North Bay Haven wins second region title in three years
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The North Bay Haven boys tennis team defeated South Walton 4-1 at home Thursday afternoon, winning the Class 2A Region 1 Championship.
It was the second region title for the Buccaneers in three seasons and the second in program history.
North Bay Haven will be underdogs at the FHSAA State Championships but senior Nicolas Silva says they're going to give it their best shot.
'I'm never counting anything out,' Silva said. 'I mean, it's not about who the bigger school is or who the best players are, it's about who's playing the best on that day and who's doing their best on that day. So, that's what we're looking forward to.'
The State meet will be held in Orlando from Monday, April 28 through Friday, May 2.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Bozeman softball coach releases statement after firing
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Former Bozeman head softball coach, Jared Smith has broken his silence just under two weeks after being fired from his position. On May 29, Smith was informed by Bozeman Principal Ivan Beach that he would not be renewed for his position for the upcoming season. The move came as a surprise to much of the community as the Bozeman softball team was coming off of its furthest regional playoff run in program history. Bozeman fires softball coach following historic season On May 30, Bay District Schools released a statement on behalf of Deane Bozeman School regarding their decision to fire Smith. BDS releases statement regarding Bozeman coach firing On Wednesday, June 11, Smith reached out to local media members with the following statement regarding his sudden departure from Bozeman and his plans to join the Arnold High School softball coaching staff: 'I would like to start by acknowledging and thanking everyone who has publicly and privately expressed support and encouragement for Amber and me. More specifically, I would like to thank each and every player who has played for me during my time at Bozeman and to each of their parents for trusting me to guide their children during their high school softball careers. I would also like to thank the administration, coaches, and teachers I have worked with side-by-side over my 18 years at Bozeman. And as I tell anyone who asks, I have been blessed to have the greatest booster club year in and year out. It is more than fair to say that the hard work and support of the parents (past and present) who have made up the Bozeman Softball Boosters have had a huge impact on every success that this program has experienced. During my time as the head coach of the Bozeman Softball program, there have been highs and lows, learning moments, and memories made that will last a lifetime. The positives outweigh the negatives 100 times over. From the beginning, I strived to set a standard of high expectations for my players, starting in the classroom and then continuing to hold that standard on the field of competition. In the last 7 years, these Bozeman Softball teams have earned the highest GPA in Bay County four times. Just this year, our players in high school had a 100% pass rate on every State EOC/PM assessment. We had 4 high school players finish this school year with a 4.0 or higher GPA. The players over the years deserve all of the recognition and credit for taking their role as a student seriously and meeting or surpassing every expectation that was set for them. Carrying this standard of excellence to the field has been the second phase of my vision for the program I was leading. In my 11 years as head coach at Bozeman, we won 118 games. There were 17 individual players who signed to play at the collegiate level. In the last 8 years, we have made the playoffs 4 times. In 2018, we won the Bay County Tournament title. We were seeing the fruits of the standards I was striving to set come to fruition right in front of our eyes. This current season was validating, in many ways, that we were on the right track. The way this current group of girls competed was exciting and re-energizing. I don't think these girls even realized everything they were accomplishing, because they were simply performing the way we worked to prepare them every day at practice. In their mind, they weren't doing anything special. But, man, was this group special! As a team, these girls broke 4 team records, 6 individual records, and took care of their academics (see above). Over the course of this season, in response to some adversity, I adopted a message to our players that, in a way, became a rallying cry. I encouraged them to 'Be present' and to 'Do more than enough.' Their response was incredible. They earned a spot in the District Championship game (in our first season after moving up into a larger classification). Then they earned the 4-seed in the Regional playoffs, but still had to travel to the 5-seed due to that team winning their district championship. No big deal…they went into that environment (for most of them, this was their first taste of playoff softball) and brought back the first playoff win in Bozeman Softball history. With this win, they earned a rematch from our District Championship game, against the team that finished #2 in the State (a truly great and talented team). In that game, we jumped out early, then fell behind in a BIG way. I called them together in the dugout and reminded them to 'be present' and to give me 'more than enough.' The players in that dugout at that moment may have been the only people alive who believed we had a chance. But they bought in and locked in and fought back from a huge deficit to end up tying the ballgame. In the end, we didn't quite have enough to topple our talented opponents. I, however, have never been more proud of a team than I was at the conclusion of that game. As it turns out, that game was my last game as the leader of the Bozeman Softball program. If you are waiting for me to air out grievances here, then I am going to have to leave you waiting. I am not going to publicly argue or refute any claims. I know, without a doubt, we did things the right way, every time. Whether I understand or agree with why decisions are made, the administration at Bozeman is tasked with making tough decisions daily and this was their decision. If you must know 'why?' all I can do is point you to the statement that was released. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities I have had at Bozeman and every moment will be regarded fondly. As Amber and I are now moving on to a new adventure, we are ready to announce that we have both accepted teaching positions at Arnold High School and are incredibly excited to join their school and softball program. I would like to thank Principal Smith for welcoming Amber and me into his school and athletics program. His support has already been a huge encouragement to us. I am looking forward to learning from their legendary head coach, Rick Green, and immersing myself into their winning culture. This opportunity is an exciting one, both professionally and personally, as we both look to grow as educators and coaches. I realize this has been long, and I'm not sure what is the best way to wrap it all up. So, what I will end with is to simply encourage all past, present, and future players to 'be present' in all that you do and if you are going to do something, always 'do more than enough.'' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
NBH's Bartlow named Florida Distance Athlete of the Year
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A North Bay Haven Charter Academy graduate is closing the book on a historic high school running career, and starting a new chapter at the collegiate level. What began as a simple hobby for Maggie Bartlow transformed into a passion, and then into a college scholarship. Now, her legacy continues as she prepares to compete for Florida State University's cross-country and track programs this fall. 'I'm going to be honest, I was not expecting my high school career to turn out like this at all,' Bartlow said. Bartlow didn't always envision running at the next level. In fact, the idea of distance running once felt overwhelming. 'Distance running in particular can be very daunting,' she said. 'You're telling me I have to race three miles over grass and through mud, and I'm going to get all dirty and possibly throw up at the end. It's terrifying.' But with a passion for numbers and a drive to constantly improve her times, Bartlow became more than just comfortable with the sport, she became elite. In the fall of her senior year, Bartlow claimed Bay County's first-ever state championship in cross country. By spring, she set her sights on the track. 'My goal was the 3200,' she said. 'I wanted that 3200. The 1,600 has never been my strength, but I really, really wanted this 32.' She not only won gold in the 3,200-meter run but also earned silver in the 1,600. Her accomplishments caught the attention of MileSplit, which recently named her the Florida Girls Distance Athlete of the Year. 'I can't believe that people really think of me like that,' Bartlow said. 'The fact that I'm considered up here by other people, it's just like, oh my gosh, this is kind of unreal.' Before heading to Tallahassee, Bartlow will compete one final time as a high schooler at the Nike Nationals in Oregon. She hopes to make the Seminoles' A-team in her freshman year but said she wouldn't be where she is today without the people who've supported her along the way. 'Every person that experiences some sort of athletic success, they're going to have a family behind them or friends or teammates or coaches, teachers,' she said. 'For me, it's all of the above. I've had so many people come together and help pull me along this journey, and I would not be here if it weren't for them.' Bartlow leaves behind a legacy as perhaps the most decorated distance runner Bay County has ever produced, and she's just getting started. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
UFC 316 video: Joshua Van overwhelms Bruno Silva for third-round TKO
Joshua Van continues to make noise in the UFC's flyweight division. In the final preliminary bout of UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Van (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) extended his hot streak by taking out Bruno Silva. The fight was action-packed, but Silva (14-7-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) couldn't make it to the finish line as the fight was stopped by TKO after a barrage of punches from Van at 4:01. Silva proved to have one of the toughest chins in the division. Van had moments where the fight could have been finished, especially after dropping Silva repeatedly in Round 2. Somehow, the fight reached the final round, but Van managed to avoid going the distance for the fourth straight outing. Van put together a combination of punches that prompted Silva to drop to the canvas. The referee was quick to stop the fight when Van rushed in to add more strikes. Check out video of the finish below (via X): With the win, Van improves his winning streak to four by winning his second outing of 2025. On the other side, Silva drops two consecutive fights, as he entered following TKO loss against Manel Kape in December. Up-to-the-minute UFC 316 results:
