Eying that elusive region title, second-seeded Choctawhatchee looked the part of a state title contender in all three phases of the game to open the Region 1-4A playoffs.
Tamen Zabetakis threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Zion Legree found the end zone three times and the District 2 champion Big Green had a pick-six from Amir Reese and a Jaylen Brazan special teams touchdown in Friday’s 49-6 win over seventh-seeded Booker T. Washington at Joe Etheredge Stadium.
One win down, two to go for a 10-1 Choctaw program that’s lost three straight years in the region championship.
Now third-seeded Columbia (9-2), which shut out Rickards 35-0 Friday, comes to Joe Etheredge Stadium Nov. 21 for highly touted region semifinal matchup, while on the other side of the bracket top-seeded St. Augustine (10-1) welcomes fourth-seeded Ed White (9-2).
Baker 35, Liberty County 0
The goal all year long for the Gators has been to punch their ticket to the Final 4 and practice on Thanksgiving. On Friday, they moved one win away from that goal, with sixth-seeded Baker (11-0) getting three touchdowns from Justice Baldwin and a pick-six from Wyatt Straight to open the Rural region semifinals at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium.
Justice Baldwin threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, Riley Renfro and Joel Morse on the other end of those touchdown throws. Dawson Mitchem added a 35-yard touchdown run, Austin Stanley led the receiving corps with 79 yards and Straight finished with two interceptions.
The Gators next travel to third-seeded Chiefland (10-1), which defeated 14th-seeded Sneads 44-6 Friday night, for a region championship on Nov. 21.
Ponte Vedra 31, Niceville 30
A year after surviving a 21-20 overtime scare against Ponte Vedra in the region semifinals, eighth-seeded Niceville saw a similar fate end its season in Friday’s Region 1-5A semifinal.
Overcoming a Deagan McCoy injury, Niceville forced overtime with an 80-yard connection between Thomas Radliff and Robert Oliver and then answered top-seeded Ponte Vedra’s overtime score with a Radliff four-yard touchdown toss to Justus Donahoo on fourth down, but Camrin Pearson’s extra point was blocked by JP Dolan.
Oliver finished with three touchdowns, the first going for 50 yards to put Niceville up 7-3 early. Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Niceville fell victim to three turnovers as the deficit ballooned to 17-7 in the third quarter. But Radliff entered for an injured McCoy and threw three touchdowns, the first to Oliver to close the deficit to 17-14. Pearson tied things up with a 23-yard field goal, but Ponte Vedra answered with a huge kickoff return inside the red zone and took a 24-17 lead. On fourth down, Radliff connected with Oliver for an 80-yard touchdown to force overtime.
Ponte Vedra got the ball first in overtime and Jack Berquist scored on fourth-and-goal, followed by a Noah Ash’s extra point. That proved to be the winning margin, Niceville finishing 6-5 in Richard Morgan’s first year at the helm while Ponte Vedra (9-2) advances to face fourth-seeded Beachside (8-3) in the Sweet 16.
Bolles 63, Walton 13
Top-seeded Bolles looked the part of a powerhouse in Friday’s Region 1-2A quarterfinal rout of the eighth-seeded Braves, who finish the season 4-7 after a late-season playoff push.C
Mandarin 42, Crestview 14
Crestview’s five-game win streak came to a crashing halt in Friday’s Region 1-6A quarterfinal road trip to second-seeded Mandarin, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs finishing the season 6-4 and with a win over archrival Niceville.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Baker, Choctaw open football playoffs with routs and Niceville denied in OT
Reporting by Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News / Northwest Florida Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
