Madison Misleh speaks for her teammates when she says the Pace girls weightlifting team has been on a mission since finishing as the runner-up to Navarre at the 3A state meet last year.
So there was an added sense of joy, accomplishment and downright pride in finally reaching the top of District 1-3A.
L.E.A.D. Academy head boys basketball coach Joey Nieves burns a timeout with 3:50 left in the third quarter of a game that has all but been decided.
In the huddle, he’s intense, acting as if his team is down 30 instead of up, challenging his team to stay sharp, avoid the bad shots and cut back on some of the unforced turnovers.
Pace finished as the state runner-up a year ago in 3A. Milton fashioned a top five finish at state in 2A but has now moved up a classification this year.
Both girls weightlifting teams hope to have successful runs in the postseason, which was slated to start Wednesday with the District 1-3A meet at Niceville.
As much pressure as Pace faced against Tate Friday night, the defense of the Aggies never letting up on the intensity level, the Patriots were right there on the cusp of a big win on the road.
It was a five-point game with 20 seconds to play after a layup by Jordynn D’amico, but the Aggies answered with a 3-pointer and sealed the deal on a 46-38 victory.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Pace girls soccer team has secured a win over Navarre.
The two teams tied the last time they played in November, battling to a 1-1 tie, but the Patriots used a couple of second-half goals to seal the deal on a 2-1 win this time around.
Country roads, open fields and even warning signs to be sure to share the road with tractors highlight the road to Jay, a small town in rural Santa Rosa County featuring a Royals boys basketball team harboring big dreams while in the midst of a special season.
Practice is underway on a Wednesday afternoon in late January inside a gymnasium that, on game nights, is rocking and swaying with excitement and brimming with a buzz fueled by the roar of the crowd.
Nearly four minutes had gone by in the opening quarter before either team scored a point. Kayla Willis finally put Milton on the board against Central with 4:30 to go, knocking down a free throw after drawing a foul going up for a shot in the paint.
That seemed to spark the Panthers in their county battle with the Jaguars. Milton rolled to an 11-1 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 48-24 victory Tuesday night.
Lattrell Tate scored 23 points, connecting five times from 3-point range, as the University of West Florida men’s basketball team ended a five-game losing streak with a 72-54 win over Shorter Saturday.
