Huntsville Havoc Falls To The Pensacola Ice Flyers
December 12, 2025
The Ice Flyers hosted College Night at the Hangar, squaring off against the Huntsville Havoc in what would prove to be a hard-fought battle that went down to the wire. The Havoc came out flying and controlled much of the play through the opening two periods, testing the Ice Flyers’ resolve early and often.
The first period belonged to Huntsville, with Matt Allen finding the back of the net for the game’s opening goal. The Ice Flyers struggled to find a goal of their own outshooting the Havoc 10 to 8.
The second period saw more of the same, with Huntsville continuing to dominate possession and create scoring chances. Dawson Sciarrino dropped the gloves during the period, and the physical play seemed to inject some energy into the Ice Flyers’ game. Still, Allen struck again, this time capitalizing on a powerplay opportunity to extend the Havoc’s lead to 2-0. The frustration was evident as the Ice Flyers searched for answers.
But if the second period showcased the Ice Flyers’ grit, the third period revealed their character. Sciarrino wasted no time getting Pensacola on the board early in the final frame, cutting the Huntsville lead in half and breathing life into the home crowd. Just two minutes later, Cam Gaudette capitalized on the momentum shift, tying the game at 2-2 and sending the Hangar into a frenzy.
The comeback wasn’t complete yet. Captain Ethan Price gave the Ice Flyers their first lead of the night with a short-handed goal. However, Huntsville refused to go away quietly. Ethan Lindsay answered back for the Havoc, knotting the score once again and forcing overtime.
In the extra frame, it was all Ice Flyers. After coming back from two goals down, Zack Bross played hero, finding the back of the net in overtime to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory and send the College Night crowd home happy.
The team will now take a few well-deserved days off to celebrate the holidays with family and friends before returning to the Hangar on December 20th for Star Wars Night, where they’ll face off against the Havoc once again.
New Disc Golf Course Now Open At Ascend Community Park
December 10, 2025
Local residents looking for a fun outdoor activity now have a new option. Ascend Community Park has officially opened a new 9-hole disc golf course that circles the wooded area around the children’s playground.
The course was installed by Ascend employee volunteers and designed with guidance from Ryan Vann of Flight Factory Discs.
Funding came from the Ascend Cares Foundation — a charitable foundation supported by donations from Ascend Performance Materials employees and the company itself. From planning to installation, a team of Ascend volunteers rolled up their sleeves to bring the course to life, installing baskets, tee pads and signage throughout the wooded layout.
“I’m extremely proud of the work our team did to get input on the course design, order the materials, and help with installation,” said Sam Brown, a reliability engineer at Ascend who led the disc golf project. “”We had a great team of people working together on this project. The course is open to everyone, and disc golf is something anyone can do and enjoy. We are excited to have the course completed and share it with our community.”
The disc golf course and park are open to the public from dawn until dusk at 3098 Old Chemstrand Road in Cantonment.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Moves To 5A, Northview Remains In Rural In New FHSAA Classifications
December 10, 2025
The Florida High School Athletic Association has released its new tentative classifications for 2026-28, and it sees several area teams moving down a class.
The Tate Aggies moved down from 6A to 5A, as did Pace and Navarre. Pine Forest went down to 3A, while Gulf Breeze and Milton were reclassified into 4A.
The changes are because FHSAA voted in November to drop Class 7A.
Northview, Jay, and Central remained in the Rural Classification.
Schools have until December 15 to appeal the changes, and teams cannot begin their scheduling until the final classifications are released on December 17. The remaining flass sport classifications will be released in the spring.
Here are local classes and districts are aligned:
Class 5A, District 1
- Tate
- Crestview
- Navarre
- Niceville, Pace
Class 4A, District 1
- Escambia
- Gulf Breeze
- Milton
- Washington
- Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton beach)
- Fort Walton Beach
Class 3, District 1
- West Florida
- Pensacola
- Pine Forest
- South Walton
- Bay
Rural
The Rural class does not have regions or districts. Area teams in the Rural Class are Northview, Jay, and Central.
Pictured: The Tate Aggies hosted the Pace Patriots on October 10, 2025. Both teams moved down from 6A to 5A in new tentative classifications released by the FHSAA. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Softball Holds Winter Wonderland Little Aggies Camp
December 10, 2025
On a cold Tuesday night, the Tate Aggies Softball hosted its Winter Wonderland Little Aggies Camp.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Keiser Wins NAIA Soccer National Championship At Ashton Brosnaham Park
December 9, 2025
The NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship was held over the past week in North Escambia.
Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Complex off 10 Mile Road hosted the tournament, except for last minute move of some matches to Gulf Shores due to weather,
The Keiser University Seahawks (West Palm Beach, FL) claimed their third championship title with a penalty kick, ending over 110 minutes of play with a combined 37 shots throughout the game. The Seahawks defeated Cumberlands (Kentucky) for the championship and the league’s Red Banner.
Keiser claimed its third red banner in program history with a 20-3-1 overall record. Cumberlands (Ky.) wrapped up their phenomenal season with an overall record of 17-5-3.
Last month, Ashton Brosnaham hosted the SEC Women’s Soccer Championship, which was won by Vanderbilt.
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Top Ice Flyers (With Gallery)
December 7, 2025
The Ice Flyers hosted Youth Jersey Giveaway Night at the Hangar, facing off against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs for the second night in a row. The first period started the same as the previous night, with Roanoke scoring the lone goal of the opening frame. The Ice Flyers didn’t let that slow them down.
The second period was all Ice Flyers. Cam Gaudette evened the score just three minutes in, and Sam Rhodes took the lead later in the period. However, Roanoke capitalized on a hooking call and found the back of the net with a powerplay goal to tie things up heading into the third.
The game went into overtime, where Roanoke took advantage of another powerplay opportunity after Tyler German was called for high-sticking. Despite the overtime loss, the Ice Flyers came away with 3 out of a possible 4 points against the Rail Yard Dawgs in the two-game series and sit atop the standings with a point over the Evansville Thunderbolts.
The team now has a few days to prepare before taking on the Havoc on December 11 for College Night at the Hangar.
Ice Flyers Beat Yard Dawgs 3-2
December 6, 2025
The Ice Flyers hosted Rally Foundation Night at the Hangar, and delivered an exciting performance for the fans. The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs scored early with a powerplay goal close to the halfway mark of the first period. That was the only goal of the opening frame, but the Ice Flyers didn’t falter.
The second period was highly contested with some scrums and ended scoreless. A boarding call on Roanoke’s Khristian Acosta put the Ice Flyers on the powerplay that carried over into the third period.
Newly acquired forward Mike Moran scored his first goal in an Ice Flyers uniform with a powerplay goal in the first minute of the final frame. Cooper Jones and Lukas Jirousek capitalized on another powerplay opportunity and scored two goals within 36 seconds of each other, putting the Ice Flyers up 3-1. Roanoke’s Travis Broughman found the back of the net late in the third, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. Ty Taylor made the start tonight and saved 23 of the opposing 25 shots.
The Ice Flyers secured the 3-2 victory on a night dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer and in support of Rally Gulf Coast.
Tate Aggies Fall To Garcia In Florida Invitational Tournament Championship
December 5, 2025
The Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School Bulldogs from Lake Worth defeated the Tate Aggies 10-0 on Thursday night to win the 2025 Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) Division 2 (4A-7A) Football Championship in Sumterville, FL.
The Aggies went 10-4 on the season, including home FIT wins over First Coast, Bartram Trail, and Chiles.
Tate is already looking forward to next season.
What is FIT?
In addition to the traditional playoff path to a state championship, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) will see additional teams continue play.
FIT stated last year as an experiment in the rural class. With the FIT, teams that do not make the traditional playoffs receive an invitation to the tournament and a chance to continue postseason.
FHSAA expanded the FIT to two 16-team brackets for high school classes 1A-7A. One bracket is for Class 1A-3A, and the other bracket is for Class 4A-7A. The third FIT bracket is 12 teams in the Rural Class.
High School Basketball Scoreboard
December 5, 2025
Here are high school basketball scores from the North Escambia area Thursday night.
BOYS VARSITY
Tate 72, West Florida 67 at West Florida
Central 51, Northview 26
GIRLS VARSITY
Central 68, Northview 20
Northview’s Anna Kunkel Signs With D-1 UAB Golf
December 2, 2025
Northview High School senior Anna Kunkel signed Monday afternoon to continue her golf career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The UAB Blazers are a NCAA Division 1 school.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
