No. 1 UWF Rolls Past SW Baptist, 63-14
September 12, 2021
Anthony Johnson, Jr. scored three times and Rodney Coates caught a pair of touchdown passes as No. 1 UWF defeated Southwest Baptist, 63-14, in the first-ever game at Pen Air Field on Saturday night.
UWF (2-0) reached the end zone on its first nine possessions for 63 unanswered points after SBU scored on the opening drive of the game. The Argos amassed 30 first downs, the second-most in program history behind 31 against Shorter in 2016.
Austin Reed was 20-for-26 and 257 yards with a UWF single-game QB rating of 210.7 as he played into the opening drive of the second half with the Argonauts leading 54-7.
UWF played its first-ever game on campus Saturday, entertaining 5,463 fans to a school-record eighth-consecutive victory.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Coates’ day featured nine receptions for 126 yards – both career-highs – as UWF posted the second-highest scoring game in program history. David Durden caught four passes for 66 yards, including TD receptions of 23 and 36 yards.
Johnson tied his school-record of three rushing TDs on just four carries. Shomari Mason led the team on the ground with 74 yards.
UWF dressed 92 players and saw the majority of them participate, including backup quarterback Wyatt Eget, who led the team on two scoring drives and completed 6-of-9 passes for 64 yards.
Cooper Callis had 230 yards passing on 22-of-34 for the Bearcats (0-2). He was also sacked three times by UWF as De’Marco Artis, Jerquan Newton and Ricky Richardson got into the backfield.
UWF finished with nine quarterback hurries and forced its first turnover of the season on a kickoff.
UWF will play its next game on the road, traveling to Texas A&M Commerce (1-1) on Saturday night. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas is at 6:00 p.m.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Photos: Morgan Givens/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lindgren’s Career Night, Homers From Burdick And Bleday Power Wahoos To Win
September 12, 2021
Jeff Lindgren (W, 6-8) struck out a career high 10 Shuckers over seven one-hit shutout innings as the Wahoos picked up a 6-0 win Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Lindgren, who is the only Wahoos pitcher to turn in seven innings with two runs or fewer allowed this season, has now achieved the feat twice. On Saturday, he allowed just one hit and two total baserunners during his 20th appearance of the year. Biloxi’s only hit came in the second, when Chad Spanberger lined a single to center with two outs.
After a Gabe Holt reached via a Demetrius Sims throwing error in the third, Lindgren and the rest of the Blue Wahoos pitching staff retired the final 20 batters to end the game, striking out eight of the last nine batters. Lindgren struck out the side in the fifth and then struck out the side to end his night in the seventh.
Offensively, the Blue Wahoos looked sharp right from the very get-go. Pensacola took the lead in the bottom of the first after Lazaro Alonso knocked in JJ Bleday with a two-out RBI double off Justin Bullock (L, 2-4, 7.77).
Pensacola scored three more runs in the bottom of the third when the Wahoos hit for the cycle as a team. After a leadoff triple from Galli Cribbs Jr., Kameron Misner hit his first of two doubles on the night to give Pensacola a 2-0 lead. Peyton Burdick immediately followed with his 23rd home run of the season, which made it 4-0 Pensacola. After JJ Bleday flew out, Alonso singled to complete the team cycle.
The Wahoos added two more when Bleday hit a towering two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Wahoos a 6-0 lead.
With the win, the Wahoos postseason chances remain alive. The 2021 Blue Wahoos home finale is Sunday afternoon.
West Florida Blanks Tate 44-0 (With Photo Gallery)
September 11, 2021
The visiting West Florida Jaguars blanked the Tate Aggies 44-0 Friday night at Pete Gindl Stadium.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The game was scoreless until just over six minutes to go in the first quarter with the first of many West Florida touchdowns. And the Jaguars never looked back.
By halftime, it was 33-0.
The Aggies turned the ball over a half dozen times — a couple of fumbles, a couple of interceptions and a couple of bungled kickoffs.
The Tate Aggies will hit the road next Friday night to take on Navarre, while the West Florida Jags will host Arnold.
For a photo gallery, click here. Look for a student life, cheerleader and band photo gallery to be published by Monday on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
6A Gulf Breeze Tops 1A Northview 50-33 (With Photo Gallery)
September 11, 2021
The visiting Northview Chiefs fell to the Gulf Breeze Dolphins 50-33 Friday night.
The 1A Chiefs took an early 3-0 lead over the 6A Dolphins, but the advantage did not last long. By halftime, Gulf Breeze was up 21-3.
Junior quarterback Kaden Odom connected with Jesse Hughes for a 50-yard touchdown. With a good two-point conversion, the score was 29-19. Odom later found junior Jamarkus Jefferson for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 43-26.
The Northview Chiefs (1-2) will host the Escambia Academy Cougars (4-0) next Friday night at Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in Bratt.
Photos by Emma Gilmore for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Scoreboard
September 11, 2021
Here are Friday night’s North Escambia area high school football scores:
FLORIDA
- West Florida 44, Tate 0 [Story, photo gallery...]
- Gulf Breeze 50, Northview 33 [Story, photo gallery...]
- Pace 38, Pensacola 13
- Walton 55, Jay 17
- Cairo (GA) 21, Escambia 7
- Pensacola Catholic 29, St. Stanislaus (MS) 14
- Milton 18, Navarre 13
- Pine Forest (Bye week)
- Washington (Bye week)
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 43, Wilcox Academy 0
- Flomaton 26, Cottage Hill 10
- Mobile Christian 29, W.S. Neal 14
- T.R. Miller 27, Chickasaw 16
- Escambia County (Atmore) (Bye week)
Pictured: West Florida High defeated Tate Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Falls 4-2 To Shuckers
September 11, 2021
In the top of the first inning, Peyton Burdick set another Wahoos record with his 75th walk of the season, surpassing Jesse Winker’s 74 walks in 2015.
Unfortunately for the Wahoos, the record came in another defeat as the Shuckers won their fourth in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Wahoos Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Will Stewart (L, 5-8) turned in a quality start despite taking the loss. He allowed four runs (only three earned) in six innings. For the fourth straight game, the Shuckers took the lead first, this time with a solo home run from Korry Howell in the top of the top of the fourth. Biloxi then added two more runs in the fifth before an error allowed another run to score in the sixth.
Pensacola got on the board in the sixth inning. Kameron Misner led off the inning with a single. After a walk and a fielder’s choice, Chris Chinea singled home Misner to make it 4-1. Griffin Conine followed with an RBI single, which cut the deficit down to 4-2. After an infield single, the rally came to an end after Santiago Chavez hit into an inning ending double play.
Pensacola looked like they had another rally brewing in the seventh when the Wahoos had runners on first and third with only one out. The rally came to an end when Burdick struck out and interfered with catcher Brent Diaz on his throw to second base as Misner attempted to steal, thus ending the inning. Pensacola hit into two double plays in addition to the interference.
With the fourth straight loss, coupled with Birmingham’s fourth straight win, Pensacola is 3.5 games out of the second playoff spot. Friday’s defeat sealed Pensacola’s first series loss this season against Biloxi. The penultimate home game of the 2021 season is Saturday, beginning at 6:05 PM CT. RHP Jeff Lindgren (5-8, 4.09) will get the start for Pensacola.
JV Football: Gulf Breeze Upends Northview (With Photo Gallery)
September 10, 2021
The Gulf Breeze Dolphins upended the Northview Chiefs 36-0 Thursday evening in junior varsity football.
Up next, the JV Chiefs will travel to T.R. Miller on September 13 before hosting Baker back in Bratt on September 20.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Burdick Homers Again In Blue Wahoos Loss
September 10, 2021
Behind strong starting pitching from Noah Zavolas (W, 5-7) the Biloxi Shuckers defeated the Blue Wahoos 5-2 despite another home run from Peyton Burdick on Thursday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Zach McCambley (L, 1-6) took the hill for the Wahoos and pitched well despite taking his sixth loss of the season. The former third-round selection worked five innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out nine.
Biloxi scored their first two runs courtesy of a pair of solo home runs. The first came from Thomas Dillard in the second inning to put the Shuckers ahead 1-0. The second was from Korry Howell in the fourth inning, which at the time tied the game at 2-2.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Burdick hit a two-run homer off Zavolas to give Pensacola a 2-1 lead. One night after setting the single-season home run record for the Wahoos, Burdick has homered in back-to-back games for the third time this season.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the fifth McCambley had two-outs and nobody on base before the inning began to unravel. After a hit-by-pitch and a bloop single to right, McCambley walked David Hamilton before walking Howell, allowing Hayden Cantrelle to score and give the Shuckers a 3-2 lead. Howell finished the night with four RBIs.
The score remained at 3-2 until the ninth inning. In the ninth, Pensacola turned to the league leader in saves, Colton Hock, to attempt to keep the deficit at one. Unfortunately, Hock surrendered a solo homer to Cam Devanney and allowed a Howell two-out RBI single up the middle to give Biloxi a 5-2 lead.
Over the final six innings, the Blue Wahoos offense managed just two hits. The Wahoos only had one runner in scoring position on the night, which came with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. In their three losses to Biloxi this week, the Wahoos have struck out 41 times, including 14 times on Thursday.
Pensacola will try and get back in the win column on Friday night when LHP Will Stewart (5-7, 4.32) makes his team-leading 20th start of the year.
Burdick’s Bomb Sets HR Record, As Blue Wahoos Drop Another To Shuckers
September 9, 2021
Earlier in the game, Blue Wahoos outfielder Peyton Burdick had a moment to remember.
Leading off the third inning, he waited on a sinking pitch, timed and squared it perfectly, and launched the ball so deep over the wall that Biloxi’s left fielder did not move.
The moon shot homer Wednesday night became his 21st this season – his first since August 11 – and set the Blue Wahoos franchise record held for most homers (same team) in a single-season.
The homer mark was formerly held by Aristides Aquino, now with the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately for Burdick and teammates, that highlight and its joy was followed by late inning frustration of missed opportunities in the Blue Wahoos 5-3 loss against the Biloxi Shuckers, which further hampered Pensacola’s playoff hopes.
After the Blue Wahoos exited the third inning with a 3-1 lead, Biloxi’s pitchers continued to step up and deliver scoreless innings the rest of the way.
The Shuckers (40-65), who have struggled in last place all season in the Double-A South, have won the first two games in the Blue Wahoos (54-51) final homestand.
Wednesday night, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases in the seventh and eighth innings, but came up empty.
In the seventh, Shuckers reliever Braden Webb struck out Riley Mahan to start inning, but the ball eluded catcher Brent Diaz, whose then committed a throwing error allowing Mahan to reach second. He broke a string of 11 consecutive Blue Wahoos hitters retired in order.
After Galli Cribbs Jr. followed with a single, then Burdick coaxed a one-out walk, Webb made big pitches to strike out J.J. Bleday and Griffin Conine.
In the eighth, Shuckers reliever Zach Vennaro plunked two Blue Wahoos batters to load the bases, but struck out Kameron Misner to end the threat.
It was this kind of tough night for the Blue Wahoos.
Starting pitcher Max Meyer worked five innings in his final regular-season home start, but was touched up for seven hits and four runs. It was the most runs he allowed at home since the May 11 home opener against Birmingham.
Bleday went 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI, Burdick went 2-for-4, plus a walk and two runs scored. They accounted for more than half of the team’s nine hits.
Game 3 of the six-game series is Thursday with the Blue Wahoos’ Zach McCambley on the mound.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos Senior Writer
Sims Shines In Wahoos Series Opening Loss
September 8, 2021
Alexander Palma’s three-run third inning home run off Kyle Nicolas (3-2) proved enough for the Shuckers as they hung on for a 4-2 series opening win against Pensacola on Tuesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
For Nicolas, Tuesday was his second-consecutive outing in which he failed to pitch more than four innings. The right-hander allowed eight hits in 3.2 innings and was grinding for the entirety of his outing. The Shuckers loaded the bases in the first before Nicolas was able to escape trouble. In the third, after the first two Shuckers reached base to lead off the inning, Palma sent a drive to deep left, which made it 3-0.
The Wahoos had a response in the fifth when they scored twice against Biloxi starter Jesus Castillo (W, 4-8). After a leadoff double from Demetrius Sims, the next batter, Riley Mahan, lined a single into right to set up first and third with nobody out. Up next was Connor Justus, who drove in Sims with an infield single to make it 3-1. After a strikeout and a walk, JJ Bleday hit a sac fly, scoring Mahan and bringing the Wahoos within one.
However, the Wahoos would get no closer on Tuesday. After the one-out single from Sims, the Shuckers bullpen retired the final 11 Wahoos to close out the game. Biloxi added to their lead in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a throwing error from Brian Navarreto.
The loss drops Pensacola from second to third place in the Double-A South standings behind the Mississippi Braves and Birmingham Barons with 11 games to play. Tomorow, the Wahoos will send RHP Max Meyer (6-1, 2.30) to the mound to try and even the series. He will be opposed by LHP Andy Otero (4-0, 1.96).