Jefferson Named MVP As West Falls To East In All-Star Football Game
December 17, 2022
The East beat the West 14-7 in the Pensacola Sports High School All Star Football Game at Washington High School Friday night.
Northview Chief Jamarkus Jefferson was named the West Offensive MVP.
It was just the second All Star win for the East in the 10-year history of the game, and the first since 2017.
The West’s only score came late in the first half on a 9-yard pass from Northview’s Kaden Odom at quarterback to wide receiver B.J. Jenkins of Washington High School.
Pine Forest High football coach Ronnie Douglas led the West team roster, while Niceville High coach Grant Thompson headed the East roster.
Each eligible school in the three-county area was guaranteed at least one spot on the all-star team, given they had an eligible senior, and every player had at least one play in the game.
Created in 2004 by community and sports leaders, along with Pensacola Sports, the inaugural All Star Game’s mission was to showcase Pensacola area seniors in one last football game of their high school career.
Pictured: Northview High School senior Jamarkus Jefferson. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
First Ever UWF QB Kaleb Nobles Named New Argos Head Coach
December 14, 2022
The University of West Florida has named Kaleb Nobles as the second head football coach in program history, as announced by University President Dr. Martha Saunders and Athletics Director Dave Scott.
“We are super excited to announce Kaleb Nobles as our head coach and welcome him and his wife Katy back to Pensacola and the UWF family,” Scott said. “He spent four seasons as a player and member of the coaching staff under Pete Shinnick and understands the culture and values that helped create the foundation the program.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to be the next head football coach at the University of West Florida,” Nobles said. “My wife and I are true Argos as we are both UWF graduates, and I look forward to continuing the legacy of Building Champions For Life.”
Nobles has spent the past two seasons at Clemson University where he had the role of offensive player development under head coach Dabo Swinney. He assisted with the quarterbacks and wide receivers, all game preparation and planning, along with various game day duties. In 2021, Clemson went 10-3 with a Cheez-It Bowl victory and compiled an 11-2 record in 2022, winning the ACC Championship while earning a berth in the upcoming Orange Bowl against Tennessee.
“I am so happy for Kaleb Nobles. He was born to be a football coach and equipped to be a head coach,” Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said. “One of the main reasons I went and hired him from West Florida is I knew he would come in and really make us better. He has a high aptitude for the game, he’s passionate about it and is a great communicator. Having the opportunity to work with him these past two years has been really fun to see him up close to see how knowledgeable he is, how detailed he is, how good he is with people and what a great communicator he is. His knowledge of West Florida and his understanding of the scope of that job is exciting. I’m really happy for him and proud of him, and I don’t have any doubt that he will continue the great success and great tradition at the University of West Florida.”
Nobles spent three seasons on Pete Shinnick’s staff from 2017-20 as the quarterbacks coach for the Argonauts and was named the co-offensive coordinator in May of 2020. He also served as the director of Football Operations for two-plus years.
Nobles mentored some of the best signal callers in UWF history. In 2019, Austin Reed was named the National Freshman of the Year after he threw for 4,089 yards and 272.6 yards per game to rank 13th nationally. He also completed 57 percent of his passes and tossed 40 touchdowns while rushing for six more.
The 2019 quarterback group established program records with a 56.8 completion percentage, a 148.6 pass efficiency rating, 14.6 yards per completion and 411.9 yards of total offense per game.
In 2018, the Argonauts completed 55.2 percent of their pass attempts, tying the school record at the time. The group averaged 229 yards passing and had 23 touchdowns.
Nobles worked daily with a quartet of QBs during the historic 2017 season that culminated with a run to the national championship game. Mike Beaudry finished with 3,215 yards through the air and 29 touchdowns while being named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year.
As a student-athlete, Nobles spent four seasons at Valdosta State from 2012-15, appearing in 23 games with six starts as a freshman and sophomore. He threw for 2,009 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Blazer.
In 2016, he transferred to UWF and helped provide immediate leadership and focus to the upstart program. He led the Argonauts to a 5-6 overall record and threw for 3,058 yards with 28 touchdowns. He also established a school record that still stands with 277.3 passing yards per game.
He had six games with at least 300 yards passing, including a 503-yard, 6-TD performance in the win over Missouri S&T in the inaugural home game on Sept. 10, 2016. That passing mark ranks tenth all-time in GSC single-game history. He was also a GSC All-Academic selection that season.
Nobles has coaching in his blood, following in the footsteps of his late father, Buddy. The elder Nobles spent more than 30 years as a high school coach in Florida and Georgia. His Irwin County (Ga.) High School team won the Georgia Class A title in 2019, nine days before the Argos won the national championship.
Nobles, who was born in Jacksonville, Florida and attended high school in Fitzgerald, Georgia, earned his bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Valdosta State in December, 2015 and added a master’s in Health Leisure and Sport Science from UWF in December, 2017.
He and his wife, Katy – a former UWF women’s volleyball student-athlete and Argo alumnus – were married in June, 2021.
Welcome to Tateville: Tate Baseball Outs The Grinch In Christmas Parade
December 13, 2022
Everyone down in Tateville loved Christmas a lot.
Except the Grinch, who lives outside North Escambia, did not.
The Tate Aggies baseball team had made
The choice to march in the Pensacola Christmas Parade.
In their “Welcome To Tateville” float they were a go.
Who better tossing beads than a baseball team that knows how to throw.
But there too was the Grinch
Trying to steal Christmas in a pinch.
But in a big Christmas triple play,
Tate Baseball saved the day!
In a big Christmas grand slam play,
It was a Merry Christmas parade day.
Merry Christmas to all,
From Tate Aggie baseball.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Pictured: Tate High Baseball’s “Welcome to Tateville” float in the Pensacola Christmas Parade. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Head Football Coach Pete Shinnick Resigns
December 12, 2022
The University of West Florida has announced Sunday that Pete Shinnick has resigned as the school’s head football coach to accept the same position at Towson University. The announcement came the day after UWF’s semifinal loss Saturday to Ferris State.
Shinnick has spent the past eight years at UWF building the program from the ground up. He was hired as the first coach in school history in 2014 and compiled a 56-21 record in six seasons. During that time, he created a culture that was second-to-none and made UWF a top destination for student-athletes from across the country.
UWF won the 2019 Division II National Championship in just its fourth season of play, matching the NCAA record for fastest startup to win a title. The Argonauts appeared in the NCAA Playoffs four times, advancing to the national championship twice and were one of just two teams to advance to the semifinals three times in that span.
“My family and I have enjoyed every moment of our time at UWF and in Pensacola,” Shinnick said. “This university has supported us in so many ways and the success on and off the field is a direct result of that. A special thank you to Dr. Bense for wanting to start football, Dave Scott for believing in me to be the man to do that and Dr. Saunders for her continued support of our program. Arete! Go Argos.”
“We are grateful for Coach Shinnick and thank him for the dedication he has shown the Argo football program,” UWF Athletics Director Dave Scott said. “It is no easy feat to build a program from the ground up, but Coach Shinnick did just that — accomplishing much in the program’s six seasons.
“We look forward to the future of Argo football and the new opportunities that are to come. We are committed to finding a head coach who embodies the Argo spirit and will continue the legacy of building champions for life, on and off the field.”
Shinnick has a 159-67 career coaching record, which includes a 50-24 record in seven seasons at UNC Pembroke from 2007-13, and 53-22 in seven seasons at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005.
Photo: Morgan Givens/University of West Florida
Proud To Be A Chief: Northview Falls To Hawthorne In State Championship Game (With Gallery)
December 11, 2022
The Northview Chiefs made an incredible run at the school’s second-ever state football championship.
The Chiefs had won 13-straight, but Saturday night that streak came to an end.
You could see the excitement on their faces, and the faces of over 1,000 Northview Chiefs fans headed into the game.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
But you could see the pain on their faces as the game ended with Hawthorne winning 13-2. They were the underdogs headed into Gene Cox Stadium. Just a little team from a little place called Bratt, from a stadium that sits next to a cotton field and behind the FFA’s cow pasture.
A band of brothers with a family of Chiefs behind them who put up a heck of a fight for the FHSAA 1-Rural state title.
A state championship was the ultimate goal, but head coach Wes Summerford said his Chiefs should still be proud of the winningest season in school history.
“You know number two in the state ain’t bad in the state of Florida. We are one of the top four or five states in football,” he said. “They’ve got a lot to be proud of…not every year you are going to get to come to this…I think they’ll remember the trip anyways for the rest of their lives. Even though we didn’t come on top and didn’t do what we wanted to do.”
It was the first game of the entire season in which Northview did not score a touchdown.
Jamarkus Jefferson was held to just 35 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving. Quarterback Kaden Odom had 132 yards passing and 40 yards rushing.
Hawthorne had 218 yards rushing; Northview just 86 net yards rushing on 30 attempts. With 132 yards passing, Northview had 218 total offensive yards while the Hornets had 257.
“I’m just proud of these guys,” Northview head coach Wes Summerford said. “The stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and the stuff that they have been through, and just battled back from that. I just told them we played a good team tonight and it wasn’t our night. Hawthorne is a good team, been here three times, and we just didn’t do the stuff we needed to do to win a football game tonight.”
“I’m proud to be a Northview Chief.”
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF’s Special Season Ends In National Semifinal Loss To Ferris State
December 11, 2022
The amazing post-season magic that UWF’s football team was always able to generate this time vanished at the worst possible time.
After rallying from a 17-3 deficit in the second quarter to tie the game at halftime, the Argos committed mistakes on their first three, second-half possessions, and it led to a 38-17 loss Saturday against defending national champion Ferris State in the NCAA Division II national semifinal at Top Taggart Field.
The Argos (12-2) had won all nine previous road playoff games – many of those in comeback fashion — including the one at Ferris State in the 2019 semifinal game that vaulted UWF to its historic national title.
But in this match of the past two champions – there was no D-2 title in the 2020 season halted by the coronavirus – it was Ferris State seizing control in the second half.
“Obviously, this moment is bitter, but I am extremely pleased with the season and what we were able to do,” said UWF coach Pete Shinnick, whose team had won its last 16 road games overall. “Not many teams get to play this far and just disappointed the way this thing ended.”
The big picture, however, is that UWF played in its third national semifinal in the six-year history of the program. Each time the Argos advanced this far, the semifinal game was on the road in a cold-weather place. Twice before, the Argos flew back to Pensacola with a championship game berth.
Game time temperature Saturday was 33 degrees and snow began to fall in the final minute of the game. But UWF was unfazed by the conditions in coming back from a sizeable deficit in the first half. The Argos scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the second quarter to gain the emotional edge at halftime.
“I thought we could create from the first half and I thought we could be right where we wanted,” Shinnick said. “But the opening drive didn’t go the way we hoped, and they just kept capitalizing on things and it hurt us. Not the second half we hoped for.”
Ferris State (13-1) rushed for 325 yards and scored all five touchdowns on the ground. Marcus Taylor had 182 yards on the ground with a score, and Carson Gulker added 64 with three touchdowns.
UWF traveled home Saturday night after a season where the Argos came back from a double-overtime, home loss to Delta State to win 10 consecutive games in reaching this stage.
“A phenomenal season,” Shinnick said. “And hard to reflect on that when this thing (Saturday loss) is just present in your mind right now. But our guys did so much this year and accomplished so many things and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
The game changed on two plays early in the second half.
UWF got the ball coming out of halftime and was on a 13-play drive when failing to convert on a 4th-and-2 play at the Ferris State 34. UWF quarterback Peewee Jarrett misfired a pass to David Durden.
Ferris State’s offense took over again. The Bulldogs took the lead in just nine plays on a 3-yard run.
On the ensuing possession, the Argos then committed a game-changing turnover when quarterback Peewee Jarrett was sacked by Caleb Murphy, his 25th of the season and Murphy was able to dislodge the ball.
Ferris State safety Travis Miracle recovered at the UWF 36. Mylik Mitchell, who threw just nine passes, had his biggest one on a 24-yard competition to the 1. It led to a third rushing touchdown by freshman backup quarterback, Gulker, who proved to be a force the entire game against UWF.
That gave Ferris State a two-touchdown lead just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter. On UWF’s next possession, the Argos tried to fake a punt from their 42 on a 4th-and-5 situation, but Ferris State’s defense snuffed it out.
The Bulldogs were back in the end zone eight plays later with the game-sealing score.
The Argos were only able to generate 298 yards total offense in the game, including just 83 yards in the second half. They entered the game as the second-most prolific offense in Division II, averaging 453 yards per-game. Included in that total was 243.2 yards rushing.
Saturday, the Argos had just 113 yards on the ground. The Argos also did not get a turnover, after forcing 42 in their previous 14 post-season games, including six turnovers, four of which were returned for touchdowns, in last week’s blowout win against Wingate in the Super Region 2 championship game in Pensacola.
Like many games this season, the Argos fell behind early in Saturday’s game. Ferris State used a 13-play, game-opening drive that used 6:28 off the clock to take a 7-0 lead.
The Argos answered with their own drive, attaining a first-and-goal from the 7. But two running plays and incomplete passes forced settling for a Griffin Cerra field goal.
Ferris State then scored touchdowns the next two times the Bulldogs had the ball. They had a 4th-and-2 situation from their own 42 and chose to go for it. UWF’s defense rose up and got the stop.
Two plays later, the Argos were back in the game on Jarrett’s 40-yard touchdown pass to David Durden, who later had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
Again, UWF’s defense got a stop. Again, UWF’s offense answered. This time, Jarrett capped a 7-play, 74-yard drive by rushing in from the 10 with 1:22 left in the half.
It seemed another second half comeback win was possible for UWF. But on this day, it never developed at all in the second half.
Jarrett threw for 185 yards on 9-of-16 with one TD pass. He also ran for 35 yards. Shomari Mason had 36 yards on the ground and CJ Wilson had 30. Durden had three receptions for 98 yards.
The Northview Chiefs Head To State (With Photo Gallery)
December 10, 2022
The Northview Chiefs headed toward Tallahassee Friday afternoon for Saturday night’s state football championship.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
For a photo gallery from Bratt and Byrneville Elem., click or tap here.
After a big sendoff at the school, the Chiefs traveled to Bratt Elementary School, Ernest Ward Middle School and Byrneville Elementary School to the delight of sign-waving “little chiefs”.
The Northview Chiefs will face Hawthorne (11-0) in the state 1R championship game. Hawthorne is coming off a 28-0 shutout of Blountstown Friday night. The FHSAA 1-Rural state title game will be played at 7 p.m. (EST) on Saturday at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee.
Pictured: The Chiefs sendoff Friday at Northview High School, and fans lined the East Highway 4 in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chiefs Flashback: Northview’s 2012 Football State Championship (With Photo Galleries)
December 10, 2022
It’s been a decade since the Northview Chiefs brought home their one and only football state championship.
For a NorthEscambia.com 2012 state championship flashback photo gallery, click or tap here.
Northview’s current 2022 quarterback Kaden Odom, a little shorter 10 years ago, was at the game in Orlando, as many of the 2022 Chiefs were with their families.
Northview football and Northview fans are family.
And tonight, the family is looking to do it again the Chiefs play Hawthorne at 7 p.m. (EST) Saturday in Tallahassee.
NorthEscambia.com was there a decade ago. Today, we are looking back at Northview Chiefs 2012 1A state champion with our game story and photos from Orlando.
Here is the NorthEscambia.com story from on December 8, 2012:
Northview Chiefs Win Florida 1A State Championship
The Northview High School Chiefs won the Florida Class 1A football championship Friday night in Orlando, beating the Trenton Tigers 42-21.
The road to Orlando had been oh so long for the Chiefs — losing out the past couple of years at the state semi-final level — making the victory oh so much sweeter Friday night.
The state title is the first ever for Northview, the only Escambia or Santa Rosa County team to make the Citrus Bowl in Orlando this year.
There were 3,609 fans on hand for Friday night’s game — over 1,500 of them making the road tip from North Escambia.
After a scoreless first quarter, La’Mikal Kyles scored for the Chiefs on a 58 yard run with 11:07 on the clock. And the Chiefs were just getting warmed up. Chad Smith was in with 8:25 in the half on a 20 yard blocked punt return.And LaDarius Thomas scored on a two-yard run with just 34 seconds in the half. With good kicks from Kevin Vaughan on all three touchdowns, the Chiefs held a 21-0 dominating lead at the half.
Trenton scored on a three yard run in the third, while Northview scored twice in the quarter. Neino Robinson had a 79 yard kickoff return, and Brannon Freeman added a touchdown with a 28 yard run.
Northview had one touchdown, a six-yard run from Kevin Vaughan, in the fourth, while Trenton scored twice. As the clock wound down, the Chiefs won the 1A championship 42-21.
Kyles finished the night with 113 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. Freeman had a touchdown and 61 yards on 11 attempts, and Thomas also added a TD and 39 yards on 10 attempts.
Trenton covered more artificial turf that Northview in the Citrus Bowl — 270 yards to Northview’s 226.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
What You Need To Know: Northview State Championship Game, Tickets
December 6, 2022
The Northview Chiefs (13-0) will face Hawthorne (11-0) in the state 1R championship game.
Here’s the info game you need to know:
- When: Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. (EST)
- Where: Gene Cox Stadium, 601 Paul Russell Road, Tallahassee
- Tickets: $14 in advance, $17 the day off, plus convenience fee. $2 cost of parking is included at the ticket. Purchase only at GoFan. Under age 3 is free.
- Weather: Saturday: Sunny, 74. Saturday night: Partly cloudy, low 54. Sunday: Mostly sunny, 20% rain, high 71.
Look for more pre-game coverage this week on NorthEscambia.com, plus post-game coverage beginning Sunday.
Molino Recreation Baseball, Softball Registration Open
December 6, 2022
Registration is now open for the Molino Recreation Association at Don Sutton Park for the 2023 baseball, softball, and t-ball seasons.
To register, click or tap here.
Registration is open through January 10 for softball and January 22 for baseball and t-ball on a first come, first available basis.
The baseball draft is January 24-27 and practice begins January 30. Opening day is March 4 and games end on May 5.