In four seasons of covering Navarre Raider football, there are certain games that have stood out above others. With this fall marking my fifth season of covering the Raiders on the gridiron, it’s a good time to look back on five of the greatest games the Raiders have played since 2015. From the impressive playoff […]
Jacobi Smith was almost brought to tears by the fact that he and his fellow seniors have helped put the Navarre boys weightlifting program on the map, leading the Raiders to a 2A state championship Friday at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach. “It almost makes you want to cry, having grown up together. […]
Josh Carter admits there were moments when he wondered if the hard work would pay off. That it would lead him down a path to another state championship in the 219-pound weight class. With a gold medal around his neck Friday afternoon at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach, the Navarre senior looks back […]
One point put the exclamation point on Navarre’s first boys state weightlifting championship in program history. Behind two state champions (Josh Carter and Jordan Jefferson), as well as three other medal winners, the Raiders edged Spruce Creek by the slimmest of margins. Noah Melendez placed fourth, and the three points he received for that effort […]
Cody Thompson admits he didn’t have his best performance of the year Thursday afternoon at the District 2-2A weightlifting meet at Choctaw. But he still won a district title, one of five Navarre lifters to do so, and the Raiders left town with the trophy they came for, repeating as district champions and winning their […]
Navarre head coach Jay Walls and members of his football team spent Thursday, Dec. 6 going around town singing Christmas Carols as a way to thank the sponsors of the team for their support during the season. Walls was joined by Chris Williams, Quinn Caballero, Jacobi Smith, Josh Carter, Matt Downey, Dante Wright and Evan […]
Navarre’s football team had a successful season. That has led to nearly a dozen Raiders earning a spot on the East squad at the Subway All-Star Game. Dante Wright, Josh Carter, Quinn Caballero, Alex Gilchrist, Matthew Downey, Kevin Taich, Bryson Garner, Mitchell Hunt and Jordan Jefferson are representing the Raiders on the team. Scheduled for […]
Friday marked the end of the road for the seniors on Navarre’s football team. The Raiders lost 49-27 to Crestview in the Region 1-6A regional championship game at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. Nearly 30 seniors played their final game that night. Navarre head coach Jay Walls talked a little about what that group has meant […]
Losing a playoff game hurts. Tears and long embraces among the Navarre Raiders followed a 49-27 loss to Crestview in the Region 1-6A championship game on a chilly and wet Friday evening at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. Despite the loss, the Raiders (11-2) are holding their heads high. “It’s tough to lose a playoff game your […]
A trip to the state final four is on the line tonight when Navarre takes on Crestview in the Region 1-6A Regional championship game at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. Kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The Raiders (11-1) and Bulldogs (9-2) are meeting for the second time this year. Navarre won the regular-season showdown in September […]
Navarre’s quest for a 6A state championship begins tonight. The Raiders open the postseason against Pace at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. The winner plays Escambia or St. Augustine next Friday night. Navarre is making its seventh consecutive trip to the playoffs and enters it at 9-1 and as the No. 1 […]
Teammates tried to distract Chris Williams during a post game interview. Williams smiled and even a laughed a little. But he never lost his focus. The same can be said about the Navarre Raiders in their 40-12 dismantling of Gulf Breeze in the Beach Bowl Friday night. The Raiders dominated all three phases of the […]
Bring on the Beach Bowl. Navarre and Gulf Breeze play their rivalry game tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. A lot is on the line. There’s the District 2-6A championship and automatic berth to the playoffs. There’s also bragging rights and a Beach Bowl trophy. This is 11th time the Raiders and […]
Dante Wright made school history Friday night. The senior wide receiver became the first at Navarre to get to 2,000 receiving yards. Along the way he helped the Raiders dominate Milton 49-12 in a District 2-6A game at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. A class act and leader on and off the field, the Tulane commit […]
A battle of state-ranked teams is on tap tonight. Navarre hits the road to take on Escambia at Emmitt Smith Field in Pensacola. Kickoff is 7 p.m. The fourth-ranked Raiders (6-0) are aiming for their 18th consecutive road win in the regular season. They have won 19 of their last 20 overall away from home. […]
Another perfect September. Another road win. And, of course, a strong start to the quest for a District 2-6A championship. A back-and-forth battle in the first half, Navarre dominated Pace in the final two quarters to earn a 49-30 win on a humid Friday night. The fifth-ranked Raiders (6-0) took their first step towards their […]
Navarre returns home tonight to take on Pine Forest in a battle of unbeaten teams. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. The fifth-ranked Raiders (4-0) enter the game ranked fifth in the state in 6A. They rolled past Choctaw 53-7 a week ago and have scored 50 or more twice this season. […]
Navarre is back on the road tonight. The Raiders take on Choctaw in a 7 p.m. battle at Joe Etheredge Stadium. The Raiders (3-0) come in ranked fifth in the state in 6A and are riding the high of a 41-35 overtime win over Crestview last week. Navarre rallied from 28 points down to earn […]
From 28 to 0-no to oh what a win. In an instant classic between two state ranked teams, Navarre scratched, clawed and grinded its way to an unbelievable 41-35 comeback victory over Crestview Friday night at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. Dante Wright punctuated the heart-stopping win when he bolted for the end zone on a […]
Navarre begins what it hopes will be a long season when it travels to Pensacola Friday to take on Catholic. Kickoff is 7 p.m. A 9-2 team a season ago, the Raiders won a district championship and reached the second round of the playoffs. The Crusaders were 2-8 last season and beaten 56-35 by the […]
Josh Carter has his ankle soaking in a bucket of ice. Music is playing on his cell phone as he sits inside the Navarre football fieldhouse and recovers from another tough day of summer practice. It’s a rare moment of rest for a player who has had little time to slow down this summer. He […]
From one of the worst to nearly first. Navarre’s boys weightlifting team capped an historic season Saturday with sensational finish at the 2A state meet Saturday in Panama City, taking second with 14 points, half that total coming from Josh Carter, who won a state title in the 219-pound weight class. Spruce Creek won the […]
Navarre’s weightlifting team is the outright champion of the region for the first time in program history. The Raiders won the title Friday, tallying 70 points, and four lifters won their respective weight classes. Josh Carter, Chris Williams, Jordan Jefferson and Daniel Bost all punched tickets to state. There is a possibility a few other […]
Navarre head coach Jay Walls stood in front of his team late Friday night, the pain of a 52-21 playoff loss to St. Augustine still fresh, the reality of the season coming to a close just beginning to sink in on a chilly evening on the East Coast of Florida. Some of the players were […]
The game is bigger than the trip. That was the message Navarre head coach Jay Walls gave his team after its 49-47 win over Niceville in the opening round of the 6A playoffs Friday night at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. The game Walls is referring to is the regional semifinal showdown with top-seeded St. Augustine […]
Greatness is available. Navarre head coach Jay Walls told his team that after it closed out the regular season with a 42-20 win over Niceville Friday night at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. In the postseason for the ninth time in program history, the Raiders are focused on making a run at the program’s first state […]
In case you were wondering how good the defense of the Navarre Raiders really is, look no further than a two-minute span in the second quarter Friday night. It was during that stretch that Kevon Washington and Dante Wright picked off passes and swung the momentum in the Raiders’ favor […]
At some point next week, Navarre football standouts Josh Carter, James Segrest, Jordan Jefferson and Quinn Caballero are expected to receive invitations to the National Combine. Scheduled in conjunction with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the combine will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio in January. Teammate Dante Wright […]
Friday night at Bennett C. Russell Stadium, Navarre’s football team will close out its regular season against Niceville in a 7:30 p.m. showdown. Ranked 10th in the state and 7-1 on the season, the Raiders will be looking to take down the Eagles for the third consecutive year and take a ton of momentum into […]
His dad, Tony, played running back and coaches the position at Navarre. His two brothers, Michael and Dwayne, rank one and two on the Raiders’ all-time rushing list. Being a running back is in Josh Carter’s DNA, although his reputation as a football star has been built on the strength of his stellar play on […]