Tate Lacrosse Falls To Gulf Breeze In District Semifinals
April 11, 2026
The Tate Aggies fell in the 2A District 1 Lacrosse tournament on Friday at No. 1 Gulf Breeze 20-3.
Wednesday’s Tate 12-0 win over Milton in the quarterfinals was a first in program history.
The Aggies finished the season at 8-12, 2-5 in the district.
Gulf Breeze will host Navarre on Tuesday in the district championship.
Just before districts, the Aggies recognized four seniors on Senior Night:
- Taelyn Hubbard
- Reagan Schoonover
- Tori Sappington
- Emily Walson
For more senior night photos, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Golfer Jack Boutwell Signs With Reid State
April 11, 2026
Friday afternoon, Northview High School golfer Jack Boutwell signed to continue his education and play golf at the next level.
Boutwell will be attending Reid State Community College on scholarship.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Win Game Two Of Playoff Series (With Gallery)
April 11, 2026
In front of a Whiteout crowd at the Hangar, the Pensacola Ice Flyers delivered when it mattered most, defeating the Evansville Thunderbolts to even their best-of-three playoff series at one game apiece.
Facing elimination following a 4–1 loss in Game 1, the Ice Flyers came out with urgency and energy from the opening puck drop. Tyler Burnie ignited the crowd in the first period, netting the game’s opening goal and sending the Ice Flyers Faithful to their feet. The early strike proved to be the lone goal of the period, giving Pensacola a 1–0 lead heading into the intermission.
Evansville answered early in the second period, evening the score and briefly shifting momentum. But Pensacola responded late in the frame, as Laudon Poellinger found the back of the net to restore the lead. The Ice Flyers carried that 2–1 advantage into the second intermission, fueled by a strong forecheck and consistent offensive pressure.
The Ice Flyers continued to push in the third period, refusing to let up. Midway through the frame, Matt Allen extended the lead to 3–1, giving Pensacola breathing room and sending the Hangar into a frenzy. From there, the Ice Flyers locked things down defensively and closed out the win to force a decisive Game 3.
With the series now tied, Pensacola will turn its focus to Evansville, where the winner-take-all Game 3 is set for Sunday at 3 p.m
Wahoos Win A Thriller For First Win Of The Season
April 11, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos notched their first win of the season in thrilling fashion Friday night, edging out a 5-4 win over the Biloxi Shuckers. Pensacola improved their record to 1-5 while Biloxi fell to 4-3.
Catcher Ryan Ignoffo had an eventful first inning, catching Dylan O’Rae trying to steal second base, and then making an athletic play to nab Jesús Made at first base on a groundball in front of the plate.
The Wahoos followed that up with three runs in the top of the second inning while sending 9 batters to the plate. The scoring came on an error by the shortstop, Eric Brown Jr., on a batted ball by Emaarion Boyd, and a two-run single from Gage Miller.
The offense output continued into the third inning, when Michael Snyder brought Ian Lewis Jr. home on an RBI groundout. And the fourth was no different, as the good guys tacked on one more run, courtesy of a Fenwick Trimble sacrifice fly.
The Shuckers did make it interesting though. They scored twice in the fourth inning on RBIs from Mike Boeve and Matthew Wood, and twice more in the fifth inning on a throwing error from Cristian Hernández, and a bases-loaded walk from Wood again.
From then on, both bullpens would go scoreless. Pensacola would lean on Luis Polacios (W, 1-0), Justin King, and Samuel Vásquez to go the final 4.2 innings, while Biloxi went to Tanner Gillis and Mark Manfredi Sr. to finish the final 6.0 innings.
Wahoos starter, Brandon White, went 3.2 innings and allowed two runs in a no-decision. Shuckers starter, Bishop Letson (L, 0-2), went 1.1 innings and allowed 3 runs in his second loss of the season.
Ian Lewis Jr. left the game in the seventh inning with an apparent leg injury after grounding out to second-base.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Shuckers on Saturday.
written by Charlie Hobert
Walnut Hill Man With Manifesto Sentenced To Federal Prison
April 10, 2026
Thursday afternoon, a Walnut Hill man who accidentally shot himself in July 2025 was sentenced to federal prison.
Joshua Dean Hardy, 26, pleaded guilty last year in federal court to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA), specifically two unregistered and unserialized silencers and a destructive device, and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Local charges against Hardy were dropped after the federal charges were filed.
He was sentenced to 48 months on each count to be served concurrently. After release, he will be on federal supervised release for three years on each count.
He entered the guilty plea to all federal charges before his scheduled trial began.
Hardy’s attorney, Randall Lockhart, asked for at least a 30-day delay on grounds that details were scarce in a draft pre-sentencing report, and he was seeking mental health records and results of a psychological evaluation. The prosecution did not oppose the motion.
Sentencing has now been set for early April. He remains in the Santa Rosa County Jail.
Federal court documents state that investigators found documents including a multipage document titled ‘Manifesto’ on his laptop.
“This is it, this is my final words of this whole ordeal,” are how the document begins, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, along with a list of names, some of which are known family members.
The document then says, “All of these [expletive] pukes seek to destroy my ass in my prime then i’ll give them what they want, it isn’t the so called hidden names like they want but a tombstone like i told them,” according to investigators.
“Later in the document, it goes on to explain that he is going to begin his killing spree and identifies the ‘targets,’” court records state.
He had been charged locally with three counts of making and/or possession of a destructive device, use of a firearm during a felony, and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.
Hardy accidentally shot himself shortly after 3 a.m. on July 23 while walking in the woods on family property at 5000 Sandy Hollow Road, just off West Highway 4. His grandmother told deputies that she received a call about 3:15 a.m. from Hardy, stating he had tripped while walking on their property with his rifle and he had shot himself in the leg. She picked him up and drove him to Atmore Community Hospital.
At the emergency room in Atmore, Hardy told deputies that he often walks their 22-acre property because he does not like people there, the report states. He said he stepped in a hole and dropped his rifle, accidentally grabbing it as it fell by the trigger and shot himself. He was adamant that he was not shooting at anyone and had no intent of harming himself.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Hardy suffered a serious gunshot wound that shattered his tibia and fibula and nearly took his left big toe.
Jazz By The Books Fills Century Library; Molino Performance Is Next Week
April 10, 2026
Attendees at the Century enjoyed a mid-day musical treat with Jazz By The Books on Thursday, and those in Molino have their own performance to look forward to next week.
The live jazz performances by the Jazzabouts, presented by Jazz Pensacola and the West Florida Public Libraries, were held Thursday at the Century Branch Library.
The music continues next week on Wednesday, April 15, from 1-3 p.m. at the Molino Branch Library. The event is free.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Woman, A Convicted Felon, Charged With Selling Husband’s Guns For Divorce Money
April 10, 2026
A local woman is facing a felony charge after allegedly selling her husband’s firearm collection while he was out of town, despite being a convicted felon herself, to fund a divorce.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Deadria Jean Smith, 42, was arrested following an investigation into the missing weapons. Her husband told deputies he returned from South Florida to find that his wife had “pawned” his guns to acquaintances.
Witnesses told deputies that Smith was reportedly angry because she suspected her husband of seeing another woman and intended to use the money to pay for a divorce.
The investigation revealed that Smith allegedly sold a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 rifle and a crossbow to a neighbor for $230. A relative tod deputies he later paid Smith $700 for remainder of the collection, about 15 additional guns, simply to keep them from being sold to strangers before the husband returned.
While Smith claimed she never physically touched the weapons to avoid violating her status as a felon, witness statements and game camera footage contradicted her account, according to an arrest report. Investigators said that Smith has a 2011 felony conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Smith was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
Forecasters Predict Slightly Below Average 2026 Hurricane Season
April 10, 2026
A forecast released Thursday by Colorado State University is calling for a slightly below average hurricane forecast.
The forecast is due to a robust El Niño as a primary factor for their prediction of 13 named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes), of which they anticipate six to become hurricanes and two to become major (Category 3, 4, or 5) hurricanes. These numbers are below the long-term seasonal average of 14, seven and three, respectively.
El Niño, a recurring climate pattern that is characterized by warmer than normal water in the eastern and central tropical Pacific, tends to increase upper-level westerly winds across the Caribbean into the tropical Atlantic. These winds result in increased vertical wind shear which is unfavorable for Atlantic hurricane formation and intensification.
The CSU Tropical Weather and Climate Team is part of the Department of Atmospheric Science in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering at CSU and is one of the top ranked Atmospheric Science programs in the world.
Tate Celebrates Senior Night With Walk-Off Win Over Washington (Gallery)
April 10, 2026
Tate 8, Washington 7
The Tate Aggies celebrated Senior Night with a dramatic 8-7 walk-off win over the Washington Wildcats on Thursday night in Cantonment.
The Aggies, trailing 4-0 in the second, fought their way back.
Keelan Beasley earned the win for Tate, surrendering one hit and one unearned run in four innings while walking one and striking out three. Lance Brady opened on the mound for Tate, giving up five hits and six runs (four earned) in three innings while striking out five and walking two.
Griffin Cook went 2-for-3 at bat for Tate with one RBI. Hunter Clayton, Kaden Posta, Evan Taylor, Cooper Halfacre, and Aydan Nigam also recorded one RBI each.
For a photo gallery, click here. (Look for Senior Night photos at the end of the gallery.)
The Aggies will end the regulars season at home next Tuesday against Crestview.
Before the game, Tate honored senior players:
- Keelan Beasley
- Aiden Bramblett
- Nathan Connors
- Gene Ham
- Bryton McLellan
- Evan Taylor
And the team also honore senior Diamond Girls:
- Mya Beani
- Rieslin Colvin
- Hailey Floyd
- Mary Hauc
- Brooke Holland
- Emily Holmes
- McKenna Lister
- Brooke Macaluso
- Kylie Pelt
- Riley Phelps
- Cherish Simpkins
- A’myiah Williams
- Madison Wise
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
After Tough Niceville Loss, Lady Aggies Look To Rebound In Crucial Games Next Week
April 10, 2026
The Tate Lady Aggies fell behind early and just could not catch up as they lost to the Niceville Eagles 17-3 on Thursday night at Tate.
Niceville jumped out to an 8-0 lead after one inning and added a one-run homer in the top of the second to hold a 9-0 advantage after two innings.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Taylor Robinson and Madison Smillie each had two hits for the Aggies. Sarah Mitchell, Brelynn Morris, and Smillie each had one RBI for Tate.
Up next, Tate will travel to Crestview on Monday before hosting Pace on Friday.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
