The elation Pensacola High’s football team experienced a week ago from a breakthrough rivalry win switched Friday night into the other end of the emotional spectrum.
Playing without their head coach, Wade McKinney, suspended for one game by the Florida High School Athletic Association, the Tigers couldn’t thwart Panama City Bay on its final time-consuming drive, as the Tornadoes produced a touchdown with 38-seconds left for a 28-24 win at Jim Scoggins Stadium.
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Bay (5-1, 2-0 District 1-3A), now in the driver’s seat in District 1-3A, used an 11-play, 76-yard drive, capped by senior Kayden Turner’s 1-yard run for the game-deciding points. The Tornadoes got the ball with 6:02 left after PHS (2-4, 0-2 District 1-3A) lost a fumble at the Bay 26 while attempting a game-sealing drive.
“It’s heartbreaking, the guys fought as hard as they could, but just couldn’t keep (Bay) out,” said assistant head coach Blake Atteberry, the PHS offensive coordinator who filled in for McKinney as head coach.
McKinney was ejected in his team’s 27-24 victory Sept. 18 against Escambia High – the first win for PHS in 14 years over its cross-town rival – after officials took action against PHS assistants. He was prohibited Friday from being inside Jim Scoggins Stadium.
“Assistant coaches on our staff got two sideline violations in that game and since Wade is the head coach, he had to take the (one-game) suspension,” Atteberry said. “We knew Tuesday, but we didn’t tell the kids until Thursday, because we didn’t want them to go crazy.
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“But at the end of the day, it’s still football and players make the plays and coaches are on the sidelines.”
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Ronald Robinson (10) takes down Tornadoes Jamarlin Huntley (8) as he carries the ball during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Ronald Robinson (10) takes down Tornadoes Jamarlin Huntley (8) as he carries the ball during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes quarterback Mace Grant (3) passes against the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
The pass goes through the hands of Tornadoes intended receiver Jonathan Devos (4) during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers quarterback Jacob Perkins (1) passes against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes Jamarlin Huntley (8) pulls in a pass for a first down against the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Sa’veion Beasley (17) takes down Tornadoes Jamarlin Huntley (8) after he picks up a pass for a first down during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes quarterback Mace Grant (3) passes to Noah Clement (17) for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead over the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes Noah Clement (17) takes it in for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead over the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
The Tornadoes celebrate taking a 6-0 lead over the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Jacob Perkins (1) picks up a first down on a quarterback keeper against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Terrion Carter (3) pulls in a pass for a first down against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Caleb Willoughby (9) carries the ball against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Amarrian Brown (13) and Ronald Robinson (10) converge to tackle Tornadoes Kaden Brown (0) during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Rashad Williams (7) carries the ball on his way to a touchdown to cut the Tornadoes lead to 7-6 during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Caleb Willoughby (9) carries the ball against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Caleb Willoughby (9) gets a few extra yards after being tripped up by the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers quarterback Jacob Perkins (1) passes under pressure from the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Caleb Willoughby (9) carries the ball against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Darwing Soza (31) punts to the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers quarterback Jacob Perkins (1) passes against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes quarterback Mace Grant (3) keeps the ball against the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes quarterback Mace Grant (3) passes against the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes Jamarlin Huntley (8) rushes for a touchdown and a 13-6 lead over the Tigers during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tornadoes Ben Andrews (12) and Tigers Amarrian Brown (13) pounce on the loose ball but it was already ruled a touchdown and the Tornadoes increase their lead to 13-6 during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Jamun Stromas (15) returns a kickoff against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
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Tornadoes football takes wind out of Tigers at Pensacola High School
Tigers Caleb Willoughby (9) carries the ball against the Tornadoes during the Bay vs Pensacola football game at Pensacola High School on Sept. 25, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)
The Tigers, who lost to Bay 47-28 last season, entered this game facing one of the top Class 3A teams from this region of the state.
After losing its opening game, Bay had reeled off four straight wins, outscoring opposition 147-52. The Tornadoes were coming off a big rivalry win of their own against Panama City Rutherford.
They were averaging 35 points per-game behind sophomore quarterback Mace Grant and a deep variety of running backs and receivers.
But the PHS defense rose up Friday to keep the game a one-possession contest the entire way.
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After the Tornadoes scored on their second possession, finishing a 83-yard drive with Grant’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Noah Clement, the Tigers answered.
They went 80-yards in eight plays, capped by Rashad Williams’ 33-yard run. But the extra point failed on a bad snap and it became the first of four failed point-after plays for the Tigers, which turned into the game’s final point differential.
Bay took a 14-6 lead at halftime, after pinning PHS deep and forcing a short punt. Jamarlin Huntley lost the ball after crossing the goal line on a 1-yard run and officials ruled he had already broken the end zone line with 1:28 left in the first half.
The Tigers scored on their first possession of the third quarter when Williams burst free on a 48-yard run.
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Bay opened a 21-12 lead on a 19-yard scoring pass with 5:14 left in the third quarter. The PHS players and fans on the home sidelined believed Bay’s quarterback had crossed the line of scrimmage, causing the defense to move in and leaving the receiver wide open in the end zone.
“I thought he was past the line of scrimmage too, but it’s hard to tell,” Atteberry said. “They (officials) talked about it (in a brief huddle after the play), but I didn’t get an explanation.”
Undaunted, PHS answered with two touchdowns to take the lead. Caleb Willoughby followed a personal foul penalty against Bay’s defense with a 5-yard scoring run. Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers used a short field on the exchange to take a 24-21 lead with 10:15 remaining on Willoughby’s 5-yard run.
The Tigers defense forced a stop and PHS had moved to the Bay 15, before a lost yardage play was followed by a fumble that led to Bay’s comeback drive.
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“We talked all week that we wanted to be the most physical team on offense and I think for three-fourths of this football game we did that,” Atteberry said. “We got multiple people touches. Our quarterback got loose a couple times. Really proud of our offensive line and we drove hard.
“We just fell four points short.”
The Tigers used the final 38 seconds of the game to create some suspense. Perkins threw short passes and got PHS in position with three seconds left for a Hail Mary pass from the Bay 45. Three receivers were in the area, but Bay defenders knocked the ball away.
Here are three other takeaways from the game.
First time audition
Since graduating from Tate High in 2014 as a former starting center for the Aggies, it has been a goal for Atteberry to work his way to one day becoming a head coach.
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It happened Friday in difficult circumstances.
“In the beginning, walking out on the field I felt nerves, but once the ball is kicked off it’s football,” he said. “It’s a lot different (as head coach).This is what I am trying to be. A little practice run for me.
“There is a lot going on with defense, special teams, the offense and trying to keep the kids in the game and make the calls.”
Atteberry began coaching as assistant on the Pine Forest staff. Then he spent a season at his alma mater, Tate, before coming to join Wade McKinney at PHS.
Post game pep talk
As his dejected players gathered around him on the field, Atteberry reminded the season can still be a success.
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“We still have got a lot to play for,” he said. “This is a tough loss, but I told them they’ve got to take that scoreboard there and use that as fuel and let’s get on a win streak and finish this thing out.
“Because we’re a good team. We have four games left. Two of them are district games so everything is wide open. They are good opponents, and if we can string some wins together with the power points and all that, we could be right in the playoffs, I really believe that.”
Special teams challenges
Ultimately, the game was decided by special teams play. Bay’s kicker routinely forced touchbacks with kickoffs in the end zone.
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PHS missed on a pair of two-point attempts and had two point-after kicks go awry. Punting was also an issue with snaps and short kicks that gave Bay good field position.
“We were trying to keep it away from (Bay) returners, because we knew how good they are,” Atteberry said. “We gave them a real short field one of those times.
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola drops tough District 1-3A game to Bay without their coach.
You can view the original article HERE.
