Northview Softball’s Emma Gilmore Signs With Bishop State
January 12, 2023
Northview High School softball senior Emma Gilmore signed Wednesday to play for Bishop State Community College.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview, Tate, Escambia High Softball Fields To Get New Lighting
January 11, 2023
The Escambia County District is planning to upgrade the softball field lighting at Northview, Tate and Escambia high schools.
The school district is accepting sealed bids through January 26, and interested contractors are required to attend a pre-bid conference on January 17 at Tate High School.
The winning bid and total cost will be approved by the school board at a later date.
Pictured: Lights shine above the Northview High School softball field as the sun sets on March 10, 2022. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Stadium Going Cashless For 2023
January 6, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos announced Thursday that Blue Wahoos Stadium will join ballparks and stadiums across the nation as a cashless venue during the 2023 Minor League Baseball season and at all future team events at the ballpark.
The transition to cashless payments at Blue Wahoos Stadium brings the ballpark in alignment with Major League Baseball stadiums across the country, joining 29 MLB teams with cashless stadium experiences including Pensacola’s affiliate, the Miami Marlins.
“Blue Wahoos Stadium will join stadiums and ballparks across the country in transitioning to a cashless experience, creating a faster, more efficient, and more secure payment system for fans,” team president Jonathan Griffith said. “Being cashless will help cut down on lines at concessions and the box office by making transactions quicker and offer added security for fans.”
Credit, debit, and gift cards will be accepted at all locations inside Blue Wahoos Stadium including the box office, Bait & Tackle Team Store, and concessions. Select locations will also process mobile tap-to-pay payments. The StadiumDrop app will remain available to fans, allowing them to order food and beverages for delivery directly to their seat.
Fans with cash will be able to exchange it for a stadium gift card at the Bait & Tackle Shop and box office at the ballpark.
Opening day for the Blue Wahoos is April 7.
Northview’s John Michael Ward Had 15 D1 Offers. He Chose South Alabama.
December 21, 2022
Northview High School lineman John Michael Ward committed Tuesday to the University of South Alabama Jaguars.
Ward had 15 Division 1 college offers, including UAB, Colorado State, Appalachian State, Georgia State and others.
“I chose close to home,” Ward said. “South had a great season last year, and I just really felt like being a part of it. I just love the coaches, love the players, and I’m ready to get back at it.”
During his senior season, Ward had 126 tackles, 30 for a loss and 70 pancake blocks in 12 games as the Chiefs finished as state 1R runner-ups.
NorthhEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Ranked No. 4 In Final 2022 AFCA D2 Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
December 21, 2022
The UWF football team was ranked fourth in the final 2022 AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll that was announced by the American Football Coaches Association.
UWF went 12-2 and advanced to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II Football Championship, marking the program’s third appearance in the Final Four in four all-time postseason appearances since 2017.
This is the third time in the last five seasons to have a top four final ranking and the fourth time in that same span to be in the top 12. UWF has previously ended the 2017 season at No. 2, 2019 at No. 1 and 2021 at No. 12.
The Argonauts also won a share of the Gulf South Conference Championship for the second-consecutive year, going 6-1 in the league’s regular-season.
UWF is 56-21 all-time in six seasons since starting the program in 2016, and 12-3 in NCAA D2 Championship play, with the highest postseason winning percentage in D2 history at .800.
Photo: Morgan Givens/UWF.
Jefferson Named MVP As West Falls To East In All-Star Football Game
December 17, 2022
The East beat the West 14-7 in the Pensacola Sports High School All Star Football Game at Washington High School Friday night.
Northview Chief Jamarkus Jefferson was named the West Offensive MVP.
It was just the second All Star win for the East in the 10-year history of the game, and the first since 2017.
The West’s only score came late in the first half on a 9-yard pass from Northview’s Kaden Odom at quarterback to wide receiver B.J. Jenkins of Washington High School.
Pine Forest High football coach Ronnie Douglas led the West team roster, while Niceville High coach Grant Thompson headed the East roster.
Each eligible school in the three-county area was guaranteed at least one spot on the all-star team, given they had an eligible senior, and every player had at least one play in the game.
Created in 2004 by community and sports leaders, along with Pensacola Sports, the inaugural All Star Game’s mission was to showcase Pensacola area seniors in one last football game of their high school career.
Pictured: Northview High School senior Jamarkus Jefferson. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
First Ever UWF QB Kaleb Nobles Named New Argos Head Coach
December 14, 2022
The University of West Florida has named Kaleb Nobles as the second head football coach in program history, as announced by University President Dr. Martha Saunders and Athletics Director Dave Scott.
“We are super excited to announce Kaleb Nobles as our head coach and welcome him and his wife Katy back to Pensacola and the UWF family,” Scott said. “He spent four seasons as a player and member of the coaching staff under Pete Shinnick and understands the culture and values that helped create the foundation the program.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to be the next head football coach at the University of West Florida,” Nobles said. “My wife and I are true Argos as we are both UWF graduates, and I look forward to continuing the legacy of Building Champions For Life.”
Nobles has spent the past two seasons at Clemson University where he had the role of offensive player development under head coach Dabo Swinney. He assisted with the quarterbacks and wide receivers, all game preparation and planning, along with various game day duties. In 2021, Clemson went 10-3 with a Cheez-It Bowl victory and compiled an 11-2 record in 2022, winning the ACC Championship while earning a berth in the upcoming Orange Bowl against Tennessee.
“I am so happy for Kaleb Nobles. He was born to be a football coach and equipped to be a head coach,” Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said. “One of the main reasons I went and hired him from West Florida is I knew he would come in and really make us better. He has a high aptitude for the game, he’s passionate about it and is a great communicator. Having the opportunity to work with him these past two years has been really fun to see him up close to see how knowledgeable he is, how detailed he is, how good he is with people and what a great communicator he is. His knowledge of West Florida and his understanding of the scope of that job is exciting. I’m really happy for him and proud of him, and I don’t have any doubt that he will continue the great success and great tradition at the University of West Florida.”
Nobles spent three seasons on Pete Shinnick’s staff from 2017-20 as the quarterbacks coach for the Argonauts and was named the co-offensive coordinator in May of 2020. He also served as the director of Football Operations for two-plus years.
Nobles mentored some of the best signal callers in UWF history. In 2019, Austin Reed was named the National Freshman of the Year after he threw for 4,089 yards and 272.6 yards per game to rank 13th nationally. He also completed 57 percent of his passes and tossed 40 touchdowns while rushing for six more.
The 2019 quarterback group established program records with a 56.8 completion percentage, a 148.6 pass efficiency rating, 14.6 yards per completion and 411.9 yards of total offense per game.
In 2018, the Argonauts completed 55.2 percent of their pass attempts, tying the school record at the time. The group averaged 229 yards passing and had 23 touchdowns.
Nobles worked daily with a quartet of QBs during the historic 2017 season that culminated with a run to the national championship game. Mike Beaudry finished with 3,215 yards through the air and 29 touchdowns while being named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year.
As a student-athlete, Nobles spent four seasons at Valdosta State from 2012-15, appearing in 23 games with six starts as a freshman and sophomore. He threw for 2,009 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Blazer.
In 2016, he transferred to UWF and helped provide immediate leadership and focus to the upstart program. He led the Argonauts to a 5-6 overall record and threw for 3,058 yards with 28 touchdowns. He also established a school record that still stands with 277.3 passing yards per game.
He had six games with at least 300 yards passing, including a 503-yard, 6-TD performance in the win over Missouri S&T in the inaugural home game on Sept. 10, 2016. That passing mark ranks tenth all-time in GSC single-game history. He was also a GSC All-Academic selection that season.
Nobles has coaching in his blood, following in the footsteps of his late father, Buddy. The elder Nobles spent more than 30 years as a high school coach in Florida and Georgia. His Irwin County (Ga.) High School team won the Georgia Class A title in 2019, nine days before the Argos won the national championship.
Nobles, who was born in Jacksonville, Florida and attended high school in Fitzgerald, Georgia, earned his bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Valdosta State in December, 2015 and added a master’s in Health Leisure and Sport Science from UWF in December, 2017.
He and his wife, Katy – a former UWF women’s volleyball student-athlete and Argo alumnus – were married in June, 2021.
Welcome to Tateville: Tate Baseball Outs The Grinch In Christmas Parade
December 13, 2022
Everyone down in Tateville loved Christmas a lot.
Except the Grinch, who lives outside North Escambia, did not.
The Tate Aggies baseball team had made
The choice to march in the Pensacola Christmas Parade.
In their “Welcome To Tateville” float they were a go.
Who better tossing beads than a baseball team that knows how to throw.
But there too was the Grinch
Trying to steal Christmas in a pinch.
But in a big Christmas triple play,
Tate Baseball saved the day!
In a big Christmas grand slam play,
It was a Merry Christmas parade day.
Merry Christmas to all,
From Tate Aggie baseball.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Pictured: Tate High Baseball’s “Welcome to Tateville” float in the Pensacola Christmas Parade. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Head Football Coach Pete Shinnick Resigns
December 12, 2022
The University of West Florida has announced Sunday that Pete Shinnick has resigned as the school’s head football coach to accept the same position at Towson University. The announcement came the day after UWF’s semifinal loss Saturday to Ferris State.
Shinnick has spent the past eight years at UWF building the program from the ground up. He was hired as the first coach in school history in 2014 and compiled a 56-21 record in six seasons. During that time, he created a culture that was second-to-none and made UWF a top destination for student-athletes from across the country.
UWF won the 2019 Division II National Championship in just its fourth season of play, matching the NCAA record for fastest startup to win a title. The Argonauts appeared in the NCAA Playoffs four times, advancing to the national championship twice and were one of just two teams to advance to the semifinals three times in that span.
“My family and I have enjoyed every moment of our time at UWF and in Pensacola,” Shinnick said. “This university has supported us in so many ways and the success on and off the field is a direct result of that. A special thank you to Dr. Bense for wanting to start football, Dave Scott for believing in me to be the man to do that and Dr. Saunders for her continued support of our program. Arete! Go Argos.”
“We are grateful for Coach Shinnick and thank him for the dedication he has shown the Argo football program,” UWF Athletics Director Dave Scott said. “It is no easy feat to build a program from the ground up, but Coach Shinnick did just that — accomplishing much in the program’s six seasons.
“We look forward to the future of Argo football and the new opportunities that are to come. We are committed to finding a head coach who embodies the Argo spirit and will continue the legacy of building champions for life, on and off the field.”
Shinnick has a 159-67 career coaching record, which includes a 50-24 record in seven seasons at UNC Pembroke from 2007-13, and 53-22 in seven seasons at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005.
Photo: Morgan Givens/University of West Florida
Proud To Be A Chief: Northview Falls To Hawthorne In State Championship Game (With Gallery)
December 11, 2022
The Northview Chiefs made an incredible run at the school’s second-ever state football championship.
The Chiefs had won 13-straight, but Saturday night that streak came to an end.
You could see the excitement on their faces, and the faces of over 1,000 Northview Chiefs fans headed into the game.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
But you could see the pain on their faces as the game ended with Hawthorne winning 13-2. They were the underdogs headed into Gene Cox Stadium. Just a little team from a little place called Bratt, from a stadium that sits next to a cotton field and behind the FFA’s cow pasture.
A band of brothers with a family of Chiefs behind them who put up a heck of a fight for the FHSAA 1-Rural state title.
A state championship was the ultimate goal, but head coach Wes Summerford said his Chiefs should still be proud of the winningest season in school history.
“You know number two in the state ain’t bad in the state of Florida. We are one of the top four or five states in football,” he said. “They’ve got a lot to be proud of…not every year you are going to get to come to this…I think they’ll remember the trip anyways for the rest of their lives. Even though we didn’t come on top and didn’t do what we wanted to do.”
It was the first game of the entire season in which Northview did not score a touchdown.
Jamarkus Jefferson was held to just 35 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving. Quarterback Kaden Odom had 132 yards passing and 40 yards rushing.
Hawthorne had 218 yards rushing; Northview just 86 net yards rushing on 30 attempts. With 132 yards passing, Northview had 218 total offensive yards while the Hornets had 257.
“I’m just proud of these guys,” Northview head coach Wes Summerford said. “The stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and the stuff that they have been through, and just battled back from that. I just told them we played a good team tonight and it wasn’t our night. Hawthorne is a good team, been here three times, and we just didn’t do the stuff we needed to do to win a football game tonight.”
“I’m proud to be a Northview Chief.”
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
