'77 Dolphin football team wins inaugural Optimist Bowl
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

The 1977 Dolphin football team won the inaugural Optimist Bowl, beating Jay 46-22.

Donnie Brown was 11-for-13 passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth score.

Tim Koontz caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and ran for two others. Jimmy Watts (35 yards) and Jimmy Rich (61) caught touchdown passes in the win, while Richard Hardy added a 57-yard touchdown run.

Rich and Koontz both had interceptions for the Dolphins, while Jody Brown was 4-for-5 on extra points.

Koontz was sixth in the area in rushing that season (754 yards, eight touchdowns), while Watts (21 receptions, 321 yards, four touchdowns) and David Davidson (16 catches, 194 yards, one touchdown) were fourth and ninth in receiving, respectively.

1972 - David Napier was the lone Dolphin football player to make the All County team.

1977 - The Dolphin basketball team lost a pair of games in a preseason jamboree in Niceville. Gulf Breeze lost to Niceville 21- 15 and Milton 14-13.

The games were the first for the Dolphins since the graduation of Jimmy Cotton, their leading scorer from a year ago, who signed to play at the University of Florida.

1982 - Woody Johnston (52 receptions), Scott Pierson (41) and Kevin Wilkie (31) finished 1-2-3 in the area in catches. Tommy Nash (1,635 yards, 13 touchdowns) was the only area quarterback to break 1,000 passing.

1992 - The Baker Gators edged Gulf Breeze 56-54 in overtime of the Walton Tip Off Classic. Jimmy Buttrum had 21 points for the Dolphins, while David Satterwhite had 18 and Dave Gallagher 13.

The Lady Dolphin soccer team went 1-2 at the Soccer Kick Thanksgiving Tournament at Dolphin Stadium.

Gulf Breeze lost its opener 2-1 to Choctaw before routing Pace 7-0. Heather Hutchins had four goals, while Mica Mardis, Kim Zammitt and Joh Glassmire had one goal each.

Hutchins had the lone goal for Gulf Breeze in a 7-1 loss to Woodham.

1997 - The Dolphin basketball team fell to 0-6 on the season after losses to Niceville and Pine Forest.

Gary Wargo had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Jace Crooke had nine in a 58-55 loss to Niceville. Brian Cocoran had 16 points, while Crooke had 12 and Brian Mink 11 in a 74-60 loss to Pine Forest.

The girls team fell to 1-7 after losses to Tate and Escambia. Julie Dease had eight points and Bree Bolster seven in a 58-28 loss at Tate, wihle Cathryn Outzen had 10 points and Bolster nine in a 65- 43 loss to Escambia.

Dolphin and Bayside soccer player C.D. Harris made Florida's U15 Olympic Development Program squad.

2002 - The GBHS swim team were the top public school finisher at the 1A state meet in Fort Lauderdale, as the boys and girls finished 12th and 16th, respectively.

Kyle Cormier placed in five events, including a fifth place finish in the 500 yard freestyle. Sunny Gibson placed in four events for the girls, including a ninth place finish in the 100 yard backstroke. The quartet of Gibson, Carly Saul, Heather Rhoden and Candace Knowles were ninth in the 200 yard medley relay.

Cecily Welsh (21:35) and Jenny Miller (21:41) were 67th and 69th, respectively at the state cross country meet.

The Dolphin soccer team advanced to the final of the Tallahassee Kickoff Classic, losing to Washington 1-0 in penalty kicks.

Jordan Machesky's goal late in the first half was the difference in the Dolphins' 1-0 win over Leon. Keith Savage had the assist in that game and had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to Chiles.

Machesky and Montie Lewing both scored in the loss, while Ben Keane and David Brown had assists.

Tyler Story, Adam Schrock and Brandon Johanson had goals in a 3-0 win over Navarre, while Lewing had an assist.

The Dolphin basketball team split a pair of games in the Optimist Tip Off Tournament.

The girls basketball team opened the season with a 61-30 loss to PHS. Mallary Campbell had 15 points for Gulf Breeze.

Campbell had 18 points, five rebounds and three steals in a 36-35 loss to Milton. The Lady Panthers scored the gamewinning point on a free throw with 1.3 seconds left.

Kaley Morris scored 10 goals in five games as the Lady Dolphin JV soccer team won the Panama City Rutherford Tournament.