Six Area Teams In Football Playoff Action Friday
November 19, 2019
Here are the football playoff games Friday night in the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
7A Regional Final
Niceville (12-0) at Edgewater (11-1) 7:30 p.m.
6A Regional Final
Lee (9-3) at Escambia (12-0)
3A Regional Final
Florida High (10-1) at Pensacola Catholic (11-0)
ALABAMA
Class 3A Quarterfinals
T.R. Miller (8-4) at Flomaton (11-1)
The game is rematch of a regular season meeting that Flomaton won 20-12.
AISA State Championship Class AA
Autauga vs. Escambia Academy
The Escambia Academy Cougars will take on Autauga for the AISA Class AA State Championship at Troy University at 3:30 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos
UWF Football Receives First Round Playoff Bid
November 19, 2019
The UWF football team has received a bid to the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Playoffs as announced by the NCAA. The Argonauts will travel to Wingate for a Super Region 2 First Round game Saturday. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Eastern at Irwin Belk Stadium.
Both general admission and reserved tickets are available for purchase from the Wingate Ticket Office at here. Seats are $12 for adults and $8 for children in the visiting team section behind the UWF bench.
UWF finished the regular season at 8-2 overall and was second in the Gulf South Conference at 7-1. This marks the program’s second postseason appearance in the last three years and second in the four year history of the program. The Argos won four postseason games – all on the road – on their way to the 2017 national championship game in their previous appearance.
UWF is ranked 22nd in the country and averages 400 yards of total offense and 35.3 points per game. The Argo defense has been one of the stronger units in the country, yielding just 15.1 points per game. They are among the top five in the region in scoring defense, passing yards allowed, red zone defense, punt return defense and turnover margin.
No. 4 seed Wingate is 10-1 on the year and finished second in the South Atlantic Conference at 7-1, with their only loss coming to No. 2 seeded Lenoir-Rhyne three weeks ago. The 17th-ranked Bulldogs are 5-0 at home in 2019.
The UWF-Wingate winner will face No. 1 seed Valdosta State in Valdosta, Ga. on November 30. The other two first round games feature Carson-Newman at Bowie State and Miles at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Tate’s Ryleigh Cawby Signs With Southern Miss Softball
November 17, 2019
Tate High School softball senior Ryleigh Cawby signed with Southern Miss softball Friday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Volleyball Presents Awards During Annual Banquet
November 17, 2019
The Northview Chiefs Volleyball team held their annual banquet recently.
The following varsity awards were presented:
Best Defensive Player: Heather Knowles
Best Offensive Player: Karelis Morales
Best Server: Payton Gilchrist
Most Improved Player: Hailie Anderson
Most Valuable Player: Nevaeh Brown
Coach’s Award: Teriana Redmond and Payton Jackson
Receiving varsity letters were: Mia Starns, Abigail Levins, Taylor Levins, Makayla Ramsey, Cassie Davis and Abigail Mascaro.
The following junior varsity awards were presented:
Best Defensive: Mia Starns
Best Offensive: Abigail Levins
Most Improved: McKenna Simmons
Best Server: Taylor Levins
Most Valuable Player: Taylor Levins
Coach’s Award: Mia Starns
Pictured top and first three photos below: Northview varsity volleyball. Pictured bottom two photos: Northview junior varsity. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Ends 8-Win Regular Season 48-37 Over UWA
November 17, 2019
They honored a senior class before kickoff Saturday which had guided the University of West Florida football team from infancy to national relevance.
And then, redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Reed produced an unforgettable performance to ensure a fitting sendoff and post-season, playoff berth.
Reed’s brilliance included completing his first seven passes, then throwing for 443 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, as the Argos won a 48-37 shootout against West Alabama at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“It’s just such a good group of seniors and they have all been such leaders since the moment I stepped on campus,” said Reed, who remembered his previous career high passing was 375 yards at St. Augustine High. “To have those seniors and be able to step up, it’s just blessing.
“I can’t say anything, but thank God. It’s just a blessing, 100 percent.”
On this crystal-clear afternoon, amid a crowd of 5,619 which will put UWF again among the top tier in NCAA Division II attendance, Reed’s performance was also essential.
It assured the Argos (8-2) will advance into the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second time in the program’s four-year history, another first-time feat in NCAA history. The Argos reached the national title game in 2017, completing a breakthrough where no prior college football program at any level had gone from start-up to title game in two years.
The win was also UWF’s first regular-season win against West Alabama, one of its Gulf South Conference rivals. The Argos, however, won at West Alabama in a region championship game in 2017 en route to reaching the championship game.
UWF will learn its first-round matchup in the 2019 playoffs during a selection show on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Argos won’t have a home-field edge, which goes only for the top four seeds, but they are definitely part of the 28-team field.
“No (young) program has had that opportunity,” said UWF coach Pete Shinnick. “When we built this team we had to find the right fit and right team for Pensacola. I think what we have done the last three years… and be within seven points (last week at Valdosta State) of the Gulf South Conference championship, I couldn’t be prouder of what our guys have been able to accomplish.”
UWF and West Alabama combined for 1,191 yards total offense. This included 788 passing yards and 62 first downs. West Alabama never punted. UWF punted twice.
So, that kind of track meet.
“For us, it was just fun,” Reed said. “Especially as an offense, we love to put together a game like that and really help our defense out. Really all year they have been so strong. For us to get in the one game where they needed help and go out and do it was special.”
Shinnick later joked, ”Fun for me is 50 to nothing.”
Instead, Saturday was back and forth, featuring plenty of stars.
UWF senior receiver Quentin Randolph, a Navarre High grad, led the receiver corps with 171 yards and three touchdowns. His 50-yard TD catch with 12:26 remaining broke a tie and put UWF ahead 41-34.
Running back Anthony Johnson, a Pace High graduate, then finished a game-sealing, eight-play, 75-yard drive with his nine-yard touchdown with 1:24 remaining. Johnson finished with a team-high 13 carries for 44 yards.
Randolph produced the second-best receiving performance in UWF’s four-year history.
“It’s probably the best football game I have had in my 18 years playing football. It was phenomenal,” Randolph said. “On senior night and magnitude like this on win or go home. This game meant a lot to me.
“After how we performed last week at Valdosta, it was pretty awesome to see us explode like this. I think this is the only game the defense hasn’t carried us. To be able to flip the script was pretty awesome.”
While the defense did surrender its most points all season, the Argos twice stopped West Alabama inside the 10 to force field goals and UWF defensive tackle Daryl Wilson recovered a third-quarter fumble at the 1 to thwart a touchdown.
Wilson finished with four tackles. Teammate and linebacker Chanler Ferguson, who forced that fumble, led UWF’s defense with 10 tackles.
“We always practice red zone (defense). We had to bow our neck and give everything we got,” Wilson said. “You want to make a big play out there. Offense had it done for us. We knew they were going to put up points and we just had to get a couple stops.”
Randolph was among seven UWF players with two or more catches. Tate Lehtio, a senior and UWF’s leading receiver had five catches for 62 yards. He was vital on several conversion down catches and on UWF’s first possession of the game, which ended with Randolph’s 27-yard touchdown.
Lehtio said the game’s back-and-forth flow helped the offense bear down.
“I think it’s good pressure to have actually,” he said. “You are sitting there and you are not complacent. I think that pressure helped us to succeed on offense.
“We have been in a playoff mode these last couple weeks.”
Lehtio was part of a group of seniors who took leaps of faith to attend UWF when football had no history.
“The vision is coming true,” he said. “We always talked about what it could be and what it had potential to do. To see it happen is just incredible.”
In addition to Randolph’s three touchdowns, receivers Kenneth Channelle and Rodney Coates each had a score, and offensive tackle Samuel Antoine fell on a fumble in the end zone, after a Reed run, for the Argos second touchdown.
It was part of a day where everything Reed did turned out well.
“It’s kind of like euphoria you kind of get into,” he said. “You’re feeling everything. You know what the defense is doing, how your receivers are getting open. I get into this zone. The minute I see it, it clicks.”
When asked where Reed’s performance ranked with him, Randolph said. “Don’t tell him I said this… but number one. Nineteen years old and a redshirt freshman…. for him to have the game he had. I am really proud of that kid.”
Flomaton Advances To Quarterfinals With Win Over St. James
November 16, 2019
The Flomaton Hurricanes beat St. James 20-19 in a thriller Friday night to advance to the 3A quarterfinals.
The defending 3A station champion Hurricanes were down 19-6 before a fourth quarter rally and a game that came down to a two point conversion that was right on the money.
Jate’vius “Tank” Franklin was into the endzone on a pass from Daquan “Money” Johnson with just 16 seconds to go in the ballgame to cut the St. James Trojan lead to just one, 19-18. Johnson was then in for two for the 20-19 win for the Canes.
Flomaton’s other scores came on a 1-yard touchdown run from Franklin in the first, and Johnson from six yards out.
Johnson had 162 rushing yards on 29 carries and the big touchdown pass to Franklin late in the fourth. Franklin had 17 carries for 92 yards.
Friday night marked 100th win for head coach Doug Vickery at Flomaton High School.
The Flomaton Hurricanes (11-1) will host T.R. Miller next Friday night.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Vernon Tops Northview 43-18
November 16, 2019
The Northview Chiefs saw their championship hopes dashed 43-18 on the road Friday night at the hands of the Vernon Yellow Jackets.
Northview and Vernon last met in the playoff back in 2015 with Vernon winning 8-7.
In Friday night’s matchup, Trent Peebles scored for the Chiefs in the second before adding another 25 yard touchdown in the third. Mark Findley had a 30-yard rushing touchdown for Northview in the fourth.
The Northview Chiefs ended their season at 8-3.
Also Friday night, Baker beat Graceville 35-21. Vernon and Baker advance to the Region 1-1A finals next Friday night.
Photos courtesy Paul Goulding Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night’s High School Football Playoff Finals
November 15, 2019
Friday night was the end of the line for the Northview Chiefs and the Pine Forest Eagles. All other North Escambia area teams advanced to the next round of the playoffs.
Here’s a look at Friday night’s high school playoff scores:
FLORIDA
7A
Niceville 47, Fleming Island 28
6A
Escambia 27, Mainland 7
5A
Godby 42, Pine Forest 13
3A
Pensacola Catholic 28, Trinity Catholic 14
1A
Vernon 43, Northview 18
Baker 35, Graceville 21
ALABAMA
3A – Round 2
Flomaton 20, St. James 19
T.R. Miller 21, Montgomery Academy 14
AISA Semifinals Class AA
Escambia Academy 49, Edgewood 7
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Tate’s Cole Fryman Signs With Samford University
November 15, 2019
Tate High School’s Cole Fryman has signed Thursday to play baseball and continue his academic career with Samford University. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Football Playoff Games Continue Friday Night
November 12, 2019
Here’s a look at Friday night’s high school playoff schedule. In Florida, it’s the regional semifinals, and in Alabama it’s round two.
FLORIDA
7A
(3) Fleming Island at (2) Niceville, 7 p.m.
6A
(4) Mainland at (1) Escambia, 7:30 p.m. (purchase tickets online)
5A
(6) Godby at (2) Pine Forest, 7:30 p.m. (purchase tickets online)
3A
(4) Trinity Catholic at (1) Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
1A
(3) Northview at (2) Vernon 7:30 p.m. (purchase tickets online)
(5) Graceville at (1) Baker 7:30 p.m.
ALABAMA
3A – Round 2
St. James at Flomaton. 7 p.m.
T.R. Miller at Montgomery Academy, 7 p.m.
AISA Semifinals Class AA
Edgewood at Escambia Academy