Tate Aggies Shut Down Crestview In Semis, Head To District Championship
April 15, 2026
The Tate Aggies are headed to the 6A District 1 championship game on Thursday after a decisive 12-1 semifinal win over No. 3 Crestview on Tuesday afternoon.
Griffin Cook went 3-4 with three RBIs for the Aggies, including a sixth-inning home run to left field. Evan Taylor and Connor Dethlefs had two hits each.
Bryton McLellan earned the win for the Aggies in six innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run, striking out seven and walking none.
On Tuesday, Pace got past No. 4 Navarre 6-3.
No. 1 Pace (22-4, 4-1) will host No. 2 Tate (20-6, 2-2) at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The teams split their two regular season meetings.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Wallop Smokies With Three Homers In 5-1 Win
April 15, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos earned their first home win of the season on Tuesday night, beating the Knoxville Smokies 5-1 on the strength of a season-high three home runs.
Dillon Lewis opened up the scoring in the first inning, following a pair of walks with a three-run homer to center field off Knoxville starter Tyler Schlaffer (L, 0-1). Payton Green added on in the second inning, hitting a solo homer.
Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller turned in a solid performance, allowing only one run on three hits over 4.0 innings. A Jordan Nwogu RBI single in the third inning got Knoxville on the board, but Miller struck out Haydn McGeary to strand two in scoring position and end the threat.
Dylan Jasso tacked on a run for the Blue Wahoos in the fourth inning with a solo homer, his first in the Marlins organization after being acquired via trade from the Yankees in January.
Green, a triple shy of the cycle entering his eighth-inning at-bat, sent a liner into the left field corner but had to settle for a stand-up double and a 4-for-4 night as Nwogu quickly played the carom off the wall.
Stephen Jones, Brandon White, Nigel Belgrave and Justin King combined for 5.0 scoreless innings of relief to lock down the 5-1 win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Wednesday.
written by Erik Bremer
District Baseball Playoffs Begin Tonight
April 14, 2026
High school baseball district tournaments are underway this week, with both Northview and Tate in action.
6A District 1
Location: Pace High School
In the semifinals on Tuesday, No. 2 Tate will play No. 3 Crestview at 4 p.m., and No. 1 Pace will take on No 4 Navarre at 7 p.m**.**
The district championship game will be played on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m.
Rural District 1
Location: Central School
No. 1 Northview has a bye on Tuesday, as does No. 2 Jay.
In Tuesday’s quarterfinals, No. 4 Baker will play No. 5 Paxton, and No. 3 Central will play No. 6 Laurel Hill.
On Thursday, Northview will face either Baker or Paxton, and Jay will face either Central or Laurel Hill in the semifinals. Thursday’s game times are to be determined after Tuesday’s play.
Pictured: In early March, the Tate Aggies walked off with a home run over Crestview. The two teams meet again Tuesday night in the district semifinals at Pace. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flag Football: Gulf Breeze Defeats Northview Chiefs (With Gallery)
April 14, 2026
The Gulf Breeze Dolphins defeated the Northview Chiefs 19-0 on Monday evening in Bratt.
Northview, now 4-5, will travel to Pensacola on Tuesday for the final game of the season against the Escambia Gators.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Piece Together 4-2 Biloxi Win, Start Six-Game Home Series Tuesday
April 14, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were off on Monday ahead of a six-game series against the Knoxville Smokies, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, that beings on Tuesday.
The Wahoos salvaged the finale of their weeklong road series against the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday afternoon, using six different pitchers in a 4-2 victory.
After starting pitcher Will Schomberg departed in the third with an apparent injury, Kade Bragg (W, 1-0) entered in relief and twirled 3.0 hitless innings. Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, Logan Whitaker, Luis Palacios and Samuel Vásquez (S, 2) finished off an impressive effort for the Pensacola pitching staff.
The Blue Wahoos scored their first first-inning run of the season, turning a leadoff single from Ian Lewis Jr. into a 1-0 lead with a Dillon Lewis RBI single. That lead would be short-lived, as Schomberg hit two batters and walked one before a Mike Boeve RBI fielder’s choice tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning.
Shuckers starter Jaron DeBerry (L, 1-1) surrendered a leadoff walk to Emaarion Boyd in the fifth inning, and committed a balk allowing the speedy center fielder to reach second base. A single from Lewis Jr. advanced Boyd to third before a Cristian Hernández double play grounder brought him home for a 2-1 Pensacola advantage.
In the sixth, Gage Miller floated a two-out, two-run single to center field to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-1 lead.
The Shuckers chipped away in the seventh, as Jesús Made singled home Kay-Lan Nicasia to bring the score to 4-2, but made three baserunning blunders to run themselves out of a bigger inning. Dasan Brown was caught stealing third base for the first out, Dylan O’Rae was picked off and caught stealing third base for the second out, and Made was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a throwing error from Hernández at shortstop.
After escaping trouble in the seventh, Palacios returned for a 1-2-3 eighth and Vásquez worked around a one-out single to work a scoreless ninth for a 4-2 final.
Ice Flyers Fall In Game Three Of First Round Playoffs
April 13, 2026
The season came to an end on Sunday for the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Pensacola lost to the Evansville Thunderbolts 4-3 in overtime to end of the best of three series. On Wednesday, they lost to the Thunderbolts 4-1, and Friday won 3-1 at home in Pensacola.
This year, the Pensacola Ice Flyers have set a new franchise attendance record for the fourth consecutive season.
A total of 168,493 fans attended Ice Flyers games during the 2025–26 regular season, surpassing last year’s total of 152,702 and continuing a steady rise in support from the Pensacola community.
“When you look at attendance numbers like these, it really speaks to the connection between our organization and the Pensacola community. It’s easy to focus on the number itself, but what stands out more is what it represents. Over the last four seasons, this has become something people here really care about and want to be a part of. That kind of support doesn’t happen everywhere. We don’t take it lightly, and we are extremely grateful,” said owner Greg Harris.
The season included five sellout crowds, highlighted by both 5 Dollar Nights, Wiener Dog Race Night, and two Military Appreciation Nights, including the final regular season home game this past weekend.
Night after night, the Hangar provided an environment that has become a consistent advantage for the Ice Flyers and a central part of the game night experience.
“There’s a lot that goes into creating that kind of atmosphere. Our staff puts in a ton of work behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly, from the fan experience to the details people may not even notice. When you combine that with the way our fans show up and the energy they bring, it creates something that players feel and respond to,” said Senior Director of Operations Brenden Arney.
The Ice Flyers have now increased their total attendance in each of the past four seasons, marking one of the strongest stretches of sustained growth in franchise history.
Tate High Graduate Ethan McAnally Named Conference Baseball Player of the Week
April 12, 2026
Francis Marion University junior Ethan McAnally was recently named the Conference Carolinas Baseball Player of the Week.
McAnally, a Tate High graduate and native of Molino, posted a .500 batting average (8-for-16) with three extra-base hits, six runs batted in, five runs scored, and two stolen bases, as the Patriots posted a 3-1 mark. He registered a .813 slugging percentage and a .550 on-base percentage in 16 at-bats.
In a game last week, he finished 3-for-6 at the plate with one RBI, two runs scored, and one stolen base in a 14-10 comeback win over No. 1 Catawba College at a neutral site in Kannapolis, N.C.,
In a three-game series versus the University of Mount Olive, McAnally went 5-for-10 with a two-run homer, two doubles, five RBIs, three runs scored, three walks, and one stolen base, as Francis Marion took two of three games to take the series.
McAnally ranks seventh in NCAA Division II with 51 runs batted in, while sitting ninth overall with 49 runs scored and 101 total bases. He also ranks among the top 10 in the nation with 12 home runs this year.
McAnally is majoring in mechanical engineering.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Seek Win In Deciding Playoff Game Today At Evansville
April 12, 2026
The joyous chants and celebratory claps reverberated through the walls and hallway, leading to the Ice Flyers dressing room.
You could feel the scene just by hearing it.
In what became one of their most complete games, the Ice Flyers solved the Evansville riddle, producing in a 3-1 victory Friday night against the defending champion Thunderbolts at the Pensacola Bay Center in Game 2 of their SPHL quarterfinal round playoff series.
The win was the Ice Flyers first playoff game victory in four years. It forced a deciding game on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Evansville, Indiana where the Ice Flyers will seek their first playoff series win since 2021 when they won their fourth SPHL President’s Cup championship.
“Satisfying to win, that’s for sure,” said Ice Flyers coach Jeremy Gates, whose team lost four regular-season games against the Thunderbolts and the playoff opener April 8 at the Ford Center in Evansville. “(Ice Flyers players) played hard and in the right way. It was good.
“To have our team play the way they did shows we can do it. We can play with anybody in this league. And the good news is that we get to play again on Sunday and try to prove that all over again.”
Both teams left Pensacola on Friday night for the 600-mile bus trip to Evansville. For the Ice Flyers, the all-night journey was their third trip to southwestern Indiana in nine days.
They finished the regular-season last weekend in Evansville, returned to Pensacola, traveled back to Evansville on Tuesday, then back again Friday night.
But Sunday presents a chance to make it all enjoyable. Neither team had practice availability on Saturday due to an event at the Ford Center. Gates preferred his team get right back on the bus for the long ride, as opposed to leaving Saturday morning.
“What happens is after these games, it’s really hard for hockey players to fall asleep,” Gates said. “So sleep on the bus…. we’ll get some breakfast, we’ll get there, rest and get to bed early. This time of year, we need the rest.”
The Ice Flyers breakthrough playoff win Friday was embraced by a crowd of 4,772, which by far was the largest crowd of the four SPHL quarterfinal games that night.
It adds to the Ice Flyers setting another attendance record – their third year in a row – after drawing 168,493 fans in 29 home games this season. Attracting large crowds for a playoff game is difficult, because of an uncertain schedule and little time to sell group outings or advance sales.
But Gates sensed the enthusiasm earlier Friday afternoon when he went out for lunch.
“I had people I never met before in my life, saying they were coming to the game,” Gates said. “They recognized me and that’s impressive. Everyone is just so supportive. It just shows the passion here and this community has something to cheer for and support.
“Our front office does a heckuva job promoting it and I just want us to do our part as a team in putting the right guys on the ice and win a hockey game.”
With the crowd chanting, “Let’s Go Flyers!” moments after the opening faceoff, the Ice Flyers produced the game’s first goal, less than five minutes into the game, when Tyler Burnie got a pass from Tyler German and rifled home a wrist shot from inside faceoff circle.
After Evansville tied the game in the second period, Ice Flyers defenseman and enforcer Laudon Poellinger scored on a wrist shot with 45 seconds left in the period. Earlier in the period, he engaged with Evansville’s Cameron MacPhee in a mid-ice fight after the two instantly left the penalty box for roughing.
Poellinger had a huge night. Two scraps, a goal, an assist and chosen as the game’s No. 1 star.
“He had a Gordie Howe hat trick” said Gates, referring to the legendary Detroit Red Wings’ Hall of Famer known for his scoring and brawling. “He had a goal, an assist and a fight.
“(Poellinger) was involved all over the ice. Heckuva game by him. But everybody played well. The level of experience we’re gathering from this is just one step at a time. We got three more periods to play (on Sunday) and we’ll see what happens.”
The Ice Flyers got a pivotal final goal Friday when Matt Allen perfectly timed the carom off the back boards from a teammates and sent the puck into the net before Evansville’s talented goaltender Kristian Stead had time to react. Those are the kind of bounces you need in a playoff game.
Evansville coach Jeff Bes pulled Stead with four minutes remaining, following a timeout, to give the Thunderbolts an extra attacker. But Ice Flyers goaltender Christian Propp won his fourth game in seven starts by finishing an outstanding performance between the pipes.
It included stopping Evansville on a wide open breakaway in the first period. Propp is playing with his fifth different team this season after joining the Ice Flyers in late March.
“He was focused from the start,” Gates said. “He provides the type of leadership that has experience. He has played in big games before.”
Evansville has an 18-8 home record with three overtime losses. Gates knows it figures to be another hard-checking, hard-grinding type of game on Sunday for the chance to reach the semifinals.
No matter what happens, the Ice Flyers were able to re-establish themselves this season in the league with an upper-tier finish in the standings and getting a playoff win.
“We are a learning group that is just kinda chugging away at it,” Gates said. “Sometimes being naïve to things is great. It’s step by step. I’m proud, but not satisfied.
“We work our butts off, everyone in this organization to just keep inching away at it. Maturing, being professional every single day.. and giving our guys the best opportunity.
“(Evansville) have a lot of experience over there. They won last year and have a lot of guys who have come back and know how to do those little things. But we are a better hockey team when we play the game the right way.”
written by Bill Vilona
Despite Late Rally, Wahoos Fall Short To Shuckers
April 12, 2026
Despite a late rally, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to the Biloxi Shuckers 7-5 on Saturday night.
Pensacola got off to a good start with club ace Karson Milbrandt (L, 0-1) opening the game with three scoreless innings. The Wahoos then struck first offensively with a three-run fourth inning, thanks to a throwing error by Biloxi on a single from Jay Beshears, and a sacrifice fly from Dylan Jasso. This gave Pensacola a 3-0 lead.
That lead would not make it out of the fourth inning though, as the Shuckers answered for five runs, kickstarted by a fielding error from second baseman Cristian Hernández. It was completed with a two-run home run from Darrien Miller, and an RBI single and steal of home from Kay-Lan Nicasia.
Biloxi tacked on two more via an Eduardo Garcia single in the fifth and a Matthew Wood sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Wahoos would threaten late, stealing back a run in the eighth inning on a Ryan Ignoffo double, and adding one more in the ninth, thanks to a Brendan Jones double. Sam Garcia (S, 1) entered from the Biloxi bullpen to strike out Fenwick Trimble and Ignoffo, stranding the potential tying run at second base to end the game.
Stiven Cruz (W, 1-0) was awarded the win after pitching 4.0 scoreless, hitless frames in long relief for Biloxi.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Shuckers on Sun
day.
Northiew Lady Chiefs Walk Off With Senior Night Win
April 11, 2026
The Northview Lady Chiefs walked off with a 15-0 shutout of Destin on Senior Night in Bratt.
Kylee Langham had a two-run inside-the-park home run for the Chiefs.
Senior Peyton Womack pitched a complete mercy-rule-shortened four innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while striking out six and walking two.
For a photo gallery, click here. (Look for Senior Night photos at the end of the gallery.)
Before the game, Northview honored seniors Riley Brooks, Amanda Fernandez, and Peyton Womack.
Next week, the Lady Chiefs will travel to Jay on Thursday.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
