Friday High School Football Schedule, Thursday Night Scores
August 21, 2026
The Florida high school football season has arrived, with the first games on the schedule coming up tonight at Northview and Catholic.
FLORIDA
Thursday, August 20
- Northview 40, Rocky Bayou 6 [Story, photos...]
- Pensacola Catholic 20, Milton 0
Friday, August 21
- Marianna at Tate, 7 p.m.
- Jay at Baker, 7 p.m.
- West Florida at Walton, 7 p.m.
- Gulf Breeze at South Walton, 7 p.m.
- Booker T. Washington at Pine Forest, 7 p.m.
- Pensacola at Fort Walton Beach, 7 p.m.
- Graceville at Central, 7 p.m.
- Fairhope at Pace, 7:30 p.m
- Navarre at Florida High, 6 p.m.
ALABAMA
- Flomaton at Sweetwater, 7 p.m.
- Escambia Academy @ Evangel Christian (Alabaster, AL), 7 p.m.
- Escambia County (Atmore) at Elberta, 7 p.m.
- Orange Beach a T.R. Miller, 7 p.m.
- Bullock County at W.S. Neal, 7 p.m.
Wahoos Win One of Two On Thursday Night
August 21, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos left Blue Wahoos Stadium with an extra win and loss on their record, after going 1-1 in what was essentially a twin-bill with the Knoxville Smokies.
The day began with the continuation of the series opener that started on Tuesday. Luis Palacios (L, 4-2) pitched the lone inning played on Tuesday and gave up nine runs, a season worst for Pensacola pitching. The game picked up in the second inning on Thursday night and the Wahoos put up three runs in the third. Those runs came from Aiva Arquette and Juan Matheus hitting back-to-back doubles.
Luis Moreno pitched the bulk of game one and got roughed up for 7 runs on 7 hits and four walks in 4.0 innings. Knoxville posted a five-spot in the fifth inning and added two more in the 6th, with Ariel Armas taking Moreno deep to begin the inning.
Aiva Arquette launched his 8th homer of the year, a two-run blast in the 6th brought Pensacola its final runs of the night. Connor Schultz (W, 5-4) threw 5.0 innings and earned the win in a 16-5 final.
Game two came up all Wahoos in a seven inning contest. Knoxville struck first in the top of the third when Karson Simas took Eliazar Dishmey (W, 4-1) deep to right-center field. It was the first homer Dishmey had given up since June 18th. Dishmey ended up completing 6.0 innings on a season high 93 pitches. He allowed just the one run on two hits and 8 Ks. Juan Matheus and Brandon Compton each grabbed RBIs in the bottom of the third, Matheus on a single and Compton on a double, his second of the game and third of the series.
Up 2-1, Adrian Santana came to bat with the bases loaded and two down in the fourth. He tapped a squibber to the left side and Brody McCullough (L, 1-3) threw the ball up the first baseline and into right field. The throwing error cleared the bases with Santana ending up at second and the Wahoos grabbing a 5-1 lead.
Brandon Compton cranked a solo bomb to straight away left in the fifth, to extend the lead to 6-1 before Jack Sellinger would slam the door shut in the 9th, sealing the win for Pensacola.
The Wahoos improved their record to 65-50 overall and 30-17 in the second half, the first team to 30 second half wins. The Smokies fell to 64-52 and 26-20.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Knoxville Smokies, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, on Friday night.
written by Charlie Hobert
James ‘Jimmy’ Warren Weaver
August 21, 2026
James “Jimmy” Warren Weaver passed away on August 20, 2026, leaving behind a lifetime of memories and a family who loved him dearly.
Jimmy was born on July 7, 1940. He proudly served his country for four years in the United States Army, an experience that reflected the strength, dedication, and loyalty he carried with him throughout his life. He later worked for many years as a civil servant at NAS Pensacola.
Anyone who knew Jimmy knew how much he enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. He was a member of the McKinnonville Hunting Club, where he spent many memorable days doing what he loved and enjoying the company of friends. Some of the best memories of Jimmy are the simple ones—the stories told, the laughter shared, time spent outdoors, and being surrounded by the people who meant the most to him.
Jimmy shared that love of the outdoors with his three sons, Bruce, David, and Russell, raising them to appreciate the same things that brought him so much happiness. Through countless days spent hunting, fishing, traveling, and simply enjoying the outdoors together, he passed down more than traditions—he passed down a way of life. His three sons will proudly carry on their father’s legacy and his love for the outdoors, sharing those same traditions, stories, and memories with the generations that follow.
More than anything, Jimmy was a family man. He loved his family deeply, and the relationships he built throughout his life were among his greatest treasures. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend whose presence will be greatly missed.
Jimmy was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Elizabeth Weaver; his parents, John and Eunice Weaver; his brother, Donald Weaver; and his sister, Jane Moodhard.
He leaves behind his children, Bruce and his wife, Julie; David and his wife, Pam; and Russell and his wife, Mindy; his grandchildren, Jonathan and his wife, Heather; Weston and his wife, Heather; Amanda and her husband, Dan; and Briar; and his treasured great-grandchildren, Hadley, Abby, Matthew, Elizabeth, and Lucas.
Although saying goodbye is never easy, Jimmy’s family finds comfort in knowing that a life is measured not only in years, but in the memories made, the love given, and the people whose lives were touched along the way. His stories will continue to be told, his memory will live on around campfires, on hunting trips, beside fishing holes, and at family gatherings. The lessons he taught and the love he gave will remain with his family always.
And after a life well lived, there is comfort in imagining Jimmy making that final journey home, with his beloved Elizabeth waiting for him at Heaven’s gates. After time apart, husband and wife are together once again—reunited in a place where there are no more goodbyes.
Jimmy will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever carried in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30a.m., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Pastor Jerry Fleming officiating.
The family will receive friends at 9:30 prior to services.
Burial will follow in Jordan Cemetery.
Honored to serve as pallbearers are Briar Weaver, Weston Weaver, Jonathan Weaver, Eddie Milstead, Randy Spivey, Kelly Blackmon, Kenny Nall, and Jimmy Miller.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements.
Need A Reason To Shop? Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Ends Tonight
August 20, 2026
Need a reason to shop?
Florida’s back to school sales tax holiday ends at midnight tonight.
Through August 20, consumers in Florida can purchase qualifying back to school supplies exempt from tax.
Sales Tax Holiday Included Items
During the Florida Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, which takes place annually from July 20 through August 20, the following items are exempt from Florida sales tax if they meet the specified price limits and other conditions:
Clothing, footwear, and accessories having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts, and other apparel
- Shoes, boots, sandals, and other footwear
- Accessories such as belts, hats, gloves, and scarves
Wallets and bags* having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Backpacks
- Diaper bags
- Fanny packs
- Handbags
*Briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags are excluded.
School supplies having a sales price of $50 or less per item, including:
- Binders
- Cellophane tape
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Computer disks
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Folders
- Glue or paste
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes
- Markers
- Notebooks
- Notebook filler paper
- Pencils
- Pens
- Poster board
- Poster paper
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Staplers and staples used to secure paper products
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less:
- Flashcards or other learning cards
- Interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills
- Matching or other memory games
- Puzzle books and search-and-find books
- Stacking or nesting blocks or sets
Personal computers or personal computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use having a sales price of $1,500 or less
- Personal computers* include:
- Calculators
- Desktops
- Electronic book readers
- Handhelds
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Tower computers
*The term does not include cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data.
Personal computer-related accessories*+ include:
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Modems
- Monitors
- Nonrecreational software
- Other peripheral devices
- Personal digital assistants
- Routers
*The listed accessories are tax-exempt regardless of whether they are used in association with a personal computer base unit.
+ The term does not include furniture or systems, devices, software, monitors with a television tuner, or peripherals that are designed or intended primarily for recreational use.
The sales tax holiday does not apply to the rental or repair of any of the qualifying items. Additionally, the sales tax holiday does not apply to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
Beulah Man, A Former School Custodian, Sentenced To Prison For Trying To Lure Child For Sex
August 20, 2026
A Beulah man who was working as a school custodian has been sentenced to state prison this week for trying to lure a child for sex.
Chad Lane Wren, now 57, was charged in October 2025 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with soliciting or luring a child to engage in sexual conduct. After pleading no contest this week, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison with credit for 249 days served. He was also sentenced to five years of probation and designated as a sexual offender.
He was ordered to have no contact with any minor following his release.
According to court documents, he arranged to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old for sex, but the person was actually an FDLE agent. “I prefer younger,” he texted, according to FDLE.
Additional charges of traveling to meet a child for obscene purposes and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony were dropped.
Wren resigned from his position as a custodian at Blue Angel Elementary School on the day of his arrest.
Primary Election Voter Turnout Tops 27% In Escambia County
August 20, 2026
More than 25,000 Escambia County residents voted in person on Tuesday, pushing the overall primary election voter turnout over 27%, according to the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Complete, but unofficial numbers show a 27.23% turnout of 55,619 voters.
Of those, 25,562 (45.96%) voted in person on primary day. There were 15,209 (27.35%) ballots voted by mail and 14,793 (26.4%) cast during early voting at 10 sites.
There were 35,521 Republican voters, 18,134 Democratic voters, 4,252 with no party affiliation and 712 “other.”
Statewide, the primary turnout was just over 25% with 3.36 million votes cast out of 13.5 million registered voters.
Pictured: North Escambia voting precincts on election day – Walnut Hill (top), International Paper (first below), Quintette Community Center (second below), Gonzalez Baptist Church (third below) and First Baptist Church of Bratt (bottom). NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds and Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
New Principal, Assistant Principal Confirmed For Kingsfield Elementary
August 20, 2026
The Escambia County School Board has confirmed a new principal and assistant principal for Kingsfield Elementary.
Maureen Cowart, the former assistant principal, was named principal of Kingsfield Elementary.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity to continue serving my community,” she said.
Lisette Guttery was promoted from literacy coach to assistant principal at Kingsfield.
“Together with our Kingsfield staff, we will work tirelessly to make Kingsfield a flagship school and set the standard for excellence that makes Escambia County proud,” she said.
This week, the school board also confirmed:
- Caroline Carithers – Assistant Principal, O.J. Semmes Elementary School
- Casandra Manis – Workforce Education Specialist
- Kristen Sappington – Subject Area Specialist, Gifted/Exceptional Student Education
Pictured top: Maureen Cowart, new Kingsfield Elementary School principal. Pictured below: Lisette Guttery, new assistant principal. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Armed Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges
August 20, 2026
A Homeland Security task force investigation led to a guilty plena by an Escambia County armed drug trafficker, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Marquis Dy’Monte Bethea 32, of Pensacola, pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
In September 2025, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop for an infraction. Bethea was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. After a drug detection K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics, law enforcement searched the vehicle. During the search, deputies located a loaded pistol, $10,350 cash, and over 200 grams of methamphetamine, according to court documents.
Bethea faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, on the drug distribution count, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, for the firearm count, consecutive to the sentence imposed on the first count.
Triple-Digit Heat Index Values And Scattered Afternoon Storms Through Saturday
August 20, 2026
Abnormally hot conditions continue with another heat advisory in effect for the entire area on Thursday as afternoon heat indices rise into the 108 to 112 range. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms will continue to be capable of producing brief heavy rainfall and locally strong to damaging wind gusts.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 106. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 93.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 93.
Arrangements Announced For Former Century Mayor, Councilman Luis Gomez, Jr.
August 20, 2026
Celebration of life services for Luis Gomez, Jr., will be held Saturday, August 22, at 2:30 p.m. at Pilgrim Lodge Baptist Church in Century, Florida. Viewing will be Friday, August 21, from 5 to 7 p.m., and the repass will be at the Century Community Center (Ag Building) following graveside services on Saturday. Flowers may be sent to Jackson-McMurray Funeral Services at 130 West Hecker Road.
Arrangements have been announced for former Century mayor and councilman Luis Gomez, Jr.
A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, August 22, at 2:30 p.m. at Pilgrim Lodge Missionary Baptist Church on Jefferson Avenue in Century. Viewing will be held Friday, August 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Jackson-McMurray Funeral Home in Century. The repass will be held at the Century Community Center on West Highway 4 (Ag Building) following graveside services on Saturday.
RELATED: ‘An Honor And A Privilege’ – Former Century Mayor, Councilman Luis Gomez, Jr. Dies
Gomez was appointed interim mayor in August 2023 after the resignation of then-mayor Ben Boutwell. He was later elected to the position with no opposition in 2023 in a special election to finish Boutwell’s term and again with no opposition in 2024 for another four-year term that started on January 1, 2025. He was first elected to the town council in 2017. Gomez was also known for community service, hosting events such as block parties for local youth.