Seahawks open season at 6-2
Three straight home wins have lifted the Franklin County Seahawks varsity baseball team to a 6-2 record, as they head to the crucial March month of their 2025 season.
Under the direction of Coach Brock Johnson and assistant Lloyd Alford, the Seahawks closed out February by defeating Crossroads Academy 22-1 in four innings Friday night, as sophomores Chason Martina and Brennan Cook twirled a two-hitter between them.
The Seahawks’ hitting barrage was led by sophomore Sadiq Jones with four hits, including a triple and home run and five runs batted in. Freshmen Kayden Drake and Karcen Poloronis each had two hits, Juniors Colby Blackburn and Nolan Alford each had one hit and one RBI, with Alford’s a double. Freshman Kobe Joseph had a double and three RBIs, as did freshman Brody Johnson. Freshman JT Mathes had a hit and two runs batted in, and Martina a hit and one RBI.
On Feb. 28 against Rutherford, Blackburn’s two-run double in the sixth helped the Seahawks down the Rams 8-6, as he went 3 for 3 with three runs batted in.
Jones, who closed out the game with one-and-two thirds innings of no-hit relief, had three hits including a triple. Martina, North, Poloronis and Alford all banged out hits.
Freshman Gabe Kelly and Alford were on the mound in the middle innings, with Kelly striking out five and Alford two as they scattered four hits and five runs between them.
On Feb. 25, Franklin County managed just two hits, a single and a double by Martina, but still eked out a 3-2 win over Florida State University High School.
Poloronis was credited with two runs batted in and Martina one. Blackburn struck out four and gave up nine hits in nearly seven innings of work.
The three wins followed a 12-0 loss Feb. 21 at home to Holmes County, as senior Preston Klaus, Drake and North managed hits.
On Feb. 20 at home, the Seahawks downed Blountstown 9-5, as Jones and Blackburn scattered four hits between them.
Jones led the team with two hits, followed by singles by Allen, Drake, Klaus, Martina and Alford.
In an away game Feb. 18, the Seahawks shelled Wakulla Christian 11-1 in five innings.
Blackburn had two hits and three RBI, while Allen, North, Jones, Klaus and Drake each had base hits.
On the mound, Klaus struck out four and gave up just two hits, with Cook giving up one earned run in two innings of relief.
The team shut out Munroe 10-0 in five innings at home Feb. 14. As Jones slammed a pair of triples for three runs batted in.
Klaus struck out seven and Cook five as they gave up no runs and just two hits.
The Seahawks opener, Feb. 14 was a 14-4 loss at Leon, as only Allen, Jones, Martina, Alford and Blackburn managed hits.
Jones, Cook and Kelly gave up 14 runs, nine of them earned, between them.
The 2025 roster
1 sophomore Sadiq Jones
2 sophomore Jeremiah Allen
3 sophomore Chason Martina
5 freshman JT Mathes
7 freshman Kayden Drake
8 senior Preston Klaus
9 freshman Kobe Joseph
10 freshman Karcen Poloronis
11 freshman Brody Johnson
12 sophomore Brennan Cook
14 freshman Gabe Kelly
20 sophomore Ashton Gilbert
22 junior Colby Blackburn
23 freshman Dre North
27 junior Nolan Alford
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.