Friday Nights More Like Friday Night Lightning As Preseason Games Are Canceled

August 16, 2025

The first Friday night lights of the season were more like Friday night lightning as the weather canceled preseason games at both Northview and Tate.

The games were first put on hold and spectators sent to their cars, but persistent lightning, some of it just a few hundred feet from the stadiums, led to eventual cancellations for safety reasons.

The high schools in Escambia County have WeatherStem systems on campus that provide real-time weather data, including the distance of lightning strikes. If the lightning is within 10 miles of a school, outdoor activities must end and everyone is moved to a safe location, such as inside a building or their vehicles. Everyone must be completely within the designated safe locations by the time the lightning is a six miles away from the school. The all clear is given 30 minutes after the last nearby lightning strike.

Northview and Ernest Ward Middle School were set to host Baker in a Kickoff Classic on Friday night. Now, the Chiefs will move forward into the regular season with a road trip to Destin at 7 p.m. on August 22. Their first home game back in Bratt is on August 29 against Opp.

Tate had planned to take on Pine Forest Friday night. Next Friday night, August 22, the Aggies will begin a three-game homestand against Fort Walton Beach, followed by Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. Their first road trip will be September 12 at Milton.

Pictured top: The WeatherStem station on above Northview High School’s football stadium. Pictured below: The weather station at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports