Overtime awaited after 80 exhausting minutes of fiercely competitive soccer against the No. 2 team in the state, the Navarre Raiders tied 2-2 with the rival Gulf Breeze Dolphins in a thrilling District 1-6A semifinal.
The players were out of breath, sore and tired, many of them with their hands on their sides as they listened to their coach, James Baccarini, who was fired up in the huddle as he spoke.
Navarre’s girls soccer team has been waiting since last season for a chance to return to a District 1-6A championship game.
Eliminated in the semifinal round a year ago, the top-seeded Raiders didn’t let history repeat itself, rolling to a 4-0 win over Tate Friday.
Navarre’s boys basketball team kept it close against Crestview last Thursday night on the road.
The Raiders were within seven with just under five minutes to play in the game but couldn’t put together a rally, falling 75-61 to the Bulldogs.
After winning only five games total the last two years, Navarre’s boys soccer team is trending up.
The Raiders won their ninth game of the season Thursday night with a 2-0 shutout win over Milton at Bennett C Russell Stadium in a District 1-6A quarterfinal.
Dasia Wilder didn’t win a district championship Thursday in Niceville, but the junior weightlifting standout for the Navarre Raiders did earn runner-up honors in the traditional competition in the unlimited class.
For Wilder, it’s a big deal, especially being just her second year as a lifter. And her effort helped Navarre finish second as a team in both traditional and Olympic and take the first step towards state.
Here are the FHSAA regional rankings that were released Tuesday. The top eight teams in 6A will make the regional tournament while the top four teams in 1A will earn a regional berth.
Marcus Sweet missed his senior season of football at Navarre because of an arm injury.
Healthy again, he’s ready to make up for lost time, though it will be in a different sport as he gets ready to compete for the Raider weightlifting team again.
Navarre’s baseball team is coming off a turnaround season, winning seven of its final 10 to double its win total from a year ago.
The Raiders went 10-14 and hope to put together their first winning season since the 2018-19 campaign when they won the district championship.
It’s district tournament time in soccer and the girls teams from Navarre and Pace are among the contenders for a crown.
Both tournaments get underway this week and will be played at the Ashton Brosnaham Complex in Pensacola.
