2023 Team Preview: Navarre aims to "take the next step" following best season in four years.

Every August begins with a chance to look ahead.

With that, coaches are often reluctant to rewind the clock and make use of past successes. The dynamics are likely different. New year, new rosters, new team.

Navarre, on the other hand, is embracing its recent past. Following their best season in four years, the Raiders are fueled with optimism thanks to a 2022 campaign that proved just how good they can be.

“We’re always focused on what’s ahead of us, but there’s always a bit of a look back for a lot of the returning guys, just to realize how close we were to really taking that next step forward and being really, really great,” Navarre senior offensive lineman Charlie Cottrell said.

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Navarre was really, really good a year ago, defeating Pace, Milton and Gulf Breeze each in one-score games to claim the District 1-4S title.

Following a Week 2 defeat to Pine Forest, the Raiders rolled off seven wins in a row before en route to an 8-3 record. It was the first time Navarre has won eight games in a season since 2018. That year, the program went 11-2 and advanced to the regional finals. All three of the team’s 2022 losses came at home, including a 47-20 rout to the hands of Creekside in a Region 1-4S quarterfinal.

“I think we had a really good year, and the message has been, ‘Hey, let’s build on that,’” Navarre head coach Jay Walls said. “We won the district, that was outstanding. We made it to the playoffs, but we got beat in the first round. I think the guys that were a part of that enjoyed a taste of that, but they want to go further.”

'Fast, physical and aggressive'

In order for the Raiders to build, they’ll need to rebuild their defensive line. All three starters from a year ago have graduated, including defensive tackle Kiohne Moso, who finished last season with 51 tackles and a team-best 4.5 sacks.

Despite a lack of experience, Walls is high on a trio of juniors eager to fill those spots: Braxton Barr, Ezekiel Gaska, Will Payton, who did not play his sophomore season due to injury.

Most of the remaining players from the team’s 3-4 base defense have seen time on the field.

Junior linebacker Andre Spence is back after finishing second on the team with 68 tackles. He’ll line up alongside fellow junior Josh Wilson, who placed third with 65 stops.

Behind them, senior defensive back Connor Black is a returning starter at safety while Tyrell Marshall is back at cornerback. He received eight Division I offers before eventually committing to Memphis this past June. Even while visiting numerous camps, Marshall did not miss a single team workout during the summer.

“He’s definitely a leader for us,” Walls said of Marshall.

A star on the hardwood for the Raiders basketball team, senior Daruis Cunningham will make the transition to the gridiron and play in the defensive backfield. Walls has been encouraged by Cunningham’s athleticism and how quickly he has grasped the sport in his first year.

Overall, speed and athleticism are the biggest attributes to the team's defensive identity.

“We got to make it simple, we don’t want them to be thinking too much. We want them to be playing fast, physical and aggressive. That’s the mentality and that’s what we want to do with our defense.”

Big playmaker

Another Marshall will soon make his college decision.

Terence Marshall enters the 2023 season with 14 Division I offers, which include the likes of Florida State, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Tennessee.

While he’s not in a rush to select a school and anticipates his selection will come during the season, the senior athlete hopes the moment matches what it was like to experience his brother Tyrell make his decision.

“It was exciting. Seeing him being able to live out and accomplish his dream meant everything to me,” Terence said of his brother’s commitment.

Whoever lands Terence will get Navarre's most productive receiver and special teams players over the past two seasons. Arguably the fastest player in the area, the speedster has scored 16 touchdowns (11 receiving, 5 special teams) through his sophomore and junior campaigns.

But according to Walls, there's more than numbers and talent.

“Terence is a guy that’s really mature. He’s going to be dependable and work hard,” Walls said. “He’s a team guy. He’s respected and loved by his teammates. Those are the things you are going to get from him, along with speed, the ability to catch the ball and make big plays.”

Unfortunately, for Terence Marshall, he’ll be on the mend to start the season after suffering a torn labrum in the spring. He’s scheduled to return in September.

“It was definitely tough, mentally,” he said of injury and offseason. “This is my first time actually being injured, missing games and missing practices. Coach Walls would talk to me, my parents would always talk to me and tell me to just keep your head up and it’s going to be fine within a few months.”

Balanced, experience attack

As a sophomore, Eddie Love Jr. paced the Raiders in rushing with 1,244 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games. However, Love Jr. will not return to the Navarre backfield after transferring to Fort Walton Beach.

Still, Walls believes running back is the team’s deepest position. Spence and Wilson will receive carries as will Connor Matthew, who rushed for 198 yards during the Raiders’ win over Pace. Meanwhile, listed at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, Anthony Gassaway is the largest rushing option.

Walls, who also doubles as the team’s playcaller, wants to run a balanced offense, but the potential in running attack as a way to create explosive players over the top.

“If a defense has to get seven-eight guys in the box, that should open up the passing game,” Walls said.

Senior Hunter Pfiester is slated to start at quarterback. Appearing in eight games as sophomore, Pfiester was solid as a junior in his first season as a starter, completing nearly 55 percent of his passes for 1,753 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 134 yards and a score on the ground.

“I think it’s a strength for our team and our offense that your quarterback is a guy that has a lot of experience and can run and throw the football,” Walls said.

Pfiester’s options this year will be the Marshall brothers, the 6-4 Cunningham along with slot receiver Nate Hanson.

As for the men up front, Navarre returns three senior starters in Cottrell at center, Jaxson Spalla, who didn’t allow a sack last season, and Cam Pollard, who is the largest lineman on the team at 6-1, 320 pounds. Additionally, senior tight end Braydon Brown will aid in run blocking.

Last year, Ethan Newman, currently at Kennesaw State, was the lone returning starter of the unit. But with a year under their belts, Cottrell believes the experience of the offensive line will pay dividends.

“We get to start with a step ahead because we didn’t have that last year,” Cottrell said. “We get to come in and lead these young guys, bring them under us and give them a foundation to lean on. If they don’t know what’s going on, they can look to us and we can help them out.”

Navarre Raiders

District: 1-4S

Coach: Jay Walls (12th season as Raiders head coach, 95-30 record with the Raiders)

Last Year: 8-3 (4-0 District 1-4S); District 1-4S champion, lost to Creekside 47-20 in Region 1-4S quarterfinal

Key Players: Terence Marshall, Sr., ATH; Tyrell Marshall, ATH, Sr.; Hunter Pfiester, QB, Sr.; Charlie Cottrell, Sr., OL; Andre Spence, LB/RB, Jr.; Josh Wilson, LB/RB, Jr.

Key Losses: Ethan Newman, Jadon Reese, Kiohne Moso, Eddie Love Jr. (transfer), Zavier Hamilton (transfer), Dante Core (transfer)

2023 Regular Season Schedule:

8/25: vs. Pensacola Catholic

9/1: at Pine Forest

9/8: vs. Rickards:

9/15: vs. Tate

9/22: at Carroll (Ala.)

Bye Week

10/6: vs. Mosley

10/13: at Milton

10/20: at Pace

10/27: vs. Gulf Breeze

11/3: at Niceville

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Football: Following district title, Navarre has hungry for more in 2023