Chiefs Beat Bozeman (With Photo Gallery)
August 31, 2013
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Panama City Bozeman Bucks Friday night, 34-14, in a non-district game. And even though it was win for the defending 1A state champs, at times it was just a plain sloppy game, according to Northview coach Sid Wheatley.
“We had way too many mistakes in the game,” Wheatley said, “We are taking points away from us by doing that and we are also enabling them to capitalize and get points when that’s unnecessary.”
Most of the mistakes, he said, were the little things that the team will have to work to drill into their minds.
“It just made it extra tough on us, and it doesn’t have to be that way,” Wheatley said. “We’ve got to be better than that. And we are going to address those things on Monday…I know it’s still a young bunch we are dealing with and there are going to be mistakes. But it can’t be habitual week after week.”
For a football action photo gallery, click here. Cheerleading, band and dance team photos will be published Sunday.
Despite the problems, Wheatley said there was also a lot of good in Friday night’s game for the No. 1 ranked Chiefs.
“Daulton Tullis played well. Our thought our receivers played well, and I thought our running backs made nice runs. We were able to get to the edge and use our speed. Ladarius Thomas ran the ball extremely well in the second half. Those are good things to see with a young offensive line doing better.”
The first touchdown of the game did not come until about three minute before the half. Quarterback Daulton Tullis found Brannon Freeman with 11-yard pass. A missed point after, and the Chiefs were on the board 6-0. The Chiefs expanded their lead to 14-0 at the half with an 8-yard touchdown from Neino Robinson and a good two point conversion from Dezmine Moorer.
The defending state champs increased their lead to 20-0 on a Tullis to Nathan Shipps pass from the nine. Bozeman got on the board, 20-6, before Northview struck again with a 43-yard Robinson touchdown and a good extra point, 27-6. With a 35-yard touchdown run by Shipps and a two pointer from Shipps, Northview was up 34-6.
The Chiefs will be on the road next week to take on the Bulldogs of Marianna at 7 p.m. Last year, the Chiefs lost to Marianna 48-42 on an overtime forth down with a fumbled ball just inches from the goal line.
For a football action photo gallery, click here. Cheerleading, band and dance team photos will be published Sunday.
Pictured top: Northview senior Brannon Freeman tips the ball away from a Panama City Bozeman Buck Friday night in Bratt. Pictured top inset: Northview’s Neino Robinson tries to evade a tackle. Pictured bottom inset: Junior Ladarius Thomas gains yardage for the Chiefs. Pictured below: Northview coach Sid Wheatley motivates his No 1. ranked Northview Chiefs during a huddle Friday evening. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
West Florida Beats Tate (With Photo Gallery)
August 31, 2013
The West Florida Jaguars defeated the Tate Aggies Friday night, 45-3, at Woodham Middle School.
The Aggies strongest showing came in the first quarter, allowing the Jags just 7 points on a run by quarter back Joey Baker. Tate answered with a field goal from Dylan Mancuso to keep it a close 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Baker was in again on a QB keeper in the second half, followed by a touchdown for the Jags from Daylan Abrams. West Florida was up 21-3 headed into the half. In the second half, 11 plays totaling 80 yards ended with an 11-yard run by Lawrence Lee, 28-3 Jaguars.
The Jaguars went on to win with Lee returning a touchdown, a Vonche Hale touchdwon. and a field goal from kicker Tristan Parsley.
West Florida will host Milton next Friday night at 7:00, while the Aggies will be at home against Pensacola High School’s Tigers at 7:30 p.m.
Darryl Singleton contributed to this report.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Jay Tops Cottage Hill (With Photo Gallery)
August 31, 2013
The Jay Royals beat Cottage Hill 18-12 Friday night in Mobile, Ala. The Royals (1-0) will host Rocky Bayou next Friday night, September 6. Jay’s next game, September 13, will be an early homecoming for the Royals.
The Jay quarterback Tate Upton put the Royals on the booard with a 17-yard touchdown run. Braden Cross also added two touchdowns for Jay.
Photos by Michele Gibbs for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No. 1 Ranked Northview Faces Bozeman Tonight
August 30, 2013
The No. 1 ranked Northview Chiefs will host 1A Panama City Bozeman in a non-district game tonight.
For the Chiefs, it’s been a week of not only physical preparation, but mental conditioning as well.
“We are going to be OK. Physically, I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good,” coach Sid Wheatley said after last Friday night’s draw against 5A Bay High School. But after watching the game video, Wheatley said he was set on seeing strengths and weaknesses and working for mental improvement.
“We are going to correct mistakes while it is fresh on their mind,” he said. “We are going to be mentally prepared.”
And regardless of the opponent this year, whether it be a large 5A team like Bay or a 1A team like this week’s Bozemen, Wheatley knows that the stigma of playing the 1A state champion Chiefs will provide some extra motivation to any Northview opponent this year.
“I know how I am as a coach,” he said. “As a motivator, we always try to find some ammunition against the other guy, so I’m sure they’ve probably heard that a little bit.”
The Chiefs are ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, followed by Trenton at No. 2.
The Northview Chiefs will host Bozeman at 7 p.m. in Bratt in the first regular season game of the year. The Chiefs are coming off their first ever state championship year, while Bozeman finished last year at 8-3. Bozeman is 0-4 all time against the Chiefs, with Northview outscoring the Bucks 154-33.
Pictured top and inset: Action from last Friday night’s preseason Northview game against Bay High. Pictured below: Coach Derek Marshman (front) and most of the Northview coaching staff at last week’s scrimmage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
BayBears Beat Pensacola
August 30, 2013
Bradin Hagens continued his dominance of the Blue Wahoos with seven superb innings, leading the Mobile BayBears to a series-opening 2-1 win over Pensacola at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile. Mobile has now won 15 of the 21 meetings in the Bay-to-Bay series this year.
Hagens (W, 11-8), who entered the contest having given up just five earned runs in 24 innings in four starts against Pensacola, escaped trouble in the first two innings before settling in and cruising through seven. Tucker Barnhart drove home the only run of the game for the Wahoos with a two-out single in the first after an error prolonged the inning. Overall, Hagens gave up just the unearned run on six hits to go along with four strikeouts.
Mobile tied the game up in the last of the third on a solo homer from Dustin Martin, which stayed just fair inside the right field foul pole to tie the game at one. That was the only run Pensacola starter Carlos Contreras gave up in his final start of the 2013 campaign. The right-hander allowed three hits with two strikeouts and four walks in 5.1 innings.
Parker Frazier (L, 2-3) entered to get the final two outs in the sixth inning, but ran into trouble in the seventh as he gave up an RBI single to Mike Freeman to give the BayBears a 2-1 advantage. Willy Paredes and Jake Barrett (S, 14) got the final six outs to nail down the win for the BayBears.
The series continues on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile. Daniel Renken (6-8, 3.66) gets the ball for Pensacola opposite Mobile’s Archie Bradley (11-5, 1.98).
Douglas, Aggies Look Toward Winning Season
August 29, 2013
First year Tate High School Coach Ronnie Douglas started off the 2013 football preseason with a 25-7 victory over Gulf Breeze in two-quarter jamboree last Friday night. This week, the Aggies face a very strong West Florida High School Jaguars team.
“They have six or seven Division I football players over there, and they are a very, very good team,” Douglas said. Expectations are high around Tate, and this week will defiantly test all aspects of the Aggies team.
Douglas said he will depend heavily on senior linebackers Deonte Nicholson and Jesse Samuel this week against the Jags.
Nicholson had an interception and several key tackles last week, but he was most proud of a pass he tipped that was intercepted for a touchdown and a block for the quarterback on a long run for a touchdown. Samuel said he was proud to be able help the team last week.
The Aggies have shown some big improvements over last year when they went 1-8 and won their first game since 2010. But Douglas and his Aggies are looking to put the first of many wins on the books this Friday night against West Florida. Friday night’s game kicks off at 7:00 at Woodham Middle School.
Story by Darryl Singleton
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Leading Rusher Long Has Some Giant Wofford Shoes To Fill
August 29, 2013
Tate graduate and leading rusher Lorenzo Long is expected to be a stats leader for Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, this season, after the graduation of their all-time leading rusher Eric Breitenstein.
In fact, Long will wear the same No. 7 jersey, despite some belief that the Terriers would not issue that number, a sentiment that grew when it was absent during training camp.
Long said he was well-aware of the significance of No. 7 when he arrived on campus earlier this month.
“A lot of people were telling me about it and that I had big shoes to fill,” Long said. “I’m just going to do my best to get the job done. I’m not going to feel too much pressure. It’s just a number.”
If someone is to wear No. 7, perhaps it’s best that it be a freshman who never saw Breitenstein play. There were no returning players who offered to switch. And it also seems fitting that Long would be that one to wear it.
“He’s a young talent with a lot of potential,” said Donovan Johnson, who is taking over as the starting fullback in an offense that ranked second in the country last season. “He runs really hard. He’s going to be a good one in years to come.”
Long (5-foot-9, 205 pounds) was the second-leading ground gainer in a recent scrimmage, going for 30 yards on four carries. Like Breitenstein, he has powerful legs that just keep churning and it takes a gang to make the tackle.
“Lorenzo is not afraid to drop the hammer on you,” Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said. “If you’re coming to tackle him, you’d better bring it because of the way he runs.”
“If there is a hole,” Long said, “I’ll try to accelerate through there. But if somebody is in my way, I’m going to have to give it to him.”
Long left Tate as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,227 yards and also scored 37 touchdowns. He was all-state for two years. A mixture of power and speed, Long also lettered four years in weightlifting and in track as a 100-meters runner and long-jumper. He also played three years of soccer as a goal-scoring forward. Add brains and leadership, too. Long was senior class president.
“He’s going to be a special guy,” Ayers said. “He’s got tremendous quickness, he’s got a burst, and he’s very, very strong. He’s a guy who muscles up to contact. When you tackle him, he’s going to make you pay. He also has very good lateral speed, excellent hands and blocks really well.”
“It was a little tough in the beginning,” Long said. “I feel more comfortable now with the playbook and how to run the plays. It’s pretty exciting.”
Breitenstein finished with 5,730 career rushing yards with 65 touchdowns. He owns three of the top four seasons in program history. Last year, he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to most outstanding player at the FCS level.
“Eric was his own guy. He had his own way,” Ayers said. “Lorenzo is also a guy who can play. He’s also a high character guy. He’s soft-spoken but a competitor, just like the No. 7 we had last year.”
No. 7 Wofford opens their regular season this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Baylor on Fox SportSouth. Lorenzo Long is the son of A.J. and Clara Long.
Story by Todd Shanesy, Spartanburg-Herald Journa, GoUpstate.com. Reprinted with permission.
Pictured top: Wofford fullback Lorenzo Long, in a No. 4 jersey during preseason, will take over No. 7 when the season starts. The No. 7 previously belonged to Wofford’s leading career rusher. Photo by Alex C. Hicks, Jr., Spartanburg-Herald Journal for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Neiko Robinson No Longer With Penn State Football Team
August 28, 2013
Northview High School grad Neiko Robinson is no longer with the Penn State football team, the Nittany Lions announced Tuesday.
“Neiko is not here. Basically, what I’m going to tell you on that is what happened there is between Neiko and myself,” head coach Bill O’Brien said during his first weekly press conference of the season. “Neiko is a fantastic kid. It had nothing to do with discipline, nothing. This kid is a fantastic kid. It just didn’t work out here at Penn State.”
The true freshman’s arrival at Penn State was delayed in June due to “confusion” with his Northview High School transcript, forcing him to stay back home and finish a class, according to a pennlive.com report. O’Brien said at the time that the situation was related to “all the clearinghouse and NCAA deals”. O’Brien gave no indication Tuesday that the transcript error led to Robinson’s departure from the team.
O’Brien had nothing but praise for defensive back Robinson during Penn State’s media days.
“He’s athletic. He’s got to put some weight on. He’s got a long way to go to be able to play for us, but we’re sure glad that he made it here,” O’Brien said August 8 about Robinson. “We’re happy to have him. Good, bright eyed kid.”
Penn State opens their season Saturday at 3:30 ET against Syracuse in a game scheduled to be televised on ABC/ESPN2.
Excel Downs Ernest Ward Eagles
August 28, 2013
The Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles lost their football season opener Tuesday night to the Excel (AL) Panthers, 28-26.
The EWMS Eagles will be at home September 5 as they host Escambia County Middle School from Atmore.
Reader submitted photos by Carrie Winingar-Fisher for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barons Beat Wahoos 5-4
August 28, 2013
Dan Black belted a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning breaking a 4-all deadlock to give the Birmingham Barons a 5-4 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the final home game of the 2013 season at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The game was played in front of the 31st sellout crowd of the year as the Wahoos ended up drawing 307,094 fans over 66 home dates.
Black’s homer was his 17th of the season and came off Wahoos reliever Chris Manno (L, 4-4) after Pensacola had rallied for three runs in the last of the sixth inning. Pensacola got an RBI single from Devin Lohman, a sacrifice fly from Brandon Short and an RBI double from Ray Chang to erase what was a 4-1 deficit against Barons reliever Henry Mabee (W, 1-0). He was eventually credited with the win thanks to Black’s homer.
Robert Stephenson got the start for Pensacola and didn’t last past the fifth, allowing four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Cody Puckett tagged Stephenson for a solo homer two batters into the game, giving Birmingham a 1-0 lead. Stephenson ran into trouble in the fourth, yielding an RBI double to Chris McMurray before giving up a pair of runs on a two-run double to Mike Blanke, knocking the right-hander from the game.
Pensacola knotted the game at one in the last of the third on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Yorman Rodriguez against Birmingham starter Chris Bassitt, who ended up going five-plus frames for the Barons, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
The Wahoos had a chance to tie the game in the last of the ninth as Ray Chang doubled with one out against Birmingham closer Cody Winiarski (S, 3). However, Winiarski battled back to strike out Ryan LaMarre and get Mike Costanzo to ground out to end the contest.
Pensacola will wrap up the season with a five-game series in Mobile starting on Thursday night at Hank Aaron Stadium at 7:05. Carlos Contreras (3-2, 2.92) gets the call for the Wahoos opposite the BayBears’ Bradin Hagens (10-8, 3.64).