FHSAA Approves Rule Allowing Football Players To Play Varsity And JV Games Each Week
June 10, 2020
Beginning this season, high school football players in Florida may be allowed to play in varsity and junior varsity games during the same week.
The Florida High School Athletic Association voted Tuesday for a new policy that will waive the one game per week policy and allow players to participate in six quarters per week.
It’s not automatic; each individual school must apply by the Monday of week three of the regular season in order to use the new six-quarter rule. Before approval, the FHSAA football administrator will consider program history along with current and past roster size of the school.
Many smaller schools across the state fail to consistently play junior varsity games for fear of not having enough back up players for their varsity games. That, according to the FHSAA, limits participation and development for players that are not ready to play at the varsity level.
“These lost opportunities to play make it harder to develop younger players and makes it harder to keep 9th and 10th graders engaged in the sport,” FHSAA said.
Pictured: Baker at Northview, September 2019. NorthEscambia.com photos.
Molino’s Jarrett Parker Looking To Take Family Racing To New Heights
June 5, 2020
by Chuck Corder
From his newlywed doing the work of “four pit crew” members to the pastor who officiated his wedding spotting for him, Jarrett Parker’s Pro Late Model team is built around his family and friends.
The grassroots approach is fitting for the 25-year-old Molino driver, who works for the family business – Parker Roofing – and later this month will close on purchasing his grandparents’ home, the first house he ever lived in as a boy.
After tremendous success in the WCIparts.com Pro Trucks series – in which he won two of the last four Snowball Derby Pro Trucks races, including last year’s edition – Parker is looking forward to running a full schedule in the Allen Turner Pro Late Model (PLM) division this season.
Fan Tip: Look for the NorthEscambia.com “NE” just behind the front tires on Parker’s No.46 car.
He and his father, Scottie Parker, bought Chris Davidson’s PLM, which only had five races on it. Jarrett Parker will race under the watchful, hawk eyes of Late Model legend Mike Garvey this year.
“I’m really excited, the whole family is excited,” Parker said. “I’m just itching to go. It’s a good car and Chris has been awesome about sharing information. Mike Garvey is my mentor, and I feel fortunate to be able to use his knowledge. If our first tests are any indication for how the rest of the season will play out, I think we’re gonna be really happy.”
He will be a part of the first Allen Turner PLM 100 of the adjusted season Friday at Five Flags Speedway. Also expected in the field will be teenager Grant Thompson, who will make his PLM debut in an Augie Grill Grand American Race Cars LM.
The PLMs will share the marquee with the Faith Chapel Outlaws and Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks. Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday with admission being $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military, and students; and free for children ages 11-and-under.
Although Parker’s PLM program might seem homespun, he has plenty of veteran experience to lean on in Garvey.
“Whenever he talks about something, it’s like, ‘Oh why didn’t I think of it,’ ” Parker said of his crew chief’s vast expertise with LMs. “It’s second nature to him. If you pay attention to what he’s doing when he’s working on something, you learn way more.
“He’s like an open book right there in front of him and I’m turning the pages and finding out new things I didn’t know. I’m blessed to have him right there with this. He’s on top of everything, learning the new technology.”
Parker actually drove Garvey’s old PLM – the familiar yellow Tracy Goodson No. 1 repainted white with Parker’s No. 46 on the side – in a handful of races over the last four years. But that car met its end during a horrific accident at the Snowflake 100 last December.
As Parker went into Turn 3 late in the race, the car dropped its fuel cell and ignited a streak of fire that Justin Bonnett barreled through just moments later. Parker escaped unscathed while Bonnett had to be transported to a Mobile-area hospital to treat his burns.
“It was just a fluke accident that Justin was just an innocent bystander for,” Parker said. “It’s just a part of racing, but I’m extremely sorry he got hurt.”
Bonnett, of course, understood that and held no animosity toward Parker. In fact, the two talk regularly and their mothers have developed a friendship over social media as a result of the accident.
Parker has been monitoring Bonnett’s recovery closely, and anticipated Bonnett’s return to racing earlier this year before COVID-19 and another unforeseen surgery forced Bonnett to shelf those plans.
“It’s not the best way to make a new friend,” Parker said, joking about their wreck. “It was just one of those weird deals.”
Because of the accident, Parker and his team are taking extra precautions when it comes to fire gear.
“I’ve got a fire hood, a sock that goes over my head and neck,” he explained. “We’ve looked at the fireproof underwear, too. It’s gonna be hot, but it doesn’t hurt to be extra safe. Plus, working on roofs conditions me for the heat, I believe.”
An accomplished go-kart champion from the age of 8, Parker said his PLM feels like an adult go-kart. He explains that by pointing to the PLM’s rigid style as compared to the Pro Trucks class.
Perhaps, too, it’s because Parker hasn’t strayed away from the driver he has always been – one surrounded by those close to him.
When Garvey isn’t making major adjustments to the vehicle, it’s Parker, his wife Minnie, his father, and family friend Scott Steadham doing most of the work at the Parker family shop in Molino.
Minnie Parker works “extremely hard” and “doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty,” Jarrett Parker said. That comes as no surprise for someone who got hitched on a convenient date.
“We got married on April 6, 2019. April 6 is 4/6, and my number is 46,” Jarrett Parker explained. “That way I won’t forget it. That was part her idea, too. I got extremely lucky when I found her.”
Marrying them was longtime friend Keith Thorpe. Thorpe will be in “Spotterville” this Friday night, directing Parker around the famed half-mile asphalt oval in his No. 46 that is sponsored by Parker Roofing, Grocery Advantage, Heely-Brown Company, Extreme Pump and Septic, A1 Small Engines, and Mike Garvey Racing.
Parker is confident that his team has a top-five car for Friday. But the expectations are so much grander – family-sized, one might say.
“We definitely hope to win a race this year,” Parker said. “We feel that good going into it. There’s something about having a fresh car that makes me feel more confident.”
Pictured: Jarrett Parker at Five Flags Speedway Thursday evening. Photos by Tammy Parker – also known as Jarrett’s mom – for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Name Maum As New Quarterback Coach
June 5, 2020
The Tate High School Aggies have named Garrett Maum as the team’s new quarterback coach.
For the past five seasons, Maum has been the QB/WR coach at Donaldsonville High School in Louisiana. He was also the head baseball coach at Donaldsonville for the past three years. His team was previously ranked No. 8 in the state of Louisiana 3-A before the coronavirus lockdown. G
Maum is from Baton Rouge and is a graduate of LSU. His wife, Kristin will be teaching English at Tate High School. She was selected Ascension Parrish School Board High School Teacher of the Year for the 2015-2016 school year.
Tate High Lady Aggies Won’t Have A 2020 Summer Ball Season
June 4, 2020
The Tate High School Lady Aggies softball program announced Wednesday that they will not have a summer ball season this year.
The Lady Aggies do plan to hold open field this summer, but those dates have not yet been announced.
Northview Chiefs Name New Head Football Coach. He’s A Former Coach At West Florida And Tate.
June 3, 2020
Northview High School has named their new head football coach.
He is Wes Summerford, who has been the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the West Florida Jaguars since 2017.
“I’m just excited to have this opportunity,” Summerford told NorthEscambia.com. “I’ve been looking forward to becoming a head coach since I got into coaching, and I could not think of a better school than Northview. It’s a great program…and I look forward to getting started with the players.”
Summerford’s coaching experience also includes a defensive coach at Tate High School from 2015-2017, outside linebacker coach at West Florida from 2011-2015 and defensive assistant at Tate in 2008.
Wes Summerford is the brother of West Florida Jaguar Head Coach Rhett Summerford.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High School Sports, Band To Resume In Escambia County. Here’s The Schedule.
June 2, 2020
The Escambia County School District has announced plans for resuming athletic and band participation for students.
Through June 15, student athletes should obtain updated physicals (EL2) and Parent Consent and Release Forms (EL3,) which must be submitted prior to participation in district sports. On Saturday, June 6, the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, will offer free student athlete physicals. Parents and students must coordinate with their coaches to set appointments for these free physicals.
On Monday, June 15, coaches will resume conditioning for those student athletes with current physicals and release forms. Conditioning will include use of weight rooms, gymnasiums, and athletic fields, while utilizing social distancing protocols and proper sanitation measures for training equipment.
“Students who have been inactive over the past 60 days or so due to COVID-19 requirements will need proper conditioning and training in order to participate in school sports,’ stated Superintendent Malcom Thomas. “Social distancing protocols will be followed, as well as the proper sanitation steps by district personnel. This will be a team effort by all participants.”
High school band students may begin on campus activities starting Monday, June 15. Band camps will begin Monday, July 6. Parents and students should refer to their school band director for band camp schedules and guidelines. There will be no middle school band activities this summer.
Pictured: “Midnight Madness” — last season’s first full contact practice that began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 3, 2019, at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Top High School Athletes Recognized At Virtual Senior Scholar Banquet
May 28, 2020
Pensacola Sports recently presented 36 awards and over $100,000 in scholarships at their annual Senior Scholar Athlete Banquet, which was held virtually this year.
Kaylie Herring from Gulf Breeze and Nicholas Dimitroff from Catholic High, won the overall female and male scholarships, respectively. The Pensacola Sports Foundation awarded these two individuals each with a $4,000 scholarship. Other awardees were Amanda Langston from Pensacola High and John Pinette from Pine Forest High (Whataburger Books Scholarship), Mia Goodwin from Pace and John Middleton from Catholic High (Super Star Multi-Sport Scholarship), Britton Landrum from Gulf Breeze and Peter Mougey from Catholic (Dr. Alec Kessler Memorial Scholarship), and Skylar Grant from West Florida Tech and Christopher Page from West Florida Tech (UWF Scholarship).
Additionally, Pensacola State College awarded 24 individual sport winners with a scholarship.
The individual sport winners are:
Baseball – Joshua Majors, Jay
Girls Basketball – Janelle Jones, Washington
Boys Basketball – Stephen English, Milton
Cheerleading – Bailey Carter, Tate
Boys Cross Country – Christian Ottley, Pace
Girls Cross Country – Kylie Thomas, Pace
Football – Marlon Courtney, Navarre
Girls Golf – Alexis Grove, Navarre
Boys Golf – Clayton Dobry, Gulf Breeze
Girls Lacrosse – Clarke Haas, Gulf Breeze
Boys Lacrosse – John McDowell, Catholic
Girls Soccer – Kaylee Hodges, Milton
Boys Soccer – Cristian Garcia-Vazquez, Washington
Softball – Allison Gutierrez, Navarre
Girls Swimming – Genna Hoitt, Pensacola
Boys Swimming – James Tracey, Pace
Girls Tennis – Sadie Goyins, Catholic
Boys Tennis – Charles McCullar, Pensacola
Girls Track – Cyla Byrd, Pace
Boys Track – Phillip Gindl, West Florida
Volleyball – Chayton Willis, West Florida
Girls Weightlifting – Diona Murphy, Washington
Boys Weightlifting – Robert Stephens, Navarre
Wrestling – Wyatt Sise, Gulf Breeze
Schools in both Escambia and Santa Rosa nominate their senior athletes for each sport and submit the paperwork to Pensacola Sports. A selection committee made of educators, community leaders, and Pensacola Sports board members reviews the anonymous applications and select the best person’s credentials for each sport. Those are the individual sport winners. Then they select the overall male and female winners from the individual sport winners.
Pictured: Tate High School’s Bailey Carter was the girls cheerleading winner at the Pensacola Sports Senior Scholar Athlete Banquet. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Field Of Dreams: Blue Wahoos Stadium For Rent On Airbnb
May 24, 2020
Short-term vacation rentals are back, and this local one is really, really big. Field of Dreams kind of big.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have placed their entire stadium on Airbnb. For you and nine of your friends, it’s just $1,500 a night.
“For the first time ever, a professional baseball stadium is available for rent on AirBnB, giving fans the most intimate, behind-the-scenes ballpark experience in history. Whether you’d like to host an unforgettable overnight trip with your youth league team, throw an unbeatable birthday bash, stage a corporate retreat that will make you an office hero, or spend your bachelor party living your sports dream, Blue Wahoos Stadium is the ultimate rental,” the listing says.
Guests staying at the ballpark will have full access to the newly-renovated and fully-furnished clubhouse, a large bedroom with 10 beds, the batting cage, and the field itself.
The clubhouse has four leather couches, two flat screen TVs, a ping pong able, padded chairs, two large tables and connected bathrooms with showers.
The large bedroom is connected directly to the clubhouse and has four bunk beds and two queen-sized beds, allowing 10 to sleep comfortably. It also includes two flat screen televisions and a kitchenette with a fridge, freezer, coffee-maker, and microwave.
Guests will be given access to Blue Wahoos Stadium’s batting tunnel, allowing them to hit just like the players do. Bats, balls, and helmets will be provided.
Guests will have full and exclusive access to the baseball field at Blue Wahoos Stadium during their stay. A full batting practice set-up is included on the field. Guests are welcome to hit from home plate, play catch in the outfield, run the bases, enjoy a picnic in the outfield, or find other creative uses for the field.
A Blue Wahoos representative will provide a full tour on arrival and will be stationed in the ballpark to provide security and answer questions.
Add-ons include available food and beverage packages merchandise and additional experiences for an additional charge.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century High Stadium Sign Is Headed To Historical Park To Honor Kayo Stanton, The Voice Of The Blackcats
May 15, 2020
“Heeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrreeeee come the Blackcats!”
So many times those words echoed through Kayo Stanton Stadium at the former Century High School. Very little of the stadium remains today; the remnants of the home bleachers and the press box remain, but they suffered heavy structural damage during the EF-3 tornado that hit Century on February 15, 2015.
On Thursday, crews used a crane to remove the “Kayo Stanton Stadium” sign from outside the press box and transported it to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Park where it will be put on display.
The main Century High School school building was constructed in 1937. Century High School closed a quarter century ago after being merged with Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill to form the current Northview High School.
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Who was Kayo Stanton?
Kayo’s full name was Vivian Earl Stanton, Jr. “Kayo” is a term used in boxing to denote a knockout but his daughter Anne Williamson of Thomasville said his nickname was for a character in the 1930s-50s “Moon Mullins” Sunday comic strip named “Kayo.”
Stanton’s deep voice was easily recognizable – his trademark was “Heeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrreeeee come the Blackcats,” as the Century team came onto the field before the game started. His son, David Stanton said his father borrowed the line from the Florida Gators after attending games in Gainesville when David was a student there. “He came back and tried it, and it went over pretty good,” he said. “He kept it for the next 20 years.”
Kayo didn’t try to be a play-by-play announcer. He once said, “The fans can see what’s going on. I just tell them the yard marker, since we can see from this high vantage point. The men who work as spotters in the press box tell me the players’ numbers and I pass that to the crowd.”
The stadium was named in his honor during the football season of 1990. He was beginning to be paralyzed from the cancer by the end of the football season, but he could still walk some at the time of the dedication. By the end of the season he was confined to a wheelchair and would listen to the games from the wheelchair sitting in his front yard.
Stanton was “The Voice of the Blackcats” as public address announcer for Century football for 40 years, starting in the early 1950s.
Stanton was also a third generation businessman in Century. At 19, he went to work for his father, Bubba Stanton, at Stanton’s grocery on Mayo Street. The family closed the grocery store in 1963, and when Bubba died in 1964, Kayo took over the operation and eventually turned it into a furniture store.
Stanton prepared for games as if he were going to broadcast them, studying series records against Century’s opposition for the week and scores against common opponents, to be shared with the fans.
His attendance record was almost spotless, even after he opened another store in Pensacola in 1979. The new store kept him out of town for much of the week in the six years it was open. But Fridays always found him in the press box.
Stanton’s tenure was interrupted only once, as family ties put him in a different place in the stadium during the 1968 season. That was the senior season for Kayo’s son David, an All-State linebacker for Century.
But he returned to the booth the following year and stayed for the next 20 years, before cancer forced him to give up announcing. He died June 13, 1991.
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Century Blackcat Football
Century’s high school ventured into football in the early 1930s. According to “Blackcats: A history of Century Football 1931-1975″ by Jim Curenton, football was first played behind the Baptist and Methodist churches in 1931. In 1934, Marvin Kelly donated a parcel of land northwest of the present-day Carver-Century K-8 (the site of present-day Showalter Park) and it was used for Century’s athletic teams. Football was played at Kelly Field during the daytime hours since there were no lights.
It’s not clear just when the first games were played at the new high school, built in 1936. Curenton’s book says of the 1941 season, “Kelly Field had not been used as a football field in two or three years.” At any rate, at the end of World War II, for the first time, home games were played under lights on the field behind the new high school. Century played its first night game against W.S. Neal. A solid white ball was used to make it more visible at night. Curenton reported that since grandstands were non-existent and there were no fences as yet, crowds pressed closer and closer to the action, actually narrowing the field of play.
The school property bordered the crest of a hill on the edge of a small swamp around Findley Branch. Coach Bill Turberville took advantage of the slope. He had the boys carry each other up the hill repeatedly to build the legs and endurance of the players. Coaches following Turberville also used the slope for practice drills, and Eddie Simmons believes Coach Jay Smith made the most use of it. He had two boys race down the hill – one boy had to block them both and push them back up the hill. He would alternate two on one going up and then going down, tackling and blocking.
By 1944 a grandstand was erected on the north side of the field. It was a wooden affair with about five or so rows of seats, seating maybe some 50 people. However, it was a start. It was a sign of progress and of a “slowly growing interest in high school football,” according to Curenton. Crowds increased and that resulted in larger stands being constructed. Later cars pulled up to the fence on the south side and fans sat in their autos, blowing their horns when there was an exceptional play. About 1948, a grandstand and dressing rooms were built with wooden seats atop them. Running water was added to the dressing rooms in 1952, with Kayo Stanton doing most of the plumbing work.
Grover Hicks, Mr. Peavy and Angus Hall of the county’s maintenance crew used wheelbarrows to build a concrete extension onto the east end of the existing grandstand that was used by opponents’ fans.
A deep gully at the east end was filled in during Jim Manderson’s coaching tenure at CHS some time during 1952-54. A classroom was built adjacent to the southwest corner end zone and encroached on the end zone. In the 1980s, Paul Jones, owner of the land east of the field, donated property so the field could be extended in that direction.
The cement grandstand and press box on the south side wasbuilt with the help of the Century High School Quarterback Club in the 1960s and 70s.
Historical information and photos courtesy Jerry Simmons, Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. Modern day stadium photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Youth Ball: Molino, NEP To Resume; NWE, Century Won’t Due To COVID-19
May 6, 2020
The Molino and NEP ballparks are working toward continuing their spring seasons, while Northwest Escambia and Century have decided not to finish their seasons due to COVID-19.
The Escambia County Commission affirmed last that youth sports leagues can move forward with practice and play in ballparks owned by the county with restrictions, as long as it does not conflict with any state order.
Youth leagues that use county parks are allowed to practice now and play first games as early as May 15.
Youth sports at each county ballpark are managed by independent organizations that will make the decision if they want to play and how they will accomplish required social distancing requirements. Bleachers may be marked off for social distancing, or may be removed altogether. The commission made it very clear that a parent chooses for their child not to participate, they are entitled to at least a partial refund. Some parks may offer parents the option of rolling fees forward to next year.
Molino Ballpark
Molino Ballpark plans to restart their spring season soon, with a focus on the safety and health of players and fans. As of now, team practices are set to begin on May 18, with the first games on June 1. The season will continue until June 26.
The league will release more information soon.
Northwest Escambia
The Northwest Escambia board of directors has decided not to continue the 2020 ball season.
“The board met and discussed the pros and cons of resuming the season and ultimately it was in the best interest of all players, coaches, and community members involved to not resume the season,” the league said.
NWE is working on a procedure for player credits for the next ball season.
NEP Ballpark
NEP Ballpark is working on plans to continue their spring season. Tentative plans have practices starting the week of May 18 with games from the first week of June through mid-July. The ballpark remains closed until May 18.
Century Little League
Century Little League will not resume the spring ball season.
“We are sorry for all the inconveniences this season has brought due to Covid-19 but we feel this is the best and safest decision for all of our players, coaches, and parents,” the league said.
Century Little League, which plays at the Town of Century’s Showalter park and not in a county park, is working on a decision about player credits toward the next season and the possibility of reusing the same uniforms as a cost cutting measure.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.