High School Football Scoreboard
September 23, 2023
Here are Friday night’s North Escambia area football scores
FLORIDA
- West Florida 26, Pine Forest 23
- Escambia 37, Milton 0
- Gulf Breeze 35, Pensacola High 0
- Prince Avenue Christian 56, Pensacola Catholic 20
- Destin, 42, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy 0
- Navarre 49, Carroll (Ala.) 28
- BYES: Northview, Tate, Jay, Pace
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 27, Excel 20
- Canceled: St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, MS) at Escambia Academy
- Escambia County (Atmore) 41, Wilcox Central 20 (called 2Q)
- T.R. Miller 27, Orange Beach 14
- W.S. Neal 22, Hillcrest (Evergreen) 3
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Bettie Boutwell
September 23, 2023
Mrs. Bettie Strength Boutwell, age 73, passed away, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in Flomaton, AL; surrounded by her loving family. She resided most of her life in Flomaton and a member of Friendship Church. She worked at Starter Manufacturing with many years of service.
Mrs. Boutwell loved spending time with her family and grandchildren. She loved listening to Dolly Parton. She enjoyed traveling with her husband to many vacation destinations from the mountains of Tennessee “Dixie Stampede”; to “Silver Springs” in Florida.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Rufus A. (Perry Hammac) Strength, husband, Herman Boutwell, one son, Herman Ander Boutwell, one sister, Barbara Ann Strength, and one nephew, Billy Allen Strength.
She is survived by her one daughter, Amy (Mark) Hastings, of Flomaton, AL; two brothers, Rufus Mason (Diane) Strength, of Jay, FL; Billy (Liz) Strength, of Flomaton, AL; four sisters, Carol (Gene) Sims, of Pace, FL; Judy Kinsey, of San Antonia, TX; Mandy (Jackie) Kelly, of Pollard, AL; three grandchildren, Mark Hastings, Jr; Faith Hastings, Leanna Terry, one great-grandchild, Lillian Brown, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, September 24, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC with Rev. Glenn Johnson officiating.
Burial will follow at Travelers Rest Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 1:00 PM until service time at 2:00 PM at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC.
Pallbearers will be Stevie Emmons, David Strength, DeWayne Ballard, Johnny McCurdy, Jr. Vanhoosen, and Nathan Emmons.
Michael ‘Mike’ James Rogers
September 23, 2023
Michael “Mike” James Rogers, 74, of Cantonment, Florida, passed away Thursday, September 21, 2023. He was born in Springfield, Illinois to the late, Donald and Genevieve Rogers. He was married to Barbara “BJ” Rogers for 31 years. Mike worked as a social worker for the Lakeview Center and the State of Florida. He also worked as a car salesman, and a cable technician for several cable companies. He had a passion for photography and cars. His favorite things to do were fishing with his son, playing poker and pool, and attending races at Five Flags Speedway. He loved listening to the Beatles. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mary Rogers; brother, Patrick Rogers; and nephew, Mikey Russell.
He is survived by his wife, BJ Rogers; son, Jarrett Rogers; sisters, Kathy Perez (Joe), Martha Rogers, and Sharon Taylor Rogers; brothers, Don and John Rogers; special nephews, Sam and Noah; and many other family members and friends.
The family will receive friends for visitation from 1-2 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North (1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment). A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m., Saturday, September 30 , 2023, with Wesley Jeffcoat officiating.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with arrangements.
Man Charged With Murder Of Driver Beaten Following Fatal Pedestrian Crash In Atmore
September 22, 2023
An Atmore man was arrested Friday morning for murder in connection with the beating death of a driver following a fatal pedestrian crash in Atmore last August.
Kendrell Madison, 39, was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center following a traffic stop in Atmore about 5:40 a.m. Friday.
Alabama State Troopers said Kenneth Elbert Harrison of Silverhill, Alabama, was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe that struck 24-year old Hannah Annette Martin on Highway 31 at The Tavern of Atmore about 11:50 p.m. on August 5. The Atmore Police Department said they arrived to find Martin with severe injuries. She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
Harrison stopped his vehicle in the Tavern parking lot.
Police originally said Harrison was beaten by an angry mob, but now says Madison was solely responsible for the murder.
“While on the scene, the responding officers discovered Harrison laying on his stomach in the parking lot of the Tavern unconscious. When the officers rolled him over, they discovered that Harrison had severe injuries to his face that disfigured his facial features. Due to his extensive injuries the officers thought at the time that Harrison may have been assaulted by one or more people,” Atmore Police Sgt. Darrell McMann said Friday morning.
Harrison was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital and then airlifted to a Mobile hospital where he later died.
Police said the assault was not caught on nearby security cameras, but “valuable” audio recordings were captured.
“The investigation revealed that Harrison sustained the injuries when he was forcefully driven into the pavement and the impact caused the injuries. The assault occurred as everyone’s attention was focused on Martin. Harrison was not assaulted with a weapon nor was he assaulted by more than one person. Investigators developed a person of interest but continued to seek witnesses and await the results of search warrants that had been obtained during the investigation which led to the delay in making an arrest,” McMann said.
Atmore Police said the decision to charge Madison with murder was made in consultation with the Escambia County (AL) District Attorney’s Office.
Former Flomaton Cop Arrested Gets 10 Years For Trafficking Meth
September 22, 2023
A former Flomaton Police Department lieutenant has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking after an investigation involving law enforcement from two states and the DEA culminated in Molino.
Lopez entered a straight up plea to Judge Coleman Robison to one count of trafficking in methamphetamine 28 to 200 grams and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Lopez faced a maximum of 30 years in state prison, plus fines totaling $105,000.
Lopez arranged a narcotics deal for methamphetamine from an Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office investigator by phone and text messages. An arrest report states he arrived on December 7, 2020, at a predetermined location near the ECSO precinct in Molino and accepted the two ounces of methamphetamine from the undercover officer. He was then taken into custody by deputies and the SWAT team.
The cellphone used by Lopez to arrange the meth deal belonged to the Town of Flomaton, according to Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Health Jackson. As a result, Lopez was charged in Alabama for felony use of official position or office for personal gain.
Lopez was terminated from the Flomaton Police Department.
ECSO Using Van, Cameras To Watch Nuisance Homes 24/7
September 22, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has repurposed an aging van with over 200,000 miles as their new “Nuisance Abatement Module”.
Equipped with six cameras that provide real time feed directly to the ECSO.
“Many times, a single residence becomes a nuisance and is a drain on Sheriff’s Office resources. Our hope is that this Nuisance Abatement Module will help alleviate this drain. This module is the first of three such platforms the Sheriff’s Office will roll out as needed,” the ECSO said.
Thursday, the van was parked outside a house on North V Street where the ECSO says they have responded to more than 70 complaints in three months.
Third Candidate Prefiles For Escambia School Board District 5
September 22, 2023
A Cantonment man is the third person to prefile for the District 5 seat on the Escambia County School Board.
Jim “Andy” Taylor prefiled Thursday with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Joshua Matthew Luther and Scott Taylor previously prefiled.
The Escambia County School Board is a nonpartisan office on the 2024 ballot.
Dry And Warming Through The Weekend
September 22, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 88. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 87.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 87.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Advance To Southern League Championship
September 22, 2023
The explosion of joy, from the Blue Wahoos dugout to the party on the mound, reflected pure exhilaration.
With their fans standing and celebrating, Pensacola did it again, reaching the Southern League Championship Series with a 5-1 victory Thursday night against the Montgomery Biscuits at Blue Wahoos Stadium, clinching the divisional series in a two-game sweep.
For a team that posted so many feats this season, including the best winning percentage in club history, a record 10-game win streak, plus six new batting records, this latest one was the biggest one.
They will now face the Tennessee Smokies for a second time in the Championship Series, beginning Sunday at Tennessee. Game Two and Game Three, if necessary, will be played in Pensacola on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Blue Wahoos won the league title a year ago on the road in Tennessee.
“We have something special in this clubhouse, this group of guys,” said lefthander Patrick Monteverde, who delivered a sensational starting performance, working into the seventh inning without allowing a run. “Everybody on the roster … we are one big family, one big brotherhood.”
The special element began with Monteverde.
In his five previous starts against the Biscuits, all were quality. He was 3-0 with only two earned runs allowed in 31.2 innings. On Thursday, considering the stakes and the pressure, Monteverde was at his best.
He allowed just one hit and two baserunners in the first three innings. In the fourth inning, he worked out of a two-on, two-out situation. He finished working 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, just one walk and striking out eight batters. He threw 103 pitches in a gritty, memorable effort.
“Last year when I got here (to Pensacola) those guys (Biscuits) got me pretty good in my first Double-A outing,” said Monteverde, a Pittsburgh, Pa. native who is rated the No. 16 prospect in the Miami Marlins organization. “I take it personal, and I just didn’t want to have that feeling again against these guys.
“They have a really good offense and I knew I had to be dialed in.”
He worked efficiently with his array of breaking pitches and his fastball. Only once did Montgomery have multiple baserunners against him.
“You could tell right from the start he was on his A-game and he had his stuff and I’m super happy for him,” said Blue Wahoos first baseman Bennett Hostetler.
The Blue Wahoos jumped to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. Will Banfield and Victor Mesa Jr. both walked to start the rally. With runners on first and third, Jake Thompson drove in the first run with a double. Hostetler, the star of the Game 1 win with two homers and three RBI, followed with a clutch two-run single.
The Blue Wahoos made it 4-0 in the fifth inning on Paul McIntosh’s single to score Nasim Nuñez. In the seventh, Cody Morissette blasted a home run into the right field berm for a 5-0 lead.
Every Blue Wahoos hitter reached base. Seven players in the lineup had a hit.
“This is a special group of players and special group of coaches,” Nuñez said. “I believe in every one of them. I wouldn’t want to be out there with anyone else.”
Zach McCambley relieved Monteverde and produced three strikeouts in 1.2 spotless innings. In the ninth, Jefry Yan retired the first two batters and gave up a run on a two-out double before striking out the final batter, Carson Wiliams. He leaped with excitement as the players rushed him on the mound.
The on-field celebration included ice baths and drink dousing in a scene full of happiness as fans stayed and cheered.
“It is a special feeling,” Hostetler said. “Working the whole season, the goal is to get to the playoffs and when you get to the playoffs, the goal is to win.
“We are super happy for each other and super happy for Pensacola to see another Championship Series.”
Before the game, the Blue Wahoos honored 10-year employees from the Studer Family of Companies, which encompasses the Blue Wahoos. Each received a commemorative gift, and had photos taken on the field with players.
In addition, there was a fourth-inning check presentation for $42,000 for the Pensacola chapter of Habitat for Humanity for its season of community partnership with the Blue Wahoos.
This is the Blue Wahoos’ seventh time making the playoffs in the past eight seasons. The Blue Wahoos were co-league champions in 2017 in a playoff round shortened by a hurricane threat. They won their first outright title last year.
Sunday’s game is at 4:30 p.m. at Tennessee. Game 2 on Tuesday is at 6:05 in Pensacola, followed by Game 3 if necessary at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday in Pensacola.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Here Is Tonight’s High School Football Schedule
September 22, 2023
Here is tonight’s North Escambia area football schedule:
FLORIDA
- Pine Forest at West Florida
- Escambia at Milton
- Pensacola at Gulf Breeze
- Washington at LeFlore (Ala.)
- Prince Avenue Christian at Pensacola Catholic
- Lighthouse Private Christian Academy at Destin
- Navarre at Carroll (Ala.)
- BYES: Northview, Tate, Jay, Pace
ALABAMA
- Flomaton at Excel
- Canceled: St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, MS) at Escambia Academy
- Escambia County (Atmore) at Wilcox Central
- Orange Beach at T.R. Miller
- W.S. Neal at Hillcrest (Evergreen)
NorthEscambia.com file photo.