Friday Night’s Football Playoff Schedule
November 29, 2019
Here are Friday night’s high school football playoff games in the North Escambia vicinity:
FLORIDA
6A State Semifinal
Gaither (Tampa) (12-1) at Escambia (13-0) , 7:30 p.m.
1A State Semifinal
Baker (11-1) at Blountstown (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
ALABAMA
3A State Semifinal
T.R. Miller (10-4) at Mobile Christian (8-4), 7 p.m.
Pictured: T.R. Miller’s Darius Webb with a touchdown catch last Friday night as the Tigers defeated Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Mostly Sunny For Friday And Saturday; Storms Saturday Night
November 29, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Calm wind.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Light and variable wind becoming south 10 to 15 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of showers before midnight, then showers and thunderstorms likely between midnight and 3am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3am. Low around 59. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then a slight chance of showers between 9am and noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 32. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 65.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
Defense Building On UWF Foundation For Saturday’s Playoff Game
November 29, 2019
Maybe the most defining moment in the University of West Florida football season occurred in the fourth game, just when an emotional edge had switched to the opposite sideline.
Mississippi College had used a 13-play, 89-yard drive in the final 3:39 to forge a 21-21 tie on a running play as time expired. UWF was now facing its first overtime game in team history.
Head coach Pete Shinnick never hesitated. He sent the Argos defense back on the field.
“I looked at them and said, ‘Hey we’re going to stick our defense back out there.’ That’s how much I believed in them,” Shinnick said.
Faith was rewarded. The Argos got a quarterback sack and stop. No points. The Argos took their possession and won the game 27-21.
Since then? Six wins in seven games, leading into Saturday’s NCAA Division II Super Region Two semifinal game at 1 p.m. (EST) in a road rematch at No. 1 ranked, unbeaten Valdosta State.
“I think that was a signature stop for us,” said UWF defensive coordinator Darian Dulin, the architect behind a defense which has progressed with the infancy of the program. “That last drive our guys were really upset about giving up that score.
“From that moment on, they kinda took the attitude that, hey, we can control our destiny from here on what this going to look like. And we’re going to play with a different mindset. From that point on they have really been playing good football.”
Just as the Argos improbable and magical 2017 run to the D-2 national title game was buoyed by defensive prowess, this season includes similarities.
Even with the lone aberration in the 48-37 shootout win against West Alabama – a game two weeks ago when the teams’ offenses combined for 1,091 yards – UWF’s defensive numbers stand among national leaders in several categories.
UWF is eighth nationally in scoring defense, yielding 15.3 points per-game. The Argos are tied for 10thin red-zone defense, giving up just 11 touchdowns in opponents’ 31 trips inside the 20. They are 16thin passing efficiency defense, which includes 10 interceptions.
“You gotta have a great defense to compete,” Shinnick said. “And I have felt great about our defense. It’s been that way all season.”
The Argos (9-2), fresh off a 38-17 playoff win at Wingate where they led 31-3 in the fourth quarter, face a repeat challenge against Valdosta State (10-0), which ranks No. 4 nationally in total offense, averaging 523.2 yards-per game.
In the first meeting Nov. 9, the Blazers amassed 526 yards against UWF, but were held to just two touchdowns through three quarters in their eventual 26-21 victory. After scoring touchdowns in two of their first three possessions, UWF later forced field goals with stops at their own 2 and 3, which changed the entire game for the second half.
“It kept us in the game,” Shinnick said. “So that was huge. But we also kept (UWF defense) on the field a long time. We’ve got to get them off on some third downs, we’ve got to get them off, earlier.”
Led by junior quarterback Rogan Wells, who has passed for 2,315 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 680 yards and six scores, the Blazers have one of the most dynamic, dual-threat, quarterbacks in Division II.
He has triggered a offense which carried the Blazers to a 14-0 record in 2018 and the D-2 national title.
“It’s probably going to go down as one of the better offenses in the history of Division II, two years in a row averaging over 500 yards a game,” Shinnick said. “That’s tough to do at any level, at any place. (Wells) is going to go down as an All-American, a Harlon Hill finalist (the D-2 version of Heisman Trophy).
“I think this is a unique collection of players that Valdosta has. What they have done offensively to average the yardage they have over the last 25 games… not many people can do that.”
UWF, however, rallied from a 20-0 deficit at halftime of the previous game to have a chance to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
The Argos’ defense has been a reflection of its coach, third-year defensive coordinator Darian Dulin, whose impact has helped UWF make rapid progression with a roster that has gone through natural.
Defensive back Trent Archie, one of the charter members from UWF’s inaugural season, has joined with linebacker Andre Duncombe to help bridge the transition. Archie has embraced Dulin’s defensive philosophy and his constant intensity on the sideline.
“If you have a defensive coordinator that is not fired up, are you really going to get fired up on the field?” said Archie, who was the team’s third leading tackler in 2017 and now second-leading tackler in 2019. “I think coach Dulin really adds to that. Once we see him get hyped, we get hyped and we feed off that. I think that leads to success.
“He’s been a very aggressive coach. He likes to bring pressure. Likes to get in your face as a defense. We like that.”
Archie can remember how all of this started, back when UWF was just trying to have introductory practices on converted intramural fields with a post-practice therapy area at the Skeeter Carson Tennis Center.
From that basic start, the program four years later is back in the playoff field in Division II.
“We were just some young’uns out there, just trying to play, having a dream,” Archie said. “Now the dream has come true.
“Coach Shinnick had a big impact on it. When he came in, he made us believe in his culture and everything with it, along with having integrity.”
Both Shinnick and Dulin had a sense in the summer this team’s defensive group could be special, provided injuries were at a minimum and newcomers could make smooth transitions.
“I think you always hope, and you pray, that’s what you’re going to have when you put it together,” Dulin said. “We felt like we did a good job recruiting. We got some guys we felt fit our needs and some guys we had coming back who we knew could be great.
“But you always worry about how this is all going to jell together. Are these guys going to pick up our system and all that stuff? I think our guys have done a great job of getting better every day and playing hard.”
Shinnick, who had not coached with Dulin prior to hiring him, has seen Dulin’s influence for three seasons.
“He’s been a great ambassador for UWF and what we believe in and what we are trying to do,” Shinnick said. “Great energy. Great excitement. He takes every rep serious and our guys know that and they want to go out and play well for him.
It’s led to UWF preparing for another playoff game on Thanksgiving week.
“Nothing better than that. In D-2 football, to be practicing on Thanksgiving is a great thing,” Shinnick said.
Charles Raymond Chavers
November 29, 2019
Mr. Charles Raymond Chavers of Molino, FL passed away on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, FL at the age of 64.
Charles first worked at the CSX railroad for a few years, before furthering his education. He graduated from Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, AL, with an associates degree in nursing. Upon receiving his degree, he started his life long career as a nurse by becoming a home health nurse. From there he began working at Jay Hospital and then becoming a senior registered nurse at Century Correctional Institute, where he retired of in spring 2016.
Everyone who knew Charles, knew he was a very patient and strong man of God. His home church was Victory Assembly of God in Cantonment. Charles was always willing to lend a helping hand to his neighbors, and family was everything to him. He was an avid Alabama fan, even if he would sometimes say “I am just for the winning team”.
Charles enjoyed spending time at home with his loving wife of 37-years, playing guitar and fishing with his son, an also attending Blue Wahoo’s games and visiting Krispy Kreme with his daughter. He loved to volunteer his time with the local Northview and Ernest Ward FFA chapters. Charles found joy in cutting grass around his home, and working on his 2007 blue Ford F-150 which he loved to always show off and always wanted to look “neat”.
He is preceded in death by his father, Raymond Chavers; brother, Terry Chavers, nephew, Jason Griffin; niece, Jill Griffin; cousin, Vivian Pate; mother-in-law, Rose Griffin and his father-in-law, Ralph Griffin.
He is survived by his loving wife, Ruth Ann Chavers of Molino; children, Charles Lee and Tabitha Faye Chavers of Molino; mother, Alice Chavers of Brewton, AL; brother, David Chavers of Brewton, AL; nephews, Andrew Chavers, Garrett Griffin, Travis Sterback; nieces, Ashley and Amanda Chavers, Tiffany, Paige and Emily Griffin, Megan Washington, Sheena St. Pierre, Sherry Charbonneau and Jenna House; brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law, Jerry and Cheryl Griffin of Dayton, TX, Ronald and Annette Griffin of Seminole, AL and Ralph Jr. and Debby of Cantonment, FL; along with countless friends, cousins and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Cantonment Rotary Provides Thanksgiving Meals For Nearly 1,400 People
November 28, 2019
Over 1,500 people can enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to the members and friends of the Cantonment Rotary Club.
Wednesday the club distributed everything for a turkey meal to 272 families North Escambia area, including Quintette and Carver Park. The recipients were chosen with the help of local school guidance counselors who helped identify families that might need a little help this time of year.
The Cantonment Rotary project continues to grow each year. In 2017, they provided meals for 545 people, and in 2018 it was 988 people.
The Publix at Nine Mile provided generous support for the Cantonment Rotary project.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Accidentally Shot In Molino
November 28, 2019
A woman was accidently shot in Molino Wednesday night.
It happened about 8 p.m. at a home on Sunshine Ridge Court, in Sunshine Hill Estates, a new subdivision off Sunshine Hill Road. The woman was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital.
The accidental shooting occurred after the gun was removed from a gun safe by another person that believed it was not loaded, according to Sgt. Melanie Peterson, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The person pulled the trigger, accidently shooting the adult female.
Peterson said she is expected to recover. No charges were filed.
In addition to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Pictured: LifeFlight lifts from an accidental shooting Wednesday night in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Thanksgiving Dinner Costs About The Same This Year, Farm Bureau Says
November 28, 2019
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 34th annual survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $48.91, or less than $5.00 per person. This is a 1-cent increase from last year’s average of $48.90.
The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – costs slightly less than last year, at $20.80 for a 16-pound bird. That’s roughly $1.30 per pound, down 4% from last year. The survey results show that retail turkey prices are the lowest since 2010.
The shopping list for Farm Bureau’s informal survey includes turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty for leftovers.
Although the overall average cost of the meal was about the same this year, there were some price changes for individual items. In addition to turkey, foods that showed slight price declines include cubed bread stuffing and canned pumpkin pie mix. Foods showing modest increases this year included dinner rolls, sweet potatoes and milk. After adjusting for inflation, the cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is $19.13, down slightly from last year.
The opinion poll revealed that 90% of Americans celebrate the holiday with a special meal and turkey remains a staple for 95% of consumers, while half serve both turkey and ham at their Thanksgiving meal. In recognition of changes in Thanksgiving dinner traditions, the Farm Bureau price survey includes ham, potatoes and frozen green beans. Adding these foods to the classic Thanksgiving menu increased the overall cost slightly, to $62.32 or just over $6 per person.
Despite the growing popularity of prepared foods, the vast majority of Americans, 92%, celebrate Thanksgiving at home or at a family member’s home and most cook their entire meal at home, according to the survey.
More than 250 volunteer shoppers checked prices at grocery stores in 38 states for this year’s survey. Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals.
Happy Thanksgiving! Great Weather Today; Rain By Saturday Night
November 28, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area Thanksgiving forecast:
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 34.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 59.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 64.
Miracle League Holds Annual Turkey Fry
November 28, 2019
The Miracle League of Pensacola held their annual turkey fry fundraiser Wednesday at their park on East Nine Mile Road.
Volunteers with the Miracle League spent their day frying turkeys for a minimum donation, with all of the proceeds going to benefit the Miracle League.
The Miracle League provides physically and mentally challenged children a safe and spirited program in which they can hit, run, and catch on a baseball field – just like other kids. MLP offers a unique and memorable opportunity these children would not otherwise have. It is a place where every player plays, every player hits, every player gets on base, every player scores, and every player wins – every inning.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With DUI After Crashing Into Escambia County Deputy
November 28, 2019
An Escambia County man was charged with DUI after collided with an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy Wednesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 64-year old Glenn Warren Hofmann of Pensacola failed to yield to oncoming traffic on New Warrington Road near West Jackson Street and hit the deputy’s cruiser and a second vehicle shortly after 8 p.m.
Hofmann was booked into the Escambia County Jail for driving under the influence. and was also cited for failure to yield right of way.