After coming heartbreakingly close to winning a state championship last spring, the Choctawhatchee High School girls flag football team has unfinished business to attend to this season.

• The Indians marched all the way to the title game in 2023 before falling 32-13 against Robinson. It was a back-to-back state runner-up finish under coach Jim Bay for talent-rich Choctawhatchee.

Since that loss, the Indians have been working relentlessly to get back to the summit. Choctaw traveled extensively during the offseason — to Jacksonville, Valdosta, Georgia, and Tampa — facing elite out-of-state opponents to tune up.

The team made a huge statement by knocking off three-time defending Georgia state champion Southeast Bulloch 6-0 on a neutral field in Jacksonville.

• “They’re currently 53-0 in Georgia,” Bay noted. “We went over there and won that and had a good run.”

A trio of battle-tested athletes — wide receiver Morgan Grace, quarterback Diaras Morales and defensive powerhouse Trinity Thomas — headlines a stacked lineup that has captured back-to-back district championships.

Bay called senior Bailey Schwall his “Swiss Army knife” because of her well-rounded skill set. A soccer standout who also runs track, Schwall brings speed and slick open-field moves to the gridiron.

• “She can sling it a mile. She runs like a deer and has very elusive hips on flag pulling,” Bay said. “She’s very tough to get a flag pulled on.”

There’s also an infusion of young talent led by freshman Peyton DiBenedetto, whom Bay said has “fallen in love with flag.” DiBenedetto carved out a key role during summer camps and figures to make an instant impact.

Put it all together and Choctaw seems poised to continue its run as an annual championship contender. Since 2017, the Indians have established themselves as one of the state’s preeminent programs alongside Robinson.

The only obstacle this preseason has been meshing all of those pieces after their season start time moved up by one week.

• The Indians opened practice missing 10 players who were still involved in winter sports like soccer, basketball and weightlifting. Coach Bay didn’t have a full squad together until earlier this week, just two days before Friday’s season opener at Destin High School.

“The struggle is real for us, but we have a lot of girls doing multi-sport,” Bay said. “It was an odd deal because the season’s starting actually a week sooner than it did last year. So it’s starting, and there’s still a lot of winter sports going on right now with regionals.”

Bay enthusiastically encourages his players to participate in multiple sports, even if it means they occasionally have to divide time between flag football and other obligations.

“We love multi-sport athletes and that’s something we encourage at Choctaw and we’ll make it work,” Bay said. “And it is tough at times, but we’re doing what’s best for the girls, not really what’s best for the coach.”

There are also high hopes for the future. Bay called this year’s crop of freshmen “the strongest freshman class I’ve ever seen.” Twenty-two talented newcomers tried out.

Choctawhatchee’s feeder middle school programs, particularly at powerhouse Pryor, have helped stock the varsity roster with waves of young talent. Meigs Middle School has also emerged as a pipeline.

That has Bay thinking big picture — well beyond this season.

• “I’m excited about the future,” he said. “Our depth is really nice. We’ve got some very strong freshmen. Next year, when we lose all these seniors, they’re gonna have to fill some roles.”

But first things first: The Indians have unfinished business after coming agonizingly close to winning it all the past two seasons.

“Our goal always has been that we’re gonna go to state,” Bay said. “We’re that caliber of team. Our program is on that level with the state.”

A testament to that commitment came over the summer when Bay brought up junior varsity players to fill holes amid scheduling conflicts so the varsity could travel to camps and seven-on-seven tournaments.

• “Summers for us are more about getting quality reps, getting the girls to play more and just get that game time experience that you can’t get at practice,” explained Bay, who sets expectations low in the summer to build for the spring.

Choctawhatchee has reached the point where, again, a shot at a state title this season is within reach.

“We just can’t have any hiccups,” Bay said.

The Indians will travel to Destin Middle School Stadium on Friday, Feb. 22, to face off in their opening game against the Destin High School Sharks. JV kicks off at 6pm, with Varsity at 7:30pm.