Cantonment Ballpark. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Varsity Cheerleaders Take Regionals, Advance To State Finals
January 18, 2020
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The Tate High School varsity cheerleaders won their third consecutive FHSAA Region 1 championship Friday night. This year, they competed in the Medium Varsity division at Oakleaf High School in Orange Park.
With the win, the Tate cheerleaders advance to the finals at the FHSAA state competition January 31-February 1 in Gainesville.
Last season, the Tate varsity cheerleaders won the state championship and placed fifth in the nation.
Pictured are (front, L-R) coaches and seniors Morgan White (coach), Madelyn Ray, Trista King, Kensley Foley, Shelby Fleming (captain), Bailey Carter (captain), Kyndal Milsted, Abigail Manoso, Keaden Martin, Annie Wiggins (assistant coach), (back, L-R) Briana Ragan, Alana Polk, Emily McNair, Kyndell Ammons, Erin Johnson, Morgan Warrington, Ashlyn NeSmith, Angelena Tamoria, Hagyn Helton, Ashlie Houdashelt, Paige McKinney, Emma Romero and Landry Bellard. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Registration Underway At Molino Ballpark, Northwest Escambia
January 18, 2020
Molino Ballpark
Molino Ballpark spring registration is underway though next Saturday online only.
Register for tee ball, baseball and softball through 11:59 .m. on January 25 at www.molinoballpark.com. Further information and costs can be found on the website.
Northwest Escambia
Registration is underway from Northwest Escambia tee ball, baseball and softball. Registration is open online at www.nwebaseball.com through January 31. Additional information is available on the website.
In-person registration will also be held from 9 a.m. until noon on January 25 and February 1 at the Bradberry Park Fieldhouse.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Add NAS Pensacola Memorial Patch To Uniforms
January 17, 2020
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos will take the field in 2020 with their city over their hearts.
The team announced on Thursday that the Blue Wahoos will wear “We Have The Watch-NAS Pensacola” patches on their uniforms in 2020 to honor the victims of the tragic shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6th, 2019, and the brave military members, police officers, and first responders who protect the citizens of Pensacola.
“The brave military members at Naval Air Station Pensacola keep our city and our nation safe, and it’s an honor for us to pay tribute to the victims of this tragic event and to the strength of the city of Pensacola as we collectively recover as a community,” team president Jonathan Griffith said.
The patches, designed by Marcus Pointe Baptist Church Media Director Robbie Harvey and pressed and embroidered by Wings & Things Monogramming on South Navy Boulevard, will be worn over the heart, directly above the Blue Wahoos logo on the team’s home uniforms.
The same patches are worn on the uniforms of local military members at Naval Air Station Pensacola and first responders across Pensacola.
Youth Basketball: Atmore Grizzlies 16, Century Magic 14
January 16, 2020
Submitted.
After being down 16-7 in the fourth quarter Kimora Davis hit a 15 foot jump shot to spark the magic with 2 minutes remaining in the game. Later Vincent Longmire and Keyunta Ewing followed with a jump shot and a layup respectfully to bring the Magic within 3, 16-13. Ewing then made a steal and was fouled while going for a layup with 2 seconds remaining in the game.
Ewing then made the first free throw to make the score 16-14 and intentionally missed his second attempt. Longmire then rebounded the missed free throw and layed it in tying the game 16-16 with 0.3 seconds on the clock and apparently forcing overtime as the crowd erupted.
After a 5 minute discussion the referees determined there was a lane violation by the Magic and removed the 2 points by Longmire. The game ended 16-14 as the Century Magic fell short to the Atmore Grizzlies in a spectacular game in Atmore.
Century Heat Youth Basketball Opens Season With Win
January 11, 2020
The Century Heat youth basketball league opened their season Thursday night with a sold 25-6 win over the Pelicans.
Minnesota Twins Announce 2020 Pensacola Blue Wahoos Coaching Staff
January 11, 2020
The Minnesota Twins announced their Double-A minor league coaching staff assignments for the 2020 season on Friday, bringing a new-look staff to Pensacola with a familiar face at the helm. 2019 Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego will return to lead the Blue Wahoos in 2020 after taking the team to the Southern League playoffs with a 76-63 finish last season.
Borrego will be surrounded by an almost entirely new support staff in 2020. Ryan Smith will join the Blue Wahoos from the Twins level A affiliate, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, to serve as hitting coach. Pensacola will once again employ two pitching coaches with both Luis Ramirez and Nat Ballenberg joining the Blue Wahoos from High-A Fort Myers. Former Quinnipiac baseball assistant coach Joe Mangiameli will serve as a coach for Pensacola. Travis Koon returns as Pensacola’s strength and conditioning coach while Chris McNeely, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, becomes the team’s athletic trainer.
Ramon Borrego has coached in the Twins organization for 15 seasons, including 11 as a manager. After reaching Triple-A in a seven-season playing career with the Twins, Borrego became a coach in his native Venezuela for four seasons with the Twins affiliate in the Venezuelan Summer League. In 2009, he was promoted to manager of the Twins Dominican Summer League team before moving up to manage the Gulf Coast League (Rookie) Twins from 2010 through 2017. In 2018, he was promoted to High-A, leading the Fort Myers Miracle to the Florida State League title. In his first season at the Double-A level in 2019, he took the Blue Wahoos to the Southern League playoffs and graduated eight players from the team’s roster to the Major Leagues.
Ryan Smith joins the Blue Wahoos as hitting coach from the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Twins A-affiliate. With Smith coaching hitters in 2019, the Kernels finished second in the Midwest League in home runs and qualified for the playoffs with a 78-62 record. He played collegiately at the College of Central Florida and Valdosta State University and spent three seasons as a coach at Central Florida before joining the Twins organization in 2019.
A pair of pitching coaches move up from High-A Fort Myers to Pensacola in 2019: Luis Ramirez and Nat Ballenberg.
Ramirez spent four seasons as a pitching coach with the Twins rookie level affiliate Elizabethton before being promoted to Fort Myers in 2019. Under his tutelage, the Fort Myers pitching staff posted a 3.11 team ERA during the season, second best in the Florida State League and led the league with 1,188 strikeouts. Prior to his coaching career, he played professionally for 14 seasons in the United States, Venezuela, Columbia, and Taiwan.
Ballenberg joined the Twins during the 2019 season, assisting the Fort Myers coaching staff with performance evaluation and training to enhance player development. He spent nine seasons as a coach at Haverford College before joining the Twins organization. He holds a degree in economics from Haverford College and a Masters in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University.
Mangiameli enters his first season of coaching professionally in 2020 with the Blue Wahoos after spending 2019 with Quinnipiac University baseball and the three previous seasons with Eastern Connecticut State University. A 2016 graduate from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Sport Management, Mangiameli played collegiately for the SNHU Penman.
The Blue Wahoos training staff will consist of strength coach Travis Koon, a returnee from the 2019 staff, and athletic trainer Chris McNeely, who joins the Twins organization following four seasons as a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system.