Jay’s softball team reached the state final four in 1A for the third consecutive season in 2023.
The Royals are hoping to make another run this year and take aim at their second championship in three years.
Less than a week after falling to Paxton in the boys District 1-1A championship game the Jay Royals were back in Walton County for a rematch with the Bobcats on Thursday in the Region 1-1A semi-final.
The winner would move on to the region finals and the loser would see their season end.
Shortly after Milton’s season ended in Wesley Chapel Thursday night, Jordan Roque of Wiregrass Ranch, approached Milton’s Treymar Jones and congratulated him.
It was one of those ‘game recognizes game’ kind of moments as both players stood out, particularly Jones, who did everything he could to try to will the Panthers to a victory in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal on the road.
Jay’s girls basketball team didn’t just win its Region 1-1A semifinal against Paxton last Wednesday night. Instead, the Royals dominated in a 57-35 win that earned them a trip to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.
Even when the odds were stacked against Pace, the Patriots trailing Chiles by four goals in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal in Tallahassee, there were no signs of quit.
Sixth-seeded Pace fought right up until the end in a 5-1 loss to No. 3 seed Chiles as its season ended last Tuesday night.
Aisley Shields launched a deep 3-pointer as the final seconds of a Region 1-6A quarterfinal last Wednesday night against Gulf Breeze ticked away.
If anyone could hit that shot, it was Shields. She knew a miracle was needed. But the ball didn’t go through, finding only the rim.
Matt Wood is ready for his first season as the head coach of Milton’s softball team. The Panthers won only six of their 23 games played last season but there is reason for optimism.
A handful of key players are back, including Gracie Bonds, Hallie Ueberroth, Autumn Anderson and Alexis Hawthorne, and Wood feels good about this team’s chances of turning things around.
While a new season has arrived, what hasn’t changed for Pace’s softball team are the usual high expectations.
The Patriots went 28-2 a year ago, losing 5-1 to Bartow in the final, and look to make another run with a senior class that has appeared in three consecutive trips to state.
It’s no secret that Paxton has a homecourt advantage any time the Bobcats step on the basketball court. That was again the case on Saturday as Paxton hosted Jay in the boys District 1-1A tournament championship game.
