Where has the time gone?

As I sit here, putting the finishing touches on another issue of the Gulf Breeze News, the thought just hit me - I've been here for five years.

A lot has happened since coming back to Gulf Breeze on Oct. 30, 2002 - Saddam Hussein was still in power, no one outside Illinois knew who the world Barack Obama was and Lindsay Lohan hadn't fallen off the wagon...yet.

I had only two nieces and nephews at the time - now I have six. The Christmas list is growing quite long.

Another list has grown quite long as well - the list of folks in this little slice of paradise that I can call my friends. Friends that I've seen grow up before my eyes - and in many cases, still are.

And since my 'Back in Time' features go back to only 2002, here's a look back at some of the more memorable moments (bad, as well as good) those friends have made in the last five years.

10) An un-Story book like ending (2004) - The year before, the Dolphin soccer team, led by Keith Savage and Ty Story, had advanced all the way to the state tournament. This year, it was Story's team who opened up the district tournament against Pace.

The score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. The Dolphins, ranked number two in the state, fired shots at will at the Pace goal - and all went high or wide. The missed chances would come back to haunt the Dolphins, who watched as Pace celebrated a penalty kick shootout win.

9) The mother of all shootouts (2004) - Less than a week later, the Lady Dolphin soccer team was only two wins from their sixth consecutive state tournament appearance, but Leon had other plans. The game was tied at the end of regulation, then one overtime, then another, setting up a shootout.

The teams were tied after the five five kicks, setting up sudden death, where GBHS and Leon were tied after round six, seven, eight and nine.

Leon had a chance to win three times during that stretch, but sophomore Genny Lee was up to the challenge. But Leon scored on their 10th chance and a Gulf Breeze shot was saved, giving Leon the win.

8) How did he do that? (2007) - The Dolphin soccer team was back in the district title game against a loaded Washington squad.

The Dolphins led 2-1 in the closing minutes when Washington's Geoff Joseph lobbed a ball from about 25 yards out. The ball looked like it was going to tie the match at two, but Johnny Miller leaped high to his right to bat the ball away.

Moments later, the Dolphins tacked on another goal to win the match 3-1.

7) Not on my watch (2006) - Brad McGuire's senior football season didn't go the way he'd planned, with a trip to the playoffs. The Navarre Raiders were celebrating their first ever district title, who had hoped to notch their first win over the Dolphins since 2002.

But McGuire wasn't going to have that streak end on his watch as he scored from two yards out with 28 seconds left to give the Dolphins a 24-20 win.

McGuire threw for 235 yards and ran for 108 more, leading the Dolphins on the gamewinning drive after Jacob Hurst recovered a Raider fumble with less than two minutes to go.

6) Winning the battle, losing the war (2006) - The saying could have described he Catholic Crusaders, who came to Gulf Breeze hoping to notch their first football win over their archrivals since 2002.

Patrick Kooi did all he could, running for 101 yards and throwing for 174 yards, putting the Crusaders in field goal range for a potential gamewinning field goal.

The Dolphins, with all three of their timeouts, used one, then the second, then the third to ice the Catholic kicker. The strategy worked as Boomer Harrington blocked the kick, sending the game into overtime.

In the third overtime, Shane Dorlag picked off a Kooi pass. Two plays later, Jason Pugh scored to give GBHS the 30-24 win.

5) Sweet revenge (and an amazing comeback, 2005) - The year before, a junior laden Lady Dolphin volleyball squad lost its first match of the season at Catholic in a five-set thriller.

Catholic looked as if they were going to do it again, leading 12-3 in game five.

A kill from Caitlin Skislak, followed by four points on serve, made it 12-8. A sideout by Catholic put them two points from the win before a kill from Jenna Thorp and two Jenna Moes serves made it a two point game (13-11) before Catholic forced a sideout, and with it, match point.

A spike that missed by mere inches gave GBHS the match back. Laura Burt scored two points on serve to tie it at 14.

Amiscue by Gulf Breeze set up another match point by Catholic, but a spike went into the net. Ablock by Julia Fairchild set up a match point for the Lady Dolphins, which they converted to win 17-15 in the fifth game.

4) Shoot it, I dare ya (2006) - The Lady Dolphin soccer team and the Washington Lady Cats squared off for the fifth time during the 2005-06 season in the regional final at Dolphin Stadium.

Gulf Breeze had won the first two before Washington won 3-1 at home. The Lady Dolphins beat Washington in the district title match, setting up Chapter Five.

Gulf Breeze led 2-1 in the second half before Washington scored twice for a 3-2 lead. Freshman Jessica Majewski, who scored the game-winner in GBHS' regional semifinal win over Paxon, stole a pass, dribbled in and scored to tie it at 3.

As regulation wound down, fans of the basketball team, who had beaten Catholic across the street, streamed into the stadium, making the atmosphere similiar to Friday nights in the fall.

But those fans would go unhappy as Washington's Lindsey Williams, who squirted one past keeper Amanda Schermerhorn to make it 3-2, launched a shot from 35 yards out that landed in the left side of the net, stunning the home crowd in the 87th minute. Washington advanced to state, where they lost to nationally-ranked Nease.

3) Did they really miss that? (2003) - The more things change, the more they stay the same. That was the feeling of the Lady Dolphin soccer team, who after going to state four straight years with Pam Reynolds and Mike Lagow, were there again under first year coach Eric Miles.

Future UCF star Shannon Wing scored an early goal before Land O'Lakes tied it with less than 15 minutes left.

Gulf Breeze had a corner kick in the opening minutes of overtime. Annie Adams and the Land O'Lakes keeper collided in midair, give the Lady Dolphins a look at an empty net. Jessica Van Slyke's header was heading to the back of the net before a Land O'Lakes defender punched (yes, you read that right) it out of harm's way.

Unfortunately, for the Lady Dolphins, the only ones who didn't see it were the officials. In the second overtime, Land O'Lakes scored the game-winner.

The loss put a damper on an incredible run by Annie Adams, Brandi Adams, Wing and the rest of the Class of '03, who graduated with an 121-9-5 record.

2) Goliath falls (2003) - As those Lady Dolphins were clinching a berth to state in Jacksonville, the boys were home against Bishop Kenny in the regional finals.

Most of the Bishop Kenny players could've passed for football players, as they dwarfed many of the Dolphin players. At times, the Crusaders poked fun at the size of Tyler Story, patting him on the head. But it was Story and his Dolphins who'd have the last laugh, beating the Crusaders 5-4 in penalty kicks to clinch a state tournament berth.

Keith Savage either scored or assisted on all five Gulf Breeze goals, including making a long throw in to Rhett Gross, whose header with 28 seconds left in overtime tied the match at at four. The game was stopped with three minutes left in regulation and the match tied at three because of rain.

1) The kick is up, and...(2003) - The Dolphin football team, just a year removed from an 0-10 season, had forced a three-team shootout for second place in the district after beating Navarre three days earlier.

The Dolphins drew Bay in the first 12 minute quarter. Bay led 3-0 before throwing a long pass to make it 10-0 with 2:20 left. A player was heard to have muttered 'well, we had a great season,' summing up the feeling of most that it was over.

But the Dolphin offense, with senior tailbacks Daniel Kostic and Tyler Lake and freshman quarterback Brad McGuire, weren't about to throw in the towel just yet.

McGuire started with two passes to Rhett Gross before Kostic took a direct snap and ran 22 yards. At the Bay 12- yard line, McGuire scrambled and floated a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chris Proctor with 22.6 seconds left.

After Chase Griffin kicked the extra point, the Dolphins kicked an onside kick, with Proctor recovering. The onside kick was the first the Dolphins had attempted in a game that season.

McGuire, after getting his first pass knocked down, threw an 11-yarder to Toby Robin with 9.5 seconds left. Proctor hauled in a four-yard pass, setting up Griffin for a 46-yard game-tying field goal.

Griffin's kick cleared the crossbar by only a few feet, sending the visitors' sidelines into a state of euphoria. Problem was, it wasn't over yet.

Bay went on offense first, netting no yards on three pass plays. The 27-yard field goal was blocked by Robert Wandell. Gulf Breeze wasted no time, running Griffin out on first down, whose 27-yarder gave the Dolphins the win.

Gulf Breeze had to take on Navarre in the next quarter. Kostic caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from McGuire with 6:06 left, but the Dolphins needed Stephen Menke to break up a fourth down pass on the Dolphin nine-yard line to win 7-0 to clinch the runner up spot.