Latest news with #Chipley
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2x Champion: Griffin wins state titles at rival high schools
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Local baseball standout, Rayce Griffin earned his second state championship this spring, finishing his high school career with rings at Holmes County and Chipley. Griffin, a Bonifay native, began his high school career at Chipley and helped lead the Tigers to their program's first state championship in 2023. He returned to Holmes County his junior and senior seasons and helped lead the Blue Devils to winning the 2025 state championship. Griffin finished his senior season with a .481 AVG, 32 R, 39 H, and 26 RBI. Media members and his teammates joked with him about being the first player in history to win a state championship with two of the biggest rivals in the Panhandle. Griffin said the experience of the first state title helped prepare him to win another as a senior, but when he reflects upon his high school career, he will always be a Blue Devil. 'It's home. I came over here to win a state championship with them,' Griffin said. 'I'm doing it for the people back home. And, I mean, the first one was whatever, but this one means a lot. Coach Powell, all year he was telling us to keep our nose down and stay humble. And that's what we did.' Griffin will continue his baseball career in college, joining Gulf Coast State College this upcoming fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Holmes County promotes Russ as head football coach
BONIFAY, Fla. (WMBB) – Holmes County High School has promoted co-defensive coordinator Kolton 'Ty' Russ as its head football coach for this upcoming season. Russ spent the past two seasons with Holmes County under Head Coach Kevin Womble, compiling a 15-8 record with two playoff appearances. Russ began coaching at Chipley from 2018-2023 under coaches Blake Wilson and Marcus Buchanan. He was the defensive backs and wide receivers coach. At Chipley, Russ played a part in the Tigers' 2021 Final Four run and their perfect regular season in 2022. He was also an assistant on the Chipley state championship baseball team. Russ takes over for Coach Womble, who stepped down from his position in January. Womble finished his second stint coaching at his high school alma mater. Womble plans to finish out the spring semester at Holmes County and take a coordinator position at Walton High School. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Walton County locals raise concerns over Freeport asphalt plant proposal
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Residents in Walton County are raising awareness about a proposed asphalt plant in Freeport. The plant is set to go on a vacant lot just off Highway 20 near Crawford Creek but locals say it's too close to residential areas. Back in January, residents in Freeport became aware of an asphalt plant that was set to be put in less than half a mile away from the Hammock Bay community. Hammock Bay is home to over 8000 people. Chipley buzzing with 2025 Panhandle Bee Conference 'The biggest health concerns that I had just from a medical point of view is the particular matter that would be released into the air, into our environment, the soil that it would drench into, and then the water that we goes right into the bay. Because if you do look at any studies on asphalt plants, there's always particulate matter. There's always the asphalt. It's everywhere. It's toxic, and people are breathing it in,' Registered nurse and PECA Board member Cathy Haddorff said. Concerned locals got together to form the nonprofit Protect the Emerald Coast Alliance to help with these kinds of situations. The President of the alliance says they want to serve as a voice for residents. 'People are so busy, they don't know actually what is going on a daily basis. In their local government. And actually, local government is a lot more important than the federal government because that affects us all here locally. So what we can do is we. Can advocate. The position of the people. For the county commissioners,' PECA President Russell Parker said. Parker says they are not against the plant, but against where they want to put it. 'We're not anti-business. We're not anti asphalt. Everybody has the right to have their own business. We just think that they need to have the business in a different area that's not right on top of, you know, a community because as they were saying, somebody said, well,' Parker said. Surfside Academy in Panama City Beach hosts Special Needs Prom 'That's a Walton County issue. Well, free ports in Walton County. And the wind doesn't stop at State Road 20 and State Road 83,' Parker added. The area the plant would be located in is zoned for industrial use, but members of the alliance argue that the zoning was made over 30 years ago, when there were no residential areas around it. To find out more about the project and the alliance, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gates led Graceville stuns Chipley in 2OT region final
CHIPLEY, Fla. (WMBB) – In his grand return to Chipley, Coach Mike Gates and the Graceville Tigers pulled off the 63-62 double-overtime upset victory, advancing to the Final Four. Gates coached at Chipley for nearly 40 years, leading them to a state title in 2016. He defeated his former school twice in the postseason, once in districts and again in the region final. Graceville improved to 17-12 and, according to MaxPreps, they will face Crossroads Academy in the Rural State Semifinal on Wednesday, February 26. Chipley's two-year region championship win streak was snapped, ending their season with a 16-7 record. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
