Two Okaloosa County teams took the field Friday in Round 2 of the state playoffs. One kept its season alive with a dramatic comeback, while the other saw its championship hopes end.

Choctawhatchee 27, Columbia 20

The Indians had to do something they haven’t done for much of the year: play from behind.

• The game started the same way as last week, with the defense forcing an interception. Alante Reese picked off Columbia quarterback Xavier Collins deep in Tigers territory. A few plays later, quarterback Tamen Zabetakis hit receiver DJ Spence for a touchdown to give Choctaw an early lead.

The rest of the first quarter turned into a defensive stalemate.

Columbia answered in the second quarter with a long drive highlighted by a Collins deep shot to Drew Simmons. Collins finished the drive himself on a 2-yard run to tie the game. Defense dominated the remainder of the quarter until Columbia struck again just before halftime. Collins connected with receiver Kyren Caldwell to set up the Tigers at the Choctaw 3-yard line, where Simmons punched it in. The PAT failed, giving Columbia a 13-7 halftime lead.

After both teams exchanged punts to start the third quarter, the Tigers extended their lead. Collins hit Tacori Allen to move Columbia to the Indians 19, then kept it himself for an 11-yard touchdown scramble that made it 20-7.

Choctaw tried to respond with a drive highlighted by a Dante Whidbee run that put them deep in Columbia territory. Zabetakis appeared to score on a quarterback scramble, but the touchdown was negated by a holding penalty. The Indians came up short.

That’s when the momentum shifted.

On Columbia’s next drive, Jaylen Brazan blocked his second punt of the playoffs. Jordan Figueroa scooped it up and took it to the end zone. A bad snap on the PAT left Choctaw trailing 20-13.

• With eight minutes left, Columbia appeared to put the game away when Collins threw a deep touchdown strike to Kameron Mills. But a holding penalty wiped it off the board, and the Tigers had to punt.

The Indians offense, which had struggled to find rhythm all night, finally clicked. Carter Marracco and Zabetakis both converted first-down runs before Zabetakis connected with Zion Legree on a deep pass that flipped the field. A few plays later, Zabetakis hit Marracco for a touchdown to tie the game at 20-20.

Then came the knockout blow.

Amir Reese intercepted Collins and returned it all the way for six, giving the Indians a 27-20 lead.

• Columbia wasn’t finished. The Tigers drove all the way to the Indians 5-yard line, but Mills was stopped short of both the first down and the goal line on fourth down, sealing the comeback win.

“We just got things going in the second half, played really good defense, got our offense going, we tempoed a little bit, blocked that punt, we kept battling,” said Head Coach Frank Beasely. “We stayed in it and kept doing our thing. We’ve got some tough kids and I’m really proud of them.”

With the win, Choctaw advances to its fourth straight Elite 8. The Indians will face what has been their kryptonite for the past two years: St. Augustine, which beat Ed White 44-12. This marks the fourth straight year Choctaw and St. Augustine have met in the playoffs. Choctaw won the first matchup, while the Yellowjackets have won the last two.

• “They’re really tough, but we’ve been there before. We have a plan for what we’re going to do and we’ll be ready,” Beasley said.

The game will be played Friday at St. Augustine’s Brumley Stadium. The winner will be the regional champion and advance to the Final 4.

Chiefland 49, Baker 14

The Gators’ state championship hopes were crushed Friday at the hands of the Chiefland Indians.

The game got out of hand quickly. 

Chiefland raced out to a 28-0 lead, with Jonathan Adams scoring three touchdowns and Demorri Sweet adding another. Baker got on the board before halftime when Justice Baldwin connected with Austin Stanley for a touchdown.

Chiefland scored two more touchdowns in the second half to force a running clock. Both teams would score once more before the final whistle, with Chiefland winning 49-14.

• The loss brings a solid season for the Gators to an end.

Chiefland advances to the Final 4, where it will travel to Hawthorne, which beat Williston 30-8. The winner will advance to the Rural Class State Championship on Dec. 5 at H.G. Morse Stadium in The Villages.