Catherine Baccarini, a local Navarre soccer player, committed to Faulkner University out of Montgomery, AL earlier this week. Catherine first visited Faulkner last September and instantly made a connection with the coach, the program and the school. “I spent the entire day at the campus, ate dinner with the players and practiced with the team. I liked everything about the school and really liked the coach and team. One of the biggest things for me was that it was a Christian School and it wasn’t too big”, she related. Catherine has been playing travel soccer since she was 7 years old and has played for the semi pro under 20 team in the W League, the Alabama state Olympic Development Program team and currently plays for the Gulf Coast Texans out of Pensacola.
For the second week in a row the Raiders faced a 6 ft – 6 in quarterback that has committed to a Division 1 college program. For the second week in a row Navarre has faced a 6 ft- 6 in receiver that will be playing football on Saturdays. While it wasn’t always easy, for the second time in as many weeks, the Navarre defense did enough to slow down those big time recruits and help secure a win.
The Navarre Raider Swim Team have gotten off with a splash. Early morning practices have paid off with excellent times early in the season. Some standouts with their times from a pentathlon meet held August 26 at the Navarre YMCA include:
The Raider varsity offense never got in gear at the Kickoff Classic won by Milton 6 – 0 on their home field Aug 21. The Raiders managed only one first down and that was on the last play of the game. Milton completely shut down the running game of the Raiders. Throughout the game, the Panther defense swarmed to the ball and stopped the ball carrier before they could gather momentum. The Raider passing game beat themselves as several first down passes were dropped in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Raiders opted for short out patterns that resulted in receptions for no gain. Pressure by the Panther defense resulted in several passes by senior Matt Webb to be underthrown. Until the last play of the game, the longest pass play covered three yards.
Head Football Coach Jay Walls is looking forward to his third season as the head coach of Navarre High Raider’s team. Walls has been coaching for 28 years, with seventeen years as the head coach. Walls record is 19-7 during his coaching tenure at Navarre. Walls and the Raiders face the Pensacola Catholic Friday night.
The Navarre Raiders offensive and defensive squads scrimmaged Aug. 15 for the second consecutive Friday. However, when the Raiders take the field at 7 p.m., Aug. 21 for the Kick-Off Classic, they will see Milton Panther players across the line of scrimmage from them.
In the years before Hurricane Ivan, the Tiger Point Golf Club pro shop was located in a stand-alone building near the edge of the parking lot. After Ivan, the club’s previous owner decided to move the pro shop into the clubhouse. The Gulf Breeze City Council Monday started the process to move it back.
When SEC teams take the field next week, some area residents will be watching for more than just the two teams. Andrews Institute Administrator Jay Vines is also an SEC Head Linesman and has been officiating 34 years.
To say the Raider defense is in a rebuilding year is an understatement. Junior cornerback Michael Sandle is the only full-time starter returning for the Raiders from last season. “Some of the players from our current unit played other positions last year. In some other cases they started a couple of games on defense.” This lack of experience does not stop Sandle or the rest of the defensive unit from being confident.
