A trip to the Elite 8 has become familiar territory for Choctaw flag football, but Monday’s 31-6 win over Booker T. Washington in the 2A Sweet 16 was closer than the final score suggests.

The Lady Indians opened the game with a Diaris Morales touchdown pass to KK Hardy, but the Lady Wildcats answered quickly and seized the momentum. On a clutch fourth down, Booker T. Washington’s Kamryn Hughes found Devani Williams for a touchdown, and Hughes followed with an interception that swung the energy to the visitors’ sideline.

Choctaw’s defense responded with a stop that proved to be the turning point.

Morales fired four more touchdown passes the rest of the way, including two to Kady Folsom that pushed the Lady Indians’ lead to 19-6 at halftime. She added scoring strikes to Tishelle Bowles and Maddie Faris, while Hardy turned in two interceptions on defense.

Choctaw head coach Jim Bay put Hardy’s performance in blunt terms, saying she was “on fire.”

“I was a little worried coming in that we’d be a little flat, felt like the girls were kind of complacent and not fired up, but they persevered,” Bay said. “They had a very athletic QB and a couple athletic kids, but we were able to hold them.”

Choctaw will host Paxon School for Advanced Studies at Joe Etheredge Stadium on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s 2A Elite 8, which the Lady Indians won 33-6. Paxon advanced with a 34-0 win over Yulee.

Bay is bracing for a tougher test this time around.

“We play them every year it seems like. Very athletic, well coached, their flag girls – they play year round on the Jaguars Elite teams, we’re expecting a dogfight,” Bay said. “It’s going to be a battle. We got on them last year pretty quick and we beat them by 30, but I don’t think that will be the case this year.”