Northview’s Jamarkus Jefferson Receives Player Of The Year, Other Honors From State Coaches Group
November 16, 2022
Northview Chief Jamarkus Jefferson has received numerous honors from the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA).
FACA named Jefferson:
- 1st Team All District Running Back (all classifications)
- 1st Team All Star Nomination FACA District 1 MVP (all classifications)
- FACA District 1 Player Of The Year (all classifications)
In addition, Jefferson is nominated for the Florida Dairy Farmers 1R Player of the Year and Mr. Football for the State of Florida, according to Northview head coach Wes Summerford. Those honors have not yet been named.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century’s Buck Showalter Named National League Manager Of The Year
November 16, 2022
Buck Showalter of the New York Mets was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday night.
Showalter took home his fourth such honor on Tuesday night, receiving eight of a possible 30 first-place votes in National League balloting. The accolade pulls him even with Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox for the most Manager of the Year Awards in history.
Showalter is the only manager to win the award with four different franchises, as well as one of eight to earn it in both leagues He previously won with the Yankees in 1994, the Rangers in 2004 and the Orioles in 2014. Showalter and Yogi Berra are the only managers to guide both the Mets and Yankees to the playoffs.
“I’m hoping, and rightfully so, that it’s something that everybody takes great pride in,” Showalter said. “It is a recognition of the organization as a whole. The challenge is to maintain and sustain that credibility that you’ve worked so hard for the organization to have. … It’s a great honor for the organization and the coaching staff and so many people that went into the year.”
Showalter owns the second-most wins in Major League history without a World Series title (1,652), trailing only Gene Mauch (1,902) in that category. He is 19th overall on the all-time MLB wins list.
Now 66 years old, Showalter joined the Mets last offseason.
Showalter’s family moved to Century in the late 1950’s. His father served as a teacher, coach and principal at Century High School and Carver Middle in Century for 23 years. Buck Showalter, know as “Nat” to the locals, played Little League ball in a thriving program in Century, and he graduated from Century High School. Century’s modern day Showalter Park bears the family name in honor of his father.
Tate High Cheerleaders Take Top Honors At Battle Of The Breeze
November 15, 2022
The Tate High School cheerleaders opened their competitive season recently in the Battle of the Breeze Cheer Competition.
The varsity squad placed first and were grand champions in the high school division. The Tate junior varsity team placed first in the JV high school division and was awarded for Best Jumps.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High Cross Country Team Presents Annual Awards
November 15, 2022
The Northview High School Cross Country team recently held their annual awards banquet.
The following awards were presented:
- Coaches Award: James McElhaney, senior
- Girls Most Valuable Player: Shelby Kent, senior, and Chloe Criswell, junior
- Boys Most Valuable Player: James McElhaney, senior
- Cross Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes Spirit Award: Drake Allen Driskell, senior and Chloe Criswell, junior
- Jim Ross Memorial Award: Michael Cody, senior
- Jumni Ross Memorial Award: Raven McCarthy, senior
- Recognized as Team Captains: Michael Cody, senior; James McElhaney, senior; Shelby Kent, senior; Chloe Criswell, junior James McElhaney, senior; Shelby Kent, senior; Chloe Criswell, junior
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Football Earns No. 3 Seed, Will Host Limestone On Saturday
November 14, 2022
The University of West Florida football team was awarded the No. 3 seed in Super Region 2 of the 2022 NCAA Division 2 Football Championship as announced by the NCAA on Sunday.
UWF will face Limestone on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. at Pen Air Field on the UWF campus.
UWF is 9-1 on the year and shared the Gulf South Conference championship at 6-1 for the second-consecutive season. The Argos have one of the top offenses in the country, ranking tenth with 473.2 yards of total offense and seventh in rushing offense at 243.2 yards per game. Their 43.8 points per game are fourth nationally.
The Argonauts are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and have a 9-2 all-time record, making them the winningest team in D2 history at .818. UWF won the 2021 national championship and was the 2019 national runner-up prior to last year’s first round loss to Newberry. UWF is 53-20 in its history after starting play in 2016.
Limestone won a program-record eight games this season to finish 8-3 after going winless in 2021. The Saints went 7-2 in the South Atlantic Conference to tie four other schools for the top record in the league. UWF is 3-2 all-time against SAC programs.
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices are $15 for Home Side chairback seats and $10 for East Side bleachers behind the visiting team bench. UWF student tickets are $5.
Tickets will go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m.
PARKING INFORMATION
Tailgating and parking lots will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Season ticket holders with a parking pass in their package can use the blue NCAA Postseason Parking Pass that was included in your packet at the beginning of the season. All other game day parking will be $10 for cars and $40 for RVs. All RV parking is located in Lot 5.
Stadium gates will open at noon.
Pictured: The Argonauts have been four of the last five NCAA playoffs. Photo Morgan Givens/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Registration Open For Tate Lady Aggies Softball Skills Clinic On Nov. 17
November 13, 2022
Tate Lady Aggies Softball will hold a fall skills clinic on November 17.
The clinic will take place from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. Check in time is 4:45 p.m. with a cost of $50. Payment can b e made by Venmo @TateSoftball or by cash, check or card. Same day registration is available, or register online by clicking here.
Participants should have tennis shoes for use of the indoor hitting facility and gym.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Seventh Ranked Argos Roll Into Postseason After Blowout Win At Mississippi College
November 13, 2022
On the team’s coldest football game of this season, UWF’s offense could not have been any hotter.
The seventh-ranked Argos (9-1) scored touchdowns with their first eight possessions in a 56-21 blowout win against Mississippi College that sends road-thriving UWF into the NCAA Division II playoffs with another full steam of momentum.
With a 42-degree temperature at kickoff at Robinson-Hale Stadium, the Argos quickly served notice of their proficiency by scoring in just four plays on the game’s opening series.
Quarterback Peewee Jarrett threw the first of his four touchdown passes on a perfect play call and 54-yard delivery to David Durden, who finished with 173 yards in receptions and two scores. Jarrett’s four touchdown passes on a 9-for-11 day with for 246 yards, were complimented by his two rushing touchdowns. Of the 16 times he either threw the ball or ran it, he accounted for six touchdowns.
“Just everything clicked,” said UWF coach Pete Shinnick. “(Mississippi College) tried to do some different things than they did the first game (a 45-17 Argos’ win on Oct. 22), so it really opened a lot of our passing lanes and Peewee just picked up right where he left off last week… on fire.
“So it was very exciting to see us firing on all cylinders.”
In fact, UWF did not punt until the final minute of the game with their backup players on the field.
This 15th consecutive road win assured UWF of a home playoff game next Saturday (Nov. 19) – the first-ever, on-campus postseason game at Pen Air Field. The Argos were a No. 3 seed in this week’s NCAA Super Region 2 rankings and will learn their playoff matchup during the Division II selection show at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
UWF traveled back Saturday night knowing this might have been the team’s most complete game of the season.
The Argos churned out a school-record 12.4 yards per play with 483 yards of total offense on just 39 plays – the fewest in UWF’s 73 all-time games.
The Argos led 35-14 at halftime, after scoring in just nine seconds, another Jarrett long pass, after a kickoff followed a Mississippi College touchdown.
Mississippi College starting quarterback John Henry White sustained a shoulder injury after leading the Choctaws to a tying touchdown in the first quarter. From that point, UWF took advantage and was able to contain the Choctaws’ triple-option, run-oriented attack.
“(Defense) was fantastic across the board. We challenged them to show up and play great football, challenged them to get-after it and they did,” Shinnick said. “It was very exciting to see them play that way. Now, going into the playoffs I feel good about the way we have prepared and now we just have to keep this thing rolling.”
Remarkably, UWF has not lost a road game since November 9, 2019 at Valdosta State in a game that decided the GSC Champion that year. The Argos started the streak two weeks later with a win at Wingate.
And what happened after that? Well, the Argos finished 13-2 by winning the NCAA Division II national championship in only their fourth season, including five post-season wins away from Pensacola.
They enter the playoffs having attained their fourth season of nine or more wins, all of which have resulted in playoff trips for a football program only six years in existence.
Like so many of UWF’s football feats, it’s something unheard of in collegiate football history.
“Well, looking back, we wanted to be competitive, we wanted to find a way to get into the playoffs, but what we really wanted to do is just become one of the best teams in this area,” said Shinnick, who has been UWF’s head coach since being announced in January 2014, two years before the team began playing.
“We don’t take anything for granted. We didn’t assume any of this would happen, but we are really blessed how our guys have worked and to be in the position we are in.”
Saturday’s game at Mississippi College did not count in the Gulf South Conference standings, but it was vital for UWF’s overall record in keeping its region seeding and playoff aspirations. The GSC opted to have the final Saturday of the 2022 regular season be rematch games within the conference, because of the difficulty in scheduling.
UWF only played 10 games after one opponent opted against playing UWF this year.
“We are a league that not a lot of people want to play,” Shinnick said. “We only have eight D-2 games, because we had to play an NAIA opponent (Warner University in the season opener). So, this really gives everyone that ninth D-2 game that we are all fighting and scratching to do.
“Next year, we are discussing when this game should take place, but it is really so we can all have quality D-2 games. I know we have this set up the next couple years, because there are really not a lot of options.”
The Choctaws (4-7) came out early in Saturday’s game answering UWF’s fast start. After the first TD pass to Durden, the Choctaws tied the game on a 14-play, 86-yard drive that ate up eight minutes of the first quarter clock.
Jarrett, however, quickly got UWF back in front with a five-play, 76-yard series that was finished with a 38-yard pass to Jared Smith. After the Argos defense got a fourth-down stop at their 35, the Jarrett-Durden connection went for 30 yards and eventually set up Jarrett’s 1-yard rushing score.
Another defensive stop ensued and Durden returned a punt to the Choctaws’ 43. The next snap, Jarrett connected with Caden Leggett on a 43-yard TD with 5:38 in the half.
Jarrett ended his day before the third quarter ended. Backup Michael Rich Jr. completed his first two passes on a 4-for-5 day and led UWF to its final two scores.
By Bill Vilona, UWF. Photo: Morgan Givens/UWF.
High School Football Playoff Scoreboard
November 12, 2022
Here are the Friday night football playoff scores from across the North Escambia area.
Class 1R
- Holmes County 49, Freeport 20
- Northview will host Holmes County on 11/18
- Baker 33, Bozeman 14
- Chipley will host Baker on 11/18
Class 2S
- Pensacola Catholic 45, Wakulla 21
- Catholic will be at Florida State University High on 11/18
- West Florida 35, Bay 0
- West Florida will be at Suwannee on 11/18
Class 3S
- Pine Forest 35, Rickards 15
- Pine Forest will host winner of Saturday game: St. Augustine vs. Choctawhatchee
- Escambia 42, Middleburg 18
- Escambia will host Columbia on 11/18
Class 4S
- Crestview 26, Niceville 21
- Buchholz 35, Pace 34
- Crestview will host Buchholz on 11/18
- Creekside 47, Navarre 20
ALABAMA
- Handley 27, T.R. Miller 14
- Saint James 42, W.S. Neal 21
SEC Soccer Tournament Sets Attendance Records, Provides Local Economic Boost
November 8, 2022
The SEC Soccer Tournament held at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park had far exceeded expectations by the time South Carolina upset the No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide Sunday afternoon.
The bleachers were full of fans, aisles in the bleachers were full of fans and the areas around fences were standing room only. It was absolutely packed inside the stadium off 10 Mile Road, as were the parking lots.
According to the SEC, there were 3,025 in attendance — the largest crowd for a game in the 37 years of SEC women’s soccer. The overall tournament also set a SEC record with 10,450 total fans.
By Monday, Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes was meeting with his staff to determine how to handle larger crowds next year; Escambia County will host the SEC Soccer Tournament through 2024,
And officials were taking stocking of what are expected to be long-range economic benefits for Escambia County and Pensacola for the tournament that aired live on the SEC Network.
“The heads and beads is absolutely invaluable; we’ll be able to put a price tag on what kind of economic impact that brings,” Rhodes said. “But sometimes what you can’t put a price tag on is the nine games of live coverage on the SEC Network…showcasing Pensacola and Escambia County.”
“I think the opportunity for Pensacola and Northwest Florida to be showcased on the SEC Network as a partner with ESPN is huge for our community,” Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer said. “We hope this gives us the opportunity to show people Pensacola and give them a reason to come back for something else, like world class beaches, history and downtown.”
And there’s another benefit from the tournament, the parks director said. Now that the tournament is packed up and gone for a year, upgrades to the facilities at Ashton Brosnaham remain to benefit local residents. There’s new turf on the stadium field, enhancements on the practice field, new fencing around the perimeter of the field along with other improvements.
“We made a lot of enhancements to brighten the facility. The SEC is here one week out of the year, but for 365 days a year our job is to serve the residents and the soccer community, Rhodes said. “We know they (local players) are going to be proud, and they’ll always be able to say that they’re playing at the venue that the SEC Soccer Tournament was held at.”
RELATED:
- South Carolina Upsets No. 1 Seed Alabama For SEC Tournament Title (With Photo Gallery)
- Ole Miss Shuts Out LSU; Mississippi State Tops Texas A&M. And Escambia County Wins In SEC Tourney Day One
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview To Host Playoff Games On Drive To State Championship Game
November 7, 2022
The Northview Chiefs are headed down the Drive to December in their quest for a 1R state championship. And Northview will have the home field advantage. As long as the Chiefs are contenders, they will host all playoff through the state semifinals.
No. 1 Northview and No 2. Chipley will sit out this Friday night with byes.
On Friday night, Nov. 18, Northview will host the winner of the Nov. 11 game between No. 4 Freeport and No. 5 Holmes County. Chipley will host either No. 3 Baker and No. 6 Bozeman.
The regional final is Nov. 25, and the State Semifinals are Dec. 2.
The 1R 1M, 1S & 2S state championships will be December 8-10 at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee. The Florida High School Athletic Association has not announced the exact date for 1R.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
