It’s official. We are now into week four, and many teams begin district play as all area teams look forward to the enviable district championship. Here is a look at this week’s games, along with predictions.
(All games at 7 p.m. CT unless noted otherwise)
Key: *District game
Friday, Sept. 11
- Choctaw at Escambia*
- Tate at Crestview*
- Navarre at Niceville*
- Milton at Fort Walton Beach*
- Blountstown at Baker*
- Pensacola at South Walton*
- Taylor County at Walton
- North Florida Christian at Freeport
- Aucilla Christian at Rocky Bayou
Bye: Destin
Predictions
(5-3 last week, 15-11 overall)
Choctaw 42, Escambia 7
Choctaw is the better team by a country mile and should take care of business in this one. With the offense finally coming together against Pace, look for the Indians’ offense to continue trending in the right direction.
Crestview 28, Tate 24
This is a game that could go either way, but with it being at Jack Foster Stadium, the edge goes to the Bulldogs. Crestview has to break through for its first win at some point.
Niceville 56, Navarre 0
Niceville will be eager for a bounce-back, and Navarre is the perfect opportunity as the Eagles put together a tune-up before Choctaw next week.
Milton 24, Fort Walton Beach 17
Milton feels like a step ahead of the Vikings right now, considering Fort Walton Beach has been overmatched against both South Walton and West Florida Tech. The Vikings can keep this competitive, however.
Baker 21, Blountstown 17
This feels like a game that could go in either direction. But since it’s at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium, Baker gets the tiebreaker in a game that could go a long way toward determining the Class 1A District 1 champion.
South Walton 49, Pensacola 0
Pensacola has not looked good this year, and with South Walton eager for a bounce-back, the Seahawks dominate from start to finish to earn their first district win.
Walton 35, Taylor County 14
Taylor County is better than both West Florida Tech and Arnold and should put up a tougher fight for the Braves. But once again, Walton finds a way to win in blowout fashion.
Freeport 49, North Florida Christian 7
Freeport is the better team in this game. Look for the Bulldogs to reach running clock in what could be Bobby Johns’ most impressive win yet.
Aucilla Christian 24, Rocky Bayou 21
This feels like another game that could go either way, but given that the Knights have experienced growing pain after growing pain so far under Mike Conway, the pick here is Aucilla Christian.