football | Crestview News Bulletin

Bulldogs open district play with rival Niceville

Written by Randy Dickson on September 29, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

Under the latest Florida High School Athletic Association district alignment, the game is officially a 4S, Region 1, District 2 game. There’s no doubt the Bulldogs won’t be worried about the listing of the district. Crestview head coach Thomas Grant does know the importance of getting off to a strong start in district play.

“It’s critical (to win the game) because if you win the district, you are automatically in (the playoffs),” he said. “If you can win your district, you don’t have to leave it to the scientists and the computer and everything else they do to figure it out (if you are in the playoffs).

“District games are what we’ve been preparing for. It’s going to be a big challenge and we are looking forward to it.”

The Eagles have been flying high this year and were undefeated through their first four games of the season and have outscored their opponents 120-38. Crestview is 2-2 and has outscored the opposition 134-108.

Grant is impressed by what he has seen of Niceville.

“They are a very well coached team,” he said. “They do a great job offensively and with their special teams.

“Offensively, their quarterback (Harrison Orr) is kind of the guy that makes them go. He’s a really good football player. They’ve got two running backs, one is (Micah) Turner, number three, and then the other one is number 11, (Demontre) Allen. Both of them run very hard.”

Grant went on to say the Eagle offensive line blocks well and there are three receivers have the skills to make plays.

Things won’t be any easier when facing the stingy Niceville defense.

“They have a linebacker (Christian Caballero) that came in and he is the leader of the defense,” Grant said. “They have some really good high school football players that play extremely hard for their coaches.”

The Bulldogs spent the open week trying to get healthy. Friday should be the healthiest the team has been this year.

One advantage that should be in Crestview’s favor is playing the game in the confines of Jack Foster Stadium.

“Any time you can play a district game at home, regardless of who it is, is a big thing because you don’t have to get on that bus,” Grant said. “It’s a different mindset, getting on the bus, going somewhere, is a different way you prepare than the way you prepare at home because you can get more walk through time, more meeting time. “Any time you can play in front of your home crowd, you have a little more energy. When you are away you have to take that energy (from within).”

Choctaw slips past Bulldogs

Written by Randy Dickson on September 15, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

One is the number of points that decided the battle between the Bulldogs and host Choctaw at Joe Etheredge Stadium Friday night.

One is number Crestview trailed by after a 42-yard touchdown pass from Jerome Brazan to Lazarius Parks with 2:01 left in the quarter. One is the number the Bulldogs would have won by had their 2-point conversion been successful.

“The 2-point conversion, in the same situation, we are going to do it again,” Bulldog head coach Thomas Grant, an offensive lineman in his playing days, said. “We are going to be aggressive. I have the utmost trust in our offense. We had the matchup we wanted, but that (Choctaw) kid made a good play.”

And, yes, one became that loneliest number for the Bulldogs when Choctaw’s Brooks Padgett turned away the Brazan pass attempt for the conversion to seal the 35-34 Indian win.

There could be other ones to think about.

One missed extra point by the Bulldogs earlier in the game might have led to a different decision by Grant at the end of the game. One less dropped pass by a Bulldog receiver might have kept a drive alive and added another Bulldog score.

One less slip by a Crestview defensive back as Choctaw scored on a long touchdown pass play or maybe one more defender to box in a big Indian play or one less penalty against Crestview, or one more against the Indians, might have also made a difference.

The Bulldogs (1-2) drew first blood, taking advantage of a short field after an Indian punt went out of bounds at the Choctaw 32-yard line.

Two incomplete passes by Brazan were followed by a 24-yard pass from Brazan to Jayson Jones giving Crestview first down at the Indian 8-yard line.

Jones soon took the ball in for the TD on a third-and-goal play from the 2-yard line. Koas Hansen kicked the extra point and Crestview led 7-0 with 2:18 left in the game.

When Crestview won the opening coin toss and deferred giving the Indians the first possession of the game it seemed as if Grant might be trying to catch Choctaw’s return team sleeping when the Bulldogs went for the onside kick.

That wasn’t the case. After the touchdown, the Bulldogs again attempted an onside kick as Grant continued the strategy of not kicking deep to keep the ball away from Choctaw’s return threats.

“They are very dangerous,” Grant said. “They have already returned two or three kicks for touchdowns and we were going to take that away from them. We weren’t going to kick it deep.”

The decision not to kick deep had mixed results. The Indians did nothing with the short field on their first possession. They started deep in their own territory following a Bulldog punt on their second possession of the game.

Choctaw was unable to move the ball those first two possessions. Things changed the third time the Indians got the ball.

Following the Jones touchdown for Crestview, Choctaw received the onside kick at its own 47-yard line, the Indians needed five plays to go 53 yards for the TD. The score came on a 23-yard TD from Jesse Winslette to Jayce Brown with less than 15 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Crestview went back in front on an 11-yard TD pass from Brazan to Parks with 9:23 left in the second quarter.

A Winslette touchdown run with 5:22 left in the half tied the game at 14-14.

Crestview closed out the scoring in the first half with 39 seconds left on a 33-yard scoring strike from Brazan to Braylon Phillips to take a 20-14 lead into the break.

With 8:05 left in the third, the Indians took advantage of a Bulldog defender losing his footing when Winslette hit Brown on a scoring pass that went 61-yards.

The Indians stretched their lead to 28-20 late in the third quarter when Winslette threw a touchdown pass to Cole Tabb.

Jones scored his second TD of the game for Crestview with a little more than nine minutes left in regulation. Brazan ran in the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28.

Winslette scored from seven yards out with 4:08 left in the fourth. The extra point pushed the Indian lead back to seven.

Brazan hit Parks with the long pass to pull Crestview to within a point with two minutes left to play, leading to the gamble on the conversion.

Jones led the Bulldog attack with 168 yards rushing on 21 carries while scoring twice.

Parks had three catches for 63 yards and the two scores. Brazan was 8-of-16 passing for 140 yards and two TDs.

The Bulldogs play their first home game of the season on Friday when the host Pace on a night filled with festivities. It will be senior night as well as Hall of Fame Night.

Grant is just glad to be playing a home game after opening the season with three road games. “It’s going to feel really good to be playing in our home ground,” he said. “We know we will have great support and I’m really looking forward to playing in Jack Foster Stadium.”

Explosive senior Marion Hawthorne sparks Bulldog defense

Written by Randy Dickson on September 8, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

But when Hawthorne slips his red or white Crestview number nine jersey over his head and fits it snuggly over his shoulder pads, the Bulldog senior because a force of nature on the football field.

Hawthorne teams with Jaylen Knox to give the Bulldogs one of the best tandems of defensive ends in Northwest Florida, if not the entire state.

Hawthorne and Knox were at their best in the season opener against Ridley, Penn., when Knox hit the Ridley quarterback and forced an errant throw that landed in Hawthorne’s arms for an interception and Crestview touchdown.

“It definitely felt different,” Hawthorne said. “I have to give credit to the other defensive end too. He batted the ball down and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Bulldog coach Thomas Grant doesn’t hold back when talking about Hawthorne and the things that make him a great high school defensive end.

“His bend around the edge (flexibility) is great,” Grant said. “He can rush the passer. He’s the best pass rusher in the area.

“The way he can bend around the tackle and drag his shoulder on the ground is pretty remarkable. He plays with a high, high motor and that’s something you can’t teach. Anybody that gets him is getting an extremely good pass rusher that plays with great effort.”

Hawthorne takes his coaches comments with an uncommon humility for a high school athlete.

“It’s really a great thing to hear because I work at it all the time,” he said. “For coach to say that, it feels good.”

Grant said Hawthorne has an extremely high football IQ and that it surprises him that nobody is recruiting him harder.

When Grant was asked if he thought Hawthorne’s slender frame might be the reason colleges aren’t recruiting him harder, he quickly dismissed the idea.

“The easiest thing they can do is put weight on you in college,” Grant said. “The thing you can’t teach is the bend that he has. The explosiveness that he has, God put that into people.

“In college you can put weight on them. If that’s an excuse, shame on them.”

Hawthorne is a student of the game and knows what to look for when a facing an opposing lineman or how to use his quickness against tackles that might outweigh him by 100 pounds.

“The key is learning what the offensive linemen do, their drop steps, what they do when they pull,” Hawthorne said. “You know where they are going down when they are looking down the line and stuff like that.”

And as for matching up against the big guys? “I really can’t let them get their hands on me,” Hawthorne said. “If they are big, I have to be quicker and get real low and make it harder for them.”

The Big Red Machine’s half time show to be out of this world

Written by Randy Dickson on August 25, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

“I could never coach or play It (football), but I know enough about it to know what is going on situationally,” Dunn said. “I would never know how to call a play in a situation where I don’t know all the variables. I do know enough about the situations to know what to call for my band to play.”

The Big Red Machine is on the field before the game, marching and playing the school’s fight song as well as the CHS alma mater and the National Anthem.

But the highlight for the band each Friday night is the football halftime show.

Each year, Dunn and his staff are faced with the challenge of coming up with a new show that will educate and be fun for the students while entertaining the spectators.

This year’s halftime show is called, “Out of This World.” The show has an outer space them, but it’s not science fiction.

“It’s not Space Odyssey it’s more Space Oddity like David Bowie,”Dunn said.

The show combines the music of Bowie, Elton John and the late British composer Gustav Holst.

“We decided to go with the outer space planet kind of thing with ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Space Oddity,’ that’s the center of the show,” Dunn said.“To begin the show is the old 80s tune that everybody will recognize,‘The Final Countdown,’ to count us down into the show. And then it will be a piece that people recognize, but they don’t know why they recognize it. It’s a piece called Jupiter by the English composer Gustav Holst.”

The show will include travel through our galaxy, from Jupiter to Mars and other planets in between. It will feature a drum solo, among other things.

“You will see a lot of cool stuff on the field,”Dunn said.“We are going to try to do some stuff on the field that I’ve never seen before. We are going to try to give them something fun and entertaining for the crowd and also give them (the students in the band) a chance to learn about David Bowie and Elton John and as well Gustav Holst.”

A Knight in gridiron armor

Written by Randy Dickson on August 25, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

In the case of senior offensive tackle Payton Knight, Grant doesn’t see a good player, he sees a great player.

“This is going to be his third year starting for us,” Grant said. “He’s just a lean offensive tackle. He moves well. He’s our best offensive lineman and is probably the best offensive lineman, lineman period, in the area.

“He’s also going to play some defensive line for us. Right now, him and Marion Hawthorne are probably the two alpha dogs for us front.”

At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, Knight is a mass of rock-solid muscle at his tackle spot.

Grant said college coaches that have seen Knight play see him moving to the inside to play guard, or more likely center.

Crestview has the luxury of having Maddox Reeves at center, allowing Grant to keep Knight at tackle to give the Bulldogs their best five up front.

Knight loves playing the offensive line and he credits that to Grant.

“It’s really because of coach (Grant) he put me there when I was a freshman and that’s what I’m used to,” Knight said.

“I really think the defensive line is easier because you just have one guy (trying to block you) and you can make a move and get in space to make the play.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Knight’s favorite part of football is the hitting.

As for what he finds the hardest thing about playing the offensive line?

“Blocking the ends because they are really fast and I have to make sure my footwork can keep up with them,” Knight said.

When breaking down Knight’s skill set from a coach’s perspective, Grant describes everything you would want in an offensive lineman.

“He has great hips, great feet,” Grant said. “He’s nasty and he just loves it. He’s a really good player. He’s really stepped up his leadership skills to hold his teammates accountable. You really have to have a player-driven team because the kids get tired of my voice.”

Knight’s goal for the 2022 Bulldogs is for them to go undefeated and bring home the elusive football state championship.

As for his future, if he could play for his dream school, it would be Florida State University because of his family.

“But I don’t care where it is, I just want to keep playing ball,” Knight said.

Calling all members of the 2002 Bulldog football team

Written by Randy Dickson on August 12, 2022. Posted in football, Sports.

“It’s one of Crestview’s best teams that has come through here,” Crestview head coach Thomas Grant said. It’s the team that went the furthest in the playoffs of any other team. We’ve had two other final four teams in 1994 and 2018, but that was the only team to make it to the state championship game.

“There were some exciting games along the way. I know they beat Milton in the regional finals in overtime and Justin King kicked a 50-yard field goal to send it to overtime. But it’s really just to recognize some of the old greats that come through here and just to remember them.”

Plans for the reunion are still in the early stages. Grant said as they get more of an idea of how many members of that team will be in attendance, they will be solidifying plans.

“We don’t need an exact number,” he said. “But we do need a rough idea of how many to expect so we can plan for food and other things.

“It’s going to be a real fun night with a real fun reunion,” Grant added.

That 2002 Milton team had future NFL players Bruce Hall and Cortland Finnegan on it. The Bulldogs that year, though, seemed to have destiny on their side.

Grant expects that all of the surviving coaches, with the exception of Walton head football coach Keith White, will be in attendance. Former Bulldog head coach Matt Brunson, who was in his second season at Crestview, will be at the game. Tim Gillis is the last remaining coach from the 2002 staff still coaching the Bulldog football team. Members of the 2002 team planning to attend should contact Chris Moore or coach Thomas Grant. Players can find out more about the reunion the Crestview Bulldogs Football page on Facebook.

FPC’s Malakai Grant, Volusia/Flagler’s leading tackler, named Defensive Player of the Year

Written by archive on December 24, 2019. Posted in football, high-school, Sports.

PALM COAST — Flagler Palm Coast has started a Defensive Player of the Year dynasty.

Following the two-year reign of pass-rusher Nelson Paul, now a freshman at SMU, there is another Bulldog who could potentially go back-to-back — linebacker Malakai Grant.

The 5-foot-10, 191-pound junior linebacker led the Volusia/Flagler area with 137 total tackles, 77 of which were solo stops. He added a team-high 28 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, two pass breakups and an interception in helping the Bulldogs (8-3) earn a Region 1-8A wild card.

FPC head coach Travis Roland says one trait has stuck with Grant dating all the way back to his Pop Warner days — relentlessness.

“When he got here as a freshman, he grasped both sides of the ball right away,” Roland said. “You saw a different kind of understanding when he was on defense.

“Productivity is huge for him. He’s always around the football and piling the stat sheet up.”

It’s one thing to simply fill up the box score; it’s quite another to make a huge impact in important games, like the way Grant performed in a crucial district encounter at Spruce Creek in September.

With the Bulldogs set to go down two scores before halftime, Grant burst through a gap at the 1-yard line, meeting Offensive Player of the Year Marvin Scott III in the hole. He caused a fumble, and recovered it, to keep the deficit at 20-14.

"I knew one of the gaps he was going to try would be open,” said Grant, who ended the night with 20 tackles and set up the go-ahead touchdown with a third-quarter interception. “It sparked a fire in us to make us want to go harder, come back and beat them.”

To this point, Grant’s on-field success has yet to translate into college offers. Roland thinks that will change, particularly after speaking to coaches from South Florida and Troy in the open recruiting window over the last month.

That will be on Grant’s mind over the summer, with intentions of attending camps anywhere and everywhere. However, when the fall comes around again, there’s only one goal worth focusing on.

Despite winning 24 games the last three seasons, FPC has not advanced beyond the opening round of the playoffs in Roland’s tenure, bowing out to Orlando Boone, Winter Park and state runner-up Apopka.

Grant, one of three starting linebackers projected to return next fall, sets out to change all that.

“I want to finish out with a ring, to get a ring with all my boys that I’ve been growing up with,” he said. “I want to finally say that we did it for FPC, and we did it for us.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FPC’s Malakai Grant, Volusia/Flagler’s leading tackler, named Defensive Player of the Year

Rocky Bayou defeats Saint Francis Catholic on Senior Night

Written by archive on November 2, 2019. Posted in football, high-school, Sports.

SHALIMAR — After Rocky Bayou’s 49-33 win over Saint Francis Catholic Friday night, Knights Head Coach Josh Childers said he was proud of the fight he saw from his team.

“I thought we fought really hard and we fought all the way through,” Childers said. “They continued to find a way to make things happen in all phases.”

The Knights got off to a good start early, ending the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

The Knights would add to their lead early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Aaron Grabinger to senior wide receiver Will Ferguson.

St. Francis would not go down without a fight, however. The Wolves offense scored on back-to-back drives to cut the lead to 7.

The Knights took a 28-14 lead to halftime and would score first in the third quarter to take a 35-14 lead. St. Francis would again score on back to back drives, but a blocked point after attempt left the Knights with an eight-point lead.

After much back and forth in the last five minutes of the game, Rocky Bayou put a dagger in it with a Will Murray 22-yard touchdown run.

It was only the Knight’s second win of the season, both of which came at home. Tonight’s win was even sweeter for Childers as it was the last for a senior group that he loves so much.

“They’ve meant a lot,” an emotional Childers said. “We’ve been through a lot. It’s a great group of guys and I’m very proud of them and what they’ve accomplished. There’s not been a better group that’s come through Rocky Bayou. There’s no more class and character than these guys.”

Stat of the night: 475

That would be the amount of yards the Knights offense put up. The majority of the yardage came on the ground, 366 yards to be exact. The other 109 yards came through the air.

OFFENSIVE MVP(s): Will Murray and Will Ferguson, Rocky Bayou

The Knight’s 1-2 combo stepped up big, just like they have all season. Ferguson finished with 53 yards, while Murray ran for 145. The senior duo was responsible for 5 of Rocky Bayou’s 7 touchdowns.

“They’ve started taking their roles even more seriously,” Childers said. “I think as they’ve progressed through the season they began to take on the burden of ‘We need to be the leaders on the team’ in executing, making the big plays, whatever it may be.”

DEFENSIVE MVP: Johnny Linn, Rocky Bayou

The junior finished the night with three solo tackles, including a big sack on a Saint Francis fourth quarter drive.

“Coach Cain told me to go get the quarterback so I went and got the quarterback,” Linn said. “My teammates keep me going every play and I just love being super hyped up.”

Linn also assisted in 8 tackles, but his ability to hype up the defense makes him the real MVP.

“He’s a maniac,” Childers said. “He’s a wild man through and through. We’ve called him our hype man for a long time and I think he embraced the role even more tonight.”

QUOTABLE:

At one point in the season, we had the second toughest schedule in 1A-3A, so that means we had one of the toughest schedules in all of the state of Florida and to see our guys embrace that and wear that as a badge of honor despite the losses I think it’s the character of who they are. It’s like it’s in their DNA. They’re men of character as the Bible talks about with David’s mighty men: men of valor, that’s really who they are. -Coach Childers on his team this season

UP NEXT:

Rocky Bayou ends their season with a 2–7 record.

NOTES:

– Rocky’s Grabinger went 8-19 with 109 yards and 3 touchdowns

– Grabinger and Jonah Needham each had a touchdown for the Knights

– Rocky’s Sam Brewer had 1 solo tackle and 6 assists

– Saint Francis’ Tyler Stone went 12-25 with 305 yards and 3 touchdowns

Will Murray takes it in to extend Rocky's lead 48-27 with 3:24 left in the game pic.twitter.com/JQUxGwQkfk

— Ashleigh Wilde (@cnbAshleigh) November 2, 2019

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rocky Bayou defeats Saint Francis Catholic on Senior Night

Crestview Bulldogs preparing for explosive season

Written by archive on August 2, 2019. Posted in football, high-school, Sports.

CRESTVIEW — Tim Hatten is excited about his seventh year of coaching Crestview High School football and his thirty-second year overall.

“It’s always fun coaching high school football when you’re able to move to another year and use the same plan, but different players,” Hatten said.

The Bulldogs might look a little different this season, but their explosiveness remains the same.

“We’ve got some playmakers in different spots on offense and defense,” Hatten said. “We’re really excited about the talent level of this team. We’re not short on talent by any means. “

The team’s offensive line will be led by seniors Cade Kootsouradis and Camren Moffett. The offensive line will look to protect senior running backs Taylor Scarbrough and Rawson Mack, along with triple-threat junior Marquis McCoy.

“I think you’re going to see some production out of these guys. I mean we’ve always seen production so there’s no reason to not see it,” Hatten said. “I think that’s the most exciting thing is to take those players that you felt like needed some more touches and they’re the guys now. They’re the guys we’re counting on.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs will look for leadership from seniors Tyron Washington, Terrell Holiday and Jaheim James. The trio brings a combination of experience and depth that Hatten hopes will lead to big plays.

The Bulldogs’ goal for this season is simple: Make the playoffs and go all the way. The team came close last season, losing to Armwood in the state semifinal.

“I think the kids understand where the program is in terms of the success we’ve had in the past and I think the expectations from themselves are higher,” Hatten said. “You want to improve every year if you can. We think we can be very successful.”

The Bulldogs kick off the 2019 season at home on Friday, August 23 at 7 p.m. against Vernon High School.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Bulldogs preparing for explosive season

High School Sports Review: Baker football

Written by archive on July 19, 2019. Posted in football, high-school, Sports.

BAKER — The Baker Gator football team had an almost picture perfect season.

The team, led by head coach Matt Brunson, finished the season 13-1. The Gators went 7-0 at home and were 5-0 in district play.

There was only one game during the regular season in which the team did not score more than 30 points. It came during a 19-6 victory over Vernon High School.

Their fantastic regular season gave the Gators plenty of momentum going into the playoffs.

The Gators started the playoffs with a regional quarterfinal match against Freeport.

Quarterback Payton Rockwell was 2-2 for 21 yards and had two carries for 31 yards, including a touchdown.

Junior McLaughlin led all receivers with 18 carries for 284 yards, including four touchdowns. Derek Peoples added three carries for 66 yards and a touchdown run, while John Mateleska added two carries for 32 yards and a touchdown.

The Gators strong offense led them to a 49-21 victory that sent the team to the regional semifinals, where they faced Northview.

Rockwell went 5-15 during the game, passing for 53 yards with one touchdown. McLaughlin again led the offense on his way to 227 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Bradley Inscore helped out on offense with an 11-yard touchdown reception.

On the defensive side of the ball, Peoples had two interceptions during the game.

The 38-14 win for the Gators led them to the regional final to face Vernon, a team they had beat during the regular season.

The victory came pretty easily for the Gators, who won 51-19, thanks to McLaughlin and Peoples.

McLaughlin had 28 carries for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while Peoples had 10 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Trey Kolmetz also had an 11-yard reception during the game.

After securing the regional title, the Gators headed into the state competition. First up: a state semifinal game against Port St. Joe.

McLaughlin picked up where he left off, running for a combined 241 yards. McLaughlin led the team with four touchdowns.

Peoples also had 10 carries for 59 yards, while Eric McQueen added a 40-yard touchdown reception.

The Gators won the game 48-27, giving themselves a chance at the state title.

That game did not go their way, however.

Despite a 61-yard rushing night for McLaughlin, the Gators ended their season with a 48-6 loss to Madison County in the state championship game.

Even without the state title, the Gators had a stellar year.

Rockwell finished the season with 357 passing yards, including five touchdown passes.

McLaughlin had a standout year with 278 carries for an impressive total of 2,920 yards and 37 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 12 of the games last season.

Through the air, Peoples finished the season with 16 receptions for 278 yards, with three touchdowns and Inscore had eight receptions for 199 yards and one touchdown.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: High School Sports Review: Baker football

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