NWE Midgets Win Playoff Game In Last 3.3 Seconds
November 8, 2009
The Northwest Escambia Midgets beat defending Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance champions Ensley Gold 6-0 in Saturday playoff action.
NWE pulled off the 6-0 win with a touchdown in the last 3.3 seconds of the game in round two of the GCYFA playoffs in Milton. With the win, the Northwest Escambia Eagles will advance to the semifinals next Saturday against either A&G or Milton Gold.
Daulton Tullis recovered the kickoff, and NWE started play at first and 10 at about the 41 yard line. Quarterback Tullis handed off to Taylor Reyes, and Reyes gained four yards on the first down of the ballgame. From second and six, the Eagles Tullis handed off to Reyes again, and he was met at line of scrimmage for no gain. At third down and six, Reyes lost a couple of yards. With fourth and seven, Brannon Freeman was in to punt. Ensley blocked the punt and took over first and 10 at the NWE 36. Ensley was pushed back to the 46 yard line, making it first and a long 20 to go.
Ensley Gold then fumbled the ball away to the Eagles at their own 44 yard line. Tullis handed off to Ryder Gifford for three to the 43. On second down, Reyes was up the middle to just shy of the midfield mark with about four minutes to go in the first quarter. On third and five, Gifford crossed into Ensley territory to the 49. Faced with fourth and three, Ensley jumped offside, putting NWE at first and 10 from the 44.
Freeman gained three on the first down to the 41, and on second down, it was Freeman again with five to the Ensley 36. Reyes took the next hand off, but was just shy of the first down. On fourth down down, Freeman gained a NWE first down at the Ensley 33.
With 47 seconds to go in the first, Freeman lost a yard. On second down, Tullis pitched to Freeman to end the first quarter in Milton.
Tied scoreless headed into the second quarter, Freeman gained good ground to the 31 yard line. NWE went for it on fourth on nine, with a incomplete pass from Tullis. Ensley took over at their own 31. Ensley drove as close their own 17, and then lost ground on a penalty.
Northwest Escambia took over at their own 21 with about four minutes to go in the first half. A Tullis to Reyes hand off gained nothing for NWE. Freeman then drove out to the 30 yard line to make it third and inches with 3:14 in the half. On a QB keeper, Tullis then picked up the first down with a gain of four on the play. The next downs, NWE was unable to gain any territory.
Ensley Gold took over inside the NWE 30 with 54 seconds in the second. A Sherouse tackle stopped Ensley with just over one on the first down. Ensley’s drive was ended by a fumble recovered by NWE inside the Ensley Gold 20 with 20 seconds to go in the half.
Headed into the half, the score was still tied 0-0 in round two of the Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance playoffs in Milton.
In the third, Ensley drove to the 41 before falling short of a first down. On two downs, Freeman picked up a NWE first down at the Ensley 48. On a quarterback keeper, Tullis picked up about three. Freeman lost about three, then Reyes picked up about six on a carry. Freemen then went up the middle and fell short of the first down with 3:16 to go in the third quarter.
From the 37, Freeman and Gifford brought the Ensley QB to the ground for a loss in the backfield. On third and 15 with a minute in the third, Ensley’s QB went down on a hard sack by the Eagle’s Deonte Mitchell.
The third quarter ended with the score still tied with no score.
Brannon Freeman started the fourth with a 2-yard run, and it was downhill from there. NWE was forced to punt, and Ensley returned to the NWE 40 with under seven minutes in a scoreless game.
On Ensley’s first down, they fumbled the ball away to the NWE Midgets at the 41 with 6:13 to go in the game. Tullis then drove to the 39 for eight and two on the play. Reyes broke to the outside for a NWE first down at the Ensley 28. on first down, Reyes gained another NWE first down to the 18.
After a short loss, the Eagles where third and 11 with 3:15 on the clock. A Tullis to Brannon Freeman pass was incomplete for fourth and 12. The Eagles went for it, a Tullis pass into the end zone was incomplete.
Ensley then took over at their on 19 with 3:05 to go in the playoff game. They managed to drive to their own 40 with a minute on the clock. With 30 seconds on the clock, Ensley picked up a first down at their own 41. With 17 seconds on the clock, Tullis blocked an Ensley pass, knocking it to the ground.
Second and 10 on their own 41, an Ensley pass was picked off by Brannon Freeman who returned it to the NWE 29.
With just 3.3 seconds to go in the scoreless game, the Northwest Escambia Midget Eagles had time for just one play. Tullis attempted a perfect pass deep into the end zone to Brannon Freeman. Freeman jumped and caught the pigskin for a NWE win, 6-0, over Ensley Gold.
Northwest Escambia entered the tournament as the number 12 seed. They started their league championship bid last week by beating undefeated powerhouse Myrtle Grove 12-6.
Members of the Northwest Escambia Midgets are: Brannon Freeman, Daulton Tullis, Thomas Rolin, Olan Barlow, Deonte Mitchell, John Rhodes, Ryder Gifford, Dylan Berry, Chason Freeman, Logan Sherouse, Zachary Holland, Taylor Reyes, Gavin Grant, Brodie Amos, David Edwards, Dalton Daniel, Elijah Harbison and Matthew Lee.
Next week, the NWE Eagles will continue their Midget championship playoff bid against the Albritton & Grant Rattlers. The Rattlers are coming off a 7-6 upset of the Milton Panthers Saturday afternoon.
Pictured above: The Northwest Escambia Midgets celebrate after a 6-0 win in the last 3.3 seconds of their league playoff game against Ensley Gold Saturday. Submitted photo by Wayne Holland for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Sting The Yellow Jackets 20-14
November 7, 2009
The Northview Chiefs came from behind beat the Vernon Yellow Jackets 20-14 Friday night. The Chief’s, who were 2-8 last year, are now 7-2.
The Yellow Jackets (4-5, 3-5) led the ballgame 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. They stung again in the second quarter after a long drive after a Northview fumble to increase their lead to 14-0.
“You were down 14-0 and ran off 20 straight points,” first-year Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley told his jubilant Chiefs. “That is a great, great win.”
On the last play of the half, a 61-yard pass from Brandon Sheets to La’Mikal Kyles gave Northview a touchdown. With a good kick through the uprights for Brandon Lowery, and Chiefs had closed Vernon’s lead to 14-7 headed to the lockers on a cool night in Vernon.
Northview intercepted a Vernon pass on their opening drive of the third. The Chiefs, led by Roderick Woods and Jeremy Jackson, marched the ball down to about the Yellow Jacket four. Freshman Roderick Woods took the ball on a 21-yard touchdown run. After a good kick from Lowery, the game was tied 14-14 with 5:25 to go in the third quarter.
The Chiefs’ Levi Gideons recovered a Vernon fumble early in the fourth to take possession on Yellow Jacket’s 30.
Woods picked up a 5-yard touchdown drive with 6:52 to go in the game. A missed kick, and the Chiefs were on top 20-14.
Vernon’s next drive came to an end when Northview recovered a Yellow Jacket fumble at the Chiefs’ 39.
The Yellow Jacket’s final attempt at the end zone came to an end with 37 seconds on the clock with two incompletions.
The remainder of the fourth was scoreless, giving the Chiefs a District 1-1A win over Vernon, 20-14.
The Chiefs will play their final game of the season Friday night in Pensacola against West Florida Tech.
Despite their winning season, the Chiefs (7-2, 6-2) will not make the District 1-1A playoffs. The Freeport Bulldogs are tops in the district with a perfect 8-0 district record, and South Walton has just one district loss. Freeport and South Walton were the only losses of the season for Northview.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Battle Of Highway 4: Jay Beats Rival Baker 21-7
November 7, 2009
The Jay Royals won the Battle of Highway 4 Friday night, beating the Baker Gators 21-7.
The Jay Royals were the first to score Friday night at Baker. With 8:34 to go in the second quarter, Steven Brabham was in from three yards out. The point after kick from Todd Laney made it 7-0 Jay.
A one yard touchdown run and a good kick from the Gators tied the ballgame at 7-7 headed into halftime.
A one yard run from Rush Hendricks put the Royals back on top in the third quarter 14-7. In the fourth quarter, the Royals struck again, with a one yard touchdown from Dakota Boughton. A good kick, and the Royals won 21-7 over the Baker Gators.
Offensively, Jay had just over 250 yards Friday night in Baker. Rush Hendricks led the Royals, rushing for 136 yards on 28 carries. Chris Carrigan had 92 yards rushing on 22 carries. Brabham was three of seven passing for 36 yards.
The Gators were held to just 122 total offensive yards by the Royals.
The Royals will host Wewahitchka for the final game of the season next Friday night.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Season Ender: Lady Chiefs Fall To Blountstown In Regional Quarterfinal
November 5, 2009
The Northview High School Lady Chiefs’ volleyball season came to an end on the road Wednesday night in the regional quarterfinals with a straight three set loss to Blountstown.
In the District 1-1A regional quarterfinals, Blountstown defeated the Chiefs, 18-25, 15-25, 22-25.
It was just the third time in Northview’s history that a volleyball team had advanced beyond the district level. The Lady Chiefs made the first round of the quarterfinals in 2007 and back in 1997.
Junior Shawna Montgomery had four kills and an ace for the Chiefs. Senior Caitlin Hall had seven total assists and one block against Blountstown. Angela Rodriguez, a senior, added six kills and two aces, and junior Shaniqua Jones had two kills and two blocks.
The Chiefs ended their season at 9-19, 5-5 in district play.
NWE Midgets Upset Undefeated Myrtle Grove To Advance In Playoffs
November 1, 2009
The Northwest Escambia Midgets beat undefeated powerhouse Myrtle Grove 12-6 Saturday afternoon in Milton to advance to the second round of the Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance playoffs.
NWE used a strong running game behind Dalton Daniel and Brannon Freeman to grind out a hard fought victory over a Myrtle Grove team that was 8-0 and had lost only one other game in the last three years.
After falling behind 6-0 just 3 minutes into the game, the NWE Eagles scored just before the half to even the score 6-6 at the half.
The second half was a back and forth battle with each team unable to move the ball. NWE’S defense stopped Myrtle Grove on fourth down at the NWE’s 30 yard line with only 2:33 to go in the game.
Northwest Escambia then drove the ball 70 yards for a touchdown with just 18 seconds to go. Myrtle Grove fought to even the score with only18 seconds on the clock, using just eight seconds to drive to the NWE 12-yard line. But Myrtle Grove’s efforts were for nothing when the Eagle’s Chasen Freeman picked off a pass to secure the NWE win.
Northwest Escambia will play Ensley Gold in next week’s round two of the Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance playoffs. The time has not yet been announced.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Online Audio: Listen To Northview Vs. Sneads
November 1, 2009
Northview Chiefs fans can listen to Northview football games here on NorthEscambia.com — the official voice of the Northview High School Chiefs.
Join us each Sunday for a complete game playback from the Northview Chiefs. You will be able to listen to each game online, or even download the game to your MP3 player and take it with you.
The audio from Friday night’s game against Sneads should play automatically on this page. If it does not, click the play icon below.
To download the entire game (MP3 format) for your iPod or other MP3 player, click here..
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A Winning Season: Northview Beats Sneads
October 31, 2009
Led by a strong defense in the second half, the Northview Chiefs beat the Sneads Pirates 10-7 on Senior Night in Bratt.
The Chiefs defense allowed Sneads just 13 offensive plays for 55 yards, while the Northview offense had 224 yards, all but four on the ground.
For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the game, click here.
“It was a great win for the seniors. We’ve got 21 seniors and it was a special tribute to them tonight,” first-year Head Coach Sid Wheatley said.
“Offensively, I thought we ran the ball well; we controlled the line of scrimmage,” he said. “We need to put more points on the board when we have the opportunity. I know we got inside the red zone a couple of times, and we turned the ball over on downs.”
One of those plays inside the red zone came in the first half with a Brandon Sheets pass to Brad Lowery at the three. The officials ruled the pass incomplete, but photographs from four different photographers showed he had firm grip on the ball. (One photo is at left; other photos showed Lowery with a complete hold on the ball.)
“Defensively, I thought we did tremendous, especially in the second half,” Wheatley said. “We knew they had great, skilled people with tremendous speed, and they kind of hurt us the way the way they were reversing it.”
The final home game of the season for the Chiefs started out with a fumble right away as they received the opening kickoff. Sneads eventually took the lead 7-0 with 3:31 to go in the first quarter.
Then once again, the Chiefs fumbled the kickoff, but recovered at the Snead’s 30. Ka’Daris Grice picked up 18 yards to the Pirates’ 48. Dustin Yuhasz then gained six to the 42. Yuhasz followed that with a 42-yard touchdown run with 2:17 to go in the quarter. A good kick, and the game was tied 7-7.
With 4:26 in the first half, the Chiefs punted on a fourth down situation, with Brad Lowery sending the pigskin 35 yards through the uprights. The Chiefs led 10-7. With a scoreless second half, the Chiefs added another one to the win column, 10-7 over the Sneads Pirates.
“It was a great team win,” Wheatley said.
Yuhasz lead the Chiefs on the ground, with 68 yards on eight carries. Ka’Daris Grice had 55 yards on 13 carries. La’Mikal Kyles had 58 yards on 13 runs; and freshman Roderick Woods had 43 yards on 10 carries.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs were led by seniors Austin Reid and Steven Long with seven tackles each. Anthony Pierce had half a dozen tackles for Northview.
Northview (6-2, 5-2) will be on the road next Friday night against Vernon.
For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured above: Action as Northview beat Sneads Friday night in Bratt. Pictured below: Senior John Sellars receives the ceremonial game ball from the U.S. Army Silver Wings parachute team. The Silver Wings were unable to parachute into the stadium due to weather that grounded their plane in Alabama. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lady Chiefs Fall To Baker; Still Headed To Quarterfinals
October 30, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost to the Baker Gators in the District 1-1A volleyball tournament finals Thursday night in Bratt, but the Lady Chiefs will have one more shot at advancing in the state tournament.
Northview fell to Baker 21-25, 15-25, 18-25. Thursday night’s win gave the Baker Gators their seventh straight district volleyball title.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the game, click here.
“They did play hard, but the intensity we needed just wasn’t there,” Head Coach Betty Heaton said. This was only the third time in Northview’s history that the team will advance beyond the district. As district runner-ups, the Chiefs will play a quarterfinal game next week on the road against Blountstown at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“I was hoping we would come out this number one,” Heaton said. “But we do get another chance in the quarter finals. We could progress from there; nothing says the state champ can’t be a second seed in the quarter finals.”
Northview Vs Baker (District Championship Game ) – Varsity
21-25 15-25 18-25
** Baker Winning**
Shawna Montgomery 11 M Kills-3, Digs-3 Aces–1
Caitlin Hall 12 Setter Assists-10, Digs-2, Kills-2,
Angela Rodriguez 12 LS Kills-5, Digs – 5, Aces-3
Raylin Spence 10 LS Kills-1, Aces-1, Digs-4
Record – Overall – 9 -18; District 5 -5
Pictured: Action from the District 1-1A volleyball championship game between Northview and Baker Thursday night in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Lady Astros End Successful Season
October 28, 2009
The Lady Astros 16U fast pitch softball team from Molino ended their season recently with a number one ranking in the state.
The Lady Astros were ranked number one in the state in fastpitch softball with the highest number of points with a 15-6 record in their four best tournaments.
The traveling team is comprised of girls from Northview, Tate, Pace, Jay and Washington High Schools. The Astros finished 4-1 in the USFA Gulf South Fall State Tournament in Daphne, losing 5-4 in the semifinals against Alabama Threat.
Pictured above: The Lady Astros 16U fast pitch softball team. (Front, L-R) Maggie Swinford, Washington High; Kathern Tucker, Tate High; Marina Harris, Tate High; Jamie Ujvari, Pace High; Crysta Paulson, Tate High; (second row) Coach Robby Schaff; Avery Cobb, Tate High; Coach Rusty Odea; Amber Steadham, Jay High; Ronni Renfrow, Tate High; Rachuel Zampino, Tate High; Marina Cobbs, Tate High; Heather Schaff, Tate High; Jessi Ujvari, Pace High; and Coach Donnie Nicholson. Not pictured: Candice Greenwell, Northview High. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Advance To District Championship Game With Win Over Freeport (Photo Gallery)
October 27, 2009
The Northview Chiefs advanced to the final round of the District 1-1A volleyball tournament Monday night in Bratt with a win over the Freeport Bulldogs.
Northview beat Freeport 25-10, 13-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-9. Thursday night at 6:30, the Chiefs will play for the district championship against the winner of a Tuesday night game between Pensacola Christian and Baker.
“I am very proud of the team tonight,” an almost speechless Northview Head Coach Betty Heaton said of the Chiefs’ win. “They did a great job. They were a tough team, but the our girls worked hard for the win.”
Sophomore Shawna Montgomery led the Chiefs with eight kills, six digs, nine aces, two blocks and one assist Monday night. Caitlin Hall, a senior, had 20 assists, two digs, four aces, two kills and a couple of blocks.
Senior Angela Rodriguez had three kills, two digs and one ace. Shaniqua Jones added seven kills, one block and a single ace for Northview.
The Chiefs are now 9-17 overall, 5-4 in the district.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured above and below: Volleyball action as Northview beat Freeport in the District 1-1A tournament Monday night at Northview. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
