Opening night didn’t go as planned for Choctaw, as Mosley edged the Indians 15-13 Thursday night in a hard-fought battle at Mosley.
Things couldn’t have started much better for the Indians.
Facing a fourth-and-long in no man’s land on the opening drive, Choctaw dialed up a fake punt, with Baker Giles finding Carter Marracco, who took it deep into Dolphins territory. A few plays later, Marracco found the end zone to put the Indians up first.
But momentum shifted quickly. With just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter and the Indians driving further into Mosley territory, Giles was intercepted by Dawson Reed. Choctaw’s defense appeared to force a stop, but Mosley had a trick play of its own.
On a fake punt, Tripp Moore found a wide-open Gavin Maulden deep in Indians territory, a play that proved to be the game’s turning point.
A few plays later, Julian Agurs took a direct snap into the end zone for the tying touchdown. Mosley then faked the extra point, with quarterback JP Holsombake finding Cole Archambeau to put the Dolphins ahead 8-7, a lead they would not relinquish.
Mosley extended its lead midway through the second quarter when Holsombake found Kaleb Capps in the end zone to make it 15-7.
Choctaw answered just before halftime with a drive capped by Giles finding a wide-open Rives Brown for a 45-yard touchdown. Brown was then flagged for spiking the ball in celebration, his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game, resulting in his ejection.
The Indians went for two. Giles’s pass to Ryno Burks fell incomplete, but Moore was called for pass interference, giving Choctaw another chance. Marracco took a direct snap on the ensuing attempt, but in a closely contested call, the officials ruled him short. Mosley carried a 15-13 lead into the break.
The second half opened with a promising sequence for the Indians. On Mosley’s first drive, Samuel Chisholm fumbled in Indian territory, and Amir Reese scooped it up for Choctaw. But the Mosley defense held and forced a punt.
The Indians’ best chance to retake the lead came in the third quarter, when Choctaw drove into Mosley territory. A Von’Tavious Keller fumble ended the threat.
From that point on, the Choctaw defense did its part, completely shutting down Holsombake and the Mosley offense for the remainder of the game. But the Indians’ offense couldn’t generate enough to retake the lead.
Choctaw had one final chance.
Starting from its own territory with 1:26 remaining, Giles was flagged for intentional grounding before completing a 10-yard pass to Keller. But Giles’s fourth-down pass to Burks fell incomplete, sealing the Mosley victory.
The loss stings for an Indians program with state title aspirations, and with Auburn, Pace and Niceville looming on the schedule, it’s a game Choctaw would have loved to have.
Still, the Indians remain a factor in their district and should be positioned for a home playoff game when the postseason arrives.
