Milton and Pace football fans alike began to fill the stands in Hurley Manning Field Thursday night as if it was a regular season game between the Panthers and the Patriots. However, this wasn’t the case. This was just the beginning of a new season, and it all starts with the spring game.

There is a point in the season where sports teams have lulls. That appeared to be the case last Friday for the Milton Panthers as they fell to the Walton Braves, 13-9. Milton senior ace Braiden Dykes took the mound for the Panthers and dominated early, sitting the first three Braves batters down in order.

The Pace Patriots played host to the Crestview Bulldogs Thursday in their first of two matchups this season. The Patriots entered this game sporting a 15-1 record to go along with a 14-game winning streak. Coach Jason McBride’s team was determined to keep their streak intact, and it did with 4-3 walk-off win.

The Milton Panthers are starting to find their way on the diamond. And that was evident last Tuesday night as a late-inning offensive surge led to a 14-6 victory over a Pine Forest team that is one of the best in the area. Milton entered play with a 2-6 record. A rather young team with only six seniors, the Panthers are building chemistry with one another day by day. And they put the chemistry they have built on display.

What was just supposed to be a normal Thursday night game turned into a thriller with a late rally as the Pace Patriots opened District 1-6A play against the Gulf Breeze Dolphins. The Patriots entered this game with a 5-1 record, and would improve to 6-1 after a late scoring rally propelled them to a 10-4 victory.

The Pace Patriots and Jay Royals closed out their regular seasons against one another on Friday night. These two teams met less than a month ago, back on January 6th, when the Royals won 56-42. This time though, the game would be played on Pace’s home floor, with a raucous student section and a desire to get even in the season series.

The fog began to slowly descend upon the pitch at Hurley Manning Field last Tuesday night. It was like a thick blanket where it was almost impossible to see anything. That didn’t stop the Milton Panthers and the Pensacola High Tigers from squaring off in another regular-season matchup.