Four Okaloosa County teams competed in Friday’s first round of the Florida high school football playoffs, with mixed results that included two blowouts, a heartbreaking overtime loss and a season-ending defeat.

Choctawhatchee 49, Booker T. Washington 6

The Indians put their upset loss to Enterprise behind them with a dominant performance in all three phases of the game, showing why they remain one of the favorites in the Road to Miami.

Choctaw set the tone early in the first quarter when cornerback Jaylen Brazan intercepted Wildcats quarterback Caden Osborn and nearly returned it for a touchdown. Running back Von’Tavious Keller punched in the first score shortly after, and the rout was on.

• The Indians led 28-6 at halftime, powered by two touchdowns from quarterback Zabetakis—one rushing and one passing to DJ Spence. Zion Legree added a rushing touchdown. Washington got on the board in the second quarter when Osborn capped a long drive with a quarterback sneak.

The second half belonged entirely to Choctaw. After missing a field goal in the third quarter, the Indians forced a Wildcats punt that Brazan blocked, scooping it up himself for a touchdown. Later, Amir Reese intercepted Osborn and returned it for another score. Brazan picked off Osborn again, setting up a Zabetakis-to-Legree touchdown that pushed the lead to 49-6 and triggered a running clock.

The win sends the Indians to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, where they’ll face Columbia at Joe Etheridge Stadium on Friday.

“We made some mistakes – we have to do some things better,” Coach Frank Beasley said. “I keep telling people, playoff football’s hard, and they have a good team too. They’ve gotten better and better and our guys made plays, and hopefully we’ll get some guys healthy.”

Despite the elimination, Booker T. Washington Coach Ryan Onkka sees the playoff appearance as a building block.

“We’re really really young, bringing back 16 starters for next year, we’re excited about that,” Onkka said. “We’ve got to have a heck of an offseason, and continue to build off of that and grow next year and beyond.”

Baker 35, Liberty County 0

The Gators moved one step closer to their first undefeated season since their 2020 state championship run with a shutout win that turned into a running clock in the second half.

Baker led just 7-0 at halftime on a Justice Baldwin pass to Joel Morse, but exploded for 28 points in the second half. Baldwin threw a second touchdown to Riley Renfro and ran in another score. Wyatt Straight added a pick-six, and backup quarterback Dawson Mitchem scored the final touchdown of the night to cap the 35-0 victory.

• The Gators advance to face Chiefland, who defeated Sneads, on the road next round.

Ponte Vedra 31, Niceville 30 (OT)

The Eagles took the No. 1 seed Sharks to the wire before falling short in overtime on a blocked extra point.

Ponte Vedra opened the scoring with a field goal, but Niceville answered when linebacker Clay Nelson intercepted Sharks quarterback Cole Rosendahl, setting up a touchdown pass from Deegan McCoy to receiver Robert Oliver. The Sharks regained the lead before halftime when Rosendahl connected with receiver Jack Belquist following a McCoy interception by Ponte Vedra linebacker Talan Babin. The Sharks led 10-7 at the break.

• McCoy threw another interception to open the second half and was injured on the play. Running back Alex Winkles scored on the ensuing drive to put Ponte Vedra up 17-7. After the Eagles blocked a Sharks field goal, backup quarterback Thomas Radliff led a scoring drive capped by his second touchdown pass to Oliver, cutting the deficit to three points.

The Eagles tied the game with a field goal, but the Sharks responded with a drive highlighted by a deep Rosendahl pass to Tucker Henderson that set up an end-around touchdown by Belquist, making it 24-17. Radliff answered with an 80-yard touchdown strike to Oliver—his third of the game—to force overtime at 24-24.

Ponte Vedra received the ball first in overtime and Belquist scored to put the Sharks up 31-24. Radliff threw a touchdown pass to Justus Donahoo, but kicker Camrin Pearson’s extra point was blocked, giving the Sharks the win.

While the loss ends Niceville’s season after last year’s Final Four run, the Eagles return key talent including McCoy and running back JaKobe Gilyard under coach Richard Morgan. Ponte Vedra advances to host Beachside, who defeated Milton.

Mandarin 42, Crestview 14

The Bulldogs’ season ended with a loss to the Mustangs despite taking an early lead on a fumble return for a touchdown.

Mandarin scored 35 unanswered points after Crestview’s early score, leading 28-7 at halftime. Running back Chris Harrison’s touchdown in the second half pushed the lead to 42-7, triggering a running clock. 

• The Bulldogs added a late touchdown to make the final 42-14.

Crestview finished the season on a five-game winning streak that included a victory over Niceville. Mandarin advances to host Pace, who defeated Evans, next Friday.