CRESTVIEW — There’s still a lot of volleyball to be played before next month’s District 2-6A tournament at Fort Walton Beach High School.

And with just three schools in the district every one of the four matches each team plays is magnified even more.

Half way through district play the light is shining brightest on a talented Choctawhatchee team.

The Indians traveled to Crestview on Thursday looking to remain perfect on the season. They did just that sweeping the Bulldogs 25-18, 25-23, 25-23.

Crestview Coach Kathy Combest knows what the Bulldogs do down the road is more important than what happened Thursday night.

“It’s early,” she said. “We’ve still got a district tournament that starts a  new record all over. We will just get back to work and that’s something I’m used to doing.”

“I think we made  too many errors to play against a team like that, but I don’t think they scare us. I’m never going to be scared of them.”

 Sophomore Kassandra Fairly and Melia Linder powered the Choctaw attack. Fairly led Choctaw (7-0, 2-0) with 10 kills. Linder added seven kills and junior Evelina Teran also had seven kills.

“We played well,” Indian coach Scott Allen said. “We executed some of the things we have been working on in  practice we just need some improvement on it.

“It’s still a long way to go to where we want to be. We are undefeated now, but there’s still a lot that we are working on in practice. It’s always good to get a win, but there are still some things we need to clean up on.”

The Indians took advantage of Crestview mistakes in the first set to take the early lead.

Kills by Lakayla Robinson and Kerra Potts kept Crestview close early. The set was tied 7-7 before kills by Fairly and Linder helped the Indians start to pull away. Choctaw steadily built the lead and pushed on to take the set.

The early part of the second set was mostly Crestview (6-2, 0-2) as strong serving by Marisa Rogers coupled with good play at the net by Potts helped Crestview build a 13-9 lead before the mistakes and sloppy play helped feed an Indian rally.

An ace by Linder in the middle of a 7-0 Indian run tied the set at 18-18. A final ace by Linder put the Indians up 23-19 as Choctaw pushed through to move in front 2-0.

Choctaw jumped to a 7-2 lead in the third set and held off a hard charging Bulldog team down the stretch.

Alyssa Sehman, who topped the Indians with five aces had a hot hand in serve to start the set. Sehman also had 15 assists. Nakia McKinnie topped the Indians with 16 assists.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Choctaw upends Crestview in District 2-6A volleyball

CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School Coach Tim Hatten remains calm, although his football team is coming off back-to-back losses against Mosley and St. Martin.

The veteran coach knows the season is young, and he isn’t ready to give up as the Bulldogs prepare for The International School of Broward on Friday. The Pumas, in their first football season, are 0-1 after a 56-8 loss to Miami Westminster Christian on Sept. 11.

“We are not a great, great football team, but we are certainly not a poor football team,” Hatten said. "Friday night’s performance (a 46-13 loss to St. Martin) is no indication of how bad we are. We are not that bad.

“We have to come in here and do what we do. We can’t worry about who we are playing and what they do. We have to execute our offense and our defense.”

Hatten said the Bulldogs have had trouble in several aspects of the game against the Yellow Jackets. “We have to have some semblance of a running game to be able to keep our defense off the field,” he said. “I think our defense needs to make some stops.

“I think it’s kind of a double-edge sword. They converted third downs on us and then we didn’t keep the ball very long.”

Hatten accepts responsibility for Crestview’s poor performance Friday. “I didn’t do a good job (coaching) offensively when they were in the box of protecting the guys  (quarterbacks) better,” he said. “We are going to do a better job of making sure when they come off the edge on us that we protect them.

“And we are going to man our good players up with their good players. We are going to try to make it a little more manageable for our quarterbacks. I didn’t really give them a good opportunity Friday night.”

Hatten said the Pumas operate a spread offense and work out of multiple defensive sets, and preparation will be Crestview's key to end the two-game losing streak.

“We have to make sure we do a good job with (quarterbacks) Corey (Armstrong), a good job with Keenan (Redd), and teach them some adjustments to make according to the defenses they see,” Hatten said. “We just have to work and get better now.”

UPCOMING

WHAT: High school football, The International School of Broward at Crestview

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Crestview High School, Jack Foster Stadium

Crestview High School football

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's Hatten: 'We have to work and get better now'

BAKER — Walton High School's talented football team will come calling on Baker School on Friday.

The Braves, who play in District 1-4A, enter the game with a 3-0 record. Walton opened the season with a win over the same Blountstown team that beat Baker 28-21 two weeks ago.

Gator Coach Matt Brunson said Walton is loaded with talent, from the coaching staff down to the players.

“It’s going to be an honor to be on the field with (Walton head coach) Mr. (Jimmy Ray) Stephens,” Brunson said. “Coach Stephens is like a national-type coach. He’s coached at the highest (college) level (the Southeastern Conference) at two of the best schools in the country — Florida and Tennessee. 

“They are a spread (offense) team, and they’ve got a great tailback in Azende’ Rey. They run some option and some downhill misdirection type stuff very much like Auburn. But Coach Stephens has done a great job with their offensive package and will keep you on your toes.”

Stephens also led Fort Walton Beach to a state championship in 1991 with quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

Brunson had high praise for Walton's defense.

“They are a 3-4 (three linemen, four linebackers) defensive team, kind of like the old (Pittsburgh) Steeler, ‘The Steel Curtain’ 3-4,” he said. “They are kind of the Walton Curtain run by a very heady Bobby Moore (former head coach at Choctaw). Coach Moore won a state championship in Tuscaloosa and was one of our coaches in the county for a while.

“He did a great job when he was a head coach and he’s done a great job as the defensive coordinator for the Braves.”

Brunson said the Gators (2-1) will need to have a great defensive effort against Walton.

“I’m hoping our best defensive performance will happen this week,” he said. “We have improved each week, but we still have to get better to have a chance against Walton.

“We have to get enough guys to Azende’ to get him down. One guy isn’t going to tackle him. Offensively, we have to keep our defense off the field where they can stay fresh a little bit.”

If Baker’s defense does its job, Brunson thinks the Gators might have a chance to win.

 “Our hope is that it would be a low-scoring defensive battle and somebody will win it in the fourth quarter,” he said.

“With Coach Stephens and Azende’, I don’t know if that’s going to be the case.”

UPCOMING

WHAT:  High school football, Walton at Baker

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Baker School, Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium

Baker football

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Walton presents multiple problems for Baker

BAKER  — North Okaloosa County rivals Baker School and Laurel Hill School squared off in a District 1-1A volleyball match Tuesday with the winner hoping to make a statement that will be felt in next month’s district tournament.

A scrappy young group of Hoboes hoped to show they had what it takes to unseat the 12-time defending champion Gators.

Laurel Hill made a good showing against a veteran Baker squad hanging in tough in all three sets before the Gators flexed their muscle winning 25-18, 25-21, 25-12.

Although the Hoboes (3-4, 0-2) were able to keep things close they played from behind most of the match. Laurel Hill’s only lead of the match came on the first point of the first set. The Hoboes tied the first set 7-7 before the Gators took the lead once and for all on an Ayajah Coleman kill.

Coleman’s kill sparked an 11-2 Gator run that secured the first set. Seven of the 11 points came with libero Lena Daoud in serve.

“Baker did an outstanding job as always,” Hobo Coach Kent Zessin said. “They are a great team and well coached.

“I felt like it was my fault not having us prepared for that type of match. We didn’t do a very good job serve and receive or setting tonight. We dug a hole for ourselves all three sets and you can’t give a good team a head start and expect to win.”

The Gators jumped to a quick 7-2 lead in the second seet and never trailed. That doesn’t mean the Hoboes made things easy on Baker.

Laurel Hill battled back in set behind the play of Kaylee L’Homme, Bailey Stokes and Kaylyn McLaney. The Hoboes pulled to within two points of the Gators on a  Kylee Seymour kill.

A score by Baker’s Jessica Black followed by a kill from Whitley Taylor pushed the Gator lead back to four points at 14-10 and the Gators finished off the set to move up 2-0 in the match.

Baker to a quick 14-2 lead in the third set and was never threatened as the Gators finished off the win.

Baker Coach Tommiko Parks found plenty that needed to be fixed in what seemed to be a solid win.

“We weren’t very sharp tonight,” she said. “We played one game last week so we are trying to make sure we are getting back in the groove so we can start peaking as it gets closer to district tournament time.

“Any time you get a win in a district game it’s important. But the most important thing is we are getting better as the season goes along. We will use this game to get better as we go into the district tournament and the get ready for the playoffs.”

BAKER 3, LAUREL HILL 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-15)

Laurel Hill (3-4, 0-2): Bailey Stokes 2 aces, 4 assists, 2 digs; Micah McVay 4 assists, 1 dig; Kaylyn McLaney 2 digs, 1 kill; Olivia Stewart 6 blocks, 6 digs; Lauren Mitchell 1 block, 1 dig; Laney Fugate 2 digs; Rachel Welsh 7 digs, 1 kill; Kylee Seymour 2 blocks, 3 kills; Kaylee L’Homme 1 ace, 1 dig, 2 kills.

Baker (5-1, 3-0): Jessica Black 4 aces, 9 assists, 1 dig; Lena Daoud 1 ace, 4 assists, 10 digs, 1 kill; Brittany Brunson 1 ace, 2 blocks, 9 digs, 8 kills; Emily Stewart 5 aces, 4 digs, 5 kills; Taylor Brunson 16 assists, 1 dig, 5 kills; Whitley Taylor 3 kills; Amanada Parisi 1 kill; Ayajah Coleman 1 block, 5 kills; Ashley Black 3 aces, 1 dig, 3 kills.

Baker-Laurel Hill volleyball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker takes district volleyball win from Laurel Hill (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW— It didn’t take Crestview High School volleyball Coach Kathy Combest long to decide Marisa Rogers is a special player.

“The first day I saw her, I knew,” Combest said.

That was two years ago, when Rogers was a freshman.

“Everything comes easy to her," Combest said. "She means so much to this team. She can hit, she can set, she can block and she can serve. And she’s a fighter.”

The junior now carries high expectations with a winner's grace and determination.

We now catch up with Marisa Rogers.

Q: How old were you when you started playing volleyball?

A: I was in the sixth grade. So what’s that? I was about 10 or 11.

Q: What's the best part of volleyball?

A: The atmosphere in the gym, especially for a  rival game.

Q: What's the worst part of volleyball?

A: Conditioning. I hate that part.

Q: What are your expectations this season?

A: I’m going to state this year.”

Q: If you had to pick a different sport to play, what would it be?

A: Soccer, because I played soccer before I played volleyball and I loved it.

Q: What is your favorite volleyball experience?

A: Big South, when we travel in the summer.

Q: What are your hobbies outside volleyball?

A: I’m in the Dog Pound (Crestview High School’s student cheering section). I guess that counts as a hobby. And I play volleyball a lot. I play year-round.

Q: What's your dream career?

A: I want to be an anesthesiologist.                                                                             

Q: Do you want to play college volleyball?

A: Of course. I don’t really have a dream school in mind right now. I’m trying to decide. I like Pepperdine and USC (the University of Southern California). I would love to go to school in California.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: I like “Alice in Wonderland” a lot.

Q: Who is your favorite singer?

A: That’s a tough question. I don’t really have one.

Q: If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?

A: I don’t know. I’d probably be the girl duck, Daisy Duck.

Q: If you could go back and live in any other period in history, which one would you choose?

A:  I’d like to live in the (19)80s — that was pretty cool. They were wild and crazy.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 13 things you didn't know about Marisa Rogers

CRESTVIEW — Three games into the 2015 season, Crestview High School's football team still has more questions than answers.

The Bulldogs opened the season with a win over Northview, but struggled with turnovers in a loss to Mosley in the season's second week.

Crestview had its poorest showing of the season Friday against a strong St. Martin team from Ocean Springs, Miss. The Yellow Jackets dominated the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball in a 46-13 win, leaving Crestview Coach Tim Hatten seeking answers.

“Right now, we are searching and we are not a very good football team,” he said. “We are staying on the field too long on defense. And when we have an opportunity on offense, we are not able to do anything.”

Losing starting quarterback Rusty Moorer at the end of the first quarter of the Northview game to a broken hand has hurt the Bulldogs. They have had to shuffle the deck with Keenan Redd and Corey Armstrong at quarterback.

Redd, who got the start against St. Martin, was ineffective against the Yellow Jackets completing just one pass in nine attempts. He also threw an interception.

In four series at quarterback, Redd couldn't lead the Bulldogs to a first down before giving way to Armstrong, Crestview’s starting middle linebacker.

At the time, Armstrong took over at quarterback, St. Martin had more first downs than the number of plays the Bulldogs had run.

Armstrong and Marquis McClain provided a spark for the Bulldogs late in the second half. A 22-yard pass from Armstrong to Andrew Adkins gave Crestview its first down of the game with two minutes left in the half.

Two plays later, McClain broke loose on a 62-yard touchdown run. He added a 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Moorer is expected to be out at least four more weeks, leaving Redd and Armstrong to try to hold down the fort at quarterback. The numbers indicate Armstrong is the better option at quarterback. But leaves a hole on defense when he’s not at middle linebacker.

“We still need to get some players in (the right) place,” Hatten said. And we still need to get better.”

ST. MARTIN 46, CRESTVIEW 13

St. Martin                   10        17        12        7—46

Crestview                    0         6         0            7—13

First quarter

St. Martin – Sean Gomez 43 field goal; 5:57

St. Martin – Isaac Williams10 pass from Tyler Polk (Gomez kick); 2:13

Second quarter

St. Martin – Wayne Overman III 9 run (Ham McGee 2-point); 10:56

St. Martin – Polk 3 run (conversion failed); 2:13

Crestview – Marquis McClain 62  run (kick failed); 1:22

St. Martin – Sean Gomez 50 field goal; 0:00

Third quarter

St. Martin – Kalem Reddix 42 pass from Polk (kick failed); 3:14

St. Martin – Quan Wailey 19 pass from Polk (kick failed); 0:10

Fourth quarter

Crestview – McClain 55 run (Seth Kootsouradis kick); 11:39

St. Martin – Overman 6 pass from Polk (Gomez kick); 6:42

                                    St. Martin       Crestview

First downs                 25                    7

Rushes-yards              41-231             17-134

Passing yards              266                  111

Comp-Att-Int               17-29-0             5-19-1

Fumbles-lost                3-0                   2-1                  

Penalty-yards              8-60                 3-21

Individual Stats

Rushing

St. Martin: Overman 15-77, Polk 17-90, McGee 1-90, Walley 2-10, Pankonin 2-7, Greene 1-8, William 1-0, Starks 1- (-1), Myers 1-12, Clevenger 1-19. Crestview: Keenan Redd 2-(-8), LaJonte Watson 1-2, Antryon Gloster 1-0, Capri Jones 1-0, Marquis McClain 9-134, Corey Armstrong 3-6.

Passing

St. Martin: Overman 8-17-0 139, Polk 9-12-0 127. Crestview: Keenan Redd 1-9-1 1, Corey Armstrong 4-10-0 110.

Receiving

St. Martin: McGee 1-12, Reddix 2-46, Overman 2-24, Williams 7-98, Clark 3-57, Walley 2-29. Crestview: Andrew Adkins 3-81, Alik Whited 2-30.

Crestview football box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview looking for answers after tough loss

BAKER — Twin brothers Kalee and Jalen Ciurleo teamed up to score four touchdowns as Baker School football team rolled to a 45-21 win over West Gadsden on Friday.

Kalee Ciurleo scored three touchdowns, two on pass receptions and another rushing and finished the night with 88 receiving yards on three catches. Jalen Ciurleo carried the football 14 times for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Montae Barto had 11 carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

Baker quarterback Jon Beck was 6-of-15 passing for 169 yards and the two touchdown passes to Kalee Ciurleo. Austin Davis added 87 yards rushing for the Gators as Baker (2-1) rolled up more than 450 yards in total offense.

The Gators will be at home Friday against Walton.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker rolls past West Gadsden 45-21

CRESTVIEW — A talented St. Martin football team out of Ocean Springs, Miss., came calling on Crestview High School on Friday as the Bulldogs honored the newest inductees into the Crestview High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Sadly for the Crestview faithful the introduction of the inductees at half time might have been the highlight of the night.

The Yellow Jackets came into the game averaging more than 50 points a game and left scoring only slightly less than their average in a 46-13 win.

“We are struggling right now,” Crestview Coach Tim Hatten said. “We are struggling with personnel. We can’t run our offense, and we can’t play defense against a good offense.

“The bottom line is we aren’t executing in certain positions and we aren’t very successful. Right now we are searching. We are a little bit confused and we are not a very good football team.”

Crestview’s offense struggled as the Bulldogs have been without starting quarterback Rusty Moorer since the first quarter of the season opener against Northview.

Keenan Redd opened at quarterback for the Bulldogs before giving way to Corey Armstrong with 2:13 left in the second quarter. By that time the Yellow Jackets led 24-0.

Armstrong provided a spark hitting Andrew Adkins with a 22-yard pass for the first Bulldog first down of the game. Two plays later Marquis McClain, who lined up at running back, exploded up the middle and raced 62 yards for the first Bulldog score of the night.

McClain added a 55-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, but that was the extent of Crestview’s offense.

The Yellow Jackets had no problem moving the ball against the Bulldogs. St. Martin’s quarterback tandem of Wayne Overman III and Tyler Polk proved to be a dangerous combination.

Polk threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the St. Martin attack. Overman ran for a touchdown and was on the receiving end of a 6-yard scoring pass from Polk.

Yellow Jacket kicker Sean Gomez scored the first St. Martin points on a 43-yard field goal with 5:17 left in the first quarter.

St. Martin turned a short field into a 25-yard drive after the Yellow Jackets recovered a Bulldog fumble. Polk hit Isaac Williams with a 10-yard pass and the rout was on.

St. Martin led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, 27-6 at the half and 39-6 after three.

McClain finished the night with 139 yards rushing on nine carries.

Armstrong was 4-of-10 passing for 110 yards.

Adkins had three catches for 81 yards. Alik Whited had two receptions for 30 yards.

Crestview (1-2) hosts The International School of Broward on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Yellow Jackets sting Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Five best of the best Crestview High School’s athletes were honored Friday in an induction ceremony into the Crestview High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Members of the Class of 2015 are Ray Bolton, the late Dr. Bobby Fountain, Dale Rice Jr., Shawn Todd and Becky Wells Tomlin. Bolton joins his son, Rodney Bolton, a 2014 inductee into the hall and Rice joins his father, Dale Rice Sr., a member of the inaugural 2012 class.

Fountain was a three-year starter on the CHS football team in the mid-1950s and played college ball at Florida State alongside Burt Reynolds and Lee Corso.

Bolton was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and football at Crestview in the 1950s and played two years of junior college basketball. After college Bolton returned home to Crestview and served as a teacher, coach and official. He called two state championship football games.

“I’m just happy and overjoyed,” Bolton said. I just feel honored because I’m in it with my son and all these other great people that are going in today and have gone in in the past.

Rice, a 1977 CHS grad, played football, baseball and basketball for the Bulldogs. He went on to play junior college baseball at Enterprise State Junior College and Troy State University. He remains active with Bulldog athletics.

Rice was touched to be inducted with his dad.

“My dad was such a positive influence on so many people,” he said. “I saw him support kids whose parents didn’t and grandparents didn’t come and he was their dad too. He was just such a great player and great encourager and for me to be side-by-side with him now, that’s very special.

Todd was a standout offensive guard and defensive end on Crestview’s 2002 Class 3A state runner up football team. He also played basketball at CHS and attended Troy University where he played defensive end for the Trojans. He is currently a captain in the Air National Guard.

Todd said the honor ranked high in his many athletic achievements.

“It’s right there at the top any time you get to be honored and recognized,” he said “I’m very appreciative of the committee for voting me in.

“I had a lot of really good teammates and coaches. All I did was listen to their advice and do what the coaches told me to do and give my all and it worked out for me.”

Todd has plenty of good memories from the 2002 season, but one game stand out the most.

“The Pace game I had an interception and helped block a punt that helped us get into the playoffs,” he said. “For me that a was a really special game because I got to score a touchdown and for a lineman that’s always a big thing.

Wells Tomlin, a 2004 graduate, excelled on the Bulldog cross country and track teams. In 2002 she finished ninth in the state, the highest finish ever for a Crestview runner. Her time of 19:06 in the 5K is believed to still be the school record.

She ran collegiately for Valdosta State University.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Hall of Fame welcomes newest members

BAKER — Dillon Nixon embodies the Baker Gator football spirit.

Standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds, the senior is a jack-of-all-trades. He plays wingback on offense, outside linebacker on defense and is a kick returner on special teams.

Dillon's roots run deep in Baker football history. His father, Steve, and uncle, Shannon, were members of two Baker state championship teams in the 1980s. Dillon's mother, Melissa Nixon Carter, cheered for the 1993 championship team. And Dillon is the latest in a long line of Nixon cousins who have followed in their fathers' paths.

“It’s a great opportunity to be a part of the Gator heritage,” Nixon said. “I just think it’s a blessing. I played with (cousins) Chris and Jacob a little bit, and maybe Logan some when I was younger.

“I looked at my cousin, Jacob, as my brother out there beside me. I would do anything I could to protect him and play for him. It was just a blessing to be able to play with my family here in my hometown.”

Baker Coach Matt Brunson — who played with Steve and Shannon Nixon, and coached many of the Nixon cousins —  said, “The Nixon family has been synonymous with Baker (School). His aunt, Michelle, teaches here. The Nixon family is very ingrained in the Baker community.”

Family lines aside, Dillon is a fine player in his own right.

“He’s a very talented young man that we ask to do a lot of things, and he does them all well,” Brunson said. “He takes pride in the little things. He does a great job in the weight room and, therefore, he’s strong enough to do a great job blocking.

“He catches the ball well. He’s just an all around Baker Gator.”

Dillon says playing even Class 1A football at 140 pounds is a challenge he embraces.

“I just learned from Coach O1 (David Oglesby) it doesn’t matter how big you are — as long as you keep going full speed and hit the guy before he hits you, and you will be alright," Dillon said.

Brunson doesn’t expect to see any let-down now that Dillon is a senior.

“I expect him to do just what he’s always done,” Brunson said. “He’s had a great attitude. He’s worked hard.

“He’s done whatever he’s been asked to do, and he’s been a very unselfish team player.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker's Dillon Nixon follows his family's Gator tradition