A UWF Football Senior Day With Substance, Style and Playoff-Clinching Rout
November 11, 2023
The sky had turned dark gray and the steady drizzle made it worse, but Saturday’s home finale for UWF’s football team evolved in a special way.
The Argos easily crushed Chowan University in a 52-6 victory on Senior Day at Pen-Air Field to end the regular-season by sealing another spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs, which begin next weekend.
Go ahead, add another feat to UWF’s brief history in this sport. This makes it four consecutive seasons when football was played – the 2020 season was cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic – that the Argos have made the national field of 28 teams to play for a championship.
“I am enjoying every minute of it,” said senior center Oake Stipe, a veteran starter Saturday, who was a freshman on the 2019 UWF team which captured the D-2 national championship. “I’m thankful that I started off on a hot note and I’m hopeful it will end on a hot note.
“It is really special. But the way we have won makes it that much special. Of all the teams that make it to the playoffs only one finishes with a win. So just enjoy it.”
That enjoyment will continue Sunday afternoon when the UWF football team, support staff and families gathered for the annual end-of-season awards banquet that coincides with the NCAA’s selection show for the D-2 playoff field. The show will happen at 5 p.m. Sunday on www.ncaa.com.
The Argos (7-3), possessing a signature win against Delta State, the Gulf South Conference regular-season champion, were ranked No. 5 in the Super Region II prior to the game and seven teams in four regions will form the 28-team field.
“It will be cool to watch the experience and watch these guys celebrate,” said UWF first-year head coach Kaleb Nobles, who was the quarterback on the Argos’ inaugural 2016 team, then an assistant coach when UWF won the 2019 national title. “The team has earned this and we can celebrate together.”
Think about this: Seven years of a program and five playoff appearances.
“(Former UWF) Coach (Pete) Shinnick set the bar pretty high, playing for the ‘natty’ (national title) in year two (2017) and winning it in year four,” Nobles said. “I don’t know if I would have as much appreciation for that if I wasn’t here and part of it.
“For me it carries a lot of weight. But it is all about these players. It is about the players having a great time.”
After Nobles helped honor 16 seniors in a pregame ceremony, which included a nice touch of a photo with families at midfield, the Argos quickly refocused and gained complete control of the game before half.
UWF finished with 501 yards total offense on 61 plays and had just one turnover. They rushed for 260 yards, passed for 241.
On the opening possession Saturday, UWF needed just six plays to score the first touchdown. Quarterback Peewee Jarrett connected with senior receiver Caden Leggett on a 24-yard score that became the first of Leggett’s three touchdown receptions.
He added two more before halftime with a 36-yard play and 65-yard bomb from Jarrett. Both were on routes where Leggett easily beat one-on-one coverage and Jarrett threw perfect balls that hit Leggett in stride.
“It means a lot to me,” said Leggett, who finished his final game at PenAir Field with five catches for a team-high 127 yards. “A lot of my family is here. All of them have sacrificed so much for me to be in this position. It was awesome to get the win with the guys.
“We put in so much hard work throughout the week and developing on every aspect of the ball. The motto for this year was just to worry about us playing the best football we can, so it was a special night (Saturday) and I’m very blessed.”
At the other wideout spot, transfer senior John Jiles, finished his lone regular-season with the Argos, by setting the school’s single-season receiving record on a catch with 4:00 left in the second quarter. Jiles finished the game with seven catches for 82 yards.
He then caught an 18-yard pass with an over-the-shoulder grab from Jarett’s throw into the end zone corner to give UWF a 31-6 lead with 1:44 left before halftime.
Making the game even more special for Jiles, his mother was in attendance for the first time at UWF and got to watch him set the school receiving record.
“He is a great kid and comes from a great family,” Nobles said. “His mom was here and I think it’s the first time she has seen him play since high school.
“So what a great opportunity for him to play in front of family. An emotional day for him. He’s the last person worried about stats. That guy wants to win.”
But the Argos weren’t done, yet. Their defense forced a turnover and Leggett’s 65-yard bomb occurred on the next play with 52 seconds left.
With backups playing in the second half, Daryel Garcia, a junior from New Jersey, scored on a 4-yard rush and Jakobe Quillen caught a 16-yard pass from Jarrett later in the third quarter.
“Very excited about how our guys played, especially our seniors,” Nobles said. “We tried to give them a chance to push the ball around to guys like Caden Leggett, John Jiles and let them get some big time plays and some records, things like that.
“But I’m excited overall with how our team played. I thought we played well for a good chunk of 60 minutes. We keep getting better at doing that.
“We know whatever the road holds for us moving forward, it’s going to be a tough road and we have to keep doing our job. I’m excited with how we played in all three phases and how we handled the weather.”
Jalen Bussey led UWF’s running attack with 91 yards on just five carries. Jamontez Woods had 86 yards on 10 carries. Senior C.J. Wilson, battling through an injury, was able to play on his senior day and gained 22 yards on four carries.
Jarrett finished completing 13 of 21 passes for 241 yards and five touchdowns.
The Argos’ biggest play, the one that had the crowd of 3,979 Saturday most energized, occurred on Chowan’s first possession. Sophomore Amari Mitchell caught a deflected pass from teammate Collin Shaw and went 62 yards to set up the Argos second touchdown.
“It was good to start fast, start hot,” Nobles said. “We were ready to play. Our guys responded well and came out and played a high level.”
Northview Beats Jay 31-13 In Round One Of The Playoffs
November 11, 2023
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Jay Royals 31-13 Friday night in round one of the state 1R-Region 1 quarterfinals in a steady soaking drizzle in Jay.
Northview was first on the board with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Joe Wright, 6-0 in the first quarter.
Jay answered with a 5-yard TD from Brock Stout. 7-6 in the second quarter.
Devin Kelly added a 35-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter for the Chiefs to take a 14-7 lead that stood headed into the half.
Joe Wright added another TD in the third quarter from 56-yards out for a 20-7 Northview advantage. Devon Kelley had a 40-yard touchdown in the third, 27-7.
Brandon Ferguson had a 37-yard field goal for Northview with under 30 seconds to go for the 31-13 Chief’s victory.
The No. 5 seed Chiefs (4-7) will travel to face No. 1 seed Bozeman (10-0) in Panama City on Friday, November 17.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
High School Playoff Scoreboard
November 10, 2023
Here are Friday night playoff scores from around the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
Region 1-1R
Region 1-3S
- Escambia – 15, Pine Forest – 7
Region 1-2S
- Penacola Chatolic 41, Suwannee 6
ALABAMA
Georgia Beats Arkansas 1-0 For SEC Soccer Championship
November 5, 2023
With an early goal and tremendous defensive effort, the University of Georgia soccer team claimed its first Southeastern Conference tournament championship with a 1-0 victory over No. 10 Arkansas Sunday afternoon before 1,727 spectators at Ashton Brosnaham Park in Escambia County.
A total of 6,415 spectators attended games over the span of the tourney in Escambia County.
Graduate midfielder Croix Bethune led the Bulldogs with two shots, en route to receiving SEC Tournament MVP honors. Bethune was joined on the SEC All-Tournament Team by graduate midfielder Mallie McKenzie, graduate forward Hannah White, and sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown, who posted seven saves.
In the seventh minute, McKenzie sent a screaming pass right in front of the net, with White intending to knock the ball in, but an Arkansas defender hit the ball with her knee for an own goal. Both of Georgia’s goals against Arkansas this year came via own goal, including a score in the regular season meeting on Oct. 5 in Fayetteville. Brown tallied her first shot on goal of the season with a booming free kick, but for the remainder of the half, the Razorbacks pressed the Bulldog defense with four shots on frame.
In the second half, Georgia looked to counter the attack, beginning with an early shot by redshirt freshman midfielder Summer Denigan, who returned from her red card suspension. Brown remained strong, including a terrific stop in the 68th minute right in front of the net. Bethune nearly added an insurance goal in the 86th minute with a huge strike, but Razorback keeper Phoebe Carver deflected the shot.
With 27 seconds left, Arkansas had one final chance with a free kick, but Ava Tankersley’s shot was caught by Brown, who booted away the ball to seal Georgia’s first league title.
UWF Ignites For Bounce-Back Rout of MC to Enhance Postseason Opportunity
November 5, 2023
In games this season following a loss, UWF’s football team has responded with turnaround, complete-game performances.
The Argos added a pivotal one Saturday with a 42-14 win against Mississippi College at Robinson-Hale Stadium, which now sets up an opportunity to attain their fifth post-season trip in UWF’s seven-year tenure.
Bolstered earlier this week by a No. 4 position in the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 rankings, the Argos (7-3) further helped themselves by responding from a 7-0 deficit in the second quarter with five consecutive touchdowns against MC for a blowout win.
“Our guys were relentless,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles, referring to the surge that became with a game-tying touchdown in the second quarter. “They did a great job of doing what they’re supposed to do and playing with a lot better effort and focusing.
“It has kind of confirmed what I know about our team… is that they have something in their chest about them that is pretty resilient. They have a great heart about them, great spirit about them. They know in the three losses, we played good teams and they played us very well, but we also didn’t play our best in those games.
“But I am excited about how we have responded. I hate the opportunity to respond after a loss, because it means we lost, but I’m proud of the way we have come off losses.”
This was the third consecutive season UWF has played at Mississippi College. Saturday’s win was the second-largest margin of victory in the eight times these teams have played – all won by the Argos.
The Argos will head into their season-finale next Saturday against winless Chowan University (0-9) at UWF’s Pen Air Field knowing a win could seal a place among the 28 team-field in the Division II playoffs.
Seven teams from each of the four NCAA D-2 Super Regions make the playoffs.
“We feel like this is when you’ve got to play your best,” Nobles said. “A lot goes into it, but teams are going to remember who wins in November and December. And so our guys know we’ve got to play at a high level. We’ve left some good football out on the field (in season), but we’ve got to play well this week coming up and hopefully that leads to us playing further in November and December.”
Coming off last Saturday’s heart-breaking home loss to Valdosta State in the final 36 seconds, the Argos’ offense started slow Saturday against the Choctaws.
Their first four possessions resulted in two punts, a missed field goal and a failed conversion on 4th-and-one.
The Choctaws had a 7-0 lead after a 9-play, 80-yard drive was capped by quarterback Cameron Davis’ 1-yard run with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
The Argos tied the game with 6:04 left in the first half on a 42-yard touchdown run by Jamontez Woods that highlighted a 93-yard, nine play drive. It featured the Argos rushing attack and became part of the game’s big storyline.
Playing without leading rusher C.J. Wilson, who was sidelined by a minor injury, the Argos amassed 274 yards rushing on 42 attempts. Woods led the way with 113 yards on 12 carries. Jalen Bussey had 84 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Quarterback Peewee Jarrett added 53 yards on 10 carries to combine for the bulk of this yardage.
“CJ was just banged up a little bit and he’s going to be fine moving forward,” Nobles said. “Those guys (running backs) kind of cleaned up and shored up some things and we know with our o-line, you don’t have to be perfect and our guys just made plays behind them.
“It’s a testament to our offensive staff, how well they put together a really good run-game plan, but also to adjust to the game. (Choctaws) were doing some certain things that were a little bit different than we thought, which is kind of par for the course this season offensively. But it’s really a testament to our players, our offensive line, our running backs, tight ends and how well blocked up front and how we ran the ball.”
After UWF’s defense forced a quick stop, the Argos then took a 14-7 haftime lead on Jarrett’s 42-yard touchdown pass to John Jiles –part of another big day for Jiles with 110 yards on five catches and two touchdowns.
The game’s defining moment then happened within a two-minute span in the third quarter.
Mississippi College missed a 45-yard field goal with its first possession of the second half. The Argos took over and scored on a 41-yard pass from Jarrett to Jiles for a 21-7 lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Choctaws began at their on 9-yard line after a blocking penalty on the kick return. Forced to punt from their own 11, UWF defensive back Braylon Anderson from Saraland High near Mobile, swooped in and blocked the punt.
It was recovered in the end zone by linebacker Mi’Chaun Coward, a Niceville High grad, in the end zone for a touchdown and 28-7 lead.
“When you block a punt, that changes games,” Nobles said. “Braylon Anderson with a great block. That raises your opportunity to win. And that’s contagious.
“To be honest, we have been close on like seven of them this year. Finally, we got a perfect run through. Our guys did a great job running through the A-gap to get there and I’m just excited about how they finished that to get a touchdown on special teams.”
Ten seconds later, another big defensive play ensued. On the first snap from the kickoff, UWF defensive tackle Collin Shaw forced and recovered a fumble at the MC 27. On a 4th-and-21 situation from Choctaws’ 38, Nobles made the bold decision to go for it and Jarrett connected with Zac Offord for a 25-yard gain.
Two players later, Jarrett connected with Caden Leggett for an 11 yard touchdown and 35-7 lead. That’s three touchdowns in the third quarter to blow open the game and five scores in a 21-minute span.
“I challenged our guys pretty good at halftime,” Nobles said. “We had a great way to end (half) on the pass to Jiles, but we don’t need to play to the atmosphere (small crowd at stadium)… we need to play to our best and focus on what we’re supposed to do.
“And we did that in the second half.”
The Argos capped their scoring on Bussey’s 25-yard scoring run on a burst around the left sideline with 9:21 remaining in the game. The rest of the way, Nobles was able to utilize his backup players, including quarterbacks Michael Rich and Marcus Stokes.
Jarrett finished with 235 yards, three touchdowns, one interception. Receiver Anthony Ballard had three catches for 59 yards and Offord (48 yards) and Leggett (43 yards) were part of 294 yards passing.
Ralph Ortiz had eight tackles for UWF and a forced fumble.
This win enabled UWF to record its fifth season of at least seven wins in the program’s 7-year history.
“It’s special and it’s cool to have been a part of a lot of that stuff,” said Nobles, who was an assistant coach under Pete Shinnick for three seasons, including the national title team in 2019. “A huge shoutout to Coach Shinnick what his vision was for UWF football. I am excited that we’re able to keep doing that and hopefully keep adding more wins to this season.”
Written By Bill Vilona PHoto Emily Miller/UWF.
High School Football Scoreboard
November 3, 2023
Here are a high schoool football scores from around the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
- West Florida 35, Gulf Breeze 32
- Tate 45, Washington 0
- Nicevile 63, Navarrre 34
- Walton 54, Northview 14
- Escambia 47, Pensacola 7
- Pace 35, Lafayette 7
- Catholic 34, JP 13
- Jay 41, Blacksher 20,
- Godby at Milton
- St. John Paul II at Pensacola Catholic
- BYE: Pine Forest
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 63 Marengo 0
- T.R. Miller 36, W.S. Neal 8
- Chambers Academy 55, Escambia Acacdemy 18
Tate Aggies End Best Season in Years with 44-0 First City Bowl Win At At Wahoos Stadium
November 3, 2023
The Tate Aggies claimed the title 44-0 over Washington Friday night in the inaugural First City Bowl game at Wahoos Stadium, the first-ever regular season high school football game at the waterfront venue.
The Tate Aggies finished with their first winning season since 2017. The Aggies had won just one game in each of the previous four seasons.
Washington had won its season-opener, but since lost their other seven games.
““It’s huge,” Coach Rhett Summerford said before the game. “I am so glad we are playing there (at Blue Wahoos Stadium). Because it gives our kids some excitement. “We need some excitement now. Our guys are still playing their tails off, but we’re just not doing some of the things we were doing earlier this year. “We are playing in a phenomenal venue. It’s a great way to send our seniors out. We are going to prepare and play as hard as we can to play our best.”
High School Football Scoreboard
November 2, 2023
Here are a high schoool football scores from around the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
- West Florida 35, Gulf Breeze 32
- Tate 44, Washington 0
- Nicevile 63, Navarrre 34
- Walton 54, Northview 14
- Escambia 47, Pensacola 7
- Pace 35, Lafayette 7
- Catholic 34, JP 13
- Jay 41, Blacksher 20,
- Godby at Milton
- St. John Paul II at Pensacola Catholic
- BYE: Pine Forest
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 63 Marengo 0
- T.R. Miller 36, W.S. Neal 8
- Chambers Academy 55, Escambia Acacdemy 18
Tate, Washington Face Off Friday Night In First City Bowl At Wahoos Stadium
November 2, 2023
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos have always tried to seek ways to be innovative with special
events at their stadium outside of baseball season.
The inaugural First City Bowl game, presented by Cox Communications on Friday at 7 p.m. represents the latest one.
With its unique backdrop and configuration, the event is more than just a season-finale, high school football game between the Tate Aggies and the Washington Wildcats.
It’s the first time that Blue Wahoos Stadium has staged a regular-season, prep football game, utilizing both schools’ bands and other components to provide a different kind of experience. “I think this really meets our mission, which includes creating a community type of event like this game,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith, whose idea it was a year ago to bring two area high school teams for a game with a special name. “We thought it would be fun to name it the First City Bowl and get people excited about it and hopefully we will have many more of these games. “What you want is all these kids playing Friday to one day bring their own kids out to the stadium and say, ‘I played on this field.’ It’s another way to create those memories for life.”
The admission price, online ticketing, game operations matches the way all high school games are played in this area. The stadium will utilize all of its concession stands. The video board will have the game action. Cox Communications is providing a televised broadcast available on its YurView channel for Cox subscribers. With it being Washington’s home game, the Wildcats will be in the Blue Wahoos clubhouse and their band will perform pregame, along with both school bands performing at halftime. Tate will be in
the visiting team clubhouse at the stadium. “It’s been fun for me to see how open these two schools have been to this event,” said Shannon Hannah, the Blue Wahoos events manager. “They seem to be happy for the partnership. “Since we first announced in
ugust this game being played here and calling it the First City Bowl, the schools have been super responsive, excited and enthusiastic about to play the game here. “It’s a community experience,” said Hannah, who worked with both schools to handle logistic challenges. “We have never done this before and I think the kids are going to be excited to play here and have the experience of playing here.”
For both teams, the game represents a positive way to end the season. Washington won its season-opener, but has since lost the other seven games. “I think it was an easy trade (when proposal to was made months ago) on moving our home game to a professional baseball stadium that is one of the best in the country,” said Wildcats coach Ryan Onkka. “This will be our senior night moved to a new place. That will be a unique experience and a great first- time experience for these kids. “To us, it’s like our Super Bowl. That is how we will view it to build off and welcome it.”
Tate (4-5) will have a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2017. The Aggies have already made significant strides under head coach Rhett Summerford, working his second season at Tate. The Aggies had won just one game in each of the previous four seasons. “It’s huge,” Summerford said, after his team dropped its third consecutive game in a loss at Escambia. “I am so glad we are playing there (at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Because it gives our kids some excitement. “We need some excitement now. Our guys are still playing their tails off, but we’re just not doing some of the things we were doing earlier this year. “We are playing in a phenomenal venue. It’s a great way to send our seniors out. We are going to prepare and play as hard as we can to play our best.”
WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
ADMISSION: $7.
TICKETS: Available online at www.bluewahoos.com/tickets. Or stadium box
office.
INFORMATION: www.bluewahoos.com/firstcitybowl.
PROMOTION: Early-arriving fans will receive special light-up bracelets,
courtesy of Cox Communications. There is a limited number.
GAME INFO: Seating is general admission, no reserved seating. Both teams’
bands will perform at halftime. Other special activities will occur.
Late TD Gives No. 24 Valdosta State 31-28 Win Over No. 18 UWF
October 29, 2023
Never was the old axiom about winning everywhere but on the scoreboard more apparent than in No. 18 UWF’s heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Gulf South Conference rival No. 24 Valdosta State Saturday night.
By most measures, the Argos (6-3, 4-2 GSC) outperformed the Blazers (8-1, 5-1 GSC). Yet, in the final tally, both on the scoreboard and in the GSC standings, Valdosta State came out on top.
UWF held the Blazers to minus-3 yards rushing and 272 yards of total offense while racking up 444 yards of offense (248 rushing and 196 passing), but a series of miscues – a fumble inside their own 5, a pair of missed kicks, a handful of passes that were ever so slightly out of rhythm, a key missed fourth-down conversion, and a few defensive hiccups – added up to three points too few.
“We’ve got to clean up mistakes,” head coach Kaleb Nobles said. “I’m looking at the stats and we won a lot of stats and did some good things, but there are no moral victories. Our guys have got to know. We’ve got to execute on third downs better. We’ve got to get them off the field better. On defense, we can’t give up drive-extending plays, and we’ve got to be better on special teams.”
Early in the contest, the Argos seemed poised to run away with the game. They quickly went ahead with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Peewee Jarrett to John Jiles on UWF’s first drive and followed with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jamontez Woods 1-yard run and a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
It was the first of two rushing touchdowns on the night for UWF as three players – Jarrett (120 yards), Woods (51), and CJ Wilson (70) – paced a strong ground attack.
Unfortunately, a second-quarter fumble on the UWF 3 resulted in a scoop-and-score for the Blazers and turned the game’s momentum.
“Those guys did a great job,” Nobles said. “I told the guys earlier in the week I wanted to run the football. We had good chances to run the ball. Peewee’s one of our best guys running the football. I gave him a lot of carries and he wants to do that. Best quarterback in the country in my opinion. He’s going to throw the ball well. He’s going to run the ball well.”
Nobles added, “I know everybody is going to focus on the fumble that flipped the momentum, but we are not in that game without CJ, Jamontez, Peewee, Jalen Bussey, those guys.”
In reality, the Argos shook off the fumble reasonably well. Indeed, after Valdosta State tied the game at 14, Jarrett connected with Jiles on a 33-yard pass to push to put UWF up 21-14.
The game would enter the break tied, though, after Blazers quarterback Sammy Edwards scored on a 6-yard run to cap a late-second-quarter drive that covered 77 yards.
Valdosta State didn’t hold a lead in the game until the 0:36 mark in the fourth quarter when Edwards connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass with Ted Hurst.
Jarrett guided the Argos to within field goal range with 1 second to play, but a 51-yard attempt by Griffin Cerra went wide right.
“Unfortunately, kicking is the toughest job on the team … because everybody’s watching you and everybody knows when you mess up,” Nobles said. “You can get covered up at other positions. Griff is going to know, because I am going to tell him enough this week, ‘Hey, it doesn’t change anything. You are our guy. You are the guy I trust, and you are the person we are going to put out there to go make plays … We trust Griff and we know he’s going to help us win games down the stretch.”
POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS NOT HARD TO FIND
Despite the disappointing outcome, there were plenty of positives for the Argos.
The defense, under first-year coordinator Kavell Conner, continued to impress, holding the Blazers to abysmal rushing numbers while keeping Edwards under duress most of the contest.
All told, the Argos sacked Edwards five times and registered seven quarterback hurries.
Junior defensive end Byron Puryear was a constant presence in the VSU backfield and ended the game with two-and-a-half sacks and four hurries to go along with six tackles.
“Get to the quarterback, that’s my job,” Puryear said. “Especially on third down. They brought me here to pass rush and that’s what I was trying to do.”
Senior linebacker Gael Laurent was the team leader in tackles with eight. Defensive tackles John McMullen (1½ sacks) Collin Shaw (1) accounted for the other tackles-for-loss on the Blazer quarterback.
Offensively, Jiles continued to rack up yards and touchdowns. His five receptions for 92 yards and two scores was a team-best and bumped his season tally to 49 catches for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Caden Leggett was again solid, hauling in three passes for 50 yards.
STILL MUCH TO PLAY FOR
After the game, Argos players and coaches expressed a mixture of emotions – frustration about a game that slipped away, but also optimism for a season in which a postseason berth is still within reach, although no longer a given.
“We literally don’t know what the future holds for the playoffs, so the best thing you can really do is win out,” Jarrett said. “If you win out, you put the ball in the NCAA’s hands.”
Puryear added, “We’ve still got to play two games for the rest of the season. Nobody is going to quit on each other. We are just going to try to win out and see what it holds.”
For UWF, whatever the future holds will be decided on what the Argos do on the road next week against Mississippi College, where a 2 p.m. Saturday showdown with the 3-5 Choctaws awaits.
Although he said he wanted his team to let the loss “sting”, Nobles stressed that the team putting the Blazers in their rearview mirror quickly would be key as would maintaining the strong character they’ve displayed all season.
“Coaching in the good moments is easy, but coaching in these moments is when you really find out who you are as coaches and as men,” Nobles said. “I told those guys, don’t lose your belief. Don’t lose the heart that you’ve got. Don’t change who you are just because we lose a game. We’ve still got a chance.”
UWF returns home on Nov. 11 for the regular-season finale, a Senior Day contest against Chowan.
by UWF/photo Emily Miller/UWF