Three area teams are headed to the playoffs after claiming district championships this week, with Niceville and South Walton winning titles Thursday and Rocky Bayou clinching its crown Tuesday.

Niceville 8, Gulf Breeze 4

After two memorable regular-season meetings between the Eagles and Dolphins, the third was no different. In another exciting game full of momentum swings, it was Niceville that came out on top to claim its second straight district title.

The Eagles jumped ahead early when CJ Bolden doubled and Remington Crum later singled to bring him home. Niceville blew the game open in the second inning when Ethan Thomas, Colton Cook and Bolden all walked, then Deacon Avery singled to score Joel Barnes, the courtesy runner for Thomas. Crum followed with a single that scored Cook, Bolden and Avery.

Gulf Breeze got on the board in the third, then seized momentum in the fifth when Parker Boyd singled and Thomas gave up back-to-back home runs to Boston Hanna and Presley Moseley. Thomas was pulled for Sean Britton, who recorded two more outs to stop the bleeding.

• But the Eagles grabbed momentum right back in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and Jake Morvay on first, Thomas — now in the batter’s box — got his chance at redemption. He delivered, doubling to score Morvay and opening the floodgates.

“That’s a sophomore in a really big game, coming out there and making those plays, and I’m proud of him,” Niceville head coach Justin Bruce said. “He’s been tough as nails all year, and he comes out and gives the team everything he’s got.”

“After the two home runs, people would get their heads down, the team wouldn’t be behind you anymore, but the coaches were always behind me,” Thomas said. “And if you deliver a big hit, you’ll win the game.”

Jake Buis was intentionally walked, and Quentin Saviola followed with a double to score Thomas and Buis. The Eagles kept the Dolphins off the board the rest of the way, with the final out — a Rhyland Richards pop fly caught by Lincoln Broussard — sending Niceville into a celebration capped by a Gatorade bath for Bruce.

After back-to-back district titles, Bruce pointed to his seniors.

“I’m just proud of these seniors,” he said. “We were down a couple of arms, we knew it would be a battle, and they came to work every day. They did everything they did to make it work.”

With Mosley’s early district exit to Lincoln, Niceville is now in prime position to vault past the Dolphins for the No. 2 seed in the region, though nothing will be official until the FHSAA releases brackets Monday.

Bruce said the focus remains on the bigger picture.

• “Just trying to keep these guys focused,” he said. “Winning a district championship is not the goal we set out at the beginning of the season. We wanted to do something more special.”

Thomas put it more bluntly: “We’re the best team in the state.”

South Walton 3, West Florida Tech 1

Thanks to a dominant showing from Coleman Borthwick, the Seahawks are district champs once again.

South Walton struck first in the opening inning with a two-RBI single from Parker Granse. West Florida Tech answered when outfielder John Hatch hit a home run — the first run Borthwick had allowed all year.

• The Seahawks responded with a home run from Jace Cunningham, and Borthwick kept the Jaguars off the board the rest of the way.

With the No. 1 seed in the region locked up, the road to Fort Myers runs through the Hawks’ Nest. South Walton will have to wait until Monday’s bracket release to learn its Round 1 opponent.

Rocky Bayou 11, L.E.A.D. Academy 0

The Knights earned a dominant run-rule victory Tuesday to officially punch their ticket back to the playoffs, powered by big days at the plate from Colt Stevens and Kaine Stine.

Stine finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Stevens went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Stevens also pitched a shutout, striking out six.

With how spread out the bottom half of 1A Region 1 is, Rocky Bayou is likely locked into the No. 8 seed unless bid thieves emerge. The Knights’ likely first-round opponent appears to be St. John’s Country Day, the No. 2 team in the classification, but nothing is official until Monday’s bracket release.