Niceville wins 12th straight Freedom Award

By TRAVIS DOWNEY

travisd@nwfdailynews.com

At Niceville High School, athletics and success have long gone hand in hand.

The Eagles field a team - boys or girls - and said teamdoes well.

More times than not, really well.

As a result, for 11 straight years Niceville had earned the Freedom Award, an honor given annually to the area's top overall athletic program.

Make that 12 straight.

In what seemingly has become an annual rite of summer, Niceville has once again been named recipient of the Freedom Award as the area's top overall athletic program for the 2007-08 academic year.

For a program familiar with success, Athletic Director John Hicks went as far as to deem the last year perhaps the Eagles' best yet.

"I think it's one of our better years ever," Hicks said. "It was the first year we won district in football, baseball and basketball that I can remember in a long time."

The Eagles' baseball team reached the state semifinals, while the boys basketball team advanced to the regional finals. The football team reached the regional semifinals, as did the boys soccer team.

On the girls' side, the soccer team reached the state semifinals for the second straight year, while the volleyball (semifinals) and softball (quarterfinals) teams also reached regional play and the golf team finished eighth at state.

Niceville can also boast a state champion weightlifter in Will Jones.

Niceville's No. 8 ranking is 10 spots higher than their finish a year ago (18^th).

Said Hicks, "I would call that a great year."

As a result, Niceville finished eighth overall in the final Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports standings for Class 5A (442 points), while Navarre (324.5) finished ninth in the Class 4A standings.

The Raiders' year was highlighted by regional appearances by both the football and baseball teams while the girls' softball team reached the regional finals. the boys track team also finished fifth at the 3A state meet.

In the Class 1A public school standings, both Paxton (265.5) and Laurel Hill (30) finished in the top 10 with the Bobcats placing second and the Hobos not far behind at sixth.

Paxton's girls took top billing (127), thanks in no small part to Erin Walker's state championship in discus, while the basketball team went to the state semifinals. The boys fared nearly as well, finishing second in the state 1A public standings. Both the boys basketball team and baseball team reached the regional finals.

"Our athletic program at Paxton is very well supported by our school and our community," said softball coach Laurie Gilbert. "I think that's where our success comes from, the kids know they are going to be supported by their school and their community whatever they do."

In the Class 2A public School standings, Baker (74) finished 10^th overall to give the area five schools to finish in the top 10 of their respective classifications.

According to Hicks, Niceville's 12^th-straight Freedom Award is a direct by-product of not only the student-athletes but also a determined coaching staff.

"I think we've got good coaches," Hicks surmised. "And we have kept them in place a lot of times, and we've been fortunate when we have lost one, to be able to replace them with quality people (because) they know they are coming to a place where winning is important.

"There is a commitment by those coaches to work and develop their programs (year-round) that maybe other people don't have."