Gulf Breeze Stops The Tate Aggies In District Quarterfinal
April 21, 2026
The Gulf Breeze Dolphins defeated the Tate Aggies 7-0 on Monday evening in the 3A District 1 flag football quarterfinals.
Tate’s season ended at 6-8, while Gulf Breeze (9-4) will travel to Pace on Tuesday in the semifinals.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
This Is Who The Agros Will Face In UWF’s First Division I Football Game
April 21, 2026
The Division I era for University of West Florida football will kick off at home on Thursday, August 27 with the Argos hosting Southern Illinois in the first game of the season.
The newly scheduled game will be a historic moment for UWF as the university announced the move to NCAA Division I beginning in the fall of 2026 with the football team playing as an FCS member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC) and all other sports competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).
“We are excited to open up with a great team like Southern Illinois for our start on the FCS level,” said head coach Kaleb Nobles. “At UWF, we prepare for games like this, and we want to play the best teams around the country that we can. We look forward to a great start to the 2026 UWF Football season.”
The visiting Southern Illinois Salukis were set to play Samford on the road for their 2026 opening game before adding UWF to complete a 12-game schedule for the team. Last season, the Salukis finished 7-5 overall which included a win over No. 11 Illinois State in the final game of the regular season. UWF make a trip to Carbondale, Ill. in 2027 as part of the home and home series.
“This is going to be an exciting game to begin our first football season as members of the FCS,” said Dave Scott, Associate Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. “We are thankful to Southern Illinois for adding us to their schedule. We want to encourage the Pensacola community to rally around this monumental game and come out to support the Argos.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m on August 27 at Pen Air Field. More information on season tickets, individual tickets and the game day experience is still to come as construction of Darrell Gooden Stadium is ongoing.
A full football schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
Tate High Girls Win District Track And Field Championship
April 20, 2026
Tate High School girls track and field won the District 1-3A championship on Saturday at Pine Forest High.
The Aggies scored 133.5 points to capture the district title, while Pine Forest finished second with 111.5 points and Washington was third with 99.5.
Tate claimed the district title year with Paul Bryan as head coach for the Aggies. His coaching career started at Woodham High School in 1996, and he later moved on to Pine Forest High School. In almost three decades as a track head coach, he won state championships at Pine Forest and 2010 and 2011 and finishes as state runners-up at Pine Forest in 2009 and Woodham. He also earned half dozen state top 10 finishes. He has won eight regional championships and 21 district titles, and he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Girls 3A Coach of the Year three times.
Tate first or second place finishers who qualified for regionals were:
Girls 100 Meter Dash Varsity
- Layanna Banks, 1st, 11.76
Girls 200 Meter Dash Varsity
- Layanna Banks, 1st, 24.71
Girls 400 Meter Dash Varsity
- Anna Morgan, 2nd, 1:02.79
Women’s 4 x 100 Relay
- Tate (Nancy Clay, Niyana Wiggins, Camdyn Green, Layanna Banks), 1st, 48.84
Women’s Pole Vault
- Daveigh Meredith, 1st, 3.00m
Women’s Long Jump
- Layanna Banks, 2nd, 5.00m
Girls Shot Put Varsity
- Makylie Lewis, 2nd, 9.96m
The Region 1-3A championship will take place at Pine Forest on May 2.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pace Softball Player Recovering After Serious Injury During Game At Tate
April 20, 2026
The Pace High School Patriots player seriously injured in a softball game on Friday evening at Tate High School should be back to playing softball again soon.
Junior Kylie Reed was running to second base when she collided with the Tate second baseman. She was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by Escambia County EMS, and the game was called.
“She has some micro fractures in her neck and inflammation from the whiplash. She is about to be released,” Tate Aggies Softball posted Sunday night. “They actually said she could be back to playing when she’s no longer in pain.”
“Thank you all for prayers and well wishes. We may be opponents on the clay, but softball is bigger than just a game,” Aggies softball added.
The Tate second baseman was not injured.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lewis Jr., Boyd Lead Doubles Derby as Wahoos Win Series Finale
April 20, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos salvaged a series split with the Knoxville Smokies on Sunday afternoon, riding a six-run second inning to a nail-biting 7-6 victory.
Ian Lewis Jr. was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and three stolen bases for the Blue Wahoos, while Emaarion Boyd added a pair of doubles and two RBI of his own in the homestand finale.
One night after a seven-run sixth inning broke the game open for Pensacola, a similar offensive outburst got the Blue Wahoos ahead early. Ryan Ignoffo led off the second inning with a single, and scored on a throwing error from Knoxville starting pitcher Tyler Schlaffer (L, 0-2) on a comebacker to the mound. Gage Miller followed with an RBI single before Boyd laced a two-run double to the wall in left-center. Lewis Jr. rapped a double to bring home Boyd, and scored on an RBI groundout from Dillon Lewis for a 6-0 edge.
Blue Wahoos starter Will Schomberg, who departed his previous start in the third inning with an apparent injury, worked 2.0 scoreless innings before another early exit. Jake Smith took over in relief, allowing two unearned runs in the third inning as Cristian Hernández made a fielding error at shortstop and Edgar Alvarez brought home a run with a sacrifice fly.
Luis Palacios (W, 2-0) protected the Pensacola lead through the fifth and sixth innings, ultimately extending his franchise record with his 26th career victory in a Blue Wahoos uniform.
The Blue Wahoos added another run in the sixth inning on back-to-back doubles from Boyd and Lewis Jr. to extend their lead to 7-2, and the run would prove vital. The Smokies answered back in the top of the seventh, plating four runs with an RBI single from Jordan Nwogu, a catcher’s interference call against Ignoffo, a bases-loaded walk to Ariel Armas, and a run-scoring fielder’s choice off the bat of Karson Simas. Stephen Jones struck out Ed Howard with runners at the corners to preserve the 7-6 lead.
Nigel Belgrave (S, 1) kept things interesting on his way to earning a six-out save, but Ignoffo threw out Alex Ramirez trying to steal second base in the eighth and Simas grounded out with two men aboard in the ninth to secure the Blue Wahoos win.
After an off day Monday, the Blue Wahoos begin a seven-game, six-day road trip to Montgomery on Tuesday to take on the Biscuits.
written by Erik Bremer
Tate Softball Legacy: Aggies Honor Retiring Head Coach Melinda Wyatt
April 19, 2026
Legacy.
Friday evening, Tate High School honored the legacy of Tate High School softball and Head Coach Melinda Wyatt, who will retire at the end of this season after 31 years with Tate softball.
“Today, we all say thank you,” said Greg Blackmon, Tate High athletic director and assistant principal. “Thank you for giving your life to Tate, which is what you have done.”
“You have left a legacy here at Tate, and we want you to know that we will always remember you and everything that you have done for Tate High School and the softball program,” Principal Laura Touchstone told Wyatt.
Over those 31 years, as a varsity and junior varsity coach, Wyatt amassed a record of 485-212. During her 22-year tenure as head coach, she had eight district championships, 11 playoff appearances where she was 14-10. In 2015, Wyatt’s Aggies had two final four appearances, and won the 7A state championship in 2015.
Her friend and predecessor, legendary former Tate head softball coach Charlene Varnell, joined in the celebration and tossed the first pitch at Friday’s game at the school’s Charlene Varnell Field. Wyatt almost caught it. At the time of her retirement, Varnell was the winningest softball coach in Florida high school history with 597 career wins and nine state tournament appearances.
“Girls, do you know how Tate softball started,” Varnell asked the 2026 team. “We started in a corn field. They cleared out where the gym is now and made a softball field.”
That’s the legacy, and tradition, of Tate softball that Wyatt led.
Dozens of former players and friends joined Friday’s celebration to honor Wyatt and thank her for helping to shape their futures.
Even the umpires gave her bouquets of flowers.
After the ceremony, During the national anthem, Wyatt at the flag, looking toward the setting sun, just behind the scoreboard sign that proclaims “Charlene Varnell Field – Home Of The Aggies — 2015 7A State Champion”.
The legacy of Tate softball.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies To Face Gulf Breeze In Flag Football District Quarterfinals
April 19, 2026
The Tate Aggies begin play on Monday in the 3A District 1 flag football quarterfinals.
The No. 6 Aggies (6-7, 3-2) will travel to Gulf Breeze (8-4, 4-4) to take on the No. 3 Dolphins at 6 p.m.
The teams have met once this year, with Gulf Breeze taking the win 19-0 on February 16.
The winner will travel to No. 2 Pace (10-5, 4-2) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos’ Bats Explode In 13-4 Blowout Win
April 19, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got the offensive outburst they had been searching for on Saturday night, thrilling a sellout crowd with a 13-4 victory over the Knoxville Smokies.
After scoring a league-fewest 37 runs in their first 12 games, Pensacola poured it on with three homers and a seven-run sixth inning to score a season-high 13 times despite collecting only six hits.
Dillon Lewis jump-started the bats in the first inning, hitting a three-run home run off Smokies starter Jake Knapp (L, 0-1) for a 3-0 lead. It was the second three-run homer of the series for Lewis, who also went deep in the first inning on Tuesday.
Gage Miller added on with a solo homer in the second inning, his first of the season, to extend his hitting streak to a team-high six games.
Blue Wahoos starter Karson Milbrandt allowed a two-run homer to Andy Garriola in the fourth, but struck out a season-high eight batters over 4.0 frames in an effective start. The Blue Wahoos got the runs back on a bases-loaded walk to Miller and a sacrifice fly from Ian Lewis Jr. to stretch their lead back to 6-2.
After the Smokies added two more in the fifth on RBI singles from Garriola and Ethan Hearn, the Blue Wahoos exploded for a seven-run sixth inning despite collecting only two hits. With the bases loaded thanks to a pair of walks and an infield error, Fenwick Trimble served a two-run single to right field. Dillon Lewis sent a bases-loaded chopper to shortstop that could have ended the inning, but a bad throw from Karson Simas sailed down the right field line and plated two more. Jay Beshears put an exclamation point on the outburst with a three-run homer for a 13-4 lead.
Logan Whitaker (W, 1-0) was awarded the win in relief, scattering two hits over 3.1 scoreless innings.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Smokies on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer
Northview Claims District Championship With 2-1 Win Over Jay (With Gallery)
April 18, 2026
The Northview Chiefs won the Rural District 1 championship on Friday night, 2-1 over Jay in a game played at Central High School.
“It’s amazing, they worked so hard,” first-year Northview head coach Justin Raley said after the win over the Royals. Justin Raley had been an assistant coach the past three seasons at Jay, under the leadership of his father Duane Raley, who is now an assistant coach at Northview.
“This group of guys is special; they’ve bought in from day one, and they deserve every bit of this,” he added.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Bryant Mason earned the win on the mound for the Chiefs, giving up two hits and no runs in five innings, walking two and striking out eight. Jack Boutwell opened on the hill for the Chiefs, allowing three hits and one unearned run in two innings, walking two and striking out one.
Landon Golden went five innings for the Royals, allowing one hit, two earned runs, striking out seven and walking six. Brison Nelson was on the mound for one inning, giving up one hit and walking two.
Mason and Boutwell had one hit each for Northview, while Bryant Mason and Luke Chavers had one RBI each. Bryson Morris had one RBI for Jay, while Nick Baxley went 2-3.
Northview (18-8, 3-0) will likely host a first round regional game. Jay (14-7, 2-2) will also likely have at at-large bid in the regional tournament, but possibly on the road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pace At Tate Softball Game Called Due To Serious Player Injury
April 18, 2026
Friday night’s Pace at Tate varsity softball game was called due to the injury of a Pace Lady Patriot.
Junior Kylie Reed was running to second base when she collided with the Tate second baseman. She was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by Escambia County EMS.
“Please keep our girl Kylie Reed in your thoughts and prayers,” Pace Softball posted on their social media Friday night. “She is in good spirits as of now, and is doing okay but in a lot of pain. We love you Kylie.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Pace High School Softball. Please keep their players, coaches, and family in your prayers,” Tate Softball posted. The Aggies’ second baseman was not injured.
For more photos from the beginning of the game, click here.
Before the game, the Tate Aggies honored retiring head coach Melinda Wyatt. We will have a complete story and photo gallery on Sunday morning on NorthEscambia.com.
Pace 3, Tate 0 (JV)
The JV Pace Patriots defeated the Tate Aggies 3-0 on Friday afternoon at Tate.
Middleton went five innings for Tate, giving up three unearned runs on six hits, striking out one and walking one.
For photos from the end of the game, click here. (JV photos are the end of the gallery.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
