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Pensacola area postseason action continued Friday night, with three area baseball teams vying for district championships, and 2A track and field athletes heading to Panama City for the district championships. Read below for a recap of the action.
No. 1 Choctawhatchee 9, No. 2 Escambia 8 (10 innings)
The Gators came agonizingly close to a third straight district title, taking leads in the ninth and tenth inning but failing to close the deal.
The Indians (22-5) beat Escambia (15-12) for the third time this season, having previously defeated the Gators 4-2 on March 24 and 7-1 on March 26.
Caleb Bates hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning, then Cooper Rush held Choctaw off the board until the Indians scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth. J.R. Riley scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the sixth, then Tyler Wilson's RBI infield single tied the game 5-5 in the top of the seventh and forced extra innings.
Escambia scored in the ninth and 10th innings, but couldn't keep the Indians at bay. Jack Marracco hit a walk-off, bases-clearing double in the bottom of the 10th.
Escambia will likely advance to the state playoffs, which begin April 24 with the regional quarterfinals. The Gators entered the district tournament ranked No. 6 in Region 1-4A in the most recent FHSAA rankings.
No. 1 Bozeman 5, No. 2 Pensacola Catholic 3
The home team Bucks scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to clinch the district title.
Bozeman (20-6) led 3-1 after five innings before the Crusaders tied the game in the top of the sixth. Ben Bates scored on a Drew Collins single, then Reed Rhodes scored in the same at-bat on a throwing error to tie the game.
The Bucks retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Zac Flitcraft, then a sacrifice fly by Lane Hathaway doubled the lead to 5-3.
Davy Bradley scored on an error in the top of the second to put Catholic in front, but Bozeman responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game and then two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead.
Collins and Lane Grissett recorded the Crusaders only hits.
Pensacola Catholic (16-10) will likely qualify for the state playoffs, which begin April 25 with the Region 1-2A quarterfinals. The Crusaders entered the district tournament the No. 8 seed in the region in the most recent FHSAA rankings.
No. 1 Northview 2, No. 2 Jay 1 (Central)
Chiefs senior Bryant Mason has a peculiar routine when on the mound. He sings songs in his head, which allows him to lock in and focus on the task at hand.
As Northview closed in on a district title Friday night, Mason had Maroon 5 in his head. But once centerfielder Jackson Bridges caught the ball for the final out, solitary thoughts of Adam Levine's vocals were replaced by screams, hugs with teammates and tears of joy after the Chiefs brought home a district title for the fourth time in the last six years.
"This year, we just all bought in," Mason said. "We all we're like we're tired of losing, it's time to pull our pants up and go to work and we've done a really good job of that.
Northview's win snapped Jay's streak of back-to-back district titles, seasons in which the Chiefs suffered losing records. But first year head coach Justin Raley, who spent the last few years as an assistant for the Royals, knew this group had potential.
He coached many of them in football at Ernest Ward Middle School and called the chance to take this head coaching job “a no brainer.”
But Raley’s learned this group doesn’t just have talent. They also play for each other and will do anything to win.
“If I was to tell them to run through a brick wall they’d all go “yes sir, we’ll do it” and they do it together,” Raley said. “And that’s what makes good teams is when everybody is a unit and they love each other and they buy in. This group of guys, they’re very special.”
That bond’s allowed Northview to develop into a team that doesn’t go down easy.
Jay (14-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a Bryson Morris infield single, then put runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the third. Raley inserted Mason, who later got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the inning with no damage before tying the game with an RBI single to right center in the bottom of the inning. Mason had runners reach base in four of the five scoreless innings he pitched, but never allowed a run.
The Chiefs (18-8) continued to grind out at-bats against Royals ace Landon Golden and mustered the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth when Lucas Chavers was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Mason got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth, stomping his feet and waving his arms on a walk to the dugout after one of his eight strikeoutz ended the threat.
“He’s such a competitor and he gets it done,” Raley said of Mason. “He’s done a great job of that all year. I’ve known that if I needed in a tough spot it was gonna be him, and he’s done a great job.”
Even amid postgame celebrations, Mason was already looking ahead to what’s next. Northview will almost certainly be the top seed in Rural Region 1, which means homefield advantage for best 2-out-of-3 series in the regional semifinals and regional finals if the Chiefs advance.
It’ll be 14 days before Northview plays again, a stark change from the rhythm of playing a game a couple days all season up until this point. The Chiefs will work through competitive situations the next two weeks to not lose that edge, then get ready to scratch and claw as a team to more playoff wins.
And if the rows of chairs and packed bleachers near their dugout on Friday night are any indication, Northview will have plenty of fans in Bratt when the season resumes to push the Chiefs toward their goals too.
“They back us more than sometimes we backed ourselves,” Mason said. “They believed in us more than sometimes we believed. We’re on the same page now. We both know what we’re capable of and we’re just ready to keep winning.”
West Florida was the highest placing area team, with the Jaguars boys and girls teams finishing runner-up behind South Walton.
The West Florida girls finished with 137 points, while South Walton won the district title with 168 points. The West Florida boys finished with 131 points, nine points behind South Walton.
Below is a complete list of local athletes who automatically qualified for the Region 1-2A championship by finishing either first or second. The next eight best performances from regular season qualifying meets in each event will also qualify for regionals, which will be held May 1 at Pine Forest.
100 meters: Jillian Lacour, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 12.67)
200 meters: Jillian Lacour, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 25.82)
800 meters: Callie Howard, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 2:23.76)
1600 meters: Addison Garrett, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 5:35.63); Annabelle Johnson, West Florida (2nd, 5:47.42)
3200 meters: Addison Garrett, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 12:25.09); Annabelle Johnson, West Florida (2nd, 12:40.80)
100-meter hurdles: Synia Hughley, Pensacola (1st, 14.85)
400-meter hurdles: Synia Hughley, Pensacola (1st, 1:04.88)
4x100 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Manning, Broughton, Jackson, Lacour, 2nd, 50.38)
4x800 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Kerns, Howard, Garrett, Gross, 1st, 10:25.55)
High jump: Savannah Broughton, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 4-11.75)
Long jump: Addison Manning, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 17-7.5)
Triple jump: AJ Mead, West Florida (2nd, 31-9)
Shot put: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 34-2.25)
Discus: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 113-5)
Javelin: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 112-5)
100 meters: Dane Elliott, West Florida (1st, 10.84)
200 meters: Dane Elliott, West Florida (1st, 21.80); Zamari Purifoy, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 22.10)
400 meters: Don Williams, West Florida (1st, 49.92)
800 meters: Chris Hill, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 2:07.92)
1600 meters: Donovan Carmichael, West Florida (1st, 4:33.88); Frederick Gunther, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 4:34.24)
3200 meters: Donovan Carmichael, West Florida (1st, 10:06.54)
400-meter hurdles: Jose Luzbel, Pensacola (2nd, 59.67)
4x100 relay: West Florida (McLemore, Savage, Truitt, Phillips, 1st, 42.44); Pensacola Catholic (Gulley, Purifoy, Brown, Showers, 2nd, 43.15)
4x400 relay: West Florida (Simpson, Williams, Rolle, Elliott, 1st, 3:23.21)
4x800 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Hill, Randall, Spear, Gunther, 1st, 8:26.53)
High jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 6-1.5)
Long jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 22-5.5); Jonathan Showers, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 21-10.5)
Triple jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 44-7.75); Myles Davis, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 43-6.75)
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola area high school baseball, track district championship recap
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Baseball
District 1-4A championship
No. 1 Choctawhatchee 9, No. 2 Escambia 8 (10 innings)
The Gators came agonizingly close to a third straight district title, taking leads in the ninth and tenth inning but failing to close the deal.
The Indians (22-5) beat Escambia (15-12) for the third time this season, having previously defeated the Gators 4-2 on March 24 and 7-1 on March 26.
Caleb Bates hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning, then Cooper Rush held Choctaw off the board until the Indians scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth. J.R. Riley scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the sixth, then Tyler Wilson's RBI infield single tied the game 5-5 in the top of the seventh and forced extra innings.
Escambia scored in the ninth and 10th innings, but couldn't keep the Indians at bay. Jack Marracco hit a walk-off, bases-clearing double in the bottom of the 10th.
Escambia will likely advance to the state playoffs, which begin April 24 with the regional quarterfinals. The Gators entered the district tournament ranked No. 6 in Region 1-4A in the most recent FHSAA rankings.
District 1-2A championship
No. 1 Bozeman 5, No. 2 Pensacola Catholic 3
The home team Bucks scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to clinch the district title.
Bozeman (20-6) led 3-1 after five innings before the Crusaders tied the game in the top of the sixth. Ben Bates scored on a Drew Collins single, then Reed Rhodes scored in the same at-bat on a throwing error to tie the game.
The Bucks retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Zac Flitcraft, then a sacrifice fly by Lane Hathaway doubled the lead to 5-3.
Davy Bradley scored on an error in the top of the second to put Catholic in front, but Bozeman responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game and then two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead.
Collins and Lane Grissett recorded the Crusaders only hits.
Pensacola Catholic (16-10) will likely qualify for the state playoffs, which begin April 25 with the Region 1-2A quarterfinals. The Crusaders entered the district tournament the No. 8 seed in the region in the most recent FHSAA rankings.
Rural District 1 championship
No. 1 Northview 2, No. 2 Jay 1 (Central)
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Chiefs senior Bryant Mason has a peculiar routine when on the mound. He sings songs in his head, which allows him to lock in and focus on the task at hand.
As Northview closed in on a district title Friday night, Mason had Maroon 5 in his head. But once centerfielder Jackson Bridges caught the ball for the final out, solitary thoughts of Adam Levine's vocals were replaced by screams, hugs with teammates and tears of joy after the Chiefs brought home a district title for the fourth time in the last six years.
"This year, we just all bought in," Mason said. "We all we're like we're tired of losing, it's time to pull our pants up and go to work and we've done a really good job of that.
Northview's win snapped Jay's streak of back-to-back district titles, seasons in which the Chiefs suffered losing records. But first year head coach Justin Raley, who spent the last few years as an assistant for the Royals, knew this group had potential.
He coached many of them in football at Ernest Ward Middle School and called the chance to take this head coaching job “a no brainer.”
But Raley’s learned this group doesn’t just have talent. They also play for each other and will do anything to win.
“If I was to tell them to run through a brick wall they’d all go “yes sir, we’ll do it” and they do it together,” Raley said. “And that’s what makes good teams is when everybody is a unit and they love each other and they buy in. This group of guys, they’re very special.”
That bond’s allowed Northview to develop into a team that doesn’t go down easy.
Jay (14-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a Bryson Morris infield single, then put runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the third. Raley inserted Mason, who later got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the inning with no damage before tying the game with an RBI single to right center in the bottom of the inning. Mason had runners reach base in four of the five scoreless innings he pitched, but never allowed a run.
The Chiefs (18-8) continued to grind out at-bats against Royals ace Landon Golden and mustered the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth when Lucas Chavers was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Mason got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth, stomping his feet and waving his arms on a walk to the dugout after one of his eight strikeoutz ended the threat.
“He’s such a competitor and he gets it done,” Raley said of Mason. “He’s done a great job of that all year. I’ve known that if I needed in a tough spot it was gonna be him, and he’s done a great job.”
Even amid postgame celebrations, Mason was already looking ahead to what’s next. Northview will almost certainly be the top seed in Rural Region 1, which means homefield advantage for best 2-out-of-3 series in the regional semifinals and regional finals if the Chiefs advance.
It’ll be 14 days before Northview plays again, a stark change from the rhythm of playing a game a couple days all season up until this point. The Chiefs will work through competitive situations the next two weeks to not lose that edge, then get ready to scratch and claw as a team to more playoff wins.
And if the rows of chairs and packed bleachers near their dugout on Friday night are any indication, Northview will have plenty of fans in Bratt when the season resumes to push the Chiefs toward their goals too.
“They back us more than sometimes we backed ourselves,” Mason said. “They believed in us more than sometimes we believed. We’re on the same page now. We both know what we’re capable of and we’re just ready to keep winning.”
Track and field
District 1-2A championship (Tommy Oliver Stadium, Panama City)
West Florida was the highest placing area team, with the Jaguars boys and girls teams finishing runner-up behind South Walton.
The West Florida girls finished with 137 points, while South Walton won the district title with 168 points. The West Florida boys finished with 131 points, nine points behind South Walton.
Below is a complete list of local athletes who automatically qualified for the Region 1-2A championship by finishing either first or second. The next eight best performances from regular season qualifying meets in each event will also qualify for regionals, which will be held May 1 at Pine Forest.
Girls
100 meters: Jillian Lacour, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 12.67)
200 meters: Jillian Lacour, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 25.82)
800 meters: Callie Howard, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 2:23.76)
1600 meters: Addison Garrett, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 5:35.63); Annabelle Johnson, West Florida (2nd, 5:47.42)
3200 meters: Addison Garrett, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 12:25.09); Annabelle Johnson, West Florida (2nd, 12:40.80)
100-meter hurdles: Synia Hughley, Pensacola (1st, 14.85)
400-meter hurdles: Synia Hughley, Pensacola (1st, 1:04.88)
4x100 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Manning, Broughton, Jackson, Lacour, 2nd, 50.38)
4x800 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Kerns, Howard, Garrett, Gross, 1st, 10:25.55)
High jump: Savannah Broughton, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 4-11.75)
Long jump: Addison Manning, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 17-7.5)
Triple jump: AJ Mead, West Florida (2nd, 31-9)
Shot put: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 34-2.25)
Discus: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 113-5)
Javelin: Amani Bartholomew, West Florida (1st, 112-5)
Boys
100 meters: Dane Elliott, West Florida (1st, 10.84)
200 meters: Dane Elliott, West Florida (1st, 21.80); Zamari Purifoy, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 22.10)
400 meters: Don Williams, West Florida (1st, 49.92)
800 meters: Chris Hill, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 2:07.92)
1600 meters: Donovan Carmichael, West Florida (1st, 4:33.88); Frederick Gunther, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 4:34.24)
3200 meters: Donovan Carmichael, West Florida (1st, 10:06.54)
400-meter hurdles: Jose Luzbel, Pensacola (2nd, 59.67)
4x100 relay: West Florida (McLemore, Savage, Truitt, Phillips, 1st, 42.44); Pensacola Catholic (Gulley, Purifoy, Brown, Showers, 2nd, 43.15)
4x400 relay: West Florida (Simpson, Williams, Rolle, Elliott, 1st, 3:23.21)
4x800 relay: Pensacola Catholic (Hill, Randall, Spear, Gunther, 1st, 8:26.53)
High jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 6-1.5)
Long jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 22-5.5); Jonathan Showers, Pensacola Catholic (1st, 21-10.5)
Triple jump: Khylen Eccles, Pensacola (1st, 44-7.75); Myles Davis, Pensacola Catholic (2nd, 43-6.75)
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola area high school baseball, track district championship recap
Continue reading...
