Volleyball: Flomaton Defeats Northview (With Photo Gallery)
October 5, 2022
The Flomaton Hurricanes defeated the Northview Chiefs 3-2 in high school volleyball action Tuesday evening in Flomaton.
Northview will host the Pine Forest Eagles at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in their final home game of the regular season.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Riley Robbins Named Association Florida High School Player of the Week
October 4, 2022
Tate High School junior Riley Robbins has been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Florida High School Player of the Week.
In a dozen games this year, Robbins has recorded 55 kills (4.58/game), 53 digs (4.42/game), 67 receptions (5.58/game), two aces and one assist.
This is Robbins’ third year playing volleyball for the Tate Aggies.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Milton Tops Tate 21-7
October 1, 2022
The Milton Panthers defeated the Tate Aggies 21-7 Friday night in Milton.
Tate took a 7-0 lead with about six minutes to go in the first quarter.
The Aggies held their lead until the second quarter when Milton answered with a touchdown to tie it headed into halftime.
The Tate Aggies will be at the West Florida Jaguars next Friday night.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
High School Football Scoreboard
October 1, 2022
Here are Friday night football scores from across the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Milton 21, Tate 7 [Story, photos...]
- Pine Forest 54, Fort Walton Beach 0
- West Florida 50, Walton 29
- Jay 25, Destin 6
- Escambia 18, Booker T. Washington 15
- Pensacola Catholic 35, Pensacola High 8
- Gulf Breeze 35, Pace 28
- Baker 48, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy 7
- Bye: Northview, Navarre
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 38, Hooper Academy 20
- Thomasville 28, Flomaton 20
- Jackson 49, Escambia County (Atmore) 21
- W.S. Neal 9, Cottage Hill 0
- T.R. Miller 28, Bayside Academy 3
Pictured: Tate traveled to Milton Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Return Home With The Southern League Championship Trophy
September 30, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos returned home late Thursday afternoon from Kodak, Tennessee, with a little extra hardware.
As they exited their bus at Wahoos Stadium, the setting sun was glistening off their new Southern League Championship trophy.
The Wahoos beat the Tennessee Smokies 11-4 Wednesday night to claim the title as they wrapped up their 10th anniversary season.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Win Southern League Title
September 29, 2022
The Blue Wahoos just put a shining, championship bow Wednesday night on their special, 10th anniversary season.
Exhibiting the resiliency that carried them to this point, the Blue Wahoos got a fifth inning, grand slam, from infielder Cobie Fletcher-Vance to turn the game, then rode the strength of their pitching to cruise into an 11-4 win against the Tennessee Smokies in the deciding game of the Southern League championship series.
After losing Sunday’s first game 4-1 to the Smokies at Blue Wahoos Stadium, the Blue Wahoos won twice on the road at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee – located east of Knoxville — to claim the first outright Southern League title in franchise history. They were co-champions in 2017 when weather concerns wiped out the championship series.
In their 10-year history, the Blue Wahoos have been to post-season six different times with three different affiliations. They became the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate in 2021. Manager Kevin Randel won a championship as a player in the Marlins organization and now did as the Blue Wahoos manager.
The Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ long-time Double-A affiliate, who knocked off the Rocket City Trash Pandas – the league’s best record team — were seeking their first Southern League title since 1978.
Trailing 3-2 in the fifth, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases on two walks and an error. Fletcher-Vance then blasted the first pitch he saw from reliever Blake Whitney over the left field wall, just inside the foul pole and above the fence line.
They expande6-3 lead with a four-run seventh inning. The first five batters reached on hits, including Fletcher-Vance who drove in his fifth run in the game with a bases-loaded single. Pinch-hitter J.D. Osborne followed with a two-run double. The fourth run scored when reliever Riley Martin failed to catch a throw from his catcher Harrison Wenson after a pitch.
From that point, the bullpen finished it off. Sean Reynolds, the reliever star of back-to-back wins against the Montgomery Biscuits in the South Division series, recorded the final five outs to celebrate again with teammates.
The game began with an incredible start from Blue Wahoos 19-year-old star prospect Eury Perez. The 19-year-old Perez tied a Minor League Baseball record by striking out the first eight batters he faced.
But he ran into trouble with two outs in the third as the Smokies took a 3-2 lead, causing Perez to throw 40 pitches in that inning and requiring the bullpen to be summoned earlier than hoped.
The Blue Wahoos regained an emotional edge two innings later.
Nasim Nunez led off by hitting a grounder that Tennessee first baseman Nelson Maldanado mishandled for an error. Will Banfield followed with a walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. With one out, Griffin Conine checked his swing on a 3-2 pitch and the umpires agreed to load bases.
That moment became pivotal.
On the next pitch, Fletcher-Vance clubbed a sinker out of the ballpark and the Blue Wahoos never trailed again.
The Blue Wahoos were Southern League co-champions in 2017 with the Chattanooga Lookouts, after the league opted to cancel the title series due to concern with a hurricane approaching from the Gulf of Mexico.
This time, the Blue Wahoos twice won best-of-three series after dropping the first game. They forced a deciding game against the Montgomery Biscuits in the South Division series, after trailing 5-0 at one point. They won the deciding game 1-0 on a sensational game-saving catch from centerfielder Thomas Jones.
BLUE WAHOOS IN POST-SEASON
- 2015 Lost South Division Series 0-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2016 Lost South Division Series 1-3 vs. Mississippi Braves
- 2017 Won Southern League Co-Championship 3-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- 2018 Lost South Division Series 1-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2019 Lost South Division Series 2-3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers
- 2021 Won South Division Series 2-1 vs. Montgomery Biscuits, Won Southern League Championship Series 2-1 vs. Tennessee Smokies.
The 2023 Blue Wahoos season will open on April 7, 2023.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Blue Wahoos Still Alive In Championship Series After 7-1 Win Over Smokies
September 28, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos forced a winner-take-all Game Three of the Southern League Championship Series on Tuesday night, defeating the Tennessee Smokies by a score of 7-1.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning with two outs, the Blue Wahoos exploded for seven runs against the Tennessee bullpen. The win sets up a decisive game in Tennessee on Wednesday with the Southern League Championship on the line.
Patrick Monteverde (W, 1-0) was sharp for Pensacola, delivering 5.0 solid innings, though he surrendered an RBI double to Yonathan Perlaza in the third to give the Smokies a 1-0 lead.
Tennessee starter Riley Thompson was even better, tossing 5.0 scoreless frames for the Smokies, but was failed by his bullpen. Will Banfield led off the sixth with a double against Dalton Stambaugh, and Cobie Fletcher-Vance tied the game with a two-out RBI single against Michael McAvene (L, 0-1). Things snowballed on McAvene in his Double-A debut, as Davis Bradshaw and Marcus Chiu singled to load the bases before Thomas Jones drew a walk to force in the go-ahead run.
Demetrius Sims followed with a chopper to deep third that was thrown into foul territory, scoring two more runs to extend the lead to 4-1. RBI singles from Banfield and Norel González capped the seven-run outburst, putting the Blue Wahoos ahead for good.
Cody Mincey and Andrew McInvale worked the final four innings in relief of Monteverde to close out the win.
Game three of the Southern League Championship Series from Smokies Stadium takes place Wednesday evening.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate Aggies Volleyball Honors Three On Senior Night
September 27, 2022
Tate High volleyball honored three players on senior night Monday.
The three senior Aggies are setter Kaylen Brock, libero Ansli Brown, and setter Alahna Erd.
In Monday night’s game, Tate swept Pensacola High in three straight, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18.
Pictured above: Tate volleyball seniors Kaylen Brock, Ansli Brown and Alahna Erd. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bonus Photos: Northview Football Fans, Band, Cheerleaders, NJROTC
September 26, 2022
For the first time in a decade, the Northview Chiefs beat the Baker Gators Friday night.
For a bonus photo gallery with fans, the band, cheerleaders and NROTC, click or tap here.
For a game action story and photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Fall To Smokies In Game One Of Championship Series
September 26, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 4-1 to the Tennessee Smokies on Sunday afternoon in Game One of the best-of-three Southern League Championship Series.
The Smokies, who defeated Rocket City in the Division Series, kept their momentum with a three-run first inning against Luis Palacios (L, 0-1). A bases-loaded walk to Chase Strumpf was followed by a missed catch error from Bubba Hollins on a pickoff attempt that scored two more Tennessee runs to put the Smokies ahead 3-0.
Tennessee’s lone run-scoring hit came in the third, as Nelson Maldonado hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0. The Pensacola bullpen combined for six scoreless innings, but the Smokies bullpen was just as dominant.
The Blue Wahoos finally built a threat in the fourth against Smokies starter D.J. Herz, but a run-scoring error from second baseman Chase Strumpf would prove to be the only Pensacola run of the game. Riley Martin (W, 1-0), in his Double-A debut, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in relief of Herz to foil the last significant threat of the night.
Bailey Horn (S, 1) stranded two runners in the ninth to finish off a six-out save for the Smokies, sending them back to Tennessee needing only one more win to secure a Southern League title.
Game Two of the Southern League Championship Series at Smokies Stadium will be Tuesday night.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos