Sports Archive

Angel Rhodes took off down the field last Wednesday night, leaving the defenders behind her as she scored on a 56-yard catch-and-run play that gave Navarre its first points of the night in a flag football showdown with Pace.

It was a silver lining on a challenging night in which a slow start was too much to overcome in a 32-6 loss to the Patriots at Bennett C. Russell Stadium.

Just after 8 a.m. on a Friday morning, Navarre’s boys weightlifting team is hard at work, the focus all in on carving out a special place in school history.

Music blares over the speakers, the sound of weights clanking mixed in with it, the lifters encouraging and working with each other to make the most of this morning workout just days before the 3A state meet in Port St. Joe.

As Navarre’s girls lacrosse team walked off the field for the final time late Thursday night, there was, without question, pain from the sting of defeat, but that feeling was overwhelmed by the sense of pride the Raiders were feeling in the wake of how far they have come in 2022.

They played for a district championship for the first time in program history, facing area power Niceville for the title, and though the 13-4 loss here on a warm April evening at Eagle Stadium ended their season, they won’t let the loss define their season.

Davion Hardy hoped to get a shot to play college football. He had a couple of offers come his way and finally found a home.

The senior tight end for the Navarre Raiders announced on social media last week that he’s taking his talents to Warner University in Lake Wales.

Bri Edwards recalls the first meet of her college career at Florida.

A quad meet at home inside the O’Dome, which would be buzzing with excitement that evening in front of an electrified crowd, awaited the freshman out of Navarre.

A year ago, Jessi Farrer was the younger pitcher on Navarre’s softball team, playing behind and learning from the now graduated Rachel Hester.

This season, Farrer, junior, is the veteran on the staff while Kayden Riddle, a freshman, is learning the game at this level the way Farrer once learned from Hester.

Ivan Bateman remembers the tough moments all too well on the lacrosse field, the nights where the Raiders had little luck against the opposition, struggling to keep games close and hoping for better days ahead.

Both of their games during the inaugural 2020 season that was mostly wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic were double-digit losses. It happened six more times last year, including a 16-6 loss to Escambia.

Navarre’s baseball team picked up its biggest win of the season Thursday night, knocking off Crestview in a District 1-6A game on the road.

Juan Martinez racked up four hits and Kolby Vitale tallied three while Preston Barnett worked six innings as the Raiders won their second game of the season.

Eric Meraz came up off the bench after a successful lift, his arms flexed, his fists clenched as he let out a celebratory yell.

He was denied this moment a year earlier because of a disqualification over use of foul language, but there would be no roadblock to district glory this season for the Navarre senior.

Navarre will kick off the 2022 regular season in football Aug. 26 on the road against Fort Walton Beach. It is one of six road games Navarre will play this season, including trips to Tallahassee and Panama City.

The Raiders play their first home game of the season Sept. 2 when they take on 5A state-runner Pine Forest at Bennett C. Russell Stadium.