High School Football Scoreboard
October 1, 2022
Here are Friday night football scores from across the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Milton 21, Tate 7 [Story, photos...]
- Pine Forest 54, Fort Walton Beach 0
- West Florida 50, Walton 29
- Jay 25, Destin 6
- Escambia 18, Booker T. Washington 15
- Pensacola Catholic 35, Pensacola High 8
- Gulf Breeze 35, Pace 28
- Baker 48, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy 7
- Bye: Northview, Navarre
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 38, Hooper Academy 20
- Thomasville 28, Flomaton 20
- Jackson 49, Escambia County (Atmore) 21
- W.S. Neal 9, Cottage Hill 0
- T.R. Miller 28, Bayside Academy 3
Pictured: Tate traveled to Milton Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Return Home With The Southern League Championship Trophy
September 30, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos returned home late Thursday afternoon from Kodak, Tennessee, with a little extra hardware.
As they exited their bus at Wahoos Stadium, the setting sun was glistening off their new Southern League Championship trophy.
The Wahoos beat the Tennessee Smokies 11-4 Wednesday night to claim the title as they wrapped up their 10th anniversary season.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Win Southern League Title
September 29, 2022
The Blue Wahoos just put a shining, championship bow Wednesday night on their special, 10th anniversary season.
Exhibiting the resiliency that carried them to this point, the Blue Wahoos got a fifth inning, grand slam, from infielder Cobie Fletcher-Vance to turn the game, then rode the strength of their pitching to cruise into an 11-4 win against the Tennessee Smokies in the deciding game of the Southern League championship series.
After losing Sunday’s first game 4-1 to the Smokies at Blue Wahoos Stadium, the Blue Wahoos won twice on the road at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee – located east of Knoxville — to claim the first outright Southern League title in franchise history. They were co-champions in 2017 when weather concerns wiped out the championship series.
In their 10-year history, the Blue Wahoos have been to post-season six different times with three different affiliations. They became the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate in 2021. Manager Kevin Randel won a championship as a player in the Marlins organization and now did as the Blue Wahoos manager.
The Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ long-time Double-A affiliate, who knocked off the Rocket City Trash Pandas – the league’s best record team — were seeking their first Southern League title since 1978.
Trailing 3-2 in the fifth, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases on two walks and an error. Fletcher-Vance then blasted the first pitch he saw from reliever Blake Whitney over the left field wall, just inside the foul pole and above the fence line.
They expande6-3 lead with a four-run seventh inning. The first five batters reached on hits, including Fletcher-Vance who drove in his fifth run in the game with a bases-loaded single. Pinch-hitter J.D. Osborne followed with a two-run double. The fourth run scored when reliever Riley Martin failed to catch a throw from his catcher Harrison Wenson after a pitch.
From that point, the bullpen finished it off. Sean Reynolds, the reliever star of back-to-back wins against the Montgomery Biscuits in the South Division series, recorded the final five outs to celebrate again with teammates.
The game began with an incredible start from Blue Wahoos 19-year-old star prospect Eury Perez. The 19-year-old Perez tied a Minor League Baseball record by striking out the first eight batters he faced.
But he ran into trouble with two outs in the third as the Smokies took a 3-2 lead, causing Perez to throw 40 pitches in that inning and requiring the bullpen to be summoned earlier than hoped.
The Blue Wahoos regained an emotional edge two innings later.
Nasim Nunez led off by hitting a grounder that Tennessee first baseman Nelson Maldanado mishandled for an error. Will Banfield followed with a walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. With one out, Griffin Conine checked his swing on a 3-2 pitch and the umpires agreed to load bases.
That moment became pivotal.
On the next pitch, Fletcher-Vance clubbed a sinker out of the ballpark and the Blue Wahoos never trailed again.
The Blue Wahoos were Southern League co-champions in 2017 with the Chattanooga Lookouts, after the league opted to cancel the title series due to concern with a hurricane approaching from the Gulf of Mexico.
This time, the Blue Wahoos twice won best-of-three series after dropping the first game. They forced a deciding game against the Montgomery Biscuits in the South Division series, after trailing 5-0 at one point. They won the deciding game 1-0 on a sensational game-saving catch from centerfielder Thomas Jones.
BLUE WAHOOS IN POST-SEASON
- 2015 Lost South Division Series 0-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2016 Lost South Division Series 1-3 vs. Mississippi Braves
- 2017 Won Southern League Co-Championship 3-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- 2018 Lost South Division Series 1-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2019 Lost South Division Series 2-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2021 Won South Division Series 2-1 vs. Montgomery Biscuits, Won Southern League Championship Series 2-1 vs. Tennessee Smokies.
The 2023 Blue Wahoos season will open on April 7, 2023.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Blue Wahoos Still Alive In Championship Series After 7-1 Win Over Smokies
September 28, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos forced a winner-take-all Game Three of the Southern League Championship Series on Tuesday night, defeating the Tennessee Smokies by a score of 7-1.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning with two outs, the Blue Wahoos exploded for seven runs against the Tennessee bullpen. The win sets up a decisive game in Tennessee on Wednesday with the Southern League Championship on the line.
Patrick Monteverde (W, 1-0) was sharp for Pensacola, delivering 5.0 solid innings, though he surrendered an RBI double to Yonathan Perlaza in the third to give the Smokies a 1-0 lead.
Tennessee starter Riley Thompson was even better, tossing 5.0 scoreless frames for the Smokies, but was failed by his bullpen. Will Banfield led off the sixth with a double against Dalton Stambaugh, and Cobie Fletcher-Vance tied the game with a two-out RBI single against Michael McAvene (L, 0-1). Things snowballed on McAvene in his Double-A debut, as Davis Bradshaw and Marcus Chiu singled to load the bases before Thomas Jones drew a walk to force in the go-ahead run.
Demetrius Sims followed with a chopper to deep third that was thrown into foul territory, scoring two more runs to extend the lead to 4-1. RBI singles from Banfield and Norel González capped the seven-run outburst, putting the Blue Wahoos ahead for good.
Cody Mincey and Andrew McInvale worked the final four innings in relief of Monteverde to close out the win.
Game three of the Southern League Championship Series from Smokies Stadium takes place Wednesday evening.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate Aggies Volleyball Honors Three On Senior Night
September 27, 2022
Tate High volleyball honored three players on senior night Monday.
The three senior Aggies are setter Kaylen Brock, libero Ansli Brown, and setter Alahna Erd.
In Monday night’s game, Tate swept Pensacola High in three straight, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18.
Pictured above: Tate volleyball seniors Kaylen Brock, Ansli Brown and Alahna Erd. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bonus Photos: Northview Football Fans, Band, Cheerleaders, NJROTC
September 26, 2022
For the first time in a decade, the Northview Chiefs beat the Baker Gators Friday night.
For a bonus photo gallery with fans, the band, cheerleaders and NROTC, click or tap here.
For a game action story and photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Fall To Smokies In Game One Of Championship Series
September 26, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 4-1 to the Tennessee Smokies on Sunday afternoon in Game One of the best-of-three Southern League Championship Series.
The Smokies, who defeated Rocket City in the Division Series, kept their momentum with a three-run first inning against Luis Palacios (L, 0-1). A bases-loaded walk to Chase Strumpf was followed by a missed catch error from Bubba Hollins on a pickoff attempt that scored two more Tennessee runs to put the Smokies ahead 3-0.
Tennessee’s lone run-scoring hit came in the third, as Nelson Maldonado hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0. The Pensacola bullpen combined for six scoreless innings, but the Smokies bullpen was just as dominant.
The Blue Wahoos finally built a threat in the fourth against Smokies starter D.J. Herz, but a run-scoring error from second baseman Chase Strumpf would prove to be the only Pensacola run of the game. Riley Martin (W, 1-0), in his Double-A debut, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in relief of Herz to foil the last significant threat of the night.
Bailey Horn (S, 1) stranded two runners in the ninth to finish off a six-out save for the Smokies, sending them back to Tennessee needing only one more win to secure a Southern League title.
Game Two of the Southern League Championship Series at Smokies Stadium will be Tuesday night.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Northview Beats Baker 49-10 (With Photo Gallery)
September 24, 2022
The Northview Chiefs last beat the Baker Gators in 2012. That was the year the Chiefs went all the way to Orlando and brought back the state championship.
But Friday night in Bratt, the Chiefs were hungry for the win as they beat Baker 49-10.
“I told you there wasn’t going to be any problem with motivation this week,” head coach Wesley Summerford said. “They played a great game tonight and did what we asked them to do. We had several players really contributing right across the board; all of them contributed some piece to the win.”
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. Look for a gallery with the cheerleaders, bands, fans, ROTC and more by Monday.
Jamarkus Jefferson led the Chiefs with 236 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns, and Luke Bridges had added touchdowns.
Northview opened the scoring with a 5-yard pass from Odom to Aiden Broadhead to put the Chiefs up 7-0 after a good kick from Brandon Ferguson. Later the first, Jefferson was in from 15 yards out to expand the Chiefs lead to 14-0.
Baker was on the board with a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the second, 14-7 NHS leading. The Gators made a 25-yard field goal with about two minutes to go in the half to move within four, 14-10. But the Chiefs were looking for a few more points before the bands played at the half with a 59-yard rushing TD from Jefferson. At the half, NHS was up 21-10.
The Chiefs were last 5-0 back in in 2010 before losing their next game to Freeport. In 2006, they reached 9-0 before dropping the last game of the season to Chipley. As for 2012 when they won that state championship, the Chiefs opened that year at 1-1 after losing their second game to Marianna. They finished 2012 at 11-3.
The Chiefs have are off next week before three games on the road beginning with Blountstown on October 7.
“I think where we are right now, out kids our going to embrace that off week,” Summerford said, adding that he did give them Monday off from practice.
“So we celebrate that, and I told them Tuesday we’ve got to get back to work and get back on the ground.”
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
High School Football Scoreboard
September 24, 2022
Here are this week’s North Escambia area high school football scores
FLORIDA
- Northview 49, Baker 10 [Game story, photos...]
- Holmes County 42, Jay 23
- Pine Forest 35, West Florida 21
- Escambia 41, Milton 0
- Washington 42, LeFlorida 6
- Pensacola Catholic 31, Mobile Christian 28
- Navarre 38, Leon 7
- Gulf Breeze 38, Pensacola High 8 (Thursday)
- Bye Week: Tate, Pace
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 25, Valiant Cross Academy 18
- Escambia County (Atmore) 20, Monroe County 0
- Bye Week: Flomaton, W.S. Neal, T.R. Miller
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs took downed Baker 49-10 Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photoclick to enlarge.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Advance To Southern League Championship Series
September 24, 2022
Dax Fulton struck out a career-high 13 batters over 6.0 scoreless innings as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos defeated the Montgomery Biscuits 1-0 in Game Three of the Southern League Division Series on Friday night.
Norel González delivered the only run of the evening with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, and Thomas Jones saved the game with a tremendous catch at the center field wall in the bottom of the ninth to secure Pensacola’s first ever trip to the Southern League Championship Series.
Fulton allowed only one hit over 6.0 innings as the Blue Wahoos pitching staff fanned a season-high 19 Biscuits batters. Chandler Jozwiak (W, 1-0) kept the game scoreless with 2.0 clean innings before Sean Reynolds (S, 1) worked around a two-out jam in the ninth.
Pensacola couldn’t solve either Mason Montgomery or Evan McKendry, who combined for 6.0 scoreless innings in a tandem start for the Bsicuits. They finally built a threat in the eighth against Joe LaSorsa (L, 1-1), as Jones led off the inning with a double off the left field wall. Nasim Nuñez bunted him to third before González delivered the go-ahead RBI single to put Pensacola in front 1-0.
Reynolds got the first two outs in the ninth without issue, but allowed singles to Kyle Manzardo and Ronny Simon to keep the game alive for Montgomery. Pinch hitter Jordan Qsar lifted a 3-2 pitch deep to center field that sent Jones to the warning track before making the catch and crashing into the fence to end the game.
The Blue Wahoos claimed their only league title in 2017, when they earned a Southern League Co-Championship in a season shortened by Hurricane Irma. They will play the winner of the North Division semifinal, either Rocket City or Tennessee, in the best-of-three Southern League Championship Series beginning on Sunday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos