Northview High Football Coach Keene Resigns
July 14, 2009
Northview High School Head Football Coach Cody Keene has resigned, leaving the school to head to Hooper Academy in Montgomery.
Keene announced his decision to his football team at a Monday morning practice and then met with the team’s seniors to stress the importance of good leadership to them. After that meeting, he sat down exclusively with NorthEscambia.com to talk about his decision.
“I was presented with another challenge that will allow us to be closer to my wife’s family, and closer to my kids,” Keene said, adding that his wife’s family is from Montgomery. “It is an opportunity that we have been praying about for months.”
Keene will be the fifth head coach at Hooper Academy in the past six years. But that does not bother him; he was the seventh coach in nine years at Northview.
He said he is proud of where the Chiefs have gone in his five seasons as head coach. Three of those six years were winning seasons, including back-to-back winning seasons from 2005 to 2007. One undefeated regular season. Two district championships. Three trips to the playoffs. Three Northview players gone on to college careers. Keene is proud of the numbers. But he’s prouder of the kids.
“I’m proud of these guys, and I am proud of where this program is,” he said.
There’s a bond between a coach and his players, one that Keene takes very seriously.
“It was hard on me; it was hard on them,” he said about his announcement to the players Monday morning. “But the kids are great kids. They will be fine.”
He is looking to the seniors to provide leadership for the rest of the team.
“There are some good leaders in that group, and they will lead the team through the transition,” he said, adding that he has faith that the remaining coaching staff will be able to lead the team until his replacement is announced. “One of them (the coaches) will step up to the challenge until a decision is made. They are good coaching team.”
Keene said this year will be an exciting one for the Chiefs. In a new district, Northview will face teams like Jay, Freeport, Sneeds and Bonifay. “All teams, except Jay because we didn’t play them, that we beat that 9-0 year,” he added with a smile.
“They are kids more like us — rural, small schools,” he said. “There will be real competition again for us in the district. Northview will have the opportunity to compete, the opportunity to win.”
Keene is confident that Northview will have a good season with the new district and talented assistant coaches.
“They are going to be fine,” he said. “I appreciate the support we have had from the fans, and I ask that they continue to support us.
While Keene said everything about Northview and his departure was positive, there was one major negative he wanted NorthEscambia.com to point out. You can read about it in another story by clicking here.
Northview Principal Gayle Weaver said Keene will be missed.
“He has been one of the best things that’s ever happened to Northview High School,” she said. “He has been the players’ friend, academic adviser and mentor.”
“He instilled a work ethic in the players on and off the field,” Weaver said. “He built a wonderful football program at Northview High School. He will be missed.”
Monday was Keene’s last day physically at Northview. He will be taking accumulated leave days until his official resignation date of August 14.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Coach: Why Doesn’t Northview Get A Field House Too?
July 14, 2009
Northview High School Head Football Coach Cody Keene says his departure from Northview High School is all about the positives — except for one little thing.
Every high school with a football program in Escambia County has a field house, except for Northview, and Keene says that is downright unfair.
Keene announced his departure as Northview’s head coach Monday morning. Read that story here.
At Pensacola High School, a field house was due to be completed in 2005 for $3 million, but it was delayed by Hurricane Ivan. When it was completed this year, the total price tag was $5 million. In the PHS field house, there are different wings for boys’ and girls’ sports, coaches’ offices, locker rooms for boys and girls, and even 52-inch flat screen televisions.
At Northview, there is no field house. Football players use the cramped PE locker rooms.
“How can the schools in Pensacola all have field houses and Northview doesn’t? How can the district leadership spend $5 million on a field house at Pensacola High and there is nothing here?” Keene said. “It’s not right. All of the students are Escambia District students. How can our board leave Northview out? We work just as hard. Why can’t they have a field house?”
Keene was clear that he was not criticizing Pensacola or the other high schools in the county; rather, he said he just wanted to point out that Northview’s program was lacking what had been provided to every other high school football program in the county.
“They deserve at Northview what everybody else gets,” Keene said. “We are a smaller school. Maybe we don’t need a $5 million field house. We could take a smaller field house.”
Pictured top: Northview High School Head Football Coach Cody Keene. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tri-County Beats Destin In Senior Baseball
July 13, 2009
Tri-County advanced in Senior Little League Baseball Tournament action over the weekend in Niceville.
The Tri-County All-Stars beat Destin 6-1. Tri-County will take on Niceville-Valparaiso at 6 p.m. Monday.
If they win, they will play at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. If they lose, they will be back in Niceville at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Pelicans Wrap Up Six Game Series With Win
July 13, 2009
After an hour and 45 minute rain delay Sunday night, the Pensacola Pelicans started the final game of their six-game series against the El Paso Diablos. The game was a close one, but the Pelicans ultimately emerged victorious, 5-4. Both Antoin Gray and Chase Burch homered in the win, and Hunter Davis earned his twelfth save.
Jason Navarro started the game for the Pelicans and pitched seven strong innings, striking out nine in the process. He only walked one and allowed seven hits while yielding four runs. Three of the runs were earned, with the unearned run coming at the start of the game.
In the top of the first, Arnoldo Ponce singled with one out. He moved to second on the hit, but a throwing error by the third baseman gave him third base. Juan Camacho hit a single that scored Ponce, and the Diablos had the lead.
The Pelicans got the run back in the bottom frame. Antoin Gray hit a one-out single, so did Chase Burch, and so did Marcos Rodriguez to plate Gray. The tie was short-lived, however, as the Diablos re-took the lead with a run in the third.
Jeff Vincent walked and came around to score on a throwing error after Ponce grounded out to third base. In the bottom of the inning, Chase Burch hit his eighth homer of the year to tie the game at two.
Pensacola took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Lou Palmisano led off with a triple. When Lester Contreras grounded out to third base, Palmisano scored to put the Pelicans up 2-1.
The Pelicans added insurance an inning later, as Antoin Gray hit his eighth homerun of the year, a solo shot that tied Burch for the team lead.
El Paso used the long ball to score their next run when Jorge Alvarez went deep to lead off the sixth inning. The Diablos tied the game at four when Rodriguez hit a double to start the seventh inning and scored on a double by Jeff Vincent.
Pensacola scored the game winning-run in the eighth inning when Palmisano walked with one out. On a groundout to first base, Palmisano advance to second, coming around to score when Lester Contreras hit a RBI-single to give the Pelicans a 5-4 advantage.
Tyler Wilson pitched the eighth inning and allowed two hits, but achieved every out by strikeout. Hunter Davis started the ninth inning and found himself with runners at second and third, but he picked up his twelfth save by stranding them there. Antoin Gray also “saved” the game by making a fantastic catch on a two-out blooper to shallow right center. The second baseman’s outstretched glove found the baseball to finish the game and give the Pelicans a 4-2 series victory over the Diablos.
The Pelicans will have Monday off before they travel to Shreveport and play the first-place Captains for a three-game set Tuesday through Thursday. The Pelicans are one game back in second place, and return home on Friday, July 17 for a Boy Scout Campout Night at Pelican Park.
Junior Little League Tourney Underway; NWE Falls
July 12, 2009
The Junior League All-Star Tournament got underway Saturday at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill with host team Northwest Escambia losing their first game.
NWE fell 6-3 to Niceville-Valparaiso. Also Saturday, Defuniak Springs beat Shalimar 4-2.
The Northwest Escambia All-Stars will take on Shalimar Monday evening at 7:30, while Niceville-Valparaiso will play Defuniak Springs at 5:00 Monday at Bradberry Park.
For a complete photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured: Action from Northwest Escambia versus Niceville-Valparaiso Saturday night at Bradberry Park In Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pcola Pels Shutout El Paso
July 12, 2009
Randy Beam pitched the first one-hitter in Pelicans history as Pensacola shutout El Paso 5-0 on Saturday night. Beam carried a no-hitter two outs into the eighth inning before yielding the first and only hit of the night. Beam’s changeup was vicious, striking out ten batters on the evening. Homeruns carried the offense, as Adam Darby hit his first professional round tripper, and Antoin Gray hit a three run shot for his seventh dinger of the year.
Adam Darby put the Pelicans on the board with two out in the bottom of the second inning by hitting a solo bomb over the right field wall, the first of his professional career.
While Randy Beam dominated Diablos, Pensacola put up four more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Rafael Alvarez led the inning off with a single, then moved to second on a Lester Contreras sacrifice bunt. Adam Darby’s second hit in as many at-bats moved Alvarez to third. Luis Guance flied out deep enough to center to score Alvarez and double the Pelicans’ run total. Francisco Leandro walked before Antoin Gray came up and hit his seventh homerun of the year, a three-run fence clearer that put the Pelicans up 5-0.
Randy Beam struck out the side in the second inning and was cruising along until Jeff Vincent stepped up in the sixth. Vincent hammered a ball right above second baseman Antoin Gray’s head. Gray jumped up and knocked the ball down, but Vincent reached first base safely. The play was ruled an error, and Beam’s no-no was intact. After nine strikeouts, Beam faced Vincent again in the eighth inning. With two outs, Vincent hit a fast-hopper up the middle to record the first and only El Paso hit. Beam would walk the next two batters before striking out his tenth batter of the game.
Beam allowed only the one hit, struck out ten, and only walked two in his fifth win of the year. The complete game, one-hit shutout was the first in Pelicans history, and before tonight, Beam’s season-high was six strikeouts in a game. Adam Darby went 3-3 with two singles and his homerun, and Antoin Gray’s only hit was the three-run bomb.
Pensacola has forced at least a tie in this six-game series, as the final game will be played Sunday at 6:05 p.m. The Pelicans will throw Jason Navarro against the Diablos’ Justin Mallett. Before the game, the Blue Angels and crew will take on the Pelicans staff and local celebrities in a softball game starting at 4 o’clock. Sunday is also Kid’s Day: all Kid’s Club members gain free admission to the park when wearing their member t-shirts. New memberships are available for just $10 and are good for the rest of the season. More information is available at www.pensacolapelicans.com.
Pelican’s Winning Streak Comes To An End
July 11, 2009
The El Paso Diablos tied their series with the Pensacola Pelicans at two on Friday, defeating Pensacola 5-3.
Pensacola scored first in the bottom of the second when Adam Darby reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a wild pitch. Darby moved up to third when Luis Guance singled. Kyle LaMotta hit a ground ball that scored Darby and the Pelicans led by one.
El Paso roared back in the top of the fourth. With one out Eddy Rodriguez singled, and Jeff Vincent hit a double, pushing Rodriguez to third. David Washington hit a single that scored Rodriguez and Vincent advanced to third base. When Hector Bernal reached on a fielder’s choice, Vincent scored on the play and the Diablos took a 2-1 lead. They added insurance in the fifth inning, scoring Juan Camacho from third base when the Pelicans’ third baseman made a throwing error.
Pensacola tied it at three in the bottom of the seventh when Lester Contreras started the frame with a single. Darby put down a sacrifice bunt and Contreras moved into scoring position. Luis Gaunce followed with a RBI double, and came in to score when Antoin Gray hit a single.
Tied at three in the top of the ninth, El Paso made a push for the lead: Mike Provencher reached on a fielder’s choice, then advanced to third when Tyler Johnson picked up a base hit. Eddy Rodriguez collected the game-winner on a single up the middle that plated Provencher. Johnson also scored on an error by the first baseman. Mike Cervera made the 5-3 lead held up in the bottom half, picking up his second save.
Yury Santana earned his second win of the year, and Hunter Davis took his first loss. Adam Brandenburg started the game for Pensacola, pitching five innings, allowing eight hits that scored three runs, of which two were earned. He walked four and struck out four. Joseph Wedner made his Pelicans debut on the night, pitching three solid innings, allowing only one baserunner via walk, and striking out four. Hunter Davis pitched a shaky ninth that allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walking one and striking out one.
The Pelicans were decent at the plate, as Burch, Rodriguez, Contreras, and Guance all had two hits. Guance had a RBI double, and Kyle LaMotta picked up his first hit in the American Association.
The Pelicans and Diablos will play the fifth game in this six-game series on Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
NWE Girls Win 11-12 Year Old Softball Championship
July 9, 2009
The Northwest Escambia All-Stars won the 11-12 Year Old All-Star District 1 Tournament championship Wednesday night in Destin.
NWE beat Niceville 4-1 to claim the district title. They will advance to the sectional tournament July 18 and 19 in Destin.
Pitching for NWE Wednesday night, Mallory Ryan had seven strikeouts and allowed just two walks. Reagan Bell, Danielle Steadham, Cheyenne Schoonover and Kyndall Hall each scored once for Northwest Escambia.
The NWE All-Stars were undefeated during the tournament, with a 7-0 win over Niceville, a 12-1 win over Shalimar and Wednesday night’s 4-1 win over Niceville.
Pictured above: The NWE 10-11 Year Old All-Stars with their championship banner Wednesday night in Destin. Pictured front: (L-R) Addy Lee, Kyndall Hall, Kendal Cobb, Courtney Peebles, Darby Randolph, Mallory Ryan, Danielle Steadham, Cheyanne Schoonover, Reagan Bell and Madison Arrington. Pictured back row: Manager Jerry Mason and Coach David Arrington. Submitted photo by Kim Ryan for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Junior Baseball Tourney Begins Saturday At NWE
July 9, 2009
The Florida District 1 Junior Baseball All Star Tournament begins Saturday at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill with four teams competing.
At 5:00 Saturday, Shalimar with take on Defuniak Springs. Host team Northwest Escambia begins play at 7:30 Saturday against Niceville-Valparaiso. Round two will be Monday night, with winners playing at 5:00 and losers playing at 7:30.
The Northwest Escambia All-Star Team includes:
- Brannon Freemon
- Alkoda Snyder
- Colton Williams
- Wade Jernigan
- Dalton Tullis
- Reed Bell
- Blake McCall
- Harold Harrison
- Justice Agerton
- Justin Haltemon
- Jerry Barlow
- Manager: Matthew Reynolds
- Coaches: Body Tullis, Trent Freemon, David Bell, Matt Walker
Pensacola Pelicans Extend Winning Streak To Six Games
July 9, 2009
The Pelicans extended their winning streak to six games, claiming victory over the El Paso Diablos in the first two games of the season. The first game lasted two days and 13 innings before the Pels won 11-10. El Paso put up four runs in the top of the thirteenth inning, but Pensacola rallied for five to win it. Game two was a surgical 5-0 win as Kyle Middleton pitched a complete-game, seven-inning shutout, striking out eight.
The Pelicans had a rousing bottom of the thirteenth in game one, as Lester Contreras led off with a single. With one out, Luis Guance singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Contreras scored on the play, and a four run Diablo lead was cut to 10-7. Francisco Leandro followed up with a single of his own, Guance scored, and Leandro advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Antoin Gray came to the plate and singled to score Leandro, then moved to third when Chase Burch got a base knock up the middle. Marcos Rodriguez pounded a hit through the left side, scoring Gray to tie the game at ten and moving Burch to second. Lou Palmisano won the game for the Pelicans on a RBI single between third and second to plate Burch and give the Pelicans their fifth straight win.
Ron Hill earned the win for the Pelicans, improving to 1-0 on the season. Jason Navarro started the game for Pensacola and pitched five innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Tyler Wilson started the rain-suspended game on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., pitching innings six through nine and allowing one earned run, four hits, and two walks. Ron Hill pitched from the tenth inning on, giving up four runs on six hits with two walks. Hill struck out six batters.
The second game started after nine o’clock, and was a perfect example of Kyle Middleton’s performance on the year. Middleton didn’t allow a run in the full seven-innings (as the game was shortened due to the double-header), struck out eight, and allowed just four hits and a walk. Middleton improved to 4-1 in 2009 while Justin Mallet (1-4) took the loss.
The Pelicans took a 2-0 lead in the first and never looked back. Leandro led off with a single, and Gray followed with one of his own. Chase Burch hit a RBI single to drive in Leandro. Two outs later, Luis Gaunce hit a single and Gray came in as well.
Pensacola added another run in the third: Marcos Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a one-out base hit, then scored when Lou Palmisano hit a double. The last bit of insurance came in the bottom of the sixth as Lester Contreras reached on an error by the third baseman and was awarded second base. Adam Darby hit a single to move Contreras to third, and Kyle LaMotta hit a sacrifice fly to left that brought Contreras in to score. Francisco Leandro walked, and with Darby on second, both runners took off and stole second and third, respectively. When Chase Burch grounded out, Darby touched home and the Pelicans led 5-0, the final score.
Over the two games, Francisco Leandro went 5-8 with his first homer of the year and three stolen bases, Chase Burch went 5-10 with a double, and Marcos Rodriguez went 4-11 with a two-bagger of his own. Lou Palmisano had three RBI, and Luis Guance stole his team-best seventeenth base.
The Pelicans and Diablos play the third game of this six-game series on Thursday with a scheduled 6:35 p.m. first pitch. RHP Dane DeValk (3-1, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against El Paso’s LHP Nick Martin (2-4, 4.69 ERA). The Famous San Diego Chicken will entertain fans during the game. Tickets to the contest are still available at www.pensacolapelicans.com, Pensacola-area Circle K locations, and in person at the box office located outside Pelican Park.