Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Skip to main content
Advertisement

Local book clubs support businesses and create friendships

Written by Bethany Tupling on . Posted in Community, News, Uncategorized.

Amber Collins, a leader with Crestview Book Club, said the group’s meetings give her a reason to con-nect with others and try local businesses she might not otherwise visit. “It helps me get out and do things I would probably not do on my own,” Collins said. She cited an upcoming book club meeting at Helen Back Pizza in Crestview as an example. Although the restaurant is well known locally, Collins said it will be her first visit and that she is looking forward to ex-periencing it with fellow book club members.

Mandi Kelly., a local resident who participates in three different book clubs, said joining book clubs helped her form meaningful friendships after moving to the area. “Yes,” Kelly said when asked whether she had made friends through book clubs. “In fact, I’ve met some of my best friends in book club.” She said those friendships have grown into a support system that has carried her through important moments in her life. Kelly said she recommends Overbooked Book Club, Crestview Book Club and Temple Beth Shalom’s Nice Jewish Book Club, citing their welcoming environments and community focus.

Book club members interviewed by the Crestview News Bulletin described book clubs as inclusive spac-es where shared interest in reading helps remove barriers that often make adult friendships difficult. “Book clubs don’t care about age, race, jobs, etc. We just all love to read,” one member said. Organizers said book clubs often serve as an entry point for newcomers to the community or residents looking to meet people with similar interests. While not all local book clubs were interviewed for this article, the Crestview News Bulletin recognizes several active groups in the Okaloosa area, including Crestview Book Club, Overbooked Book Club, Geek Girls Book Club, My Wine Club Has a Book Problem, Eglin Spouses Book Club, Silent Book Club Fort Walton Beach, Spicy Shelf Society of Crestview, and Temple Beth Shalom’s Nice Jewish Book Club.

Crestview begins tennis season at Niceville

Written by Aubrey Kelley on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Crestview split their doubles matches on the boys’ side. Tristan Cooley paired with fellow senior, Roman Prien, winning their match 5-3, 4-0. Sophomore, Lliam Cooley, paired with freshman, Kai Kellogg. The two would lose their match in a tiebreaker 4-2, 2-4, 1-0 (10-6).

T. Cooley went on to win his singles match sweeping both sets 6-2, 6-1. T. Cooley has swept Niceville in all four years of his high school career.

Prien came close to defeating his singles opponent, in a tiebreaker 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-1). Lliam Cooley, Kai Kellogg, and Brendan Barnard would also drop their singles matches.

“As a team, I was impressed with our drive to compete. Most of our matches started off slow, but by the end, progress had been made,” head coach Dan Byerly said. “I was proud of our team as a whole.”

Kaya Wolfgramm and Kaylee Wayer paired together for the first of the girls’ double matches. A tough loss, 0-4, 3-5 that carried over into Tia Parker-Dahlgren and Brooke Copeland’s doubles match, 0-4, 2-4.

Wolfgramm put up a tough battle in her singles match, but dropped both sets 4-6, 4-6.

Crestview didn’t get the win they wanted, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any positives taken away from the loss.

“I think we gained some respect in our lower seeds by proving the strength of our freshman class,” Byerly said. “Kai Kellogg on the boys’ team and Tia Parker-Dahlgren, Brook Copeland, and Mackenzie Craig on the girls’ side, all fought tooth and nail for every point.”

The Bulldogs move on to district play on Tuesday, February 10 where they will host the Tate Aggies starting at 3 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking ahead to next week’s girls state weightlifting meet

Written by Brian Lester on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Pace comes in as the 3A reigning state champions, winning three consecutive crowns in Traditional and back-to-back titles in Olympic, and is coming off first-place finishes in the district and regional competitions.

Navarre, the runner-up in the district and region, is aiming for another top five finish at state while Baker will be in the mix for a 1A state title after winning district and regional crowns. Crestview, Central and Jay all have state qualifiers as well.

Tickets for state can be purchased online at the RP Funding Center box office. The cost is $11 in advance and $14 the day of the meet. Parking is $10.

3A

Olympic

101: Maddy Sanderson, Pace, 275 (1); McKenzie Thibault, Pace, 250; Sara Brogan, Navarre, 220; Faith Archibald, Navarre, 195

110: Lili Portillo, Pace, 300 (1); Kerrigan Densman, Pace, 270

119: Holleigh Bufkin, Pace, 270; Ava Secor, Crestview, 255; Stella Kroger, Pace, 255

129: Morgan Johnson, Pace, 300; Abigail Butler, Pace, 295; Natalie Gill, Navarre, 280; Addisen Campbell, Crestview, 270

139: Rose Shiel, Pace, 305; Vivian Otts, Pace, 275

154: Layah Slaughter, Pace, 370 (Tie/1st); Amaya DeLeon, Crestview, 320; Laela Schultz, Pace, 320; Nadia Rivera, Navarre, 315; Haleigh Shuping, Navarre, 280

169: Alyssa McMurtrie, Pace, 390 (1); Paisley Presnell, Pace, 325; Maryah Eddy, Navarre, 320; Georgia Downs, Navarre, 295

183: Ireland Grimes, Pace, 400 (1); Daisy Dukes, Crestview, 300; Allison White, Pace, 295; Ava Broxson, Navarre, 280

199: Kamryn Pierce, Pace, 380 (1); Mia Woodall, Pace, 375; Gabby Johnson, Navarre, 360; Saige Schmidt, Crestview, 290

Unlimited: Kendal Salter, Pace, 360; Izzy Voisin, Crestview, 330; Krista Tarbox, Navarre, 300

Traditional

101: McKenzie Thibault, Pace, 295 (1); Maddy Sanderson, Pace, 290; Sara Brogan, Navarre, 245; Faith Archibald, Navarre, 225

110: Lili Portillo, Pace, 340 (1); Kerrigan Densman, Pace, 285; Anna Wagner, Navarre, 250; Morgan Savage, Navarre, 240

119: Holleigh Bufkin, Pace, 315; Jacelyn Masson, Pace, 275; Ava Secor, Crestview, 250

129: Abigail Butler, Pace, 340; Morgan Johnson, Pace, 330; Emma Smith, Navarre, 295

139: Rose Shiel, Pace, 325; Haidyn Hill, Pace, 310

154: Layah Slaughter, Pace, 375 (Tie/1st); Laela Schutlz, Pace, 345; Amaya DeLeon, Crestview, 335; Nadia Rivera, Navarre, 325; Olivia Leslie, Navarre, 305

169: Alyssa McMurtrie, Pace, 465 (1); Maryah Eddy, Navarre, 345; Paisley Presnell, Pace, 345; Georgia Downs, Navarre, 330

183: Ireland Grimes, Pace, 445 (1); Allison White, Pace, 320; Ava Broxson, Navarre, 310

199: Mia Woodall, Pace, 420 (1); Kamryn Pierce, Pace, 410; Gabby Johnson, Navarre, 400; Saige Schmidt, Crestview, 315

Unlimited: Kendal Salter, Pace, 395; Morgan McHenry, Pace, 375; Izzy Voisin, Crestview, 345

 

Brian Out Loud

Written by Brian Lester on . Posted in Uncategorized.

For starters, we’ve been reminded that fans will turn on coaches in a hurry if things aren’t going right in a football season.

No one complains when you win. Everyone complains when you lose.

On the field, it’s been an interesting start to the year.

Navarre started 0-3 for the second consecutive year, but the Raiders have has shown flashes of potential, with players like Marquez White, Brody Powers and Bryce Wheeler, and the team always plays hard. It’s just a matter of being more consistent and executing for four quarters of football. If that happens, the rest of the year could be a different story.

In the north end of Santa Rosa County, Pace’s team is exactly what we expected. The Patriots have had a lot of success running the ball, thanks in large part to star Makael Williams and a talented offensive line headed up by Clemson-commit Grant Wise. Their defense has been tough as well. On paper, the Patriots are the district favorite—but time will tell.

Milton has been the story of the year so far, winning its first four games after going 0-10 last season. Head coach Ronnie Douglas has changed things there in a hurry. The team has been impressive on the defensive side of the ball, shutting out Tate in a battle of unbeatens two weeks ago. Big things are ahead if this team continues to play the way it has up to this point.

Jay nearly won the ‘War on Highway 4,’ and while the Royals are 1-2 after three games, don’t overlook them. Jaymes Youngblood is one of the best running backs in the area and the defense has a lot of talent. Jay has become a hunter instead of the hunted and it will be in the discussion for a playoff berth in the Rural classification.

Speaking of being in the postseason discussion, Baker is one to talk about. The Gators won their first four games behind a balanced attack, headed up by Justice Baldwin at quarterback. A team coached by Matt Brunson is always a good team, and the Gators have high expectations for the rest of 2025.

And then there is Crestview. The Bulldogs lost their first two games but pulled off one of the biggest wins of the year so far, beating Niceville on the road.

If you’ve been to Eagle Stadium, you know how tough of a place it is to play. The fact that Crestview came back from 21 down is crazy. The Bulldogs are going to have a say in how the district title race plays out.

The second half of the season should be fun. A lot of storylines are yet to be written. Stay tuned.

Volleyball Roundup: Baker puts together win streak

Written by Brian Lester on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The Gators are 5-4 and ranked fourth in Rural Region 1. The top four teams will make the playoffs, with district tournament champions earning an automatic berth.

Season Stat Leaders

Kills: Annalese Saunders, 61; Katerina Price, 56

Blocks: Katerina Price, 16

Digs: Carleigh Krumnow, 108; Katerina Price, 51; Peyton Hardy, 55; Bailey Johnson, 44; Annalese Saunders, 32; Lacy Adams, 30

Assists: Katerina Price, 73; Lacy Adams, 63

Crestview

Crestview’s volleyball team is 8-8 through its first 16 games after losing in three games to top-ranked Gulf Breeze on Tuesday.

Season Stat Leaders

Kills: Kaeden Foxx, 157; Aubrey Sheffield, 104; Dina Sheikho, 102

Blocks: Aubrey Sheffield, 49; Braeyln Ditrapano, 25

Digs: Kelsey Griffin, 316; Kaeden Foxx, 150; Dina Sheikho, 149; Sara Robinson-Hamer, 136; Aubrey Sheffield, 130

Assists: Aubrey Sheffield, 253; Kyla Fry, 120

Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill’s volleyball team is 4-4 after eight matches this season. The Hoboes ended a two-game losing streak with a win over Walton on Monday. Laurel Hill beat the Braves in five games.

Season Stat Leaders

Kills: Aiyana Dixon, 42; Savannah Riley, 37; Carlee Boddy, 25

Blocks: Aiyana Dixon, 11

Digs: Kyndall Morrill, 92; Carlee Boddy, 88; Savannah Riley, 71; Andrea Barnhill, 67

Note: Stats are based on MaxPreps

Expectations as high as ever for Baker Gator volleyball team

Written by Brian Lester on . Posted in Uncategorized.

“They love it,” Baker head coach Chelsea Medley said. “It brings them all together. It’s something worth fighting for.”

And no one wants to be part of the team that doesn’t keep the streak of district titles rolling. Baker is at 22 and counting.

This year’s edition of Baker welcomes back of a handful of key returning players, including Annalese Saunders, who ranked third on the team in kills (143) and racked up 155 digs. Carleigh Krumnow is also back after leading the team in digs (293) a year ago.

Those two are seniors, as is Kat Price, who tallied 92 kills, 33 blocks and 78 digs.

Medley said she likes the way this team has come together leading up to the start of the year.

“I feel really good about this team,” Medley said. “Great teammates make great teams, and these girls are all in it for each other. They are willing to battle for each other.”

One thing Medley has noticed about this team is the way it plays on the court. The Gators won’t make anything easy for opponents.

“They are very scrappy, and that’s always been something for Baker,” Medley said. “We’re going to have the intense heart and hustle that you need to win in big games.”

Baker went 11-13 last season, though the record is a deceiving as the Gators, who play in the Rural classification, don’t back down from playing against bigger schools. That won’t change this season.

“The competition is only going to make you better,” Medley said.

Baker is scheduled to open its season Aug. 21 against Destin.

“We are excited,” Medley said. “We’ve been pumped up since July. We are ready to go.”

County plans to buy more land for future park by the Shoal River

Written by Tony Judnich on . Posted in Uncategorized.

On Tuesday, the County Commission approved paying up to $575,000 to buy five vacant residential lots and two stormwater lots, totaling about 6.4 acres, on Shoal River Drive for the future park.

The overall park site is on a part of the now-defunct Shoal River Country Club property located southeast of the Live Oak Church Road-Shoal River Drive intersection. It’s also a quarter mile east and upriver from the Cox Bridge and the county-managed Shoal River Wayside Park.

Most of the Patriot Park site consists of 165 acres of land – mainly lowlands – that Patriot Ridge LLC donated to the county in January 2024.

The LLC is the developer of the huge Patriot Ridge subdivision between Airman’s Memorial Road and Shoal River Drive. The land donation helped the company satisfy concurrency requirements for parks and recreation as provided in the county’s land development code.

The lots the commission approved buying stand adjacent to Annabelle Lane, Live Oak Church Road and Shoal River Drive and on the northwest corner of the park site, and southwest of the Pinnacle Point Drive-Shoal River Drive intersection, near the park site’s northeast corner.

The property to be acquired represent “higher elevated, better-quality property that was formerly used as ends of the golf cart path and will essentially add to the donated property,” according to Deputy County Administrator of Operations Craig Coffey. “The acquisition of these lots will allow the completion of a 1 1/4-mile loop for walkers/runners using much of the cart path of the former golf course.”

Coffey

The lots to the west will serve as the main park site and as a trailhead, according to county information. Coffey said these lots could provide access to the Shoal River for canoeists, kayakers, and paddle boarders, and could include a parking area, playground, pavilions and restrooms. The lots to the east will likely just have a trail and minor recreational items, he said.

A master plan for the lots to the west, which will have input from nearby residents, might be ready for the commission’s consideration later this year.

County officials plan to use American Rescue Plan Act interest money to pay for the $550,000 cost of the five residential lots and two stormwater parcels, as well as closing costs of up to $25,000, for a total of $575,000. By May 2, they anticipate closing on the overall purchase from Phillips Homes LLC, of Holt, and Patriot Ridge West Owners Association Inc., of Destin.

Currently, county workers are clearing some of the trail areas on the larger property that was donated by Patriot Ridge LLC.

The overall Patriot Park site someday could provide public recreational access to more than 2,200 acres of county-owned and currently undeveloped land to the east.

Latest college football scores

Written by Brian Lester on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Iowa 42, Wisconsin 10

SMU 48, Pitt 25

Louisville 33, Clemson 21

Miami 53, Duke 21

Vanderbilt 17, Auburn 7

Tennessee 28, Kentucky 18

Georgia 34, Florida 20

Indiana 47, Michigan State 10

Ohio State 20, Penn State 13

Boise State 56, San Diego State 24

Army 20, Air Force 3

Mississippi 63, Arkansas 31

Minnesota 25, Illinois 17

Texas Tech 23, Iowa State 22

Houston 24, Kansas State 19

South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20

Georgia Southern 34, South Alabama 30

UCF 56, Arizona 12

Troy 38, Coastal Carolina 24

South Florida 44, Florida Atlantic 21

UWF 70, Erskine 0

You don’t know Jack

Written by Jackson Buhler on . Posted in Uncategorized.

I would refer to them as addictive sometimes with the information being overwhelming and constant.

One thing about these sites is that they feature a large array of fans.

Some are relatively new to the program, some are lifelong, and others may have played for the college or have relatives on the team, making them even more connected than a beat reporter who covers the team exclusively.

However, when viewing a team message board recently, I noticed something. Even when the team won, the fans were miserable. They criticized every play whether it turned out to be a negative or positive result.

The criticism wasn’t just at critical times in the game. Sometimes it was in the first quarter.

I have seen it in other sports as well. It is very prevalent in basketball and baseball.

Fans would then go on to bash players, sometimes even going as far as attacking them on a personal level. After reading through a couple of threads, I had enough. I realized that we as fans need to be better to these student-athletes and coaches.

The same rhetoric is often used against coaches and officials, with all these remarks being said in real-time.

There is no need to constantly bash the teams we supposedly love over something as small as a player dropping a pass or missing a block.

It goes the same for officials and coaches.

A coach not using a timeout at the 8:36 mark of the second quarter is not the end of the world, and neither is a missed holding call in the middle of the third period.

We need to have better expectations, realizing no one is perfect.

With the addition of smart technology over the past quarter-century, instant gratification has become the norm. A person can have the answer to how to properly make a whole meal on their phone in five seconds.

However, it seems as though we have taken that mentality into the sporting world as well.

To expand the cooking analogy a little bit further, we as sports fans need to let things marinate a little bit. If your favorite team does not score 50 points in the first half, the world is not going to end. Teams, and their players, are not always at their best and the sports world needs to realize that.

High school football season is past the mid-season point while college football and the National Football League are just now nearing their halfway points. All of these teams only have a finite time to practice and hone their skills.

They are trying their best, and they expect the fans to be at their best. That means supporting the team and showing them grace when they fail. You do not get heckled in your career anytime something goes wrong. So please be a fan but not a crazy fanatic.

error: Content is protected !!