Raider varsity nips Milton

MILTON -- The "A-shift" duo of Raiders Dusty Jones, No. 9, and Bradley Leggett, No. 5, took care of business Friday for Navarre High School.

The 9-to-5 connection hooked up on a 16-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left for the only points in the Raiders' 6-0 Kickoff Classic win at Milton. Two plays earlier, the same pair converted a third-and-13 with a 14-yard completion. The touchdown, and the interception that set it up, were among the few highlights in a preseason scrimmage marred by bad snaps and penalties.

"Our kids played hard, I'm proud of that," fourth-year Navarre coach Chad Lashley said as he was leaving the field. He said both teams would benefit from the evening's work.

"It was rough, but we'll go back to work this week and try to get better," he said. "If you don't have it in the kickoff classic, you want to have it in week one."

Standout running back Dwayne Carter, who rushed for more than 1,300 yards as a junior, unofficially gained 47 yards on eight carries and caught a pass for 12 more.

Navarre's freshmen outscored their Panthers counterparts 12-6 and the Raiders' junior varsity beat Milton 6-0 for a combined score of 24-6. The freshmen and jayvee teams each played one 12-minute period; after intermission, the varsities played two 12-minute frames.

The Raiders, coming off the most successful season in the program's short history, open the regular season Sept. 2 at Pensacola Washington.