Though it’s been barely an hour since the sun has risen on a humid Tuesday morning in mid-August, there is a positive, upbeat vibe flowing through the Navarre cross-country runners.
They like the way the workouts have gone leading up to the season and are optimistic about what can be achieved.
Ethan Newman isn’t thrilled about the way last season ended. The Beach Bowl loss to rival Gulf Breeze in the season finale left a sour taste in the mouth of Navarre’s standout senior offensive lineman.
Fumbles and missed opportunities that November night not only left the Raiders with a 5-4 record, it also left them outside looking in when it came to the playoffs.
Six points doesn’t seem like much. But when it’s the separation between Navarre’s volleyball team and district championship glory, it might as well be as wide as the Grand Canyon.
Raider volleyball coach Ryan Davenport will often remind his team of the 15-9 loss to Niceville in the final game of a wild five-set thriller for the title last October.
No check mark was placed in the win-loss column for the Navarre football team Friday night.
What was determined for the Raiders, though, in their preseason Kickoff Classic against West Florida Tech was that they aren’t where they want to be as a team just yet.
Josh Carter has used the time on his journey back to football wisely.
He has strengthened not just his body but also his spirituality, and along the way, the former Navarre Raider has also picked up another interest, one that shines a light on Carter being more than an athlete.
