Lulu Kerns walked over to her sister, Kennedy, who was sitting on the bench, and the two heartbroken siblings shared a long embrace.
A similar scene played out across the Navarre Raider girls soccer sideline, and on the field, players in tears, doing their best to console one another.
Welcome to the Sweet 16.
That’s what the Navarre Raider girls soccer team will play in tonight as it faces off against rival Niceville for the right to advance to the Region 1-6A final.
Navarre’s boys soccer team faced a tall order playing top-ranked Mandarin in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal Tuesday night in Jacksonville.
For one half, the eighth-seeded Raiders were in the game, keeping it scoreless through the first 40 minutes, an impressive feat in itself considering the Mustangs were unbeaten, ranked in the top five nationally and had scored five or more goals 11 times.
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.
