Northview Chiefs Beat The Jay Royals 41-7
November 7, 2020
The Northview Chiefs beat the Jay Royals 41-7 Friday night in Bratt to end the regular season for both teams.
It was the second matchup between the teams this season; Northview beat Jay 34-15 just two weeks ago.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Northview’s Jayden Jackson in fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game, currently averaging about 270 yards per game. He was also on top in Florida in total rushing yards.
Friday night, Jackson had nearly 140 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Northview opened scoring when Johnny Windham blocked a Jay punt. Jamarkus Jefferson 6 picked it up and was in on a 37-yard touchdown. The Chiefs were up 6-0 about three minutes into the first. Jackson added a 12-yard touchdown run to make it 12-nothing.
At 20-0 with a little over a minute to go in the half, quarterback Kaden Odom found Jamarkus Jefferson for an 87-yard touchdown run.
With the Chiefs up 41-0 in the fourth, Jay’s Bryce Stout had a 37-yard touchdown run to make it 41-7.
“I thought we did really well,” Northview Coach Wes Summerford said. “I’m so proud of our kids. The way we started….something we preach is fast start and make sure we have that. I thought we had that tonight. I thought early on we were firing on all cylinders, which is good.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
“Our offense has been explosive lately, and we just have to catch that defense, and I think we caught up tonight,” Summerford added. “We did a good job. The kids really responded well. ”
The Chiefs (6-1) will host Chipley (4-5) in the first round of the playoffs next Friday night. The Chiefs beat Chipley 45-13 last week. Also in round one, Jay (2-5) will be at Baker (10-0). The Royals lost to the Gators 18-13 in early October.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Finals
November 7, 2020
Here are high school football scores from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Gulf Breeze 31, Tate 9
- Northview 41, Jay 7 [Story, photo gallery]
- Washington 29, Milton 20
- Escambia 32, Pensacola High 6
- Niceville 42, Pace 7
- West Florida 13, Pine Forest 0 (Thursday night)
- Navarre 30, Crestview 13 (Thursday night)
ALABAMA (Playoffs)
- Escambia Academy 48, Springwood Academy 8
- Trinity Presbyterian 10, Flomaton 6
- T.R. Miller 42, Dadeville 14
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate High Volleyball Wins Inaugural Escambia County Championship
November 6, 2020
The Tate High School Lady Aggies won the inaugural Escambia County Championship over Washington High School.
The championship tournament was established to for volleyball teams that had their regular seasons shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aggies were 6-11 headed into the contest, while the Wildcats were 6-11.
On Tuesday, Washington defeated Pensacola High, and Tate beat West Florida to advance to the finals.
Photos by Crystal Tolbert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats Chipley 45-13 (With Photo Gallery)
October 31, 2020
The Northview Chiefs beat the Chipley Tigers 45-13 Friday night in Bratt.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Northview’s Jayden Jackson had 832 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last two games headed into Friday night’s game, averaging 17 yards per carry. MaxPreps has Jackson ranked fifth in the nation with 267 rushing yards per game.
And Jackson was off and running early in Friday night’s matchup with Chipley with a 56-yard touchdown carry for a Northview lead with 10:52 to go in the first quarter.
On the next possession for the Chiefs, Jackson was up the middle on a handoff from quarterback Kaden Odom for an 82-yard touchdown run to make it 12-0 for a Chiefs homecoming lead.
About three minutes later, the Tigers were in to cut the Northview lead to 12-7.
Then Jackson scored on a short 2-yard run for a third TD for a 18-7 Chiefs advantage.
With 1:33 on the clock in the second, Odom handed off to Jamarkus Jefferson to give the Chiefs a 25-7 lead headed into halftime.
Northview, now 5-1 overall, will host the Jay Royals (2-4) next Friday night in Bratt. It’s the second meeting of the season for the teams; Northview beat Jay 34-15 on October 23.
For a photo gallery, including action shots, the band, cheerleaders and NJROTC, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Catholic Gets Past The Tate Aggies 28-21
October 31, 2020
The Catholic Crusaders defeated the Tate Aggies 28-21 Friday night at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The Tate homecoming matchup was the first meeting of the two teams in a decade.
Down 21-7 with 1:19 to go in the third quarter, Tate senior quarterback Caleb Shelby found senior Zamir Dyer for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 21-14.
With 8:34 left in the fourth quarter, Shelby found Dyer again for a 70-yard touchdown run to tie things up at 21-21, but the Crusaders answered late in the fourth to take the lead.
The Tate Aggies, now 1-4 on the season, will take a long detour trip around the Pensacola Bay Bridge next Friday night as they barge into Gulf Breeze to face the 1-4 Dolphins.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Finals
October 31, 2020
Here are Friday night football finals from across the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Pensacola Catholic 28, Tate 21 [Story, photos]
- Northview 45, Chipley 13 [Story, photo gallery]
- Jay 43, Lighthouse 30
- Pine Forest 28, Pensacola High 25
- Escambia 28, Crestview 20
- Pace 40, Choctaw 21
- Niceville 63, Milton 41
- Washington at West Florida (canceled)
- Gulf Breeze at Fort Walton (canceled)
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 33, Bessemer Academy 12
- Flomaton 37, Escambia County (Atmore) 0
- T.R. Miller 39, W.S. Neal 0
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Press Box Dedicated To John Appleyard
October 27, 2020
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have dedicated the press box at Blue Wahoos Stadium in memory of John Appleyard.
Appleyard, a longtime long historian, died last week at age 97. He was an author of more than 120 books and monographs that included mystery stories, family histories and novels. His histories included in-depth accounts of all phases of local government.
He served as a radio broadcaster for the Blue Wahoos from 2016-2020, signing a lifetime contract with the team in 2018. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, he received the team’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the growth of Minor League baseball in Pensacola and the sport across the area.
“When you look back at the history of Pensacola, the best parts have John Appleyard in them,” Blue Wahoos owner
Quint Studer said. “His legacy will continue across the city and no one who knew him will forget his impact.”
A public memorial for Appleyard was held Monday afternoon at the Blue Wahoos stadium.
Tate High Names Girls Soccer Varsity, Junior Varsity Teams
October 26, 2020
The Tate High School Aggies have named their 2020-2021 varsity and junior varsity girls soccer teams.
Team members are:
Varsity
Jenna Banta
Kendall Blackmon
Claire Diamond
Aubrie Dillon
Izzy Ghiorso
Elise Grissom
Eva Grissom
Cora Helmig
Tiffany Inglett
Cassie Jackson
Cammie Kent
Emma Pasqualone
Faith Ranes
Danica Riddell
Emma Shelling
Izzie Shows
Sydney Singleton
Brynlee Skelton
Morgan Trombly
Junior Varsity
Hayden Ballinger
Kaypra Casillas
Haleigh Dove
Lilly Edgar
Madison Flannigan
Reese Forehand
Bailey Fowler
Delaney Hagan
Kelsey James
Brittney Larrington
Chloe Larrington
Nancy Mendez-Rostro
Kayla Reeves
Essence Rivera-Baker
Kimmie Simon
Lily Smith
Micah Weller
Gabrielle Wilstrup
Avery Wynder
Courtesy file photo.
Friday Night Football Finals
October 24, 2020
Here are Friday night football finals from across the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Northview 34, Jay 15
- Escambia 33, Pine Forest 14
- Washington 47, Pensacola High 7
- Niceville 35, Catholic 0
- Pace 49, Crestview 42
- Milton 21, Mostly 10
- Gulf Breeze 49, Choctaw 35
- Fort Walton Beach at Navarre
- Tate at West Florida (WFHS forfeit COVID-19 issues)
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy, 36 Southern Academy 6
- Jackson 16, Escambia County (Atmore) 6
- T.R. Miller at Flomaton (Flomaton forfeit due to COVID-19)
- Opp at W.S. Neal (Opp forfeit due to COVID-19)
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Blue Wahoos Stadium Airbnb Rentals To Be Featured On NBC’s Today Show
October 21, 2020
The children led the way, toting bright-colored luggage while beaming with excitement, as they entered the Blue Wahoos home team clubhouse.
They traveled cross-country from Salt Lake City and Dallas with their fathers, who were brothers and sports fans living their own dream with the Blue Wahoos’ Airbnb experience.
The eight-member group – two dads and six children ages 3 to 13 — planned the trip in June.
Inside, a veteran production duo from NBC News in New York had a camera and audio rolling. A perfectly kind of made-for-television moment.
The cameras captured the kids’ joyous shrieks. Showed the excitement among cousins who likely never imagined what they would find in a clubhouse area set up for a team’s next game. A Christmas morning type reaction.
“Oh my gosh, this is the best. It’s awesome,” said Michael Hutchings, a Verizon president from Dallas, who was joined by his brother Steven from Draper, Utah, where both men grew up in a community near Salt Lake City. “I mean, look at the kids. They love it.”
So did NBC.
The segment on the Hutchings’ family stay at the Blue Wahoos’ Airbnb is expected to be shown this Saturday (Oct. 24) during a time slot from 6 a.m. (CST) and 8 a.m. on Weekend Today program. The NBC production duo of Bill Angelucci and Anthony McGowan filmed hours of video in two days last week during the guests’ stay.
They were joined by veteran NBC news correspondent Catie Beck, who interviewed the brothers and met with Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer.
“It takes something special for a story to make it to this level and the fact this did is pretty remarkable,” said Beck, who pitched the story to NBC executive producers, after reading about the Blue Wahoos’ Airbnb setup earlier in the summer. The Weekend Today program allows longer video feature segments.
“It just had all the right elements,” she said. “And it is sometimes really hard to strike that perfect balance like this has.”
Beck kept pushing for the story after various circumstances caused NBC’s team in the summer to cancel previous trips to Pensacola to film.
The Blue Wahoos made history when launching their Airbnb in late May as the first Airbnb at a sports venue in America. Since then, there have been 52 different guest stays at Blue Wahoos Stadium representing 23 different states.
The Blue Wahoos recently won Minor League Baseball’s Golden Bobblehead Award for Best Overall Promotion and Best Non-Gameday Experience during the 10th annual MILB Innovators Summit.
It occurred during a year when all of minor league baseball had 2020 seasons cancelled and operations shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Blue Wahoos were among the few in minor league baseball not to furlough or lay off staff. Instead, co-owners Quint and Rishy Studer decided to utilize the year to pivot into being an events company with the Airbnb as part of that portfolio.
“I think it just signifies how hard our team has worked to receive this kind of recognition,” said Bailie Tate, the Blue Wahoos group sales manager, who transitioned to manage the Airbnb experience since its launch.
“I hope it also brings more awareness to Pensacola and what the Blue Wahoos do for the community here,” Tate said. “The (Hutchings) families really exemplify the whole aspect of this.
“It’s the fun, family experience that we seek to provide whether we are doing it at a Blue Wahoos baseball game or with the Airbnb. The mission is the same.”
Tate worked with NBC’s Katie Primm throughout the summer to help ensure the visit could happen. After Hurricane Sally struck Pensacola on Sept. 16, the Blue Wahoos staff worked to restore the field and clean up the stadium area for events and potential Airbnb stays.
The Hutchings brothers learned of the Blue Wahoos’ Airbnb through the national attention it received when launched in May.
“I heard of it on ESPN’s show, ‘Around the Horn.’ At the end of the show, they mentioned the Blue Wahoos Double-A team in Pensacola was renting out their stadium,” said Michael Hutchings.
“We have a group chat with others where we are always talking sports, so we threw it up there. And I thought this would be really cool,” said Steve Hutchings. “We had planned to go to Orlando during the kids’ fall break (Utah schools) this weekend (Oct. 15-18) so we added this stay to the trip.”
While at the stadium, the families were treated to a dinner from Blue Wahoos executive chef Travis Wilson. The kids played ping pong and the X-Box setup in the clubhouse.
They explored the playground area behind the stadium at the Community Maritime Park.
The next morning, the group enjoyed a catered breakfast on the field.
“It’s amazing,” said Michael Hutchings, describing their stay. “The way I had looked at this experience is that you will never get time back with your kids, so go for it. This is cool.”
It was the kind of experience that attracted NBC programming decision-makers to agree when Beck and Primm continually pitched the idea of traveling to Pensacola.
“No one has ever seen a family sleeping in a baseball stadium. So, if you have not seen it on TV before, it’s likely to get bought,” Beck said. “(NBC production executives) love a visual story, but this one also has an underlayer of hard news with the COVID pandemic, which is why you guys (Blue Wahoos) had to close (baseball season cancelled).
“It’s about being innovative as a business, but also you’ve got this warm and fuzzy part with the Airbnb and kids. So, it kind of has everything you look for.”
The Blue Wahoos will continue operating their Airbnb, which includes the option of the visitors’ clubhouse for larger groups, through the rest of this year and beyond.
The success has led to deciding how to maintain the Airbnb around the baseball schedule.
“It’s been a great challenge for us and a great opportunity to showcase what Pensacola has to offer,” Bailie Tate said. “What this Airbnb has done is shown you can still have baseball when there is no baseball. You can run out on the field and feel like a kid again. All in one place.”
by Bill Vilona, senior writer for the Blue Wahoos.
