Three Navarre Raiders signed national letters of intent last Wednesday at a national signing day ceremony at the high school.
Two of the athletes are football players. Vinny Villanova is taking his talents to NCAA Division II University of West Florida. Jacari Thomas will play junior college football at Community Christian College in Detroit.
Lacey Riley knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the night, pulling Navarre’s girls basketball team within six with a little over three minutes to play in a thrilling District 1-6A quarterfinal against rival Pace on the road.
Once down 19 points in the third quarter, the Raiders refused to fold Tuesday night. Riley wouldn’t let it happen. Neither would her teammates.
Henry Johnson and Thad Ledet played pivotal roles last season in Lighthouse Private Christian Academy’s run to its first ever Sunshine State Athletic Conference state championship.
Now, the two will get a chance to continue playing football close to home as the two signed with Lighthouse Christian College Tuesday.
Josh Cooper scored off a layup in the final seconds of the first quarter, cutting Milton’s lead to 11 in the opening round of the District 1-6A basketball tournament on Monday.
The Navarre Raiders were unable to close the gap any further, however, as the game progressed as their season ended with a 71-32 loss to the reigning district champion Panthers in Milton.
Navarre’s boys and girls soccer teams are in the postseason in the same year for the first time since 2019.
Both teams are on the road for the opening round of the Region 1-6A tournament. The Raider boys will take on Mandarin Tuesday while the girls face off against Fletcher.
Santa Rosa County represented well at FHSAA regional girls weightlifting meets on Saturday.
Nine lifters won their respective weight classes in traditional at the Region 1-3A meet in Flagler Palm Coast while six won titles in Olympic. The county also had a lifter take first in the Region 1-1A meet in Wewahitchka.
Caitlin Tilton said she gained a lot from her first two seasons of softball with Coastal Alabama North, both as an athlete and a person.
Tilton reflected on that experience ahead of her first year with the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. The Navarre Raider grad transferred there after last season.
Jaleah Jones is only a freshman, something that can be easily forgotten when she’s recording double-doubles on a regular basis for the Navarre Raider girls basketball team.
She always believed she could make an impact as a ninth grader and she’s done just that.
Navarre’s girls soccer team established early on Thursday night that it wasn’t going to back down from Niceville in the District 1-6A championship game.
Aiming for a second consecutive district crown, the Raiders cannot be faulted for their effort against the Eagles. And even after Niceville broke a scoreless tie late in the first half, Navarre kept battling.
There were tears, long embraces and looks of disbelief, the usual after effects of a heartbreaking loss.
Navarre’s boys soccer team felt it all as it walked off the field late Tuesday night at Ashton Brosnaham Park, the raw sting of defeat cutting deep after its dream of playing for a district championship was dashed by Tate.
