Jay Tee Ball Angels Named Champs With Perfect Record
May 19, 2010
The Angels are Jay Recreation Tee Ball champions with a perfect 14-0 record. Pictured are: (front, L-R) Allie Odom, Makenleigh Bledsoe, Trent Roberson, Carson Walters, Kaden Roberson, (second row) Leslie McCall, Bryson McCullough, Devin Sauls, Grant Barrow, Tylen Sorrells, Payton Jackson, Bailey Odom, (third row) coaches Reggie Odom, Phillipp Sorrells, Stephen Jackson and Jason Roberson. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Have photos from your team? Email them to news@northescambia.com
Sports Association Awards Scholarships To Area Seniors
May 17, 2010
Several North Escambia area seniors were honored at the recent 2010 PSA Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet.
Rush Hendricks of Jay (pictured) was named an overall winner and will receive a cash scholarship to the school of his choice from the Pensacola Sports Association Foundation. Drew Kennedy from Jay was awarded a scholarship from the University of West Florida.
A total of 26 students from were offered scholarships totaling $110,000 by PSA and Pensacola Junior College.
PSA Scholar Athlete winners from the North Escambia area awarded PJC scholarships included:
- Jordan Bray, Jay, cheerleading
- Zach McMulley,, Tate, baseball
- Justin Galagher, Tate, tennis
- Travis Thrash, Tate, weightlifting
- Chelsea Hall, Tate, basketball
Jay Royals Win Regionals; Headed To State Final Four
May 15, 2010
The Jay Royals beat the Port St. Joe Sharks 15-7 Friday night for the Region 1-2A championship and a trip to the state final four.
Hunter Boutwell, Hunter Brown, Sawyer Gandy and Rush Hendricks all scored in the first four, with the Royals and the Sharks 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth. Port St. Joe managed to take a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. But the Royals rallied with a big three run, in-the-park homer from Kevin Stanton for a 7-6 Jay lead.
The Sharks managed a run in the top of the sixth to tie the ballgame 7-7. But the bottom of the sixth was all Jay as the Royals added eight runs for their 15-7 win. Overall, the Royals scored 15 runs on nine hits and committed just six errors.
Hunter Brown (8-4) took the win on the mound for the Royals. He pitched seven innings, allowing four hits, walking seven and striking out five.
Hitters for Jay included: Hunter Boutwell 2-5, two doubles and one RBI; Hunter Brown 2-4, two doubles and two RBI’s; Rush Hendricks 2-4 with one RBI; Kevin Stanton 2-3, with three RBI’s; and Sawyer Gandy 1-2.
Friday night’s win sends the Royals to their second final four game in the last three years. The Florida High School Athletic Association State 2A Semifinals begin Monday, May 24 at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie with the Jay Royals taking on Shorecrest Prep.
Port St. Joe had a dismal start to their season at 0-5, but then won 18 of their last 22 for a 18-9 record headed into Friday night’s game. The Royals were 17-7, coming off a 1-0 Regional win over the Northview Chiefs.
Pictured top: Hunter Boutwell steps up the plate for the Royals. Pictured inset: Hunter Brown up to bat. Photos courtesy WEAR TV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Names 2010-2011 Volleyball Teams
May 13, 2010
Northview High School has named their Lady Chiefs volleyball teams for next year.
Last year’s Lady Chiefs varsity team advanced to the regional quarterfinals, just the third time in Northview’s history that a volleyball team had advanced beyond the district level. The Lady Chiefs also made the first round of the quarterfinals in 2007 and back in 1997.
Members of the 2010-2011 Northview Lady Chiefs volleyball teams are:
VARSITY
- Trestine Dean
- Ashley Digmon
- Misty Doran
- Josie Doucette
- Ashton Gibbs
- Kara Hardin
- Sarah Killam
- Shawna Montgomery
- Morgan Payne
- Peyton Sandoval
- Raylin Spence
- Katie Wieborg
JUNIOR VARSITY
- Madison Arrington
- Alison Bardin
- Lana Clayton
- Hannah Fiellin
- Rebecca Grim
- Paeton Hadley
- TeAndreia Knight
- Ally Martin
- Rebecca Masaitis
- Shelby Nielson
- Tiffany Pritchett
- Taylor Roberson
- Danielle Steadham
- Lily Townson
- Mallory Wiggins
Northview’s Austin Reid Signs With Northwest Florida State College
May 12, 2010
The Northview Chief’s Austin Reid signed a letter of intent Tuesday with Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
Reid pitched 78 2/3 innings this season for the Chiefs, giving up just 17 earned runs and walking 30. He recorded 102 strikeouts and a 1.51 ERA. Reid’s senior year record for Northview was eight wins and three losses.
Pictured top: Austin Reid (center) signs a letter of intent Tuesday afternoon. Looking on are (sitting) his parents Glen Reid and Tammy Reid and (standing) Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley (left) and Northwest Florida State College Assistant Coach Nick Fletcher. Pictured below: The Northview Chief’s seniors: John Sellars, Brad Lowery, Aaron Chancery, Austin Reid, Heath Burkett, Austin Lowery, Heath Burkett and Dakota Stuckey. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Log-A-Load Bass Tourney Benefits Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital
May 11, 2010
The 14th Annual Log-A-Load for Kids Bass Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend to benefit Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
Ken Sessions and Greg Sessions won the tournament with a total catch of four fish at 13.32 pounds and a second lunker of 5.09 pounds. For the win, they received $5,352. Second place went to Larry Bullock and Roger Caldwell with 8.9 pounds with a lunker at 5.09 pounds. Third place went to Joey Mann and Jack Jenkins with 8 pounds.
More than $12,000 in cash and prizes were awarded at the tournament.
There were 88 boats in the benefit bass tournament at the Swamp House Marina and Landing in Pensacola. All proceeds will benefit children in need at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
Pictured: 14th Annual Log-A-Load for Kids Bass Fishing Tournament winners Ken Sessions and Greg Sessions. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Royals Advance Toward State With Win Over Northview
May 8, 2010
It was all the things that good playoff games are made off Friday night in Jay as a capacity crowd watched the Jay Royals take on the Northview Chiefs the Region 2A Semifinals.
In the end, the Royals beat the Chiefs 1-0. Along the way, it was a game of great pitching, great hitting and equally great fielding.
The only RBI of the game came from Rush Hendricks in the bottom of the third with a single up the middle to score Sawyer Gandy.
It was the end of one of the best seasons ever for the Chiefs (18-10). The Royals (17-7) will advance to the Region 2A Finals at 7:00 Friday night in Jay.
Hunter Brown pitched seven for the Royals, allowing two hits, no runs, one walk and striking out three. Austin Reid pitched seven for the Chiefs, allowing five hits, one run, four walks and striking out six.
Northview hitters included Brad Lower 1-2 and Dakota Stuckey 1-2.
Jay hitters included Sawyer Gandy 2-2 with a run and Rush Hendricks 1-1 with an RBI.
Photos courtesy WEAR for NorthEscambia.com.
Four More Tate Aggies Sign With Brewton’s Jeff Davis
May 7, 2010
Four Tate Aggie seniors signed letters of intent to play baseball for Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton.
Joey Hedden, Tyler Moore, Lee Hunter and Cole Vickery signed with the Warhawks Thursday afternoon. They joined Brandon Blackwelder who signed with JDCC back in March.
Pictured: Five Tate Aggies have signed to play with Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton. They are: (standing, L-R) Tate Coach Todd Boyd, JDCC Coach Darrell Blevins; (sitting, L-R) Lee Hunter, Tyler Moore, Brandon Blackwelder, Cole Vickery, Joey Hedden. Pictured below, top to bottom, are the family signing photos of: Cole Vickery, Joey Hedden, Lee Hunter and Tyler Moore. Submitted photos by Deeann Lee for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats Bonifay, To Face Jay Friday
May 6, 2010
The Northview Chiefs beat Bonifay Wednesday night to advance to the Region 2A finals Friday night against Jay.
Senior Austin Reid pitched seven for the Chiefs in their 4-1 victory over Bonifay. Reid allowed just one hit and one run while striking out 11.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when the Chiefs put two on the board and Bonifay added one. Northview added two more runs in the sixth.
Hitters for the Chiefs were Austin Arrington, 1-3 with one run; Dabney Langhorne, 2-4 with one run, and RBI and a double; Austin Reid 1-4; Austin Lowery with one RBI and one run; Brandon Sheets 1-2 with one run; and Dakota Stuckey 1-2 with a double, and two RBIs.
Northview will play Jay at 7:00 Friday night in Jay.
Becky Lowery photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHSAA Considers New Division For Small, Rural Schools Like Northview, Jay
May 3, 2010
A Florida High School Athletic Association committee has given preliminary approval to creating a new division for for small, rural schools like Northview and Jay. Schools in the rural division would compete within their own division and have their own playoff series for boys and girls basketball, baseball, football, softball and girls volleyball.
The recommendation from the FHSAA Urban/Rural Committee came about a year after Northview, Jay and nearly 20 other high schools in the Florida Panhandle met to discuss forming a new independent athletic league outside of the Florida High School Athletic Association.
“We all just want to see our teams have a level playing field,” Northview Principal Gayle Weaver told NorthEscambia.com at the time the smaller Panhandle schools were meeting. “Sometimes our students say we are playing for second best, because they know that they could never win state.”
The problem lies with smaller schools in the FHSAA that are forced to compete at the playoff level with private schools and academies located in cities like Pensacola. Those private schools are able to recruit the best players with scholarships and other incentives, making the chances of a small, rural public school winning a state playoff unlikely.
“It’s a good idea because it keeps these private schools out,” Northview Athletic Director Sammy Day said. “You’ve got a lot of private schools that recruit…if they get them coming to school because they live in their area, that would be fine. But they don’t.”
“A new division of participating schools (public and private) needs to be created,” the FHSAA Urban/Rural Committee wrote in a recommendation for full FHSAA board approval.
“We have a number of member schools that need issues addressed in terms of equitable competition,” said Executive Director Roger Dearing. “We need to make sure people know this is not a public-private issue. This is an issue of small rural schools that do not draw their student populations from larger urban areas or outside the state or country, and have a difficult time competing against those that do. There is a way for all schools to exist and succeed with the advent of this new division.”
The committee, which was commissioned in Fall 2009, traveled throughout the state to gather feedback from parents, coaches and other stakeholders at public meetings about issues of concern regarding participation. From this feedback, the committee developed the following recommendations:
- to create a new division of participating schools, private and public, which have been designated as rural by the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, and whose student enrollments are 500 or less. This classification shall be limited to the following sports: boys and girls basketball, baseball, football, boys and girls soccer, softball and girls volleyball.
- to ensure penalties for an offense of recruiting, or any violation(s) of eligibility bylaws, are very severe, including but not limited to: program and/or school suspension from the Association; program and/or school restrictive probation, including exclusion from state series playoff events; and increased financial penalties.
- to investigate the use of a “clearinghouse” system for international student eligibility, with no more than one international student being eligible to participate on each varsity-level team.
- to seek input from member schools regarding reclassification and redistricting processes.
The Urban/Rural Committee noted in their full recommendation that the student population of 500 is an approximation with the actual number to be determined by the actual number of schools required t o create a competitive division.
To read the full FHSAA committee recommendation, click here (pdf).
Pictured top: Brandon Sheets tries to avoid Jay defender Chris Carrigan during last year’s meeting of two rural schools. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.