Navarre’s goal was a state championship. And the Raiders nearly pulled it off.

In the end late Saturday night at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, the clock pushing past 11 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, Navarre found itself as the runner-up in Olympic and traditional at the FHSAA 3A boys state weightlifting meet.

8-1. That’s what Navarre’s baseball team was down after two innings against Escambia Tuesday night.

It could have been a fold up shop and call it a night kind of moment for the Raiders in a game they seemed to have no chance to win against one of the area’s better teams.

Lily Weaver consistently puts pressure on a defense. 

Whether it’s a bunt that leads to an errant throw and an extra base or a timely hit that provides a much needed insurance run, the sophomore seems to always get the job done.

Nick Wilhelm scored what head coach Jonathan Jones called a ‘beautiful goal.’

The nice move by the senior standout to get open and fire a shot into the net gave Navarre an early 1-0 lead against rival Gulf Breeze in the opening round of the District 1-2A tournament Friday night.

Courtney Danforth raced down the field, turned, looked up and waited for the perfect pass from Madison Simmons to drop into her hands before snagging the ball in the corner of the end zone as Navarre extended its lead to 24 points.

“I kept running my route, went straight to the corner, and (Madison Simmons) threw it to me. It worked out perfectly,” Danforth said.

Through two innings there was no score. After four, it was only a 3-1 game, Navarre’s softball team still harboring hope of an upset over one of the nation’s best teams.

What the Raiders couldn’t do against Pace, though, was avoid the mistakes that the No. 3 team in Florida is always quick to cash in on.

Isaac Cole almost didn’t lift at Wednesday’s District 1-3A meet. He hurt his back at a meet a week earlier and that put his postseason hopes in jeopardy.

“I thought it was going to stop me,” Cole said.