Cantonment Cowboys 14U Named Grand Champions At Emerald Coast Cheer Competition
November 19, 2024
The 14U Cantonment Cowboys cheerleaders took first place, grand champions and overall high score at an Emerald Coast Cheer Association competition on Saturday. The Cowboys 6U cheerleaders took first place, 8U won second place and 11U placed third. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
AAA: Florida Gas Prices Up A Couple Of Cents Over Past Week
November 18, 2024
Florida gas prices dipped down to $3.02 per gallon last week before bouncing back up 11 cents to $3.13 per gallon on Sunday.
Despite last week’s fluctuations, Sunday’s state average was only 2 cents more than what drivers paid a week ago. It’s also 3 cents more than what drivers paid this time last month, and 5 cents more than this time last year. The
The average price in Escambia County was $2.82. A low of $2.61 was available at the warehouse clubs in Pensacola. In North Escambia, the low price Sunday was $2.72 a gallon at a station on Muscogee Road, while $2.73 was available at multiple stations on Highway 29 in Cantonment.
Oil prices dipped 5% last week. Friday’s closing price was $67.02 per barrel. That’s a $3.36 per barrel decline from last week. Gasoline futures also dropped 6 cents per gallon, last week. The discounts in the fuel market were reportedly driven by ongoing demand.
East Tops West 3-0 In All-Star Volleyball Action (With Gallery)
November 18, 2024
The East topped the West 3-0 in the 2024 Pensacola Sports All-Star Volleyball game.
The west team was comprised of the top seniors from high schools in Escambia County; the east team was players from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
Team members and coaches were:
WEST
Head Coach: Ashley Young – Pensacola High School
Assistant Coach: Sean Flynn – Escambia High School
- Olivia Johnson – Tate – setter/DS
- Carlyn Henley – Tate – libero/DS
- Kadyn Austin – Tate – middle/outside hitter
- Kamryn Langham – Northview – right side/outside hitter
- Jaden Gentry – West Florida – left side/outside hitter
- Kayla Anderson – West Florida – middle/right side
- Avery Varias – West Florida – setter/DS
- Hahhan Bradley – Washington – outside hitter
- Reagan Smith – Washington – opposite/middle
- Susanna Snyder – Catholic – setter/right side
- Bella Lambert – Catholic – DS
- Grace Dickin – Escambia – setter/outside hitter
- Brianna Williams – Escambia – setter/outside hitter
- Berkeley Morris – Pensacola – libero/DS
- Anita Surratt – Pensacola – right side
- McKenna Hughes – Tate – middle/right side
- Silvia Leos – Pine Forest – outside hitter/DS
- Chrisshonna Bargaineer – Pine Forest – middle/outside hitter
EAST
Head Coach: Melanie Marchena, Ft. Walton Beach High School
Assistant Coach: James Kerrell, Crestview High School
- Taegan Baggett – Central – libero/DS
- Kaelin Martin – Laurel Hill – outside hitter/DS
- Chesney Caraway – LEAD Academy – setter/DS
- Bella Satterwhite – Gulf Breeze – outside hitter/right side
- Sarah Frazee – Gulf Breeze – libero/DS
- Brighton Watson – Ft. Walton Beach – libero/DS
- Camille Reeves – Crestview – setter/DS
- Kaleigh Moss – Baker – outside hitter/middle
- Madolyn Mills – Baker – middle/outside hitter
- Addison Cudney – Choctawhatchee – outside hitter/libero
- Sophia Hull – Choctawhatchee – middle
- Morgan Barrow – Jay – setter
- Harper Cooley – Milton – libero/DS
- Audryana Colon – Niceville – outside hitter
- Elise Smith – Niceville – outside hitter
- Whitleigh Walsh – Niceville – libero
- Kinsley Hines – Pace – setter
- Addison Danforth – Navarre – libero/DS
- Emma Gross – Navarre – middle
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Four Takeaways From Tate’s 6A Quarterfinal Game At Nease (And 40 Photos)
November 17, 2024
The Tate Aggies fell 42-14 to Nease Friday night in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal game Friday night on the road near Jacksonville.
Here are five key takeaways:
- Tate scored on a 12-yard passing touchdown from Taite Davis to Elijah West (pictured top). Tate fought to the very end. The last Aggie touchdown came with just seconds remaining in the game on a Davis quarterback keeper.
- Tate entered the game at No. 8 in the region, while Nease was No 1. Nease was also ranked No. 1 statewide.
- Tate’s season ended at 7-4, making their first playoff appearance since 2020.
- The 2024 season for the Tate Aggie was their first winning season since they also went 7-4 in 2017.
For more photos from Friday night, click here.
Pictured: Tate took on No 1. Nease Friday night near Jacksonville. NorthEscamia.com photos by James Vernacotola, click to enlarge.
UWF Argos Close Out Season In GSC Title Game Loss To No. 1 Valdosta
November 17, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Argos correspondent
A season of promising expectations for the UWF football team ended Saturday night with a final roadblock.
Unbeaten, top-ranked Valdosta State jumped to a 21-0 lead in the third quarter and cruised its way to a 28-7 victory against the No. 16-ranked Argos to clinch the Gulf South Conference title and No. 1 region seed for the NCAA Division II playoffs.
After six consecutive wins that followed a 1-2 start, the Argos (7-3) will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
UWF hoped it could recapture some road magic at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium where the Argos beat the Blazers in 2022 to help seal a playoff berth, then in 2019 in post-season on way to UWF’s historic national championship run.
But after a scoreless first quarter, the Blazers (10-0) seized control on their senior night. They scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions in the second quarter for a 14-0 halftime lead. They added a third TD midway through the third quarter to further solidify a grip on the game.
“Didn’t play well,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles, who returned to his alma mater for the first time as a head coach. “We just didn’t do enough. I take full responsibility. I didn’t do enough, personally. Our guys gave everything they had. We have to find ways to keep getting better.”
The Argos gained a brief surge of hope when quarterback Marcus Stokes broke free on a 31-yard touchdown run with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
After UWF’s defense forced a stop, the Argos drove near midfield and faced 4th-and-5 from the 48. But on the conversion attempt, running back T.J. Lane was stuffed two yards shy of the first down.
VSU then methodically drove nine plays, 50 yards and ate up 5:18 on the clock to score on Alfonso Franklin’s 1-yard run to put the game away. The drive was part of the Blazers’ 204 yards rushing, led by Blake Hester who had 118 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown.
“They ran the ball pretty well, did stuff in the run game that I don’t think they’ve done all year and we didn’t answer the call,” said Nobles, a 2015 Valdosta State graduate, who then used his post-grad year in 2016 to be the Argos quarterback in their inaugural season.
The Blazers produced 358 yards total offense in the game. UWF’s defense entered ranked No. 2 nationally in Division II, yielding just 205.9 total offense yards per-game.
VSU senior quarterback Sammy Edwards completed 14 of 20 passes for 154 yards and two scores. Neither team had a turnover Saturday.
Edwards was one of 30 seniors that VSU honored before the game.
“I’ll give (VSU) offensive line credit. They’re a good team and do a lot of things well,” Nobles said. “This one definitely hurts.”
Meanwhile, the UWF offense struggled the entire night. Stokes completed 11 of 24 passes for 129 yards. He was sacked twice.
Javon Swinton was UWF’s leading receiver with three catches for 47 yards, including the longest pass play for UWF on a 33-yard reception.
Stokes became the Argos leading rusher with 57 yards on nine attempts. The Blazers held the Argos’ tailback tandem of TJ Lane (33 yards) and Jay Sharp (16 yards) in check.
“We didn’t win some down-field throws and had a couple missed blocks on our offensive line that really affected us,” Nobles said. “When you do those things against a good team, those things get exposed. We know we can’t do that against a good team like Valdosta State.”
The Argos returned home following the game Saturday and will have post-season meetings beginning Monday as they now plan for the 2025 season.
UWF was seeking its first outright GSC title Saturday. The Argos would have won the tiebreaker with a win.
The Blazers celebrated their 12th outright GSC title and first since getting back-to-back conference championships in 2018 and 2019 seasons. The win elevated VSU to its fifth undefeated regular season in school history.
UWF ends with its seven consecutive winning season in the program’s eight-year history. The Argos have won seven or more games in six of those years.
“The message is, I’m just proud of them,” Nobles said. “Everybody wrote us off and didn’t think we had a chance to do anything after we lost to Grand Valley State (on September 28). I told the team I’m proud of them for how they responded, giving themselves to be in this game. I told the seniors how proud I am of them, and how excited I am to be their head coach.”
Photo: Emily Miller/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Star Wars Night: Ice Flyers Fall To Huntsville Havoc
November 17, 2024
The Pensacola Ice Flyers faced off against the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday night to finish off their weekend series. The Ice Flyers started strong, with Natan Vertes energizing the crowd of 6,341 by scoring just four minutes into the first period. The momentum continued when Matt Wiesner scored a short-handed goal, his fifth of the season, giving the Ice Flyers a 2-0 lead.
However, the Havoc responded. Huntsville’s Austin Alger found the back of the net with 1:19 left in the first period, narrowing the gap to 2-1. The second period saw Cayden Cahill extend the Ice Flyers’ lead with his second goal of the season. The period ended with some tension as Tim Faulkner and Giovanni Procopio engaged in a heated exchange.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The third period proved to be the Ice Flyers’ undoing. Despite physical efforts from Sam Dabrowski, the Havoc seized control of the game. They capitalized on two power-play opportunities, with Austin Alger scoring his second goal to tie the game. Giovanni Procopio then gave Huntsville the lead with just 2:44 left in the game.
In a last-ditch effort, the Ice Flyers pulled their goalie, but the Havoc took advantage. With 58 seconds remaining, they sealed their victory with an empty-net goal, silencing the once-jubilant crowd.
Despite the loss, the night had its highlights. Fans were also treated to entertaining blindfolded light-saber battles, adding a lighthearted touch to the evening.
The Ice Flyers will now set their sights on their upcoming weekend series in Peoria.
What’s Next?
Next Game: Friday, November 22 at Peoria
Next Home Game: Wednesday, November 27
Tate Falls To Nease In Playoff Opener (With Photo Gallery)
November 16, 2024
The No 8 Tate Aggies fell to the No. 1 Nease Panthers 42-14 Friday night in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals Friday night in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
It was the first playoff appearance for Tate since 2020.
With a season ending at 7-4, 2024 was the best for the Aggies since they also went 7-4 in 2017.
For a photo gallery, click here.
In other Region 1-6A quarterfinal action Friday night, Pace defeated Oviedo 49-21. The Patriots will travel to Buchholz in Gainesville next Friday night.
NorthEscamia.com photos by James Vernacotola, click to enlarge.
High School Football Playoffs Scoreboard
November 16, 2024
FLORIDA
REGION 1-6A
- Pace 49, Oviedo 21
- Nease 42, Tate 14 [Story, photos...]
REGION 1-4A
- Escambia 29, Riverside 28
- Ed White 26, Pine Forest 13
REGION 1-2A
- Walton 28, Pensacola Catholic 24
RURAL
- Fort White 23, Jay 2
ALABAMA
4A
- Fairfield 23, W.S. Neal 22
3A
- T.R. Miller 21, Trinity 7
Pictured: The Tate Aggies fell to Nease Friday night. NorthEscamia.com photos by James Vernacotola, click to enlarge.
Eagles Vs. Eagles: Ernest Ward Middle Falls To W.S. Neal
November 15, 2024
The Ernest Ward Middle Eagles boys and girls basketball fell to the W.S. Neal Eagles Thursday night.
In boys actions, Neal defeated EWMS 42-23, the Neal girls won 20-19.
Up next, Ernest Ward will travel to Central on Monday, November 18 with the girls at 5 p.m. to be followed by the boys.
NorthEsambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High Softball’s Kara Wine Signs With The University of South Alabama
November 14, 2024
Tate High School senior Kara Wine on Wednesday signed to play Division 1 Softball at the University of South Alabama Jaguars. A standout player at Tate, Wine has played on the varsity team since her freshman year. S
During the first three years of her career at Tate, she broke numerous records including most homeruns in a single season with nine, the career homerun record with 20, slugging percentage, and career RBI’s.
For a photos gallery, click here.
Kara is the president of the senior class and has excelled academically with a 4.55 GPA. She was named to the Tate High School Hall of Fame. She also participates in Beta Club, National Honor Society, FCA, SEB, and has played volleyball and golf at Tate.
She was joined for her signing Wednesday by her fellow Lady Aggies, her travel ball team the “Showstoppers”, former and current coaches, teachers, family, and friends.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
