During the huddle near the end of its District 1-6A semifinal against Navarre last Tuesday night, Pace head coach Cody Trimm took a moment to talk with his team.

The Patriots were on their way to a three-set loss to the Raiders, but they didn’t go down without a fight in a 20-25, 8-25, 18-25 loss.

All season Milton’s volleyball team has battled teams tough, and last Monday’s District 1-6A opener against Tate was no exception.

The Panthers closed the gap several times in the opening set, getting as close as 18-15 late, but Milton could never push itself over the top and went on to fall to the Aggies as their season came to a close.

Excitement, energy and races that went down to the wire. It was all bundled into one to set the stage for a highly competitive Santa Rosa County Meet last Thursday afternoon at the Pullum YMCA.

At the end of the meet, Pace earned a runner-up finish in the boys meet while the Patriot girls placed third. Milton was fourth in the boys and girls standings.

Ben Tyner found one opening and then another.

Near midfield, he looked as if he was going to be brought down by a couple of defenders, yet he found a way to stay on his feet, slip past by would-be tacklers and run untouched the rest of the way to the end zone.

Milton was close Friday night. Close to a having a break finally go its way. Close to a victory that would have revived the Panthers’ hopes for a momentum-swinging win.

But turnovers and missed opportunities cost the Panthers in a 34-27 District 1-4S loss to Navarre at Bennett C. Russell Stadium.

Ashton Harrelson and Nick Stiles are going back and forth talking about math grades and which of their classes is tougher. Not a typical conversation among a couple of football players.

“This is what it’s like all the time,” Stiles said with a laugh.

Pace is in the top eight of the latest Region 1-4S football rankings.

The Patriots rolled past Pensacola 44-7 last Friday night and now find themselves in the No. 6 spot this week, right behind district foe Navarre.

Brackets are set for district tournaments involving Santa Rosa County volleyball teams.

Pace will take on Navarre next Tuesday night in Navarre in a 6 p.m. District 1-6A semifinal match. Milton begins tourney play Monday as it battles Tate in Cantonment in a first-round match.

Pace went into Friday night’s game against Pensacola hoping to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Patriots accomplished their mission.

Behind a ground attack that couldn’t be slowed down and a defense that gave up very little, Pace bulldozed its way past the Tigers by a 44-7 score in its homecoming game.

Jada Savage sat in an airport earlier this summer feeling nervous, but also excited.

For the first time in her life, the Milton hoops standout was headed overseas, selected to play on a basketball team representing the United States. A flight to Philadelphia was up first and then on to Spain.