Life in the Gulf South Conference is a grind. Nothing comes easy. But that’s to be expected in one of the toughest conferences in NCAA Division II football.
A picture of that was painted in the University of West Florida’s league opener against West Alabama on Saturday night at PenAir Field.
The Pace Patriots traveled across the state line to Alabama to take on the Andalusia Bulldogs last Friday night. in a non-district football game.
The Patriots carried their domination with them, taking a 42-13 win over the Bulldogs.
Milton’s football team was on the brink of its first win of the season Friday night.
The Panthers were on the 1-yard line with a little over five minutes to play, down two on the road against Navarre, and poised to take the lead against the Raiders and potentially spoil their homecoming.
The match had been over for about 10 or 15 minutes. Most of the Jay volleyball players had already headed over to the football stadium where the Royals were battling Chipley in a battle of unbeatens.
Head coach Carey Locklin was still in the gym, wishing the outcome against rival Baker had been different but proud of the effort her team gave against the reigning 1A state champions on Thursday night.
Jay found themselves in a true battle last Thursday night as they hosted Chipley in a matchup of undefeated teams. In the end, the Royals pulled through, topping the Tigers 23-13.
We have reached the midway point of the high school football season and three of the four north end county teams are in action, including Jay, which faces a big test at home against Chipley in a battle of unbeatens Thursday night.
It’s not as if Pace’s volleyball team hadn’t been here before. Facing a fifth set to decide a match is something the Patriots have been through two other times this season.
They were in that same situation Tuesday night, on the road against Crestview and on the brink of coming up short in a District 1-6A match.
Milton’s swim team competed against Rocky Bayou Monday afternoon at the Gospel Projects Pool and had plenty of success.
The Panthers won 15 of the 22 events in the dual meet on a cloudy and warm afternoon in Milton.
The first set of regional rankings are out for volleyball and several local teams are in the mix for a playoff spot.
That includes Navarre and Jay, who are the highest ranked teams from our coverage area in their respective regions.
