Northview Teacher Wins Bike Ride Event
May 7, 2009
Northview High School teacher Natalie Nall was the female division winner in the nearly 30 mile Habitat for Humanity bike ride from Brewton to Atmore.
A total of 28 riders made the 29.5 mile pedal-power trip from Brewton to Tom Bryne Park and Atmore’s Mayfest on Saturday. Nall was the first female to reach Atmore, and Will Ruzic of Brewton was the first male to to reach the finish line.
The purpose of the ride was twofold — raise funds and awareness for Habitat for Humanity’s projects in Escambia County, Ala.
Today, Habitat will choose two Atmore area families to receive new homes in the future, and another home will be constructed by the non-profit group in Brewton.
At Northview, Nall services as head coach for the Chief’s girls and boys cross country teams, and she is the school’s reading coach. Nall was named the Northview High School Teach of the Year for 2008.
Northview, Jay Both Lose Tuesday Night In Playoff Action
May 6, 2009
The Northview Chiefs lost their Region 1-3A playoff bid Tuesday night by a single point, and it was also a disappointing night for the Jay Royals.
Bonifay beat the Chiefs 2-1 on the road.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Crusaders beat Marianna 12-2 in five innings. Catholic will travel to Bonifay Friday night for the Region 1-3A semifinal game.
Sneeds beat the Jay Royals 6-2.
Jones Slams Molino Softball’s First Home Run In 13 Years
May 4, 2009
For the first time in 13 years, a Molino girl’s softball player knocked one out of the park last week.
Shaniqua Jones, who plays for the 16U Lady Cats, hit one out of the park last week against NEP. She stepped up to the plate with two runners on base. On the third pitch, she sent the ball over the center field fence for a three-run home run.
It was the first home run on the season, and the first home run by a Molino girl’s softball player since 1996.
Pictured The Molino Lady Cat’s Shaniqua Jones. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Fishing Rodeo For The Disabled Held In Walnut Hill
May 3, 2009
“I caught one! I caught one!”
The sounds of excitement were all around Saturday for the 35th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill.
Over the 35 year history of the fishing rodeo, it has been held at locations ranging from Ft. Pickens to the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola. Since 2001, it has been held at Jantz’s Catfish Pond on South Highway 99, just off Highway 97.
Dozens of volunteers stood ready Saturday to help the disabled fish. They baited hooks, tossed a line and offered words of friendly encouragement. Many of the volunteers were from the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church.
About 60 disabled people were registered in Saturday’s fishing rodeo. They were from around the area, including Pensacola and Century. Several residents from the Century Care Center participated. Everything, including lunch, in Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo is provided to the disabled for free as a project of the Pensacola Fiesta of Five Flags organization.
Click here for a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery.
While Jantz Catfish Pond is not open for public fishing, nearby ponds belonging to Steve Hiebert (Steve’s Sweet Corn) are open for public fishing. For more information, call 327-4020.
Pictured: Scenes from the 35th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chiefs Fall To Catholic; Jay Royals Win In Playoffs
May 1, 2009
Catholic High defeated the Northview Chiefs Thursday night, while the Jay Royals beat Ponce de Leon.
The Chiefs lost to the Crusaders 13-3 on the road in Defuniak Springs in the District 1-3A Championship.
Catholic (24-3) will host the runner-up in District 2-3A, while the Northview Chiefs will travel to Bonifay on Tuesday to play the Holmes County Blue
Devils in the first round of the Class 3A State Playoffs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Hitters for Northview were Scooter Hamilton, Patrick McPherson, Brad Foster and Dakota Stuckey.
Catholic took an early 4-2 lead by the end of the first. The Crusaders scored three runs in the second and half a dozen in the third for a 13-2 lead going into the fourth. The Chiefs had one more fun in the fourth, making the score 13-3.
Also Thursday night, the Jay Royals beat Ponce de Leon in the District 1-2A Championship in Freeport.
Jay (17-4) will host Sneads on Tuesday in the regional quarterfinals
Florida Sports To Continue; Alabama Games Canceled Over Swine Flu Fears
May 1, 2009
The Alabama High School Athletic Association has suspended all high school sports, including playoff games, over swine flu fears. In Florida, the Florida High School Athletic Associations says that high school sports will continue for now.
The AHSAA canceled all high school sporting events until at least Tuesday after two swine flu cases were found in North Alabama and a third was identified in Montgomery.
The FHSAA says that games will go on since there are no confirmed swine flu cases in Florida.
“The Association is in contact with the state health department, and will address the issue if/when a case(s) are confirmed,” according to FHSAA. “The FHSAA understands the severity of the situation and wants to keep the student-athletes, coaches, officials and spectators safe.”
NHS Quarterback Club Elects Officers
April 30, 2009
The Northview High School Quarterback Club has elected officers for the next school year. They are:
- Joey McCall, president,
- David Bell, vice president
- Edie Jackson, treasurer
- Lisa Albritton, secretary
- Randy Albritton, public relations.
Eddie Jackson, Roy White, Jr., David Arrington, Mark Digmon, and Toney Simpson were elected as board members.
Also, the following committees were established, and they are listed with their respective chairperson and mission:
- Spirit Committee — Ramona Bell (Implement ideas that build school, team, and fan spirit)
- Fundraising Committee — Rebecca Presnall (Propose and organize fundraising ideas)
- Concession Coordination — Carla Randolph (Work with Concession Manager and develop schedules)
- Hospitality Committee — Deborah Arrington (Oraganize pre and post game meals, organize banquet and referee hospitality)
- Game Support Committee — Toney Simpson (Chain gang, Press Box crew, Statistics, and field prep assistance)
- Audio-Visual Committee — Randy Albritton (Sound system, game films, end of season video and highlights)
The following was submitted by Randy Albritton on behalf of the Quarterback Club:
One of our goals is to increase participation in the Quarterback Club. Twenty members attended this past meeting, and as you can see from the committees established above, there is plenty of help needed and required. Our main goal is to attempt to provide every student and athlete at Northview now and in the future, with a positive, memorable high-school experience through our sports programs.
We do that by working diligently and faithfully in the committees listed above. I believe that every parent shares this goal with the Northview Quarterback Club. So we encourage you to talk with members about the exciting things coming up for the next school year and please attend our next meeting on Tuesday, May 19th, at 7 p.m., at the gymnasium. During the summer, we will meet the first Tuesday of every month.
Don’t forget the Garnet and Gold intrasquad game will be Friday, May 22nd, at 7 p.m. There will be a hot dog supper for $6 available for all attendees. Come out and cheer for the Chiefs!!!
Chiefs Advance In District Play With 12-8 Win Over South Walton
April 29, 2009
The Northview Chiefs defeated the South Walton Seahawks Tuesday night 12-8 in the District 1-3A Baseball Tournament.
The Chiefs improved their record to 14-9 overall. They will play Thursday at 7 p.m. in Defuniak Spring for the district championship.
Northview scored four in the first inning, one in the third, two in the fifth, and five in the sixth.
Leading hitters for the Chiefs included Scooter Hamilton going 2 for 4 with a double, and scoring two runs. Austin Lowery was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, and three runs scored.
Brad Lowery was 2 for 4, with a double and one RBI. Dabney Langhorne was 2 for 2 with 4 RBIs. Heath Burkett was 1 for 3 with a double. Patrick McPherson was 1 for 4 with two runs scored. Brad Foster was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Dakota Stuckey was 1 for 2 with a double, three runs scored and one RBI.
Brad Lowery picked up the win on the mound for the Chiefs. He worked six innings, gave up six runs, on six hits. Lowery walked four, and struck out 10. He improved his record on the year to 7-2. Heath Burkett pitched the 7th inning for Northview.
Pictured above: The Northview Chiefs. Submitted photo by Becky Lowery for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lady Chiefs Fall In Tourney Play
April 29, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost Tuesday night in the Region 1-3A Quarterfinals.
The Lady Chiefs lost on the road to Bonifay-Holmes County by the score of 10-0 in six innings. The Blue Devils allowed just four Northview hits.
The Northview Lady Chiefs finished their season at 11-12.
The majority of player this year for Northview’s softball team were sophomores: Kara Hardin, Emily Vickrey, Ashley Digmon, Shawna Montgomery, Miranda Burkett, Sarah Killam and Hayley Simpson. Juniors playing for the Lady Chiefs were: Aimee Clarke, Amber McMillan, Candice Greenwell and Kolbi Cobb. The team had just one senior this year, Briana Halteman. The Lady Chiefs were coached by Stephanie Elowsky and Sammy Day.
FHSAA Board Cuts Number Of High School Games Allowed
April 28, 2009
Most varsity sports in Florida will see a 20 percent reduction in games next year, and junior varsity games will be cut by 40 percent.
Varsity football was the one sport spared by cuts announced Monday by the Florida Highs School Athletic Association, with the schedule the next two years remaining at 10 games per year.
Baseball, basketball, softball and volley ball will be cut from 25 games to 20 allowed per year. At the JV level, those sports will be cut from 25 maximum games per year to just 15. Junior varsity football teams will be allowed to play six games rather than eight, while varsity football teams will remain at 10 games per year.
The maximum number of games in other sports, such as track and field, golf and cross country, were also cut.
The FHSAA says the reductions will be in effect for two years, and the organization intends to restore full athletic schedules after that period.
The Policy was designed to help reduce costs of operating high school athletic departments in these strained economic times. One of the goals was to reduce the number of contests in all sports so that districts would not be faced with total elimination of some sports all together, according to a FHSAA press release.
“We recognize that we have nothing to compare this to. These are unprecedented times. People are losing their jobs as schools are cutting millions and millions of dollars from their budgets. Our job is to look out for all the schools,” said FHSAA Board President Greg Zornes.
The changes were approved by the FHSAA Board by a 9-6 vote. The only representative from the Panhandle on the FHSAA Board, Gulf County School Superintedent Tim Wilder, voted in favor of the reduction.
The chart below shows the changes per sport.
