Volleyball Senior Night: Jay Defeats Northview (With Photo Gallery)
September 17, 2019
The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs 3-2 Monday night in Bratt.
The Lady Chiefs celebrated senior night, honoring senior Teriana Redmond, Lexi Broadhead, Payton Jackson, Hailie Anderson and Abi Mascaro (pictured bottom).
The Chiefs will host their Gold Digger event against W.S. Neal beginning at 4:30 Tuesday. The Royals will be at T.R. Miller on Tuesday.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Beats Shorter With Reed’s Record Setting Day
September 15, 2019
Austin Reed turned Barron Stadium into his own playground Saturday, throwing for 364 yards and accounting for all six touchdowns in a 42-14 road victory over Shorter in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams.
The redshirt freshman from St. Augustine made his first career start and didn’t disappoint, completing 24-of-35 passes while putting up the sixth-most passing yards by an Argonaut in program history. Additionally, his six touchdowns responsible for tied the school record set by current quarterbacks coach Kaleb Nobles against Missouri S&T in 2016.
UWF (1-1, 1-0 GSC) finished with 556 yards of total offense, including 140 on the ground. The total yards were the third-most in the school’s 39-game history.
The Argos came out on fire in the second half, led by Reed who completed all seven passes in the opening two possessions as UWF took command of the game. After halftime he was 13-for-16 for 217 yards with four passing scores on the first four possessions.
Quentin Randolph had a career day as well, hauling in four balls for 117 yards and a touchdown. His catches went for 44, 51, six and 16 yards apiece. Rodney Coates made seven catches to lead UWF as 10 different players caught at least one ball.
The running game was also strong, led by Anthony Johnson, Jr. who carried the ball 14 times for 72 yards with five of his touches resulting in first downs. UWF finished with 26 first downs.
Chanler Ferguson led a swarming defense with five tackles and an interception. Kedrick Bradley, Trent Archie, Terry Limehouse, Ty Cox and Ian Bush had four stops each.
Shorter (0-2, 0-1) managed just 93 yards of total offense in the second half to finish with 314. The Hawks have not won a game since midway through the 2015 season – a span of 41-consecutive games.
After the Argos held the Hawks on the first possession of the contest, the teams traded scores over the next four times. UWF’s touchdowns came on runs of one and six yards by Reed, while Shorter got a 65-yard run from Tupac Lanier and a 46-yard pass from Tyler Pullam to Andrew Warren to send the teams into the locker room tied at 14-14.
Reed connected with Kevin Grant from eight yards, Randolph from 51, Ka’Ron Ashley from 16 and Coates from 20 as UWF outscored Shorter 28-0 in the second half.
UWF will have three-consecutive games at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, beginning next Saturday against Virginia-Lynchburg. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baker Barely Gets Past Northview (With Photo Gallery)
September 14, 2019
A Friday the 13th full moon in Bratt turned out to be unlucky for the Northview Chiefs as they lost a hard fought battle 14-12 to the Baker Gators.
Baker was forced to punt it away, and Northview’s Jayden Jackson took it to the house to give the Chiefs a 6-0 lead with 19.8 seconds to go in the first quarter. It was first of two big touchdowns for Jackson, a Boston College recruit, on the night.
With less than 14 seconds to to in the half, Baker answered with a touchdown and a good kick for a 7-6 lead over the Chiefs.
For a photo gallery, click here.
In the third, Joe Brunson, son of Baker coach Joe Brunson, was in from the 2 to expand the Gator’s lead to 14-6. But the Chiefs were quick to answer as Jackson added a 61-yard TD for the Chiefs. A critical two-point conversion was no good, 14-12 Baker on top.
With under two minutes to go in the fourth, the Chiefs recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchback. On their final drive, quarterback Ben Wilson found Jackson on passes of 24 and 34 yards as the clock ticked down. But with just seven seconds remaining, another Wilson pass was picked off by Baker to seal a win for the Gators.
“There are a not a lot of words honestly,” Northview head coach Derek Marshman said. “We had opportunities, but didn’t capitalize. The defense played a heck of a game. The defensive staff did a heck of a job, kudos to them. We didn’t score enough points; we didn’t run the ball well enough. That’s really what it boils down to. Like I said we had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize.”
Friday night was the 32nd straight win for the Baker Gators (3-0), their eighth straight win over the Northview Chiefs. Northview (1-2) has not beat the Gators since 2012 when the Chiefs won the 1A state championship.
But the story of the Chiefs and the Gators may not be over for 2019. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 in state in class 1A headed into Friday night. Baker was the runner-up for state last year, and the Chiefs other loss was to Flomaton, the defending 3A Alabama state champions. Baker and Northview could easily meet again this season in the playoffs.
In the meantime, Northview will be on the road next Friday night at Holmes County in Bonifay (1-4).
For a photo gallery, click here. (Look for a cheerleader, band and fan photo gallery in the next few days.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tallahassee Leon Downs Tate
September 14, 2019
Tallahassee Leon defeated the Tate Aggies 31-16 Friday night.
It was the second road trip in a row to Tallahassee for the Aggies, thanks to the FHSAA’s new district alignments.
The Aggies took an early lead thanks to a Keaton Solmonson 64-yard touchdown run, 7-0 Tate. Leon tied it up a few minutes later, but the Aggies were on top 10-7 in the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal from senior kicker Matthew Johnson.
Tate’s other score for the night came as time expired on a 43-yard pass from senior quarterback Ethan George to junior Kesean Williams.
The Aggies (1-3, 0-2) will finally be back in their house at Pete Gindl Stadium next Friday night as they host Crestview.
NorthEscambia.com file photo by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Opens Regional Play With Win Over Excel
September 14, 2019
The Flomaton Hurricanes opened regional play with 30-8 win over Excel Friday night.
Da’quan Johnson punched it in for a short touchdown to give the Canes an early 8-0 lead with a good two point conversion. After a 56-yard run to inside the 5-yard line by Alex Cash, Flomaton expanded their lead with short touchdown run from Travon Brown. With another good two point conversion, the defending 3A state champions were up 16-0 on their home turf.
Excel added a TD and a 2-pointer in the second to make it a 16-8 ballgame. Johnson added another Flomaton touchdown, for a 22-8 Hurricane lead on their way to a 30-8 win.
The Flomaton Hurricanes are now 3-0 on the young season. They will travel to Fairhope to take on St. Michael Catholic next Thursday at 7 p.m. before hosting Escambia County High School on September 27.
Also Friday night, Flomaton Varsity Cheer announced the Hurricane Strong Spirit Scholarship. It will be awarded a graduating 2020 senior in memory of Kelsie Padgett. In 2018, Kelsie passed away after a battle with brain cancer.
Photos for Sheridan Rowell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Finals
September 14, 2019
Here are Friday night finals from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
Baker 14, Northview 12 [Details, photo gallery...]
Tallahassee Leon 31, Tate 16 [Game details...]
Lake City Columbia 21, Pine Forest 13
West Florida 55, Arnold 14
Catholic 34, St. Stanislaus (Miss.) 26
Washington 35, Gulf Breeze 29
Choctaw 50, Pensacola High 22
Milton 21, Fort Walton Beach 7
Mosley 8, Pace 6
Tallahassee Lincoln 35. Navarre 20 (Thursday)
Jay – Off
Escambia – Off
*District game
ALABAMA
Escambia County (Atmore) 19, Hillcrest 15
Escambia Academy 38, Clarke Prep 0
Flomaton 30, Excel 8 [Details, photos...]
T.R. Miller 44, St. Michael Catholic 21
Clarke County 21, W.S. Neal 0
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Volleyball: Flomaton Hurricanes Defeat The Northview Chiefs
September 10, 2019
The Flomaton Hurricanes defeated the Northview Chiefs in high school volleyball varsity action Monday in Bratt.
The Chiefs will host Laurel Hill on Tuesday, while Flomaton will be Escambia County High School in Atmore on September 16.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Fall In Playoff Finale Against The Shuckers
September 9, 2019
The Blue Wahoos went the distance in their divisional playoff series against the Biloxi Shuckers.
But that didn’t make the heartache any easier to take.
The Blue Wahoos took their third lead in Sunday’s deciding game on an 8th inning homer from catcher Ryan Jeffers, only to have the bullpen give up a deluge in the bottom half of that inning, as the Shuckers rolled to an 8-4 win to take the Southern League South Division championship at MGM Park.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop the bleeding,” said Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego. “When you take a lead in a game like that, you are looking for pitching. You are trying to shut them down.”
“The game was right there. When you get to that point, you are looking for the pitching.”
In winning Sunday’s decisive fifth game, the Shuckers advance to the Southern League championship series against the defending champion Jackson Generals. Biloxi will seek to win the league title for the first time.
This became the third time in five years the Blue Wahoos were knocked out of the playoffs by their Gulf Coast neighboring rival. The Blue Wahoos had advanced to post-season for a fifth consecutive year, the first as a Minnesota Twins affiliate, which tied Pensacola with the Mobile BayBears for the second longest playoff streak in the 55-year history of the Southern League.
The Shuckers, however, have proven to be a playoff nemesis. But unlike the past two playoff losses – one in three games, the other in four – this one had opportunities for the Blue Wahoos to produce a different outcome.
They rallied with five runs in the ninth in Game 1 to stun the crowd and take a lead. But again the bullpen wasn’t able to hold on, yielding a tying run in the ninth, then a walkoff homer in the 10th for an 11-10 loss.
Trailing 0-2 in the series, after a 4-1 loss in the second game, the Blue Wahoos beat the Shuckers 3-2 Friday in their only game in Pensacola as the wild card team, then scored five times in the ninth to win 10-5 and force a deciding game.
With the pitching staff taxed, the Blue Wahoos activated lefthander Bryan Sammons, who had been sent down to Fort Myers, as the Game 5 starter. He produced a solid outing, working 4.2 innings. The only damage was a pair of solo home runs, but he struck out five and walked only one.
“He gave us what we needed,” Borrego said. “It was good to see. That was exactly what we wanted.”
He left in the fifth with a 3-2 lead. Jeffers, who went 3-for-4 in the game, started a two-run rally in the fourth with a double. He later scored on Mark Contreras ground out. Caleb Hamilton hit a two-out double to score Jose Miranda, who had walked.
In the sixth inning, Travis Blankenhorn narrowly missed a home run to the deepest part of MGM Park, but Shuckers centerfielder Dillon Thomas tracked the ball down at the base of the wall. With two runners on, Hamilton was then robbed of a sure RBI hit by Shuckers shortstop Luis Aviles Jr.
The Shuckers then tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.
In the eighth, Jeffers broke the 3-3 tie with his opposite field home run into the right field berm.
The Blue Wahoos called upon left-hander Stephen Gonsalves, who had pitched in games last year with the Twins. But from the outset, he was off in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“When you take a one-run lead with six outs away, we got to pitch, we got to execute,” Borrego said. “That was the difference.
Gonsalves gave up a leadoff single, walked the next batter, then created a scary situation when his pitch struck Thomas in the face as he squared around to bunt.
“The first batter he was wild, and you can see that, and then that pitch slipped right from his hand,” Borrego said. “That was scary. I hope that kid (Thomas) is doing good. That was unbelievable. I never expected it.
“It put us in a tough situation, but it’s the game some time… I know he is a better pitcher than that.”
With the bases now loaded, Borrego summoned Alex Phillips, who immediately gave up a sacrifice fly for one out and the tying run. He then gave up a couple more hits and suddenly the Shuckers had a commanding lead.
“We just couldn’t get the pitching,” Borrego said.
But the season provided plenty of memories. The Blue Wahoos played much of the second half with a trio of the Twins’ last three No. 1 draft picks – Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach.
Lewis went 3-for-3 in first three at-bats and nearly had a fourth when a scorched ball was turned into a inning-ending double play in the seventh by third baseman Jake Gatewood.
Kirilloff, who homered in each of the first four playoff games and batted .381 in the series, was 1-for-4 Sunday and kept alive the ninth inning with his broken bat single. With two on, two out, Lewis struck out to end the game.
Larnach went 0-for-4 and struggled in the series, but had many big hits during the second half of the season.
“That was really special to see those guys together and for the fans,” Borrego said. “We won’t have that again, but we have good players who will be here (Pensacola) next year.”
Northview Volleyball Mini Camp Next Saturday
September 8, 2019
The Northview High School volleyball team will host a Volleyball Mini Camp on Saturday, September 14 from 8-11 a.m. in the school gym.
The cost is $35 per participant. Each participant will receive a t-shirt, snacks and free admission to the Gold Digger game benefiting the American Childhood Cancer Association.
The camp is for third grade and up. Each camper has a chance to win awards for “best hitter”, “best digs” and more.
Chiefs volleyball will host W.S. Neal for the Gold Digger game on September 17 at 4:30 for junior varsity and 5:30 for varsity.
11th In A Row: Flomaton Hurricanes Defeat The Jay Royals
September 7, 2019
The Flomaton Hurricane picked up their 11th win in row over the Jay Royals Friday night in a rivalry dating back to 1933.
The Hurricanes shut out Jay 40-0.
For a photo gallery, click here.
In the first quarter, Flomaton quarterback Vickery’s pass was intercepted by Jay senior Brenton Eister, but the Royals could not capitalize and were forced to punt it away. It was fielded by Da’quan Johnson for a 65 yard punt return, and Flomaton was up 6-0 on their home field. Johnson was in again in the first quarter from 35 yards out as Flomaton pulled out to a 14-0 lead.
Jate’vious Franklin added a 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to make it 20 to zip for Flomaton.
Travon Brown zigged and zagged pass numerous Jay defenders in a 30-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Zeb Vickery found Johnson with a 50-yard touchdown pass as Flomaton pulled out 34-0 advantage over the Royals.
With the win, the Flomaton Hurricanes improved to 2-0. They will travel to Excel next Friday night.
The Jay Royals fell to 1-2. The Royals are off next Friday night and will host Escambia Academy on September 20.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
