There’s no question 2024 was a year to remember in the north end of Santa Rosa County.

Jay won its first state baseball championship in 54 years while the Pace softball team claimed its first crown since 2007. Pace’s girls weightlifting team went back-to-back as state champs while the boys weightlifting team at Pace won a state title as well.

Two flag football players represented Northwest Florida on the national stage.
Navarre’s Natalie Busch and Pace’s Amaya Pablo competed in the U.S. Army All-American Flag Bowl Friday in Texas.

Jay’s girls basketball team has high expectations as usual, and through the early part of the season, the Royals seem to be living up to them.

The first half of Milton’s boys soccer season featured mixed results.
In 12 games, the Panthers won five, lost five and tied two, ending the first half of the year with a 3-0 win over Marianna on Dec. 17.

Ronnie Douglas is no stranger to turning a football program around. He did it at Tate more than a decade ago, winning 17 games after the Aggies had won a total of four games the previous three years.
Now, he’ll look to flip the script at Milton after being named the new head coach of the Panther football team on Dec. 19.

Ronnie Douglas is the new head coach of the Milton Panther football team.

The next head football coach of the Milton Panthers is set to be named on Thursday afternoon.
The school sent out a press release Wednesday announcing a press conference will be held to name the new coach.

As a first grader, Vance Smith was the water boy for the Pace Patriot football team. At that time, his dad, Kent, was an assistant under then head coach Mickey Lindsey.
Smith grew up in the program. He was a ball boy in middle school and played football for the Patriots when he got to high school.

Vance Smith is the next head coach of Pace’s football team, filling the void left by his father, Kent, who retired earlier this month after nearly a decade at the helm.

Pace’s Judah Talley and Cailyn Bailey signed letters of intent Dec. 11 at the high school media center.
Talley will play golf at Coastal Alabama South. Bailey is headed to LSU Alexandria.