Tate Aggies Cheerleaders Win Regional Title
January 18, 2025
The Tate High School Aggie cheerleaders won a regional title Friday.
The Aggies were named the Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1 Competitive Cheerleading Champions following a competition at Port St. Joe High School.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Peanuts Night: Ice Flyers Fall To Fayetteville In 9-Round Shootout
January 18, 2025
Despite facing a 3-1 deficit heading into the final frame, the Ice Flyers mounted an impressive comeback to force overtime, though ultimately fell short in a 9-round shootout Friday night — Peanuts Night.
Alex Wilkins opened the scoring for Fayetteville, but the Ice Flyers evened the score when Matt Wiesner benefited from an unusual bounce in the first period.
Marksmen forwards Khristian Acosta and Dalton Hunter propelled Fayetteville to a 3-1 lead with back-to-back goals, scored just 12 seconds apart, to end the second period.
Jake Hamilton gave the Ice Flyers a boost with his sixth goal of the season, cutting the deficit. Jonathan Bartuccio-Pereira tied the game 3-3 with a power-play goal to close out regulation.
Neither team managed to break through in the overtime period, sending the game to a shootout that would ultimately require nine rounds to determine a winner.
The shootout remained scoreless through six rounds until Ice Flyers forward Doug Elgstam finally broke through, sneaking one past Marksmen goaltender Ryan Kenney. However, the celebration was short-lived as Ryan Nolan quickly responded for Fayetteville to even things up. The marathon shootout finally came to an end in the ninth round when John Moncovich secured the victory for the Marksmen.
The Ice Flyers will host the Fayetteville Marksmen on Saturday for game two of their three-game series.
Scoring Summary
First Period
FAY 1, PEN 0
10:11 Alex Wilkins (1) – Unassisted – PP
Fayetteville capitalized on a power play to score the game’s first goal.
FAY 1, PEN 1
17:14 Matt Wiesner (6) – Cayden Cahill
A shot by Matt Wiesner ricocheted off the glass and bounced off the back of the Marksmen’s goalie, Ryan Kenney, to tie things up.
Shots on goal: FAY 11, PEN 18
Second Period
FAY 2, PEN 1
17:48 Khristian Acosta (3) – Alex Ambrosio, John Moncovich
Fayetteville took the lead with Khristian Acosta’s shot on a 2-on-1 rush.
FAY 3, PEN 1
18:00 Dalton Hunter (14) – Unassisted
12 seconds after Acosta’s goal, Dalton Hunter weaved around the Ice Flyers defense and sent a shot past Brody Claeys to extend the Marksmen’s lead to two.
Shots on Goal: FAY 10, PEN 15
3rd Period
FAY 3, PEN 2
13:05 Jake Hamilton (6) – Cayden Cahill
Jake Hamilton’s well-placed shot found its way through traffic and into the back of the net, giving the Ice Flyers the momentum boost they needed for their third period comeback.
FAY 3, PEN 3
15:05 Jonathan Bartuccio-Pereira (5) – Nick Pryce
The Ice Flyers tied things up with Jonathan Bartuccio-Pereira getting a much needed goal on a powerplay opportunity.
Shots on Goal: FAY 3, PEN 14
Overtime
None
Shootout
Ice Flyers – Doug Elgstam
Marksmen – Ryan Nolan
Marksmen – John Moncovich
Total Shots: FAY 30, PEN 52
Tate Lady Aggies Down Northview 56-37 (With Gallery)
January 17, 2025
The Tate Aggies defeated the Northview Chiefs 56-37 Thursday night in Bratt.
Sam Williams led the Lady Aggies will 12 points, while Kaylie Mitchell added 11 and Amerie McGee had 10. Sarah Mitchell, Grace Best and Taylor Malone added six points each. Kahari Davis had three, and Brelynn Morris had two.
Stats for Northview were not entered Thursday night.
The Northview Lady Chiefs will travel to Laurel Hill Friday night at 6:00, and the Lady Aggies are next scheduled to be in action January 23 at Santa Rosa Christian.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Aggie Boys Top Elberta 62-57, Brelynn Morris Scores 22 As Tate Girls Win
January 14, 2025
Basketball
BOYS
Tate 62, Elberta 57
GIRLS
Tate 44 Elberta 15
Brelynn Morris scored 22 points and Sam Williams added 11 as the Tate Lady Aggies defeated Elberta 44-15 Monday at Tate. Amerie
Tate Cross County, Golf, Volleyball Named State Academic Team Champions
January 13, 2025
Several Tate High School teams were named to the Florida High School Athletic Association Fall Academic Team Champions lists.
The Aggies teams were:
- Boys Cross County – 3.317 GPA
- Girls Cross Country – 3.748 GPA
- Boys Golf – 3.358 GPA
- Girls Golf – 3.462 GPA
- Girls Volleyball – 3.493 GPA
The FHSAA Academic Team Champion recognition program honors teamwork not only in competition, but in the classroom as well. The program recognizes teams in each of the Association’s sanctioned and recognized sports based off GPA
Ice Flyers Rally In Final Period Falls Short In Weekend Series Loss To Macon
January 13, 2025
by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent
A weekend that began Friday for the Ice Flyers with such promise unfortunately ended with familiar frustration.
For the second straight night, the Macon Mayhem seized control of the game in the second period and Sunday held on for a 3-2 win against the Ice Flyers at the Pensacola Bay Center to claim the three-game series in three days between the teams.
“I feel bad for the guys,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “I thought they deserved a better outcome. I felt we out-chanced them and outplayed them, but again they were opportunistic with their chances.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Ice Flyers pelted Macon goaltender Dysen Skinner with 43 shots on goal, outshooting the Mayhem 43-29, but after giving up three second-period goals, the Ice Flyers couldn’t get an equalizer.
“For us it has been about scoring timely goals the whole season,” Graham said. “It doesn’t matter who is the lineup, who’s not, we get great chances and we just can’t find a way to put the puck in the net. I thought their goalie made some unbelievable saves in the third (period).”
The Ice Flyers opened with this trio of games with a 3-1 win at Macon on Friday. They were tied 1-1 after the first intermission Saturday, but Macon again scored three unanswered goals and won that game 5-1. On Sunday, a chance to finish the weekend by netting a two-point gain on Macon in the standings went awry.
The Ice Flyers (8-19, 3 OT losses) are now five points behind Macon and mired in the bottom of the Southern Professional Hockey League standings. The Ice Flyers will host fourth-place Fayetteville for three straight games beginning Friday at the Bay Center.
“There’s no excuses anymore. We are not proud of what the results have been,” said Ice Flyers defenseman and team captain Jake Hamilton. “Even if the effort is great, it’s not enough. We have to have wins.
“We’ve got to find a way to go the full 60 (minutes),” he said. “I feel like we outplayed Macon most of the game, but we’re not getting that puck luck.
“And honestly as a group I don’t think we’re desperate enough. All of us need to block more shots and we’re missing that last little bit of desperation to truly have that winning culture.”
Trailing 3-1 after two periods, the Ice Flyers got a lift when Michael Herrera scored less than five minutes into the third period. The Ice Flyers outshot Macon 15-5 in this period, just missing on several chances.
But any hope the Ice Flyers had of getting an extra attacker on the ice in the final minutes ended when Jonathan Bartuccio-Periera was whistled for a major (5 minute) boarding penalty that caused injury with 2:09. The Ice Flyers pulled goalie Brody Claeys with 1:06 remaining, but that only meant an even strength situation.
To their credit, the Ice Flyers generated two scoring chances despite the adverse circumstances.
“We put a face-off play on. and we still ended up getting Herrera — our best skater on the breakaway — so we got a scoring chance out of that,” said Graham, referring to Herrera’s chance from the side thwarted by Skinner.
“And Cayden Cahill, when we got (Claeys) pulled, he gets a Grade-A look and just missed it high and right, so we were still able to get two amazing scoring chances in that situation.”
The two back-to-back losses followed two consecutive road wins that had the Ice Flyers feeling they were on way to building a surge.
“We got three home games this week,” Graham said. “We have a tough opponent coming in. There are no easy games this year for the Ice Flyers until we find a consistent way of playing hockey.”
A quick recap:
FIRST PERIOD
The Ice Flyers Greg Susinski scored his first professional goal with 1:47 left in the period. He was in perfect position on a kick-save rebound from teammate Cahill’s slapshot inside the blue line and wristed the puck in the open net.
The teams were tied 9-9 on shots and there was only one penalty whistled.
SECOND PERIOD
Macon tied the game just 1:51 into the period on a breakaway finished by Hugo Koch, following a great pass on his stick from teammate Justin Kelly.
Ten minutes later, Justin Kelley rifled a shot past Clayes from outside the faceoff circle that traveled through some raised sticks.
“I don’t know if that second goal was a high stick,” Graham said. “We all feel like we got hosed in that situation, and we didn’t handle the adversity well after that and that’s how they got the third goal.”
The third goal was scored with just 1:56 left in the period on a shot through traffic.
THIRD PERIOD
Five minutes into the period the Ice Flyers had two chances in a scramble in the crease area. A Macon player moved in and blocked two shots with Skinner away from area.
Later in the period, Doug Elgstam was robbed on a deflection on a rush to the net situation that Skinner toward.
The late penalty then gave Macon its own power play of the third period.
“It was tough to see BP (Bartuccio-Pereira) get that five-minute major at the end,” Graham said. “We really felt like if we could get the goalie pulled, that we had the momentum, we really liked our chances on what we were doing, but it wasn’t in the cards.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Fayetteville Marksmen vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Friday through Sunday. Friday-Saturday games start at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center.
Registrations Continue For Spring Season At Molino, NWE, Century, NEP
January 12, 2025
Registration is continuing for the spring seasons at the Century, NWE, Molino and NEP ballparks. As teams fill, the leagues are creating waiting lists for additional teams.
Molino Ballpark
Registration from the spring 2025 season will continue through January 25 for the Molino Ballpark. Register early — once a division is filled, prospective players will be placed on a waitlist.
Register at molinoballpark.com.
Draft will be January 27 – January 31, 2025. Practice being February 3, and opening day will be Saturday, March 8.
Northwest Escambia
Registration is underway for all new and returning players ages 4-16 through January 18 for Northwest Escambia in Walnut Hill. Cost is $100 for the first child, $75 for each additional child. $23 is due at registration with the remainder due on January 18. Opening day is March 29. Registration is on a first come, first served basis. The maximum number for an age group is reached, there will be waitlists for additional teams.
NWE offers:
- T-ball for ages 4-6
- Baseball for ages 7-16
- Softball for ages 7-16
Register at nwebaseball.com.
Century Baseball
The Century Baseball Association will be sanctioned with USSSA Alabama for the 2025 Spring season, allowing boys to have mid-season tournament as does softball. It also adds a 14U division. Softball will remain with GCGSA.
The registration fee is $95 and $75 for each additional player. Wee ball registration is $45. Uniforms not included.
Register at their website. Registration ends February 3.
NEP Baseball and Softball
Registration is underway for NEP baseball and softball at the park on Nine Mile Road through February 2 with late registration February 3-5. Baseball draft is February 8, and softball draft is February 9. Opening day will be March 8.
Register at their website.
FWC Aims To Make Florida Boating Safer With Free DECKEE App
January 11, 2025
For years, waterway users in Florida have had to juggle multiple sources of information to plan, prepare and navigate safely to enjoy their time on the water. Understanding weather forecasts, finding local boat facilities, official warnings and notices, waterway zones, and safety equipment requirements often required using several apps, websites and publications, leading to uncertainty about where and when to go, what to do and how to fully enjoy a range of water activities safely.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced a new initiative in collaboration with the National Safe Boating Council to pilot interactive safety content through a free mobile app called DECKEE. The app is designed to keep boaters safe and informed. FWC says the DECKEE app unifies everything Florida’s water enthusiasts need for their next day on the water.
Over 1 million boat owners in Florida now have access to the following benefits and safety features in the free DECKEE app:
Plan your next adventure on the water with detailed maps, facility information, official warnings, aids to navigation and community insights.
Access personalized equipment checklists, boating forecasts, regulations and resources from the FWC to ensure you are always ready for the ideal weather window.
Automatically log your activities while on the water and share your live location to give friends and family peace of mind.
The FWC and the National Safe Boating Council will collaborate on the pilot program to seamlessly integrate safety content into the DECKEE app. This will help boaters plan, prepare and enjoy their activities on the water, and gain insight into how the campaigns are influencing overall boater behavior.
The pilot program will introduce a personalized boating forecast targeted to the user’s watercraft and plans, which will give meaning to the information and help users make sense of it.
“Our goal is to create a safer boating environment for everyone in Florida,” said Brian Rewinkel, FWC Boating Safety Education Coordinator. “This pilot program will measure the effectiveness of delivering safety information directly to boaters in an engaging and accessible manner. This initiative represents a significant step forward in our commitment to protecting our waterways and those who enjoy them.”
FWC encourages Florida boaters to explore the new safety capabilities in the free DECKEE app, available from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Northview Chiefs Family Mourns Passing Of Their Beloved Toby Weaver
January 5, 2025
The Northview Chiefs and local community are mourning the loss of Toby Weaver, a permanent fixture on the sidelines of football games for many years.
Thomas William “Toby” Weaver passed away Friday evening at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. He was 49.
He was the son of former Northview High School Principal Gayle Weaver and her late husband Tommy Weaver, an assistant coach who was honored with the dedication of Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in 2014.
Toby was big part of the Northview family, an avid fan always there for games, always cheering (or sometimes offering coaching critiques when needed).
When Northview won their first, and only, state football championship in 2012, Toby was there to celebrate the win with his team and bring the trophy back to the school in Bratt. He held the trophy practically the entire trip from Orlando, napping with it in the back of the car and keeping it overnight in his room.
“Many of my favorite memories include him on the sideline of every football game,” Northview 2012 championship team senior player Chad Smith said Saturday. “He cheered hard and loved harder. Rest in peace, old friend.”
He was also an avid fan of the Auburn Tigers, taking each loss personally. He loved his Atlanta Braves, being their biggest fan each year. He loved watching almost any type of movie, and he loved listening to almost any type of music, singing along for his own entertainment. His hobby was putting puzzles together. He loved to travel, even spending thirty days each on two trips to France.
“Toby has always been the love of our lives,” Gayle Weaver said on behalf of her and the late Tommy Weaver. “He gave so much more than he took.”
When the Escambia County School Board voted to name the Northview football stadium in honor of Toby’s father Tommy Weaver, affectionately known as “Papa Weave” to students, Toby had just one word to say about his dad.
“Proud,” Toby Weaver leaned into the microphone and said of his beloved dad.
Toby Weaver is survived by his mother, Gayle Weaver of Walnut Hill, his sister Tara Nikki “Sissy” Walden, and numerous other family members.
Funeral services for Thomas William “Toby” Weaver will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 6 at Petty-Eastside Chapel in Atmore. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time. Burial will follow at Old Town Cemetery in Evergreen, Alabama.
For the complete obituary, click here.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Beat Birmingham 5-2
January 5, 2025
The Pensacola Ice Flyers earned a 5-2 win over the Bulls Saturday night at Birmingham.
The game was tied at 1-1 after one before a sold-out crowd. After two, the Ice Flyers held a 3-2 lead on the way to the road win.
File photo for NorthEscambia.com.