NHS To Hold Meet The Chiefs (With Bonus Cheerleader, Dance, Band Photos)
August 26, 2015
Northview High School will hold “Meet The Chiefs” Thursday at 7 p.m. Fans will have a chance to meet the football players and cheerleaders ahead of the regular season.
A meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. for parents of football players.
For cheerleader, dance, band and NJROTC photos, click here.
Pictured: The Northview band, cheerleaders, dance team and NJROTC from last Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat The Braves
August 26, 2015
Thanks to Tim Adleman and the Pensacola defense, the Blue Wahoos pulled back within half a game of the Southern League South Division lead behind the Mississippi Braves.
Needing just one run, Adleman threw six scoreless innings and Pensacola held on for a, 1-0, victory over front-runner Mississippi in front of 4,222 Tuesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
It was Adleman’s second, 1-0, victory over Mississippi with the last coming on June 27. In the second half of the season, Adleman is 7-2 with a 1.90 ERA after playing in the Southern League All-Star game. He improved to 9-8 with a Southern League-leading 2.12 ERA.
“I told you,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said. “We got him one and that was plenty. He wasn’t sharp today but he just battled and battled.”
Meanwhile, Pensacola closer Zack Weiss entered the game with one out in the eighth inning and earned a franchise record 23 saves, surpassing the 22 Shane Dyer saved last season.
“You give him the ball and you know the game is over,” Kelly said. “That’s a great feeling as a manager.”
Pensacola, playing in its first playoff race in franchise history, is now 32-26 and in sole possession of second place after dropping the first two games of the five-game series to Mississippi. The Braves are 32-25 in the second half. The Mobile BayBears lost to the Biloxi Shuckers and fell to 30-27 and third place.
The Blue Wahoos went ahead, 1-0, when first baseman Ray Chang scored with the bases loaded on a walk by shortstop Alex Blandino. The run stood up with great defense from the outfielders and crucial double plays. The squad has a league leading 153 double plays this season.
In the fifth inning, Mississippi pinch hitter Emerson Landoni hit a broken bat blooper that Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin charged and then threw the baseball on a rope to catcher Kyle Skipworth at home plate to nail the Braves’ Sean Godfrey trying to score.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola right fielder Juan Duran slid to catch a soft liner and it popped out of his glove. But he jumped up and threw Braves center fielder Matt Lipka out trying to reach second.
In the same inning, Weiss struck out Mississippi right fielder KD Kang and Skipworth caught second baseman Levi Hyams going to second. It was a boom, boom double play.
Both Adleman and Kevin Shackleford started double plays from the mound in the second and seventh innings, respectivelly.
For Kelly it was a routine day at the ball park.
“The key to our club is playing great defense,” Kelly said. “Our pitchers fielded their positions today. Whenever you can get two outs on one pitch, that’s huge.”
Weiss said he was happy to set the Pensacola record but even happier to pitch well in a game with playoff ramifications.
“It’s a pretty special experience,” the 23-year-old said. “When you’re competing for a playoff spot, every pitch is a big pitch in a series like this. The record is cool but tonight was pretty much a must win.”
Ernest Ward Middle Opens Football Season Thursday Night
August 25, 2015
The Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles have announced their 2015 football schedule. Play begins this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Ernest Ward as the Eagles host the Jay Royals.
The complete schedule is as follows, with all games scheduled for Thursdays at 6 p.m. -
August 27 - Jay at EWMS
September 3 - EWMS at T.R. Miller
September 10 – EWMS at W.S. Neal
September 17 – T.R. Miller at EWMS
September 24 – EWMS at Jay
October 1 – Escambia County (Atmore) at EWMS
October 8 – W.S. Neal at EWMS
October 15 – EWMS at Escambia County (Atmore)
Ernest Ward has the only public middle school football program in Escambia County.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle at Jay last season. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take Series Against The Lookouts
August 23, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (31-24, 56-67) won the series against the Chattanooga Lookouts (24-29, 67-54) with a 10-6 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The Wahoos are now 0.5 ahead of the Mississippi Braves for first place. The two teams will face off against each other in a five-game series starting Sunday in Pensacola.
Pensacola starter Barrett Astin pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs on three hits, but he did not earn the decision. That distinction went to reliever Kevin Shackelford (2-4), who went 0.2 and did not allow a run. The save went to Kyle McMyne, his eighth of the season.
Chattanooga reliever Alex Wimmers (7-4) earned the loss, allowing the sixth and seventh runs of the game, which proved to be decisive.
Phillip Ervin, who went 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs, led Pensacola at the plate. Jesse Winker and Alex Blandino also stood out at the plate, driving in two runs apiece.
The Wahoos took the early lead on a Marquez Smith solo homer that carried over the wall in right-center field. It was Smith’s eighth deep shot of the season. He was also the 10th Wahoo to hit a home run in the month of August.
Chattanooga got on the board in the third with three runs, one of which was the result of Beau Amaral’s first error of the season.
Pensacola responded in the bottom of the third with a homer from Zach Vincej, the 11th Wahoo to hit a home run this month.
The Wahoos knotted it up at three runs apiece after Yovan Gonzalez took one deep to left in the bottom of the fifth. It was his third homer this August.
Pensacola retook the lead in the sixth with a pair of runs on three hits and two walks. One of the runs came on a single from Phillip Ervin, which was his first hit as a Wahoo.
Stephen Wickens brought Shannon Wilkerson home on an RBI double to bring the score back to 5-4 for the Lookouts. Adam Brett Walker then singled to bring one run home, but the second runner, Max Kepler, was gunned down at the plate by Ervin to keep the score tied.
Blandino put the Wahoos in good position with a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the seventh, which followed a pair of singles by Amaral and Vincej. Winker brought them both home with a single on the next at bat, making the score 7-5 in favor of the Wahoos.
The Lookouts brought it back to a one-run game in the eighth as Travis Harrison scored on a groundout. Levi Michael earned an RBI on the play.
Ervin extended the lead with a solo shot to left in the bottom of the eighth, the fourth of the night for the Wahoos. It was Ervin’s first Double-A homer of the year and 13th overall. Blandino made it 10-6 with an RBI double that scored Amaral and Vincej.
The Mississippi Braves come to town on Sunday for a five-game series
6A Washington Tops 1A Northview (With Photo Gallery)
August 22, 2015
Sometimes it’s just easier to play somebody your own size. But if you can hold you own against the big boys, it only makes you stronger.
The 1A Northview Chiefs certainly held their own against 6A Washington Friday night in a kickoff jamboree, in Bratt with Washington coming out on top 14-12.
And it won’t get any easier the next few weeks as the 1A Chiefs continue their trial by fire….they’ll face a pair of 6A teams – Crestview and Gulf Breeze.
“It’s not ideal playing much larger schools,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said. “It’s not what in a perfect scenario you would draw up. But that’s the way it fell, and as long as we can stay healthy I think it will make us better in the long run.”
Unlike the traditional kickoff Jamboree where junior varsity or backup players square off few a few quarters, Friday night’s meeting between the Chiefs and Wildcats was four quarters of full-on football.
Northview took the lead in the first quarter on a 6-yard run from Jared Aliff. And Northview held the lead at the half after a Luke Ward make a jumping catch of a 19-yard pass from quarterback Gavin Grant.
Wheatley was confident that his offense held their own during the four quarters with more possession time than the Wildcats, but NHS made a couple of key errors, including a fumble on the 2-yard line and another fumble inside the 15.
“You can’t leave points out there,” he said. “The difference could have been if we punched that touchdown in, but as it was we failed to do so.”
“For the most part, I thought we were sound. But those little mistakes, those can be fixed,” Wheatley said.
The Northview Chiefs will open the regular season at 7:00 next Friday night on the road against the 6A Crestview Bulldogs. They will sit out September 4 with an open date before hosting 6A Gulf Breeze on September 11.
For a photo gallery, click here. (Band, cheerleader and dance team photos will be published later.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Prep Football Scores
August 22, 2015
Here’s a roundup of prep football games from around the area Friday night:
FLORIDA
(Scores are from the varsity portion of preseason scrimmages.)
Washington 14, Northview 12
PHS 15, Tate 14
West Florida 13, Pine Forest, 7
Baker 13, Jay 6
Niceville 14, Catholic 7
Pace 19, Choctawhatchee 7
Navarre 43, Dothan 22
Gulf Breeze 24, Fort Walton 14
ALABAMA
Flomaton 42, Chickasaw 8
Andalusia 25, T.R. Miller 0
Baldwin County 35, Escambia County 22
Edgewood 33, Escambia Academy 21 (Thurs)
Milton 21 WS Neal 14 (Thurs)
Pictured: A very wet game between Jay and Baker Friday night. The Tate Aggies also experienced rain and lightning delay of about 45 minutes. Photo by Michele Gibbs for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Results: Northview Preseason Volleyball Classic
August 21, 2015
Here are results from a volleyball preseason classic Thursday at Northview High School
Court 1, Game 1 Laurel Hill vs Central
20-25, 26-24, 17-15 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 1 Jay vs PCA
32-34, 25-14, 15-9 Jay wins
Court 1, Game 3 Laurel Hill vs NHS
25-17, 26-24 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 4 Central vs PCA
25-21, 26-16 Central wins
Court 1, Game 5 Jay vs Laurel hill
20-25, 27-25, 15-12 Jay wins
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Top Lookouts
August 21, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (30-23 ,55-66) came away victorious over the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-28, 66-53) by a score of 3-1 in front of 4,156 fans Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Wahoos starter Tim Adleman (8-8) was stellar once again as he pitched 7.1 innings while allowing only one run on five hits. The effort brought his ERA down to 2.21, the best among Southern League starters. Adleman did not allow a run until the eighth inning, allowing him to reach 19.2 consecutive innings pitched without a run allowed. The feat is the longest for a Wahoo pitcher this season, breaking his previous record of 17.1 innings.
Chattanooga starter Aaron Slegers (1-2) earned the loss despite a decent effort, allowing three runs on six hits through 6.2 innings. Zack Weiss earned the save for the Wahoos, his 22nd of the season. The number ties a team record for saves in a season.
Kyle Skipworth, who went 2-3 with an RBI and a run, led the Wahoos at the plate. It marked Skipworth’s first multi-hit game since June 22nd.
The Wahoos got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Skipworth brought Marquez Smith home on an RBI single up the middle. It was Skipworth’s first RBI since August 6th at Jacksonville.
Chattanooga threatened in the top of the fourth, but Juan Duran came up big in the outfield. D.J. Hicks tagged up at third on a would-be sacrifice fly, but Duran was able to one-hop a throw from right field to Skipworth at the plate, ending the frame.
The Wahoos extended the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Ray Chang’s shot to the corner in left resulted in an RBI double that scored Skipworth. Beau Amaral made it 3-0 on an RBI single that plated Chang.
Amaral also came up huge with two SportsCenter worthy diving catches in center field while Phillip Ervin, who made his Double-A debut, raved for an out in left field.
The Lookouts cut into the lead in the eighth inning on a Max Kepler RBI single. Kepler extended his hit streak to nine games on the play.
Chattanooga Tops The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 11-0
August 20, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (29-23, 54-66) fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-27, 66-52) by a score of 11-0 in front of 3,852 fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The loss puts the Wahoos half of a game behind the Mobile BayBears, who were postponed due to rain.
Pensacola starter Sal Romano (0-2) earned the loss on a rough night in which he wasn’t able to get through the first inning. He allowed five runs on five hits and two walks.
Chattanooga starter, Brett Lee (5-4), a Pensacola native and West Florida High grad, earned the win with 7.0 shutout innings. Lee allowed only two hits in the effort.
Joel Bender was the star of the night for the Wahoos, pitching 4.0 shutout innings in the middle of the game. The effort was his longest of the year for the Wahoos.
The Wahoos would only get three hits on the nights against Lookout pitching, with Alex Blandino, Yovan Gonzalez and Ryan Wright each hitting safely.
The Lookouts got things started with bang, as they scored five runs on five hits in the top of the first inning. All of the runs were scored with two outs, and Jacob Johnson would replace Romano before the frame’s conclusion.
Chattanooga would extend the lead to 7-0 in the next inning with a two-run shot from Max Kepler. They would then add two more on a two-run double from Stuart Turner.
Jorge Polanco would make it 10-0 in favor of the Lookouts in the third, taking a solo shot to the bay in left field.
The crowd received a much-needed jolt of enthusiasm in the ninth as infielder and fan favorite Ray Chang took the mound for the Wahoos. He allowed a run on a hit and a walk in his fourth appearance in 11 years.
Winker Homers In Fifth Straight, Wahoos Win
August 16, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (28-21, 53-64) defeated the Biloxi Shuckers (23-25, 66-50) in front of a packed house at MGM Park.
Jesse Winker homered in his fifth consecutive game to give the Wahoos the lead for good, as he hit a two-run blast in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie. He finished 2-4 on the night and brought his home run total to 13 on the year. The homer was also his 10th of the second half.
Wahoos starter Cody Reed (3-1) pitched 7.0 scoreless innings while striking out ten batters in the victory. He was matched by Biloxi starter Tyler Wagner, who also pitched a 7.0 inning shutout. The loss went to Shuckers reliever Yhonathan Barrios (1-1), who allowed Winker’s two-run bomb. Zack Weiss earned the save for the Wahoos, his 20th of the season.
The Wahoos threatened in the top of the fourth as Ryan Wright led off with a double. However, he was eliminated at third on a throw from center fielder Brett Phillips after a Winker single. Marquez Smith would then single to put two on, but Wagner would retire the next two after that.
They came close to breaking the tie again in the seventh as Sean Buckley doubled with a man on base. Seth Mejias-Brean was then eliminated at home after a pair of great throws from Phillips and Orlando Arcia.
Winker broke the tie in the top of the eighth with a two-run blast to right-center. The homer was his fifth in as many games, matching Kyle Skipworth’s previous season high.
The Shuckers made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as a sacrifice fly by Nick Shaw made it 2-1. However, Weiss was able to get his 20th save of the season with the potential tying run on third.