FWB wins Freedom Award, halts Niceville's 12-year reign

By TRAVIS DOWNEY

Northwest Florida Daily News
315-4476 | travisd@nwfdailynews.com

Following a historic close to the 2008-09 school year that saw its boys' weightlifting team capture a team state title and three individual state crowns, it seems only fitting that Fort Walton Beach be crowned the area's top athletic program.

Fort Walton Beach finished seventh overall in the 2008-09 Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports Awards standings with 495 points - the highest such total of any area school - and has been named this year's recipient of the Freedom Award, an honor given annually to the area's top overall athletic program.

"Obviously it was a very successful year," Fort Walton Beach Athletics Director and head football coach Mike Owens said. "Beginning in the fall with our cross country and swimming and football teams doing well and culminating through the spring with our boys weightlifting winning state and our track teams doing well.

"It was just the culmination of a lot of talented athletes, good coaching and a lot of hard work."

Fort Walton Beach's win brings an end to a lengthy stay at the top for Niceville, which had won the award in each of the past 12 years. Niceville (402) finished 10th in the Class 5A standings after ending last year at No. 8.

South Walton, meanwhile, placed second overall (284) in the Class 3A standings to earn its highest finish in the school's seven-year history.

"This has been an awesome year for us all the way around," South Walton Athletics Director and head football coach David Barron said. "The stars, the sun, the moon - it all just lined up right."

Baker finished sixth overall (135) in the Class 2A standings while Paxton placed third (87) in Class 1A behind Erin Walker's state title in the discus to give the area five programs recognized as being among the best in the state.

In Owens' mind, being recognized for overall athletic excellence is the highest form of flattery.

"We're trying to be competitive in all areas," Owens said. "I think we've made some strides in that area. We still have a ways to go, but we're working in that direction."

Owens guided the football team to a District 2-4A title and an appearance in the regional finals. A strong fall also saw both the boys and girls cross country teams earn third-place finishes at the state meet. The Fort Walton Beach boys' swim team then took home a third-place state finish of its own with Joshua Simmons, Jesse Simmons, Cody Conant and David Stevens teaming up to bring home a state title in the 200 freestyle relay.

A surprising run to the regional semifinals by Holly McDaniel's youth-filled girls' basketball team also helped the Vikings' cause.

Kristin Boyer captured the 129-pound state title in girls' weightlifting before the spring season witnessed the boys capture their first-ever state title thanks in large part to the individual efforts of Patrick Andrews (169 pound), Malcolm Freeman (199) and Akeem Spence (Heavyweight), each of whom captured state titles.

The Vikings were also strong in track and field, where Matt Bevil finished second at the state meet in the 800-meter run to pace a 15th place team finish.

Despite sliding to 10th in this year's standings, it was another strong sports year for Niceville.

Niceville's boys' soccer team reached the state semifinals while the girls advanced to the region quarterfinals.

The boys' cross country team placed fifth at state while the football team and volleyball team each reached the regional semifinals this fall. In the spring, the softball team reached the regional finals and the baseball team earned a spot in the regional quarterfinals.

South Walton's girls' program finished second in 3A (219 points) to power the Seahawks' surge up the state rankings. Alexa Guarachi captured an individual state tennis title while helping lead the Seahawks to a second-place finish at the state tournament. Also helping the Seahawks' cause was another postseason run by its softball team, which reached the regional semifinals, and Tiffany Snider led the track team's ninth-place finish at state by claiming an individual title in the shot put.

In the fall, South Walton's football team captured its first-ever District 1-2B title and won the program's first playoff game before having its dream season end in the regional finals.