The year is 2000. Bill Clinton was president. Tom Brady was a rookie. The Kobe-Shaq duo dominated the NBA. In Florida, the presidential election recount dominated both state and national headlines. Multiple area schools, including South Walton High, Shoal River Middle and Pineview School, didn’t even exist. No player on the Eagles’ roster was alive.
That was what the world was like the last time Niceville football missed the playoffs. The Eagles have made it every year since.
On Wednesday night, in a makeup game rescheduled because of Hurricane Isaias, Niceville’s quarter-century playoff streak was snapped by Pace at Eagle Stadium. The Patriots’ 31-25 win gave Pace the district championship and eliminated the only avenue the Eagles had to making the playoffs.
Things started out well for Niceville. After the teams exchanged punts, the Eagles struck first on an 85-yard pick-six by sophomore defensive back D.J. Stafford to go up early 7-0.
Pace answered with a drive helped by a good run from Makael Williams and a pass interference penalty on Niceville, but the Patriots could only muster a field goal, making it 7-3.
The Pace defense forced a Niceville punt, and the Patriots offense went to work, driving down the field. The drive was highlighted by Brooks Washington hitting Char’son Floyd for a key fourth-down conversion deep in Eagles territory. A few plays later, Williams took it into the end zone to make it 10-7 Pace.
Pace had an opportunity to pad its advantage after Caden Shoemaker intercepted junior quarterback Deagan McCoy with four minutes left in the half, but the Patriots couldn’t add to the lead. That gave Niceville’s offense a chance at redemption, and it capitalized. McCoy hit freshman wide receiver Jaxon Dark for a big gain, then found junior wide receiver Malachi White for a touchdown to make it 14-10 Eagles.
On Pace’s next drive, Washington fumbled and junior tight end Jason Leach recovered in Patriots territory. Niceville soon had to settle for a field goal attempt by junior kicker Nate Martinez, who made it to send the Eagles into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
Pace got the ball to start the second half, and a long Williams run quickly set the tone. Williams and Washington sliced and diced their way down the field before Williams scored the game-tying touchdown.
Niceville then drove to the Pace 43 but came up short as the Patriots stopped Niceville’s lauded “heavy” package. The Niceville defense answered with a stop of its own, and neither team could solve the other’s defense until the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
That’s when Pace struck. Starting at its own 32, Washington went to work, finding a wide-open Kayden Batchelor, who took it all the way to the Niceville 2. Williams then took it in for his third touchdown of the night, completing the hat trick and giving Pace a 24-17 lead with just over a minute left.
Niceville responded. McCoy hit sophomore running back Jakobe Gilyard on a screen for a big gain, and a few plays later, McCoy found Gilyard again for a touchdown. McCoy then hit senior wide receiver Caleb Leonard on the 2-point conversion, giving Niceville a 25-24 lead with 20 seconds left.
At that point, it looked like Niceville would extend its playoff streak to 26 years, and a date with Mandarin next Friday seemed inevitable.
But Pace got a miracle. Batchelor returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Niceville 10-yard line, setting up the game-winning walk-off touchdown from Williams, his fourth of the night, to give Pace the 31-25 victory and the district championship.
Despite missing the playoffs, Niceville is all but assured a berth in the Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) and could potentially host, meaning postseason football could still be played at Eagle Stadium, depending on where the chips fall Friday.
