Atmore’s Linam Named To Another Academic Football Team
December 5, 2011
Former Atmore resident Josh Linam, already a member of the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District First Team, earned another prestigious honor Friday. The University of Central Florida Knights’ middle linebacker was voted onto the Conference USA All-Academic First Team, marking the second-straight season he was named to the squad.
Majoring in sports and fitness, Linam currently carries a cumulative grade-point average of 3.36, and was one of just three members of this year’s C-USA All-Academic Team who were repeat selections.
Linam, a senior, started 25 of UCF’s last 26 games at middle linebacker, ranking third on the team in 2011 with 66 tackles including a season-high nine vs. East Carolina and UTEP. He also collected 10 tackles for loss, two sacks and a pair of interceptions. Linam received College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention National Linebacker of the Week honors for his effort against UTEP, which featured 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
For his career, Linam registered 165 tackles with 20 tackles for loss and three interceptions in 50 games played.
Tate High Softball Team Honored For Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
December 5, 2011
The Tate High School softball team was recognized as the 2011 Top School Fundraising Team during the recent American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer banquet.
The team raised $3,262 for the walk, beginning with their spring season when they dedicated one of their home games to “striking out” breast cancer.
Pictured accepted their award are (L-R) Olivia Dixon, Barrett Barnes, Coach Melinda Wyatt, Heather Shaft and Kimberly Baker. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Falls In State Semifinal Playoff Game
December 3, 2011
The Northview Chief’s road to a state championship came to an abrupt end Friday night with just over a minute to go in their state semifinal game against Chipley.
The Chiefs held lead throughout the entire game on their home turf in Bratt — until a 53-yard Chipley touchdown pass put the Tigers (11-2) on top 25-21 with just 1:11 to go in the ballgame. Northview fought back hard, driving to the Chipley 21-yard line with 50 seconds in the game. But the Chiefs lost possession on a fumbled handoff between LaMikal Kyles and Roderick Woods.
- For a game action photo gallery, click here.
- For a photo gallery “The Agony of Defeat”, click here.
- For a photo gallery of the Tribal Beat band, click here.
“Nights like this can be decided by a play here and there, and we had a mistake or two,” Northview Coach Sid Wheatley said, “and that last one was the difference in the ballgame.”
“As far as their will to win and they way they fought tonight, I was proud of them,” Wheatley said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. They’ve had a whole lot of wins and a whole lot of success. When they look back on it, they have a lot to be proud of.”
Chipley’s night got off to a rough start miles away from Bratt as their bus burned to the ground alongside I-10 near Defuniak Springs. There were no injuries and little lost, other than personal possessions.
On the field in Bratt, the first couple of Northview possessions put the Tigers at a two-TD deficit. Kyles scored on a 26-yard run with 6:45 on the click in the first, and Woods was in for a 6-yard touchdown. Coupled with a couple of Kevin Vaughan kicks, the Chiefs were up 14-0 with 3:35 in the first quarter.
Chipley scored on a 73-yard run with 1:35 in the first. With a missed kick wide right, Northview held a 14-6 lead going into the second.
Kyles had a 70-yard touchdown run in the second, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty. The Chiefs were forced to punt it away, resulting in a 6-play Tigers drive that ended with a 27-yard touchdown run. Chipley missed the two point attempt, leaving Northview with a 14-12 advantage.
The Chief came really close to scoring with just half second to go in the half when a Vaughan pass to Kyles was picked off by a Chipley defender.
“We had the opportunity once or twice go up by maybe a couple of touchdowns, but they made the plays defensively,” Wheatley said.
Just 20 seconds into the third quarter, a pass from Kyles to Albritton resulted in a 74 yard touchdown and a 21-12 lead for the Chiefs.
Northview missed another opportunity as Brian Ross picked up a blocked punt and made it down to the 10-yard line. That series ended with a missed 28-yard field goal attempt from Vaughan.
“I’m heartbroken. But it was a heck of a run, and I wish it could keep going,” Albritton, a senior, said. “They had the last knock out play. I wish we could have, but they did.”
Northview’s starting quarterback Brandon Sheets sat out the game in the press box after being suspended following last Friday’s Freeport game for unsportsmanlike conduct. An appeal to the Florida High School Athletic Association was denied.
The loss was particularly tough for Sheets as the senior stood crying on the field following the game, surrounded by his teammates and friends.
“I don’t know what to say; it’s horrible,” Sheets said through his tears. “I just wanted this so bad for all of us.”
- For a game action photo gallery, click here.
- For a photo gallery “The Agony of Defeat”, click here.
- For a photo gallery of the Tribal Beat band, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: The Agony Of Defeat
December 3, 2011
After the final buzzer, the final notes from the bands, and the fireworks ended both on the field and in the skies, it was strangely quiet on western end of the football field at Northview High School Friday night. The scoreboard in the distance told the heartbreaking story for the hometown Chiefs, a 25-21 loss in the state semifinal game.
Moms held their sons; dads reacted with a pat on the back and a strong hug as they tried to find those perfect words to encourage their boys and make them feel rightfully proud about an impressive season cut short of their state championship dream.
Cheerleaders were oddly quiet, far from cheerful as tears flowed down their faces. Young men kneeled to the ground in disbelief that it was all over. Fans stood silently, many sobbing, each consoling the other.
It had been a football season from which dreams were made. Blood, sweat and tears to a semifinal spot only reached once before by anyone in a Northview Chief jersey.
A senior quarterback, denied the right to play in his last ever high school football game, stood crying uncontrollably, his cheerleader girlfriend speechless by his side. One by one, his fellow teammates spoke to him. This was not a time for handshakes, this was a time for sharing a tear and that bond that Chiefs have.
A family of Chiefs stood together, even in defeat. It’s the kind of thing that make one proud to live in North Escambia, and the kind of thing that makes one love the Northview Chiefs.
It’s a story, a love for God and country and community and one another and the Northview Chiefs that is just hard to put into words. It’s easiest understand this story by looking into the souls and the passion of the Northview Chiefs in a photo gallery we’ve entitled The Agony of Defeat.
Click here to view the gallery.
Pictured top: A tearful senior Sam Spence is comforted by cheerleader Autumn Rose following Northview’s loss to Chipley Friday night. Pictured top inset: Senior quarterback Brandon Sheets (center), sheds tears with teammates. Pictured bottom inset: Senior Austin Albritton is overcome with emotion following the loss. Pictured below: Senior Nathan Therrell, who was unable to play until undergoing brain surgery, was once the team’s waterboy. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Fans Rally Behind The Chiefs, Coach Reacts To QB Suspension (With Pep Rally Photos)
December 2, 2011
Northview will be without starting quarterback Brandon Sheets tonight in a state semifinal game against Chipley, but the Chiefs are ready to earn the school’s first ever trip to a state championship game in Orlando with the help of backup quarterback Kevin Vaughan.
NorthEscambia.com will post live updates from tonight’s Chipley at Northview state semifinal game on two Facebook pages:
http://www.Facebook.com/NorthEscambia (“Like” the page for updates)
http://www.Facebook.com/NorthEscambiaWilliam (Send a Friend request)
The Florida High School Athletic Association ruled against a Northview appeal on Thursday, deciding that Sheets’ actions last Friday night were “perceived as taunting”, resulting into a one-game suspension. [Read more details on the alleged actions, see video by clicking here for an earlier story.]
“We knew it (the appeal) could go either way, and we were ready to move on if it didn’t go in our favor,” Northview coach Sid Wheatly said Thursday night. “We were disappointed obviously; I am disappointed for Brandon.”
For a photo gallery from a Thursday night Chiefs pep rally, click here.
The Chiefs are moving forward with plans to “do it with Dewey”, as backup junior QB Kevin Vaughan (#12) is known to his friends and teammates.
“Our plan has been all week to work with Kevin and he’s going to be able to do the job. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him, and we are moving forward,” Wheatley said. “The kids have a lot of confidence in him.”
In tonight’s final four state semifinal game, the Chiefs (9-3) will host Chipley (10-2), a team that beat the Chiefs in game of turnovers back on September 16. But now a more experienced Northview teams is looking for revenge.
“We are going to get out there an complete really hard,” Wheatley said, “and bring home a big win.”
Wheatley admitted that Sheets’ suspension and a Vaughan in the QB slot does give the Chiefs a rather unique advantage over Chipley….the Tigers have likely watched hours of Northview game film — mostly with Sheets at quarterback — so they have no idea how the team performs with Vaughan and what surprise plays they might pull.
While 110 percent ready to perform with Vaughan as quarterback, members of the the varsity Chiefs are standing in support of Sheets, who has thrown for over 1,100 yard and a dozen touchdowns while picking up 16 touchdowns on over 900 yards rushing this year. Their goal? To make sure Sheets has one more shot to play a high school football game. With a win tonight, the Chiefs will head to Orlando December 2 for the state championship game. And Sheets will be eligible to play.
“We are going to do everything we can to make sure that you get to see Brandon Sheets take the field on more time,” junior Chad Smith told Northview fans Thursday night.
“We are going to win and give Brandon one more game to play,” Roderick Woods, also a junior, agreed.
At a Thursday night pep rally, Wheatley and the rest of the Chiefs encouraged Northview fans to pack the Northview stadium in Bratt tonight, and, above all, make a lot of noise in support of their Chiefs.
Wheatley said three playoff games on their home field has been a tremendous advantage for Northview. But he’s ready to pile the team on a bus and get out of Bratt.
“They do want one long road trip to Orlando next week,” he joked.
Tonight semifinal game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Bratt. [Click here for game details you need to know.] It’s the second ever semifinal game for the Northview Chiefs, and they have big plans for a big win.
“We are going to make history,” Chief Laderious Franklin said.
For a photo gallery from a Thursday night Chiefs pep rally, click here.
Pictured above: Northview High held a community pep rally for the region champ Chiefs Thursday night. Pictured below: Team members autographed almost 100 spirit shirts. NorthEscambia.com photos, click here.
Flomaton Grad Celebrating Alabama State Football Championship
December 2, 2011
The Flomaton Hurricanes may have fallen short of a state championship this season, but a Flomaton graduate is celebrating a state football championship of his own.
Flomaton High School graduate Patrick Henderson has coached at Handley High School in Roanoke, Ala., for the past 11 years. Thursday, his Handley Tigers rallied from a 14-7 deficit late in the fourth quarter Thursday to claim the school’s first Alabama Class 3A football title.
Handley scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes and turned away a Madison Academy threat from the Tigers’ 12-yard line in the final seconds to capture a 20-14 victory.
“It was a roller coaster of a ride of a fourth quarter,” Handley said Thursday night. “I am just so proud of our kids, coaches, and fans.”
Henderson coaches wide receivers and corner backs at Handley, and he also edits team video. He and his wife, Robyn, have two children, Finley and Sophie Kate.
Pictured top: Celebrating an Alabama Class 3A championship Thursday are Handley High’s Logan Cofield, Flomaton graduate Patrick Henderson, quarterback Tre Kyles, running back Breyon Deberry and offensive coordinator Ron Watters. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Quarterback Suspension Appeal Denied By FHSAA
December 1, 2011
Northview High School quarterback Brandon Sheets’ suspension will stand, and he will be ineligible to play in Friday night’s state semifinal game against Chipley.
According to Principal Gayle Weaver, the school was notified of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s decision late Thursday morning. She said that the FHSAA determined that “both acts were perceived as taunting”. She said the school was working to determine if the suspension is one game as believed by the coaches and if Sheets would be eligible to play in the state championship game on December 9 in Orlando if Northview defeats Chipley Friday night.
Sheets, a senior, was flagged twice in last Friday night’s regional win over Freeport for what the officials said amounted to taunting.
The first flag came after a touchdown when Sheets stopped just across the goal line and dropped the ball near a Freeport defender (see video below). The second flag came on the next play. As a referee was explaining the flag to coach Sid Wheatley on the Chiefs’ sideline, Sheets ran back on the field to run the extra point play. That’s when Sheets allegedly mocked a referee by looking at him and clapping.
Junior Kevin Vaughan will step up as starting quarterback for the Chiefs Friday night against Chipley.
“I hope everyone rallies around the Chiefs Friday night as they go out there and win,” Weaver said.
Pictured top: Northview QB Brandon Sheets (#8, far right) runs the ball in for a touchdown that led to him being flagged for taunting last Friday night against Freeport. Pictured inset: A referee explains the flag to Northview Coach Sid Wheatley. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Prepares For State Semifinal Game With Chipley
November 28, 2011
It’s only the second trip ever to the Class 1A state semifinal as the Northview Chiefs will be looking for a little redemption Friday night against Chipley.
The Chipley Tigers beat the Chiefs 34-27 in the second game of the regular season, knocking Northview out of No. 1 spot in the state poll for Class 1A. In the final regular season poll of the year, Chipley finished at No. 4, while the Chiefs were No. 5.
That loss to Chipley was a dose of reality for the Chiefs, according to coach Sid Wheatley.
“We have been through some battles now, and I think we are ready for that (another chance at Chipley),” Wheatley said.
The Chiefs (8-3) will have the home field advantage Friday night at 7:30 in Bratt as they host Chipley (10-2). Admission is $9 with no passes.
The winner of the Northview vs. Chipley semifinal match will face the winner of Friday night’s Jefferson County (7-5) vs. Union County (11-0) game in the state championship game on December 9 in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.
For details and photos from last Friday night’s Northview defeat of Freeport, click here.
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs defeated Freeport for the regional crown Friday night in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats Freeport For Regional Title
November 26, 2011
The Northview Chiefs beat Freeport 43-13 for the school’s second in a row Class 1A Region 1 championship.
“I can’t put into words how much these kids have worked and what they have been able to achieve,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said, “Just an awesome win by those men right there. I’m very proud of every one of them.”
- For a photo gallery with action from the game, click here.
- For a photo gallery with the cheerleaders, click here.
- For a photo gallery with the band and dance team, click here.
The win puts the Chiefs (9-3) back in action next Friday night at home in Bratt in the the state semifinals. They will take on Chipley (10-2), a team that beat the Chiefs 34-27 on a game of turnovers back on September 16.
“We have been through some battles now, and I think we are ready for that (another chance at Chipley),” Wheatley said.
Friday night’s matchup against Freeport saw five Chiefs scores touchdowns and a defense that produced nine quarterback sacks.
“Our defense was outstanding tonight,” Wheatley said. “We had some big plays defensively…the defense was solid tonight.”
The game produced double-double unsportsmanlike penalties. The first double unsportsmanlike conduct was called on Freeport Coach Jim Anderson after a Chiefs’ touchdown. The second double unsportsmanlike conduct was called on Chiefs’ quarterback Brandon Sheets after a 6-yard touchdown run. Officials said he was clapping and taunting.
“There were two unsportsmanlikes called,” Wheatley said. “As far as anything else goes, I don’t know what to tell you.” Wheatley added that he believed Sheets was only disqualified from the remainder of the Freeport game, leaving him eligible to play against Chipley next week.
Northview 43, Freeport 13 Summary
The Chiefs opened first quarter scoring at 2:28 with a 4-yard run from junior LaMikal Kyles and a good Kevin Vaughan kick for a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Chiefs scored twice. At 7:49, Dalton Daniel scored a touchdown on a 5-yard Brandon Sheets pass. A good Vaughan kick, 14-0. With 1:43 in the half, Sean Knight returned a Freeport fumbled 56 yards for another Chief touchdown. After a blocked kick, Northview held a 20-0 lead headed into the half.
Freeport scored in the second half on a 10-yard pass, followed by a 16-yard touchdown run for the Chiefs by Roderick Woods and a 6-yard TD run from Sheets. Montaio Mitchell was in for a two point conversion. Freeport struck again with 1:58 to go in the third on a 43-yard touchdown pass.
In the fourth, Northview scored on a 1-yard run from Vaughan to seal a 43-13 victory.
Chipley defeated Holmes County 27-6 Friday night to earn a trip to Bratt to take on Northview in the state semis at 7:30 next Friday, December 2.
- For a photo gallery with action from the game, click here.
- For a photo gallery with the cheerleaders, click here.
- For a photo gallery with the band and dance team, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northview Holds Pep Rally
November 23, 2011
Northview High School students showed their team pride Tuesday with a pep rally as the Chiefs prepare for the Class 1A regional finals at 7:30 Friday night in Bratt against Freeport.
For a photo gallery, including “special guest” male cheerleaders, click here.
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs held a pep rally Tuesday afternoon in advance of the regional finals Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
