The Navarre Raiders didn’t “let one slip away” Friday in Crawfordville — they practically escorted the Wakulla War Eagles to the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The Navarre High School Raider boys and girls cross country teams fared well in their first meet of the year on August 31 at the Pace Patriot Invitational run. The race is an annual event, regularly attended by both Raider squads, and held in Pace at Sims Middle School. Fifteen boys and fifteen girls’ teams competed in the event.
The Lady Raiders volleyball team was able to apply recent lessons in a three-set victory over Escambia last Thursday, 25-10, 25-20 and 25-10, in an away contest.
Pensacola Catholic allowed two special teams touchdowns, but otherwise dominated the Raiders in a 45-22 win Friday at Navarre’s Bennett C. Russell Stadium.
The Raiders split preseason matches against Washington and Pine Forest at Tate High School on August 22. If the match against Pine Forest is any indication of how exciting the volleyball season will be, then it could be a memorable year.
Count on Navarre High School football coach Jay Walls to keep Friday’s exhibition loss to Milton in perspective. “It’s a kickoff classic,” he said after the Panthers’ varsity outscored his Raiders 14-7 in two quarters at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. “It is what it is.”
With a strong offense that can put numbers up on the scoreboard, the big question for the 2013 Raider football team is can the defense do their part? “We lost eight or nine players through graduation from last season’s defense,” middle linebacker Monty Thompson said. Fortunately, the Raiders have six returning seniors that played significant roles on the squad last year.
The Florida High School Athletic Association will review its policies on performance-enhancing drugs following an allegation that its athletes were among the customers of the shuttered clinic at the center of the baseball scandal.
