Stories by Brian Lester
Stories by Brian Lester
Brian Out Loud
May 30, 2023
It was the middle of March. The day of my birthday to be exact. And the Navarre Raider softball team won a game that kind of sent a message that it was on its way to having a pretty good year.
I was there to witness the Raiders hammer Niceville 16-6. The same Eagles who have long been a thorn in the side of Navarre over the years. Until that night, the Raiders had never beaten the Eagles in run-rule fashion.
Rounsaville excited about future in college softball
May 30, 2023
Rising senior Calyn Rounsaville is already committed to NCAA Division II Montevallo for softball.
How the Navarre standout was first noticed by the Falcons is kind of a funny story.
Wright Fit! Former Navarre star Dante Wright makes smooth transition to Temple
May 30, 2023
Dante Wright has a new home as a college football player.
But forget that he will play out East this fall at Temple instead of out West where he’s been the last few years as a wide receiver for Colorado State.
Rustom having fun as a collegiate weightlifter
May 26, 2023
Kamal Rustom was planning on just going to school. He had no intentions of lifting weights competitively after high school.
And then a successful performance at the Navarre Invitational his senior year changed his course. Someone from Mars Hill connected with Raider head football coach Jay Walls and that set things in motion.
This date in sports history
May 26, 2023
On May 26, 1988, the Edmonton Oilers completed a sweep of the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win, securing the Stanley Cup.
Sertoma Family Fishing Rodeo slated for June
May 25, 2023
The Sertoma Family Fishing Rodeo is set for June 3-4 at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze. It’s the 33rd annual event and is Sertoma’s only major fundraiser of the year.
All of the net proceeds from the rodeo are returned to youth charities and educational projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that are supported by the Sertoma Club in Gulf Breeze.
This date in sports history
May 25, 2023
On May 25, 1981, Carl Yastrzemski became the fourth player in Major League history to play in 3,000 games.
Blue Wahoos lose in extra innings
May 25, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost 2-1 in extra innings to the Mississippi Braves Wednesday night on the road.
Adaptive PE kickball game ‘Fun for everyone’
May 23, 2023
Hudson Kwart runs the bases. His fifth-grade buddies, Marissa Puentes and Olivia Diamond are running right alongside him, cheering him on.
Stats don’t matter here on a warm Friday afternoon on the playground at West Navarre Intermediate. Neither does the score. The focus instead is on inclusion.
Brian Out Loud
May 23, 2023
Rewind to the spring sports season in 2020. It seems like a lifetime ago in some ways because of how different the world was then in the midst of a pandemic.
The current seniors who will receive their high school diplomas this week were only freshmen at the time. Their spring seasons were cut short just a few weeks in.