Three local teams advanced to the regional semifinals last week, while Niceville suffered a stunning upset loss on penalty kicks after holding a three-goal lead late in the second half.
Fort Walton Beach defeated Rickards 2-0
Fort Walton Beach defeated Rickards 2-0 in a rematch of last year’s Elite 8 that gave the Vikings their first regional title since 1984. The win sends Fort Walton to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.
The first half was a defensive battle with neither team finding the net. The second half became a test of which team would break first, and Rickards cracked.
Juanma Cotes struck first with 18:58 remaining to put the Vikings up 1-0. Brian Valazquez added another goal with 13:06 left to make it 2-0. Fort Walton’s defense held strong the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Despite the win, head coach Mario Rodriguez sees room for improvement.
- “It’s the first game of the playoffs, we’ve got to set the tone a little earlier, and there’s a lot to work on,” Rodriguez said.
The Vikings will host Vanguard next Thursday. Vanguard beat Bay 3-2 in their regional quarterfinal.
Choctaw upsets Ponte Vedra 2-1
Choctaw delivered a stunning upset to Ponte Vedra on Friday night, defeating the Sharks 2-1 to advance to the next round.
Jamaarie Alcide and Malloy Hansen both scored goals, but the Indians’ stout defense was the real story. Christian Nelson, Bart Davis, Andrew Rynearson and goalkeeper Dominick Richards shut down the Sharks’ attack led by Nick Churchill and Antonio Mahfuz Neto.
The Indians will return to St. John’s County next Thursday to take on Beachside, the No. 10 team in the country. Beachside beat Chiles 2-0 on Friday night.
Rocky Bayou defeated Community Christian 2-0
Rocky Bayou defeated Community Christian 2-0 on Tuesday night, earning the program’s first playoff victory in years and the first of head coach John Agnew’s tenure.
The win also gave the Knights revenge against the team that ended their season the past two years. It was the third meeting between the teams this season — Rocky Bayou won 5-0 in December and took the district title last Tuesday.
The game started as a defensive grind for the first 20 minutes. The Knights got some shots off, but Community Christian goalkeeper Noah Dietz kept them off the board.
- With 20 minutes remaining in the first half, Mark Harlan broke through for Rocky Bayou’s first goal. At the five-minute mark, Justus Rossell added another to give the Knights a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half was another defensive battle, but Rocky Bayou remained in control. Community Christian’s only threat came when Nathaniel Ozdeimer got a shot off, but it was no good. The Knights cruised to the 2-0 victory.
“It’s exciting and it’s long overdue for our program,” Agnew said.
Agnew views it as fitting that Harlan and Rossell propelled the Knights to victory, crediting both with helping build the culture he aimed to set when he was hired in 2023.
“Those guys stepping up, and they’ve been stepping up the entire time they’ve been a part of our team, and they’ve set a standard of not just the play on the field, but a high level of what a Christian athlete should look like,” Agnew said.
The Sweet 16 will also be played at Rocky Bayou. Redeemer Christian will travel to the Knights after beating Academy of the Lakes 3-2.
South Lake 3, Niceville 3 (PK, South Lake 3-1)
Niceville held a 3-0 lead with 28:20 remaining and appeared headed to the Sweet 16. Asher Nelson had just converted a penalty kick to build on earlier goals from Jason Fuller and Jackson Fisher.
But South Lake had other plans.
The South Lake Eagles scored four minutes later to make it 3-1. With 17:06 left, they added another to cut Niceville’s lead to 3-2. The Eagles kept pressing while Niceville’s shots weren’t falling.
- With just over a minute remaining, Melvin Rivera scored the equalizer to send the game to overtime.
The mood shifted dramatically. Niceville’s sideline went from relaxed to uneasy, while South Lake transformed from accepting defeat to revitalized.
Overtime didn’t change the score, sending the game to penalty kicks. South Lake converted three to hand Niceville a big upset. The shocked silence at Twin Oaks was broken only by South Lake’s celebration.
South Lake will travel to Bucholz next Thursday for the Sweet 16. Bucholz beat Tate 3-2.
Niceville will lose an impactful senior class including Nelson, Camrin Pearson, Kaito Loux and goalkeeper Colton Cook. The Eagles should return significant talent next year led by Fisher, Fuller, Rafe Ellis, Kaileb Weddleburn and Landon Condit.
