Drew’s Field: Tragedy Turned Into A Dream
March 20, 2009
A tragedy that touched a community and turned into a dream will become a reality Saturday morning when Drew’s Field is dedicated in Walnut Hill.
Two year old Drew Marlow and his dad Danny Marlow died in a January 2008 accident on Highway 97. A short time later, the Northwest Escambia Little League voted to name a new wee ball field at the back of Bradberry Park “Drew’s Field” in honor of Drew’s dream to play ball.
“I am excited about it, but I get sad. It’s bittersweet,” said Drew’s mom, Cyndi Marlow Wendt. “I am so happy that the other kids will get to enjoy it.”
A monument stand’s near Drew’s Field. It’s a little over five feet tall. The top reads “Welcome to Drew’s Field” and the bottom features a quote from Danny. “Always let your Light shine,” it says. That’s what Danny would always tell players after ballgames that he coached.
The middle of the monument features a little boy and man walking hand in hand toward the sunset with baseball caps and a bat. The back of the boy’s jersey says “Drew” and has the number “3″ and the man’s jersey says “Drew’s Dad” and has the number “3″ too.
Drew and Danny spent hours playing with a blue and orange Florida Gators bat. Dreaming of that big opening day they both just knew would come when that little boy with a big number “3” on his jersey stepped to the plate.
Danny had it all planned out, down to the jersey number. Drew was Cyndi and Danny’s “miracle baby”…he was their third attempt at in vitro conception.
“We were just so excited. But then we went to the doctor. They rate the chances of the embryo surviving on a scale of one to five. A four or below has a small chance of surviving.”
“The doctor rated the embryo as a three that was Drew. A three out of five. We knew it was all in God’s hands.”
And God blessed the Marlows with a healthy sandy blond baby boy they named Drew.
“That’s where the jersey number ‘3’ came from. Danny always said ‘could you imagine if he was a five’,” Cyndi said. “He always wanted Drew to wear ‘3’ in his first ball game.”
“We were going to go play t-ball,” Cyndi said. “That’s all Drew talked about.”
Drew will never get to play on the field that bears his name, but “Drew’s Dream Team” will take to the field Saturday morning.
A memorial tile will be placed near the field, with a handwritten message from Cyndi:
“Drew my sweet angel, I would give anything to have one of your big bear hugs right now. I miss you so much. I know your smile makes heaven brighter…you will forever be in my heart.”
Drew’s field will be dedicated during Opening Day ceremonies Saturday morning at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill. Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m., with the Drew’s Field dedication expected to begin at about 9:30.
NorthEscambia.com will have complete coverage Sunday morning from Saturday’s Opening Day at Bradberry Park and from the dedication of Drew’s Field.
Pictured top: Drew’s Field at Bradberry Park will be dedicated Saturday morning. Pictured top middle Cyndi Marlow Wendt with the mermorial marker at Drew’s Field. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Diamond Club To Sell NHS Baseball Shirts
March 19, 2009
The Northview Diamond Club will begin selling t-shirts today as a fund raiser.
The gray shirts have “Northview Baseball” on them with a crossed bats emblem. Adult small to X large shirts are $5.40 each for Diamond Club members, and $2 more for XX and XXX large.
The non-member/fund raiser price is $10 for adult small to X large and $12 each for XX and XXX large shirts.
The shirts will be available beginning this afternoon at Northview baseball games.
Northview Makes It Eight In A Row By Beating Central Christian
March 18, 2009
Northview picked up their eighth win of the year on Tuesday versus Central Christian in Loxley, 16-4 in six innings.
Northview scored five in the first, one in the second inning, four in the third, two in the fifth and four in the sixth. Central Christian scored their four runs in the third inning.
Northview collected 14 hits and committed no errors, while Central Christian had six hits, and committed three errors.
The leading hitters for Northview included Dabney Langhorne going 3 for 5 at the plate, scoring three runs, and collecting one RBI. Brad Lowery was 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI’s. Patrick McPherson was 2 for 2 with a run scored. Scooter Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. Brad Foster was 2 for 3 at the plate with a triple, three runs scored, and an RBI. Dakota Stuckey had a single, scored a run, and had one RBI. Austin Reid had a single and scored three runs. Austin Lowery had one single.
On the mound for the chiefs, Alex Abbott worked 2 2/3 innings to pick up the win. He allowed three runs on two hits, walked one, and struck out two to work his record to 1-0. Brett Hanks pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on three hits. He struck out three batters. Heath Burkett closed out the win working the final two innings. He allowed no runs on two hits, and struck out three batters.
Northview improves to 8-2 on the season. The chiefs host Pensacola Catholic on Friday. The junior varsity will play at 4:00 p.m., with the varsity game to follow at 6:30.
Lucky 7: Chiefs Work To Keep Winning Streak Alive
March 17, 2009
The Northview High School varsity baseball team has been on a huge winning streak, winning their last seven.
“Our hitting and run production was not very good at the start of the season. Generally, hitting is ahead of the pitching early,” said Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley. “Recently though, I feel like we’ve been seeing the ball better and having better swings at the plate. It has helped us to produce more runs. We’ve also been aggressive on the bases and have been able to get some bunts down.”
Four Northview players having batting averages of .333 or better — junior Dakota Stuckey, sophomore Dabney Langhorne and senior Scooter Hamilton.
The Chiefs, now 7-2, are only about two-thirds of the way through the season. Seven straight wins is a good thing, but Wheatley realizes his team has more work to do to keep the wins rolling in.
“I’m pleased at what we’ve done so far, but I also realize we have a lot to work on and improve on. The players realize this, as well. We’re not satisfied with what we’ve done so far, we realize there is much more that we need to improve on,” Wheatley said.
Northview batting averages after nine games:
Dakota Stuckey .348
Dabney Langhorne .333
Scooter Hamilton .333
Austin Reid .310
Austin Arrington .286
Pictured above: Sophomore Austin Arrington at bat for the Chiefs. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NHS Varsity Wins Seventh Straight; JV Wins Too
March 14, 2009
The varsity Chiefs picked up their seventh straight win Friday against Walton, and the junior varsity team added another to their win column.
The Northview High School varsity baseball team beat South Walton 7-3. The varsity team is now 7-2 on the year.
Austin Reid pitched six innings for the Chiefs, allowing just one run.
Scooter Hamilton had two hits, one run and one RBIs. Brad Lowery had one hit and two RBIs. Brad Lowery had three hits and two runs. Dakota Stuckey had one hit; Austin Lowery had one hit and two RBIs. Patrick McPherson had one hit for the Chiefs.
Northview scored one run in the first inning. The second inning saw the Chiefs adding four more to the board. NHS scored a couple more in the third, and the Chiefs added one more in the fourth. South Walton’s scores came in the third and seventh innings.
The junior varsity Chiefs shutout South Walton 10-0.
For a photo gallery from both the varsity and junior varsity game, click here.
Pictured above: Sophomore Austin Arrington at bat for the Chiefs. Submitted photos by Heather Leonard for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Want To Be A Northview Cheerleader?
March 14, 2009
If you want to be a Northview High School cheerleader for the 2009-2010 school year, there are some important dates you need to know.
An informational meeting will be held Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria. It is important that all candidates and parents attend this meeting.
A clinic will be held March 21 from 8 a.m. to noon. A practice for all cheerleader candidates will be held March 23 until March 31 from 4:00 until 6:00 each weekday.
Tryouts for the 2009-2010 Northview cheerleading squads will be April 1 at 3:00 p.m.
This is the last year the Northview cheerleaders will be chosen by outside judges. Squads for the 2009-2010 school year will be entirely coach selected.
Northview Sweeps Double Header (Updated With Stats)
March 13, 2009
The Northview High School Varsity Baseball team swept a double header from Cottage Hill Academy in Bratt Thursday night. The win was the sixth straight for the Chiefs.
Northview won the first game 6-4. Brad Foster (1-0) was the winning pitcher. He pitched six innings, giving up four runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Heath Burkett pitched the final inning recording one strikout.
The hitters for Northview included Brad Foster collecting one single. Dabney Langhorne walked four times and scored two runs. Austin Reid has a pair of singles, scored two runs, and had two RBI”s. Austin Lowery was 1 for 3 with a single, and scored a run. Austin Arrington had a double and collected an RBI.
In the second game, Northview won 7-5. Northview scored one in the first, three in the third, two in the fourth, and one in the sixth.
Scooter Hamilton collected singles, scored a run, and had an RBI. Brad Foster had one RBI. Dabney Langhorne had one single, scored two runs, and had one RBI. Dakota Stuckey had a single, double, and had one RBI. Austin Reid had one single and an RBI. Brad Lowery collected two hits, including a double. Austin Arrington had a single and scored two runs. Patrick McPherson had a single and scored a run. Aaron Chancery also picked up a run.
Brad Lowery pitched five innings to pick up the win and move his record to 2-0 on the season. He gave up no runs, on two hits, he walked one, and struck out four.
The chiefs improved their record to 6-2 on the season.
The Chiefs will be at home this afternoon, taking on South Walton in a district game. The junior varsity will hit the field at 4:00, and the varsity game will begin at 6:30.
Click here for more photos from Thursday night’s Northview versus Cottage Hill double header.
Pictured above: Action as Northview beat Cottage Hill Academy Thursday in Bratt.. Submitted photo by Heather Leonard for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Baseball Announces Hit-A-Thon Winners
March 10, 2009
The Northview Baseball team held their annual Hit-A-Thon Fundraiser Friday night.
Both the junior varsity and varsity players competed.
The winner in the varsity division was senior Brad Foster. Second place went to junior Heath Burkett, and third place went to Brett Hanks, a senior.
The winner in the junior varsity division was freshman Cole Commander. The runner-up was Taylor Martin, a sophomore.
Chiefs Coach Sid Wheatly pitched seven hits to each player, pitching for nearly two hours straight.
Winners received gift cards from area businesses.
Lady Chiefs Pickup Softball Win
March 10, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs beat West Florida High 10-0 in five innings Monday afternoon.
Shawna Montgomery had one RBI; Candice Greenwell had three. Aimiee Clark had 2 RBIs; and Miranda Burkett had one RBI.
Burkett pitched five innings for the Chiefs allowing two hits and no runs.
The Lady Chiefs are now 4-6 on the season, 0-1 in the district.
Northview Chiefs Beat Central Christian To Improve To 4-2
March 7, 2009
Northview beat Central Christian 12-2 in five innings.
Northview scored four in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth. The Chiefs held Central Christian to just one point in the first and one in the fourth Thursday night in Bratt.
The leading hitters for Northview were Austin Reid, who collected two singles and scored a run. Dakota Stuckey had two singles, scored a run, and added an RBI.
Austin Lowery was one for two at the plate with a two-run homerun. Brad Lowery collected a single, and scored a run. Brad Foster had a triple with three RBI’s. Dabney Langhorne collected a single for the chiefs.
Austin Reid picked up the win on the mound. He pitched four innings, gave up two runs, both unearned. He gave up three hits, walked four, and struck out seven. This brings his record to 2-1 on the season.
The Northview Chiefs are now 4-2 on the year.