Alumni Cheerleaders Contribute To Tate Program
November 16, 2017
The Tate High School Alumni Cheerleaders presented a $600 donation to the Tate Aggie Cheerleader program on Wednesday. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Basketball: T.R. Miller Topples Ernest Ward (With Gallery)
November 14, 2017
T.R. Miller defeated Ernest Ward Middle School in middle school basketball action Monday evening.
Girls
T.R. Miller 26, Ernest Ward 24
Boys
T.R. Miller 56, Ernest Ward 51
Ernest Ward will travel to Jay on Tuesday before hosting Perdido on Thursday beginning at 5:00.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Makes Division II History With First Ever NCAA Playoff Bid
November 13, 2017
The UWF football team earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II Football Playoff as announced by the selection committee on Sunday.
UWF was slotted as the No. 6 seed in the Super Region 2 bracket and will travel to play at No. 3 seed Wingate on Saturday, Nov. 18. Kickoff at Irwin Belk Stadium Stadium and John R. Martin Field in Wingate, N.C. is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets will go on sale Monday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. ET. Ticket prices will be announced on Monday morning. Both general admission and reserved seating will be available for purchase from the Wingate Ticket Office at wingatebulldogs.com.
The Argonauts finished the regular-season at 7-3 and in a 5-way tie for second place in the Gulf South Conference with a 5-3 record. UWF was ranked No. 10 in the most recent NCAA Super Region 2 Rankings and pulled off the biggest win in its 2-year history with a 34-29 upset at No. 18/24 West Georgia on Saturday.
Under second-year head coach Pete Shinnick, UWF has now become the fastest team ever to qualify for the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs. The previous mark was three seasons held by UNC Pembroke, who did so in 2009 when Shinnick built the Braves’ program from scratch in 2007.
Wingate went 9-1 and 6-1 in the South Atlantic Conference, dropping its regular-season finale at Tusculum, 25-17.
The UWF-Wingate winner will face the winner of the No. 2 Virginia State-No. 7 West Georgia game.
The Gulf South Conference had four teams receive bids to the playoffs, led by No. 1 seed West Alabama who will have a first round bye before hosting the winner of the No. 5 Delta State-No. 4 Bowie State contest.
Pictured top and inset: Northview High graduate Blake McCall. Photos courtesy Robin L Pooling for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Stuns Nationally Ranked West Georgia 34-29
November 12, 2017
The UWF football team knew facing a nationally-ranked West Georgia squad that had won its last six home games and was playing for a potential playoff home game would be a tall order. But they also had played with the best in the Gulf South Conference and were up to the task themselves.
UWF (7-3, 5-3) scored 24 unanswered and got an outstanding effort from its defense over the final 45 minutes to end the regular-season tied for second in the final league standings. UWF’s 395 yards of total offense was its third-highest this season and helped the squad finish 4-1 on the road in 2017.
Freshman Mike Beaudry threw for 236 yards on 19-of-35 with four touchdowns against the top-rated defense in the league which was seventh nationally allowing just 268.8 yards per game. The Argonauts also rushed for 159 yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry.
Sophomore Chris Schwarz had a career-best 94 yards on 17 rushes, while senior Leroy Wilson and freshman Anthony Johnson, Jr. combined for 55 yards on 15 plays.
Senior tight end Austin Blake-Smith had a great game, hauling in five catches for 32 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, UWF was in the UWG backfield 14 times on the 62 plays with five sacks and nine additional tackles for loss. The defense held the Wolves to minus-2 yards rushing over the final three quarters.
UWG (8-3, 5-3) had 398 yards of total offense but just 199 after the first quarter. Willie Candler completed 19 passes for 295 yards, with scoring plays of 72 and 41 yards.
Things got off to a rough start as UWG scored on its first play from scrimmage when Candler connected with DeNiko Carter for a 72-yard pass and catch. The point after was missed as the Wolves led 6-0 just 19 seconds into the game. Trey Wiggins made a 20-yard field goal and Mikell Lands-Davis found the end zone on a 22-yard run that put UWG up 16-0 at the end of the first.
After managing just 30 yards in the opening 15 minutes, the Argos’ offense started to get into a rhythm in the second. UWF outgained the home squad 139-19 in the second frame, pulling to within 16-14 at the break.
UWF secured its first score when Beaudry found Ka’Ron Ashley from 12 yards at the midway point, before Rodney Coates made the catch of the year, grabbing a corner route ball with one hand fully extended with 12 seconds to play.
After punting on its first possession of the second half, UWF sophomore Trent Archie forced and recovered a Candler fumble. Beaudry and company needed just 57 seconds to score, this time a pass that bounced off a defender’s hands and another player’s foot right to Blake-Smith in the end zone.
UWF got another big stop on the ensuing possession, snuffing out a UWF fake punt near midfield for a turnover on downs. Sophomore Austin Williams made a 26-yard field goal for a 24-16 lead. The Wolves answered when Shaq Roland broke a number of tackles down the sideline for a 41-yard score.
The Argos had a response for that, scoring the next 10 points – getting a 30-yard field goal from Williams and an 8-yard Beaudry-to-Blake-Smith pass that the senior tight end waltzed in after the catch. UWF led 34-23 with just over 10 minutes to play at that point.
Once again, UWG battled back and made it a 5-point game on a Candler-to-Taylor Turner pass from seven yards. But the 2-point conversion failed and UWF led 34-29 with 2:24 remaining.
The Argos ran seven plays while the Wolves burned through all three timeouts. UWF punted to UWG with 15 seconds left. Candler’s pass attempts on two plays fell incomplete, including a Hail Mary as time expired.
UWF outgained West Georgia 365-199 over the final three quarters.
UWF was ranked No. 10 in the most recent NCAA Super Region 2 Rankings and will see if the win over the Wolves – ranked No. 4 themselves – was enough to sway the regional advisory committee and award the Argos one of the seven NCAA regional berths.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Academy Heads To State Championship Game (With Gallery)
November 11, 2017
Escambia Academy beat Macon-East Academy 50-13 Friday night to advance for the second consecutive year to the AISA’s AA Championship.
EA quarterback Jabe Daw had 101-yards in the air, threw a touchdown to MJ Jones and had a 6-yard rushing touchdown. Louis Turner had rushing touchdowns of 45 and 25 yards, while Fred Flavors added a score when he returned an interception 36 yards.
On just two attempts, Patrick McGhee had 70-yards for the Cougars for two touchdowns.
The Escambia Academy Cougars (11-1) will take on Autauga Academy (12-0) in the state championship game next Friday afternoon at 3:30 at Troy University.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
West Florida Beats Rikards To Advance To Round Two (With Gallery)
November 11, 2017
In the past six years, the West Florida Jaguars have lost during the first two rounds of the playoffs, with five of those losses coming against teams from Tallahassee. For the past two seasons, it was Rickards that beat them, including a narrow 33-30 win last year.
But this year, the tables were turned in the first round as the West Florida Jaguars beat Tallahassee Rikards 42-19 on the Jag’s home turf at Woodham Middle School.
Early in the game 16 Abrams put the Jaguars on the board from 31-yards out for a 7-0 lead. With a blocked punt, Rickards recovered the ball inside the 10-yard line. Consecutive Rickard’s field goals cut West Florida’s lead to 7-6.
Trevor Jordan to KO Burrell 17 14-6. Rickards answered with an interception returned for a touchdown, 14-12.
Bryant Johnecheck added a Jags touchdown to make it 21-12 headed into the half.
In the second half, Rikards added seven, cutting their deficit to 21-19.
In a 21-point fourth quarter, West Florida scored with a short run from senior Malik Jenkins to make it 28-19; a touchdown from senior Johnecheck, 35-19; and junior Keyshawn Swanson picked off a Rickards pass and brought it all the way home to expand West Florida’s lead to 42-19.
Wakulla will be at West Florida Friday night in round two of the 5A playoff series.
Photos by Bailey Seibert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Playoff Finals
November 11, 2017
Here are Friday night playoff final scores from across the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA — Quarterfinals
Region 1- Class 6A
St. Augustine 49, Tate 14
Crestview 38, Gulf Breeze 35
Escambia 28, Pine Forest 0
Navarre 49, Niceville 47
Region 1-5A
West Florida 42 Rickards 19
Region 1-1A
Baker 42, Jay 6
Chipley 30 Holmes County 29 OT
ALABAMA
AISA 2A Semifinals
Escambia Academy 50, Macon East 13
Pictured: Escambia Academy at Macon East. NorthEscambia.com photo by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Basketball Defeats Jay, Pollard McCall
November 10, 2017
The Ernest Ward Middle School basketball program earned wins this week against Jay on Tuesday and Pollard McCall Thursday evening.
BOYS
Ernest Ward 51, Pollard McCall 45
Ernest Ward 38, Jay 36
GIRLS
Ernest Ward 31, Pollard McCall 13
Ernest Ward 26, Jay 20
Ernest Ward Middle will host Brewton on Monday. The girls play at 5:00, and the boys tip off at 6:00 in Walnut Hill.
Pictured: Ernest Ward defeated Pollard McCall Thursday evening. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Baseball Standout To Be Inducted Into South Alabama Athletics Hall Of Fame
November 9, 2017
A former Tate High School baseball standout will be on of three All-Americans who will make up the University of South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
David Doss will be inducted in an on-campus ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11, then be recognized on the Ladd-Peebles Stadium field at halftime of the Jaguars’ game against Arkansas State later that day. The addition of the trio brings the number of former student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have been honored to 79 since the creation of the USA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.
A four-year baseball letterwinner from 2006-09, Doss began his career by being named to Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-America team and ended it with third-team All-America honors from the organization.
After being voted the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year his first season with the program, he would go on to be earn all-league honors each of his last three years at three different positions.
Doss ended his career as the Jaguars’ all-time leader in hits (312), doubles (70) and RBI (197), and he was ranked in the top 10 on the school’s all-time list with a .367 batting average, 37 home runs and 195 runs scored as well. He hit .400 as a freshman — which was fourth best in the Sun Belt — to help South to an NCAA Regional appearance, and was also among the top 10 in the conference after batting .365 as a sophomore and .378 his final year while recording 10 or more homers on three occasions and posting 10-plus doubles in each of his four seasons.
Doss played high school baseball at Tate High School and was a member of the 2005 state championship team coached by Greg Blackmon.
Ajoke Odumosu in track and field and Viktoria Stoklasova in tennis will also be inducted into the USA Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Tate High Baseball’s Trent Jeffcoat Signs With Ole Miss
November 9, 2017
Tate High School baseball player Trent Jeffcoat signed his letter of intent Wednesday Ole Miss in Division I. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.