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NO. 17 UWF Earns Sixth Straight Win

The way September ended placed UWF’s football team in a precarious position.

Ever since, however, the Argos have earned their way into a welcome opportunity.

With their defense as the main force, the No. 17-ranked Argos won their sixth consecutive game in a resounding 35-14 victory against North Greenville in the season’s final home game on Senior Day at PenAir Field.

It puts UWF (7-2) into a defining moment when facing unbeaten, No. 1 ranked Valdosta State (9-0) next Saturday in a game at Valdosta, Ga. that will determine a league champion and shape the NCAA Division II playoff picture for teams in the South region.

“As a coach, when you grow up around football like I have since I was born, this is what you coach for,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles, who played his final season in 2016 at UWF after transferring from Valdosta State. These are the games you coach for. We are going to put everything in front of us and try to play our best football. We know a victory against a really good Valdosta team would be sweet as sugar, so we are excited to have an opportunity.”

The Argos seized on opportunities Saturday for a fast start against North Greenville (4-5), which has often played UWF tough. The Argos have twice won games decided by just three points against the Trailblazers in the past four seasons.

On the game’s second play Saturday, UWF junior defensive lineman Collin Shaw knocked the ball free from North Greenville quarterback Dylan Ramirez. The Argos Donovan Barnes scooped up the fumble and raced 25 yards for a touchdown just 49 seconds into the game.

Just a minute later, on a 3rd-and-1 play, the Argos defense again forced a fumble, this time recovered by sophomore linebacker Kode Lowe at the North Greenville 35. An excessive celebration penalty pushed the ball back to midfield.

But no matter, the Argos went up 14-0 on a 10-play, 50 yard drive that T.J. Lane finished with 2-yard run for the first of his two rushing touchdowns.

“It’s really big (to get that kind of start), because it shifts the momentum of the game and once that happens, then anything can happen at any time. And we’re on top of the game.”

The momentum shifted midway through the second quarter when UWF quarterback Marcus Stokes was intercepted by North Greenville’s R.J. Glasgow, who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to halve the deficit.

It began a stretch of four touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the half.

The Argos opened a 21-7 lead following a 69-yard kickoff return by Jay Sharp to the Trailblazers 31. Four plays later, Stokes made a nice underneath pass to Da’Mani Brown for a 28-yard score.

On that ensuing kickoff, the Trailblazers Jerrick Foster returned the kick 99 yards for a score to again cut the deficit to seven points.

Another strong kickoff return, this one by Anthony Ballard put UWF in business again at the Trailblazers 29.

The game’s biggest play then ensued. On a third-and-16, Stokes found Corey Scott slashing across the end zone for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half.

It was easily Stokes’ biggest play on a day where he had some struggles with completions, going just 10 of 23 for 125 yards.

From that 28-14 halftime lead, the UWF defense was suffocating in the second half, barely allowing North Greenville a first down.

The Argos yielded just 74 yards of total offense on 47 plays and just six first downs against the Trailblazers in the entire game.

They limited North Greenville’s ultra-talented wide receiver, Dre Williams, one of the nation’s best D-2 receivers, to just three catches for 22 yards.

“Number one for them (Williams) is one of the best players in the country and so we were trying to keep him in check… and they’ve got a lot of really good players so we did a good job limiting them,” Nobles said.

“Our defense rose to the challenge again,” he said. “They are doing a great job of chasing the football. What I am excited about is that there’s a lot of depth… guys that didn’t get as much playing time earlier in the year and now they are getting a lot of playing time.”

Lane gained 71 yards as UWF’s top rusher and Sharp had 69 yards plus the kickoff return. Collin Shaw led UWF’s defense with six tackles.

After a 1-2 start that included an overtime home loss to West Alabama and a road loss at Grand Valley State in Michigan, the Argos have rallied back.

“Since we got off the plane from Michigan, I told them that every game is a playoff game,” Nobles said. “We have no choice. Our backs are against the wall. We knew this game coming up against Valdosta would be a big one all season, so in order to make this a big game, make it a playoff game, then every other game was a playoff game. We came back from Michigan. Revaluated a lot of things. I’m proud of the coaches for coming up with a lot of good ideas, changing practice, changing things. Our players have done a phenomenal job of buying in.”

WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: UWF Argos vs. Valdosta State Blazers
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m. (Central Time)
WHERE: Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Ga.

Photo: Emily Miller/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Tate Cheerleaders Win At UCA Regionals, Earn Bids To Nationals

The Tate High Cheerleading program earned several awards in the UCA Regionals  competition in Mobile on Saturday.

Varsity

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Pensacola Ice Flyers Fall To Knoxville Ice Bears

In a hard-fought battle that capped off the Blue Angels Night festivities, the Pensacola Ice Flyers fell short against the Knoxville Ice Bears, losing 5-3 on Saturday night. The defeat evened out the weekend series, following the Ice Flyers’ impressive 6-4 win on Friday night.

The excitement began with a crowd-pleasing fight between Ice Flyers defenseman Jake Hamilton and Cam Tobey. However, the first period quickly took a turn as the Ice Bears scored three unanswered goals, leaving the Ice Flyers searching for answers heading into the first intermission.

The spirited crowd of 6,235 at the Pensacola Bay Center kept hopes alive as the second period began. Ivan Bondarenko netted his first goal of the new season just three minutes in. Although Knoxville answered later to maintain their three-goal lead, Greg Smith managed to cut the Ice Bears’ advantage in half with 4:27 left on the clock, closing out the scoring for the second period.

Despite numerous scoring chances in the third, the hometown team couldn’t complete the comeback. Jake Hamilton found the back of the net with 2:53 left in the game, but the rally fell short when Knoxville’s Lucas Helland scored on an empty net.

“The crowd looked amazing, anytime you can play in this environment, you wanna put your best effort forward,” said Head Coach Gary Graham. “We’re gonna go back to the lab next week. We’ve got 4 days to prepare for a really big Huntsville series.”

What’s Next?
Next Game: Friday, November 15 at Huntsville
Next Home Game: Saturday, November 16 for the fan-favorite Star Wars Night

The Brackets Are Out: Tate Aggies, Jay Royals Set For Playoff Games Next Friday Night

The Florida High School Athletics Association has announced the first round playoff pairings for next Friday night, inclung games for Tate and Jay high schools.

In the immedia North Escambia area:

• The  No. 8 Tate Aggies will travel to the Jacksonville suburb of Ponte Vedra to take on the No 1. Nease Panthers.
• The No. 5 Jay Royals will host the No. 12 Fort White Indians.

Here are the playoff games for other Escambia County area teams:

Rural

• No. 12 Fort White at No. 5 Jay

Class 2A Region 1

• No. 2 Catholic will host No. 7 Walton

Class 4A Region 1

• No. 5 Ed White (Jacksonville) at No. 4 Pine Forest
• No. 6. Riverside (Jacksonville at No. 3 Escambia

Class 6A Region 1

• No. 8 Tate at No 1. Nease (Ponte Vedra)
• No. 5 Oviedo at No. 3 Pace

Pictured: The Tate Aggies in a 35-14 defeat of Crestview in October. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Dabrowski’s Big Night Against Former Team Lifts Ice Flyers To First Home Win

by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent

The Ice Flyers newly acquired Sam Dabrowski had a little emotional tinge while glancing at this former team prior to Friday night’s game.

“There were a couple times when I saw the (Knoxville Ice Bears) jerseys and I had a little double take where I was like, wait, these aren’t my teammates,” Dabrowski said. “But I know how they compete.

‘I’ve practice with them for longer than I’ve practiced with these guys here in Pensacola, so I am familiar with everyone on the ice and their tendencies and how they play. And I just try to play my best game.

He did just that.

Dabrowski scored a pair of second period goals – his first two with Pensacola – as the Ice Flyers won a 7-4 scoring fest Friday against the Knoxville Ice Bears before a crowd of 5,330 at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The attractive adult jersey giveaway had fans waiting outside the Bay Center well before the doors opened for the replica jersey style worn Friday by the Ice Flyers.

When the game began, the Ice Flyers fans had more reasons to cheer in what became the first home ice win of the season.

Cameron Cook and Matt Weisner scored goals just 1-minute, 11 seconds apart in the first period for a 20 lead at intermission.

The teams combined for seven goals in a wild second period, which saw Ice Bears’ goaltender Stephen Mundinger, who played for the Ice Flyers most of last season, pulled after giving up a fourth goal on just 14 shots faced with 13:39 left in the second period.

The Ice Flyers then sealed the game in third period when Ivan Bondarenko slipped a perfect pass behind him to Jordan Henderson, who then rifled a wrist shot into the net 5:44 remaining for a 6-4 lead. CJ Hayes then made a diving whack at the puck with a defender on him for an empty net goal with 15 seconds left to complete the night.

“It’s good for the group, I think we’ve been getting our fair share of chances, we just haven’t been burying (pucks) and I think that’s what has been frustrating,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “So the longer that goes, guys start squeezing their sticks.

“It’s all about confidence in this game. More confident players, the better they’re going to play, so it is good to see the team finally get rewarded. We got a few bounces for once (Friday), haven’t been getting a lot of those.

“On the flip side, I can’t sit here and be happy giving up that many goals. It’s not our standard. We’ve had way too many games this season giving up too many goals.”

The teams will rematch Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Bay Center on Blue Angels Night with the Ice Flyers wearing spectacular Blue Angels uniforms in honor of the U.S. Navy famed flight demonstration squadron based at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

The recognition follows the Blue Angels final air show of 2024 last Saturday in Pensacola and occurs on Veterans Day weekend.

FIRST PERIOD
Cameron Cook started things off for the Ice Flyers working the puck free off the boards from a faceoff and then rifling a wrist shot past Stephen Mundinger less than six minutes into the first period.

Matt Weisner quickly followed on a perfect pass from C.J. Hayes, who worked himself around the back of the net, then found Weisner open for a one-timer that became a 2-0 lead at intermission.

SECOND PERIOD
Just 47 seconds into the period, as fans were still returning from the first intermission break, Dabrowski scored his first Ice Flyers goal on assists from Cook and Shane Bull.

Knoxville answered less than a minute later to make it a 3-1 and ignite the scoring spree.

Dabrowski scored again, assisted by the same two linemates again, to make it 4-1 with 13:39 left. He was acquired by the Ice Flyers on Oct. 26 and made the trip with the team last weekend to Roanoke and Fayetteville.

“We kinda had a little bit of slow weekend last weekend when we were thrown together for the first time without a whole lot of practice time,” Dabrowski said. “With a week of practice together (this week) things started to click.

“The game plan was laid out for us, we executed, did what we were supposed to.”That goal led to Mundinger getting pulled and ignited Knoxville to make it a 4-3 game with the next two goals before Bull scored with 2:06 left in the period.

THIRD PERIOD
Henderson’s goal late in the period followed both teams getting power play chances earlier in the period. Ivan Bonderenko’s pass made the difference in setting up the goal-scoring play.

The Ice Bears pulled their goaltender with 1:15 remaining and had a two-man advantage briefly as the Ice Flyers killed off a penalty then Hayes’ great hustle play sent the puck into the net for the final goal.

GAME NOTABLES

The jerseys worn Friday night by the players and the fans will be followed on Saturday with the players wearing the Blue Angels uniforms in a partnership with the U.S. Navy’s famed squadron.

“You go around the world, everyone knows who the Blue Angels are,” Graham said. “I think these jerseys are probably the best I’ve ever seen, and I have seen a lot of cool jerseys in my lifetime. That jersey we will be wearing I think is the sharpest thing.”

Showstoppers Win USSSA Fall World Series 12uB Class Championship

The Showstoppers 2030 team won the USSSA Fall World Series 12uB class championship recently.

The team went a perfect 5-0 in bracket play with the Birminaham, Alabama, tournament with 26 total teams. They finished the fall session winning 12 of their last 13 games and an overall record of 29-6.

The Showstoppers played five fall tournaments, winning four championships and two runner-up spots. They head into the off season ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the country among 12uB teams.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

SEC Soccer Quarterfinals Are Today At Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park

The SEC Soccer Tournament continues today with quarterfinal action at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park off 10 Mile Road.

Today’s games are:

• No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Georgia, 11:30 a.m.
• No. 3 Texas vs. No. 11 LSU, 2 p.m.
• No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Tennessee, 4:30 p.m.
• No. 4 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Alabama 7 p.m.

Winner advance to the semifinals Thursday at 3:30 and 6:30 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.

Pictured: The LSA Tigers defeated Auburn 2-1 Sunday afternoon in the SEC Soccer Tournament. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

SEC Soccer Tournament Opens At Ashton Brosnaham (With Photo Gallery)

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.

SEC Soccer Tournament Starts Today At Ashton Brosnaham Park

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.

A Rout for the Record Books As No. 21 UWF Rolls 70-0 Past Erskine

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.

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