Sports Archive

Reice Griffith left a lasting impression in the final moments of his high school career. With five seconds to play in the North-South All-Star Game last month in The Villages, the standout kicker from Pace lined up for a game-winning field goal and didn’t disappoint, putting the ball through the uprights to lift the North to a 24-23 win.

Oct. 6, 2021. That’s the day Jay’s Brett Watson started throwing a softball again. She has a video of the moment posted on social media.

Milton’s Raymond Cottrell has flipped his commitment as he is now headed to Texas A&M instead of Georgia. The four-star recruit for the Panthers signed his national letter of intent with the Aggies on Monday.

Niceville takes a one-point lead with 22 seconds to play and Pace head coach Houston Ramsay immediately calls for timeout. He has the full attention of his players as he talks with them in the huddle, the Final Countdown playing over the speakers here at the Northwest Florida Shootout at Choctaw.

It was a banner year for sports teams in the area, highlighted by a state championship for Jay in softball and a near title bid for the Pace baseball team, which lost a heartbreaker to Doral Academy in the state final. Pace’s softball team also made a run to state, reaching the final four for the second consecutive year and Ava Grace Wheaton of Pace captured a state crown in the javelin.

Bethany Dean is headed into her senior year of high school softball already knowing her place at the next level is all squared away. The Pace utility player has committed to Mobile to continue her athletic career. The opportunity means a great deal to the Patriot standout.

Audrey Luedtke took an interesting path to being a catcher. She can look back on that situation now and laugh about it.

A change in culture makes a difference. Look at Central’s girls basketball team. The Jaguars are off to their best start in six years with Lewayne Jones II now at the helm of the program.

Pace’s girls weightlifting team made school history a year, finishing second in the state for the first time. The Patriots are on track to build on that performance this season.

The University of West Florida football didn’t need much time to name its next head football coach. Kaleb Nobles is now in charge of one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II.