For the third time in program history and in back-to-back years, the Fort Walton Beach Vikings are headed to the Final Four.
- Not bad for a team that, until last season, had gone a full four decades without a regional title.
The win over Wakulla could be described as two things: It needed overtime, and fresh off Wakulla’s 1-0 district title win at Steve Riggs on Jan. 26, it was emotional.
Neither team scored in regulation. But in overtime, suddenly both offenses, which hadn’t shown up all night, arrived in emphatic fashion.
With 7:29 left in the first overtime, Brian Velazquez scored to get Fort Walton Beach on the board. However, at the 3-minute mark, Wakulla’s Dax Dochio tied it up. Juanma Cotes responded with a goal of his own to give the Vikings the lead back, and it would remain that way for the rest of the game.
“These boys wanted it,” Vikings head coach Mario Rodriguez said. “We lost the district final. These boys were not going to let them come in here and beat us again. They wanted it more. Simple as that.”
Now, as Fort Walton Beach heads back to the Final Four, the mindset is simple for Rodriguez: Win it all while taking it one game at a time.
Fort Walton Beach will play American Heritage in the Final Four next Thursday. American Heritage beat Mater Lakes Academy 3-3 on penalty kicks. The winner will play the winner of the Bishop Moore-Naples game in the Class 4A state championship next Saturday.
All three matchups will be held at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
