Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Jim Bay’s squad is the gold standard for flag football in the Panhandle, and his Choctaw Indians are 2-0 and once again looking like one of the top programs in the state.
- The Indians are coming off a fourth consecutive regional title and a run all the way to the state championship game last May, where they fell just short of capturing that elusive state title.
This year, though?
They’re looking like they should get there again. And the scary part is that Choctaw made that championship run with a very young roster — and it still looks like a young roster this year.
“Last year we were super young, but the girls are hungry,” Bay said.
The Indians have already opened with dominant shutout wins over Crestview and Fort Walton Beach, and at the heart of this program is the best flag football player in the Panhandle — and possibly one of the best in the state of Florida: Diaris Morales.
The Puerto Rico-born quarterback scored 70 touchdowns last season and is already picking up where she left off, taking over the game against Fort Walton Beach with five total touchdowns. Morales’s talent has drawn attention well beyond the Panhandle — she was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in September as a Latino Youth Honoree for the NFL.
Bay doesn’t just see his best player when he looks at Morales. He sees the program’s heart and soul.
“She’s been that kid who’s stepped up not only on-and-off the field but shines in everything she does,” Bay said. “She knows what she’s doing, she’s so calm down there, the way she can see the field, directing the players and finding the open spots – so we’re expecting her to get us there.”
But outside of Morales, this Indians roster features a set of players who shine on both sides of the ball. That starts with Morales’s favorite target: Peyton DiBenedetto, who had a 1,000-yard receiving season and 23 total touchdowns a year ago.
Several players who anchored the defense last season are also expected to step up on offense to fill the void left by departing seniors. Miran Redondo, who had 15 sacks last year, already showed that versatility against Fort Walton Beach with two touchdowns. Tishelle Bowles and Maddie Faris combined for 11 interceptions last season and figure to remain key contributors on defense while taking on bigger offensive roles.
What has impressed Bay most so far is the team’s chemistry, even with so many playmakers competing for touches — a reflection of the family culture he’s built within the program.
- “The team bond, we’ve got a great family going on, that’s how we’ve always worked as a program,” Bay said. “Good teams are good families.”
Still, Bay wants to see his team come out with more urgency early in games.
“We started out slow, we did it in Crestview. We have to come out and get after it early,” he said, adding that he wants to see his team set the tone from the opening snap.
Two games in, though, it’s once again looking like another great year for Choctaw flag football.
