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.
Ice Flyers Struggling Start Leads Into 4-3 Loss Against Birmingham
January 4, 2025
by Bill Vilona Ice Flyers correspondent
The margin for error with this Ice Flyers team offers little wiggle room.
The first 12 minutes of Friday’s 4-3 loss against the Birmingham Bulls again reinforced the importance.
After following behind 4-1 in that opening period stretch, the Ice Flyers (6-17, plus 3 OT losses) turned things around and gave themselves the final 30 minutes to get a tying goal that never happened.
All of this in front of a huge crowd of 6,242 at the Pensacola Bay Center only raised the frustration with Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham, whose patience has naturally worn thin. His team has now lost four of the past six games decided by one goal.
“We had a great second and third period. We probably had some goals that we should have scored on that would have made our life a little bit easier,” Graham said. “The effort was there in the second and third period. But you can’t win a hockey game playing 40 minutes.
“We’re not a team that can cut corners at all,” he said. “Very good hockey team can cut some corners with goaltending and with special teams.
“(And) with their top scorers you can count on to score big goals in critical moments. We are not that team. We haven’t been that team the entire season. We have to win tight games, that’s way it’s been the whole season.”
Despite an energized crowd that filled two thirds of the arena on “Cars Night” – complete with the Ice Flyers wearing specialty jerseys in theme for the popular Disney produced television series – the Ice Flyers struggled from the outset.
The Bulls (12-9, 3 OT losses) scored four goals on the first nine shots, including back-to-back goals in a 1-minute, 21 second span. They later clanged two consecutive shots off the goal posts that would have made it a 5-1 lead.
Three of their goals came with wide open nets that gave Ice Flyers goaltender Brody Claeys no chance at a miracle save. But after the Bulls took a 4-1 lead with 8:55 remaining in the period, he stop the remaining 16 shots he faced in the game.
“I thought it was probably the worst period of hockey from our forward group in a long time,” Graham said. “The puck management, the lack of effort on the back check, was disgusting.
“If I’m the goalie and I’m seeing that kind of action, I’m probably going to fight a teammate in the locker room. It was that gross.
“And what’s disturbing is that we have been playing pretty good defensively… that hasn’t been our problem so whatever it was, the guys weren’t dialed in, we weren’t executing a game plan.”
The game changed with 1:56 left in the period when the Ice Flyers Sam Dabrowski made a perfect deke in a one-on-one move against a Bulls defenseman and rifled a shot past Bulls goalie Austin Lotz.
The Ice Flyers then got a second period goal from Jonathan Bartuccio-Pereira, who also assisted on Dabrowski’s goal. With 8:42 left before the second intermission, a potential blowout was now a one-game game.
But it stayed that way. Lotz came up big. He finished stopping 40 shots in a game where the Ice Flyers had a 43-25 edge in shots on goal, much like they’ve had in most games this season.
The Ice Flyers will near midpoint of their schedule on Saturday when traveling to Birmingham for the weekend rematch in at the Bulls’ Pelham Arena.
“You hope that everybody can buy in for 60 minutes,” Graham said. “The top guys have to be bought in. We had countless turnovers (Friday from key top players. Your best guys have to be your lead guys.”
Here is a recap
FIRST PERIOD
Four different Bulls plays scored in the first 12 minutes to build the big lead. The first Birmingham goal occurred on the game’s first power play chance, just 3:17 into the period.
But the Ice Flyers Cayden Cahill gave the crowd a chance for a goal celebration dance when he deflected a shot past Lotz just 42 seconds later.
And then, the bottom fell out for the Ice Flyers when Birmingham scored three consecutive goals.
“It was the grossest we have played defensively,” Graham said.
Dobrowski’s goal, however, provided a positive moment before intermission that carried into the second period.
“It was a good goal and individual effort by Sam,” Graham said. “We were talking about trying to get another goal before the end of the period and he goes out and makes a heck of an individual play. But you’re still not positive in the locker room (at intermission) after that.”
SECOND PERIOD
The only scoring occurred when Bartuccio-Pereira rifled a wrist shot from inside the blue line into the cage. That goal with 8:42 left was followed by several other chances in the final minutes of the period.
“Tip your hat to Birmingham,” Graham said. “They had some injuries and callups this week. They had a very predictable, simple gameplan. They all bought in. They got an early lead and took us too long to get going.”
THIRD PERIOD
No scoring. But the Ice Flyers out shot Birmingham 19-5 and dominated scoring chances. But Lotz came up big.
The Ice Flyers pulled Claeys with about 90 seconds remaining. Adam Pilotte had a chance on a one-timer with 1:02 left that Lotz smothered.
A couple opportunities followed.
“You dig yourself a hole like that, they have a veteran goalie, a goalie that is very confident,” Graham said. “I thought our best chance to tie the game was in the second period.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers at Birmingham Bulls
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pelham Civic Complex, Pelham, Ala.
Tate Aggies Play In Orlando Holiday Tournament
January 1, 2025
The Tate Aggies took part in the KSA Events 2024 Holiday Basketball Tournament at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando.
Scores were as follows:
Middletown (OH) 69, Tate 27 (Friday)
Tate 91, Knoxville Catholic (TN) 86 (Saturday)
Beechwood (KY) 59, Tate 47 (Monday)
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Here’s The College Football Playoff, Bowl TV Schedule
December 31, 2024
Here is the college football bowl and playoff schedule.
Tuesday, Dec. 31
- No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (ReliaQuest Bowl) | 11 a.m. | ESPN
- Louisville vs. Washington (Sun Bowl) | 1 p.m. | CBS
- No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 20 Illinois (Citrus Bowl) | 2 p.m. | ABC
- LSU vs. Baylor (Texas Bowl) | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 9 Boise State (College Football Playoff quarterfinals — Fiesta Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1
- No. 3 Texas vs. No. 12 Arizona State (College Football Playoff quarterfinals — Peach Bowl) | 12 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 6 Ohio State (College Football Playoff quarterfinals — Rose Bowl) | 4 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (College Football Playoff quarterfinals — Sugar Bowl) | 7:45 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 2
- No. 14 Ole Miss vs. Duke (Gator Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, Jan. 3
- North Texas vs. Texas State (First Responder Bowl) | 3 p.m. | ESPN
- Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech (Duke’s Mayo Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 4
- Liberty vs. Buffalo (Bahamas Bowl) | 10 a.m. | ESPN2
Sunday, Jan. 5
- North Central (IL) vs. Mount Union (Stagg Bowl for the DIII championship game in Houston) | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Monday, Jan. 6
- Montana State vs. North Dakota State (FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas) | 6 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 9
- TBD vs. TBD (College Football Playoff Semifinal Game — Orange Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, Jan. 10
- TBD vs. TBD (College Football Playoff Semifinal Game — Cotton Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Monday, Jan. 20
- TBD vs. TBD (College Football Playoff National Championship Game — in Atlanta) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Registration Underway For Spring Season At Molino, NWE, Century, NEP
December 30, 2024
Registration is underway now for the spring season at the Century, NWE, Molino and NEP ballparks.
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.
Early registration is $75 per player through December 31 for t-ball and up. The registration will increase to $95 on January 1 and $75 for each additional player. Wee ball registration is $35 per player through December 31, increasing to $45 on January 1. 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.
Ice Flyers Set A Single-Game Attendance Record In Saturday’s Loss To Peoria
December 29, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent
The Ice Flyers didn’t want Peoria jumping to a quick lead, or the Rivermen making the game chippy enough to bring constant retaliation.
Both happened Saturday night as the Rivermen scored three goals on their first five shots, then forced the Ice Flyers into third period full of penalty kills to skate away with a 4-2 win Saturday, before the largest crowd (7,325) for a game without a $5 ticket night in franchise history.
On a Military Appreciation Night, which allowed retired and active military to purchase seats for half-price, plus their family and guests, the massive turnout nearly filled the entire Pensacola Bay Center from floor to ceiling, just under its 8,000 capacity.
The crowd Saturday surpassed a crowd of 7,000-plus last season for a game that did not included the $5 ticket promotion – both of those nights the past several seasons have filled the arena.
They saw Peoria (15-4, 4 OT losses), second place in the current SPHL standings, create just the kind of game the Rivermen wanted.
Playing with only 14 skaters and two goaltenders, the Rivermen didn’t arrive to the Bay Center until nearly 90 minutes before opening faceoff, but their physical, extra-curricular style as the most penalized team in the league, quickly got them into a scrum-fest type of game.
The teams were whistled for a combined 25 penalties for 72 minutes, which included several situations with multiple players from each team in the penalty box.
But the Rivermen jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first 13 minutes, causing Ice Flyers starting goaltender Brody Claeys to be lifted, then answered the Ice Flyers second-period momentum swing with a late goal to cushion their lead at intermission. The third period was when Rivermen goaltender Colby Mulse shined, making 10 saves to seal the win.
Both teams were playing their third game in three nights. The Rivermen had back-to-back games in Birmingham, where they won Friday and lost in overtime Thursday. Three of Ice Flyers past four games had gone into OT, including a shootout loss Friday at Macon.
The Ice Flyers were seeking to flip a script, after Peoria dominated with back-to-back wins (5-0 and 4-1) on Nov. 22-23 in Peoria.
This time, a 3-0 lead became 3-2 less than eight minutes into the second period when the Ice Flyers carried a solid end to the rough first period into Adam Pilotte’s goal at 7:48 into the second period.
But from that point, Peoria shut the door. The Rivermen got a goal from Jordan Ernst, who played for the Ice Flyers during the 2020-21 season and that proved the end of the game’s scoring.
A recap:
FIRST PERIOD
The game began with the Ice Flyers having lopsided edge in shots (20-5) and power play opportunities (7-1) at the first intermission.
But Peoria had a 3-1 lead.
The Rivermen scored goals on three of their first five shots against Ice Flyers goaltender Brody Claeys, including the third one a shorthanded goal. It forced Ice Flyers Head Coach Gary Graham to pull Claeys with 7:20 left in the period, after he endured his worst start of the season.
The Rivermen then did not have another shot on goal the rest of the period, while spending time killing multiple penalties. They racked up 29 minutes on nine penalties. The Ice Flyers had four penalties and three of those shortly followed a Peoria penalty to diminish a power play chance.
The Ice Flyers had three situations of a two-man advantage, the longest one for about a minute, and got their only goal of the period on a power play.
Danny Martin cut into the 3-0 deficit with his first goal as an Ice Flyers player. He was able to get a backhand shot off a rebound in the crease area to score with 5:11 remaining.
Eight more penalties then ensued from that point.
In all, this period took an hour to complete.
SECOND PERIOD
With both teams having a player in the penalty box, Adam Pilotte got the puck from a faceoff in the 4-on-4 situation and rifled a shot into the net from inside the blue line.
This got the packed crowd fully energized. The Ice Flyers had a couple chances for an equalizer in the ensuing minutes. But with 3:06 left before intermission Jordan Ernst was part of group in the crease, got his stick on a loose puck that Ice Flyers goaltender Cody Karpinski couldn’t contain and poked into the net.
That goal seemed to be the most deflating.
THIRD PERIOD
No scoring, but plenty of power plays. The teams combined for eight penalties. The Ice Flyers had five and each one caused them to spend valuable time on a penalty kill, unable to get offense created.
The Ice Flyers pulled Karpinski with 2:20 remaining, following a timeout, and briefly had a two-man advantage that Peoria thwarted to help seal the win.
GAME NOTABLES
The U.S. Marine Corps color guard from Naval Air Station-Whiting Field came onto the ice to present the colors before the National Anthem was sung.
Jackie Biggs, a Pensacola native and senior vice president with Navy Federal, was joined by family for the ceremonial puck drop. She was promoted in March to become Navy Federal’s executive leader for operational campuses.
The Ice Flyers have now drawn 67,409 fans in 11 home games for a 6,128 per-game attendance average. Only the Huntsville Havoc, the league’s first place team, has attracted more fans.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers at Macon Mayhem
WHEN: Tuesday (New Year’s Eve), 5 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Macon Centreplex, Macon, Georgia.
Softball Team Remembers Teammate Killed In Pace Wreck
December 27, 2024
Tuesday night, December 17, Sofia Bennett-Tidwell of Molino threw her last pitch ever at a 2030 Show Stoppers practice. That pitch is pictured above.
The following morning, Sofia died in a horrific four-vehicle crash on Quintette Road in Pace.
Yesterday, her teammates placed a cross in your memory along Quintette Road at Tunnel Road.
“Her smile, her drive, her commitment, her athleticism, her heart, her attitude and her effort earned her a roster position on the team and in our hearts forever,” the Showstoppers said in a social media post. “As a teammate, she was second to none! She was the best cheerleader any team could ask for and she was the fiercest competitor. As a player she set the bar for anyone to want to follow.”
Show Stoppers players place the cross, topped by a helmet, Thursday. It’s surrounded by Christmas flowers and stuffed animals. While Sofia joined the team just over two years ago, about 10 of the players have played softball together for years.
Sofia’s teammates and coaches signed the back of the cross with personal messages.
“Flight high sweet girl.” “We will miss you so much sweet girl.” “Best smile ever.” — are just a few of the messages.
“This team is like nothing I’ve ever known as far as how close the players and parents are. We’re truly a family,” Stephani Pryon, a mom from the team told us. “They’re literally all our kids.”
The Florida Highway Patrol has not released a cause of the four-vehicle crash. FHP Traffic Homicide and FHP Commercial Vehicle units are continuing their investigation.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
