Blue Wahoos Stadium To Host Mayor's Bowl Prep Football Game 

The fifth annual Mayor’s Bowl football game, featuring Pensacola High and Booker T. Washington, will be staged this year on Oct. 3 directly across from City Hall at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The new venue and unique connection was announced Saturday night during the Blue Wahoos game against the Birmingham Barons. Both head coaches, along with Pensacola mayor D.C. Reeves, and Blue Wahoos’ mascot Kazoo, joined in a quick on-field event.

“I think this is the ultimate venue that defines our city,” said Reeves, following the brief announcement in front of the Blue Wahoos’ dugout. “And to have an opportunity to play the game with our two city high schools here. I think is a perfect harmony.”

The original prep football schedules for 2025 had the game at Pensacola High’s Jim Scoggins Stadium. It will still be a PHS home game, but both teams agreed to move the Mayor’s Bowl game – in addition to this being the First City Bowl designation -- and play at the bayfront stadium.

“We love it,” said PHS coach Wade McKinney, whose team had a breakthrough 5-5 season in 2024 that included a win against Booker T. Washington and a First City Bowl win against West Florida High.

“This is a five minute drive for us,” McKinney said. “So, we’re hoping we pack this thing out. We treat it like it’s another home game for PHS. We are down here in the city playing, so we feel like this is our home turf right here.”

The Oct. 3 game will kickoff at 7 p.m. Gates will open at 6 p.m. Tickets will be $7 apiece. All seats must be purchased through the Blue Wahoos ticket outlets, either www.bluewahoos.com or at the stadium box office. The GoFan.com site for Florida high school games will not be available for this game.

This will be the third year Blue Wahoos Stadium has hosted a prep football game. The previous two have been designated as the First City Bowl. This one will have a dual distinction.

“I think it’s another way to honor a rivalry with us being technically the only two (public) city schools in Pensacola,” said Washington coach Ryan Onkka, whose team won the first three Mayor’s Bowl games before last season’s PHS win.

“I think it’s a cool tradition,” he said. “It gives some bragging rights, something to fight for in addition to school pride and everything else.”

In August 2021, former Pensacola mayor Grover Robinson, a Booker T. Washington High graduate, announced the creation of the Mayor’s Bowl between the two schools. The first four games were played at the two high school stadiums.

Reeves said having the game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, right in the middle of downtown Pensacola, adds an extra benefit.

“We know how much work goes into this each week for every one of the high school teams and what it takes,” Reeves said. “There’s only 10 games (in a regular season). So, to showcase one of them, and get to do it in a stadium like this, makes a lot of sense.

“For our young kids in the city limits to play on this field, where so many pros have played in different sports, has got to be exciting for them, the coaches, their parents. And to be able to showcase these two teams in the best place possible in the city.”

Saturday’s announcement occurred as prelude to the start of the 2025 high school football season with games this week on Thursday and Friday involving Pensacola area schools.

Washington has its bye week this week. PHS opens its season at Pine Forest.

The Tigers beat Washington 23-0 for their first Mayor’s Bowl win in the season-opening game last season. They followed with a 28-21 win against West Florida High in the First City Bowl at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Both teams traveled Friday (Aug. 15) for preseason scrimmage games. PHS went to Navarre, only to have rough weather cancel the game, which was to include junior varsity and freshman teams.

“Well, at least we got to load everybody up, drive over there on the bus, so kind of see the preparations for a road game,” McKinney said. “But we got over there and lightning was too bad and we were told we couldn’t kick off until at least 10 o’clock and we didn’t want to do that.”

Washington traveled to Tallahassee-Chiles High for its preseason Friday. The game also encountered a lightning delay, but was able to get completed.

“We had 10 minutes to warm up, then play, so we had no time. We got back at 2 a.m.,” Onkka said. “But it’s an experience to get focused for the regular season.”