Tuesday night was a special night for Niceville High School.
- It wasn’t just because it was the first game played on the new turf field at Eagle Stadium. It was because the Lady Eagles took down Choctaw 20-12 for their first win over the Lady Indians since 2021. At 7-0, Niceville is for real.
“They’ve worked so hard. All summer, all fall, they’ve earned this,” Niceville head coach Adron Robinson said. “That Choctaw team is the best team in the Panhandle. By far. If we want to get to that level, that’s the type of team we’ve got to beat.”
Choctaw struck first when Diaris Morales connected with Tishelle Bowles, who took it to the house for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead. Niceville answered with a long drive of its own, as quarterback Peyton Carter fired off big gains to Kate Robertson, Eden Shaw and Avery Cowles, but the drive stalled when Bowles picked off a Carter pass.
The Lady Eagles’ defense responded on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt that Katherine Newkirk blocked deep in Choctaw territory. Jori Blechler ripped off a big run to set up a Carter touchdown pass to Robertson that tied the game at 6, where it remained through the end of the first quarter.
- Choctaw put together another solid drive in the second quarter. Following Morales passes to Bowles and Silvy Ewert and a roughing penalty on Newkirk, Morales found a wide-open Janiya Brown, who took it into the end zone to put the Lady Indians up 12-6.
The Lady Indians forced a stop and had a chance to pad their lead before the half. A Morales pass to Mirian Redondo put Choctaw in prime position to score, but a series of miscues — highlighted by a Morales incompletion as the half ended — kept the score at 12-6 heading into the break.
Niceville came alive quickly in the second half. On the Lady Eagles’ first drive, Carter hit Blechler, who made several defenders miss and took it all the way for a touchdown.
“She’s a ninth grader, but she’s a dawg. Simple as that,” Robinson said. “She has no quit, and she’s one of the best freshmen I’ve ever seen.”
- “I saw a couple girls, I hit a left and a right, and they couldn’t pull my flag, and I was there,” Blechler added.
Carter hit Blechler again for the extra point to give Niceville a 13-12 lead, and the Lady Eagles wouldn’t look back.
Both defenses locked in after that, and the score held at 13-12 for much of the second half. But late in the fourth quarter, Niceville got the play it needed. After a Lady Eagles drive came up short, RaMyan Tripeaux picked off Morales deep in Lady Indians territory. A few plays later, Carter found Cowles for a touchdown strike that put Niceville up 20-12.
Choctaw had one final chance. Morales hit Redondo, scrambled for 5 yards and hit Redondo again, but Niceville’s defense had one more stop left. Gabby Valdez sacked Morales to set up a fourth down. Morales completed a pass to Ewert, but she came up just short of the marker as Niceville got the ball on downs, sealing a memorable win that will be remembered by the Eagles faithful.
Niceville (7-0) will play at Pace on Thursday. Choctaw (6-2) will host Navarre next Wednesday, which will mark the first game played on Joe Etheredge Stadium’s new turf field.
The two teams will meet again April 9 at Choctaw.
