Sports Archive

Friday is a night that will be remembered for years to come by the Crestview football team and their fans. The Bulldogs traveled south on Highway 85 hoping to avenge a regular season loss to Niceville and extend their season with a playoff win.

Close to 100 members of the Baker community gathered in the Baker School back parking lot to wish the Gator volleyball team good luck in the state championship match against Liberty County. Baker faces Liberty County at noon local time on Sunday at Polk State College in Winter Haven.

When they last met, Baker beat Bozeman 21-20. That was two months ago on Sept. 9. The Bucks get another crack at the Gators in the first round of the playoffs on Friday. As is the case with the game during the regular season, Bozeman must travel to Baker and the friendly confines of Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium.

While many football teams in the area will be making long trips for the first round of the playoffs, Crestview will stay in Okaloosa County. The Bulldogs won’t be at home, but they will make the short drive south on Highway 85 where they will play Niceville on Friday. The game is scheduled for 7:30.

Conner Williams enters his first season as the Crestview girls basketball coach full of confidence and high expectations. “I’m really excited,” he said. “I think our varsity is gelling really well. We had all returners (players) eight seniors and six juniors.

Things are on the upswing for the Crestview High School boys soccer team. A veteran Bulldog squad could be in the thick of things in a district that includes Niceville, Mosley, Chiles and Leon.

Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra was to reported to have once said, “It’s never over until it’s over.” Berra didn’t have Friday’s football game between Baker and Vernon in mind when saying that. The Gators made quick work of the host Yellow Jackets scoring 35 points in the first quarter on their way to a 42-0 win. The entire second half was played with a running clock.

Seniors on the Baker volleyball team exited their home court one final time on Friday after the Class 1A state semifinal match with Union County. As has been the case for so many matches the last four years, the seniors left winners. The Gators defeated the Tigers in three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-19. Baker, the number two 1A team in the state will face top ranked Liberty County on Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time in Winter Haven at Polk State College.

Perhaps the only surprise in Thursday night’s football game between Crestview and Fort Walton Beach was it took the Bulldogs a little while to get going. Once they did it was all over in a 41-3 Crestview win. Sloppy play by Crestview, that in part could be credited to a tenacious Viking squad, allowed Fort Walton Beach to take an early 3-0 lead on a field goal by Elijah Oswald with 7:09 left in the first quarter.

Legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Dancing is a contact sport. Football is a hitting sport.”

Lombardi would have liked Baker senior Brayshawn Baker. The Gator cornerback would rather hit someone and cause a fumble than make an interception and score.