Pensacola’s Johanna Long Wins The Snowball Derby
December 6, 2010
Pensacola’s Johanna Long became the second, and the youngest, female to win the Snowball Derby Sunday in one of the wildest finishes short-track racing’s most prestigious event has seen.
Long, 18, shed tears of joy after hoisting the Tom Dawson trophy to celebrate a historic victory in the 43rd annual Snowball Derby.
Two North Escambia area residents placed in Sunday’s race. Brandon Carlson finished 33rd, while Eddie Mercer placed 37th.
Long joins Mercer (2005), Dickie Davis (1971, 1973) and Wayne Niedecken Sr. (1968) as hometown heroes to find Victory Lane at the Derby.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Long, 18, said. “I can’t believe I did it. We worked so hard on this.”
Long shifted into another gear late when several of Sunday’s 16 cautions began to wave as the Derby neared its completion and drivers got antsy.
Fresh tires allowed her to pass Landon Cassill on Lap 316 for a lead she never relinquished, but not before Cassill went for a spin on the back straightaway and an ugly collision ensued behind him.
“She had new tires and was way faster than us,” said the 21-year-old Iowan, who finished fourth. “To run fourth here is a great accomplishment. I know I can win this.”
Five Flags’ asphalt is notorious for chewing up tires and spitting them out. This edition of the Derby was no different.
“(Cassill) understood,” said Long, who led 23 laps Sunday, including the final 13. “I had good tires and he didn’t.”
Several leaders lost their shot at racing immortality by foolishly believing their tires would hold up.
Chase Elliott, leading at the time, saw an unprecedented Snowflake 100-Derby weekend sweep fall by the wayside when Cassill spun him on Lap 298.
Before a green-white-checkered finish could be determined, the tower’s official ruling was that the drivers had to complete five total laps under green. Long sat outside the top five.
“I was nervous,” she said. “I was very concerned.”
She blew past Casey Smith and followed Cassill by then-leader Donnie Wilson on Lap 313.
Wilson was a terrific story Sunday. With Freddie Query, Long’s old crew chief, in his tower, Wilson made a valiant run playing the dark-horse role Sunday.
“Our track position was real good,” he said. “It was just our pit stops put us in a bad position. We still finished in the top five, so I’ll take it. I’m not gonna complain.”
Long finally won’t have to either. She was perfect on the green-white-checkered restart, pulling away from Wilson and never having to sweat in the final two laps.
Long stuck her fist outside the window into the cool air and pumped it as the checkered flag swayed in the wind.
A sometimes frustrating season was erased in a blink Sunday.
She came into the Derby win-less this year. Long gained invaluable experience while competing in seven NASCAR’s trucks series races, but her million-dollar smile paid the price for it.
Her confidence never wavered, though.
“I knew the team was working hard,” Long said. “They wanted to win just as much as I did. We finally did it.”
The home-schooled senior has faced many challenging tests this year. In her final exam, though, Long passed with flying colors.
“There’s been a lotta learning this year. It’s been tough,”said Donald Long, Johanna’s father and car owner. “We’ve made a few mistakes here and there, but we wanna race for a living. Hopefully, this gets us to that point.”
Video Highlights: Northview’s Playoff Game Against Trinity Christian
December 6, 2010
Here are video highlights by Keith Garrison from Northview’s Friday night playoff game on the road against Trinity Christian.
(The video is in three parts below.)
For game details and photos, click here for the NorthEscambia.com story.
Chase Elliot — Catches, Chases And Wins Snowflake 100
December 5, 2010
Watch closely. Chase Elliott is ready to amaze at any moment.
A teenage sensation in every sense of the word, Elliott has only been racing for seven of his 15 years.
But each time he climbs into one of his trademark No. 9 cars, the improbable seems likely for the son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott.
It happened again in the Snowflake 100 on Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway.
Elliott started 31st out of 36 cars. When it was over, he wildly swung the checkered flag above his head as water, Red Bull and the crowd’s roar washed over him.
“It really shows how hard we worked for this,” said Elliott, who assumed the lead on Lap 86. “To have as many problems today … and to comeback, I’m just thankful.”
Elliott started near the tail end of the field after winning one of two last-chance qualifiers earlier Saturday. That was only necessary after he was disqualified following qualifying because officials ruled the nose of his car was too low.
None of it mattered. In fact, some of Elliott’s rivals thought the afternoon race might have helped him.
“He saw what was working,” said Bubba Pollard, who moved from third to second after Landon Cassill was disqualified in post-race inspection. “He’s a good little race-car driver, though.”
The good little race-car driver methodically made his way from the back of the pack while Augie Grill comfortably led for more than 70 laps (7 to 78).
Elliott began to lean on the throttle a little bit more at the midway point, as he cracked the top 10.
Then, he just began embarrassing drivers, especially coming out of Turn 4 where he shined.
He mowed down Pensacola’s Johanna Long, who finished a disappointing 13th after running in the top five early. He did away with today’s Snowball Derby polesitter Cale Gale.
Before you knew it, Elliott was up to fifth by Lap 70.
“I don’t believe it. The longer it went, the better he got,” papa Bill said.
The younger Elliott caught a burst of speed on Dwayne Buggay for third on Lap 78.
A lap later, Pollard past Grill for the lead, but the kid wasn’t far from making his final move.
“We had a good car; we just missed a little bit,” Pollard said. “I think I raced to hard at the beginning with Augie, but that’s how he races.”
After being the class of the field early, Grill fell back to sixth by the Snowflake’s end.
Long felt the sting of defeat, too, because the handling of her car continued to get worse as the race rolled on.
“It’s disappointing,” she said. “I expected so much.”
The expectations will culminate in today’s 43rd annual running of the Derby, America’s most prestigious short-track race.
It has been, unquestionably, a messy weekend out at Five Flags with some vicious crashes.
The Pro Late Models, though, proved their mettle by running green for the opening 34 laps before the first yellow came out. Dillon Oliver nudged Pensacola’s Tommy Rollins into the Turn 2 wall.
There was just one other yellow the rest of the way, as the race finished in a blazing time of right at an hour.
Nothing was as fast as Elliott, though.
“I thought at one point we were too loose,” he said.
Too loose? Now, that’s amazing.
Blog: We Love Our Northview Chiefs!
December 4, 2010
While the Northview Chiefs fell short of their shot at a state championship game, fans rallied behind the team before, during and after Friday night’s loss to Trinity Christian in Jacksonville.
Prior to the game, the Chiefs were guests of honor at a huge sendoff pep rally (read more), and a large group of dedicated fans made the cross-state trip to Jacksonville for the game, including two “spirit buses” (read more.). During the game, the visitor’s bleachers at Trinity Christian were near standing room only.
The Chiefs were not winners according to the scoreboard in Jacksonville. But the scoreboard is not the only measure of winning.
Their whole season stands as a testament to gridiron grit and determination. Blood. Sweat. And tears. They were not running backs, defensive linemen and quarterbacks. They were a team. It brings the Kenny Chesney “Boys of Fall” song to mind, “It’s I got your number, I got your back when your back’s against the wall…You mess with one man you got us all…The boys of fall.”
Two years ago, our Chiefs were 2-8. The fans were there. Granted, an extreme amount of spirit was hard to muster at times, but the fans were there. This year, at 11-2 and going to a playoff level never achieved by Northview the fans where there. And the spirit was obvious in the school, and in our communities.
Many fans never hear the post-game chant as the players, coaches and cheerleaders gather on the field after each game. It begins likes this:
“I’ll be a Chiefs, till the day I die…”
Fans are fans until the end. That’s school spirit. Sure, tears were shed after the loss and a win would have been great, but losing can be one of those life lessons. When boys become men and a team, cheerleaders, band, ROTC, fans, and a community become one.
It was when our Northview Chiefs earned the right to be called champions.
Within minutes of the game ending Friday night, our comments section and Facebook page became a testament to the fact that we are all proud to be part of the Northview Chief family. There was nothing negative, only praise for our champions. We wanted to share the thoughts of our Facebook fans, all posted within minutes of the game’s end:
- Sharon Martin-Dudley — great job Northview!
- Carl Emmons — WTG Northview Chiefs on an Awesome season !!!!!!
- Deni Deron — Great job Northview! You guys are awesome!!
- Gina Chandler Robbins — Awesome job our guy’s did playing this year..Go Northview!!!
- Jenn Castor — Way to go on an AWESOME season, Chiefs — proud of ya!
- Tammy Turner Amison — Great season Chiefs. Hold your head’s high!!!
- Terry Emmons — So proud of all you guys. Proud to be a Chief. Go Chiefs!!!!
- Brigitte Ward — Aww sad
but good job NHS! - Ashley Bonner — So proud of the guys & to be a Northview Chief! Yall had an awesome season! Go Chiefs!
- Kimberly Navarro Edmonson — Whether you won the last game or not ~You guys are Champs!!
- Brad Johnson — Great season Chiefs!
- Karen Driver — Proud of you Chiefs you had a great season.
- Laura Ziglar Gross — Win or lose I’m still proud to say I’m from Bratt home of the Northview Chiefs!
- NorthEscambia.com — We love our Northview Chiefs!
Hold your heads high. We are all proud of our Champion Northview Chiefs.
Trinity Conquers Northview In State Semifinal Game (With Three Photo Galleries)
December 4, 2010
The Northview Chiefs’ state championship dreams were crushed Friday night by the Conquerors of Trinity Christian in Jacksonville, 49-14, in the Class 1A State Semifinals.
The finals stats were good for the Chiefs, controlling the ball three times more than Trinity, three times the running plays and twice as many passes. But five Conqueror drives in five minutes gave Trinity over three times the points on the board.
For more photos from the game, click here.
For a second photo gallery, click here.
For submitted fan photos, click here.
The Chiefs (11-2) took the lead with 5:47 to go in the first quarter on a 12-yard touchdown run from Dustin Yuhasz to cap an 80-yard, six minute drive. The point after kick was blocked, and Northview held a 6-0 lead. But on the next sequence, Trinity answered with a 12-yard touchdown run of their own and a good kick. The Conquerors were on top 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, the Trinity advantage increased to 14-6 with a 22-yard touchdown pass with 8:35 on the clock.
“We did what we needed to do in the first half,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said.”We controlled the ball about 18 of 24 minutes in the first half. Taking the lead with that first touchdown was big, and overall we controlled the ball well.”
The first few minutes of the third were also looking up for the Chiefs. Trinity scored on a 15 yard run on the opening drive of the second half. Down 21-6, a 2-yard touchdown scramble from Roderick Woods put it at 21-12. The Chiefs were successful on a two point conversion attempt, put Northview within reach at 21-14.
But then there was the last five minutes of the third. “In those next five minutes, we lost the game. We didn’t play well at all during those five minutes,” Wheatley said.
In those five minutes, the Conquerors conquered the Chiefs with successive TD’s — a 20-yard pass, a 23-yard pass and a 23-yard fumble return — to end the quarter at 49-14. The fourth quarter was scoreless.
It was 1979 when the Eagles of Ernest Ward High School last brought the only modern time Class A football championship back to the area. Ernest Ward would later merge with the Century Blackcats to create Northview. Friday night marked the first ever Semifinal appearance by a Northview team.
“I”m extremely proud of the season we had. They were the first team to go that far in the playoffs, and that says a lot,” Wheatley said. “We are going to work hard and build on it next year.”
- For more photos from the game, click here.
- For a second photo gallery, click here.
- For submitted fan photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos on this page an in first listed gallery by Will Dickey, the Florida Times Union, click to enlarge. To purchase photo reprints from this article, visit jacksonville.com. Photos in the second gallery by Heather Leonard for NorthEscambia.com. Photos in fan photo gallery courtesy Megan Carroll and Wayne Holland for NorthEscambia.com.
All 4 Area Teams Out Of The Florida Playoffs; Final Night In Alabama
December 4, 2010
Here is a complete roundup on state football playoff action from Friday night:
Florida Semifinals And Region
Class 1A State Semifinal: Jacksonville Trinity Christian 49 — Northview 14 [Read more...]
Class 2B State Semifinal: Ocala Trinity Catholic 21 — Pensacola Catholic 14
Region 1-3A Final: St. Augustine 7 — Pensacola High 3
Region 1-4A Final: Tallahassee Lincoln 34 — Navarre 33 (3 OT)
Alabama State Finals
Class 1A: Sweet Water 36, R.A. Hubbard 0
Class 2A: Leroy 34, Reeltown 7
Class 3A: Leeds 42, Hamilton 32
Class 4A: Thomasville 59, Deshler 34
Class 5A: Spanish Fort 14, Briarwood Christian 0
Class 6A: Daphne 7, Hoover 6
Northview Chiefs Go For Historic Playoff Win (With Video)
December 3, 2010
It’s history in the making tonight for the Northview Chiefs. It’s the first ever football playoff game east of Tallahassee, and the first ever semifinal game for the school. And, as Head Coach Sid Wheatley is quick to point out, it is just four quarters between now and the chance at a state championship trophy.
(This article was originally published prior to Northview’s 49-14 loss December 3 against Trinity Christian.)
The Chiefs will take on top rank Trinity Christian at 6:30 p.m. Century time in Jacksonville in the Region 1-A finals.
Join NorthEscambia.com tonight for live updates from Jacksonville.
“We are four quarters away from a possibility of a state championship, and that’s what we are shooting for, obviously, right now,” Wheatley said.
It was 1979 when the Eagles of Ernest Ward High School last brought the only modern time Class A football championship back to the area. Ernest Ward would later merge with the Century Blackcats to create Northview. It’s been a long time coming.
“We are excited to have an opportunity to play in the state semifinals,” said Wheatley as his team boarded the bus for Jacksonville. (See video at bottom of page.)
Trinity Christian (10-2) will be first private school Northview (11-1) has faced in the playoffs. As a private school in metro area like Jacksonville, Trinity is able to draw players from among the city’s best. Like the Conquerors’ Andrew Buie.
Buie is ranked as the number four all purpose back in the nation by Rivals.com, and the 103rd best player overall in the country. The running back is being recruited by more than a dozen major colleges, including Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi and Michigan. He’s rushed for nearly1,500 yards this season with 22 TDs.
There’s no one-man show for the Chiefs. The running back trio of sophomore La’Mikal Kyles, sophomore Roderick Woods and senior Dustin Yuhasz has over 1,700 combined rushing yards this season. At quarterback, junior Brandon Sheets has added over 400 yards rushing.
By the numbers, two-time state champ Trinity has 35 playoff wins, while Northview has three. Fifty plus players dress out for the Conquerors; Northview moved seven JV players up to make a varsity roster of just 38.
But those are just numbers on paper. The real story will be four quarters of action Friday night and a group of young men making history from rural North Escambia.
“I feel like if we can control the ball offensively and continue to play great defense, that we’ve got an excellent opportunity to win the football game,” Wheatley said.
Pictured top: Northview defender Tyler Brooks closes in on the Bulldog’s quarterback last Friday night in Freeport. Pictured top inset: La’Mikal Kyles scored a fourth quarter touchdown for the Chiefs in their 21-12 defeat of Freeport. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bike Ride To Benefit Toys For Tots
December 3, 2010
The Pensacola Off-Road Cyclists will host a cycling trail ride on December 4 to benefit the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program.
The ride will be held at the University of West Florida mountain bike trails. The 50-mile ride begins at 8 a.m.; the 25-mile ride begins at 11 a.m.; and a 10-mile ride begins at 1 p.m. The entry fee is at least one new, unwrapped toy donation for Toys for Tots.
The event will include feeding and mechanic stations, a post-ride meal and prizes.
Check-in begins at 7 a.m. at the trail head. For details, visit, porc.org.
Florida Hunters Could Be Required To Report Every Deer Harvested
December 2, 2010
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rule proposals requiring all hunters to tag harvested white-tailed deer and report the harvest to the FWC.
However, the commissioners directed staff to provide a menu of options regarding exempt hunters, showing how those hunters would report their harvest. Exempt hunters include individuals 65 and older and 16 and under.
Tagging and reporting game harvests is commonly done in many states, and FWC staff reviewed several other states’ harvest-reporting systems to see what might work well in Florida, according to a FWC news release The agency is seeking to craft a system where hunters would report their harvested deer, to better track where and how many deer are harvested in Florida.
FWC staff presented a draft proposal at five public meetings across the state and gathered input and feedback through an online poll.
The proposed harvest-reporting system would utilize a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week telephone and Internet system, and tags to attach to harvested deer.
Some of the information hunters would have to report includes their customer number, date of harvest, county, method of take, hunting with or without dogs, type of deer (antlered buck, button buck or doe) and number of antler points on bucks. All compiled statewide harvest data would be available to the public online and updated daily, but would not include hunters’ personal information.
“We want to make this system as friendly as possible for Florida’s hunters,” said Cory Morea, FWC biologist and deer management program coordinator. “We need the data to give Florida hunters what many of them have asked for – that is better management of the state’s deer herd, and at a more local level. This will give us one of the tools to enable us to do that.”
The new rules could be approved for final adoption at the February 2011 Commission meeting and would become effective July 1, 2011, and apply to the 2011-12 hunting season.
For more detailed information on the proposed harvest-reporting system, go to MyFWC.com/Deer.
Auburn QB Cam Newton Cleared By NCAA, Can Play Saturday
December 1, 2010
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is eligible to play in the SEC title game this weekend, but the NCAA says Newton’s father did break rules when he shopped his son.
The NCAA released the following statement this afternoon:
Auburn University football student-athlete Cam Newton is immediately eligible to compete, according to a decision today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. The NCAA concluded on Monday that a violation of amateurism rules occurred, therefore Auburn University declared the student-athlete ineligible yesterday for violations of NCAA amateurism rules.
When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request the student-athlete’s eligibility be reinstated. Reinstatement decisions are made by the NCAA national office staff and can include conditions such as withholding from competition and repayment of extra benefits. Newton was reinstated without any conditions.
According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete’s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton’s commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship.
In conjunction with the case, Auburn University has limited the access Newton’s father has to the athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated the involved individual.
“The conduct of Cam Newton’s father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics,” said Mike Slive, Southeastern Conference Commissioner. “The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC.”
“Our members have established rules for a fair and equal recruitment of student-athletes, as well as to promote integrity in the recruiting process,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs. “In determining how a violation impacts a student-athlete’s eligibility, we must consider the young person’s responsibility. Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement. From a student-athlete reinstatement perspective, Auburn University met its obligation under NCAA bylaw 14.11.1. Under this threshold, the student-athlete has not participated while ineligible.”
“We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University,” Auburn University Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs said. “We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter. “
During the reinstatement process, NCAA staff review each case on its own merits based on the specific facts. Staff decisions are made based on a number of factors including guidelines established by the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university.
Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete’s involvement are determined. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations.