SEC Soccer Tournament Opens At Ashton Brosnaham (With Photo Gallery)
November 4, 2024
Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Alabama were winners in the first round of the SEC Soccer Tournament Sunday at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road.
Up next in quarter final action on Tuesday:
- No. 2 Arkansas vs No. 7 Georgia, 11:30 a.m.
- No. 3 Texas vs No. 11 LSU, 2 p.m.
- No. 1 Mississippi Statevs. No. 9 Tennessee, 4:30 p.m.
- No. 4 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Alabama 7 p.m.
Semifinals will be Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Tickets are now one sale at pensacolasports.org. All-tournament passes are $45. Individual session tickets for the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Nov. 3 and on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Admission is free for children 5 and under at all games.
For a photo gallery LSU vs. Auburn, click here.
SUNDAY:
Georgia 1, Texas A&M 0
Graduate midfielder Dasia Torbert’s first-half goal proved to be the difference as the seventh-seeded University of Georgia soccer team defeated Texas A&M, 1-0, in the opening match of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament Sunday afternoon at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.
LSU 2, Auburn 1
LSU comes out on top of an intense second-half battle, beating Auburn for the first time since 2010 as both Gabbi Ceballos and Mollie Baker score in the 2-1 first-round SEC tourney win.
The LSU Soccer team (9-7-3, 4-5-2 SEC) won their opening match of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament against the six seed and No. 24 ranked Auburn Tigers (12-3-4, 4-3-4 SEC) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Pensacola.
For a photo gallery LSU vs. Auburn, click here.
The win was the Tigers first top-25 victory since No. 22 Georgia in 2023 and Head Coach Sian Hudson’s first victory over Auburn since beginning her tenure at LSU. It was also LSU’s first victory over Auburn since 2010.
“I’m so proud of the team. We’re excited to get back out there and take on Texas on Tuesday,” said Hudson. “We talked about defending as a unit and working for each other outside of possession and I think we did that so well today across the field. Gabbi Ceballos was unbelievable for us and then Mollie Baker, who hasn’t scored every goal she wanted to for us this season, stepping up in a big moment.”
Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0
The Lady Vols advance in the SEC Tournament and avenge their regular-season loss to the Wildcats with a 1-0 first-round win thanks to Sammi Woods’ goal and Cayden Norris’ five saves.
Alabama 2, Vanderbilt 1
Alabama seemed reenergized on opening day of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament, using an early pair of goals by Nadia Ramadan and Zivana Labovic to outlast the favored Commodores, 2-1, in first-round play on Sunday at Ashton Brosnaham Park in Pensacola.
Man Pleads Guilty To 2022 DUI Crash That Killed Escambia County Deputy
November 4, 2024
A man has pleaded guilty in the fatal DUI crash that claimed the life of an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy in October 2022.
Tristen Cole Parker pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter, driving with a suspended license and DUI causing bodily harm. There was no plea deal, and he faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in December.
Parker failed to stop at a stop sign, and his bucket truck struck an oncoming silver Jeep driven by the deputy.
Master Deputy Kevin Ray of Cantonment and his 15-year-old daughter were traveling from Troy, Alabama, when the crash occurred on Highway 85 just east of Laurel Hill, Florida, at 8:40 p.m. on October 15.
Ray was pronounced deceased at the scene and his daughter was airlifted to an area hospital where she continues to recover. The 2012 white Dodge bucket truck driven by Parker overturned multiple times, destroying utility poles before coming to rest in a field in the southwest corner of the intersection.
“There were beer cans near the passenger door of the Dodge truck that were in the pickup and thrown while overturning,” the investigating trooper wrote in an arrest report obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
“When the witness rolled up on the crash, Tristen Cole Parker had self-extricated from his vehicle but identified himself as the sole occupant and operator of the suspect vehicle,” the report states. “While being treated on scene by Okaloosa County Fireman Paramedic (redacted), Tristen Cole Parker admitted to consuming 3 to 4 alcohol beverages prior to the collision. (The paramedic) also smelled an odor of alcohol coming from Tristan Cole Parker while he was speaking.”
Parker was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
“During conversation with Tristen Cole Parker, Mr. Parker spontaneously uttered to (the trooper) that he had 2 or 3 ‘beers’ prior to the collision’,” the report continues. Despite initial consent for a voluntary blood draw, Parker refused to provide the blood sample when hospital staff arrived in his room.
An FHP traffic homicide investigator also noted that Parker had bulged eyes, slurred speech, a dry mouth, thick tongue, flushed face and smelled of alcohol in the emergency room. The investigator said Parker had labored breathing, slow deliberate movements and repeated himself.
FHP said Parker’s certified driving record from Texas showed multiple convictions for driving with suspended license in that state.
Ray had been a member of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office family for over 20 years. He had been assigned to courthouse security for over a decade.
Average Florida Gas Price Dips 13 Cents Per Gallon
November 4, 2024
Average Florida gas prices fell by 13 cents last week, according to AAA. Sunday’s state average was $3.02 per gallon.
“Florida gas prices are at their lowest levels since January 2024,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Over the weekend, more than 60% of Florida filling stations had gas prices below $3 a gallon. There’s a good chance the state average dips below $3 a gallon in the coming days.”
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $2.85. The lowest price in Pensacola was $2.59 at the warehouse clubs Sunday night, while North Escambia stations were at $2.77 on Highway 29 in Cantonment.
NorthEscmabia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
SEC Soccer Tournament Starts Today At Ashton Brosnaham Park
November 3, 2024
Escambia County is hosting the SEC SEC Soccer Tournament at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road today though November 10, marking the county’s third consecutive year hosting the tournament. During the week-long event, the top 12 women’s soccer teams will compete for the championship title.
“We are incredibly proud to once again host the SEC tournament, and we look forward to welcoming the teams and fans to Escambia County,” Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “This is an exciting event not only for District 5 and Escambia County, but for all of Northwest Florida. I appreciate the continued partnership with Pensacola Sports and the SEC, along with the countless staff members and volunteers who work behind the scenes to make an event like this possible.”
Tickets are now one sale at pensacolasports.org. All-tournament passes are $45. Individual session tickets for the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Nov. 3 and on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Admission is free for children 5 and under at all games.
Since 2022, the SEC tournament has drawn thousands of attendees to Escambia County and generated millions of dollars in local economic impact. The 2022 tournament broke SEC attendance records with more than 10,000 attendees, generating a $2.5 million economic impact, according to the county.
The tournament will air on the SEC Network.
The schedule is below for the first round on Sunday and the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Winner advance to the semifinals on Thursday and the championship on Sunday, November 10.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Photos: Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show Saturday
November 3, 2024
The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show wrapped up Saturday before a crowd of tens of thousands of people.
Visitors to the air station had the opportunity to see the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, The Thunderbirds, along with other aerobatic teams, perform during the six-hour event.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell, click to enlarge.
Early Voting Ends With General Election Turnout Now Over 50%
November 3, 2024
Thirteen days of early voting ended Saturday in Escambia County with turnout for the general election already surpassing 50%.
As of Saturday, 112,710 Escambia County voters had voted, for an unofficial turnout of 52.5%. Of those, 80,506 voted early and one of 10 locations, while 31,771 vote-by-mail ballots had been received.
The busiest early voting location was the Bellview Branch Library (14,938), followed by Ashbury Place and Cokesbury Church (14,341) and the Escambia Extension Office on Stefani Road (14,643). The slowest was the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century with 883 early voters.
Countywide, there were 45,291 Republican early voters, 21,3698 Democrats and 12,221 with no party affiliation.
Voting precincts will be open Tuesday, November 5 from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For your Escambia County sample ballot, click here.
Pictured: The early voting location at the Molino Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Band Members Perform With USA Jaguar Marching Band
November 3, 2024
Six Northview High School Tribal Beat Band members had the opportunity to perform Saturday with the University of South Alabama Jaguar Marching Honor Band in Mobile.
The students were able to perform at halftime on the field with the JMB, play in the stands, meet new friends, and experience gameday as a member of the Jaguar Marching Band.
Pictured: (front, L-R) Kayleigh Young and Elizabeth Coleman, (back, L-R) Justin Kinley, Olivia Doyle, Delina Garcia, Brynlie Shaw. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ashton Brosnaham Dog Park Closed During SEC Tournament
November 3, 2024
The dog park at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park, located at 10370 Ashton Brosnaham Dr., will be closed during the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament this week. The dog park will reopen Monday, November. 11.
Residents with dogs are encouraged to visit the Beulah Regional Park, located at 7820 Mobile Highway; Regency Park, located at 8245 Fathom Road; or Santa Maria Plaza, located at 199 Madrid Road.
File photo.
A Rout for the Record Books As No. 21 UWF Rolls 70-0 Past Erskine
November 3, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Argos correspondent
The game’s outcome, of course, was never going to be in doubt.
Rather, it was the performance and the precision that mattered most to UWF’s football team. In that regard, it became record-setting.
In another milestone moment for a program only in its eighth season, the No. 21 ranked Argos demolished Erskine College 70-0 and gained a desired feel-good vibe heading into the defining final part of their schedule that will determine a post-season berth.
The point total and victory margin was one better than UWF’s 69-0 victory against Virginia-Lynchburg on Sept. 21, 2019 in Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium – the season the Argos won the NCAA Division II national championship.
“”Obviously a really good performance in all three facets of the game,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles. “I’m excited that our guys played well. I don’t think we were perfect by any means, there are a lot of things we still have to clean up, but we played well. I’m excited our guys answered the challenge this game.”
UWF (6-2) attained its fifth straight win and produced this offensive show of force without top quarterback Marcus Stokes, who sat out of the game with a minor injury. Backup Tony Bartalo, a junior from Tampa, absolutely shined by throwing six touchdown passes.
He overcame an interception on UWF’s first possession to finish with 15 of 22 passing for 267 yards. His six touchdowns matched the school record first set by Nobles himself in 2016 against Missouri S&T, then tied by Austin Reed in the 2019 national title win against Minnesota State.
“Tony did a great job of trusting what we talked about all week, going through every bit of the read,” Nobles said. “We even had some plays where I was intending for another receiver to get the ball, and Tony read the play correctly and found the guy they left open. Marcus is dealing with a minor injury that we felt it wasn’t smart to put him on out there and put strain on his body. He’s not out for a long period of time, he should be good to go next week (in final home game vs. North Greenville). Both of those guys have to stay ready to play.”
Bartalo, who transferred before spring practice from Charleston Southern, was the No. 2 quarterback throughout preseason and was told Wednesday night he would be starting.
“Honestly, my mindset is the same every week… just be prepared like you’re the guy every week so you don’t have to change how you prepare,” Bartalo said. “I prepare every week like I’m the starting quarterback and I’m going to go out there and just do my job and just play football. Playing football is the easy part.”
The Argos are now in a playoff scenario the rest of the season. In addition to a must-win next Saturday in the home finale against North Greenville (2 p.m. kickoff) at Pen Air Field, they will likely need to win the season-finale at Valdosta State on Nov. 16 to attain a 8-2 record.
They played the kind of game Saturday they hoped to produce. Eight different players scored touchdowns. The Argos amassed 29 first downs and limited Erskine to just five the entire game.
Total yards were another eye-popping total with UWF outgaining Erskine 532 yards to just 17. With UWF’s defense totally throttling anything the Flying Fleet tried to do.
Javon Swinton, who caught a pair of touchdown passes, started the scoring frenzy by catching a 14-yard pass from Bartalo to cap a 90-yard, seven-play drive on UWF’s second possession of the game.
The Argos then produced three touchdowns in a four-minute span in the second quarter in blowing open the game before halftime.
Jakobe Quillen, a Florence, S.C. native returning to his home state, caught a 36-yard TD pass from Bartalo to cap a 71 yard, six-play drive. A little more than two minutes later, following another quick three-and-out sequence from UWF’s defense, receiver Zac Offord caught a 17-yard pass from Bartalo midway through the second quarter.
One minute, 52 seconds later, after another UWF defensive stop, Virgil Lemons returned a punt 57 yards for a score to continue what became a memorable performance.
Lemons returned seven punts for 198 yards.
“I’m excited how our players are playing on punt returns,” Nobles said. “Those are scoring points for us. I told our staff, right before we scored (on Lemons return), this is awesome, I think we might actually score on this one and we did.”
In the second half, UWF scored touchdowns all six times they had the ball. Quillen scored his second touchdown on the Argos first possession of the second half with a 21 reception from Bartalo. Jay Sharp followed with a 33-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass, Swinton scored his second TD, then the last three scores were first time TDs for three players.
Troy Coughlin, a former Gulf Breeze High star and redshirt freshman, finished the Argos scoring on an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter and became the first Pensacola-area player to score for UWF since Navarre’s Quentin Randolph did so in the 2019 championship game.
His score was preceded by Luis Chafino catching a 14-yard pass from No. 3 QB Michael Rich Jr. The other score was redshirt freshman Keeshaun Glanton’s 7-yard run.
“You get in a game like that, you have a fine line between not trying to drive up the score and getting guys some reps that put a lot of work in,” Nobles said. “We put our backups in the entire fourth quarter, and they scored on all three drives which is awesome to see. We’ve had true freshman on the offensive line that did good. Great job by our running backs to make the most of their carries.”
Defensively, it was a compete dominating performance. The Argos held Erskine to 0.3 yards per-play, had 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss yards.
Freshman lineman Lorenzo Payne led the way with six tackles, including 3.5 for loss yards and was in on two sacks. His high school teammate from Orlando, Kevin Roberts also saw plenty of playing time and had three stops.
It was all part of a defensive effort where more than 25 players had a least one tackle.
“They played phenomenal,” Nobles said. “We’ve had some injuries with guys missing time, especially on the defensive line. We had two true freshmen on the defensive line start tonight that we recruited in February. They were high school teammates, Lorenzo Payne and Kevin Roberts, starting college games together. We know we have a couple challenging games coming up, but if our defense is playing well, we have a shot to win a game.The defensive line plays with relentless effort. All the coaches do well on the defensive side of the ball, we’re really playing well in all three layers of the defense right now.”
Photo/John Rose.
Cantonment Church Hosting Affordable CPR Class for Community
November 3, 2024
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church in Cantonment is hosting a Red Cross CPR and First Aid class on November 9, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This training, which covers adult and pediatric CPR, usually costs $186, but St. Monica’s ministry is covering all but $25. The class is open to the public, though space is limited to 14 participants. Those interested can find more information at St. Monica’s website.
Located at 699 South Highway 95-A, St. Monica’s Episcopal Church serves the Cantonment and Molino communities through programs like “St. Monica Saves,” a ministry that offers essential life-saving skills. Now in its second year, this initiative has trained dozens of community members in CPR and First Aid.
The same day, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Monica’s will also host its annual Fall Market, featuring nearly 20 vendors and renowned barbecue. This family-friendly event showcases the church’s ongoing community outreach, which also includes a Beans and Rice ministry and a thriving children’s program. For further details, visit St. Monica’s website.